Wrestle to Win

Most Christians recognize the tangible truth of Ephesians 6:12:  "...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."  In his younger days my brother used to wrestle competitively.  Combatants were paired with people of similar weight.  Brute strength was not as important as good technique and tactics.  In the spiritual battle which all Christians face, people take various approaches.  Some act like cocky street fighters, looking to pound the devil into submission.  Others are reticent and timid, desiring to hide from any potential confrontation.  Neither of these extremes seem to take into account the balance between our identity as overcomers contrasted with our need for humble reliance upon Christ.

If I'm going to wrestle, I want to wrestle to win.  I don't want to wrestle against forces of darkness as a spiritual exercise.  I don't stay fit spiritually to throw in the towel if the fight becomes taxing.  So how do we win?  I believe the most fundamental, guaranteed principle for victory is pictured beautifully in an Old Testament passage which I read this morning.  Let me set the stage:  after Ahaziah king of Judah, his mother Athaliah killed off all the king's offspring so she could reign.  Nice grandma, huh?  Little Joash, one of Ahaziah's young sons and heir to the throne, was saved and secretly raised in the temple.  After six years passed, seven-year-old Joash was crowned as king by Jehoiada the priest.  We pick up the passage in 2 Kings 11:12-16:  "And he brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!" ¹³ Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in the temple of the LORD. ¹⁴ When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, "Treason! Treason!" ¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, "Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not let her be killed in the house of the LORD." ¹⁶ So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses' entrance into the king's house, and there she was killed."

Athaliah was a usurper who ruled for six years with cruelty.  She remained in power and authority until the rightful king was crowned and established.  Joash stood by the two pillars in the temple which Solomon named Jachin ("he will establish") and Boaz ("in him is strength").  After the true king was in place, justice which had long been waiting was issued against Athaliah.  She was taken outside the temple and slain as well as all who remained loyal to her.  This is a picture of the condition of the world.  Satan, the prince of the power of the air through his subtlety and deceptions, holds claim to the earth.  When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he offered to hand over the earth if Christ would bow down to him.  Satan worked to destroy Christ and labours still to defeat all who trust in Jesus as Saviour.  But Jesus rose from the dead and will come again to set up His kingdom upon the earth.  Satan will be thrown out and be ultimately destroyed, even as Athaliah was carried out and killed.

What is true in a world-wide sense is also true for every human heart.  Every person is born a slave of sin and is the property of this world and its ruler, under the curse and death.  When we confess our sin and repent, trusting in Christ to save us, we are cleansed and the Holy Spirit enters and indwells each heart.  The children of God are the temple of the Holy Spirit purchased with the blood of Christ.  We wrestle against the sway of the world, the power of Satan, and the desires of our own flesh.  The only way we can be victorious is when we set Christ in His rightful place on the throne.  Romans 16:20 rings true for all those who have overcome through the blood of the Lamb:  "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."   Like Samson ripped the lion which roared against him in half, our God is able to deliver us from the snarling enemy of our souls.  The skirmishes continue, but the battle is already won.

The day of ultimate deliverance and victory cannot happen soon enough!  But while the LORD tarries in heaven at the right hand of the Father, He has not left us helpless.  He bids us stand strong and wrestle, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and rulers of wickedness.  We can only succeed when we lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge our Saviour Jesus Christ.  God has established Him above all, and in Him is strength.  Place Him on the throne and rejoice in Him!  He does not save us so we can save ourselves:  we must continually, completely, rely upon Him as our King.  I close with Revelation 19:11-16:  "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

Shout for joy, those who have formerly been oppressed of the devil!  Your Redeemer lives and draws nigh, even into your hearts.  He comes quickly and His reward is with Him!

Why I Hate Porn

"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. ²⁷ For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well. ²⁸ She also lies in wait as for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men."

Proverbs 23:26-28

 Imagine you are parched and thirsty.  You are so desperate to satisfy your thirst that you would even drink putrid, stagnant water if it could be found.  Then you come upon a sparkling well in which the water appears clean and pure.  But it is just out of your reach, tantalizingly close.  Leaning over you cannot cup the water with your hand, nor do you have any means to draw.  The only way to obtain this water is to dive headlong into it.  You do so only to find that the well narrows as it deepens, and it is impossible to turn right-side up!  Thrashing wildly with your body submerged, your hands are pinned to your sides as your feet flail for a handhold.  Your cries for help are silenced by the water.  It will not be long before you will suffocate and die from what you thought would satisfy your thirst.

There are many carnivorous plants in nature which contain deadly poison to trap insects.  One such type is the pitcher plant which is made up many colorful and attractive varieties.  The unsuspecting insect slips into the opening and falls into a poison which drowns and digests the victim.  If an insect attempts to crawl out, there are slippery grooves and little spines which prevent a trapped victim from doing so.  One false move and the bug falls into the pitfall, and dinner for the plant has been served.  A harlot is a deep pitfall, and really nothing more than a deep tomb in which the strongest men can fall.  Anyone who sells their body physically, on the printed page, or through digital media to stir up lust has prostituted themselves for the destruction of themselves and others.  This is one of the great tragedies of our day repeated a billion times or more with the push of a button and the turn of a page.

Porn comes at a greater cost than most people realize:  broken homes, destroyed marriages, shame, degradation of people created in the image of God, wicked thoughts and imaginations, murders, rape, incest, and child molestation.  Though not all who view pornography have done horrible crimes against others, porn is often a common thread among those who have.  It is often a secret sin which breeds deception, lies, perversion, selfishness, and faithlessness.  Pornography is treacherous and addictive.  It is attractive to the senses and temporarily satisfies curiosity.  Once fed the desires grow stronger until the hapless victim is without power to deny or resist.  The story of many a person is told in Proverbs 7, where a young man devoid of understanding who passes by the house of a known harlot.  He goes there at night when he thought no one would see.  She came out to meet him (spam e-mail, pop-up ad, website), kisses him, and tells him she has been waiting for him.  Her husband is not home, nor would they be caught while they spent intimate moments together.  What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?  Wrong:  be sure your sin will find you out (Num. 32:23)!  The outcome is predictable and certain.

As you read the following scripture, think about the seductress as personifying pornography:  Proverbs 7:21-27 reads, "With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. ²² Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, ²³ till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life. ²⁴ Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth: ²⁵ do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths; ²⁶ for she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. ²⁷ Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death."  The people who have confessed an addiction to pornography to me from a young age who regularly attended church are many, and I'm sure I haven't heard from the majority of those who are porn addicts.  It used to be a person would have to go to a store to buy pornographic material and now inconceivable abominations are available for free in the privacy of your room at the click of a button.  It is easy to clear your computer history, but not so easy to clean your brain!  How easily the mind is corrupted and polluted!  How quick the fish is hooked when he takes the bait of a skilled fisherman!

At first you might think you have discovered a wonderful thing in pornography.  But the more you feed on it the more you will need of it.  It will not satisfy you.  It will only enlarge your appetites and desires.  It will only make you disillusioned with reality and you will drown in your own perversion.  You may think you hurt no one.  I tell you the truth:  you are killing yourself.  You hurt others when you undress and degrade them in your mind.  You hurt your wife when your desire for her is sapped through your addiction.  You hurt your children when you numb yourself with sin and play the hypocrite, leading the way to their own destruction.  Don't you know that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children to the forth generation (Ex. 20:4-5)?  Satan does.  It is a sobering thought that willful rebellion against God gives the devil license to tempt and ensnare a man's great-great-grandchildren with the same sins he embraces.  Praise God that Jesus can break this chain!

What can be done?  A drowning bug cannot escape a pitfall, and man is powerless to free himself from sin.  Whether you make or consume porn, first admit that you have a serious problem.  Sin's strength is in secrecy.  Sin causes men to labour to keep it hidden and many are deluded to think they can kick this habit themselves.  This only brings hopelessness through failure.  Bringing it out in the open destroys the power of guilt sin holds over us.  Remaining accountable to other people who provide honest support is critical.  Above all, confessing and repenting from our sins to God specifically by name is paramount.  Lazarus died and was buried in a tomb, but Jesus raised him from the dead and removed the graveclothes which bound him.  So Christ will do for you if you will meet His conditions:  confess your sin, forsake it, and be born again through faith in Jesus.  He will lift you out of any pit of sin, and He will pull you from the narrow well in which you drown.  May the question posed in Ezekiel 18:31 ring in our ears, "Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?"

Break it Down!

"Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls."

Proverbs 25:28

The Word of God is more insightful than we often give it credit for.  My family and I have been reading through the Proverbs together.  It is easy to read a statement and not take time to give it deeper thought.  But below the surface lies truth so profound we benefit greatly from meditating on it.  Take the proverb above, for example.  Do you think you or your children can understand it without explanation?  It would be better to explain a single proverb in detail than reading a thousand without discussion.

This proverb uses an analogy which compares the man who has no rule over his spirit to a city broken down without walls.  How does a man rule over his spirit?  There are many correct answers:  self-control concerning temper, judgments, fear, worry, cares, and many more.  The scripture teaches us that no man can even tame his own tongue:  how much less the heart?

Now consider the term "a city broken down."  Without shelter, people would have no place for protection or rest.  It would be difficult to prepare meals or enter into productive labour.  What could be the cause of this breaking?  It could be from neglect of maintenance.  It could also be the product of assault and warfare.  King Nebuchadnezzar left not one stone in place when he razed Jerusalem.  Walls can break because of poor design or craftsmanship.  A huge earthquake, flood, fire, or some other natural disaster could cause walls to break.  Faulty building materials could be to blame for a collapsed building.  We could add many more causes to our list.

The city is not only broken down but is described as being "without walls."  What are the purposes of walls?  A primary purpose would be protection from enemies.  Watchmen would have a safe place on the high walls to observe any potential threats and warn people within the city to prepare for battle.  Not only would walls keep out enemies, but they provide safe boundaries for those within.  A wall also sets clear limits of the city to prevent confusion.  King Saul and his sons were hung from the walls of Beth Shean to proudly display their bodies as trophies of battle.  Walls give people within the city a sense of security and safety.

With this in mind, what can we know about the man who has no rule over his spirit?  The Bible teaches us that only those who submit to the rule of the Holy Spirit have the capacity to rule over their own spirit!  Only those who walk in the Spirit will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  The desires and impulses of our flesh can only be restrained for a season.  But those who have crucified the flesh with its lusts through faith in Christ are fortified on this Rock of Salvation.  God has made Christians the Temple of the Holy Spirit and filled these earthen vessels with His glory.  We have protection, safety, wisdom, and help from God to honor and obey Him with our thoughts, attitudes, and deeds.  Without God's rule we are slaves to sin and Satan.  In this condition we are without protection or defense, without watchman or security, in utter confusion and ruin.  Any moment we can be overrun by sin which is more fearsome than deadly raiders who rape, thieve, kill, and destroy.

Aside from the lesson contained in this rich passage, may this process of meditating on the Word of God become part of our daily practice.  Allow and invite God to open His inspired Word to consume your thoughts as you carefully ruminate upon it.  Invite God to teach and minister to your soul as you willfully engage your mind to seek Him.  As we break down God's Word, He will build us up.  Build your church, LORD Jesus!

Delight in Discovery

"The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not consider."

Isaiah 1:3

Yesterday I saw a remake of "The Miracle Worker," a drama I first saw in black and white.  My mind went back to the first time I saw the unforgettable scenes depicting Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller, especially the classic dining room scene.  I found it laborious to watch.  But the struggle made the end of the film so sweet when the light inside Helen finally turned on as the water washed over her hands.  How hard it must have been to break through Helen's deafness and blindness!  Inside that head was an amazing, intelligent mind isolated from communication through normal means.  Anne Sullivan was really no miracle worker in that she used natural techniques:  she firmly believed in her methods of teaching, was consistent in her approach, and was able to love the unlovable child who was clothed with violence and every manipulation tactic.  But the change in Helen was miraculous!  She learned to speak, read, write (12 books!), and even graduated from university with a B.A.  What an amazing transformation we see from the kitchen scene to the water pump!

Who do I identify with?  You might think as a pastor that I identify with Anne Sullivan the teacher.  Not me.  I identify with Helen Keller, because the Bible teaches that in spiritual matters all are deaf, blind, naked, lost, and even dead!  I was senseless in my sin, not even recognizing God or my need for Him.  Christ is my teacher, and the Holy Spirit makes men to be born again and helps us understand God's Word.  How senseless Helen was as she destroyed everything around her!  She was stubborn, thankless, rebellious, and violent.  Yet Anne remained faithful and reaped the rewards of a lifetime friend and companion in Helen.  Though Helen was blind and deaf in body, when she was asked later about her belief in God she answered in the affirmative, "I always knew He was there, but I didn't know His name!"  The Holy Spirit had illuminated her heart and gave her that Living Water which Christ had promised to all who trust in Him.

I love watching the water scene when the "light comes on" in Helen.  How can the tears be suppressed?  See her excitement to know what things are called!  A new world of discovery opened up in an instant, and she continued to pursue truth and knowledge for the rest of her days.  I wonder if Christians are as excited about the world of spiritual truth and discovery opened to them through the Bible and the teaching influence of the Holy Spirit.  It is great to know that water is called "water," but how much greater to know WHO God is:  that He is our Jehovah Rapha (God our Healer) and Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider) and Jehovah Shalom (God our Peace) and much more!  Even still more thought-provoking, consider what wonderful days of exciting discovery await us as we grow in learning - not simply facts about God - but knowing God Himself.  Would He send the Holy Spirit to take up residence within believers to hide Himself?  No!  God did so that we might know Him intimately as He knows us.

Jesus is the Good Teacher, the ultimate miracle worker.  He does not grow tired or weary and loves us completely.  Oh, that we would know Him and delight in Him alone!  There is so much He wants to tell us on this side of eternity and we are often content with comforts and the passing trinkets of this earthly existence.  God makes every morning new:  a new date, new hours and seconds, clean beams of sunlight which cut through puffy clouds and fresh rain which causes the earth to spring forth with new growth.  Today is the beginning of a new age of potential discovery with God as we rejoice in our Saviour.  Or...we can grovel back to our old sins and blindly eat rubbish and drink the numbing poison this world offers.  May God open our eyes to see Him in a fresh way today that we might delight in our God.  What a testimony against God's people, that an ox has more sense of belonging and knowledge of his owner than some believers do concerning their God!  Let us rejoice not only in the day the LORD has made, but in the LORD who has made the day and caused His light to shine within us!

The Promise of Resurrection

What an unfailing hope is offered all those who repent and trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour!  While reading Ichabod Spencer's A Pastor's Sketches I came across a fitting poem for the season of Easter.  Though the bodies of all men are corrupted through age, sickness, and injury, death for Christians is not the end:  our souls are released immortal and incorruptible upon the death of our bodies.  The souls of men will either spend eternity in eternal torment and separation from God because of their sin, or will flourish in eternal strength and glory in the presence of Christ whose righteousness, suffering, death, and resurrection made it possible!  Below is the poem exactly as it appears in Volume 2, page 276.

THE DEATH-BED OF THE POOR !

"Tread softly-bow the head-

In reverent silence bow;

No passing bell doth toll-

Yet an immortal soul

is passing now.

Stranger! however great,

With lowly reverence bow;

There's one in that poor shed-

One on that paltry bed-

Greater than thou.

Beneath that beggar's roof,

Lo!  Death doth keep his state.

Enter-no crowd attend;

Enter-no guards defend

This palace gate.

That pavement, damp and cold,

no smiling courtiers tread;

One silent woman stands-

Lifting with meagre hands

A dying head.

No mingling voices sound-

And infant wail alone;

A sob suppressed-again

That short, deep gasp, and then

The parting groan.

Oh, change!-oh, wondrous change!-

Burst are the prison bars;

This moment there, so low,

So agonized; and now

Beyond the stars.

Oh change!-stupendous change!

There lies the soulless clod.

The sun eternal breaks-

The new immortal wakes-

Wakes with his God."

Seek the Seeker

This morning my eyes fell upon Psalm 84:8-10:  "O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah ⁹ O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. ¹⁰ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."  What a privilege it is to be in the presence of the King of kings!  An eternity apart from the presence of the LORD cannot compare with a single day as a servant in His presence.  When we love people, we desire to be near to them.  A loving husband and wife do not live in separate houses as a rule, but they long to abide as close to each other as possible.

It is obvious that followers of Jesus Christ should rejoice in His presence.  We are the ones who are honored to serve Him and be known by Him.  We are blessed, privileged, and humbled to have the Spirit of God within our hearts.  But did you realize that God highly regards our presence as well?  While reading the Bible this morning, I was drawn to consider a passage in 2 Kings.  The king of Moab rebelled against Jehoram king of Israel.  Jehoram asked Jehoshaphat (great names aren't they!) king of Judah and the king of Edom to aid him in attacking Moab which they agreed to do.  After the three kings and army traveled for seven days they ran out of water for both man and beast.  While Jehoram lamented and blamed their situation on God, Jehoshaphat desired to inquire of the LORD and sought after Elisha the prophet.

2 Kings 3:14 records a remarkable statement and principle from God's perspective:  "And Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you."  Elisha was a man who stood in God's presence and knew the will of God.  Had the faithful Jehoshaphat not been among the kings who inquired of the LORD, their request would have been disregarded.  For the sake of Jehoshaphat God gave directives to supply both the water shortage and victory in battle they desired.  God looks upon all men, but He sees those faithful to Him with great joy and pleasure.  His ear is open to their cries, and He stretches out His arm to deliver, heal, save, and restore.  The first part of 2 Chronicles 16:9 reads, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."   Yet God does not only look down from heaven like a divine voyeur:  God became flesh in Jesus Christ; He sent the Holy Spirit; He hears, speaks, and answers; He delivers and saves!

Neither Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, or even Elisha were worthy of such favor from the Almighty.  That God would regard man is proof of His goodness and grace, not ours!  King David wrote in Psalm 8:3-5:  "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, ⁴ What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? ⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor."  How amazing it is that God would honor the presence of one man and respond to his request!  God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  If we will humble ourselves to repent and seek God, He joyfully crowns us with glory and honor!  What amazing, unfathomable condescension!  Have you taken time to stand before the LORD in praise and thankfulness today? 

Inspection or Surveillance?

Today we had a home inspection from the real estate agent who manages the property we are renting.  Our family took care to mow the lawn, organize the garage, and clean the house top to bottom.  Though the house is large, regular cleaning thankfully left it a small chore.  As I mopped the kitchen area, a thought went through my mind.  The promise of the inspection at 11:30am Monday morning gave us a deadline to meet.  How would things be different if our house was under constant surveillance?  Would we live differently?  Would I allow my grass to grow too long?  Would I allow the garage to become cluttered in the first place?

Inspections are good because they drive us to do a more thorough job than if we were under surveillance.  The best results would come from incorporating both!  The body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  God is not as concerned about our physical hygiene as our spiritual purity found only through Jesus Christ.  Spiritually speaking, we understand that God sees the thoughts and intents of our hearts.  In this sense we are always under surveillance.  Because of our human condition we are forgetful of this reality.  The fact that God always sees us is sometimes not a strong enough deterrent to keep us from sin.  Because of this, it is wise that we take time every day to also inspect our hearts and freely confess and repent from any wickedness in our lives.

We should take every opportunity to do some "spring cleaning" in our hearts.  For us, it was not until our household moved from the United States to Australia that we dealt with the clutter we had accumulated.  For many people it is not until they are faced with their own mortality that they deal with the sin harbored in the recesses of their hearts.  I'm very happy with the condition of our house right now.  But that doesn't mean that labour is not required to maintain the level of cleanliness.  We still have to live here!  We should never be content with the initial cleansing God has done with our hearts and minds.  Regular maintenance and care will be required.  Though justified in an instant, sanctification remains a process.

How good it is to know the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Savior and LORD of All - Jesus Christ - has died to save sinners like me!  Instead of leaving me in my condition separated from God by my sin, He has reconciled me to God through His grace and sacrifice.  I am under His watchful eye empowered by the Holy Spirit.  But I need to permit God to conduct regular heart inspections too!  With the psalmist I say:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; ²⁴ and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)  It feels great to be clean!

Ours is a Faithful God

"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. ² For I have said, "Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens." ³ "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: ⁴ 'Your seed I will establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations.' " Selah ⁵ And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. ⁶ For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? ⁷ God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. ⁸ O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You."

Psalm 89:1-8

God is faithful!  Did you know that 33 percent of the references to God's "faithfulness" in the Bible (KJV) appear in Psalm 89?  I didn't until a couple of minutes ago!  The definition of "faithfulness" in the Strong's Concordance is:  "literal firmness; figurative security; moral fidelity, stability."  God's faithfulness is not dependent upon our faithfulness.  God's character is absolute and unchanging, and we receive of His goodness through grace.  Over time man changes in appearance, opinion, and principle, but God does not change.  God remains the same merciful, just, powerful, faithful God He has always been.

Yesterday our family received word from the department of immigration in Australia that our two-year visa has been approved!  This marks the end of a process started long ago with the gathering of legal documents, enduring physicals, obtaining FBI background checks, making financial disclosures, paying fees, submitting resumes, filing for certifications and authorisations.  Throughout the entire process, God has been faithful to our family and our church fellowship in Sydney.  It feels like a stamp of approval not only from the government, but a confirmation from God that we are in His will to minister here.

Who can be compared to our God?  Who is faithful like God, who forgives iniquity and grants enduring mercy?  God is secure and trustworthy.  Jesus Christ is the LORD of all, the Saviour who has all authority in heaven and earth.  As it is written in Revelation 1:18:  "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."  He who holds the keys the hell and death also is the path to life!  A statement found in Revelation 3:7 has been a great encouragement as we in faith pursued God's will to serve Him in Australia:  "These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens":  ⁸ I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."

Praise God for the strength He gives!  God has proved His faithfulness once again to open the door for us to minister at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  We can only enter by His grace.  God is established with all authority in both heaven and earth and thus has the power to establish His people wherever He wills.  Praise Him with us!

Good or god Doctrine?

No one will deny that man's understanding is limited.  We are limited by our experience, exposure, our prejudices, and the filters of perspective.  Solomon affirms our human limitations in Ecclesiastes 3:11:  "He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."  People remain ignorant without teaching.  Because God desires that men know Him through personal experience He has given us the Bible, His Word.  Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we learn of God's impeccable character.  We marvel at His wisdom, learn we are gross sinners through His laws, and remain awed by His love and grace toward us.  Just like we can never know God's works from beginning to end (not to mention His operation for eternity!), we will at best wade in the oceans of His wisdom revealed in His Word.  His knowledge and wisdom go to a depth no man can plumb, and has love so expansive it reaches galaxies beyond our sight.

As we mature and grow in faith, a danger exists that we would grow in knowledge unchecked by humility.  The second part of 1 Corinthians 8:1 teaches us, "...Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies."   As people we struggle to keep everything in balance.  Think about in terms of eating and exercise; we likely eat too much and exercise too little.  The same can be true about our study of biblical doctrine.  It is possible we have a personal affinity for certain scriptural teachings.  Understanding doctrine is not the end:  doctrine exists that we might know God and experience Him in a personal, continual relationship.  Because none of our understanding is complete, there is a distinct danger that we would unconsciously confine God within our knowledge of a doctrine.  By doing so we limit our faith and no longer allow God to be God.

How terrible it would be if God was confined by our own ideas of Him!  Lately I have been studying promises and examples of divine healing in the Bible.  I have learned much concerning God's operation to heal men in body and soul, but I freely admit I do not know all.  God did not develop the doctrine of healing and is then forced to abide by His own rules.  On the contrary:  the revelation of divine healing through God's Word proves to us the character and will of God to heal.  But God can still do whatever He wants whenever He wants.  I either can make a god of my limited doctrine that God must bow to, or I allow God to be God.  Romans 9:20-21 exhorts, "But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" ²¹ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?"  Instead of taking God at His Word, we can allow a single apparent exception from our experience to derail the whole of God's promises and His clearly declared will.  What we classify as exceptions according to our limited view God consecrates otherwise.

May we never make a god out of our limited understanding to which the Almighty must yield!  When we run into difficulties, let us retreat back to the truth which God has clearly revealed.  Good doctrine always is a reflection of truth, not boundaries we set to which God must conform.  Thank God nothing He does is arbitrary, but according to His good purposes!

Quote from "A Pastor's Sketches"

I recently obtained a copy of Ichabod Spencer's book, A Pastor's Sketches.  After reading a few pages I am convinced I have found a gem.  It's funny how relevant a book can be written over 150 years ago because men then are in the same condition they are now:  lost!  Human nature has not changed a bit, and neither has the saving power of Jesus Christ and man's great need for atonement and reconciliation.  A pastor, Ichabod was called to minister to a young dying Irishman who had all sorts of intellectual hindrances to believe in God's existence.  I cannot do justice to the logic and mastery which Spencer employed to convince the Irishman of his false impressions, assumptions, and prejudices.  Shortly before his death, they shared a remarkable conversation which led to the Irishman's eventual conversion found on pages 48-49:

     "Tell me what to do to be ready to die."
     Said I, "You believe in God, the Infinite, Eternal Spirit?"
     "I do," said he.
     "Then pray to him," said I.
     "I have, and I will," said he.
     "You believe you are a sinner?" said I.
     "I know I am," said he.
     "Then repent, and trust in Christ for pardon."
     "Will repentance save me?"
     "No," said I; "Christ Jesus saves sinners.  You must not trust to your repentance and faith to save you.  That would be self righteousness.  Trust only in the crucified Son of God, your proposed Surety."  After a pause - 
     "What must be done first, before I trust in him?"
     "Nothing - just nothing."
     "How?  Is there no preparation to make?"
     "No; none at all."
     "But, holiness - " said he.
     "Results from faith in Christ," said I.
     "And the Holy Spirit - " said he.
     "Is your only hope," said I.  "Without his aid you will neither repent nor believe.  It is his office to take of the things of Christ, and show them unto us."
     "Will you pray with me?" said he.
     We fell on our knees.  I offered a short prayer, and left him.  I never saw him afterwards...the young man died in peace, with praises for the atonement of Jesus Christ on his lips."


Such a sure departure into eternal glory and rest is freely offered to all men who will repent and trust in Christ as LORD!

Anointed Without Shame

Last night our family attended a "Biblical Dinner" hosted by Calvary Fellowship of Epping, a neighboring suburb of Sydney.  It was an instructive evening of learning the social and hospitality customs in Israel during the life of Christ.  When welcoming a guest into your home, good hospitality was of great importance.  After the greeting it was good manners to offer a cold drink of water, wash the feet of the guest, and anoint their head with a fragrant oil.  It was also considered polite to wash the hands of guests before eating.

I was asked to come forward for part of the demonstration.  I was told to kneel and pastor John explained how the host would pour fragrant oil over the head of the guest.  The oil would drip from the hair and beard onto the clothes.  It reminded me of a statement King David wrote concerning the anointing of Aaron in Psalm 133:2:  "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."  It seems like a large amount of oil would be needed to drip from the head all the way to the edge of the garment!  It is also clear that this ancient act of middle eastern hospitality would not receive a favorable reception among people hailing from western cultures!

It caused me to think about the command given to the sick in James 5:13-15:  "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."  I used to always carry a small vial of oil with my Bible in case someone desired to be anointed in obedience to scripture.  My thought always was, how much oil should be used in anointing someone?  A dab on the forehead or the back of the hand?  Even if I poured out all the oil in the vial it would not add up to half a thimbleful.

Anointing is anointing.  If we make it a point to baptize by immersion, we shouldn't care if oil messes up our hair or drips onto our clothes.  I am not suggesting we need to make an arbitrary "law" that true anointing with oil should be a minimum of 6 fluid ounces.  But why don't we see people generously anointed with oil as Aaron today?  Maybe it points to a deeper issue:  perhaps we want to use just enough oil to satisfy the requirement but as little as possible to avoid inconvenience.  Maybe someone just had their hair done or is wearing an expensive jacket...maybe we don't want people to feel self-conscious or embarrassed.  This potentially sums up the life of Christians very well.  How do I know?   For too much of my life, to my shame, this sentiment could summarize my Christian walk - wanting the benefits God provides but unwilling to make even the smallest of sacrifices. 

Consider the implications:  we want benefits from God like healing and forgiveness but are not willing to submit to having oil poured on our heads.  I used to place a drop of oil on my finger and place it on the afflicted person seeking healing - also with a couple of tissues on hand to quickly clean up!  My great concern is as I carefully measure out the oil God carefully measures out healing.  I want to be anointed fully, not just with a drop carefully meted out!  We desire the Holy Spirit in His fullness, but when we refuse to yield ourselves to Him fully we hinder Him.  LORD, may I never ration the outflow of your Spirit through me!  How God desires us to fully yield to His anointing, even if it costs us a coat!  If we are not willing to submit to having oil poured on our heads how shall we obey in the smallest spiritual matters?

In no way am I condemning any particular way people choose to anoint with oil in obedience to God.  We are not under the Law but grace.  My participation in the Biblical Dinner last night caused me to examine my reasoning behind my own practices of anointing people in name of the LORD Jesus Christ.  In all things I want to do things God's way.  It profits me nothing to conform to social church tradition when God leads me otherwise.  Faith is best seen through my obedience to His Word.  May God anoint us with the Holy Spirit without holding back a drop!

Thanks Cheerful Givers!

"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."

2 Corinthians 9:7

There are few things that make me more uncomfortable than discussing money as a missionary.  There has no doubt been much abuse in government, corporations, businesses, and even in church ministries with people stealing or misusing funds.  But the discussion of money should not be a taboo subject.  The reality is that in our current system of buying and selling money is the only means to obtain necessities like food, petrol, internet access, insurance, and other things.

A huge part of my testimony is how God has always provided for my needs and that of my family.  Especially in the last year, the financial contributions of family and friends have literally put gas in our tank and food on our plates.  God has used your generosity and the timely sale of our house to provide for our physical needs.  Thank you to all who have given as God has placed upon your heart.  We have made some lifestyle changes to help us with the fluctuations in income as Shepherd's Staff disburses funds monthly, but to God be the glory:  He has provided and continues to!

At the moment our housing, mobile phones, and petrol are being covered by the church where we minister as part of a compensation plan.  Our visa restricts us from receiving cash from the church.  So those who contribute to our Shepherd's Staff account are directly aiding us with day-to-day expenses, even things like buying "tyres" for our car!  It's so great that the Holy Spirit moves people to give.  We are blessed by those who support us on a monthly basis and also those who give single donations from time to time.  It places us in awe to see God miraculously provide through you.  I'm sure there are times when you doubt that your contribution makes any difference.  I want to tell you that it makes a huge difference!

God always gives us what we need, and thank you for aiding in supplying for our needs through prayers and giving.  I'm reminded of the passage in Acts 2:45 where Luke describes the lifestyle of the early church, how people gave of their possessions to those who had need.  In giving you are living that life of faith!  We praise God for using you to minister unto us.  May you rejoice in the gift of cheerful giving!

Glimmer of Glory

This morning I left the house early for a meeting in Chatswood with local Calvary pastors.  As I watched the sun rise before our meeting, the top edge of dark clouds far off shone with brilliant light.  The gleaming ribbon of light stretched across the horizon was beautiful and I tried to take a photo on my mobile phone.  Though it was gorgeous with the naked eye, the pictures did not do God's creation justice.  The bottom half of the screen was so bleached out I could see brightness but without much clarity.  Every picture I took was immediately deleted as I drank in the beauty of the cool autumn morning.  My phone could not contain or portray the reality of the splendour I saw with my eyes.  God knows our eyes are not capable of taking in the sight of the sun obscured by clouds:  how then can a man turn his eyes upon God and live?  Because of this God made a provision for our weakness as it is written in John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  Who can explain such wonders?

I feel like my phone sometimes.  The glory of God revealed to me I am not capable of passing on with the same precision and awesomeness as revealed through His Word, the Holy Spirit, or even in nature.  I am not a recipient of special grace or divine revelation untold, for God is no respecter of persons.  He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, be healed, and be filled with the Spirit.  On my nameless tomb may it simply be written:  "A man saved by Jesus Christ in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt."  That God would place His glory within such a failed earthen vessel, broken and chipped and good for nothing in itself!  Yet God in His grace, mercy, and love has raised men from the dunghill and made us kings and priests unto Him!  Who can comprehend or adequately explain with words such humble condescension of so great a Being?

No man can do God justice.  Thankfully He is a gracious God who delights in mercy!  I am inadequate, I am wanting, I lack, I lack!  But thanks be to God that He grants us faith and strength to cling to His promises:  Philippians 4:19 reads, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  LORD Jesus, my All in All!  May your glory shine unabated for eternity according to the riches of your love and grace for all!

Look UP!

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls ."
Hebrews 12:1-3

God knows that Christians need encouragement.  Weariness and discouragement are real adversaries faced by every Christ-following believer.  God has given me great encouragement today not only from Him but from His people.  At times I was filled with great excitement about the wonderful things God is doing in the lives of my brothers and sisters.  As if right on cue, the devil attacked my heart and mind through a conversation with a person very hostile to the idea that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh.

God has provided spiritual armor through the Holy Spirit to protect our hearts and minds.  Because God has taken my heart of stone and replaced it with a sensitive heart of flesh I am vulnerable to biting and harsh words.  When God speaks in His still small voice I can sense Him, and I also have come to recognize through much pain the hostile tone of the accuser and enemy of my soul.  I need not take a single word of Satan to heart.  How the devil rejoices to burden us with guilt and wound us with baseless lies.  He labours continually to trip us with temptation, bring shame upon us through our failings, and mock us in our weakness.  The devil delights to back a child of God into a corner through worthless arguments and debate.  But it is unwise and unnecessary to stoop to his tactics for it is written in Matthew 7:6:  "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."

When we feel discouraged or are wounded through harsh words, may we remember to look to Jesus and consider He "who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."  Jesus endured all the mockery, scorn, and power of the devil and rose victorious!  He did not escape from the hideous trial of faith:  He faced pure evil and experienced death only to cast off the bonds with new life!  The same Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead indwells every follower of Jesus Christ and empowers us to endure without weariness or discouragement.  This is hard to fathom given the condition of the world and the deceptions of our own flesh.  But the promises of the Word stand true and we accept them in faith!

Praise God for the encouragement we have in the person of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit!  May I continually avail myself of the strength only found in waiting expectantly on the LORD.  Psalm 27:14 says,  "Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"  God is no liar and His Word is true!  Look up these promises yourself believer!  Look up to Christ and consider Him with thankfulness and joy, praising Him for His faithfulness!

Sin Exterminator: 100% Success!

A couple nights ago I was startled during dinner by Laura's scream behind my back.  Laura had been baking cookies in the kitchen.  I didn't have to turn around because she ran to her chair at the table and sat down, her hands still covered with oven mitts.  Let me preface this by saying our kitchen and house is clean, is situated on a concrete slab, and I usually spray for insects once a month.  Yet despite our precautions, apparently a large cockroach had crawled into a drawer under the oven reserved for cutting-boards and Glad plastic containers and lids.  "And so what do you want me to do?" I asked.  But I already knew the answer.  It was time to wage war on the rogue insect!

I was admittedly reluctant in emptying the drawer.  The last thing I was interested in while my food cooled on the table was to be surprised by some bug dropping onto me.  As I continued to remove item after item, soon the roach was spied by Abel crawling across the baseboards and squeezed behind the dishwasher.  It was very large, very dark, and probably the most athletic specimen I have ever seen.  The legs looked...muscular!  I began to spray all around the dishwasher, scooting it from side to side and spraying as much pesticide far back as possible.  Then we all waited and waited.  I finished off my cold chicken and turned on the TV to see if any sport was on.  Now comes the funniest part of the story.

About five minutes later I heard an all too familiar shriek from the kitchen.  As my head whipped around to see,  Laura ran like a world-class sprinter out of the kitchen, spiked her oven mitts to the ground, and darted into the lounge room!  I walk over to see that our large muscular friend had made his grand exit from the dishwasher.  It was rather anticlimactic, seeing he was nearly dead from fumes.  I applied a generous amount of poison directly, just to ensure he would trouble us no more.  During the cleanup phase, our family talked about how a random roach is way better than some other critters that can take up residence without permission in a home.

The hardest thing in that situation was not knowing how many roaches we were dealing with.  I had the horrible thought:  what if when I move the dishwasher 20, 50, 100 of those suckers start running around?  Would I be able to kill them all?  I didn't think there was a single roach in our house - could there possible be more than one?  I remember a "playhouse" my dad had built for me and my siblings when we were kids.  If my mind serves me correctly it was built on an 8 X 8 foot platform.  When the day came for the house to be demolished, my dad lifted and flipped over the base.  Nothing could have prepared us for what was living underneath the house!  There was a literal 8 X 8 foot square of cockroaches which began to scatter in all directions!  I think my mom started tromping them; I started running away from them!  They slowly disappeared into the turf.  That was one of the most wild insect surprises of my life.

When we think about addressing sin in our lives, it's not a pretty picture.  Sometimes we don't want to deal with the consequences of our sin.  We don't want to see firsthand how deep our wickedness runs.  But the wondrous beauty of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness we receive through His blood is that we don't need to worry if all our sin has truly been dealt with!  We don't need to live in fear that all our sins have not actually been atoned for.  Christians do not need to fear that perhaps unforgivable sins remain that will keep us out of heaven.  We receive assurance of our forgiveness through God's Word:  1 John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

There is the point:  we need to confess our sins.  If our problem with insects were to grow and we hired an exterminator, it would be to our benefit to explain where the cockroaches or ants are most often found.  How silly would it be to hire a man but withhold necessary information!  How ridiculous is it to have a Saviour, a Deliverer, a Forgiver in Jesus Christ, but not freely confess where we need His sanctifying touch.  Even though roaches are relatively harmless, the thought them scrambling over your body is a bad feeling.  How much worse is sin which causes separation from God and leads to death!  Sin must be dealt with, and thank God Jesus Christ has dealt with it once and for all on the cross!  He takes away our guilt, uncleanness, and our worry too.  Let's thank Him by never falling prey to worry again!

A Life Worth Living

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ² Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."

Psalm 32:1-2

Happy is the man whose sins are forgiven!  David goes on to describe the process in verses 3-5:  Psalm 32:3-5 reads, "When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. ⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah ⁵ I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah."  David freely confessed his sin before the LORD and God forgave him.  What a wonder, to be free from the guilt, shame, conviction, and condemnation our sin justly demands!

Psalm 103:12 states, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."  Our sins removed from us at such a distance that we need never be reminded of them again.  If we trust in Jesus Christ and humbly confess our sins, God will cleanse us, remove our sin from us, and chooses not to remember them ever again as it is written in Isaiah 43:25:  "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins."  God does not forget our sins:  He decides not to remember them.  What glorious forgiveness is granted us freely through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.  When we believe on Jesus Christ whom God has sent to be the Saviour of the world and repent of our sins, we are not only cleansed from iniquity but the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us.  This righteousness and eternal salvation is granted to us by grace through faith.  Jesus has become the payment for our sins.  Romans 3:21-26 reads, "But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Let us rejoice in the goodness of our God, who at His own expense has granted us life for death, and given us eternal salvation instead of eternal damnation.  Christ has removed all sin far from us and remembers it no more.  All this without guilt and bondage, all this without condemnation!  This, my friends, is a life of freedom worth living!