Marching Forth!

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 ...

" 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....

" 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 o...

" 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 manipul...

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- Gr...

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...

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 throu...

" 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 "faith...

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...

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 In...

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 Aaro...

" 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 hav...

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 fles...

" 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 ...

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...

" 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 ."...