O Wretched Man!

I am convinced that if I never suffered for my sin I would certainly never repent.  God is so wise in the ways that He chastens and leads us back to Him.  Under the burden of a guilty conscience a man will consider confession of sin and repentance, but usually not before!  When we fall into sin even as believers and our sins separate us from God.  This is not typically enough to get our attention:  God must go to great lengths to cause us to see the desperately wicked condition of our flesh.

When King Saul became proud, arrogant, rebellious, and disobedient, God sent an evil spirit to torment him.  Instead of encouraging Saul to repent and offer sacrifice for atonement, though his advisers recognized that God had withdrawn His Spirit and sent an evil spirit instead, they suggested he find a man to play the harp to comfort him (1 Sam. 16:14-23).  The young man they found to play was a young shepherd, David.  When the unclean spirit would begin to torment Saul, David would play soothing music and Saul would feel refreshed and well.  But on two occasions Saul threw a spear at David, hoping to pin him to the wall.  His sin so polluted his mind and the wickedness of the demon so influenced his heart that he sought to war against and destroy the one who came only to comfort.  In a fitting twist before his untimely death Saul sought the help of a medium to conjure up the dead.  Spiritually and literally he fell on his own sword.

So it is with us and the Holy Spirit:  God has sent the Holy Spirit to convict men of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:7-14).  In my own life I have found that it is not so often my sin itself that causes me to seek God, but the misery the conviction the Holy Spirit brings which moves me to repent.  Sin begins so subtly and secretly, so sweet with desire, that I do not recognize the sin.  God must chasten us so we will notice the foothold and legal right we have given Satan in operate in our lives through our willful sin.  We are called to administer the "rod of correction" to our children, for a man chastens a son whom he loves.  Proverbs 3:11-12 states, "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; ¹² For whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  God does not want us to dread His rod of correction or hate the feelings of conviction, no matter what form it might take:  He desires that we hate our sin and repent.

God appeared to King Solomon and blessed him richly with wisdom, peace, prosperity, and abundance.  But Solomon's heart became unfaithful to God and was drawn away from walking in obedience to Him through his many foreign wives.  His life was filled with idolatry and Solomon built altars to demons and worshiped them.  God stirred up adversaries against Solomon, and promised to later rend the kingdom from the hand of his son.  1 Kings 11:14, 23 reads, "Now the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom...²³ And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah."  Solomon saw his adversaries as a threat, but he didn't see the destructive force of his sin at all.  When Solomon's servant Jeroboam was told by the prophet Ahijah he would be king over Israel, Solomon sought to slay him.  Even with all his great wisdom, Solomon did not discern his sin as the root cause of his adversaries being stirred up by God against him.  He saw the problem as being apart rather than within his own heart.

God would rather our bodies be destroyed by Satan leading to repentance for the salvation of our souls.  If all we encountered was refreshment in in midst of our sins we would no doubt run down the broad path leading to destruction.  1 Corinthians 5:4-5 says, "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁵ deliver such a one (a professing believer in gross sin) to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  We would never dream of such harsh intervention.  But God knows the deceitfulness of a man's heart that works to his utter ruin.  Unless the LORD builds the house they labour in vain who build it, and unless the LORD chasten a man he would freely choose to make his bed in hell.

Paul writes in Romans 7:21-25:  "I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."  Only Christ can deliver us from this body of death, the Lamb of God who was made sin for us.  As He rose from the dead in victory over sin and death, so we have been granted the victory of Christ's blood by grace through faith.  Having been risen with Christ we are to live unto Him and no longer to serve the flesh, sin, or Satan.

Do you have peace with God?  You can have it now if you will invite God to search your heart, repent, and trust in Jesus Christ.  Instead of seeing your adversaries or unsettled conscience as the problem, understand that the root cause is likely sin.  We know that the flesh wars against the Spirit:  in your life right now who is winning?  If the Holy Spirit convicts you, do not grieve Him by resisting or justifying yourself:  repent, believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

A Hymn to Remember

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

by Martin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Savour the Flavour

Moving to Australia has brought many changes to my life.  Some of the changes are huge while others are subtle.  One of the differences between Australia and the States is the coffee.  I will be the first to admit I am no connoisseur.  The quality of coffee is directly proportionate to the size of the mug!   If I want a cup of coffee, I want more than a shot of espresso:  give me some volume!  When it comes to discerning the quality of coffee, however, I might be among the worst.  I am like Emile, the brother of the rat-gourmet chef Remy in Disney's Ratatouille.  Remy appreciated all the dynamic flavor combinations of food, but Emile would eat just about anything without even noticing.  Today's events were proof I still have far to go in appreciating good coffee!

I have a friend who works in the coffee business as a coffee roaster.  As we shared a "cuppa" this morning at his bustling shop, he asked a barista to provide a good espresso and a bad one.  He explained the principle of making coffee similar to how olive oil is squeezed in a press.  The weight of the press alone on the olives makes the extra virgin oil, the purest oil set aside for use in cooking.  The last drops from an olive press will be too bitter for cooking and would be used as fuel.  The reason why their coffee house is growing in popularity is because of the quality of the coffee, he said.  I confess I had a hard time not smiling in disbelief.  Is the coffee really that much better than at other places?  I mean, isn't coffee coffee?

As we sat down, two small cups of espresso were brought out.  I tried one which tasted like espresso I was familiar with.  Then I had a taste of the other which literally made me cringe.  It had a flavor so pungent, a taste so initially revolting, I wondered how anyone could drink such a thing.  "So, which one do you like more?"  I pointed to the one that I considered more drinkable, the first one.  Guess what?  It was the BAD coffee!  He took a sip of the rejected brew:  "This is the good one.  There is more of the flavour of the beans, a hint of peanuts, and some citrus."  I sat back in my seat amazed.  Here is a coffee professional telling me that I preferred the bad coffee, that my taste buds were telling me wrong!  The barista who made the coffee came out and asked which one I liked more.  When I pointed to the bad espresso he said without expression, "Interesting."  This morning only confirmed my coffee ignorance!

I continued to talk to my friend and sipped from one cup and then the other, comparing the two more carefully.  The first one tasted normal; there was nothing so different about it at all.  But the second cup was certainly different from any coffee I have ever had.  Once I was over the shock of the initial burst of flavour, I found that I actually could taste a hint of citrus.  It didn't seem so bitter as I tried it again and again.  I came to the conclusion that I initially preferred the taste I am accustomed to.  Apparently I make bad coffee!  Once I was convinced of my error, with an open mind I gave the good coffee another chance.

But consider the spiritual implications of this coffee experiment:  people prefer what they are accustomed to.  When I tasted the good coffee, I honestly did not like it with the first sip.  Without my friend's direction, I probably would have never tried it again.  I would have convinced myself that the second cup was not for me!  Because he confirmed that it was actually good coffee, and I trust his expertise as a professional in his field, I gave it another chance.  So often that is how it is in the Christian faith.  We have our opinions and ideas about what it means to live a Christian life.  We are content with our relationship with God.  Then someone comes around and tells us that we must repent and be filled with the Spirit and we immediately recoil!  This is something new, something unfamiliar to our experience.  But if we will just trust God and His Word, we will find that we have simply grown accustomed to our level of intimacy with God and see no reason to progress further.

God is so good to lead us gently.  He will never force His Spirit upon us.  My coffee-roasting friend decided to treat me to something really special.  I could have said, "Well, you can have all the good stuff to yourself.  That leaves more of the nasty stuff for me."  I can continue to decide I still like my own coffee my way and not learn from the professionals.  There's no such thing as a professional Christian, only professing ones by the grace of God.  Many believers have discovered a closeness with God that a handful of people ever personally experience.  For me, I want to have the closest relationship with God I can.  My flesh will resist at every point, but that is the desire of my soul.  I want to go for the good stuff, not be satisfied with the dregs.

As the song says, "Just a closer walk with Thee, grant it, Jesus, is my plea, daily walking close to Thee, let it be, dear Lord, let it be."  When Jesus turned water into wine, the master of the feast could immediately tell the best wine had been saved to last.  Though I am lame at discerning between excellent and poor coffee, may I always go for the highest quality relationship with my Saviour, Jesus Christ.  May I daily savour the flavour of a close walk with Jesus!

Profitable Labor of Love

"In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty."

Proverbs 14:23

Before I went to bed last night, I read this proverb of Solomon recorded in scripture.  I considered how this statement is true on many levels.  There are those who cannot speak and work at the same time.  Instead of working, they spend much of their working hours talking.  Then I thought about how common "chatting" is these days either online, with text messaging, or in person.  Not only does superficial chatting waste time that could be spent more effectively, but it leads to poverty in relationships.

We all know marriages and other close interpersonal relationships require a good deal of labor and maintenance.  Unless we have conversations of depth where we share our feelings, struggles, and dreams, it is virtually impossible to really get to know someone else.  For me personally, when I have conversations of depth it enables me to better understand what I am feeling and thinking as well as others.  The labor of putting my feelings into words works wonders in aiding me to know what actions I should take.

Would it be better to have 100 people to chat with or one person to whom you can bare your soul?  I say the latter.  But such a friendship will have a cost associated with it.  It is hard labor to trust someone enough to share your heart.  It makes us vulnerable and forces us to invest our love in someone else without any fall-back plan.  I will never trade the close friendships I have for a million superficial ones, and thankfully I don't have to.  What richness friends bring to our lives!

All relationships I have on earth pale in comparison to the relationship that God has with me and I with Him.  He always has my back - and my front - both in the spiritual and physical realm.  God understands all I have and will experience perfectly.  Jesus is a friend who indeed sticks closer than a brother.  I have a younger brother I love very much, and there is hardly a person I am more proud or fond of.  But he lives far away in the United States while I live in Sydney, and even when we enjoy time together it is only temporary:  we have families, jobs, lives, marriages, children, and ministries which demand our attention.  Nothing can separate me from the tangible love and presence of Jesus Christ except my own sin.  And even when I fall into sin when I draw near to God in humble repentance He draws near to me according to His Word.  What a friend we have in Jesus!

The same principle which applies in marriages and friendships applies to the relationship we have with God.  If all our prayers are idle chatter and superficial, we won't know Him very well.  Poverty would better describe our relationship instead of richness and depth.  Whatever we sow, we will reap.  If you plant one row of carrots, you would be a fool to expect the whole field to be fruitful.  Unless we are willing to labor in our pursuit of Christ and fortifying our relationship with Him, we will have a poor relationship indeed.  Our relationship with God will be laborious if it is healthy and good, and it is wise to invest in this eternal partnership God has offered by His grace to us.

Allow me to encourage you with a passage found in Galatians 6:9-10:  "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."  This passage is often used to illustrate how we ought to do good unto our brothers in sisters in Christ.  But how much more should we do good unto our Brother, Savior, and Redeemer Jesus Christ, who is the HEAD of the Household of Faith!  Let us labor for Jesus making use of every opportunity He gives us.  There is no one richer than a man who is a friend of God.

The Wait is Over!

At church yesterday the message God placed upon my heart emphasized the necessity of Christians to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.  It should be no surprise that the devil has sought any possible means to dissuade people from seeking the fullness of the Spirit.  Some have been deluded to think the gifts of the Spirit are no longer necessary today.  1 Corinthians 14:37-40 says, "If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. ³⁸ But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. ³⁹ Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. ⁴⁰ Let all things be done decently and in order."  No longer need we be ignorant, nor must we remain without power.  A pastor recently told me most churches are so concerned about "decently and in order" that "all things" are not encouraged.  I believe all things should be done decently and in order for our God is not a God of confusion:  we are the one who become confused!

Consider Saul who was later called Paul, an apostle and servant of the Most High God.  After Christ appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, Ananias was commanded by God to seek Saul out and pray for him.  This is Luke's account written in Acts 9:17-18:  "And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized."  Jesus is the One who baptizes His followers with the Holy Spirit and fire.

I find Paul's public recounting of this event in Jerusalem to a crowd most interesting.  He supplies additional information Luke did not record at first.  Paul's testimony from Acts 22:12-16 reads:  "Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, ¹³ came to me; and he stood and said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that same hour I looked up at him. ¹⁴ Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. ¹⁵ For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'"  I am drawn to think over the question Ananias poses in verse 16:  "Now why are you waiting?  Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord."  Paul had been filled with the Spirit:  what was he waiting for?  After praying with Paul, Ananias exhorted Paul to action.  "Why are you waiting?"  I hearken to the question the Ethiopian eunuch asked Phillip:  "Here is water:  what hinders me from being baptized?"

Why indeed are we often sluggish to obey God in both water baptism and the baptism with the Holy Spirit?  We need not wait any more!  Acts 1:4-5 records the words of Christ to the disciples after His resurrection before the day of Pentecost:  "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; ⁵ for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."  The Spirit was poured out upon the believers as they prayed in one accord in the upper room.  Does that mean we must wait to receive this as well?  Some mistake Christ's words as applying to us today, that "wait" means "quit serving."  Not at all!  The wait is over because Christ has ascended and God's Spirit has been sent!  Today is the day of salvation and the day of the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  It is only through the Spirit that we can serve God effectively, exercise spiritual gifts, resist the devil and all temptation, have understanding of God's Word, and victoriously engage in the spiritual battles we face daily.

Born-again Christians affirm that if a person will confess their sins, repent, and trust in Jesus Christ, they have assurance of salvation through the Word of God.  Yet some of these same believers (and I was once one of them!) stop short of believing if a person will confess their sin, repent, and ask in faith for Christ to be baptized with the Holy Spirit it may or may not happen.  How can this be?  Speaking for myself, I used to be the aforementioned person.  To put it bluntly, I for a while desired the baptism with the Spirit yet was unwilling to lay down my own will at the cross and humble myself.  I actually used scripture to fortify my position and hid behind a facade of spirituality.  In doing so to my shame I robbed God of glory and sacrificed my usefulness for His kingdom in exchange for pride.  But glory to God, He changed my heart and opened my eyes.  He showed me my great need for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, enabled me to believe the promises of His Word, and gave me faith to pray to receive.  Like John the Baptist I personally affirm that Jesus IS the One who baptizes His followers with the Holy Spirit and fire.  We have God's assurance in His Word in the matter and the testimony of the Holy Spirit to confirm the truth in our hearts.

Do you possess, by God's grace, the fullness of the Spirit?  Know that you can and that is His will for you. Jesus says in Luke 11:13:  "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"   1 John 5:14-15 affirms:  "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."  Now why are you waiting?  Jesus says to you in Luke 11:9: "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Are You Dedicated?

"So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD."

1 Kings 7:51

Isn't it wonderful when God weaves a thread through your day?  Before going to church this morning, I read this passage during my devotional time.  There was a wonderful connection between this scripture and the message I later preached, not only confirming God's Word but the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit.

As I read this passage, I considered the word "dedication."  When I thought of dedication, I though of Hannah dedicating her pre-conceived son Samuel for the LORD's use.  Though she delivered Samuel as a child for service in the tabernacle, Samuel had a choice to either serve God or rebel.  He chose to honor God with his life and became a prophet mighty in word and deed, and in honoring God honored the choice his mom made to dedicate him unto God.  I see a similarity in how King David dedicated the silver, gold, and furnishings for use in the temple Solomon would later build as king.  Though David dedicated valuable goods for the building of the temple, King Solomon had command of the gold and silver.  He chose to use them for the use designated by his father.

The definition of the Hebrew word translated "dedicated" is: "to sanctify, consecrated, dedicated, hallowed."  This led me to consider that all children of God have been dedicated for God's use in this sense, for God has sanctified us for His use.  Hebrews 13:12 reads, "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate."  Jesus has sanctified us by His own blood, as Jude affirms through his address of all believers in Jude 1:1:  "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ..."  As Hannah dedicated Samuel, as David sanctified the gold and silver for use in the temple, so we too have been dedicated unto the Father through the blood of Christ.

The question remains:  will we use our freedom from sin and death to dedicate ourselves unto God, or misdirect the gifts and talents He has granted us for any other purpose?  Am I resolved to lay down my will so my life will be dedicated for God's will and glory?  Both Samuel and Solomon honored God by honoring their parents through obedience, and we honor the Father through the leading of the Holy Spirit in obedience to Christ.  God did not grant us silver or gold for a temple made with hands, but the glorious presence of the Holy Spirit's presence to fill the temple of our bodies!  Praise God that He has granted the Holy Spirit in His fullness to followers of Jesus Christ!  As Paul exhorts in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:  "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

The Giver is Greater

As I watched television last night, a man climbed a platform to be recognized with an award of excellence in Australian Rules Football.  The round medal was connected to a ribbon to be worn around the neck similar to medals awarded during the Olympic games.  The recipient bowed his head as a smiling presenter carefully placed the medal.  The man slowly stood up, and raised a fist in triumph as he acknowledged the cheering crowd.  It struck me that while the athletes generally receive the glory or recognition, the game of Australian Rules Football is bigger than each individual player.  Awards given for excellence are even greater than the star players.  The man literally had to bow to receive the award from the presenter who represented the league which gives the player any credibility at all!

The Olympic games are greater than any single athlete.  That spectacle of sport is a bigger stage than any personality.  The greater the stage and the higher the stakes only magnify the glory of the participants.  In the United States at the moment the National Football League and the players are in the middle of a labour dispute.  The owners of each franchise own the rights to the NFL, but the players claim the NFL wouldn't be what it is without their talent.  Though it is a mutually beneficial relationship, I side with the owners.  Without the National Football League those players would be virtually unknowns:  no advertising campaigns, no video games, no television coverage, no multi-million dollar contracts.  The NFL is bigger than any player.  Players are drafted and retire, traded, succumb to injury or rise to stardom, but the league keeps churning on.  Every year 32 teams battle for the coveted Vince Lambardi trophy.  The game is bigger than them all.  The game honors the greatest NFL players in a Hall of Fame:  the players do not honor the game by playing, though many play honorably.

This line of thinking led me to consider of the relationship between Jesus and His followers.  Jesus has died on the cross, risen from the dead, and ascended to heaven.  Because He physically has left the earth, Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within and come upon every believer.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God has given spiritual gifts (not awards or rewards!) so we might honor Jesus Christ and edify the church.  To receive these gifts we must not only bow our heads but lay down our will to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire.  In some circles today, the gifts of the Spirit almost eclipse the view of Jesus.  He is seen as our means to obtain power and this is sin.  Jesus is not a means but our ultimate all:  as Christ lay down His will before the Father, we ought to lay down our will completely before Him.

No matter how decorated a general might be, the country who granted him a career and recognition remains greater than he.  How true it is that a man of authority must be a man under authority!  While athletes are governed by rules of conduct and sportsmanship, Christians are under the authority of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit who make up the triune God as revealed in the Bible.  No man can cast a shadow upon Christ no matter how gifted or skilled he might be.  While men are recognized for their talents on gridiron or their volunteer work off of it, every gift given by God to man is received only by grace.  Is any person worthy to receive even a scrap from their Creator's table, much less to be counted fellow-heirs with Jesus Christ?  Romans 8:14-17 reads, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

While professional football players receive glory on the field, there is also a measure of suffering they endure for their effort:  knee replacements, chronic arthritis and pain, early onset of dementia from head injuries, even paralysis or death.  Christians are called to give all glory to God despite certain suffering as we serve Him faithfully.  Consider the next verse:  Romans 8:18 says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  For children of God it is not the promise of rewards, gifts, awards, or compensation which moves us to serve God:  it is love!  God has revealed such gracious love to us in sending His Son Jesus to die for us!  What a privilege to be permitted to serve and even suffer for His name's sake.  Every gift we receive from God's hand gives us greater appreciation and love for Him!  His gifts are greater than us, and God is greater than His gifts.  Let us bow our heads and thank Him for such indescribable gifts of salvation, forgiveness, peace, joy, grace, mercy, and love - all with infinite quantity and divine quality!

Faith Out of Date?

As a eating enthusiast, I enjoy cooking and baking a great deal.  The quality of ingredients used plays a key role in creating an edible masterpiece.  I appreciate an omelet packed with delicious contents, a well-formed Snickerdoodle, or sweet zucchini bread with a crack down the middle.  Though I have met with relative success in the kitchen, there have been occasions where everything seemed to go very wrong - like the time I put in a cup of sugar instead of a tablespoon in the pancakes.  Sometimes failures in the kitchen are not the fault of the cook.  When the oven will not heat up to the correct temperature, baked goods will not rise property.  If baking powder or yeast is very old, it will affect the amount of rise and texture.  Both ingredients for baking and medicines have a "use by date" because their effectiveness is directly tied to their freshness.

But what about faith?  Is old faith just as good as new faith in Jesus Christ?  No way!  Our faith is to be renewed day by day as we affirm our belief in Christ and trust in Him.  Jesus commended a woman in scripture for her great faith, and chastened his disciples for their lack of faith.  We walk in faith and exercise gifts according to proportion of faith (Rom. 12:6), and people also have faith of varying strengths (Rom. 14:1).  Even the smallest amount of faith in Christ is real faith.  Genuine faith in Jesus is saving faith indeed.  As we are to grow in grace, Christians are also called to grow in faith (2 Cor. 10:15).  Faith is not work to be done but a gift to be received. 

1 Peter 5:8-9 reads, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."  Faith helps us to stand and trust in Christ but also to resist attacks from Satan.  When Paul talks about spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:16, every believer in Christ is exhorted to put on the whole armor of God:  "...above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."  Every believer has been given a shield of faith to aid and protect us from satanic attacks.  A shield used in a battle by a Roman Hastati  would be battered by stones, burnt by flaming arrows, chipped from slashes of spears and swords.  The leather straps used as handles over time could become brittle or snap.  Needless to say, shield maintenance and replacement was a part of life for a soldier.

I have a great burden for Christians who have gone into battle and fought valiantly for Christ and the Gospel, yet their faith has grown old and stale.  The spiritual fight has whittled their shields to the size of a dinner plate!  They can be more focused on fighting and contending than abiding in Jesus!  More and more arrows find their mark and cause pain.  Instead of finding strength when a man reads God's Word, his mind becomes more focused on difficulties.  He picks over theological bones in online forums rather than drinking the wholesome milk and eating the meat meant to nourish in God's Word.  This is a real danger for all believers.  Instead of trusting in God has a child, we can have intellectual hindrances that keep us from taking God at His word.  We can carry the same genuine shield of faith, but it can be old faith built by things God said or did years ago - rather than what He has spoken to us today!  God is showing me I need renewed faith in Him.  Won't you wait on the LORD to renew your strength by renewing your faith?  He is our Refuge, our Help in trouble. 

Isaiah 40:29-31 reads, "He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. ³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, ³¹ but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  Take a moment to inspect your faith.  Is it out of date or in dire need of maintenance?  It is time to purge our pantries and have God restore our shields of faith.  Fresh faith will give us renewed effectiveness for God's glory!

The Power of Giving

The picture on the front page of the Rouse Hill Times this past week caught my eye.  On a hospital bed lay a man propped on pillows with a ventilator tube in his throat and a serene smile on his face!  Above the picture of this young smiling man the headline read:  "Selfless - He's 18 and paralysed, but he only wants to help others."  Inside I read the inspirational story of Blake Nixon, a young man who days before this Christmas was left a quadriplegic as a result of a tragic car accident.  Though his circumstances have been harder than most could imagine, joy radiates from the smile on his face.  Instead of focusing on his lack of ability or drowning in sorrow, Blake decided to have his head shaved to benefit the Leukemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave campaign.

This is not the first time Blake has endured tough obstacles in his life.  His mother passed away in 2007 due to breast cancer.  Few people his age have endured these kind of struggles and for that reason his smile means so much.  Blake thinks about how to benefit others as he lays in a hospital bed.  This young man, despite his paralysed body, has done more for people suffering from cancer than most people in the world whose bodies function perfectly.  Without lifting a finger Blake's smile and the act of joyfully giving what he can lifted my spirit.

Blake's giving heart takes me back to a moving story written by Shel Silverstein called The Giving Tree.  No matter what phase of life the human character was going through, the tree always was happy and content to give.  We always think that helping involves us doing something physical:  helping mow the lawn, helping with the dishes, helping pay the rent.  But Blake has helped people through his attitude and by shaving his head to make a difference in the world.  I have not been diagnosed with cancer, but Blake's sunny disposition has been a blessing to me as well.  Good on ya, mate!

The headline made me think about my Saviour, Jesus Christ.  There is no one who has walked the earth who has given more.  Jesus Himself was also paralysed on the cross by nails which pinned Him down as He bore the weight of the sins of the world.  He also paid for every sickness, for by His stripes we are healed.  Christians should be the most selfless people in the world because Jesus modeled it perfectly.  He has granted us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live in the joy of the LORD.  What can we do to give ourselves to others for God's glory?

Thanks for the lesson, Blake Nixon.  May we never forget that Christ gave His all so we might give ourselves completely back to him and others!

The Crown of Grace

As we sang "Amazing Grace" in church yesterday, it struck me how amazing God's grace really is.  Like the peace of God which passes understanding, it is past finding out.  The brutal irony remains that the place where grace ought to flourish the most - among the people who profess to know God - is the one place grace is not found.  Instead of seeking restoration or salvation for the woman caught in the act of adultery, the Pharisees were gathering stones to injure and destroy.  It took Jesus stepping into the scene to prevent destruction.  Instead of sympathizing with the adulteress, Jesus desired the woman cease her sinning and be saved.

In my own life I have struggled with giving grace freely.  It is very easy to limit the grace we dole out, but we are rewarding according to merit.  If we only give grace where it seems warranted, it is not grace!  All people are undeserving of God's favor, for we all have sinned against Him ignorantly, willingly, and purposefully.  When we see people in sin we are not shocked, for all are sinners.  But when we see professing Christians stuck in sin, our flesh recoils in that familiar Pharisaical disdain:  how dare he!  And when we do so we become hypocrites equal to the worst of sinners.  Because we do not consider our own past faults and sins, we now stand in judgment of those who are devastated by sin's curse and condemn whom God has forgiven.

I am grieved when I see people "punished" by men after they have freely confessed their sin and repented.  That is one thing God never does.  Is not guilt and separation from God punishment enough?  Instead of the grace of God, man's method is devised of making up for wrongs through trying to do good.  "Penance" is something placed upon one who has voluntarily confessed their sin to a pastor or priest.  Penance is defined as, "a punishment usually consisting of prayer, fasting, etc., undertaken voluntarily as an expression of penitence for sin; a punishment of this kind imposed by church authority as a condition of absolution."  Should prayer or fasting ever be a punishment?  Can one work off the debt of sin through any mortification of the flesh?  I have known people who have freely confessed sin, repented, and were forced to stop all formal service for God for an arbitrary space of time.  It is as if the church refuses to believe that the sufferings of Christ are enough to pay for sin:  we must do all we can to further increase guilt and humiliation.

It seems that in the church we often construct an environment where failed people are no longer allowed to fail.  We are all failures before God, but the lie of Satan is we can never let others know how rotten we really are.  As a man, I am aware of my gross failures and past sins.  As a pastor, I am aware that many people do not feel safe or free to share their own failures because of fear they will be judged, ostracized, or condemned.  Because they feel this way, they keep their sins hidden.  Why should they confess sin and repent to be punished by man in addition to their burdened consciences?  These people can be casual church attendants or people in leadership.  All cry out and long for the grace of God.  Those in leadership feel additional pressure to be outwardly perfect and the lack of confession can not only hinder but destroy their witness entirely.

How beautiful it is that God gives us grace!  How wonderful it is when we can share church fellowship where everyone sees themselves as a complete wreck God has restored!  What a testimony to the life-saving power of the grace of God where all who repent are included, and none who are lost remain excluded:  God's grace is available to all, and it is only our own pride, fear, and selfishness that prevents us from rejoicing in it.  I am tired of the work of Christ's church being hindered because of this lie of perfection before service.  Peter was not a perfect man, nor was Paul.  But God used them anyway.  King David was a great king in Israel, and he sinned horribly with Bathsheba.  Though there were consequences in his life, God allowed His reign to continue.  Why?  Because he freely admitted his sin before God, something Saul would not do!  Though flawed, David was a man after God's own heart because he acknowledged and repented of his sin.  Allow me to share a beautiful song of forgiveness, Psalm 32.

A Psalm of David. A Contemplation. 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. ³ 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 ⁶ For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. ⁷ You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah ⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. ⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you. ¹⁰ Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. ¹¹ Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"

Psalm 32:1-11

Let us put aside the bit and bridle of guilt and shame which prevents us from repentance.  Instead of demanding penance from those who are in sin, may we seek to restore such in a spirit of gentleness and realize soberly that we too may be drawn away from God to sin.  Let us be honest with God and one another, confess our sins one to another, and pray for one another that we may be healed.  The church is as desperate for this healing as the lost, sin-stricken world in which we live.  Do we mash a crown of thorns upon the heads of those who transgress as those who crucified Christ and in doing so pierce ourselves with sorrows, or do we lovingly adorn them with a crown of grace?  May our lives be a testimony of God's grace, forgiveness, and restoration!

Yancey quote...

I have been reading the Philip Yancey gem Where is God when it Hurts? and came across a terrific paragraph.  His point is that God made the world good, but it has been polluted by sin.  While we see the skill and beauty of God in His Creation, man has labored continually to destroy God's handiwork.  I speak not in terms of environmental destruction, through there could be a case easily made, but the wreckage man has made of His relationship with the Creator.  We have been separated by God because of sin:  sickness, death, and suffering have followed.  Praise God He seeks our restoration through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ!  Thank God for His wondrous grace.  This quote can be found on page 59:

Imagine this scenario:  vandals break into a museum displaying works from Picasso's Blue Period.  Motivated by sheer destructiveness, they splash red paint all over the paintings and slash them with knives.  It would be the height of unfairness to display these works - a mere sampling of Picasso's creative genius, and spoiled at that - as a representative of the artist.  The same applies to God's creation.  God has already hung a "Condemned" sign above the earth, and has promised judgment and restoration.  That this world spoiled by evil and suffering still exists at all is an example of God's mercy, not his cruelty.   - Philip Yancey

Satan Wins!

Much is made in Christian circles that Satan is a defeated foe.  Some downplay the attacks and deceptions of Satan through the broad application of 1 John 4:4:  "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."  So why is it then, that so few Christians seem to live a life of victory and power?  Why is our labor futile and fellowships rife with division?  If the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead fills us with that life-giving power, why do so few actually walk in the demonstration of it?  One of the main reasons is simple:  sin.   Though Christ has crushed the power of Satan under His feet, we can grant the devil legal authority through strongholds of sin.  He will gladly take back whatever territory we give him and fortify himself.

Ephesians 6:11-12 reads, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For 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."  It was necessary for Paul to instruct the Ephesians concerning the spiritual battle they faced continually as children of God.  They likely recoiled against the immorality, idolatry, and pagan practices of the day and laboured to defeat them.  But Paul told the Christians at Ephesus that their battle was of another kind:  they were fighting a spiritual battle of hand-to-hand combat against satanic forces.  The intent of our enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy.  His easiest victories come when we don't realize he has us in a vulnerable position by our secret or unconfessed sin.  A direct assault against God's people is rarely effective because they have been granted victory over sin through Jesus.  But if we offer position by our sins, he will choke us out.  It is when we justify our lack of confession or repentance that Satan wins.

A child of God can be down but is never out.  We have the hope of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Saviour.  A great lie of Satan is that we must only confess our sin to God and not to the person we have wronged through our sin.  A Christian's conscience will not rest easy until a full confession is made.  William Gurnall, a Puritan writer, had this to say about this tactic of the devil:

The very strength of some temptations lies in the concealing of them, and the very revealing of them to some faithful friend, like the opening and pricking of an imposthume (abscess), gives the soul present ease.  Satan knows this too well; and therefore, as some thieves, when they come to rob an house, either gag them in it, or hold a pistol to their breast, frighting them with death, if they cry or speak; thus Satan, that he may more freely rifle the soul of its peace and comfort, overawes it so, that it dares not disclose his temptation.  O, saith Satan, if thy brethren or friends know such a thing by thee, they will cast thee off; others will hoot at thee.  thus many a poor soul hath been kept long in its pangs by biting them in.  Thou losest, Christian, a double help by keeping the devil's secret - the counsel and prayers of thy fellow-brethren.  And what an invaluable loss is this!" (The Christian in Complete Armour, pg. 100)

How Satan will lie to us!  He will tell us we will lose all credibility, that the concealing of our sin protects others from pain, and points to our changed behaviour as an impetus not to publicly confess.  But what does God's Word say?  James 5:16 reads, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  The offering of Job's friends was not accepted until Job prayed for them.  Likewise, we must confess to the one we have wronged before our guilt shall be absolved before God.  Ephesus was a Christian fellowship that did well, yet God had something against them:  Revelation 2:2-5 reads, "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³ and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. ⁴ Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent."

The first step of repentance is acknowledgment, agreement with God.  The second step is confession.  Without confession there is no repentance, and without repentance there is no salvation.  If we harbour sin in our hearts, we cannot expect to be filled with the Spirit because we have polluted His temple.  The temple must be purged of all filth by the blood of Christ before we can expect the glory of God to fill the most holy place.  Without the Spirit we have no power, are devoid of all spiritual discernment, become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, the Word becomes unfruitful, and put up no resistance to Satan's schemes.  We have traded the power of God for the satisfaction of our lusts, and willingly place ourselves under bondage again.  Doctors cannot treat a man who refuses to see a doctor, and God will not deliver even a Christian who will not humble himself in confession and repentance.  Satan wins when we hide our sin.

If we will but humble ourselves and confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Are you tapping out, O Christian?  Do you feel powerless in the jaws of the enemy of your soul?  No man who hides a deadly serpent in his bosom is better for it.  Confess your secret sins in agreement with God.  You can be sure Christ will deliver you and by His grace grant you the victory He purchased with His own blood!

Do You Love People?

Yesterday I took Zed to his soccer practice and was blessed by the love of total strangers.  When Fred and Mary sat down and started a conversation, we didn't stay strangers for long!  For the duration of Zed's practice we talked about all kinds of things:  sport, family, work, Australia, WWII, the weather, and Jesus.  Towards the end of practice we exchanged details.  Our family has been invited to share a meal with two of the most delightful people imaginable.  Before we shook hands and left for the evening, I was struck by a statement Fred made:  "We love people."  And it really showed!

A heart of love is not revealed by words but by caring actions.  God's love is so unnatural but comes through people in the most natural ways.  How many practical ways was I shown genuine love?  Fred and Mary sat right down next to me and started talking.  They were interested and happy to chat.  During our conversation I was offered a toffee.  When the rain began to fall I was offered shelter under an umbrella.  Instead of distance, I was invited right into their lives through the sharing of experiences.  After all this, they were delighted to extend an invitation into their own home to share a traditional Italian meal.  They gave me personal details and entreated me to call them soon.  Why?  Because they love people.

This kind of unsolicited love is also seen in my Saviour, Jesus Christ.  God's active love is revealed through deeds.  Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit will reveal the same quality of sacrificial love seen in Jesus Christ.  The love of my friends reminds me of Matthew 25:31-40:  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

As Christians, we ought to love like Jesus.  Sometimes we struggle to see what shape this should take in our families, workplaces, or even at the soccer field.  It is hard to fathom that when we see the lonely and sick, the imprisoned or thirsty, the hungry or destitute, we are looking at Christ.  It is not physically Christ Himself, but when we do good towards those in need we do it to Christ.  Consider this quote from Mother Theresa's book, No Greater Love (pages 66-68):

If you are really in love with Christ, no matter how small your work, it will be done better; it will be wholehearted.  Your work will prove your love.  You may be exhausted with work, you may even kill yourself, but unless your work is interwoven with love, it is useless.  To work without love is slavery...You can touch the sick, the leper and believe that it is the body of Christ you are touching, but it is much more difficult when these people are drunk or shouting to think that this is Jesus is His distressing disguise.  How clean and loving our hands must be to be able to bring that compassion to them!  We need to be pure in heart to see Jesus in the person of the spiritually poorest...We consider it an honor to serve Christ in the distressing disguise of the spiritually poorest; we do it with deep gratitude and reverence in a spirit of sharing.

It is impossible to share the love of Christ with the world in a moment.  But it is possible to share His love with one person in need.  That is how Jesus reached the world and still does today:  one person, one act, one conversation at a time.  Even when sharing God's love with one person seems overwhelming, the power of God works to empower us to do what we naturally cannot.  2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  All things are possible for those who believe!  Jesus loves all people, and we ought to love them too.  And because we love both God and man, we do.

Agreeing With God

As Christians, our faith in God is exercised according to knowledge.  God has revealed Himself through creation, the perfection of His Law and Word, the person of Jesus Christ, and the person of the Holy Spirit.  Instead of telling us to believe without thought, we are to consider Christ's claims and choose to place our faith in Him willingly.  It is an amazing irony, that the intellect God has given us to consider the Gospel can both aid and hinder us in our spiritual journey in following Jesus.

It is no recent realization to me that many Christians who take initial step of faith to follow Jesus stop short of the grace and gifts He desires them to operate.  The apostles followed Jesus while He lived, but remained in unbelief after His resurrection.  It is written in Mark 16:14 of Christ:  "Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen."  Most people are surprised to think that the ones who had been willing to leave their nets and occupations to follow Christ would remain in unbelief, even after hearing Jesus with their ears prophesy:  "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  The most devout believers can cultivate hearts hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  It's not only the Pharisees who turn the temple into a den of thieves, for even Christians can allow the Temple of the Holy Spirit to become a den of iniquity.

I believe it is normal for our faith in Christ to lead us places we hesitate to go.  Faith in Christ also leads us to places we initially refuse to go!  God told Jonah to go preach to Nineveh, but Jonah ran from his responsibility.  God may tell you to give up a hobby or throw out some stuff in your house.  You may have faith to trust that Jesus cleanses you from all sin, but stop short of obedience because of an intellectual hindrance.  Your experiences may erode your faith that the promises in God's Word actually apply to you.  Sure, you believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of the Father, but you are not convinced He will lift you from depression or remove your shame.  What a scourge our intellect is when it hinders our faith!

It is just as impossible to convince a heathen person that his sins have doomed him to hell as trying to convince a born-again Christian that it is God's will He be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  How can this be?  Because the natural man cannot receive the things of God because they are foolishness to him.  The natural man does not operate according to faith, but by sight.  We desperately need the Holy Spirit to teach, guide, and enable us to desire to receive the great gifts God has provided for all His children.  Solid reasoning is nothing without the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit opening the eyes of the blind.

Do any of your opinions or thoughts stand in opposition to God?  These arguments will stumble you until they are thrown down by the power of God.  Praise God He has given us the means to overcome through Him: 2 Cor. 10:3-5:  "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. [4] For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, [5] casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."  Do not argue with God and fight against His Word or your conscience, brothers and sisters.  Can you understand the infinite God with your finite mind?  Consider well what hinders you from being baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Return to your first works of repentance and trust in Christ as a child.  Jesus will run to you and His reward is with Him!

Salvation Psalm

"The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation!"

2 Samuel 22:47

 

Our God is above all gods!  Since He lives whom should we fear besides Him?  How great is our God and worthy to be praised!  The earth shakes, the ground opens its mouth.  The rocks are torn with great shaking, waves destroy the face of the earth.  Trees are splintered, hills sink and become valleys.  The mountains are broken by fierce wind, and mud covers the land as a shroud.  Above this God reigns in glory and power, a Rock of Salvation that cannot be moved.  He holds the stars in His right hand, and the earth is His footstool.  His arrows are bolts of lightning, and His power is revealed in thunder.  He is a God exalted who reigns on high, mighty and full of glory.  What man or nation can stand before Him?  He makes the earth as water and the mountains melt in His presence.  Where shall you flee, O man?  Where can you hide from His presence?  The whole earth trembles before its Maker:  are you too proud to tremble before Him, O man?  Hear our cries for help O Father, for our only hope is in you.  Come speedily to our aid for there is none to deliver.  Those who are proud will be brought low, even to hell, and those who are contrite He will exalt to His right hand, even to the heavens.  God is exalted and therefore can exalt.  Jesus is exalted over all and has been magnified in glory above all others, that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD to the glory of God the Father.  The stone rejected by the builders has become the Chief Cornerstone, and this is marvelous in my eyes!  Praise God there is healing in His wings.

Jesus Loves You!

"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. ¹⁶ And He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."

Mark 10:13-16

All morning the words of Christ have been running through my mind:  "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not:  for of such is the kingdom of God."  As I meditate upon this scripture, I am led to consider the context.  People brought their children to be touched by Jesus, but the disciples withstood and rebuked the parents who did so.  Why would they do this?

I am convinced that we have sanitized our ideas of Jesus Christ by picture books we've seen since we were young and in doing so have weakened the Gospel.  In our pages Jesus sits wearing His white robe and blue sash, and little happy children are sitting on his lap.  They don't look smelly or dirty or covered with fleas.  They don't look diseased or sick or have muddy drool and sweat all over their faces.  Most pictures show fully-clothed, lily-white, clean, perfect little kids without frowns, hurts, or tears.  Do you think that is how the kids really looked?  I bet the kids brought to Jesus were from the poor lower class of folks who had no hope in the world except Jesus.  And when they brought their scruffy looking kids the disciples said, Not a chance!  Why would you trouble the Teacher with these dirty kids crawling with vermin?

This angered Jesus, who had come to seek and save the lost.  Jesus didn't come to earth so people could be turned from Him, but so He could save them.  Do you notice that He did much more than these hopeful parents could have dreamed?  Jesus not only blessed them, but He gathered them up in His arms!  He put his hands on them and prayed over them.  He didn't recoil because of their stench or lack of sanitation.  He didn't put on gloves or quickly go to His bottle of hand sanitizer after he touched a child.  He didn't change into His back-up robe because some dirt or mucus dripped onto Him.  He blessed those kids and hugged them just the same.  He kissed those sick kids like a loving dad.  And He sternly rebuked His disciples:  DON'T YOU DARE hinder the children from coming to Me!

When you saw those pictures as a child, did sadness fill your heart because you weren't happy or pretty or perfect?  As an adult do you feel that Jesus is too aloof to reach out His hand to touch you, take you in His arms and bring comfort to your soul?  You see your filth, you smell your stench of sin and think, Why would God trouble Himself with someone like me?  Sometimes well-meaning disciples of Christ hinder people from coming to Him because of requirements they place on others.  But Jesus has no requirements except that we come to Him in faith, trusting in Him alone.  Are you sick in soul, deeply wounded, feel like an outcast, or afraid Jesus doesn't want you?  Don't buy that lie of the devil!  Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind, heal the sick, release the prisoners from their addictions and oppressions, and set people free.  He came to breathe life into our souls dead in sins, and fill us with His Holy Spirit that we might know Him intimately.

Come to Jesus today as you are.  He will not only bless you, but hold you close with comfort.  Repent and have your sins washed away with His precious blood.  Those who come to Him He will never cast out.  You need never again be apart.

William Gurnall Quote

I was reading Gurnall's classic The Christian in Complete Armour yesterday and discovered an amazing observation.  We know that God can work all things for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purposes.  But would you think anything good could come from Adam transgressing God's command and bring the scourge of sin and death to all mankind?  Yes!  God wrought good despite man's rebellion, because now by faith we can experience closeness with God even Adam did not possess!  We can have the fullness of God dwelling within us by God's grace!   If it wasn't written in scripture, it would be too good to be believed. 

" The reconciled sinner hath the advantage of Adam in his union to God, as it is nearer.  The union is nearer, because God and man make one person in Christ.  This is such a mystery as was not heard of by Adam in all his glory.  He, indeed, was in league of love and friendship with God-and that was the best flower in his crown-but he could lay no claim to such kindred and consanguinity as now - with reverence be it spoken - the reconciled soul can with God.  This comes in by the marriage of the divine nature with the human, in the person of Christ, which personal union is the foundation of another, a mystical union betwixt Christ and the person of every believer; and this is so near a union, that, as by the union of the divine nature and human…The reconciled sinner hath the advantage of Adam in his union to God as it is stronger.  Therefore stronger, because nearer.  The closer stones stand together the stronger the building.  The union betwixt God and Adam in the first Covenant, was not so near but Adam might fall, and yet God’s glory stand entire and unshaken; but the union now is so close and strong betwixt Christ and his saints, that Christ cannot be Christ without his members.  “Because I live,” saith Christ, “ye shall live also,” (John 14:19) implying that their life was bound up in his, and that it was as easy for him to be turned out of heaven as for them to be kept out...the reconciled sinner hath the advantage of Adam in his communion with God.  There nearer, we use to say, the dearer.  Communion results from union.  If the union be nearer and stronger between a reconciled soul and God than Adam’s was, his communion must needs be sweeter and fuller.  Why else is the communion of husband and wife fuller than of friend and friend, but because the union is closer?  God converseth with Adam as a friend with his friend and ally, but with the reconciled soul; as a husband with his wife.  “Thy Maker is thy Husband,” (Is. 54:5) there is a double sweetness peculiar to the reconciled sinner’s communion with God…The Christian cannot lift up now an eye of faith to God, but he sees his own nature standing upon the throne by him in the person of Christ.  And, if the sight of Joseph at Pharaoh’s right hand, in court favour and honour, sent the patriarchs home with such a joyful news to their aged father, what a ravishing message of joy must faith carry then to the soul of a reconciled sinner, when it comes in after some vision of love in an ordinance and saith, “Cheer up, O my soul, I see Jesus Christ, thy near kinsman, at God’s right hand in glory, to whom ‘all power is given in heaven and earth;’ fear not, he is so nigh in blood to thee that he cannot be unmindful of thee, except he should do what were unnatural in thyself, that is, hide himself from his own flesh.’  The lower a prince stoops to the meanest of his subjects, the more familiar he makes himself to his subjects.”

William Gurnall, Christian in Complete Armour, Pg. 500-501

A Love that Pursues

"Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."

James 5:19-20

There is no shortage of needs in the world.  When we think of the "lost" our minds automatically pigeon-hole the group of people who have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Maybe we think of people in distant lands who speak foreign languages.  It is likely we do not consider the regular church goer to be included in the lost.  Even more incredible, we hardly believe a lost person could be a born-again Christian!

Wait a second, you might be thinking.  What do you mean that a Christian can be lost?  I do not mean "lost" as far as eternally lost and doomed to hell, but lost in the sense they have wandered from the truth.  To illustrate the point, let's say you decide to hike in a thickly wooded area, at first careful to follow the path.  As you continue to explore and are caught up in the raw beauty of your surroundings, after a while you realize you are no longer on a clear trail.  Do you know where you are?  You would likely be able to supply general answers.  You would know if you were in a national park, or maybe know the reserve name, or the suburb you parked in before the trek.  But though you know your basic location, you have become lost without a sense of direction.  A lost man often does not know where or when he became lost and cannot find his way back without outside help.

How horrible would it be if people knew you had taken a trek into the woods but did not search for you because they were assured of your competence!  "He knows these woods like the back of his hand," they might say to each other.  "Maybe he decided to camp out overnight under the stars.  I'm sure he is prepared for that storm rolling in."  At that precise moment you would likely be panicked because you have lost your way and are unprepared.  Even worse, no one even thinks of looking for you because they are certain of your abilities.  Do you know this constantly happens in church fellowships today?  Church leaders and congregants can come to church with smiles and firm handshakes but be neck-deep in a spiritual slough.  People might become isolated or disillusioned because they have wandered from communion with Jesus.  Some shrug their shoulders and say, "Well, at least he's saved."  God forbid!

The scripture in James makes it clear he is referring to people who once walked on the true path of following Jesus.  But for whatever reason, they have wandered from fellowship with Christ and are for the lack of a better word, lost.  Galatians 6:1 says, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted."  Christians can be ensnared by sin.  They can also be hopelessly confused or stuck.  The devil has whispered in their ear so long they don't know what to think or do.  A strong man can fall into a hole too deep to climb out of by himself.  How necessary it is that brothers and sisters in Christ would commit such a one to prayer and take all practical steps to assist that person.  Restoration should be as important ministry of the church as evangelism.  Even the redeemed must often be restored.

Christ has given us the victory through His shed blood.  But that doesn't mean we always walk in the victory He has provided.  As your body is conscious to protect all parts from harm and injury, the Body of Christ is designed for every part to be cognisant of the pain of other parts.  We are all accountable unto God and to each other.  The Law given to Moses states that if you saw your neighbor's ox wandering it was your responsibility to retrieve it so it wouldn't be lost, injured, or stolen.  If we should be watchful for wandering livestock, shouldn't we be mindful of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have wandered?  You have the opportunity to bring a soul back from sinning against the LORD and giving occasions for Christ's name to be blasphemed.  Yes, we have a God-given duty to intervene with love to restore such a one with grace and mercy.

Galatians 6:10 says, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."  Apart from the grace of God, we would be eternally lost.  Take every opportunity to restore those who have wandered from God and need help.  Love keeps no record of wrongs.  I have heard people define God's "agapao" and "agape" love as unconditional, but that is incomplete:  it means, "the active love of God for His Son and His people, and the active love His people are to have for God, each other, and even enemies" (Strong's Concordance).  ALL lost people both inside and outside the church need God's pursuing, active love revealed through us.  LORD Jesus, teach us to love and pursue like you!

Refuse to Accuse

Have you ever been falsely accused of doing wrong?  As I circled a roundabout today, I was emphatically flipped off by a woman with so fierce a glare I could only laugh.  I entered into the roundabout with my right indicator on, planning on performing a u-turn.  The woman was on the opposite side on the outer lane and must have expected me to go straight through because halfway through my turn she entered the far left lane.  Seeing me directly next to her as we slowly turned, she did her best to insult me for her own blunder for not giving way.

I have to admit I was a little confused by her response.  A part of me that wanted to be angry, and another part that thought the whole thing was ridiculous.  But it made me think about false accusations and how bad they can make us feel.  I thought about how Jesus was brought before Caiaphas and falsely accused as being a blasphemer.  How ironic that the Righteous One was falsely slandered and maligned by wicked men under the guise of justice and honoring God!  The irony did not insulate Christ from the pain.  It amazes me to consider that God never accuses people.  Accusations can be true or false and are often spawned through distrust with incomplete information.  God makes righteous judgments based upon complete, perfect knowledge and wisdom.  Instead of threatening, God warns.

Both man and Satan are highly skilled in the art of accusation and threats.  A woman caught in the act of adultery was once brought before Jesus.  The scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus what should be done with her:  if Jesus ordered her death it would be illegal according to Roman law, and if He said to let her live He would be in violation of the Law of Moses.  I'm sure they wondered how Jesus could possibly reconcile this difficult position.  But Jesus said, "Whoever is without sin, let him throw the first stone."  One by one the accusers left and John 8:10-11 says, "When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" ¹¹ She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."  Jesus could have hurled accusations because He was a man or threw stones at the woman because He was God incarnate.  But instead He offered words of comfort and an exhortation to live righteously.  Though being a man, Jesus acted opposite from men because He is also God.  Accusations come from a position of weakness, not strength.

Zechariah 3:1 shows us an interesting picture of a spiritual reality:  "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him." (NIV)  In another insightful passage, Revelation 12:10, this role Satan plays in opposing the children of God is revealed:  "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.'"  Though Satan may accuse us, his toothless words can never undo the atoning work of Christ's precious blood.  God will never hearken to the accusations of the enemy of our souls.  The great danger is Christians can be deceived to take his poisonous words to heart.  Praise God that we have a Redeemer and Advocate in Jesus Christ, who is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness according to His merit!

When we are falsely accused without cause, we can in that moment share in the sufferings of Christ.  It is in that place of identification where our appreciation of our Savior grows and flourishes.  Thank God for such a Savior who in all points was tempted, yet remained without sin!  Instead of accusing others, let us offer the grace of God.  God's love is what this sinning world is dying for.

Designed to Fail

I was raised in a family of tradesman.  My grandpa is still laying carpet well into his 70's, and my late grandad was a shipwright and construction worker.  My dad is a carpenter and my brother and I both are trained as journeyman mechanical insulators.  As I grew up I was often exposed to many facets of construction between home remodeling and church renovations.  I remember the first day I worked eight hours:  my dad set me up to nail the floor/deck of our upstairs room addition with a bucket of eight-penny nails and a 16oz. hammer.  We snapped some chalk lines and it was on!

Construction projects, like life, provide many opportunities to learn from mistakes.  It also provides many opportunities to follow builders and repair their mistakes!  Some of these repairs could be due to improvements in specifications or codes.  But quite often it is clear repairs must be made because of shoddy craftsmanship!  The evidence of cutting corners can be hidden behind walls, above ceilings, under floors, and it is likely years later before the structure reveals its faults.  Structural changes might also be necessary because of a design flaw.  After production it is discovered that the architects or engineers had neglected to factor significant issues into the design.

In my university days, I took a course in geology.  Our professor showed pictures of a house built near a steep slope.  Instead of constructing four houses on adequate lots, the builder had tried to squeeze in a fifth lot.  Because of the type of expansive soil in the area, she believed the small retaining wall would not be able to support the hillside at the back of the property.  She took pictures immediately after the project was complete and every month came back to take another picture.  Sure enough, within a year or two the entire slope had broken through the wall and smashed the back side of the house.  The house was condemned and later demolished.  Because of her background in geological studies, my professor was able to confidently predict the failure of the design.

Nothing that man does in this world is perfect.  There is no such thing as a "perfect" construction project.  Things go wrong, designs must be revised, and mistakes are made.  But even if man was flawless in his building there would need to be maintenance.  A perfectly painted wall fades, and a well-designed footing can settle and crack.  The best roofs will last about thirty years and tile grout becomes dingy with mold.  Man's best efforts are designed to fail because man is stricken with sin.  Heeding the modern wisdom of the world is compared by Christ to a man who builds upon sand.  When the waves crash and the winds blow, great will be the fall of that house because it had no foundation.

How foolish would it be for the fallen house to be built again with a revised set of drawings, taking in account waves and wind yet with no thought of a foundation!  The world is destined for failure.  Amazingly the Bible teaches us the world will not be destroyed by the folly of men, climate change, or greenhouse gases:  God will step in and destroy it Himself!  2 Peter 3:9-12 says,  "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. ¹¹ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹² looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"  Only God is fully able to create and destroy.  Man is certainly destructive, and his only hope for salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:22-27:  "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' ²³ And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' ²⁴ "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."  I always found it annoying to build sand castles because it wasn't long before my labour was erased by the encroaching tide or some kid would knock it down when I wasn't looking.  Man in himself is no more stable than a sandcastle.  The days breeze by and even the memory of man fades into nothing.  Headstones crack and crumble, and the body decays and turns to dust.

Jesus says in John 11:25-26,  "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  Christ is the Chief Cornerstone, an everlasting Foundation to build upon.  Let us take heed where we build!  If we build on Christ we need only build once!

Be Brilliant!

Last night before I went to sleep, I thought about the great need of the world for Jesus Christ.  The world is full of people that deny God's existence and are willfully ignorant of the sacrifice Christ has given for their redemption and salvation.  My mind wandered to many groups of people that are largely unreached by the church.  People searching for the love and forgiveness of God are turned away by the hate and disgust they feel towards them from professing Christians.  "How can those lost people who impale themselves with their own lusts be brought to Christ?" I thought.

When I got out of bed to close the window, I looked the dark street below.  Light from a street light behind my house flooded through the swaying vertical blinds.  I blinked in the light and I considered how Jesus reached the world and it was never again the same.  First of all, He was and is the Light of the World.  He was in the world but was not of the world.  His conduct was a shining example of God's sacrificial, active love.  The second thought which crossed my mind is that Jesus Christ did not remain in the heavens.  Instead of remaining unobtainable and impersonal in divine glory, Jesus came down to earth as a person.  He touched and mingled with people.  Jesus reached people who needed healing, help, forgiveness, and love.

Sometimes we Christians become so overwhelmed with saving the whole world we forget we have a neighbor who needs to hear the Good News.  We theorize and build church programs to reach a segment of society when an ignored co-worker is in deep depression and considering suicide.  Jesus could have become a politician.  He could have become an activist for civil or animal rights.  He could have invested in swords, militias, and propaganda to fuel a revolution.  Jesus did none of these things.  He knew every method of the world was incapable of redeeming the world.  How did Jesus change the world?  With God's love and grace.  With mercy and truth.  He sent the power of the Holy Spirit to transform people from within.  He did it one person at a time.

The way of Christ is a path every single Christian ought to walk.  Jesus did nothing for "posterity:"  He did it to glorify and honor His Father in heaven.  Churches all over the world often seem to operate for the purpose of creating a lasting legacy through buildings, curriculum, books, DVDs, methods, or organizations.  Vance Havner says it very well in his brilliant simplicity:  "The only way to minister effectively to this generation is to be Christians in it.  I do not mean run-of-the-mill church members, but Christians in all the glorious implications of the word." (Why Not Just Be Christians, pg. 13)  Jesus is the true Messiah, the Savior of the world - and there was only one of Him.  Has being a Christian lost its glorious brilliance?  If it has, either the power of God has ceased or Christians have ceased to be empowered by God!  When we cease operating to honor Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, rust seizes us and dims Christ's glorious light.

It is time for us to be Christians!  Instead of shaking our heads at the condition of the world and the church, let us be tuned to Jesus Christ and shine bright for Him.  Allow me to quote again from Havner:  "We Christians do not need unanimity or unification.  The only place where you will ever get the saints together is where they are already together, in Jesus Christ.  We need more unity of the Spirit.  There is a common understanding when we are in Him.  One does not tune twenty pianos by harmonizing each with the other; they are tuned to a tuning fork, and when each is in tune with the standard pitch, they are in tune with each other." (pg. 13-14)  Let's shine for Christ and glorify Him!