Marching Forth!

One thing I love about Australian culture is the high value placed on volunteerism and being involved in the local community to make a positive impact.  For over a century in Australia, scripture teaching has been provided in public primary schools.  I have been delighted over the last year and a half to volunteer to teach one class a week at a local school.  While scripture teaching is available to all students, parents are free to have their child "opt out" of these classes.  I am in agreement with this policy.  As much as I believe in the power, truth, and necessity of scripture for life, I respect the rights of parents to choose for their kids.  May God use the children who attend scripture to positively live out the scriptures before their classmates in obedience to Christ - a far more powerful and persistent influence than I could ever wield. In recent years there have been additional options provided, such as " philosophical ethics ."  It has ...

" Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD !" Isaiah 31:1 God delivered the children of Israel from hundreds of years of bondage and slavery in Egypt.  With miraculous signs and a mighty hand God brought forth the Jewish nation and gave them His Law.  Centuries later, a day came when Israel faced the threat of the Babylonian nation.  Desperate to save themselves from occupation, captivity, or annihilation, some Jews decided to take refuge in Egypt from the advancing army.  God pronounced woe on those who looked to Egypt for help rather than look to the Holy God of Israel in faith.  It was folly to return to the "iron furnace" from which God had delivered them. ( Deut. 4:20, Jer. 11:4 )  How quickly we can forget how horrible our bondage was! God proved His power and auth...

My wife and I recently submitted applications to become dual-citizens of Australia.  It was the exciting culmination of many years of effort and desire.  But truly, it is God who has done all the work.  He has opened a door to us that no man can shut.  Even when God opens doors, the way through them is not as straightforward as I would like! The online application process proved challenging because I could not figure out how to include Laura on my application.  We had to apply separately, which proved inconvenient because our interviews with the test were scheduled a week apart!  We paid our fees, gathered all the appropriate paperwork, scanned and attached the files to our online applications, had passport-sized pictures taken, and an authorised friend of ours filled out the identity declaration.  We started studying for the test and Laura's appointment came first. I received the first text from Laura when she boarded the train, another when she e...

" Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him ." 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 When we moved into our current house over a year ago, it was not long before I realised something strange was happening in our shower.  It was most peculiar.  Over the years, a small gap had opened around the edge of the shower pan, and to my horror I discovered insects were living in there.  After a good clean, I began to notice thin black streaks on the tile.  One night I turned on the light and there were these tiny little bugs racing around in the shower.  I used bleach, I used toilet cleaner, anything to erradicate those dirty little pests.  Nothing worked as a long-term solution. I decided to ask permission from our land lady to re-grout the gap.  I went to the shops ...

When I entered Grossmont College as a freshman, I had relatively low expectations.  It amazingly turned out to be an eye-opening season of my life.  I could not have guessed the English professor teaching Advanced Composition would be instrumental in changing me for the better.  A consummate scholar and intellectual, now doctor, author, and acclaimed professor, the man was eccentric, witty, well-read, and captivating.  I felt I recognised and appreciated his brilliant mind more than others:  what was this genius doing teaching at a Junior College? Our class met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 7am.  Upon arriving for our first day, we were warmly greeted with an interesting question:  "Are there any monotheists in this class?"  I was one of three, and we were directed to sit on the right side of the classroom.  The class was further separated into those with atheistic and agnostic leanings.  The class was heavy on discussion of c...

I began trusting in Jesus Christ as a child.  When I look back on my childhood, I can see how God worked to provide, protect, and bless our family.  My faith was not primarily built in a church classroom, but at home by parents who were faithful in trusting God and leading us kids to do the same. By worldly standards we were not rich by any means, but our home was rich in love and faith in Christ.  I never felt poor or deprived in any way, though money was tight.  God always provided for our needs.  When family, friends, or even total strangers needed a place to stay, my parents opened our home to visitors who stayed for years.  During one of these seasons, we had a family of four staying with us.  I remember having two bunkbeds side by side with a roll out mattress in between.  Construction work had taken a big downturn in the 80's, and my dad worked hard to support his family and guests.  We had to put the dresser in the closet because th...

At the Calvary Chapel Senior Pastor's Conference in 2005, Bob Coy delivered a message called, "Loving God First."  One of the questions he asked made me think:  "Do you ever feel sorry for God?"  God did so much for His people.  He heard their cries and delivered them from slavery and bondage.  Yet they forsook the LORD and went after idols.  Pastor Bob read from Jeremiah 2:2-5 :  " Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. 3 Israel was holiness to the LORD, the firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; disaster will come upon them," says the LORD.' " 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD: "What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far fro...

When Christians think of unity in the context of church, it is natural for us to assume this means unity among people.  That is an aspect of unity, but that is not where unity begins.  As each person in the church is made part of Christ's body, we first must be united with Him in faith.  When a person repents and is born again, the Holy Spirit unites us with God by dwelling within us.  Yet placing our faith in Christ does not mean we are wholly united with Him.  Our minds may be in agreement with the truth of His Word, but that does not ensure we are walking in light of that truth.  We can be in two minds over something, and our own hearts can be divided.  If our hearts are divided within us, uniting perfectly with others will prove impossible. This fact hit me as I read Psalm 86:11-12 :  " Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. 12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I wi...

" Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor! That which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I have declared to you ." Isaiah 21:10 There is a good application from this verse for all who preach the Word of God.  The role of a teaching pastor is much like that of a chef, in that the preparation of a sermon is similar to preparing a meal.  Quality ingredients are prepared, mixed in the right proportion, and cooked or baked to make nutritious, hopefully delicious dishes.  The audience is considered, even as a chef would adapt his fare to appeal to children or a gourmet critic.  A preacher would be wise not to approach a class of year-three children the same way he would a lecture in seminary.  The truth of the message must not be changed, but the presentation should be altered slightly to communicate the truth of scripture in a way it can be easily understood and received by the listeners.  Appropriate illustrations and applications t...

We can never be sure of the motives of others, but God sees the heart.  Motive is the difference between a word of encouragement and flattery, from manslaughter and first-degree murder.  Motive is the difference between a gift and a bribe, the difference between being genuine or manipulative.  When Samuel looked upon Eliab the son of Jesse with approval, God spoke of the importance of the heart in 1 Samuel 16:6-7 :  " So it was, when they came, that he [Samuel] looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart ."  Appearance may convince men, but God is not fooled. It occurred to me sometimes we can fool ourselves - despite the conscience God has sovereignly placed within us.  How gracious He is to ...

I live in Australia, a country which has abolished the death penalty.  Because of looming executions of high-profile Australians in Indonesia, capital punishment has been the subject of discussion frequently of late on television, radio programs, schools, and cafes.  Opinions and views abound.  The implications of what has largely become a politicised issue effects everyone personally, no matter what country a person lives in.  God said through the prophet in Ezekiel 18:20 :  " The soul who sins shall die ."  The wages of sin is death. When God created Adam and breathed into him a living soul, He gave Adam freedom to eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden except the one in the centre.  God warned in Genesis 2:17 , "... of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die ."  Death was assured to be the certain consequence should Adam rebel against the command of a holy, righteou...

Man is unlike all other created beings.  Sometimes humans are touted as the "top of the evolutionary ladder," but it does not take a PhD to see the the distance between the rungs of primates and humans is an impossible jump.  Man is a world apart in complexity, thinking, morality, philosophy, technology, and especially spiritually.  Human beings are more than beasts, even if we choose to act like them or are deceived to think somehow, someway, we share ancestry with them. The Bible says God made man in His own image and breathed into Adam a living soul.  He was formed out of the dust of the ground, not from some lesser species.  The distance between the rungs of man and beast is an eternal expanse, impossible to navigate through the sheer force of natural selection.  Solomon wrote of God and men in Ecclesiastes 3:11 :  " He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work th...

The phrase "divine appointment" is commonly used by Christians to acknowledge God's hand in orchestrating meaningful moments.  God does not employ "luck" or "coincidence" to accomplish His will, but leads us with or without our knowledge.  These divine arrangements do not only go one way.  Sometimes God has used me to share words through which others benefited, and God has used many to minister to me.  No matter your calling or role in the Body of Christ, the Holy Spirit dwelling within every believer has the wisdom and power to speak everlasting truth through you with power and authority. When you think of "divine appointments," do you view yourself typically as the one who imparts or the one who receives?  It would be supremely improbable anyone could find themselves smack in the middle.  With the amount of writing, teaching, and conversing I do, I would say I tend towards the "imparting" side.  To be balanced, I need to make an...

I have lived my life in an age of convenience.  Some of the definitions of "convenient" found in the Merriam Webster dictionary are, " suited to personal comfort or to easy performance ; suited to a particular situation;  affording accommodation or advantage ."  The world panders to our natural selfishness.  We want things to be easy, comfortable, and advantageous.  Most people are happy to pay more for greater convenience.  We complain when the seal on the tomato sauce or the peanut butter doesn't have suitable sized tabs for easy removal.  We avoid peak-hour traffic when we can because it is a great inconvenience.  Today was a lesson in convenience I won't soon forget. My eldest son began his work experience today at Macquarie University.  My wife had planned on accompanying him on the bus and making sure he arrived at his destination.  Riding the bus in Sydney can be tricky because there are no announcements of an upcoming stop or ...

Recently I discovered a connection I had never noticed before:  the correlation between receiving mercy from God and courageous strength.  Many times in scripture the exhortation is given by God and devout souls who feared God:  "Be strong!"  The glory of young men is their strength, but it is not by lifting weights and physical exercise that brings this strength.  Spiritual strength is derived only from God through faith and experienced as we obey. The Bible is filled with examples of people who triumphed over their enemies - not because they were physically stronger, had larger armies, better weapons or training, or held a strategic advantage - but because they trusted God and obeyed Him.  There are also examples of people who faced unbearable suffering and horrendous circumstances.  Strength from God was needed just to endure the day, for their lives hung by a thread.  This is the sad condition faced by God's people in the Lamentations of Jer...

" But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation ." Galatians 6:14-15 The triumph of Jesus was culminated by His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection.  Not only was the blood of Jesus shed to atone for the sins of the world, but the Law which condemned all men was nailed to the cross ( Colossians 2:14 ).  The death of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world provided the killing blow to the power of the enemy to condemn or destroy all who repent and receive the Gospel. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul draws upon the imagery of the cross to reveal another accomplishment of Christ for all who trust in Him.  The world had been crucified to Paul, and Paul had been crucified to the world.  The world under the sway of Satan was rendered powerl...

When the Rolling Stones hit "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" rocketed to number one on the charts in 1965, it struck a nerve which has continued to twang.  Few people have obtained the fame, money, and notoriety of the Rolling Stones, and they still play the same song at nearly every show to this day.  The issues the song speaks of - useless information on the radio, having the whitest shirts, and sexual frustration - can be interchanged with anything this world has to offer, but the grain of truth remains static:  this world cannot deliver on true, lasting, genuine satisfaction. Reality never seems to scratch the itch of fantasy.  It always beckons alluringly, tantilisingly just out of reach.  The lie it perpetuates is if the conditions were altered slightly according to our desire, we would achieve satisfaction that seemingly eludes our grasp.  It is an exercise in futility because this world cannot possibly deliver all it promises without the negative s...