Marching Forth!

" He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper ." Psalm 1:3 When Jesus was approached by Nicodemus at night, He compared the movement of the Holy Spirit to wind.  No man can control the wind or the Holy Spirit, but the effect of wind and the presence of the Holy Spirit are easily seen.  Trees do not move by themselves on a still day, yet strong wind causes leaves to shake and limbs to bend and creak.  The Holy Spirit is the One who regenerates a soul that repents and trusts in Jesus, bringing transformation to the life of that person by His grace. There are no formulas to manipulate the Holy Spirit of God to act according to your will.  Born-again Christians are like trees which ought to bend to His will.  A sailboat by virtue of sitting in the water cannot cause the breeze to blow, but sailors adjust the sails to catch the wind...

We had a lovely time of prayer at Calvary Chapel Sydney  last Saturday evening.  Many people gathered to seek the LORD and pray for one another, and it is always special when God's people unite in prayer.  Leading up the evening I felt I needed to "get out of the way" and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and move according to His will.  Instead of spending a great deal of time sharing requests with one another, I felt God directing us to " let our requests be made known unto God " as we gathered as one ( Phil. 4:6 ).  As believers we must be cautious not to approach God with our own agendas, even though they often seem good and reasonable to us.  There is no formula to conjure a move of God's Spirit, though many things often accompany His move.  Jesus compared the movement to the Spirit as the wind blowing through the trees, and no amount of shaking trees will cause Him to blow.  We are to be like the trees with flexible boughs and leaves sensitive ...

" To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities ." Acts 3:26 Peter said this to men of Israel who gathered at the temple in Jerusalem, amazed at the miraculous healing performed on a lame man in the name of Jesus.  As I consider what Peter said, what strikes me is how Jesus has been sent to bless people.  People ask for God to bless them, yet I wonder if people know what they are asking for.  Blessing from God is not health, wealth, and comforts - though those are blessings indeed.  The blessing provided by Jesus Peter referenced was very specific:  " in turning away every one of you from your iniquities ." Have you ever thought God's blessing is to turn you from your sins?  The thing about our sin is it is always personal.  I used to have an idea that sin is always terrible, awful, and disgusting.  It is all this and more.  But the truth is, our si...

I woke up this morning with rain pattering down and a series of thoughts flooding my mind concerning the Parable of the Prodigal Jesus told in Luke 15 .  A young man demanded his share of inheritance before his father's passing, and his father actually agreed to give it to him.  He promptly left home and wasted all his money partying with prostitutes and drinking.  There was a famine in the land and the man found himself in want.  He was reduced to a job of feeding pigs to survive.  When the pig-food began to appeal to his grumbling stomach, he finally came to his senses.  In his poverty and brokenness he hatched a plan in desperation to return home to his father and plead for a job as a servant.  This man knew he had done wrong and had treated his father terribly.  He had wasted his father's money and lived in scandalous rebellion.  It flew in the face of propriety to think he could slink back as a son:  no, he would beg to be a servan...

When I visited Israel in 2015, I enjoyed seeing and teaching the Bible at many historical sites.  Yet of the entire trip, the most memorable incident was when God spoke to my heart from His Word.  One morning our group had just passed through the security checkpoint to gain access to the Western Wall.  I took this picture of the Western wall as we waited for the entire group to assemble. The picture shows the women's area to the south (right side) and the men's area to pray on the north.  There are nothing particular picturesque about this shot.  I have seen finer pictures than this one, and several I have taken myself!  But what you likely did not notice was the little white dove that flew into a depression in the stone over the women's side.  As I was pulling my camera out, it alighted in the wall.  It is in the far right of the photo. At the time I had been teaching through Song of Solomon at Calvary Chapel Sydney.  Instantly the w...

Nehemiah is a man I greatly admire in scripture.  He exuded great faith in God, was a man of prayer, and found favour in his role as cupbearer before king Artaxerxes.  When he inquired and heard of the hardships faced by people who had returned to Jerusalem after seventy years of captivity, he grieved deeply.  He sought the LORD in prayer about the correct course of action for him to take. When the king noticed Nehemiah being out of sorts, he asked Nehemiah if he was ill.  Some people would not admit the true source of their sadness, but Nehemiah was honest about he source of his despondency.  He told his king he mourned over the sad state of Jerusalem.   Nehemiah 2:4-5 reads, " Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.  5 And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it...

Ezra was a scribe and learned teacher of God's Law in Babylon who prepared his heart to seek the LORD ( Ezra 7:6-10 )  Cyrus the king of Persia was directed by God to rebuilt His temple in Jerusalem.  He exhorted all men of Judah to rise up and help with the building project.  Those who chose not to go back to Jerusalem or were unable the king commanded for them to supply the necessary materials and animals for sacrifice.  This was a fulfillment of the word spoken by the prophet Jeremiah that at the end of 70 years of captivity God would cause the children of Israel to return to the land of Judah ( Jer. 29:10; 2 Chron. 36:22-23 ).  These were joyous times for the faithful among God's people who longed to return to their inheritance. Though God and the king of Persia commanded the rebuilding of the temple, not everyone was pleased with this development.  People returned to the land, built the altar, offered sacrifices, and kept the feasts as prescribed in...

" The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd ." Ecclesiastes 12:10-11 God created human beings with the capacity of critical thought and the ability to communicate through spoken and written language.  Speaking and writing are both learned behaviours and are useful to convey ideas, feelings, and instructions.  There are perhaps an infinite amount of motivations, purposes, or desired ends for speaking, but the overarching purpose is communication.  Solomon was a wise man and sought out to convey upright words of truth to others.  God had given him great wisdom and understanding and he compared true words as "well-driven nails." The first eight-hour day I remember working was when I was about 11 years old.  My dad was renovating our home by extending the garage and adding a large room...

We had our regular fire inspection at the church building today.  During the test of the emergency lights I propped the door open for the technicians and dropped off my car across the street for a pink slip inspection.  When I returned, the technicians were finalising their report.  "By the way," one of them remarked, "it seems a miner (an Australian Noisy Miner) is stuck in the back room."  Now this wouldn't be the first time a bird has ventured into the building.  The facility sits against a beautiful backdrop of bush, and sometimes the wildlife comes in for a visit. After the technicians left, I went into the back room to find the poor bird fluttering around like a bat.  He seemed unable to find the doorway to leave.  So I walked back through the hall, shutting every door so he wouldn't take a wrong turn.  I opened the front door to make sure the exit was as clear as possible.  I went back to the room with a cracker and dropped a few pi...

When I was rear-ended in a car accident a few years ago, I didn't need an insurance agent to tell me it was a complete write-off.  Being an older car, I could see the damage sustained from boot to bonnet would have cost triple the value of the vehicle to fix.  After the insurance company paid out on the car, it probably ended up in some junkyard for spare parts or was used for scrap.  Once a car is written-off, it is a concession the damage is too great or costly to fix.  One could say Humpty Dumpty after his fall was a write-off, for all the king's horses and men were unable to put him back together again.  There is a point where well-meaning people do their best to fix problems, but there comes a time where man reaches or exceeds his limit.  He throws up his hands in frustration or grief, gives up, and tries to cut his losses. God is not like a man that He should give up.  There is no limit to His power or resources.  When men have long since...

" Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go ." John 11:43-44 Shortly before His death on Calvary, Jesus performed a notable miracle in Bethany by raising a man name Lazarus from the dead.  Four days before Jesus arrived at the town Lazarus died, was wrapped in graveclothes, and buried in a tomb.  Being dead four days for humans is a permanent, irreversable condition.  The body would have been stiff from rigor mortis and bloated from the decomposition process.  Much to the surprise of the family because of the degraded condition of the body, Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away from the mouth of the tomb.  After uttering a short prayer, Jesus called out for Lazarus to come forth.  To the shock of all but Jesus, there Lazarus stood! It was custom...

" Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve ." Matthew 4:10 When Satan tempted Jesus three times in the wilderness, Jesus appealed to the authority of God's Word to reject his evil suggestions.  Jesus was unwilling to entertain his suggestions or enter into a debate over doctrine.  The Bible provides all a Christian needs to discern the truth and the Holy Spirit provides the strength for us to walk in it.  Whenever Satan or something in our lives opposes God's Word we can say without apology or hesitation, "Get thee hence!"  It is the birthright of every Christian to walk in holiness and righteousness, and we never again need to be enslaved by sin. God promised His people in the Old Testament a day was coming when He would give them spiritual discernment.  Their eyes would finally perceive the worthless idols they had always prized as the sinful filt...

During the discipleship course at Calvary Chapel Sydney I recently read The Pineapple Story , a short and humorous tale of how God used pineapple to teach a missionary to give everything to God.  In fighting for his rights over his pineapple garden the missionary became extremely angry.  It was only after he gave the garden to God that he was delivered from anger.  We can be angry, fight for our rights, and scheme with all our might for control.  Anger can be a useful trigger to show us all the things we have yet to commit to God.  Ultimately the story is much bigger than pineapples.  God desires we would hand over every part of our lives to Him in obedience, trusting and rejoicing in Him.  That is the place of true joy and contentment. One pineapple in my garden as a young apprentice was that of reputation.  When I entered the mechanical insulation trade, I prayed God would make me as Daniel who stood out as excellent among his peers.  ...

" So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD ?" Exodus 4:11 The God who created man possesses far greater power and abilities than those of men.  He who created the mouth is able to speak light into darkness, and the One who created the eye is able to see all.  God knows exactly what He is doing, even if men believe they can do better.  God made eyes to see as well as eyes which are incapable of sight.  Throughout scripture there are instances where God used seasons or a lifetime of blindness to accomplish His purposes.  One might think only seeing eyes have value, but when ordained by the hand of God even blindness is most profitable. John 9:1-3 reads, " Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neithe...

Jesus said we display our love for Him by keeping His commandments.  If we call Him LORD and Master, than we need to do what He says.  The world does all it can to allure us and gives us false hope through empty promises.  For those who remain unswayed this world and the enemy of our souls is happy to load us down with sins and weights, tries to intimidate or frighten with threats, fears, and cares, and finally kills those who refuse to yield.  As followers of Christ we must not obey or even entertain voices which earnestly cry out advice from all sides allegedly for our benefit, but heed the voice of our Saviour Jesus who has demonstrated His love by dying for us. If we will follow Christ, then intentional actions must be taken on our part.  It is our actions - not only our verbal profession or mental theoretical agreement - which show we are committed to honouring God with our obedience.  A great picture of this is seen in 2 Kings after Jehu was anoin...

One interesting aspect of Australian culture, especially when it comes to sports enthusiasts, is liking one sport means you don't like another.  This applies to similar sports or different forms of the same sport.  If someone is a massive AFL (Australian rules football) supporter, I have not found a person as equally enthralled with NRL (Rugby league).  People who are gridiron (NFL, American football) supporters look at Australian Rules Football with confused smirks, and rugby purists hate how slow gridiron is:  "The game that always stops."  It is the same with cricket.  In Australia there are three common forms of cricket, and those old-school sorts don't consider anything other than "Test Cricket" real cricket at all.  Then there are those who like T-20 cricket and despise the boring pace, unable to see anything thrilling or remotely interesting in those drawn-out tests. This mentality is not limited to sports, politics, or religion.  It spi...

"Somebody told me there was no such thing as truth. I said, "If that's the case then why should I believe you ?" Lecrae in his song " Gravity " From famed intellectuals to the common man on the street, the concept that truth cannot be known seemingly gains ground in our current age of exponentially increasing subjectivity.  Truth remains fixed, but men conveniently choose to ignore it.  If truth cannot be known, this reality could not be known either.  The absolute statement "Truth cannot be known" contradicts and immediately collapses upon itself.  It begs the question:  "How can you know this assertion is true?"  Many in the world are convinced truth cannot be known, but Jesus held the exact opposite view. The life of Jesus revealed in the Bible shows His belief in the existence of God and upheld His Law as absolutely true without question.  His authority and absolute claims transcended the scribes and Pharisees, parrots o...

These thoughts follow on from " The Satisfying Answer ," a post written about how God doesn't always answer our questions but supplies Himself as our answer.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus often did answer genuine questions people had.  There were occasions (fewer than you might think!) when people weren't trying to trick, entrap, or critically judge Jesus according to their bias, but sincerely wanted to know the truth.  Hypothetical questions can only be given hypothetical answers, but Jesus responded with clarity and truth for all legitimate seekers who conveyed honestly, "I don't know the answer but I trust you do." I had an interesting interaction this past Tuesday during a scripture lesson at a neighbourhood primary school.  Most of the kids were engaged and having fun, but one student in particular couldn't be bothered to join the group.  He wouldn't sit with the other students, refused to do the workbook activity, and in general was unc...

The cliche goes, " Actions speak louder than words ."  It might be better said, "Actions speak truer than words alone."  Jesus told a parable about two sons who were asked by their father to work in his vineyard.  One flatly said no and the other said, "I go sir!"  It turned out the one who agreed to go never made it, and the one who refused to go at the beginning later felt guilty about it and went.  Jesus concluded the parable spoke to the self-righteous and hypocritical Pharisees in  Matthew 21:31 , " Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you ."  Harlots and tax collectors were known for their immorality and greed but they repented at the preaching of John.  The Pharisees did not see their own need to repent and this exposed their hypocrisy like the second son who agreed to lab...

Driving in Sydney traffic provides ample opportunity to exercise patience.  There seems to be no shortage of large, slow moving trucks on the road.  Many times today during my travels I had the unfortunate position of being directly behind the sluggish vehicle, and everyone behind me who desired to travel the speed limit was able to pass before me. As I inched forward behind one truck, the thought occurred to me:  I can wait in traffic as unto the LORD.  Enduring trying situations with a heart focused on God and rejoicing in Him is pleasing in God's sight.  The benefits of the fruit of the Spirit are not only useful in relationships or interactions with others, but between me and God alone.  A gracious attitude in trials can be a witness before God that I am seeking to honour and obey Him.  I should do all things for the glory of God, even when I am by myself.  Whenever we make a conscious choice to put off the sinful desires and attitudes of t...

"... of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks ..." 1 Chronicles 12:33 The men of Zebulun described in this passage came to David to support him and establish him as rightful king over Judah in Hebron.  These 50,000 men were depicted with glowing terms:  experts in war with all weapons, stouthearted (the KJV says "not of a double heart," united in desire and purpose), and could keep ranks.  Whilst everyone would like to be expert and have courageous hearts in battle, it struck me that "keeping ranks" flies in the face of our humanistic and narcissistic culture which promotes the individual and celebrates those who distinguish themselves as champions. The reason why the fighters of Zebulun were singled out and uniquely described as able to "keep ranks" was precisely because they were not "rank and file" soldiers.  They fought as a si...