Marching Forth!

After governor Festus was swept up in the squabble left unsettled by Felix between the Jewish religious rulers and the apostle Paul, he decided it would be beneficial to interview Paul before King Agrippa and Bernice in Caesarea.  The scribes and Pharisees called for Paul to be executed and he appealed to Caesar, yet Festus could find no evidence of guilt--certainly nothing that even hinted a sentence of death was appropriate.  Festus confided in Agrippa of his predicament in sending Paul to Rome without a charge in  Acts 25:27 :  " For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him ." It seems more than unreasonable, even unjust to imprison someone without specifying charges against them.  In many countries today those legally empowered to arrest people must notify the suspect they are under arrest and why they are being arrested.  In Jerusalem Paul had not been arrested for a crime but was taken into custody fo...

I have learned after moving into a house, blemishes that escaped notice at first later come to light--literally.  We had probably lived in our current house a week before I noticed a sizeable crack in the gyprock near the front door that could only be seen when the door was open and daylight streamed in.  It might as well have been colourful neon lighting with the attention the light brought to the crack in the wall.  This revelation led to closer inspection of other areas and resulted in gyprock and paint repairs in a large scale.  At one stage nearly the entire ceiling of one room required attention because the light shining across it made the irregularities an eyesore. Every time I saw a bad patch on the ceiling or wall that needed repair, it marked the beginning of a multi-step process:  cut out the old patch, add sufficient backing, fitting the new patch securely, spread several coats of joint compound (mud), sponging or sanding, priming and a couple coats ...

People can be funny when it comes to food.  Everyone develops their own preferences about the kinds of food they like best, their favourite flavours, texture, spices, ingredients used or avoided.  Sometimes we eat out of necessity because we are hungry, and other times we can be more picky.  As people grow older they can also develop an ideology around the best kind of ingredients to use and urge others to avoid foods that are believed to be harmful.  How we prepare and eat food is very personal, yet the common ground all people share is our God-given need of adequate nutrition for our bodies. Observing children learning to eat is quite an experience.  Babies are born with bodies sustained by milk from mum, and over time they are weaned from milk to eat solid foods.  At first, "baby" food is not very solid or flavourful at all!  When our boys were babies I remember feeding them Gerber mashed peas or carrots--and I recall some pureed meat that I never ...

It seems like whenever an election comes around, political campaigns tend to focus on flaws in other political parties or candidates.  Sling enough mud, and some of it may stick.  The last time we voted in New South Wales, we were bombarded with television ads, fliers and posters that warned us what people stood to lose or how much costs could surge if voters supported the other party.  Another common tactic I have observed among politicians is when mildly criticised about the weakness of their policies, they swiftly change the subject with earnest to point out the ineptitude of the other party. When it comes to following Jesus Christ, we are most blessed with only having good things to say about Him.  There is nothing concerning Jesus we need to apologise for or defend, for all He has done and said is wonderful beyond measure.  In sharing Christ and the Gospel we do not need to say how awful other religions are to try to build Him up, for Jesus stands above al...

God graciously gives every person the opportunity to experience a relationship with God founded upon His unfailing love.  He has also allowed every human being to make a personal choice if they will trust and love Him or not.  Our Maker allows us to freely choose if we will accept Him as Master.  He is not cruel or brutal for extending this once in a lifetime opportunity to us every day of our lives on earth at the expense of the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. From a young age, people generally understand the rights of ownership.  As a child I could comprehend there was a difference between my toys and those owned by my brother and sister.  There were also responsibilities that came with ownership, whether it be a pet or a vehicle.  As the owner of a car it was my decision if I chose to paint or modify the car, to buy new tyres or sell it.  I could wash and wax my car every week or I could avoid cleaning it altogether.  It was my rig...

Jesus rebuked scribes and Pharisees to their face when they complained that His disciples failed to observe the tradition of the elders by neglect of ceremonial hand washing.  Jesus fired back at their hypocrisy and explained how they made the word of God by no effect through their tradition.  The oral traditions of the elders had overshadowed God's word to the point disobedience to God's commands could be justified.  Jesus said in  Matthew 15:7-9 :  " Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  8   'These people draw near to Me with their mouth,  a nd honor Me with their lips,  b ut their heart is far from Me.  9 And in vain they worship Me,  t eaching a s doctrines the commandments of men . '"  The departure from reliance upon God's word led to people's hearts to depart from God and worship Him in vain--divine truth the Jewish religious rulers likely refused to accept. The laying aside of God's word to accept ...

" The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a  broken and a contrite heart--t hese, O God, You will not despise ." Psalm 51:17 At times I have wondered how people who lived thousands of years ago would react to common experiences today--like riding in a car on the motorway.  This is something most of us have experienced regularly throughout our lives.  As small children we rode in the backseat an looked forward to have a chance to sit up front and see everything better.  I imagine it would be exhilarating or terrifying to be moving so quickly and yet experience the insulated quiet and stillness of a modern vehicle cabin. I wonder what people from ancient times would think if they were suited up and led into an operating theatre to watch surgery in progress.  They might be shocked to discover there was a living person on the table opened up with organs exposed, cruel torture taking place before their eyes!  I imagine them watching in horror as a surgeon ...

Psalm 136 has the highest concentration of the mention of God's mercy in all the Bible--24 times in 24 verses.  Over and over the phrase is repeated, " For His mercy endures forever ."  There are only 11 other occasions in the Old Testament this exact phrase is used.  God's mercy has been well described in the 1828 Webster's Dictionary :  " That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Bein...

" For I know that the LORD is great, a nd our Lord is above all gods.  6 Whatever the LORD pleases He does, i n heaven and in earth,  i n the seas and in all deep places ." Psalm 135:5-6 God is the sovereign creator over all, and whatever pleases Him God does.  No one has any right or authority to criticise or condemn Him, even though man makes a habit of doing this.  God has given mankind the freedom to choose what we say and do as those created in His image, yet God is the only being who always does what is right.  With the understanding God has given us, limited by our short-sighted human perspective, we can complain God is not on task when we are unwilling to trust; we suspect He is not working because we are waiting.  The irony is when it seems God is not actively working, He is accomplishing His good purposes we could never imagine. We catch a glimpse of this in John 11 after Jesus received word His friend Lazarus was sick.  Mary and Martha ...

God gives wonderful gifts to mankind, and we tend to take them all for granted.  Ageing can be difficult when we feel entitled to the fit body of a young person that heals quickly, is more coordinated, can recall information without a struggle, can see more clearly and hear easily.  When I was a kid I had a wrist contusion that required me to wear a splint for a few weeks.  There were many things that were instantly difficult and showed me how much I took for granted--like the ability to hold a fork, wash myself and tie shoes.  It is easy to take a healthy body for granted because God designed our bodies wonderfully, and we can also take the Body of Christ (the church) for granted too. By faith in Jesus Christ, we have a connection with God and one another in the church which is miraculous, supernatural and wonderful.  We who were once foreigners and enemies of God have been accepted into the beloved, chosen and blessed by the LORD who we now know as our heavenl...

I have observed people refer to the role of pastor as a "calling" rather than a career, and this is true.  However, I suspect this reference may hinder people from understanding every Christian has been called by God regardless of their role in church ministry.  It may give the impression that if one is not a pastor, they have not been called by God to anything important--which is untrue.  All God's people are called to serve and glorify Him.  In Os Guinness' book The Call , he makes a distinction between the general call of all Christians and then specific, personal calls to each individual.  The second call can only be answered well when the first call is responded to with faith in Christ, humility and obedience. The call of God upon the lives of each Christian is not an enigma only deciphered by dreams, visions or dramatic divine revelation, for it comes into view as clearly as our initial call to receive the Gospel.  Whether we are willing to answer Go...

Today I walked by what could be called, "the scene of the fall."  I took a tumble a couple months back when I kicked a raised kerb on the footpath during a morning walk before daylight.  It seems the local council took notice of the lifted kerbs in the area and ground them flat to prevent others from tripping like I had.  Without me notifying anyone, the council put into practice a principle of  Romans 14:13 :  " Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way ."  A council worker observed the raised area, judged it to be uneven and unsafe, and ground it flat to remove the walking hazard. It is possible to have a perfectly flat footpath and still trip over our own feet and fall down.  But if we are the ones who have fallen, we ought to be circumspect and more careful when we pass by that way again.  When I came to the area where I fell, I took care to ...

Jesus taught His disciples in  Luke 12:4-5 ,  " And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him !"  Rather than fearing man, we ought to fear God for His infinite power and eternal justice.  He is able to do to us what no man can, for He holds mankind accountable forever to His righteous standard.  This power of God who knows the hearts of men and has authority over life and death ought to put us in awe. The Bible gives us another reason to fear God because of what He does for us!   Psalm 130:3-4 reads, " If You, LORD , should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  4 But there is forgiveness with You, t hat You may be feared ."  If God treated us according to what our sins deserve, we would never be able to stand before ...

I heard a comment recently that gave me pause.  A visitor, upon entering the sanctuary at church, said something to the effect of, "So this is where it all happens."  Instantly a thought popped into my head:  "You'd be surprised how seldom things happen here."  This was not a knock on God's work or His people but to point out the sermons preached, songs of worship sung and prayers to God for about an hour a week is a fraction of the depth and breadth of God's relationship with us.  It is a supremely special time to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ at church and an incredible privilege to proclaim God's word.  A lot of awesome and wonderful things happen at church--but one room isn't where it all happens. I realise the visitor was not making a theological statement, and I did not think what was said needed correction.  What it did likely illustrate, however, is a distinction made in Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness  by Jerry Coo...

" Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud,  b ut gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 God's call for Christians is to submit to God and one another in the fear of the LORD, to be clothed with humility.  To "submit" is to willingly place oneself in subjection to, and this is the attitude and posture we see in Jesus Christ who submitted to His Father in heaven and did His will.  In His humanity Jesus relinquished His own will to do the Father's will, even when it meant going to the cross joyfully as a sacrifice for sinners.  Knowing God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, we are called to submit to God.  It is not by asserting ourselves but through submission to God we are divinely enabled to walk in victory. James 4:6-10 connects submission to God with our ability to resist the devil:  " But He gives more...

The saving faith of a Christian is according to knowledge revealed in God's word, for "... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ." ( Romans 10:17 )  In a sermon titled "Faith," C.H. Spurgeon made an excellent point, that faith is more than believing something is true but requires  assent with it.  This perspective and attitude towards God's word is well illustrated by his quote:  " I love it all; I give my full, free, and hearty assent to every word of it, whether it be the threatening, or the promise, the proverb, the precept, or the blessing.  I believe that, since it is all the Word of God, it is all most assuredly true ." (Spurgeon, Charles H. Spurgeon’s Sermons . Baker Books, 1996. pages 369-370)  Here is an illustration involving the Niagara Falls Spurgeon used to show how faith in Christ supplies an indispensable union with God: Some years ago, two men, a bargeman and a collier, were in a boat, and found themselves unable ...

I received an antique book titled The Land of Christ that boasts over 160 photographs "which were obtained by the publishers only after long, arduous and expensive labor."  The book provides a glimpse into the life of people in Israel at that time--and also gives unpleasant insight into the largely antisemitic and bigoted views of the writer towards Jews, Arabs and Bedouins through unflattering anecdotes.  Much of the reprehensible commentary does not bear repeating, yet I found great pleasure in noting how different Jerusalem is now from the time the book was written.  Here is a photo taken at the Western Wall in the book published in 1895, a place I have visited several times myself. The writer said the Jewish inhabitants of Jerusalem at the time were about 5,000, and the writer showed no respect for them in his remarks.  A portion of the blurb reads, " The sight is a pitiable one in many ways.  The abject poverty of most of the mourners excites sympathy rath...

Recently I recalled a boy from my youth who quickly gained a reputation for clumsiness during fishing trips.  The first time we went fishing with him, he let go of the net in the water and stared as it (inexplicably to him) drifted down to the depths.  Then he managed to fall off the dock into the water.  The very next time we went fishing in Mission Bay at dusk he shouted with excitement as he sprinted on the beach, "Where's the water?" and kept running until the water reached his knees, tripped over and fell in.  He spent the rest of the evening wrapped in a sleeping bag by the fire.  Let me tell you, there was never a dull moment with this kid around.  Every time we fished, without fail, somehow he found a way to be soaked to the skin. The fishing incidents from the past will always be in my mind, and frankly it has been so long I cannot remember the boy's face or name.  He has long since grown to be a man and perhaps far excels me in fishing knowle...

Jesus taught we are not to discriminate concerning loving others, for we are to follow the example of Jesus who loved His enemies.  He commanded His disciples do the same in  Matthew 5:45, ".. . that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust ."  Jesus used rain as an illustration of God's gracious provision for all, for God does not reserve the rain only for people who please Him.  God demonstrates His love for all by showering rain on the just and the unjust.  Job observed God also causes the rain to fall in the wilderness where no man is, satisfying the desolate places so herbs can spring forth ( Job 38:5-7 ). I was reminded of God's love and provision for all people by a Bible passage in Judges .  After God empowered Samson to kill 1,000 Philistines with the fresh jawbone of a donkey, he suddenly felt incredibly thirsty to the point he wondered if he wou...