Paying the Price

Today I read a great illustration of knowing and embracing our duty as followers of Jesus in Spiritual Leadership by Oswald Sanders:

"A young man who was beginning his work with the coast guard was early called to take part in a desperate assignment.  A great storm had arisen and a ship was signaling its distress.  As the men began to move the big boat to the rescue, the young man , frightened at the fierceness of the gale, cried out to the captain, "We will never get back!"   Above the storm the captain replied, "We don't have to come back, but we do have to go out."  In most decisions the difficult part is not in knowing what we ought to do; it is in being willing to pay the price involved." (Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Leadership. Marshall Pickering, 1986. page 54)

If the Coast Guard only answered distress calls in good weather, they would not be fulfilling the purpose they are especially trained and outfitted for.  Soldiers, firemen, policemen, and medical personnel are among the many professions where men and women put their lives on the line to do their duty to help others.  In the course of their job there are many difficult decisions to be made, but the great leaders among them are those who are willing to pay the personal price to see their duty done well.  In the illustration with the captain and new recruit, the captain did not wrestle over whether they should embark on the assignment:  the need to go was crystal clear.

Having chosen to search for those who sent the distress call, however, questions remained over how they were to best tackle the developing emergency.  Drawing upon his training, experience and knowledge--with the counsel and aid of the officers and crew--clear decisions could be made and communicated to work together for a successful outcome.  It is likely the captain would have rather been doing something else that day, but he had been prepared for such an occasion and had the means to do what others could not.  One need not be the captain of a Coast Guard vessel to rise to the occasion of administering an encouraging word, asking a question, or lending a hand.  As believers we are called to love one another as Jesus loves us, and this will always come at a personal cost.

There is no confusion over our Christian duty to love one another, yet we can still question what is the best way to do so.  Like the young man was afraid to leave port because his safe return was not guaranteed, we also can shrink from loving as Jesus does because of fear:  how will others take it?  What will they say?  How could this negatively impact our relationship?  What unwanted demands will this person or situation impose upon my time?  Why is this happening to me?  Can't there be an easier way?  What if loving others results in being disappointed or having my heart broken again?  Because Jesus was willing to answer His Father's call to be crucified to atone for our sins out of love for us, He is the One to whom we look for comfort, help and rest in trying circumstances.  Our risen Saviour Jesus is the LORD who heals us, and He strengthens us to follow Him day by day.

It is good for us to consider:  how much does fear factor into our decision making?  It may be we are being more guided, hemmed in, or paralysed by all manner of fear rather than walking in the fear of God!  Fear for ourselves and unwillingness to pay the price involved can keep us from doing the thing we have been called, equipped and enabled to do by God's grace.  Let us be as the captain who saw his need to go even if returning was not guaranteed, willing to pay the price God requires of us.  Our eternal salvation and destination by faith in Jesus is assured, and thus with boldness we can venture forth because He has already paid the price.

Proclaiming Peace

God told the Hebrews in Deuteronomy 20:10-12 before they entered the land of promise:  "When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it. ¹¹ And it shall be that if they accept your offer of peace, and open to you, then all the people who are found in it shall be placed under tribute to you, and serve you. ¹² Now if the city will not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it."  Though there were cities and nations God commanded the Israelites to destroy as His chosen instrument of judgment, there was opportunity for those who lived in the land God promised the Hebrews to continue living and enjoy prosperity.  The Hebrews were to approach a city with an offer of peace, not a threat of war.  If the people in the city were willing to accept the terms of being servants to Israel and paying tribute, they would enjoy the benefits of living in a land blessed by God.  If they rejected the terms of peace, however, they faced a siege and defeat by the hands of God's people.

This is a principle we see God employ throughout the scriptures, for it is consistent with His good character to promote peace with the aim to save people rather than destroy them.  To sinners who are enemies of God through their rebellion and wickedness, God has proclaimed peace to all by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When Jesus Christ the LORD was born in Bethlehem, angels proclaimed His birth to the world in Luke 2:13-14:  "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  To lost sinners at war with God by their pride, self-righteousness and all manner of transgression, God proclaimed peace through Jesus coming to earth as Saviour.  The amazing thing is when people reject His free offer of peace, He does not write them off:  He settles down right outside the door of their hearts, knocks and calls for them to open unto Him so they might experience fellowship together.

When people receive the Gospel and become born-again Christians, the indwelling Holy Spirit gears us up with the "preparation of the Gospel of peace."  We are to preach peace to those who are near or afar off that all may come to know Jesus as LORD and become His servants as well.  Jesus commanded His disciples He sent out in Matthew 10:11-13 to preach the kingdom of God:  "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. ¹² And when you go into a household, greet it. ¹³ If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."  With Jesus as our peace, as much as depends on us, we are to live peaceably with everyone.  We are not to be combative, argumentative, smug or easily angered by those who oppose or resist the truth of the Gospel, for Jesus is our peace Who brings rest to our souls.

Similar to cities that refused the offer of peace by the Hebrews and were starved out, when people refuse to receive Christ and the Gospel ultimately there will be devastating, unavoidable consequences.  Everyone is already heading towards the death of our bodies and eternal torment in hell for our own sin against God that His word has detailed in black and white.  God commands all people to repent, for all the world will be judged by the risen King Jesus.  God has also given us a conscience that agrees that there is right and wrong, and that it is right to bring those who are guilty of doing wrong under judgment.  How thankful and grateful we ought to be that God has drawn near to us and proclaimed peace to us, and that the offer of eternal life is received by the Gospel.  When we deserved to be wiped from the face of the earth for our iniquity, God loved us, was merciful to us, and sent His own Son to redeem us--not just to be His subjects but as beloved sons and daughters.

Concerning Convictions

"It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak."

Romans 14:21

After Paul gave a detailed theological explanation of the Gospel, he showed how the Gospel guides us in the use of our liberty in Christ.  One point of contention in the early church concerning the foods people ate, for Jews followed the Law of Moses whilst Gentiles ate many foods the Jews viewed as unclean.  Some born-again Gentiles also had strong convictions over whether it was fitting to eat meat that was offered to idols:  one person's conscience was clear because their food was sanctified by the word of God and prayer, while another felt conviction it was a not-so-subtle return to their old life of idolatry.  Paul urged believers to be aware of the convictions of others, and out of love to avoid doing what made other brethren stumble, offended or weak.

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:4-5 of the freedom believers are granted by God to eat any kind of meat: "For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; ⁵ for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."  Not everyone had this knowledge, and those that had this understanding could feel convicted over eating certain foods or drink and choose to avoid them.  Since it is possible for good food to be a potential stumbling block to others, it is possible good things besides food can be offensive or a source of grief to the brethren.  I believe this can be true concerning the use of spiritual gifts--especially the gift of tongues and interpretation.  There are some who are offended by the proper, biblical expression of tongues even with interpretation as outlined in 1 Corinthians 14, and others hold to a strict view that tongue should never be audibly uttered in a group setting without an interpretation.  It is important we realise other people have convictions and things that stumble them that we never considered before.

The LORD brought this to my attention recently.  For those who have received the gift of tongues and/or interpretation, such can be increasingly comfortable with speaking in tongues in group prayer--even as people agree in their own native tongue during corporate prayer to affirm the prayers of others.  Let us be very careful in this area.  In our Christian fellowships there will be those who have come out of circles where numerous people spoke in tongues at once without interpretation, and based on their strong convictions from God's word have gone to a different church where this was not commonly practiced.  Rather than the whole church speaking in tongues at once, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:27-28:  "If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. ²⁸ But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God."  Based on the context, I do not read this as a prohibition of speaking in tongues quietly during corporate prayer, but I have encountered some who do see it this way.  In light of these dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the loving response is to restrict our speaking in tongues in a public setting if there is no opportunity for interpretation.

It is good for us to consider our convictions and if they have been formed by God's word, based on our experiences, or by simply what we are used to.  Someone coming from an openly charismatic church may find the silence of others during prayer odd, and people from a more liturgical or unchurched background may find murmurs of approval and the faint sound of tongues during corporate prayer strange--even offensive--because it is unfamiliar or viewed as unbiblical.  Our call, whether we speak or remain silent, is to love one another and glorify our Father in heaven by being led by the Holy Spirit.  People who are spiritually gifted to teach can be offensive by an arrogant and careless attitude, and may we use all spiritual gifts God gives us to edify one another and glorify our Saviour rather than to express our giftedness.  Even a good gift from God can be expressed in an offensive way that can stumble others, and so let us examine our own lives that we walk in love and grace towards all.

Remembering the Fallen and Risen

At the Anzac Day dawn service this morning in Riverstone, thousands gathered to remember those who answered the call to go to war, knowing well it could cost them their lives.  Today marks the 109th year since thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed on Gallipoli during World War 1, and we gathered to commemorate those who have served or are currently serving as members of our defence force.  We remember, lest we forget.  The sound of bagpipes, drums and bugle, the laying of wreaths, singing of hymns and anthems, the murmur of uttering prayers, the recitation of the Ode, and a military flyover made up a solemn service to honour the living as well as the dead.

At a Anzac Day dawn service it is customary to see people dressed casually like they just climbed out of bed (which very well may be true), wearing suits or donning their military uniform.  It is not uncommon to see some wearing a sprig of rosemary, a traditional sign of remembrance in Australia.  There are also people who attend the service in plain clothes who wearing medals they or family members before them earned during military service.  I recently read the medals earned yourself are to be worn on the left side of the chest, and if the medals are being worn to honour an ancestor they must be worn on the right side.  It is against the law to wear a medal you have not earned as if it is your own.

Those who serve and have made great sacrifices for others are an inspiration to all, and as we prayed to God in heaven I remembered how Jesus Christ willingly gave His life for lost sinners like me.  Both of my grandfathers served in the U.S. Navy, but it was by observing them in action at home I found their no-nonsense, embrace of hard work inspirational.  This is true about Jesus Christ as well, for He rose long before dawn in prayer and ministered to all who came to Him day by day.  While it is fitting we observe Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand on an annual basis, it is right to remember Jesus Christ with gratitude every day because we Christians live through Him.  Jesus answered the call to go to the cross, to offer His life daily with love, to die and rise again, to become sin for us Who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

As the wreaths were placed I recognised the tune of Amazing Grace on bagpipes looped again and again:  "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost but now am found; was blind but now I see."  As a citizen of Australia I rejoice in God who has granted our fair nation favour, and I join with our Kiwi friends with an amen to their anthem that honours God:  "Let our love for Thee increase, may Thy blessings never cease, give us plenty, give us peace, God defend our free land."  The God who saves us is the risen God who defends us, and may our love for Him who is blessed increase.