Guts to Trust

As I reflect upon my recent trip to the United States for a pastor's conference, I have a renewed appreciation for the Bible.  It is the divinely inspired, living and authoritative Word of God.  No man could ever exhaust the wealth of wisdom contained within those pages.  There is always more for us to learn and obey.  Though God's Word does not change, it changes us and remains relevant still.  To every person in whom God has breathed a living soul have these words been written.

A danger grows from our familiarity with passages, phrases, and events in the Bible.  When we listen to a sermon or read the Word, we can fall into the trap of simply confirming our current beliefs.  Instead of reading for the purpose of entering into God's presence and listening for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, we read only to stroke our spiritual pride.  There is a big difference between agreeing with God's Word and believing it.  A man might agree that a course of action is good and right, but that does not means he will actually work toward that end.  In Aesop's fable called "Belling the Cat," a group of mice agree their safety would be greatly improved if a bell was attached to the collar of the cat.  The ringing of the bell would alert them to his presence and give them advance warning so they might escape.  A venerable mouse stood up and said, "This is a great idea - but who is going to bell the cat?"  Everyone agreed in the plan, but it didn't mean they would actually have the guts to put it into practice.

For us the question is not of guts but of faith.  Do our lives reveal we actually believe what God has said in his Word enough to obey?  Another danger is we would limit God according to our limited understanding of scripture or theology.  Yesterday I began to work on a poem about a man who was shackled by sin and was imprisoned awaiting a death sentence.  Jesus appears to Him and offers salvation:  "If you repent and trust in Me, I will free and grant you eternal life!"  The man places his trust in Christ and the chains fall from his hands.  For a while, he delights in reading the Bible as he grows in knowledge and the wisdom of God.  But as time passes, he becomes rigid in his theology and limits God according to what he can understand.  He builds himself a safe, predictable house fortified with his personal experience and theology.  He bars the door to make sure no heretics could possibly enter.  Sadly, the man dies in this prison of his own design because of his pride like so many Pharisees before him.  At the beginning he was chained in sin:  after being freed the poor man used his knowledge to confine God with shackles.  The moral of the story?  Faith frees both God and man.

Jesus couldn't do many miracles in His hometown because of unbelief.  If I refuse to believe what God says in His Word, I limit His work in my own life.  The children of Israel were not able to enter into the land of promise because of their unbelief.  Asaph writes in Psalm 78:40-41: "How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! ⁴¹ Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel."  How tragic that I would limit God by my unbelief!  When I walk by sight and not by faith, I hinder the miraculous work He desires to do.  How sad that the ones who God delights in can grieve and provoke Him even after He has paid the price of our deliverance and atonement!  God's Word says He makes all things new!  God's Word says that nothing is impossible with God!

What grace God gives:  even after we construct a little box where we give Him permission to operate, He opens our eyes and hearts to trust Him.  He frees us from our spiritual pride and rigid unbelief.  He softens us to yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  May we never read the scriptures to remind ourselves of what we already know, but so we might grow in ways we once never thought possible by grace through faith in Christ.  May God give us the guts to trust!

Fire from on High

"And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering."

1 Chronicles 21:26

It's easy to gloss over a passage like this and miss the significance and personal application for us.  I confess I have missed it many times!  It is beautiful when God by grace removes the scales from our eyes and we see clearly something we never noticed before in His Word.  I pray today this is true for you and me.

David chose to number the people of Israel and the thing displeased the LORD.  After admitting his sin, king David was given three choices by God:  three years of famine, three months of being destroyed before their enemies, or three days of divine pestilence.  David chose to fall into the hands of God for three days "for very great are His mercies."  A grievous plague broke out and seventy thousand of the children of Israel were slain.  1 Chronicles 21:15 reads, "And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."  After purchasing the threshing floor from Ornan, David set up and altar to the LORD.  He made ready the sacrifice and prayed to God in heaven:  God answered Him from heaven with fire upon the altar!

When I was a little boy, I read the story of Elijah calling down fire from heaven to prove that God was the true God, not Ba'al.  I gathered some stones and piled them up in the shape of a small altar I had seen in my picture Bible.  I didn't have a sacrifice, but I balanced some pine needles from our tree carefully on top.  God didn't answer me with fire that day, but I knew He could have.  In scripture many times God answered with fire to show His divine approval.  God used fire as a revelation of His presence and power, both in leading His people and in judgment.  When King Solomon dedicated the temple, 2 Chronicles 7:1 records what happened:  "When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the temple."

I built an altar to the LORD as a boy not understanding the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has made the offering of animals obsolete for atonement.  Jesus once for all died to save and atone for sins of all who repent and trust in Him.  The covenant of the law has been fulfilled and we live in the days of the new covenant of Christ's blood.  The temple also was rendered unnecessary for worship, for those who are regenerated with the Holy Spirit are now themselves the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).  The only time we see fire come down from heaven in the New Testament by a person is when the false prophet deceives people by performing this particular sign which will convince many:  Revelation 13:13 says, "He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."

When I read the 1 Chronicles 21:26 passage, I immediately thought of when the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers on the day of Pentecost who appeared as tongues of fire over their heads.  Should we sacrifice an animal on an altar and pray that God answer with fire from heaven, we should expect nothing to happen.  God desires that the Holy Spirit fall upon His people who are called to be living sacrifices!  It is written in Romans 12:1:  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."  Jesus has been made a sacrifice for sin, and as receivers of His forgiveness and love we are to be living sacrifices unto Him.  May we expect such an outpouring of fire from on high as we pray and seek the face of our Saviour!

What would you rather see:  fire from heaven devouring the carcass of a dead animal, or the fire of the Holy Spirit consuming you as a living sacrifice?  A person filled with the Spirit of God is better than all the animal sacrifices offered from the beginning of time until now.  Let us prepare ourselves to see the LORD, breaking up our fallow ground as we seek His presence.  May God set His church afire for His glory!

READ the Bible!

I attended the Calvary Chapel senior pastor's conference for the first time in Murrieta, California.  The week was marked with great teaching and a tremendous time of fellowship with other pastors.  Another highlight for me was searching through the old volumes at the used bookstore.  Among the books I purchased is the Bible pictured here, printed by Samuel Bagster and Sons in London around 1860.

When I pulled this Bible off the shelf, a huge smile spread across my face.  As I turned it over and over in my hands, I was struck by the craftsmanship of the volume.  The gilt pages were etched with beautiful designs and the leather cover was also decorated with intricate patterns.  As I opened the book to examine it further, one thing became apparent:  this book had never been read!  There was no staining of the pages, no oil residue left from fingers, and no marks of any kind.  Apparently it had been a gift given to Reverend Benjamin Darcus who laboured in the Irish parish of Tullyaughnish in 1860.  It is an amazing, well-preserved bit of history.

This beautiful Bible testifies to two facts.  The first is that the Bible has not changed from 1860.  The inspired Word of God has not been changed since it was penned thousands of years ago by men inspired by the Holy Spirit!  Translated from original texts before and after Christ, the Holy scriptures are the same today as they have ever been.  Unlike other religious sects whose texts are edited and changed within a hundred years of being first printed, the Bible remains true and authoritative.  It has endured the most exhaustive scrutiny of both science and history, and remains true and unchanged!

The second fact to which this volume testifies is not good:  for over 150 years, this book remained unread.  It was more of a relic or trophy than actually employed for the purpose it was carefully transcribed over the centuries:  the Bible is to be read, believed, and obeyed.  I would contend that most Bibles remain mostly unread.  This is a terrible tragedy and an affront to God.  Over the years I have loaned out many good books to friends.  It is not uncommon for me to receive a loaned book back many months or years later unread.  How disappointing this is!  People are happy with the concept of gleaning wisdom or truth from a book that might do them good, but are not willing to put in the effort to mine it for themselves.  God must be grieved that His Word is so often neglected and unheeded even by those He has redeemed.

Is reading the Word of God a priority for you?  Is your Bible a trophy on a shelf or food for your soul?  Though it might reduce the resale value of this classic Bible, I intend to read it cover to cover.  The Bible was given by God to be read by men so we might receive His truth and share it with those willing to hear.  Jesus has the Words of life!  What a treasure we have in God's Word!

God the Merciful

I recently arrived in San Diego and am preparing to head north to the Calvary Chapel senior pastor's conference in Murrieta, California.  I'm looking forward to catching up with friends, meeting fellow co-labourers in Christ, and seeking God through times of study and worship.  I don't know how free I will be to blog, but as I was reading this morning I came across a fresh passage I thought I would share.

It is no secret that a tendency in people exists to elevate men because of their wealth, fame, or abilities.  Unfortunately this can be common in the church as well.   Men are praised and revered for their preaching or their gifts as musicians and singers.  Sometimes we think people are chosen to serve God in a particular role because of their unique and special talents.  A verse which shatters this misconception is found in 1 Chronicles 16:41.  When David brought the ark of God into the place prepared for it, the writer explains why certain men were called by name to lead others in worship:  "...and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endures forever..."

Men were called by name to play musical instruments and sing - not because they were amazing singers - but because God's mercy endures forever.  It is not about the men who praise, but all focus is placed on the praiseworthy God whose mercy endures forever!  We sometimes choose men to serve or lead because of their talents or gifts, but it is God who calls and deserves all the glory.

Some have been chosen by name to preach and teach because God's mercy endures forever.  Some are called as apostles or deacons because God's mercy endures forever.  Men and women are called as prophets or gifted in helps, administration, and faith because His mercy endures forever!  All people everywhere are called to glorify and praise God through their lives because God's mercy endures forever!

As it is written in Romans 9:16:  "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."  A well-known pastor might be very honorable, but God deserves all honor and glory.  God is the one who shows mercy, and He is the one to receive all glory!