The position of Elisha in this case is exactly your position, brethren, in relation to your work for Christ. Elisha had to deal with a dead child. It is true that, in his instance, it was natural death; but the death with which you have to come in contact is not the less real death because it is spiritual. The boys and girls in your classes are, as surely as grown-up people, "dead in trespasses and sins." May none of you fail fully to realise the state in which all human beings are naturally found! Unless you have a very clear sense of the utter ruin and spiritual death of your children, you will be incapable of being made a blessing to them. Go to them, I pray you, not as to sleepers whom you can by your own power awaken from their slumber, but as to spiritual corpses who can only be quickened by a power divine. Elisha's great object was not to cleanse the dead body, or embalm it with spices, or wrap it in fine linen, or place it in an appropriate posture, and then leave it still a corpse: he aimed at nothing less than the restoration of the child to life. Beloved teachers, may you never be content with aiming at secondary benefits, or even with realising them; may you strive for the grandest of all ends, the salvation of immortal souls! your business is not merely to teach the children in your classes to read the Bible, not barely to inculcate the duties of morality, nor even to instruct them in the mere letter of the gospel, but your high calling is to be the means, in the hands of God, of bringing life from heaven to dead souls. Your teaching on the Lord's-day will have been a failure if your children remain dead in sin. In the case of the secular teacher, the child's fair proficiency in knowledge will prove that the instructor has not lost his pains; but in your case, even thought your youthful charge should grow up to be respectable members of society, thought they should become regular attendants upon the means of grace, you will not feel that your petitions to heaven have been answered, nor your desires granted to you, nor your highest ends attained, unless something more is done,-unless, in fact it can be said of your children, "The Lord hath quickened them together with Christ."
01 July 2011
Quote from "The Soul Winner"
I have been reading The Soul Winner by C.H. Spurgeon, a book which emphasizes how the primary goal and focus of all believers is the salvation of sinners. All the ministries of the church, all effort for the glory of God in the lives of a Christian, is that through our testimony people would come to salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Having been a Sunday School teacher for many years, I found the following quote enlightening and invigorating. As teachers of adults or children, we are not to be content with the mere transfer of information, but the transformation of a life committed to Christ. Spurgeon describes how Elisha raised the dead son of the Shunammite in 2 Kings 4:29-37, and compares it to our work in saving souls. The quote can be found on pages152-153:
30 June 2011
Busy Week!
On the blog I enjoy sharing occasionally on a personal level what is going on "behind the scenes" as our family serves the LORD in Australia. Nearly six months ago, our family moved to Sydney. So much has happened in that time! It has been exciting to see God's faithfulness in establishing us among amazing friends and family in Christ.
Laura has been homeschooling the boys and things have been going well. Yet when a wonderful door of opportunity for our sons opened at Norwest Christian College (a local private school), we decided to go for it! This week has been very busy in meeting for interviews, gathering the paperwork for enrollment, and Zed sat an exam for a scholarship. Today we are meeting with a staff member to discuss enrollment and finances. We are thankful to have a God as a Father who knows our spiritual, practical, and financial needs. We are also grateful to many who have financially aided us through donations.
As far as the church goes, it seems like things are gaining momentum in a hurry! I was able to do some physical work at church this week which is a great blessing, enabling me to dust off some gifts and feel a sense of accomplishment. I did some painting and assembled a new BBQ, a must for a proper Aussie church fellowship. We plan to start hosting a BBQ lunch after service around once a month for starters, and hope that it will be a blessing and encouragement to those at our church. With a ladies clothing exchange tonight, upcoming men's retreat and church conference, and a mid-week Bible study in the planning stages, there is no shortage of work to be done. Pray for us! We are very excited as we see God's plans unfold.
I have also continued service work outside of the church with the Pyjama Angel Foundation. It is a volunteer organization focused on mentoring and promoting literacy with kids in foster care. For one hour a week, my role is to go to the child's house and read with him, help with homework, and be a consistent positive role model. I am pleased to say I have been placed with a 10 year-old boy in a local suburb and will pick up games and books next week in preparation. Needless to say, I am very excited to start.
I recently (this Tuesday) began a workout routine from the book "Workforce Warrior" given me by my dad. I bought a barbell and 70 kilos of weights off eBay. Although I did my first workout three days ago, my body feels like I just finished! I am ridiculously sore, but in my twisted mind that means it must be really effective. What I like about the program is that it requires a relatively small amount of time and focuses on building strength and an intense cardio-workout at the same time. The workout was not enjoyable by any means, but no doubt I will enjoy physical benefits if I stick with it. Since I stopped working in construction and spend more time at the computer, I feel a commitment to fitness as a positive step to overall mental and physical health.
Thanks again for reading the blog and posting comments. Feel free to browse through the old posts and read what catches your eye. I pray that God ministers to you powerfully through the Holy Spirit, and that Christ would be your all in all!
Laura has been homeschooling the boys and things have been going well. Yet when a wonderful door of opportunity for our sons opened at Norwest Christian College (a local private school), we decided to go for it! This week has been very busy in meeting for interviews, gathering the paperwork for enrollment, and Zed sat an exam for a scholarship. Today we are meeting with a staff member to discuss enrollment and finances. We are thankful to have a God as a Father who knows our spiritual, practical, and financial needs. We are also grateful to many who have financially aided us through donations.
As far as the church goes, it seems like things are gaining momentum in a hurry! I was able to do some physical work at church this week which is a great blessing, enabling me to dust off some gifts and feel a sense of accomplishment. I did some painting and assembled a new BBQ, a must for a proper Aussie church fellowship. We plan to start hosting a BBQ lunch after service around once a month for starters, and hope that it will be a blessing and encouragement to those at our church. With a ladies clothing exchange tonight, upcoming men's retreat and church conference, and a mid-week Bible study in the planning stages, there is no shortage of work to be done. Pray for us! We are very excited as we see God's plans unfold.
I have also continued service work outside of the church with the Pyjama Angel Foundation. It is a volunteer organization focused on mentoring and promoting literacy with kids in foster care. For one hour a week, my role is to go to the child's house and read with him, help with homework, and be a consistent positive role model. I am pleased to say I have been placed with a 10 year-old boy in a local suburb and will pick up games and books next week in preparation. Needless to say, I am very excited to start.
I recently (this Tuesday) began a workout routine from the book "Workforce Warrior" given me by my dad. I bought a barbell and 70 kilos of weights off eBay. Although I did my first workout three days ago, my body feels like I just finished! I am ridiculously sore, but in my twisted mind that means it must be really effective. What I like about the program is that it requires a relatively small amount of time and focuses on building strength and an intense cardio-workout at the same time. The workout was not enjoyable by any means, but no doubt I will enjoy physical benefits if I stick with it. Since I stopped working in construction and spend more time at the computer, I feel a commitment to fitness as a positive step to overall mental and physical health.
Thanks again for reading the blog and posting comments. Feel free to browse through the old posts and read what catches your eye. I pray that God ministers to you powerfully through the Holy Spirit, and that Christ would be your all in all!
27 June 2011
Limes and Mandarins
When we first moved into our home in Australia, I didn't notice there were fruit trees in the back yard. Because of their small size and the lack of fruit, they more resembled bushes than trees. After a month or so, I examined the shrubs more closely and realized someone had planted two citrus trees in the corner of the yard. One turned out to be a lemon tree, and the other seemed to be a lime tree. For several months I monitored the progress of the bumper-crop of limes and wondered how I could best use them. Then seemingly overnight, much to my shock, the small green fruit turned bright orange. I had misjudged the tree by its fruit. I didn't know it at first, but my lime tree was a mandarin tree (tangerine for you American readers)!
As I sampled a mandarin this morning (very glad it wasn't a lime!), I thought about how Jesus says, "By their fruits you shall know them." (Matt. 7:20) The works of the flesh are very distinct from the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit takes time to develop and grow. When I first saw the tree, a cursory glance did not reveal any fruit. But it was there. And after a while I saw the fruit and thought it to be a certain variety. But time and the miracle of growth proved that I again was incorrect! Though I was wrong from start to finish, now I am the beneficiary of delicious fruit. I didn't plant the tree, I didn't prune the tree, I hardly watered the tree, but now I enjoy God's results.
How true this is of our spiritual perceptions at times! We look according to appearance and make judgments based upon what we can see or understand. How wise we would be not to make such judgments concerning others! Sin in scripture is clearly defined and must be seen as such. But speaking for myself, I have misjudged fruit even as I have been blind to the hearts and intentions of others. I am learning to leave all judgments to the LORD. God grants time for fruit to ripen to maturity. I think mandarins are more useful than limes, but God makes limes, lemons, grapefruit, and oranges too - different flavours, different colours, but all of the citrus family. God has made us all different with unique personalities and ways we communicate. A mandarin is no better than a lime: both have been designed and crafted miraculously according to God's will.
Praise God Christians are part of the Body of Christ and Jesus is the Head! He has saved us, forgiven, and purified us, ordained, called, and equipped us to serve Him and others. Instead of judging, let us commit our ways and the ways of others to the righteous Judge, Jesus Christ. Isn't all the fruit made by Him and for Him anyway?
How true this is of our spiritual perceptions at times! We look according to appearance and make judgments based upon what we can see or understand. How wise we would be not to make such judgments concerning others! Sin in scripture is clearly defined and must be seen as such. But speaking for myself, I have misjudged fruit even as I have been blind to the hearts and intentions of others. I am learning to leave all judgments to the LORD. God grants time for fruit to ripen to maturity. I think mandarins are more useful than limes, but God makes limes, lemons, grapefruit, and oranges too - different flavours, different colours, but all of the citrus family. God has made us all different with unique personalities and ways we communicate. A mandarin is no better than a lime: both have been designed and crafted miraculously according to God's will.
Praise God Christians are part of the Body of Christ and Jesus is the Head! He has saved us, forgiven, and purified us, ordained, called, and equipped us to serve Him and others. Instead of judging, let us commit our ways and the ways of others to the righteous Judge, Jesus Christ. Isn't all the fruit made by Him and for Him anyway?
26 June 2011
More than Dawn Watchers
At Calvary Chapel Sydney, we have a weekly prayer meeting which begins at 6am. When I visited Calvary Chapel Santee in the USA, I was pleased to hear they also have a weekly prayer meeting on the same day at the same time! They call their time of seeking the LORD the "Dawn Watch" prayer meeting. A great name, I thought. Since we're on the other side of the world they won't care if we use the same name for our prayer meeting, right? Prayer is intended to be a great privilege and delight for every believer. While others might be sleeping, I want to be one who is watchful and expectantly waiting on the LORD.
A scripture association which comes to mind with the name "Dawn Watch" is Psalm 130:6: "My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning-- yes, more than those who watch for the morning." Who are those who watch for the morning? One example is seen in Job 7:4: "When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, and the night be ended?' For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn." Job grieved the loss of his children and health, and spent his nights in sleeplessness. He had been afflicted by the hand of Satan and could find no comfort even among his wife or friends. Another example is seen in the book of Acts when Paul endured a storm on the sea. For many days no one had eaten food and their chance of survival seemed slim. After Paul shared a word of encouragement from the LORD, the words in Acts 27:29 well-describe the watchfulness of the crew: "Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come." These stories share the same themes: intense suffering, lack of rest, and counting on the new day to bring fresh hope and consolation.
These examples of those who wait for the morning add force to what the Psalmist says: "My soul waits for the LORD more than those who watch for the morning..." This is the kind of intensity which should mark our praying. We should seek God with more fervency than a man who has tossed and turned in agony all night. We should desire to enter into the presence of God with more urgency then desperate men fighting for their lives. When we take our eyes off Jesus, it is easy for us to despair. It is natural for us to be overwhelmed by circumstances out of our control. Our lack of entering into God's throne room of grace with prayer compounds our struggles.
But praise be to God, who has given us an advocate in Jesus Christ! No matter how the wind and seas might rage, He is able to calm them with a word! I love the story when Jesus slept through a fierce storm as His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Panicked, they woke up Jesus and screamed, "Jesus! Don't you care that we are perishing?" In their minds they were thinking, "Do something to help out, Jesus! Grab and oar, control the rudder, help us get these sails down! Give us a hand!" But Jesus did something so unexpected, so divine, that they were dumbfounded. Mark 4:39 reads, "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm." They wanted Jesus to grab an oar: Jesus planned to still the storm.
Out of the depths of suffering comes great hope in God. The lamentations of Jeremiah contain the gut-wrenching consequences of sin. Even in the midst of darkness, God's promises and truth shone bright. If those words were written in times of ease and plenty, they would not hold half the significance they do, being spoken out of suffering few have endured. Lamentations 3:21-26 states, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. 22 Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."
Do you seek God more than those who watch for the morning? May we be numbered among them, for great is God's faithfulness!
A scripture association which comes to mind with the name "Dawn Watch" is Psalm 130:6: "My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning-- yes, more than those who watch for the morning." Who are those who watch for the morning? One example is seen in Job 7:4: "When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, and the night be ended?' For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn." Job grieved the loss of his children and health, and spent his nights in sleeplessness. He had been afflicted by the hand of Satan and could find no comfort even among his wife or friends. Another example is seen in the book of Acts when Paul endured a storm on the sea. For many days no one had eaten food and their chance of survival seemed slim. After Paul shared a word of encouragement from the LORD, the words in Acts 27:29 well-describe the watchfulness of the crew: "Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come." These stories share the same themes: intense suffering, lack of rest, and counting on the new day to bring fresh hope and consolation.
These examples of those who wait for the morning add force to what the Psalmist says: "My soul waits for the LORD more than those who watch for the morning..." This is the kind of intensity which should mark our praying. We should seek God with more fervency than a man who has tossed and turned in agony all night. We should desire to enter into the presence of God with more urgency then desperate men fighting for their lives. When we take our eyes off Jesus, it is easy for us to despair. It is natural for us to be overwhelmed by circumstances out of our control. Our lack of entering into God's throne room of grace with prayer compounds our struggles.
But praise be to God, who has given us an advocate in Jesus Christ! No matter how the wind and seas might rage, He is able to calm them with a word! I love the story when Jesus slept through a fierce storm as His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Panicked, they woke up Jesus and screamed, "Jesus! Don't you care that we are perishing?" In their minds they were thinking, "Do something to help out, Jesus! Grab and oar, control the rudder, help us get these sails down! Give us a hand!" But Jesus did something so unexpected, so divine, that they were dumbfounded. Mark 4:39 reads, "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm." They wanted Jesus to grab an oar: Jesus planned to still the storm.
Out of the depths of suffering comes great hope in God. The lamentations of Jeremiah contain the gut-wrenching consequences of sin. Even in the midst of darkness, God's promises and truth shone bright. If those words were written in times of ease and plenty, they would not hold half the significance they do, being spoken out of suffering few have endured. Lamentations 3:21-26 states, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. 22 Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. 26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."
Do you seek God more than those who watch for the morning? May we be numbered among them, for great is God's faithfulness!
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