Bridging Visa and Building Houses

From the moment God began to establish our family in Australia, I have looked upon it as a permanent move.  When it comes to serving God in a foreign field, there can be an overwhelming amount of "unknowns."  The timing for visa approval, God's provision of money, and the administration of paperwork are just a few of them.  There is much that lays outside our ability to directly control.  The stress level of our lives has been greatly eased through committing those things into God's capable hands.  The call is to be casting our cares upon Him, and God helping us we do.  We are called to be faithful to do our part, and God will be faithful to fulfill His Word.  We sow the seed, and He will make it grow.

We came to Australia over two years ago on a tourist visa.  While in country we applied for a 428 Religious Worker's visa and a bridging visa was issued.  It was later approved and allowed us to stay in country for two years.  After the two years the 428 Religious Worker's Visa could be renewed.  But last year our family received a letter in July which notified us that the 428 visa was no longer a path to permanent residency.  That would have been bad news by itself.  We were informed, however, that the church could nominate me under a Minister of Religion Visa which is a permanent residency visa.  That was welcome news indeed!  The church has now lodged the nomination and application with Australian immigration and we have been notified that a bridging visa is now in place.  Instead of having to leave the country in April, we can now stay in country until the visa application is completely resolved.  At the moment it appears we will be in Australia for a while - and God willing permanently!

Even before our family immigrated to Australia, God directed me to take to heart Jeremiah 29:5-7:  "Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace."  When we face uncertainty, the temptation is to hold back from putting down deep roots.  God used this passage to impress upon my heart that whether He has us in Australia for two years or seventy years, live like this is our permanent home.  As citizens of heaven we recognise this is not our real home, but we are to commit ourselves fully to the people, work, activities, and culture of our new home.  Instead of pining for what is old, comfortable, and familiar, we must open our arms and hearts to these beautiful people God has called us to serve without reservation.  We should enroll the kids in school for the year, buy that second car we need, renew the insurance for the whole year, and live trusting that God has placed us here according to His will.  Jeremiah 29 influenced me to live like we aren't going anywhere!

This is a great illustration for people who believe God has called them into a particular ministry.  Because God has revealed a call for them to serve in a specific role - say a pastor - they are reluctant to serve in other capacities.  Or perhaps they see their church fellowship languishing and begin to sit in judgment, withholding contributions of time and resources.  Let me encourage you:  wherever God has you in fellowship, give Him your all.  Serve with all your might no matter how long you might remain at the fellowship.  Build houses, plant gardens, and eat of their fruit.  Get married, settle down!  I offer these not as literal commands for you to perform, but to keep in mind the principle God intends.  A day may come when God moves you into a new arena of ministry, a day when the calling upon your life sees ultimate fruition, that day when you have a one-way ticket to a foreign country!  But as long as God tarries, wait on the LORD.  Many people succumb to waiting for the LORD.  They are always waiting for God to do something before they obey in the first place.  They never put down roots and begin to wilt.  Start serving and labouring for God's glory right where He has you and when God moves you, continue serving like you won't be going anywhere for a while.

I praise God for the bridging visa He has provided for our family, and our prayer is that our application for permanent residency will be quickly approved.  I desire to spend and be spent for Jesus Christ in Australia for His glory, for He is worthy of all honour.  I am grateful for the friends and family who have greatly enriched our lives during these two years.  No doubt God has much more to do both in and through us here!

The Peach Tree Lesson

In my back yard growing up, we had three fruit trees:  plum, apricot and peach.  The plum and apricot trees produced the sweetest, tastiest fruit of their kind.  The peach tree was almost always a disappointment.  It didn't produce nearly the volume or the quality of fruit as the other trees.  One year, however, the peach tree was absolutely loaded with fruit!  I remember talking with my mom about what a wonderful harvest of peaches we would have.  Before the fruit was ripe, I remember the shock of going outside and seeing our prize future harvest lying on the ground:  the tree had fallen over!  It was obvious what had happened as it lay wilted on the ground.  The trunk had been eaten out from the centre by termites or a type of borer insect.  The exceptionally large amount of fruit the tree produced that year caused it finally to give way.  That was the end of that tree and fresh homegrown peaches for us!

As a kid, I wasn't overly concerned about the "health" of our fruit trees.  I didn't understand how the health of the tree often dictates the quality and volume of fruit produced.  I just wanted to eat the fruit!  Sometimes in our spiritual walk with Christ we can become focused on the fruit.  We want to see obvious signs of God's power at work in our lives and churches.  We want to see instant transformation in the lives of people by the Holy Spirit, like buds on the tree turning into fuzzy green little peaches in a matter of days.  Who doesn't?  But God taught me a valuable lesson from thinking back upon that fallen tree.  What good is fruitfulness if the tree doesn't have the strength to bear it?  What good is green inedible fruit if it never becomes ripe for harvest?  In 1 Timothy 3:6, Paul warns Timothy not to place spiritual "novices" into roles of authority and leadership.  They can easily be lifted up with pride and great will be their fall.

I believe this principle follows in the body of Christ as well.  It takes time for the church to be strengthened by the growth and maturity of individual members to support the fruitful ministry of the local church.  I have seen churches that were so intent on making a difference in their community that fell apart because they had not been strengthened within. Church leaders can have a God-given plan and vision they feel compelled to initiate before the Body is ready and prepared to shoulder the load.  People might try gimmicks and programs which only produce unnatural growth in a church, like a body-builder who cycles steroids.  When a weight lifter or athlete hasn't been seeing the gains he wants from workouts alone, there may be a temptation to take steroids to boost muscle mass for quick results and recovery.  The problem is, those unnatural gains will have long-term negative side effects.  It is better for the church to be led by the Spirit in all things, letting down the nets only at Christ's Word, than to fish all night long trying to be fruitful through the efforts of the flesh.

Paul testified in 1 Corinthians 3:6:  "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."  Paul and Apollos had God-given roles in which He greatly used them.  Yet Paul understood that God was the sole reason why their efforts were profitable.  God provided the good seed of His Word, the refreshing Living Water through the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ bore much fruit.  It was all God's doing, and it is marvelous in my eyes.  Whether we are in a stage of sending down the roots deep to strengthen and stabilise, pruning, rapid growth, or a season of bountiful fruitfulness, let us be content.  Let us take heed to ourselves, that we do not focus on our foliage and green fruit when we are being eaten away within.  Let us encourage and strengthen one another in the LORD, for great is His faithfulness.

Ichabod Spencer Excerpt

Ichabod Spencer is a pastor who served in the New York region in the mid 1800's.  There is a man who knew much about bringing anxious souls to faith in Christ.  We are told after we are born again to "be anxious for nothing," yet the church would profit greatly from this sort of anxiousness!  Unless a man is anxious about his condition apart from God, his hypocrisy, the sins of his lips and heart, and the eternal damnation which awaits him, it seems he does not believe in God, hell, or judgment at all!  It is a foolish thing for Christians to seek to ease the concern of anxious unbelievers by offering the comforts, grace, and love of God to those who have rejected Him.  There are few things worse a Christian can do than by easing the conscience of one who is under conviction by the Holy Spirit.  Leave them under God's conviction, direct them to obey God's Word, and intercede for them in prayer.  Only then will they flee to Christ in desperation and be His forever!

Pastor Spencer writes in his book A Pastor's Sketches:  "There are multitudes in our congregations, who are just waiting, while they ought to be acting; who have a sort of indefinite hope about the aids of the Holy Spirit yet to be experienced, while they are pursuing the very course to fail of attaining any such aids.  They think they must wait.  They think wrong.  They must work, if they would have God work in them.  There can be no religion without obedience.  And there is not likely to be, with any sinner, a just sense of his dependence, till he earnestly intends and attempts to obey the gospel.  Religion is practical.  Much of its light comes by practical attempts.  'If you will do the works, ye shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God.'"

He relates a story of a woman who heard the truth of scripture but was reluctant to respond to it.  She was waiting for a deeper conviction - basically a feeling - before she would come to Christ and obey Him in faith.  It was only after God revealed the wickedness of her heart that she was born again.  Here is the conclusion in their own words beginning with the seeker who had made peace with God:

"At that time I knew almost nothing of my heart.  I never found out how much it was opposed to God and His demands, till some time afterwards, when I resolved that I would become a Christian that very day."

"And did your resolve bring you to Christ?"

"Oh, no!  Not at all.  It did me no good.  My heart would not yield.  I was opposed to God, and found I was such a sinner that I could do nothing for myself.  My resolutions did me no good, and I gave up all and just cried for mercy.  A while after that I began to be at peace.  I do not know how it is, but I have done nothing for myself.  Indeed, when I cried so for mercy, I had given up trying to do anything.  It seems to me that when I gave up trying, and cried to God, He did everything for me." (A Pastor's Sketches, Spencer, pg. 77)

It is not our resolve or our works which save us.  It is not by might, nor by power, but by God's Holy Spirit.  Do you see your heart as desperately wicked in your natural state, defiantly opposed to God beyond your ability to understand?  That is our true condition in our flesh.  But praise be to God, who has given us the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, of righteousness, judgment, and leads us into all truth.  God does for us what we could never hope to do ourselves through the power of the Gospel.

Fear God!

Throughout the history of the church, heretical views and doctrines have wormed their way into the minds and hearts of Christians.  The only defense the church has against such doctrines is the perfect, entire Word of God.  Heresies are doctrines of demons which gain strength in hearts and minds that oppose the unchanging truth of scripture.  "Heresy" is defined in the Webster's 1828 dictionary as, "A fundamental error in religion, or an error of opinion respecting some fundamental doctrine of religion...The scriptures being the standard of faith, any opinion that is repugnant to its doctrine is heresy."  The Bible is not a platform to support man's opinions or confirm his beliefs:  it is meant to shape them completely according to God's righteous standard.  Unless scripture is the sole basis for my belief, I build upon shifting sand.

In the New Testament, many of the books were written as letters to confront heresies which threatened the health and viability of the Body of Christ.  These threats persist today.  The church has been under assault by Satan since the beginning and it should not surprise us he remains relentless in his labour to distract, confuse, paralyse, and pollute the church through all means at his disposal.  At times Satan has sought to stomp out the Christians by force.  Other times he has sought to unify church with state.  Now he is most effective through worldly philosophies, watered-down truth, and subtly influencing belief through deluding the very Christians who comprise the church.  When we wander from the absolutes of the Word, error is certain.

One of the heresies I believe is especially sinister is the idea that because we are under grace, we no longer need to fear God.  God through Christ has become a friend we can cuddle up to.  The "fear of God" has been antiquated to a time when men were under the Law and were children of wrath.  This concept has no support or strength in either the Old or New Testaments.  This is by no means an exhaustive look at all the evidence, but hopefully will provide ample support to label the suggestion that we no longer need to fear God as abominable heresy.

What exactly is the "fear" of the LORD?  Though there are different words in the original languages used for fear, most have a similar range of meaning.  There are two aspects to this fear:  the first is terror and fright, and the second is reverence.  Fear can make us physically tremble with fright, and our minds can be blown with awe and amazement.  When we see a volcano erupt and the lava shoot hundreds of feet into the air, it takes our breath away.  We know that it is so hot it would kill us and wisdom demands we keep our distance.  Our heart sinks for the people we see running for cover as the flow slowly gains ground on their position.  Yet if we happened to be standing on the crater of that volcano when it blew, we would be absolutely terrified.  We would not gaze in appreciation at the eruption because if we do not do something death is certain!  It is the same thing when we look at a lion in a cage.  We can appreciate his beautiful mane, powerful muscles, and his throaty roar.  It is not terrifying to be on the safe side of the glass, yet we respect the lion's power enough to know he is not to be played with like a kitten.  Should we find ourselves on the inside of that cage without an escape, the terror of being torn limb from limb would be a reality as the teeth began to crunch our bones.

Because people struggle with the idea of God being loving but also fierce in wrath (as the Bible declares), this "fear" of God has been taken to only mean "reverence; awe" instead of the full-defintion which includes:  "afraid; terror; dread."  It is not just the unbelievers who ought to fear God.  What does Jesus say in Matthew 10:28?  "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."  In reference to God judging His people the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 10:30-31:  "For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."  There is a lie that has permeated the minds of some people that they do not need to worry about judgment because Christ has taken their place as a substitute.  It is true that those who are born again will never face God's wrath or face the fires of hell.  Yet the scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."  We ought to heed the words given in Hebrews 12:28-29:  "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. ²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire."  We are all called to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

Allow me to hold forth three purposes we are to fear God with both trembling and reverence.  Good doctrine is profitable for the glory of God and our sanctification.  When we do not fear God as we ought, we will be deficient in three key areas in our walks.

• We must fear God to know Him.  Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  Unless I fear the LORD, I cannot know God.  The fear of the LORD is the first fundamental step in knowing Him.  Jesus has become for us wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30).  It is the knowledge that God has all power, that He is righteous, and I will be judged according to His righteousness.  If I trembled when I was going to be swatted before my parents, how much more should I tremble before God!  The fear of God makes this knowledge personal.
•  The fear of God keeps us from sin.  Exodus 20:20 reads, "And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin."  The fear of God keeps me from disobedience, and the Holy Spirit enables us to live righteously.  When God appeared on Mount Sinai the people were terrified.  Moses told them not to run away from Him in terror, but understand His terrible appearance kept them from sin.  It was as if they were looking at a caged lion:  should they choose sin, however, He would certainly chasten them.  Who wants to be chastened by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah?
• The fear of God grants us an effective witness.  2 Corinthians 5:11 says, "Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences."  Those who fear the LORD are aware of His love, power, and that He knows all things.  We are eyewitnesses of His power to save and also His power to destroy.  Jesus has come to give us abundant life, but woe to those who reject Him!  It would be better for those who reject Him to never have been born.

This misunderstanding of the fear of the LORD has led to chronic weakness in the church in these three areas:  knowing God, avoidance of sin/righteous living, and a strong evangelistic witness.  To correct these flaws, our first step is to repent and seek God's forgiveness that we have not feared God as we should.  Do you fear God - not just with a reverence or respect, but with fear and trembling?  Do not fall for the lie that the fear of God is outdated or is unprofitable under the New Covenant.  Let us heed the command of Jesus Christ:  "Fear Him!"