Scripture Teaching

How spiritually healthy and rewarding it is when our steps require faith in God!  The flesh hates feeling out of control, but what a blessing it is to walk in the truth that God is in control.  I experienced one such moment today.  Earlier today God brought to pass the culmination of a desire that has grown since I first visited Phil and Linda White in Brisbane, Australia in 2009:  teaching scripture to students in a public school.  During one of our chats, Linda told me that in public schools in Australia scripture is taught by qualified volunteers from local churches.  I could hardly believe it!  Hailing from the United States of America, a nation hamstrung by political correctness and supposed implications of "separation of Church and State" with corresponding restrictions, this seemed too good to be true.

An open door to teach scripture in public schools stands open in Australia, and God opened a door to teach scripture in my own suburb.  One week after moving house, I received a call from a coordinator of the scripture classes to inquire concerning a character reference.  It turned out there was a vacancy that had just opened up.  It is a remarkable opportunity to expose kids to the truth of scripture and introduce them to God.  The fact is, scripture teaching works!  Students are free to opt out of scripture teaching, and those who do are taught "ethics."  I would be curious to know the origin and foundation of those ethics!

When going through the modules to be qualified to teach scripture, I was amazed at the objectives according to the Rawlinson Report and the current NSW Education Act.  Taken from a Youthworks Training booklet, the five reasons scripture teaching exists are:

• to develop an ability to interpret religious data within the traditions of their particular faith
• to gain an appreciation of specific religious interpretations of issues and problems in which committed people apply their faith to life
• to translate their learning about their faith into active expression in a worshipping community
• to encounter, in a peer group-learning context, religious teaching given from a position of faith and committment by a person explicitly associated with the religious community
• to be aware of the availability of personal and group counselling in the area of religious need

As I entered the school today, it certainly was an act of reliance upon God.  The flesh never enjoys striking into unfamiliar territory.  I could sense doubts and worries being thrown my way by the enemy, reasons why I should not bother teaching scripture.  I had heard the class was difficult, nearly unmanageable!  There is no doubt God gave me a peace and utterance as I shared from the scriptures.  Overall everyone was engaged and attentive.  Perhaps the accent had something to do with that!  Because God promises His Word does not return void, I know seeds were planted, watered, and in His time according to His grace will be fruitful.

Have you recently taken new steps of faith?  If you are a Christian, this is what God has called us to.  By receiving the Gospel by grace through faith we have signed up to take more steps of faith!  If our lives do not require a walk of faith -going into situations outside our comfort zone where God is our only peace and help - then we must wonder if we are trusting Christ at all!  What joy comes from this walk of faith, though our days be filled with unknowns and growing challenges.  When we walk in faith in God, we walk closer to Christ.  He will always lead us in the right way!

Walking Wisely

My family and I have been hosts this week to a couple which have long been a positive, godly influence in our lives.  It was a pleasure showing them the sights of Sydney and we greatly enjoyed their insights as we chatted about ministry and family.  There is great encouragement when the global body of Christ unites together under His banner of love.  The support of gracious brothers and sisters in Christ is a gift God has provided we do well to embrace.

Last night as a small group of us gathered at Calvary Chapel Sydney for a Bible study, we considered practical ways to walk in wisdom.  Many things were discussed:  being born again, humility, heeding God's Word, fellowship with God through prayer, discipline, and obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  There was one aspect in particular that God impressed upon me to emphasise, not that it is more important than the rest.  I do believe, however, it is an aspect which can be quite foreign in our individualistic, self-centered societies:  we have a deep need to be in regular fellowship with Christians.  I do not simply mean attending a local church.  I am talking about forging close friendships centered upon Christ where we are unashamed and transparent, cultivating relationships where all have the freedom to encourage, exhort, rebuke, confess sin and struggles, and strengthen one another by pointing to Christ.

If as born again Christians we are each part of Christ's Body the church, then we must be united in worship of God and fellowship with one another with love and grace, bearing one another's burdens.  We cannot do this alone.  I believe there are many who think they can live for Christ alone and continue to grow.  With the power of the Holy Spirit within them, the Bible to guide them, books and podcasts to encourage them, they do not need to cultivate relationships with other Christians.  That is like a leg saying it does not need the ankle or foot to remain upright!  We are not to view church as a support system for our benefit (though we do greatly benefit from unity in Christ), but to consider how we might practically provide strength for the Body.  We do this by reaching individual lives and ministering to each according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Those who are born again are called to provide edification of the Body through love.  The gifts and resources God has given you are not intended for your sole benefit, but for the good and strengthening of others.  The early church laid hold of this calling with both hands, and by His grace we can do the same.

Jesus did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.  Some make the mistake of focusing on service and neglect to fix their eyes and hearts on Christ.  Others think the church exists for their benefit instead of considering how they might contribute to the strengthening and edifying the Body through love.  We must move beyond maintaining a relationship with God and press on in faith in Christ so we might grow and encourage others to do the same.  God's intention was not that we labour to protect ourselves from the world but that we would overcome it through Him.  Christianity is not defined by what we don't do, but is established upon the fact God knows us and we know Him through the Gospel.  Too many times we focus on "not sinning" instead of walking in the Spirit through abiding in Christ.  God places individuals in our lives to sharpen us, not to make us miserable or hopeless.  Jesus is our hope and peace!

Rejoice believer, for you are not alone!  Jesus has promised to never leave or forsake us.  He has also united us to fellow Christians that we might run with endurance the race set before each of us.  We may not agree on every point of doctrine or emphasis, but love covers a multitude of my sins.  We walk wisely when we forge relationships where God remains the centre, chief joy, and our all in all.

Purity in Worship

"And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men."

2 Kings 23:14

The two first commands of the 10 Commandments boom from the Creator of All, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image."  These are commands all people have broken, even those who claim to trust in God.  God's people agreed to a covenant with God on His terms, that they would love and obey Him.  Yet over the passage of time, generations grew up who did not know the LORD or follow Him exclusively.  They began to worship the gods of the native people and their religious activities were devoid of worship as God intended.

Throughout the history of Israel and Judah, the majority of kings did not worship the LORD and led the nation into idolatry.  There were, however, kings raised up by God who sought to destroy the high places and eradicate the gross idolatry that corrupted the worship of the true God of Israel.  Josiah was one such king.  He re-established the covenant before the LORD and destroyed the pillars, altars, and high places used for idolatrous practices.  Then Josiah did something very interesting.  After breaking in pieces the pillars and images, he filled the area with the bones of men.  Under the Law of God, to touch a dead body or bone made the transgressor ceremonially unclean.  These bones sent a clear message to all who intended to offer sacrifice to the demonic entity:  the place was unclean, and to offer a sacrifice in this place meant those bones could just as easily be yours!

This brought an interesting thought to mind.  The bones littering the ground did not make the high place any more unclean than before.  The worship of any god or image other than God Almighty was unclean, yet the people did not see it.  It took the desecration of the pillars and the pollution with dead things to demonstrate to the people how horrible sin and the consequences were.  This display grabbed the attention of the people.  It's possible for people - even God's people - to be engaged in horrendous activities we don't even realise are sinful.  The way we think, speak, and act slip past our guard unnoticed.  It takes the searching power and conviction of the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see how sinful sin is.  It is a glorious day when the thing we once embraced as fun and wholesome is now as attractive to us as rotting corpses and unclean as bones.  Instead of clearing the carnage and justifying ourselves to continue according to our traditions, may we seek guidance from God in His Word on how we can worship and glorify Him.  Too many times we simply built another altar, erect another image, or seek out another pillar in a shady high place instead of seeking the LORD alone.

What a wonder, that God rejoices in the repentance of His people!  Our sin brought death, but God provides life, grace, and peace through Jesus.  Let us not neglect God's order of things.  It does no good to tear down altars before we have agreed with God's covenant through the Gospel.  We must first repent and be born again!  Once that heavenly transaction has taken place, during our lives we will ever be waging a war against our flesh and the subtle temptations of the devil.  May the pastures where the Good Shepherd leads us to grace be kept free from the pillars and idolatrous images.  God desires and deserves all our worship.

Find True Security

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: 'He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. ⁴ And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain.' ⁵ "Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; will He not make it increase?"

2 Samuel 23:3-5

For almost a week now, the beginning of verse 5 keeps ringing through my head.  God had revealed to David the state of the man who rules justly in the fear of God.  God compared such a man to the first light of the sunrise, warm rays warming the horizon, without a cloud or threat of storm.  He also likened that man to tender grass that springs out of the earth, providing food for beast and men.  In addition fresh growth and vibrancy, this ruler is like the clear shining after rain:  refreshed, cleansed, and satisfied.  Then comes the confession of humble David:  "Although my house is not so with God..."  God had revealed the truth, the unshakable reality of the man who walks in godliness.  David was a man after God's own heart, but he recognised he was far from perfect.  He had not achieved this ideal reality, and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

This is one thing I admire about David.  He did not pretend he was perfect, nor did he try to fool himself into believing everything was fine.  A godly man is honest, sincere, and transparent, and David was all these things.  It seems these days a man in authority - a king, minister, father, or boss - does not feel at liberty to expose his warts, sins of his past, or the troubled condition where he finds himself.  Admitting weakness or faults represents God poorly some think, and they refuse to acknowledge sin or personal problems even with their friends.  I say such think wrong.  My admission of failure and that my house is not so with God reveals clearly I need Him.  If people are stumbled because of my faults or bad decisions of my kin, perhaps they have put too much stock in following men.  People stumbled at the words and works of the infallible Christ:  how much more if they follow mere men?  David does an amazing thing as king by these admissions:  "God says a just ruler is like the light of the sunrise without clouds, but I cannot say that of me.  God revealed to me that one who rules in the fear of God is like tender grass springing from the earth, yet that does not resemble me or my family."  David knew he was deeply flawed, and this understanding made room for God's unfathomable grace. 

"Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure."  Though David was not perfect, God had given him an everlasting covenant.  The agreement God had with David was eternal and secure.  This gave David great peace, for he understood physical and emotional insecurity very well.  For years he fled from the face of King Saul who tried to murder him.  Even after he was established on the throne, he fled from Jerusalem when his son Absalom tried the usurp the throne.  He found himself in danger in fields, caves, castles, and in the open field.  Could he accuse God of wrong?  No.  David nor his house was perfect before God.  His life was one of thunderstorms, screaming winds, and desolation.  Being king did not end his troubles, in fact, during his time as king is when he weathered some of the most fierce storms.  Yet in all his trials, the light of God shone through his circumstances with illuminating clarity.  The Holy Spirit was upon David to guide his fingers in battle as well as penning many prophetic Psalms in scripture.

David had times of trouble and uncertainty, and it was in these times the eternal covenant God had made with him kept him centered on what mattered.  A covenant is only as strong as the one who establishes the covenant.  God, with all wisdom, power, and grace, established a covenant with David.  He promised to establish His house forever, even though David or his house was not so with God.  He would send Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of David, to be the Messiah whose kingdom will endure forever and ever.  For all who repent and trust in Christ, with us Jesus has established a covenant through His own blood.  We don't need to be perfect to receive His gracious forgiveness, nor do we need to meet God's ideals before the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us.  What a wonder, that although me and my house are not so with God, God has offered to us an everlasting covenant through the Gospel.

Let us follow David's lead in admitting we are not perfect, and neither is our house.  It is by grace we have been saved through faith and not of ourselves.  Though there be storms on the horizon or floods swelling all around us, we can look to the God who has given us an everlasting covenant.  Those who seek the LORD with find Him, and with Him is everlasting security and peace.