Appointment of Affliction

Today at Calvary Chapel Sydney one topic of discussed in the sermon was how God appointed Christians to affliction and also to endure with joy.  To believers who faced persecution and suffered for the sake of Christ, Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³ so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.  God had constructive and redemptive benefits for the appointment with affliction the Thessalonians and all Christians, to the end God would establish our hearts blameless in holiness.  We might not prefer or enjoy the process, but we cannot fault God or His results.

When I think of dentist appointments, they are more of a "should" or "have to" rather than I "want to."  The only time I would welcome or gladly anticipate a dentist appointment is when I experiencing terrible pain and am desperate for relief.  When it comes to affliction God appoints for us, we typically do not see our need for it or the benefit it will provide.  By faith in God we are enabled to trust Him in the midst of pain, knowing He will bring good out of the trial in His miraculous, glorious way.  His intent is for us to rejoice in Him and grow in love of God and others--especially when our flesh would rather avoid or escape from our circumstances.  His desire is to bring us to a place of contentment and surrender in Him that we are willing to face and joyfully endure every trial He allows us to face.

During a mission trip in Cambodia, I observed an inconsolable young boy who had been brought to a dental clinic.  Fearful and crying, this little lad could not be calmed by his pleading family or the dentist who was kind and gentle.  The family who brought him said he often cried himself to sleep because of pain from decaying teeth that needed extraction.  Simply administering the anaesthetic proved a difficult chore, and after much consoling (and likely threatening!) from the family, the task of numbing the area was done.  But whenever the dentist drew close the boy would move violently and made dental work impossible.  Because the boy was unwilling, ultimately the dentist declined to attempt the procedure.  I was surprised how quickly the demeanor of the boy changed.  He was pleased the whole operation was over and smiled for the first time, but there was one huge problem:  his decaying teeth had not been addressed.  The pain he would face later when the anaesthetic wore off would be a constant reminder of the reason for being seen by a dentist!

How many times have we been like that dear little boy, suffering from fear and pain during a divine appointment with affliction without comprehending God's purpose behind it?  It would be a shame that our unwillingness to submit our lives before the LORD in faith would deprive ourselves of blessings God has in store for us.  God desires our trust of Him would grow and our love would abound to all as we choose to rejoice in our Saviour in every season of life.  In this world there are plenty of opportunities to give place to fear, bitterness or worry, but we are called to be casting our cares upon the LORD Jesus who cares for us.  As our hearts increase in love God is able to establish our hearts "blameless in holiness," and our LORD Jesus Christ is at the door.  If we value teeth that are straight and free of decay at great monetary cost and physical discomfort, we ought to desire our love to increase and abound--even if an appointment with affliction is God's means to achieve this.

The Christian's Witness

Under the Law of Moses, a minimum of eyewitnesses were required to sentence a guilty murderer to death.  This shows the weight God puts upon the words people spoke in testifying of a person's guilt or innocence.  The Law contained safeguards against false testimony in Deuteronomy 19:16-19:  "If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, ¹⁷ then both men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days. ¹⁸ And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, ¹⁹ then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you."  The result of carrying out justice against false witnesses was powerful motivation to only speak the truth.

In conversation, when someone tells me the outcome of a rugby match, how many years he has been married, or how many children he has, I am inclined to believe him until I see evidence that suggests otherwise.  I do not demand a birth certificate be produced to believe today is someone's birthdate or to confirm what his or her middle name is.  The ironic thing is, the one who demands to see a birth certificate to verify the date or place of birth could subsequently deny the authenticity of the document!  Such a one may never be convinced of the truth because they are unwilling to believe--not because of the lack of evidence.  The Law of Moses identifies liars as false witnesses, and thus there are witnesses that speak the honest truth.  The Bible reveals God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit to be the epitome of a true witness.

The apostle John testified of the reality of the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, being an eyewitness of His glory.  He testified in 1 John 1:1-3:  "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--² the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--³ that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."  John observed, heard and touched Jesus Christ before and after His death and resurrection.  John said the spirit of antichrist was already in the world who denied Jesus came in the flesh, yet the Holy Spirit bore witness Jesus indeed came in the flesh in 1 John 5:6:  "This is He who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth."

Jesus was identified by water and the Holy Spirit when baptised by John the Baptist, for the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and alighted upon Him.  John the Baptist testified in John 1:34, "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  Jesus was shown to be human in His crucifixion on Calvary and was confirmed dead by a Roman soldier.  John 19:33-37 reads, "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵ And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. ³⁶ For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."  By water, blood and the Holy Spirit testimony of Jesus Christ being the Son of God has been given.

Verses we discussed last night at Bible study I found very encouraging in 1 John 5:9-10:  "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. ¹⁰ He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son."  Since we receive the testimony of a man without requiring an oath to believe, the witness of God is far greater and always true.  Having been born again by faith in Jesus, every Christian has the witness of God--the Holy Spirit--in himself!  Based on His true testimony we are assured of many glorious truths mentioned in 1 John 5:20:  "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."  How awesome it is to know the Son of God has come and given us wisdom to know God who is true and that we are in Christ.  He is the true God and eternal life, and we are His witnesses!

Course Corrections

Whether riding a bike or driving a car, there are countless course corrections required as to navigate along the correct route.  Slowing for speed humps, avoiding debris, and changing lanes require minute adjustments to navigate roads safely.  Paved roads are often marked with bright and reflective paint so lanes are clearly delineated.  There can also be reflectors glued to the road that make an audible noise and physical sensation to notify a driver they are exiting their lane and entering another one.  On long stretches of highway it is not uncommon to have grooves cut into the bitumen that make a loud sound (kind of like a TIE fighter in Star Wars) to warn drifting drivers they are heading off the road.

One thing I considered recently was how God established more boundaries that delineated crossing into sin as time went on.  Adam and Eve only had one prohibition, and that was not to eat of the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden.  After the flood God established the murder of human beings as a sin to be avoided and also made man responsible to administer justice on murderers.  It was not until after the children of Israel came out of Egypt that God gave them the Law of Moses and the 10 Commandments that dealt with the proper worship of God and commands to avoid the sinful sexual conduct that was rife among the nations.  History shows mankind's natural inclinations are always to do what God reveals later to be sin, and God's people were to heed His commands rather than follow the downward spiral to ruin that we observe in this world.

Those who have repented of their sin and turned to Jesus by faith have made a huge course correction in their lives.  Christians are people whose lives were headed straight to hell who have been born again by  faith, and now our life consists of trusting and obeying Jesus.  As we have been spiritually changed within, this transformation should be reflected in our decisions.  During our Christian pilgrimage, we can be faithfully following Jesus and still daily course corrections are needed.  This change of direction may not be as overtly drastic as when we first came to Christ, but these intentional adjustments are just as important to maintain fellowship with Christ.  In driving, small course corrections are the difference between hitting those bumps and steering back to the centre of the lane or careening off the road and ending up in a ditch.

Paul said by experience in 1 Corinthians 6:12:  "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."  There were things Paul did that he discovered were not helpful, even things that began to bring him under the power of something or someone other than the Holy Spirit.  This required an intentional course correction, to steer his life back into the centre of God's will.  He later wrote in the same epistle in 1 Corinthians 10:23:  "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify."  Not everything that was lawful or appropriate for Paul to do was helpful or edifying.  By God's grace he recognised habits and pursuits that were not building him up in faith and godliness.

As born again Christians, it is good for us to consider what small course corrections God would have us implement in our lives when we realise a good thing can be taken too far, we have drifted from seeking the LORD, or our priorities are out of line with God's will.  Instead of looking through the lens of whether something is legal or lawful, it is better to consider whether our food, drink, sex life, a habit or activity is helpful, brings us under its power or edifies us.  Repentance from sin shouldn't be narrowly viewed only as a 180-degree turn from sin but even a one-degree course correction to turn from what is becoming or has become sin for us as the Holy Spirit guides us to walk righteously.

Moved by Prayer

After some meetings I have attended I later thought to myself, "Now that was a waste of time."  A prayer meeting has never been one of those meetings.  Even when it was a struggle to arrive at the meeting on time or there were other pressing matters, meeting to pray with others or alone before the LORD is always a productive and encouraging blessing.  The Bible teaches us when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us--and God never disappoints (James 4:8).  We are easily disappointed and frustrated, but faith in God exercised by prayer brings sure expectation of good now and in the future.

I was edified to read a couple chapters in Spiritual Leadership yesterday, and here is a highlight of what was included on the subject of prayer:

"One of the most frequently quoted of Hudson Taylor's statements is his expression of conviction that "it is possible  to move men, through God, by prayer alone."  In the course of his missionary career he demonstrated its truth a thousand times.  However, it is one thing to give mental assent to his motto, but quite another thing consistently to put it into practice.  Men are difficult objects to move, and it is much easier to pray for temporal needs than for situations which involve the intricacies and stubbornness of the human heart.  But it is in just such situations that the leader must prove his power to move human hearts in the direction in which he believes the will of God lies...

To move men, the leader must be able to move God, for He has made it clear that He moves them through the prayers of the intercessor.  If a scheming Jacob could be given "power with God and with men," then is it not possible for any leader who is willing to comply with the conditions to enjoy the same power? (Gen. 32:8)

Prevailing prayer of this kind is the outcome of a correct relationship with God.  Reasons for unanswered prayer are stated with great clarity in Scripture, and they all center around the believer's relationship with God.  He will not be party to petitions of mere self-interest, nor will He countenance impurity of motive.  Sin clung to and cherished will effectively close His ear.  Least of all will He tolerate unbelief, the mother of sins.  "He that cometh to God must believe."  Everywhere in prayer there is the condition, either expressed or implied, that the paramount motive in praying is the glory of God." (Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Leadership. Marshall Pickering, 1986. pages 82 & 84)

God cannot be moved by force, but He delights to move by childlike faith of those who seek Him and make their requests known to God, believing He is able to do everything.  It is not possible for anyone or anything to move God by an act of the will or power of man, but God grants us faith to pray that He move and work according to His will.  Psalm 55:22 says, "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved."  Because our God is immoveable and eternal, we are always upheld by His grace.  At the same time He gladly moves in response to our praying, and this should encourage us to be casting our cares upon the LORD who cares for us.