Remember the Alamo!

During our family's recent trip to Texas, one of the tourist stops we made was at the Alamo in San Antonio.  The restored church is the original building which still stands in the middle of a complex adorned with green trees, plaques, artefacts, and a gift shop.  The Alamo was a historical place of interest as my middle name found its inspiration from William B. Travis, a Lieutenant Colonel and rebel commander who was willing to die to defend it.

After the fall of the Alamo by the courageous who refused to surrender to General Santa Ana and the Mexican army, "Remember the Alamo!" became a rallying cry by rebels who continued the fight.  Remembering the courage and resolve of the departed and their violent deaths for the cause ultimately resulted in Texan independence.  Quoting from a website, "The Alamo defenders remind us "why people fight for an ideal," says Alamo tour guide Rosemary Mitchell. "They cared to fight for what they believe in, no matter the cost."  William Travis who is credited with the statement in a letter, "Victory or death," and this sort of determination and courage should mark faithful followers of Jesus Christ - but manifested in a very different way.  We are not called to take up musket or sabre against our enemies but to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to don the whole armour of God, and to wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Like Sam Houston famously led his troops with "Remember the Alamo!" we ought to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The death of Christ is a demonstration of His undying love for us; His resurrection from the dead proves beyond doubt His power over sin and death.  It shows Jesus Christ can provide the eternal life and enduring rest He offers.  Remembering the Alamo motivated men to fight with all their might because of a heroic defeat, but when Christians remember Christ's death and resurrection it urges us to persevere through all difficulties because of His victory.  To the world it seemed a fatal defeat on Calvary when Jesus breathed His last, yet the empty tomb and eye-witness accounts of Christ glorified reveals the certain future and ability to overcome granted to all who trust in Him.

"Remember the resurrection!" is a worthy battle cry, and this battle is not waged against flesh and blood:  it is a spiritual battle which takes place in our minds and hearts.  There are many temptations we will face to surrender to discouragement or sin instead of our righteous Saviour in faith.  There is no hope for this wicked world, but there is salvation for every person who repents and trust in Jesus.  How encouraging it is for Christians to know we are not alone in our battles but Jesus is with us and has overcome.  People may call us losers for pressing on - and we may feel like losers (and let's face it, we are losers by ourselves) - but we are granted strength for the day and victory by God's grace.  Even when the battle is fierce there is rest for the weary in Jesus.

The Fear of Isaac

"God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. ⁸ O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You."

Psalm 89:7-8

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, for all wisdom springs from the mighty God who created all things.  This glorious King is not to be reduced to "a friend next to ya" but ought to be reverenced by His redeemed.  It is one thing to imagine what God is capable of, but better yet to praise Him for all He has done and also promised to do.  He spoke the universe into existence and sustains it faithfully according to His infinite power and grace.  God is the source and spring of all life seen and unseen by men.  Having great fear of God we give Him the credit He is due, avoid what is evil, and delight to do what pleases Him.

Whilst reading through Genesis as a family we came across a couple of verses which provided a fascinating title of God.  In stating his case against Laban, Jacob said in Genesis 31:42, "Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked you last night."  He could have said the "God of Abraham and the God of my father Isaac" but Jacob did not.  He referred to God as "the Fear of Isaac."  It is right for man to fear God and greatly reverence his Maker.  Hebrew poetry employs synonymous parallelism to emphasise a point by using words which enlarge the meaning (see Psalm 89:7 above).  Fear and reverence are not synonyms (though we might use them in this manner) and expand our understanding of how man rightly relates to God.

The title of God employed by Jacob made me think:  if it was obvious to him Isaac his dad feared God, is my fear of God evident to my children as well?  How might Jacob realised Isaac feared God?  Most likely because his words and decisions reflected this fear and reverence of God.  Perhaps when he spoke to God in prayer he bowed with his face to the ground and offered costly sacrifices as a man would to a powerful king.  Isaac no doubt related Abraham's faith in God and their many interactions - like Isaac's miraculous conception or when Abraham bound Isaac on the altar intending to slay him in obedience to God.  That would put the "fear of God" in you, to hear the voice of the Angel of the LORD boom from heaven in Genesis 22:12 saying, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."  This event greatly impacted Isaac, and the righteous response of faith was to fear God.  Isaac's fear of God showed how awesome God was to him and all.

Through the testimony of his life the Fear of Isaac impacted his son Jacob as well.  Genesis 31:53 concluded the words of Jacob to Laban:  "The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us." And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac."  The Fear of Isaac became the Fear of Jacob, and Jacob spoke these binding words before the LORD the eternal and almighty Judge of All.  A parent who fears God receives no guarantee from God their children will follow in their steps concerning faith in God, and Esau and Jacob well illustrate this.  But there is no denying the impact the fear of God Jacob observed in his dad for many years was greatly influential in leading him to the Fear of Isaac as his only God and LORD.  May the Fear of Isaac be our Fear as well, for who is mighty like our LORD who is faithful in all His ways?

The Work of Ministry

The most important ministries of the church are not always the most visible ones.  When Christians think about ministry, it is typical to think of roles like a pastor, worship leader, or teacher, someone who has a recognised position.  These are the people whose names and bios are on the church website, but they oversee only a fraction of ministry God does through His people.  There are heaps of valuable and even indispensable roles in the Body of Christ which are easily overlooked because they are not platform ministry.  Solid Bible teaching is very important, but it is not everything in a church.  Every part of the Body has been divinely established by Jesus to do its share.  The organs of a human body are largely concealed and we need them for survival and good health:  the same is true concerning the church.  The work of the ministry is something we are all called to take an active part in for the good of the whole.

Ministry in the church is reserved for those who comprise the church of Jesus Christ, those who have been born again through faith in Jesus.  Think about the service of the tabernacle in Israel:  the children of Levi were given this responsibility and privilege, one tribe out of 12.  Whilst they were responsible to teach the children of Israel of God and the Law, a lot of their work was menial service.  They were required to keep the light burning, bake the bread, set up and break down the tent, carry it and the vessels from place to place, offer sacrifices, and study the Law.  The majority of the things done by the Levites did in the tabernacle had nothing to do with preaching but living in accordance to the Word of God day by day.  As people who comprise the Body of Christ the church, we are all enabled to serve and obey Jesus in countless ways together.

One of my favourite description of pulpit ministry is seen in Nehemiah 8:8:  "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."  Previously in verse 4 it says Ezra stood on a platform of wood made to facilitate addressing the people.  We are told the names of the men who stood on the platform, but we are not told specifically the names of the people who built it.  In context it seems to have been built by the people who were being addressed!  Nehemiah 8:1-4a says, "Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. ³ Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. ⁴ So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose..."  How cool is this!  The people were so intent on hearing the Law explained they made a platform so all who had understanding could gather around and hear clearly.

There are many people in churches who work behind the scenes to ensure the truth of scripture is communicated clearly.  These help in administration, behind a sound desk, cleaning, praying, reaching out to others, and even carpentry!  Messages are recorded and uploaded to websites or for podcasts.  And what about those who spread the word person to person?  Personal invitations to visit a church or sending a link to a message has been the first step to people being born again through faith in Jesus.  As servants of Christ even tasks considered menial are a big deal.  As we are Christ's slaves Colossians 3:22-24 applies to us:  "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  A cup of water given to a thirsty soul will be rewarded by God, and even a small deed for God's glory He rewards greatly.  Whether you are the one on a platform speaking or the person who nailed it together, in everything we do let us do it in service unto the LORD.

Sing with Understanding

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. ⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."

Psalm 32:8-9

Horses and mules must be trained to race, pull carriages, and accomplish labour beneficial to their owners.  A bit and bridle is employed to provide direction and make discernible signals horses and mules can follow.  As intelligent as these animals are, they lack the understanding a human being possesses.  We have been gifted by God to think rationally, solve problems, have detailed conversations, and implement plans.  God did not want His people to be like the horse or mule that merely follow the pull of the reins:  God desires His children to listen, receive instruction, and be guided by the Holy Spirit without harnesses.

I vividly remember buying tickets outside Disneyland years ago and saw three little girls in pretty matching dresses - the oldest sister at least 8 years old - each tethered to their poor mother.  They were so excited before long they had tangled themselves up like helpless dogs chained in a yard.  It was sad to see them pulling on the leads in all directions, seemingly deaf to their mother's pleas, and this poor woman could only hold on for dear life.  She was exhausted before they even entered the gate!  God desires it would be His voice and vision which governs our steps because He has given us more understanding than mere beasts because the Holy Spirit indwells us.

I read this morning in Psalm 47:6-7, "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! ⁷ For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding."  It is God's desire we would sing praises unto Him with understanding, knowing who He is, what He has said, and things He has done.  People sing along to the latest popular songs with little knowledge of the artist who wrote the song, the background on what prompted the song, or what the lyrics mean.  All they know is it is catchy and sounds good.  As subjects of our great King who is worthy of praise, God desires we sing praises with understanding.  We ought to know why God is worthy to be praised and the reasons we choose to lift our voices before Him in worship.  We sing because we acknowledge the LORD is our God, He has chosen us, and we are the sheep of His pasture.  We are not to be "sheep" in the sense we just follow along or rattle off rote prayers or passages without thinking, but identifying as sheep because we know Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd, we hear his voice, and intentionally follow him.

In comparison to the Almighty God our understanding is extremely dim at best, but we are to praise God in light of His revelation to each one of us.  We are called to walk according to the light He has provided us, and to lift our voices in song for the glory of His name - not because we have to but because we see Him as worthy and desire to praise Him.  May the voices of angels and God's redeemed rise up in praise before the throne of God as one, an offering pleasing and acceptable to our Maker and King whom we know, love, and obey.

Expectactions Vs. Reality

Whenever medical surgery is performed, a period of recovery and rehabilitation follows.  Every time I have had surgery there were always unknowns because I never had the same procedure done twice.  I would imagine no surgical result is ever exactly the same - like no pregnancy or childbirth or child is the same!  I have had my wisdom teeth removed, my ACL replaced in a knee, and a mole removed from my back.  Each time there were unexpected complications, like when fragments of tooth started poking through my gums or the full strength of my back incision would not be achieved for a whole year - not to mention the itchiness!  It's been over a year and it still itches sometimes...but that sure beats cancer. (Just for the record I have never had cancer but the mole was removed as a precaution.)

A lot of people are pleased with the results of a surgery, even if the period of strengthening and physical therapy is long.  However, there are many who would have never chosen surgery if they had known what they were in for.  They focused on the good aspects of surgery and shrugged off the bad only the realise after the fact their expectations did not align with reality.  Contrary to what many think, surgery never returns the body as it was prior to injury.  It is no miracle cure:  it means scar tissue, complications, and restrictions.  I am very glad I had surgery on my torn ACL, but my knee is not the same as before my injury.  I spoke with a friend recently who had two full knee replacements and from the beginning one of them was never right.  I think all things considered he would have gone ahead with the surgery if he had to do it all over again, but his expectations were not met.  He could be bitter and sour over it, or gladly do the best he can.

When it comes to church ministry, it's good to remember Jesus Christ has joined different people together as one Body with Him as the head.  It's rare for our bodies to be completely healthy without creaks, pains, and needing special treatment, and the same rings true for the church.  There is always a hand which needs strengthening exercises or a joint which needs special attention and care.  Just like our bodies have needed root canals, surgery, physical therapy, rest, or a specially prescribed diet, every person in a spiritual sense needs continual divine treatment from Jesus Christ.  Put us all together and the spiritual "medical" history is, needless to say, quite extensive.  The only thing which keeps us from being roughly patched together like Frankenstein is our head Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer.  We have a lot of scar tissue, aches and battle scars, and sometimes we rub each other raw.  But praise the LORD He holds us together and unites us in His redemptive love.

If you have an expectation of Christian perfection in the church, the fatal flaw in this fantasy is that I am part of the Body of Christ - and so are you.  The reality is the church is a divine establishment but has a prevalent human element which consistently falls short of perfection.  Being reminded that God is perfect and we are not magnifies the grace of God.  It's amazing He would choose us and delight to provide a place for us in His kingdom and this prompts us to give grace to others.  We do not fault the man recovering from knee surgery that he cannot immediately run but we can have this expectation of others.  No matter how long you have walked with Jesus there is much learning, growing, and strengthening we yet need to progress.  The reality of Jesus Christ is awesome and blows away the wildest expectation of the humble for He is gracious, generous, and good.

The Supremacy of Who God Is

"After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

Genesis 15:1

What God was for Abraham He will be for all those who place their faith in Him.  I love that when God made promises to Abram it was not about what He would do for him, but who He would be for him.  There is a tremendous difference between the two.  God did not just shield Abram from evil or enemies but was his shield; He did not grant Abram rewards which could be bought or measured with silver or gold but He was Abram's exceedingly great reward.  God does not change, and God remained a permanent and eternal shield and great reward even after his body was laid to rest.  Abraham's soul still enjoys the awesome characteristics of our God, for He is not the God of the dead but the living.

This morning I read the words of David in Psalm 43:3-4, "Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. ⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God."  See how David described His great God:  "God my exceeding joy."  God did many things which brought David joy like giving him victory over his enemies, establishing him as king, and providing peace on every side.  Yet David did not praise God because of the joy brought to him by God but because God was his exceeding joy.  God Himself exceeded all other passing joys that quickly fade, the earthly delights which are forgotten out of mind.

Jesus Christ revealed Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He is the light of the world that leads us to perfect peace and unfailing love because He personifies these attributes perfectly.  Jesus gave His own life so we might have eternal life through faith in Him.  He is and will ever be our shield and exceedingly great reward not because of what He has done, but because of who He is and all He does.  All we need is found in our Saviour who is ever good and His mercy endures forever.  Let us praise our God who is our exceeding joy!

Even In the Depths

The world is filled with contrasts:  light and dark, hot and cold, health and sickness, fruitfulness and barrenness.  Almost every human experience or condition has an opposite.  We have experienced highs and lows, and when we are in the midst of one extreme the other is almost completely forgotten.  We have felt as free as a child leaving school for a long break, and we have felt like were weighed down with burdens far greater than anyone could bear.  I have found a relationship with God and the guidance of God's Word are critical to maintain a godly and good perspective.  And we need reminders - a lot of them.

David was a man whose spirit rose in joyful worship of God, yet he also experienced low moods and depression.  In his writings we see him saying to himself at times almost to snap himself out of a funk, "What am I thinking?  Trust in God and hope in Him!"  Today my day began reading of such a place in Psalm 42:6-8:  "O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. ⁷ Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. ⁸ Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."

David confessed before God his soul was cast down like a sheep that had fallen and could not stand up without help.  He was intentional in remembering the LORD who had called him and brought him through many troubles.  It didn't matter if he was in a deep valley or on a mountaintop, for God is faithful.  In verse 8 David said poetically he was in the depths, and wave after wave knocked him over again and again.  When he was at his lowest point and imagined it impossible to go deeper, further down he went.  God created the oceans which cover the earth to be very deep - deeper than any human being can go alone.  Submersible vessels have been designed to transport people safely through the crushing depths, but without them men could not survive.

Have you ever considered when God created the world He could have made the oceans shallow?  But according to His design He made them very deep, dark, and virtually unfathomable.  Our God who created the heavens to be high also created the depths, and He remains a good God wherever we find ourselves.  Sometimes it takes a season in the depths (as Jonah literally experienced) for us to arrive with the confidence in God David experienced in verse 8:  "Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."  Even in the depths God remained good and was David's life.  God's love was evident to David day and night, and therefore David made his prayer unto His God.

What confidence we can have as God's children even in the depths, when it seems wave after wave is pulling us under, when we wonder in desperation, "Do you see what is going on, God?  Have you forgotten all about me?  Don't you know how much I am suffering?  Can't you do something?"  Even in the depths He is there, and in remembering our God and exalting His name there is great comfort found.  The one who cries out to God from the depths demonstrates faith the man at ease may only imagine he has.  How good it is for us in the heights and from the depths to praise our Saviour Jesus Christ and thank Him for the lovingkindness He has shown us.

The Middleman

Sometimes it is to the financial benefit of the buyer to remove the "middleman," one who increases the cost of goods due to their involvement.  For instance, when I planned to propose marriage to Laura I did not buy the solitaire from a shopping mall but from a gem cutter.  In doing so I avoided the markups which are common with jewelry sales and was able to buy a better ring than I could afford otherwise.  The middleman in this context can be an unnecessary man, and I believe this can be true in the arena of prayer.

Paul said this in Philippians 4:6:  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God..."  This is a verse which divinely instructs and guides us, and it also convicts us when we have gone astray.  Being anxious is a normal human condition and common response to trouble, but anxiousness is not to mark a child of God.  Our prayers are also to be marked with thanksgiving as we make our requests to God.  There is nothing wrong it itself with asking for others to pray or to desire for others to intercede on our behalf.  But there is a problem when we are very good at making our requests known to men but neglect to actually bring them before God.  Prayer meetings have a tendency to be heavy on sharing with others what is happening and how we want God to intervene but light on making our requests known to God.

Concerning prayer Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-6:  "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time..."  Why rely upon the help of middlemen when we already have one God and Mediator between God and men, the Man Jesus Christ?  When we speak to the Father Jesus is not only our Mediator but our Advocate, one who speaks kindly on our behalf (1 John 2:1).  The people to whom we share our troubles are only able to intercede on our behalf through the same Jesus Christ we trust.

I started thinking:  why do we have the inclination to hope in people rather than trust God?  Perhaps it is because we don't value the personal access God has given His children by His grace.  Perhaps we don't always believe God actually hears us.  Maybe we hope someone in our circle has a more "direct" line to the Almighty than we seem to.  But the reality is God commands us to bring our requests to God.  God has given us by His Spirit the ability to know we have made our requests to God because of the tangible result within us.  See the conditions in Philippians 4:6-7:  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  The peace of God accompanies the hearts and minds of all who let their requests be made known to God.

The ability to communicate a prayer request to people through email is a wonderful advancement, and it is a blessing to be able to intercede on behalf of others.  But let's not be content to pass off our responsibility to let our requests to God be made by middlemen when we have a Mediator who loves us.  God will always do His part, so let us do ours.

What Do I Wait For?

"And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You."

Psalm 39:7

How many times have I placed my hope in something other than God!  Even when he was beset by sin, David concluded his only hope was in God.  God is good to allow difficult situations so those who trust in God will be cast down and realise their hope and expectations have been misplaced.  Pains have a way of revealing our devotion is tinged with selfishness, cares, and worry.  We pray so God will immediately change our circumstances according to our will, and our impatience displays a lack of trust in the God we genuinely trust.

When our hope and trust is placed in God, we will find ourselves sustained and greatly helped even when dangers and troubles multiply.  If our hope for deliverance from sin or trials truly rests in our great God we will not fear, worry, or be impatient.  We will be grateful the Almighty God hears us and answers according to His will and timing.  God established the heavens and earth by His power, and nothing is too hard for Him.  How blessed is the one who hopes in the LORD!

David asked a question it does well for us to answer when we are troubled:  "What do I wait for?"  If we are waiting for a light at the end of the tunnel, waiting for a glimmer of hope due to changed circumstances to bolster our faith, we likely are not placing our hope in the Light of the World Jesus Christ and the promises in His Word.  Since Jesus is our life, He is the only one worthy of our hope.  Praise the LORD that He knows us, loves us, and is faithful.  The immortal perspective of Job comes to mind in the first part of Job 13:15:  "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him..."  God is the One who kills and makes alive, and the Christian must die to self before we can live for Him (Deut. 32:39).  The fear of the LORD frees us from the fear of man, for no one can deliver from His hand.

What do you wait for?  Who do you wait for?  God is patient with us, and let us patiently place our hope in Him.  He is our LORD and our expectations are in Him.