The Illegitimate Son

The strong negative stigma of having children or being born out of wedlock today has lost much of its former potency.  Not long ago even in western cultures children considered "illegitimate" or of dubious origin were mocked and shunned.  In the Bible we read that Jephthah was driven away from home by his brothers because he was the son of another mother.  Being deemed a bastard had legal consequences as well.  For instance, an illegitimate son could be denied an inheritance and could not be a rightful heir.  In Bible times there were strong consequences even in regards to worship.  Deuteronomy 23:2:  "One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD."  The exact meaning of the words translated "illegitimate birth" has been hotly debated by Jewish Rabbis, but the point is this:  the illegitimate nature of a person's conception had a far-reaching and often negative impact on life.

Even as a man and woman are necessary to conceive and bear children, so children have need of both their father and mother to raise them.  I cannot imagine how my life would have been impacted as a child without my dad or mum.  It used to be a boy who never knew his father was called a "child without a name," and I imagine the lack of a name would be the least of his worries.  I am grateful to have been raised by both my parents, but the day came when I left their immediate care.  Now I live on the other side of the world, and though the internet, technology, and modern transportation keeps us closer than has ever been possible, a divide remains.  A man need not leave a city, state, or country for a divide to exist.  The day comes when a son or daughter leaves home, embarks on a career, is married, and the nature of the parent/child relationship changes.  As much as a parent always wants to "be there" for their children, no one will live forever.  Praise God He has offered to be an eternal, heavenly Father who will always be there for His children.  He is not limited by distance or advancing age:  He provides, protects, and corrects us faithfully.

This morning I was listening to a message by Jon Courson and he reminded the congregation:  "Sin is not bad because it is forbidden; sin is forbidden because it is bad."  A good father who loves his son will discipline him.  If we have embraced a life of sin and are not under conviction or being chastised by God in a painful way for it, it may indicate we are not children of God at all.  Sobering words!  Listen to what Hebrews 12:5-8 says:  "...My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶ for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." ⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."  People can be downright gleeful in their sin.  It may even seem for a prolonged season they are unaffected by sin which works for their ruin.  God loves all people, but those who have received His love through being born again by the Gospel, in His love He will swat us.  He will even allow us to go into oppressive captivity for a season, taken captive by Satan to do his will.  God ultimately inflicts sharp pain to correct His children - all working towards our ultimate restoration, deliverance, and refinement.  If we are bastards and not sons of God by the blood of Christ, then we cannot legally receive any inheritance of eternal life from Him.

Don't despise the chastening of the LORD, believer.  And we need not concern ourselves that God isn't chastening others as we think He ought.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows very well how to manage His own flock.  He does not need advice from the sheep of how to best do this.  He is a loving Father who knows the hearts of  His children perfectly.  God knows the best way to discipline each one, and we must answer the call as His child to act as an obedient, reverent, and faithful child towards Him.  The words of Jesus to Peter when he asked concerning John ring in my ears as an appropriate application.  John 21:21-22 says, "Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" ²² Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."  God is our good Father, and let us concern ourselves with being good sons and daughters.  Praise the LORD for His correction which prevents us from self-destruction!  It is better to be spared from future sin by pain now than for God to spare the rod and refuse to accept us as sons.  I would rather have a good Father who inflicts pain motivated by love than to live in my sin and suffer without help or hope.  What would you prefer?

Upheld by Love

As I reflect upon the trip I took to Cambodia in 2015, this image (courtesy of Vanny Phal, an amazing chemist and sister in Christ) is the one indelible memory of the trip.  To me it sums up the truth I realised in a very personal way.  I always want to be the strong one who helps others, but there are times when I am weak and need to be upheld by my sisters and brothers in Christ.  The sweet scene depicted in the photo played out for me as a literal parable.

During one of our medical clinics in a mountain village, I noticed this little man starting to fade into sleep as he patiently sat on the bench.  His mother was having dental work done, so his big sister picked him up, held him, and gently rocked him to sleep.  I watched amazed for over an hour as this little girl held her brother who was half her size without complaint or visible discomfort.  I had no idea how this scene would unfold in a personal way and in dramatic fashion.

After our time in Cambodia came to a close, we flew to Singapore before returning home to Sydney, Australia.  It was in Singapore I began to feel unwell.  It began with what I thought perhaps was hunger or indigestion, and I was glad to be boarding a flight heading home.  I had not been seated for a minute before I felt like it would be advisable to go to the toilet - just in case.  When I found the toilets locked, I leaned against a bulkhead to think and suddenly...I found myself lying on my back in an aisle, surrounded by concerned staff who asked me to tell them my name.  I had fainted and been unconscious for almost a minute!  After convincing everyone I was right as rain and was seated, I promptly fainted again.  I was deemed unfit to fly and wheeled off the plane utterly humiliated and disappointed to be denied passage home.  But I understood.  They did the right thing.

Eventually I did make it home, after being diagnosed with food poisoning.  What I haven't explained is how God used two women from our church who accompanied me on the trip to uphold me.  One of them literally caught me as I fainted so I didn't injure myself when I lost consciousness.  The other decided to stay with me in Singapore, denying herself the chance to fly home, so she could ensure our flights were quickly rescheduled and I was properly cared for.  You see, I was the little boy in the picture.  God provided two sisters in Christ to uphold me.  What I must remember is that I am still that little boy:  weak, frail, unable to be strong all the time, with genuine needs I cannot meet myself.  Just today I was so encouraged to hear from a sister in Christ that she is praying for me, upholding me and the ministry here in Sydney in prayer.

Sometimes God will use you to be the girl in the picture, but more often than we care to admit we resemble that little boy:  in need of love, care, and support.  Praise God for the family He has provided in Christ and all the support we receive we will never know about.  Thank you friends and family who faithfully support my family and me in countless ways.  God has made us a Body, the church, and when all its movements are governed by the love of Christ there is nothing more beautiful.

Reducing Belly Fat

I don't know how many different ads I have seen, but I've read belly fat can be reduced by a series of "weird tips."  It's a strange thing:  I have never seen an ad for removing fat from my hips, arms, or chest, but it appears we must make every effort to target that cursed belly fat.  The truth is, there are people who pay money to re-arrange their fat - to make parts of their bodies slimmer and other parts fuller.  I wouldn't have known sin without the mirror of God's Law, and I wouldn't have known belly fat was such a big problem without those ads constantly popping up.  I'm sure magazines and Photoshop doesn't help either.  And then there are my pants which always seem to be shrinking...moving on! :)

It occurred to me that even as we long to target our body fat selectively, so we can do the same with sin.  We can come to a place spiritually that as long as we can fit into our pants the growing belly isn't a big deal.  We might be a bit out of shape and breathless walking up a few stairs, so to speak, but at least we can wear clothes which conceal the truth from others.  Spiritually speaking, attempting to target a certain sin in isolation will not work.  We must be willing to commit to dietary changes and embracing of exercise so the entire body can benefit - not just our bellies.  We must allow His Word to pierce our hearts and bring our entire lives under the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.  It is folly to say, "I'm happy for you to remove the fat I consider unsightly from my belly, but can't I keep a good layer on my arms and chest?"  It is telling that it is not the fat which jiggles under our skin, but the visceral fat which collects around our internal organs which is most dangerous.  Surgical removal of the subcutaneous fat may slim our waistlines for a season, but it doesn't make us healthy.

Visible sinful behaviour is evidence of sin in our hearts.  Sinful habits and choices are merely symptoms it is not well with our soul.  It is good when we recognise our need to change, and it is through repenting and walking in obedience to God according to faith in His word that our overall spiritual health begins to improve.  It is not just one area of your life that needs to change, for those who are born again by faith in Jesus are new creations!  All things have become new!  God has given us the opportunity of a new beginning, and we should joyfully seize it.  God desires much more for us than flat bellies and ripped abdominals, but a new heart, a biblical perspective, and a godly lifestyle.

Clean Your Plate!

The Bible provides spiritual milk and meat for the soul.  Those who teach God's Word have a duty of care to supply food for the soul, not empty chaff blown about by hot wind.  It would be a tragedy to have the tender fillet steak of God's Word available and set only bones before hungry souls.  Spurgeon wrote in Lectures to My Students, "Better far give the people masses of unprepared truth in the rough, like pieces of meat from a butcher's block, chopped off anyhow, bone and all, and even dropped down in the sawdust, then ostentatiously and delicately hand them out upon a china dish a delicious slice of nothing at all, decorated with the parsley of poetry, and flavoured with the sauce of affectation." (Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to My Students: Complete & Unabridged. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1954. Print. page 75)  The hypocritical Pharisees were ones who ignored the bread, meat, and Living Water offered by the wisdom of Christ and fought over the bones of the Law.  The Law is a meaty thing and bones have their place in hearty cooking, but to push aside meat to pick at the bones for the purpose of debate is to miss the whole purpose for why the Law was given.

Food is delicious and practical.  Without food and drink we would not be long for this world, and Jesus said His food was to do the will of the Father.  Jesus always did the will of the Father, and He offers eternal life to all who repent and follow Him in faith.  Christianity is not something to know - though it comes by knowledge - but it is a life to be lived in the real world.  Following Christ is practical, not technical.  Advancement in this world is often tied to education, knowledge, and performance, and it is a terrible error to think we advance spiritually in the same way.  Because education, knowledge, and works are part of the Christian walk it is easy to emphasise them and put the horse on the rider!  Many keen riders have been crushed by the heavy horse of legalism, and the pain of those powerful hooves are never forgotten!  Food is fine to look at, but it is not of any practical use until it is chewed in the mouth and digested in the belly.  Biblical truth is like a beautiful song to be danced to, not an assortment of instruments which can be separated into individual parts to be criticised and tweaked according to modern musical theory.  Theology is a science, but Christianity cannot be observed in a test tube.

I encourage all seekers of truth to consider that a Christian is not judged by God concerning his ignorance but if he has been obedient to what he knows.  A parent does not scold his child for leaving bones on his plate, but will see to it all meat is eaten before dessert is permitted.  God's truth must be adopted into our lives before we receive the reward.  To load your plate with food is like filling your head with knowledge:  it does us no practical good until the meat is voluntarily received and becomes part of us, fueling our thoughts and deeds.  We can know many technical aspects of doctrine and theology, but what matters most is our continual choice to practice loving, trusting, and obeying God.  We are called to love one another as Christ loves us.  We need to seek God about how He would have us demonstrate His love and actually do something about it which requires faith.  Knowledge is not the end, but a means to obtain wisdom.  If knowledge is our only end, we might not ever know God and be doomed to destruction.  This goes for the theologian, scholar, man on the street, you and me!