Category Archives: Bible Study

GOD STILL SPEAKS…THE WRITTEN WORD – 9

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I have often wondered why, in my quiet life in this beautiful, tranquil, secure retirement village where I now live, God placed me here. His leading, the story of which is too long to tell, was so clear and unmistakable that I can never doubt that it was He, not I, who chose this place for me in my final days. I sometimes even feel guilty for being here while so many of God’s children are in dangerous places, persecuted…even under the threat of death for their faith. 

For many months, even years, I have not heard a word from God in my spirit as I have in the past. Why does the Lord seem to be silent? Have I grieved Him so much that He no longer speaks to me? 

Abraham’s story gave me the answer. 

There is not record of any word from God after Abraham had obeyed the Lord in a dramatic way. To the point of raising the knife to kill his son, he finally obeyed God’s instruction fully and without question. He lived for many years after that, remarried, and even fathered more children. When God said, “Now I know…” seconds before Abraham plunged the knife into his son, He was saying, without another spoken word, “Abraham, you have passed your final test!” From that moment on, Abraham simply walked with God. 

Can it be that God has chosen to stay silent because He is teaching me to walk by faith in His written word…that He still speaks but in a different way…and that He only speaks in the way He has done in the past when absolutely necessary…when He needs to give me specific instructions, or to intervene to stop me from doing permanent damage or trespassing into dangerous territory?

God’s silence is not abandonment or indifference. That would be contrary to who He is. I think that His silence is the expression of trust…He is teaching me to follow His word…not spoken in my spirit but written on my heart. 

God’s promise to His wayward people through the prophet Jeremiah, fulfilled in the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, was that His word would become the internal compass by which His people would live…not laws and rules imposed upon them but truth freely and deeply embedded in their hearts and lived out in their character. 

As I reflect on those times when God spoke directly into my spirit, I realise how much I needed those words…to rebuke my foolishness…to forgive my sin… to correct my waywardness…to steady my wavering faith…to redirect my wandering heart…and to reset the course of my life. Did those words matter? Did they accomplish God’s purpose? Have they done their work? Yes, when I obeyed Him, they did. 

God made a promise to His people millennia ago…

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If the soil is ready to receive the seed, it will grow and produce a harvest. 

So, I continue, day by day, to hide God’s word in my heart. His word, from cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation, is the lamp for my feet and the light for my path. No longer a child, I do not, it seems, need to rely on interventions to keep me on course. My direction is set towards God’s goal for me…and for every blood-bought son or daughter of God…to be transformed into the likeness of His Son. 

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is this word, and many like it, that is the “true north” of God’s compass…His written word that He is inscribing on my heart. As my unhurried days, with their normal ups and downs, come and go, I am steadily moving towards the day when I shall be like Him when I see Him as He is. 

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV

Like the apostle Paul, I am slowly, and sometimes painfully, learning to let go of the temporal and stay on course towards the eternal. 

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As my grip on this life weakens, eternity beckons. Beneath my feet is the solid foundation of God’s love, and inscribed on my heart the word of God in which is my hope. Ahead is the promise of the celestial city which God has prepared for His people…and inside me is the guarantee, the Holy Spirit, God’s “engagement ring”, that declares that I belong to Him. 

“The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

To be continued

GOD STILL SPEAKS…RETIREMENT -8

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At the age of sixty four, after eight years of running my B&B, I decided to call it a day. My business was neither a roaring success nor a dismal failure. Rather, it was another season in the school of life. God had been faithful to me, steering me through difficult days, meeting every need despite the challenges, and preparing me for the next phase of my journey. 

In 2004, my business was sold…and I launched into another of my dreams. For years I had longed to serve my Master in a more structured and full-time way  inside my church’s daily functions

…so, I approached my pastor with a bold request. I asked for a position as a volunteer…an office in the church’s admin section…and a small apartment in the playschool building which had been set aside for accommodation. 

He agreed to all three requests! After a short visit to my eldest son in the USA, I settled into my new routine with deep gratitude to the Lord…for rest from the daily grind of business and for the joy of working alongside Christian brothers and sisters…and doing what I loved to do…write. 

I spent twelve happy and wonderful years…finally joining the staff as a paid pastoral assistant. Among many tasks, I wrote teaching materials, taught discipleship groups and even published four books… and flourished spiritually in a safe and tranquil environment. 

…but…the time came, at the age of seventy six, for me to move on. 

My third son and his family lived on a smallholding outside a nearby city. Both husband and wife worked. I decided to join them, to live in a “granny flat” attached to the main house…independent but adjacent to them… and to take over some of the household chores. 

My busy and productive life after twelve years, suddenly shrunk to a small rented apartment on an isolated plot outside a city. From a busy routine in the church office, I was faced with aloneness all day. 

My pastor had given me…as a farewell gift from the church …a Yorkshire terrier puppy…a tiny companion to love and care for in my solitude. I named her Tosca. She was eight weeks old…a real handful…but a darling whom I loved dearly. 

One morning, as I sat in my recliner in my living room, my puppy at my feet, my handwork on my lap, I was overcome with a feeling of isolation…abandoned, and useless.  After twelve years of being busy and productive, I was doing nothing of real value, so I thought.  I cried out to the Lord, “What am I supposed to be doing?”

I am a task-orientated person. I lean towards doing something…being busy and useful…rather than towards connecting with people. Solitude never scares me but…doing nothing of value seemed like a punishment. 

God’s voice, as clearly as I have heard that voice on many previous occasions, came to me again…a startling, surprising reply…just three words with a world of content…

“Enjoy your puppy!”

In those three words, God was releasing me into new experience…a retirement that included rest from routine, pressure…into a life that I could regulate without any authority over me. 

In this three words, I understood something of great meaning. I was not what I did but who I was and who I was becoming. My worth lay, not in what I could accomplish but in what God thought of me and could do in me. 

A few months later, I acquired a second puppy…a tiny dachshund called Molly…a companion for Tosca and a partner in crime! After a few months of loneliness, Tosca and Molly joined forces to become a gay and lively pair. 

Tragically, Tosca died under anaesthetic at the age of six months. Molly became my sole companion. Molly and I have bonded to the extent that she speaks English and I speak “dog”!! She understands my verbal instructions…even my rebuke or correction when she steps out of line…and she clearly displays her displeasure when I annoy her! 

With those words of release, on that day when I felt so useless, came words of caution. Retirement after years of living inside the boundaries of authority and submission, as part of a chain of command and a structured life, I was free to do my own thing. However, I was not free, under God, to lapse into complacency. 

How much I needed those loving words in this new, uncharted season of my life. For the first time, I had no one to tell me what to do…no parents…no superiors…no authority over me…only God to whom I was accountable. 

In the years that have followed, ten years to date, I am learning to submit to the greatest authority of all, not so much in activities but in attitudes…to Jesus as Lord…my supreme Authority. My life until my retirement, had aways been

under delegated authority. Now I am free to listen for the voice of my Shepherd without interruption or intrusion. 

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Something has occurred to me in these final years of my life…and I say “final” because God has placed me securely in my “departure lounge” to await His call. 

To be continued

ROMANS…POSTSCRIPT – 28

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“And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul’s magnificent letter finally comes to an end. He has done all the explaining he needed to do. He has done all the rebuking and exhorting his knowledge of the people of the Roman church demanded. He has shared his plans and goals with God’s people and urged them to participate in his ministry through prayer. So, finally, he signs off with a prayer and a final affirmation that his words were truth…”Amen”! Not a period at the end of his letter. Not an “over-and out” signal that his communication was complete. “Amen! What I have written is firm, sure, and the truth.”

Then, Paul adds a surprising postscript…a whole chapter of greetings, affirmations, and commendations. Even though the church at Rome was not a part of his ministry…yet…he knew many of the members by name, by character, and by function. In his typical “Paul” way, he did not forget to greet them with affection and to remember their ministry for the kingdom of God. 

There follows a long list of warm and personal greetings…and noticeably including the names of many women who served side-by-side with many men on equal footing in the church. Paul makes no apology from commending them and encouraging recognition and partnership with them in their faithful work for the Lord. 

It must have been quite an adjustment for Paul to make…to follow the example of his Master who had restored to women the dignity and respect with which, and the purpose for which they were originally created…in His treatment of them.  Culture had taught Paul that women were less than men…relegated to second-class humans and of less value and importance than men. 

Jesus had turned that notion on its head by giving women their rightful place in their world. Now Paul followed by acknowledging the women who played a major role in the fellowship and ministry of the church in Rome. 

“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me….Give my greetings to Mary, who has worked so hard for your benefit… Give my greetings to Tryphena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭6‬, ‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And so, there followed name after name of men and women whom Paul honoured and greeted with affection. 

Paul’s final words, in this letter, were words of warning against those who deliberately caused division in the fellowship. Since unity was the goal, division was a real danger to God’s people. 

“And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What can do more damage in any fellowship than false teaching? No one can mess with the foundations of the faith without causing great harm to those who are drawn away. 

Paul has made clear, in his writings, that God has entrusted to His people everywhere and throughout time, a sacred deposit. It is a body of truth…to be guarded and kept intact…to be lived…and to be passed on to the next and every succeeding generation. He urged Timothy to “guard the deposit”, sometimes called “the faith”…the complete and all-inclusive body of teaching upon which we depend for life and godliness. 

No-one may add to or subtract from this package of truth without incurring serious consequences. 

“And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A final greeting and a prayer conclude this letter. Despite all the tests, trials, hardships, and battles in this life, Satan is already a defeated foe…and the followers of Jesus will have their  day when the devil is finally dispatched through the victory Jesus won for them. 

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”  

Romans 16:20 NLT

Paul’s Gentile readers had every reason to rejoice because their salvation was no afterthought.  God had them in His sights before time began. 

“Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Finally, letter to the Roman church comes to an end…for Paul and Tertius, Paul’s “ghost writer”…but not for every reader in every succeeding generation. The message lives on…the power of the gospel still works…ands only eternity will reveal the impact of Paul’s words to a congregation in Rome, written in the first century but still alive today. 

ROMANS…PARTNERSHIP – 27

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“Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem. Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other. And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭30‬-‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul was deeply conscious of his dependence on fellow believers to help him by praying for the strength and wisdom to execute his mission. He was no loner. As much as he was the trail-blazer, he was also the leader who not only led by example but carried the people with him in his mission to the Gentiles. 

Paul kept his beloved churches informed of his movements and encouraged them to participate with him in the work of his ministry. Everyone played an important part. There were those who accompanied him and those who remained behind to pray for him. 

Paul also directed their prayers. Obviously, there were concerns that he wrestled with…always aware of the dangers that faced him…and the unpredictability of the people he was interacting with…even in the churches. Not everyone who claimed to be a believer was genuine or mature in his faith and behaviour. There were always those who had ulterior motives in their association with the church. 

Paul knew this. He had experienced the false teaching that had crept in as well as the fiery opposition that had threatened his life, especially from his own fellow Jews. He needed the prayer backing and covering from his brothers and sisters in Christ…their love for him urging them to intercede for him at the throne of grace. 

I wonder how many pastors take this partnership seriously enough today to follow Paul’s example. How many pastors are humble enough to recognise their need for their own congregation to back them up in prayer? How many of God’s servants admit their weakness, and take their congregation into their inner world of insecurity, doubts, and fears. 

Pastors are also human. They wrestle with issues just like everyone else. They are not exempted from the tests and trials every human faces. Their lives can be very lonely without the loving prayers of their own people. If not everyone, at least there are trusted people who can partner with them in their struggles, as Paul had. 

It surprises me that Paul was not embarrassed to share his heart with the whole congregation…in an open letter…expressing the  awareness of his weakness and need. He trusted that, in God’s grace, some would love him enough to care about his humanness…and faithfully support him in his request for prayer. 

“The Apostle Paul frequently asked other believers for prayer partnership, modelling the belief that collective prayer strengthens ministry and brings glory to God. His most famous request is found in Romans 15:30, where he pleads for the church to join him in a “struggle” or “strive together” in prayer. 

“Here are Paul’s key Bible verses about prayer partnership:

  • Romans 15:30: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” (NIV) 
  • 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2: “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.” (NLT)
  • Ephesians 6:18-19: “…Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests… Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” (NIV)
  • Colossians 4:3: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…” (NIV) 

(Source: Google AI)

Paul both recognised his need for prayer backing and expressed his gratitude when prayers on his behalf were answered. 

“In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Surely, Paul’s witness is enough to urge us on to partner with our spiritual leaders in their commission to shepherd the church and to spread the gospel in a hostile world. 

To be continued

ROMANS…PLANS – 26c

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“But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there. For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem. They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially. As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain. And I am sure that when I come, Christ will richly bless our time together.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭25‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul’s plans were elaborate, detailed, and worked out to the last minute…or so he thought. First, Jerusalem…to deliver a money gift from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia to the church in Jerusalem…to show their love and solidarity in a time of trial. 

Paul interrupted the declaration of his plans with an explanation that shows how connected the churches were, even across many miles in the Roman Empire. There was no such thing as denominational differences, separating God’s people from one another by walls of theological interpretations. The church across the empire was one body, functioning in small cells but aware of and caring for one another in a hostile world. 

Some of the churches in Macedonia and Achaia had collected money, poor as they themselves were, to help the believers in Jerusalem during a time of famine. Paul gives details,in his second letter to the Corinthians. 

“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Such was their concern that they entrusted their gift to Paul…and it would take Paul many weeks of travel to deliver their gift. This interruption formed part of his travel plans. 

Why was this important to Paul? The gift came from Gentile believers who owed their Jewish brothers and sisters a debt of gratitude. 

“Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially.” 

Nothing was taken for granted. They were one body. When one part suffered, they all suffered. They were aware of each others’ needs and did something about it despite their limited resources and the distance separating them. 

How different from the fragmented church in our world today! We can send money across the globe at the click of a button. We can gather and send information faster than we can blink. And yet…we huddle together to protect our theological integrity as though we have no link to the rest of the body of the Lord Jesus. We only fellowship with like-minded people and treat other groups as strangers and foreigners. 

What is the answer? I don’t know? 

We have access to the throne of God through prayer…and Paul’s encouragement to pray for all believers everywhere should spur us on. 

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 Perhaps this is the place to start…Using our access to information and prayer…the most powerful gift we have from God…we can join with Him and entreat Him to unify and purify His church as we prepare for Jesus’ return. 

Will Jesus’ prayer be answered?

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes! Our unity is determined, not by the peripheral things that divide us, but by the one unifying confession…and the life that flows from it…

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved….Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, ‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Even in the record of Paul’s plans, we glean truths that help us to navigate our lives as the body of Christ. We are one world-wide family…joined together by our confession of Jesus as Lord…united by prayer and participation, as and when we can. We are witnesses to the world by our love and unity, preparing for our Lord‘s return by our obedience to His command to love one another and to be faithful to Him. 

This is simple but not easy but… we have His Spirit and His grace to carry us through to our destination and goal. 

To be continued