Category Archives: Christian Life

34e BY THE WAY…JESUS PRAYED!

Christian life

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father…”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬a NIV‬‬

We cannot leave this prayer without taking a step back…looking at the whole prayer… and asking a question…

Was Jesus’ prayer an expansion of His teaching about prayer, an example of real prayer, a model to follow, or simply eavesdropping into His own one-on-one communion with the Father? It may have been a bit of everything but I suspect that Jesus, at the moment when what lay ahead of Him pressed in on Him, did what He always did…He turned to the Father. 

Father…”patyr” in Greek…not the intimate “Abba” word. Was He addressing His Father as the parent figure…the one who had authority over Him? Jesus’ humble submission to His Father shines through every word He spoke. Yes, He was the beloved Son. Yes, He was also God…equal with the Father and the Spirit but…at that moment, He was the submissive and obedient “Servant of Yahweh”…there to carry out a commission given to Him before time. He was under orders from headquarters. 

He was reporting for duty…as well as communing with the Father in detail, in intimate language, expressing His oneness with the Father as well as His confidence that He and the Father were on the same page…step by step…moment by moment…through every stage of the ordeal until its conclusion. 

Jesus not only committed the process to the Father. He also expressed both His desire and His confidence in the outcome…glory restored…disciples protected…His church across time unified, and encased in His glory and the Father’s love. 

Jesus, fully cooperating with the Father, assured the Father of His participation in the unfolding plan. He had revealed the Father to His disciples…given them His name… taught and protected them during His time with them…and handed them back to the Father prior to His departure. 

It seems that Jesus’ primary concern was for His disciples and those who would believe in Him through their witness…that the plan would be carried out to perfection to the end. 

Jesus’ only prayer for Himself was that He return to the position He held the Father before His incarnation…a position He held as a right and a reward. 

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬

What can we learn from this prayer? Jesus was neither proud nor embarrassed by what He had done during His time on earth. He simply stated what He had accomplished in obedience to His Father’s will. 

What was His chief objective?

There it is…the guiding star of Jesus’ entire life!

Predicted by David…

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened— burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Confirmed repeatedly by Jesus Himself…

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This entire communication with the Father breathes the atmosphere of honour, respect, and submission…a Son reporting back to the Father after a lifetime of obedience…anticipating the reward…yes, glory to the Father through His own glory restored but…even much more…

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The greatest reward of all…every redeemed and blood-washed soul a trophy of Jesus’ obedience to the will of God. It cost Him everything but…every moment He suffered, every drop of blood He shed, every agonising cry He raised,was worth it for the reward.  

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…eternal salvation for millions upon millions throughout the ages…to rejoice in His goodness to sing His praises…and to live and love Him in the glorious freedom of the  redeemed. 

27 BY THE WAY…HOW CAN WE BE SET FREE FROM FEAR?

Christian Life, ,

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever wondered how you can overcome the worries and fears that your circumstances produce? You are plagued by the “what ifs” that come naturally out of the uncertainties you face every day. 

God’s “fear nots” are scattered throughout the Bible just because fear is one of the terrible and seemingly uncontrollable emotions that follow us through life. 

Is it possible to live without fear? 

Fear is the air we breathe when we are without God. It is one of those emotions that both start and follow what we think. We think “what if”…so we begin to be afraid. We are afraid…so who think “what if…” Fear dominates our minds and emotions…so, what we fear becomes true inside us. 

Since our minds are the starting point of our feelings and actions, Paul said that we must begin the transformation of our lives by changing the way we think. We must discipline our minds into new paths of thinking. Can we do that? Yes, we can. Can we change our inside so that we change our outside? Yes, we can!

We are bombarded, day in and day out , by the way the world  around us thinks…social media, mass media, people, world systems…all working together to mess with our minds and squeeze us into ways of thinking that produce fear. 

The problem is that…the more we think the way the world thinks, the more the wrong paths in our minds are cemented in us, like well-trodden foot paths…fear, s and its offspring… anxiety, anger, resentment, bitterness, and so on. With our circumstances comes our natural reactions…all the Bible classifies as “sin” since their root is unbelief. 

We need to develop new ways of thinking…going over the same thoughts repeatedly to form new paths in our minds. Where do we find those new patterns of thinking…nor from the world but from God…through His Word. What He says about Himself and us matters…so much more than what the world says because He is truth. 

Listen to what God said to Joshua…

““Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Here is the recipe for a renewed mind and a transformed life. 

Every time you read God’s Word and believe what it says, your mind follows the path of truth. If you do the same thing every day, the foot paths become highways of truth that slowly transform your thinking, your behaviour, and your character. 

It’s not difficult but…it takes time, patience, and discipline and…it is worth every second you spend in the Word of God. 

“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Free! Free from what? Free from the fears, worries, and anxieties that once held you captive and enslaved. 

22 BY THE WAY…WHAT DOES THE IMAGE OF GOD MEAN?

Christian Life, ,

Why did God make man in His image? When we unpack the meaning of ”the image of God“ against the background of the culture, the meaning becomes clear. Let me explain. 

In ancient times, when a king conquered territory far from his homeland, he would place an icon…an idol or image of himself…in a prominent place in that country, to signify his government and authority over that land. The “idol” would stand as a representative of himself so that the people would recognise his sovereignty and obey his laws. 

God is the owner, ruler, and authority over the whole earth. 

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When God had completed His work of transforming a damaged earth and filling the planet with plants and creatures in preparation for human habitation…

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is much more in these verses than a superficial reading reveals. Let’s look at the specific words God used…

“Tselem”…”image”, is the word usually translated “icon” or “idol”…not necessarily meaning a false god but rather a representation of the king or god of that land. An idol was made to represent the god who was the real figure behind the image.  

Paul understood this. 

“Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To Paul, idols were only the visible representation of the demons who were the real beings behind the idols. 

The second word is “damuwth” from “ damah” which means “shape” or “resemblance”, the word translated “likeness”. Man would be created as a visible representation of God, filled with His breath, resembling Him, literally a phantom or shadow of Himself. For what purpose? To be God’s deputy, His representative on earth, managing the earth on God’s behalf as His “idol” or “icon”…just as a king would place his icon in a conquered territory. 

Every human on earth, therefore, is a living, walking representative of God, carrying the authority to manage the earth for Him. The fact that sin distorted God’s image, does not change this truth. 

The image of God is still imprinted on every person whether they know or acknowledge it or not. To all mankind has been given the mandate to rule over the earth for God as His designated authority. This means that God also holds humans accountable for what they do with  His earth. 

Can you see, then, how significant this truth is? That man has God’s image imprinted on him, has some spinoffs. For example…

“And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭9‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The death sentence for a murderer is not about justice, or being inhumane. It’s about being accountable because murder is an assault on the image of God. 

Second, God’s image in humans must also govern the way we speak about and treat people. Regardless of their social, financial, or physical condition…their appearance…their function…or any other external consideration…everyone bears God’s image and is therefore, worthy of dignity and respect. Contempt in any form is also an assault on the image of God. 

The third spinoff is something we can deduce from the reality of God’s image in us. Should it not be, as far as possible, the responsibility of every individual to elevate others, whether by attitude or action, because they bear the image of God? By doing so, we not only benefit others but ourselves also because we all stand on level ground before God. When we put others down, we despise Gods image in them. 

We see, then, that the image of God in every human…regardless of colour, culture, or status…sets us apart from all other creatures, gives us dignity, holds us accountable, and gives us authority…under God…to fulfil His mandate for all humanity. He has put us on His earth, His territory, to signify His ownership and rule over His creation and given us the mandate to deputise His rule on His behalf. 

21 BY THE WAY…WHAT DOES REAL FELLOWSHIP MEAN?

Christian Life, ,

It is unfortunate that our English (and other) translations often rob the original languages of Scripture of their rich meaning. 

I recently encountered a concept that our word “fellowship”, translated from the Greek word “koinonia”, means that actually fleshes out ”fellowship” to be much more than what we understand it to be. 

We see fellowship as a word that describes what we share in common as God’s children…especially when we meet together with a common purpose. We “fellowship” around coffee and eats in the church building, doing things that express our togetherness. We fellowship around God’s word when we meet on a Sunday. We even have fellowship with another person through a phone-call or a message from our homes. 

The most important idea is that we share the same faith in Jesus…and it’s this that binds us together. 

The Bible uses “kononia” and its related words in a much broader sense. This word is actually an accounting word, relating especially to money. How can this idea be connected to our life as believers?  

“Kononia” is used in the New Testament in a variety of ways, circling around the sharing of our money. Let me illustrate. 

“All the believers were together and had everything in common…(“koinos”…fellowship”).  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭44‬-‭45‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The early Christians pooled their resources so that no one had need. This is fellowship. 

The Philippian church fully participated with Paul in his ministry…

“Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners (“kononia”) in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They also took care of Paul’s financial needs…

“Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Paul describes the generosity of the Philippians in accounting terms. They shared their resources with Paul when he was in prison.  This was both worship and fellowship…

To the Hebrew believers…

“And do not forget to do good and to share (“koinonia”… fellowship) with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Fellowship is more than meeting together periodically. It’s about doing life together in all its aspects, experiences, and needs…expressed in English words like communion, partnership, collection…all translating “koinonia” in context… but there’s more. 

Fellowship starts with the solid foundation of our relationship with Jesus. 

“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship (“koinonia”) of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Being a Christian is so much more than having a free pass to heaven. It’s about participating in every part of the life of Jesus, including the parts that are painful, inconvenient, or undesirable. 

“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Our partnership (fellowship) with fellow-believers in the body of Christ is rooted in our intimate union with Jesus…that includes sharing in His death and resurrection…all the suffering and overcoming that His death means…as well as sharing in the glory that is to follow. Without this foundation, our fellowship in the body of Christ is nothing but plastic fruit…a pretence, not the powerful reality that sets us apart from the world as the true children of God. 

We can only experience true fellowship in the body of Christ as we participate fully in the shared life of His people…rejoicing and suffering with each other as one “loaf”…one body with many parts. 

“Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is no other group of people on earth that is intimately bound together in a shared life than Jesus’ body because…first, we are one with Him…sharing in His life…and, second, because we are one with each other, sharing our lives and resources with one another as one body. 

The love of God through Jesus is the glue that binds us together. 

“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 ‭17‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

18 BY THE WAY…WHAT IS GOD’S AGENDA?

Christian Life, ,

I have learned, by trial and error, that God has an agenda for our lives that is often very different from what we think, what we desire, and what we plan.  Let me explain…

About forty years ago, a friend and I went to the United States to attend a Christian women’s conference in New Orleans. Our trip extended for one week beyond the conference week…and we had grandiose visions of God using us to minister to people in America after the conference.  

During the meetings, we met a lady who invited us to her home in Los Angeles for a few days,  so…after the conference, we duly took a bus ride to California to meet up with her there. Plan A, so we thought, was beginning to take shape!

Despite our expectations, plan A didn’t happen but…God’s plan began to unfold. We did not have opportunities to minister to anyone. Instead, God arranged the things that happened to minister to us. Many times, when we didn’t know where to go or what to do, He intervened, set our feet on a path and gently led us along His way. 

We came home from the USA with one deep lesson imprinted on our hearts and…not easily forgotten…and the lesson? God is a faithful Father! We were two women alone in a great big country…a big city…with very little money…and a week to burn before our flight home and…He took care of us. We looked back on those days…not making a name for ourselves but…the memory of a loving Father who taught us to trust Him in a strange country. How naive we were!

This experience has lingered… and a lesson I have had to learn many times…that God is far more concerned about what He can do for me, and in me, than what I can do for Him. Yes, He graciously works through us to bless others…often when we are, thankfully, unaware of what He is doing but…more often, He works in us to move us ever closer to His goal…to transform us into the image of His Son. 

Our problem is that we are inclined to take the credit when we think that God is working through us. God will never put up to with this so…He masks His work through us by working something deeper in us. 

Paul has to learn this lesson in a painful way. 

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth…But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬, ‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 Paul had some out-of-body experiences that tempted him to become proud…to elevate himself above others but…God put paid to that idea by allowing him to go through some rough times…persecution, hardship, suffering of one kind or another…so that he had no opportunity to become proud. He was too busy batting away at his own troubles to set himself up as someone special. 

Paul recognised that this was God working in him but…he didn’t like the suffering so…he asked God to take it away. 

However, God said, “No!” 

The heavenly visions had their place in Paul’s experience but so did the weaknesses he was forced to endure as God’s chosen servant. What he was about to learn was that God used both of these situations to knock off any pride or self-sufficiency that might be surfacing in him. There was no place for pride…that “I am somebody. I can do this by myself” attitude that kills dependence on God. 

Paul learned this lesson well…so well, in fact, that he began to embrace his weaknesses as his best friend. 

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, what’s the lesson in this for us? 

I have learned that I must not be so quick to think that God needs me to do things for Him that I forget what a frail and failing creature I am. He works, in all things, for my good…to conform me to the image of His Son.  However much He might work through me to bless others, His primary goal and priority is to change me…to expose the darkness that still lurks inside me…the selfish behaviour…the motives that I don’t even recognise…the attitudes that betray the old nature still very much alive in me. 

God has pledged to restore the image of Jesus in His people. He is calling us to holiness. He does not want plastic fruit hung on the outside of our lives for decoration but the real fruit of our union with Jesus that grows, slowly, on the inside. 

It’s the real fruit that displays the nature of the tree. So, let’s keep in mind that anything God does through us for the sake of others is His business. Our business is to work out through faith and obedience, the life of Jesus that is at work in us. 

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬