Monthly Archives: April 2013

Persistent Faith

Christian Life, , ,

PERSISTENT FAITH

“Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray constantly and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him. ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me.’ ….After this went on and on he said to himself,…’Because the widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice — otherwise I am going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.’

“Then the Master said, ‘Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think that God won’t step in and work justice for His chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t He stick up for them? I assure you, He will. He will not drag His feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when He comes?'” Luke 18:1-8 (The Message).

Another story that reveals the character of God by contrast! A godless judge is moved to action by a shamelessly persistent ‘nobody’ widow to get her off his back. It was not her need or his compassion that drove him to action but her nagging that got him going.

We must not think for a moment that God is like that. He is, first and foremost, a Father. Does a father hold out against his child until the child’s persistent nagging gets him down? Not if he is a loving and caring father but, however loving and caring an earthly father he may be, he can never match the love of God for His children.

So why does God sometimes seem deaf or unmoved by the cries of His children? If I had the answer, I would be the first person in Christendom to solve this mystery! I can only make a few suggestions from the evidence of Scripture as to why God’s answers don’t come when we expect them.

God is painting His picture on a very big canvas. We often tend to think that we are the only people in the universe. When our need arises, God must step in and do something when we call. But He is working out His purposes, not only in our lives but also across communities, nations and the world.

He heard the cries of His slave people in Egypt but He had to prepare a Moses and a national and international situation that would be the right time to deliver His people from slavery and take them into the Promised Land. With a new dynasty in Egypt, He changed their status from pampered and protected people to slaves so that they would groan under their oppression and long for freedom. Then God was ready to take them out.

God gave sons to aged and childless couples like Abraham and Sarah, Manoah and his wife and Zachariah and Elizabeth to fulfil His greater purposes for His nation and for the eventual coming of His Messiah. God weaves the answers to our prayers into a much bigger picture in some mysterious way that is beyond our comprehension.

Jesus spoke of ‘persistent faith’. These two words are almost interchangeable. Real faith is confidence in God that does not give up, even when things seem really bad. Once again, Abraham is a good example. What father would deliberately take his own son, that one who was born to him in his old age, and raise a knife to kill him on a sacrificial altar? Only a man, whose confidence in God was unshakeable, would do that because his faith was tried and tested.

A statement I heard in a teaching long ago has helped me to understand why God’s delays seem like unanswered prayer: “God will not answer your prayers until He has put all the structures in place to maintain that answer,”

Now that makes a whole lot of sense. If He were to jump to attention every time we call, He would leave a string of disasters behind because every answer to prayer needs a supporting structure so that God’s work in our lives is not wasted.

Imagine if God had given Abraham his son when he first began to pray, or if God had delivered Israel when they first began to cry out. Abraham would not have grown a faith so strong that he trusted God for his son’s life. There would not have been a Moses, raised in the palace and honed in the desert to lead His people out of slavery.

So what’s the point? God is saying, “Will you trust me, even though nothing seems to be happening? Although you can’t see it yet, I am working and, if you believe, you will see your place in my great big picture.”

One Take, the Other Left

Christian life, Christian Life, , ,

ONE TAKEN, THE OTHER LEFT

“‘On that Day, two men will be in the same boat fishing — one taken, the other left. Two women will be working in the same kitchen — one taken, the other left.

“Trying to take this all in, the disciples said, ‘Master, where?’

“He told them, ‘Watch for the circling of the vultures. They’ll spot the corpse first. The action will begin around my dead body.'” Luke 17:34-37 (The Message).

The ‘left behind’ theory, that it will be the unbelievers who will be left behind to be destroyed with the earth by fire, has captured the imagination of Christian writers, producing a flood of novels and teachings that bring this theory to life for the reading public. It may be an interesting subject for a good story but is it true to Scripture?

There are two aspects to the teachings of Scripture that we must examine. Firstly, who will be ‘left behind’ and why? This is tied up with God’s intention for the earth and for the human race. Is it His intention to destroy the earth and start all over again?

God created the earth as a perfect dwelling place for man. His intention was that He would come and dwell with humans, blending heaven and earth together in a union of perfect love and harmony where men would rule the earth under God.

Man was put on probation to see whether he would worship and obey God because he loved Him. Man was lured away by the temptation to be his own boss and set up his own rules. This disrupted the unity between him and his Creator and resulted in the introduction of chaos on the earth.

This chaos and the wickedness of men increased until God had no option but to put an end to it. What did He do? He caused a flood which did not destroy the earth; it destroyed the entire wicked human race except for eight people who were kept alive in a boat, together with the animals that would reproduce and replenish the earth.

Why did God not just wipe out everything and start again? Because that was not His way. Because of who He is, He did not abandon His original purpose but set in motion a plan of redemption, when Adam rebelled against Him in the beginning, that would reveal to all of creation the greatness of His mercy and grace.

He rescued Noah and his family through the very waters that destroyed the rest of the human race. The ark that Noah built was the means of their salvation, sheltering them from the wrath of God as a picture of Jesus in whom we are sheltered from the wrath of God that will fall on disobedient mankind. God did not take Noah and his family out. They were ‘left behind’ when He took out all the wicked through the flood.

Secondly, how will the earth be ‘destroyed’? This is how Peter describes it: “That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:12b, 13 (NIV).

At face value, it seems as though Peter is talking about literal fire and literal destruction. However, we must understand this in the context of God’s power. God works by the power of His word. “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6 (NIV). His word is not only creative but destructive – “‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.'” Jeremiah 23:29 (NIV).

We must also examine meaning of the word ‘elements’ – ‘the elements will melt in the heat.’ Paul uses the same word in his letter to the Galatians (4:9b) which is translated ‘weak and miserable principles’ and in Colossians 2:8 ‘hollow and deceptive philosophy’.
Both Peter and Paul are speaking of the godless philosophies by which people live rather than the truth which Jesus came to reveal.

When we put this together, it throws a different light on what has been written about the ‘end of the world’. When Jesus returns, He will purify the earth, by the power of His word, of all those who refused to submit to Him and believe the truth He came to bring. The earth will be purged of the corruption that came with Adam’s rebellion and will be renewed to its original perfection. God will make His dwelling with men in perfect unity and man will rule over the earth in obedience to Him.

What’s Behind the Appearance?

Christian Life

WHAT’S BEHIND THE APPEARANCE?

“When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard Him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing Him as hopelessly out of touch. So Jesus spoke to them, ‘You are masters at making yourselves look good in front of others but God knows what’s behind the appearance.'” Luke 16:14,15 (The Message).

What a powerful hold deception has over people’s minds! It is Satan’s potent and elusive weapon, blinding us to the most simple and obvious truths. If we would just stop and think logically for a moment, we would recognise how easily we have been duped.

In this case, the Pharisees, who loved money and power and paid any price to get it, made two serious errors; they thought that by outwardly acting holy, they could cover up their greedy hearts, and secondly, they thought that they could fool God. Had they only stopped to think, they would have realised how wrong they were.

Jesus’ words should have brought them back to reality with a bump, but it only drove them deeper into their hardened attitude. That’s the other part of Satan’s arsenal that is so difficult to overcome. He trades on human pride to keep his deception in place. Once a person has made his erroneous beliefs public by acting on them, he will not easily back down and admit that he is wrong.

This stubborn attitude disqualifies a person from access to the kingdom of God. Truth and humility are the two requirements for understanding and entering into the realm of God’s rule. They are like the guiding lights that must be lined up to give a ship safe entry into the harbour. Truth displaces the lies that cause us to veer off course, and humility softens our hearts to believe and receive the truth.

Jesus gave us clear directions for getting free from the lies that ensnare us and drive us into misery, pain and loss, “To the Jews who believed Him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:32 (NIV). The truth in and of itself cannot set us free. It must first be believed and internalised to become effective in breaking the bondage of deception.

There is a process in moving from deception to truth. Sometimes it happens is a blinding flash of understanding and at other times it follows a period of careful investigation and growing conviction.

For the disciples, barring Judas Iscariot, it was a combination of the two. They followed, watched and listened to Jesus for three years and then came His death and resurrection. His appearance to them was the last piece of the puzzle. From that moment nothing could budge them from the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Until then they still wobbled and tottered in their faith, but the presence of the risen Jesus cancelled all their doubts and misunderstandings.

This is the moment of revelation and transformation. It happened to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus; it has happened to millions of people across two thousand years but it never happened to the Pharisees because they refused to examine the evidence. They chose lies over truth and became part of the tragedy of those who never fulfil their God-given potential.

If you examine the evidence with a humble desire to know the truth, there will come for you the dazzling moment of conviction and the life-changing experience of faith, giving you entry and access into the realm of God passionate love and unfailing goodness. All His resources will be yours, you will find the meaning and purpose of your existence and your eternal future will be secure, based on the infallible truth of God’s word.

But is all comes back to the same thing. You choose….

Old Friends?

Christian Life, , ,

OLD FRIENDS?

“By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, ‘He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends….'” Luke 15:1-2 (The Message).

Strange that Jesus attracted the ‘bad’ and repelled the ‘good’ people! Can it be that He had a different way of evaluating people from the way we do? Certainly, the Pharisees did not see eye to eye with Him regarding the ‘sinners’ He considered His friends. Why were the Pharisees so incensed by His eating with the riff-raff?

Eating a meal with someone had great significance. The Hebrew word for a meal is shul, while the word derived from the root, shul, is shulkan, which means ‘table’, ‘reconciliation’ or ‘a lamb’s skin’. The imagery is beautiful. Where there was no table, they would put a lamb’s skin on the ground as a ‘picnic’ blanket. A lamb had to die for them to eat together. Therefore, to eat a meal with someone meant that you had no issues with that person. You had settled your differences and were now reconciled.

No wonder the Pharisees were upset with Jesus for eating with prostitutes and tax collectors! They did not understand the heart of a merciful and compassionate Messiah. Their idea of ‘holiness’ was isolation from people. Jesus’ holiness separated Him from sin but not from sinners. Yes, God is holy, but He is holy-love. His holiness demands perfection, but His love provides the covering so that we can be reconciled and become His true friends.

The Pharisees regarded themselves as their own standard and they despised everyone who did not live up to their criteria. Jesus offended them because He was not fazed by those they regarded as ‘sinners’. He saw beyond their exterior to hearts that were hungry for God and were willing to listen to Him and who drank in His love and His message of mercy.

Are we any different? Do we not judge people by their appearance, their social standing, their financial position, their neighbourhood, their achievements, and even their speech and accent? These are only the circumstances of their lives, not the evidence of their intrinsic value as human beings made in the image of God.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to follow, learn from, imitate and obey our Master. This is an absolute prerequisite for discipleship. One function not entrusted to us is judgment and yet we assume the role of judge for everyone who does not measure up to our value system or self-proclaimed standards. This is dangerous for two reasons; firstly because we have usurped the role that belongs to Jesus alone and, secondly, because the standard we set for others is the standard by which we will be judged.

When we carefully consider the last statement, it should make us tremble because our standards for others are always so much stricter than our standards for ourselves. God’s justice is perfectly just. It is always based on what we choose. Yes, God has objective standards of right and wrong based on who He is, but He gives us exactly what we choose, whether it be obedience to His way or our own way. He knows where each way will end.

The way of the Pharisees with their hoity-toity self-righteousness took them farther and farther from the heart of God and deeper and deeper into the kind of sin that alienated them from God and people. No amount of rebuke or exposure shifted them from their arrogant pride. Not even Jesus could reach their hardened hearts.

God’s word is faithful to warn us of the attitude that thinks we are right and everyone else wrong. When we look at people through the eyes of Jesus, we see, not the sin that scars their souls but the beauty of our Creator God who has packed the potential in each one of us to become a mirror image of Him.

One Taken, The Other Left…

Christian Life, , ,

ONE TAKEN, THE OTHER LEFT

“‘On that Day, two men will be in the same boat fishing — one taken, the other left. Two women will be working in the same kitchen — one taken, the other left.

“Trying to take this all in, the disciples said, ‘Master, where?’

“He told them, ‘Watch for the circling of the vultures. They’ll spot the corpse first. The action will begin around my dead body.'” Luke 17:34-37 (The Message).

The ‘left behind’ theory, that it will be the unbelievers who will be left behind to be destroyed with the earth by fire, has captured the imagination of Christian writers, producing a flood of novels and teachings that bring this theory to life for the reading public. It may be an interesting subject for a good story but is it true to Scripture?

There are two aspects to the teachings of Scripture that we must examine. Firstly, who will be ‘left behind’ and why? This is tied up with God’s intention for the earth and for the human race. Is it His intention to destroy the earth and start all over again?

God created the earth as a perfect dwelling place for man. His intention was that He would come and dwell with humans, blending heaven and earth together in a union of perfect love and harmony where men would rule the earth under God.

Man was put on probation to see whether he would worship and obey God because he loved Him. Man was lured away by the temptation to be his own boss and set up his own rules. This disrupted the unity between him and his Creator and resulted in the introduction of chaos on the earth.

This chaos and the wickedness of men increased until God had no option but to put an end to it. What did He do? He caused a flood which did not destroy the earth; it destroyed the entire wicked human race except for eight people who were kept alive in a boat, together with the animals that would reproduce and replenish the earth.

Why did God not just wipe out everything and start again? Because that was not His way. Because of who He is, He did not abandon His original purpose but set in motion a plan of redemption, when Adam rebelled against Him in the beginning, that would reveal to all of creation the greatness of His mercy and grace.

He rescued Noah and his family through the very waters that destroyed the rest of the human race. The ark that Noah built was the means of their salvation, sheltering them from the wrath of God as a picture of Jesus in whom we are sheltered from the wrath of God that will fall on disobedient mankind. God did not take Noah and his family out. They were ‘left behind’ when He took out all the wicked through the flood.

Secondly, how will the earth be ‘destroyed’? This is how Peter describes it: “That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:12b, 13 (NIV).

At face value, it seems as though Peter is talking about literal fire and literal destruction. However, we must understand this in the context of God’s power. God works by the power of His word. “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6 (NIV). His word is not only creative but destructive – “‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.'” Jeremiah 23:29 (NIV).

We must also examine meaning of the word ‘elements’ – ‘the elements will melt in the heat.’ Paul uses the same word in his letter to the Galatians (4:9b) which is translated ‘weak and miserable principles’ and in Colossians 2:8 ‘hollow and deceptive philosophy’.
Both Peter and Paul are speaking of the godless philosophies by which people live rather than the truth which Jesus came to reveal.

When we put this together, it throws a different light on what has been written about the ‘end of the world’. When Jesus returns, He will purify the earth, by the power of His word, of all those who refused to submit to Him and believe the truth He came to bring. The earth will be purged of the corruption that came with Adam’s rebellion and will be renewed to its original perfection. God will make His dwelling with men in perfect unity and man will rule over the earth in obedience to Him.