Monthly Archives: July 2022

DID YOU KNOW (8)…THAT REVELATION FOLLOWS GENEROSITY

Christian Life, ,

DID YOU KNOW (8)

…THAT REVELATION FOLLOWS GENEROSITY

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10

To understand the expression “the windows of heaven” , we need to understand the way the Hebrews thought, and the meaning of :generosity” in Scripture. Let me explain…

Generosity is one of the major themes of the Bible. Jesus spoke more about money than He did about any other so-called “spiritual” topic such as prayer, faith, or salvation. Why was that? I cannot speak for Him but it seems to me that, since money plays such a major part in our lives, it would make sense for Him to teach us about the place money should play in the lives of His followers and how to use our money in a way that would benefit and not harm us.

The world is driven by money and, unfortunately, so is most crime. Marriages very often break up because of disputes over or misuse of money. Selfishness and greed are the hallmarks of ungodly people and, believe it or not, religious people as well. By “religious”, I mean people who adhere to and practise a religion which has no power to change their lives.

Does God care about the way we use our money? Of course He does! He gave His people a simple system by which they would be generous with their wealth and, at the same time be free to enjoy what He gave them without guilt. Unfortunately, there are those who pooh-pooh God’s instructions to His ancient people as “law” when, in fact, they are part of His “torah” – teaching. i.e., ageless wisdom which always works. 

God’s economic system is based on the responsibility of households to care for four groups of people. I say “households” because, in ancient times, God’s people were farmers and each household produced the crops which fed them during the year. In our day, we would translate “households” as wage earners, be they husband or wife separately or their combined incomes which would represent a household.

The first group of people for which the Israelites were responsible was the high priest and his family. The high priest was the one who represented God to the people and the people to God. God required the people to give the firstborn of their animals and the first-fruits of their crops to Him. They were even instructed to give the first city, Jericho, to Him when they conquered the Promised Land. In the case of their livestock and crops, they had to offer the first of the increase to Him as a terumah or first-fruit offering, and then give it to the high priest since he had no land of his own to sustain his family.

Approximately one fortieth to one sixtieth of the crop matures first (a scientific fact). When the harvest was gathered in and bagged, the farmer would set aside every fortieth bag for the high priest as a terumah, as well as the first-born of his livestock. The terumah offerings of all the people would take care of the high priest and his family until the following season.

The equivalent of the high priest today would be our spiritual authority, in other words, our pastor. He should not draw his stipend from the tithes of the people but from their terumah offerings which God requires over and above the tithes. It is our terumah which guarantees God’s blessing on the rest of our income. Here is the principle:

Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine (Prov. 3:9-10).

God did not repeat the instruction in detail but in principle in the New Testament. Paul wrote to the Galatians:

The one who receives instruction in the Word should share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please the flesh will reap destruction: whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers (Gal. 6:6-10).

Why is it, then, that we dissect the bit about sowing and reaping from the passage and make it mean something different from Paul’s intention in the context? Although “sowing and reaping” is a principle that has a broad application, in this context, Paul is talking about increase – whatever the equivalent may be in the times. The first-fruit of our increase belongs to God and we must share it with those whose work is to teach us the truths of God’s Word.

This is an important part of God’s wisdom which works. Unfortunately, since we in the main in the New Testament era, have thrown this principle out through ignorance or the mistaken idea that it was only for the Old Testament people of God, we have greatly harmed ourselves in the process. That the first portion belongs to God is a timeless truth and, when we obey His instruction, He fulfils His promise to pour His bounty into our lives.

The first of the offerings God requires of us is, then, the terumah offering, one fortieth of our monthly income which belongs to God and which we give to our spiritual authority. This releases God’s favour on the rest of our income and, yes, actually overrides whatever causes our lack in an amazingly supernatural way! Try it!

Since this is a big subject, I shall continue to show you the principles and draw my conclusions in the next few blogs.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

DID YOU KNOW (7)…THAT GOD ALWAYS WORKS THROUGH HIS WORD

Christian Life, ,

DID YOU KNOW (7)

…THAT GOD ALWAYS WORKS THROUGH HIS WORD

According to Hebrew thought, God’s Word is a manifestation of Himself in another form. God and His Word are inseparable. He reveals Himself to us through what He has said and what He did and does. However, we cannot know or understands His works unless He reveals their meaning to us through His Word. There is ample evidence in Scripture that God’s Word is the vehicle of revelation and that He accomplishes His will through His Word. When He speaks, it is done.

When Jeremiah was still a child, God called him to be a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah was appalled at the prospect and remonstrated with Him until God explained to him that He selected him for the job while he was still in his mother’s womb. Jeremiah could not fail because God had spoken and He would ensure that His Word would come to pass.

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” 

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’” …Then the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I have appointed you over the nations and kingdoms…I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” (Jer. 1:1-12).

God called the universe into being through His word and reconstituted it as He wanted it after the chaos the devil caused on the earth by his presence.

David recognised the purpose and value of God’s Word. Although he did not have the complete Bible as we have it today, he had enough to know that God had spoken; through the recorded history of his people, and he already understood the ways of God. He longed to know more and prayed a simple, yet profound prayer that God would teach him His way.

Teach me you way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name (Psa. 86:11).

The anonymous psalmist of Psalm 119 expressed his love for and confidence in God’s word to be the all-round guide, instructor and protector of his life as long as he adhered to and obeyed what it said. Like a lamp that shone on the path and a light that lit up the way ahead, God’s Word was all he needed to keep him heading in the right direction to find his way home.

The Apostle John took up the theme and shone the full light of revelation on Jesus whom he recognised as God’s Word, clothed in flesh, filled with the glory of God’s truth, who came to live among us that we might fully understand God’s message to the world.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Jesus was not only God’s Word expressed in human form; He was also the speaking Word of God. Everything He did was the expression of God’s Word and will and everything He said was an echo of the Father’s words.

.

 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say (John 12:49-50).

God’s Word has the power to accomplish many things:

  1. God’s Word always accomplishes what He sent it to do – Isaiah 55:10-11.
  2. God’s Word heals – Psalm 107:20.
  3. God’s Word exposes the thoughts and intentions of the heart – Hebrews 4:12.
  4. God’s Word produces fruit when it falls into good soil – Mark 4:20.
  5. God’s Word lights our path – Psalm 119:105
  6. God’s Word is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness – 2 Tim. 3:16.
  7. God’s Word is a powerful weapon against the devil’s lies – Ephesians 6:17.
  8. God’s Word protects us from sin – Psalm 119:11.
  9. God’s Word keeps us pure – Psalm 119:9.
  10. God’s Word produces faith – Romans 10:17…

…and many more.

When we fill our minds and hearts with God’s Word, we have all the equipment we need for living godly lives, pleasing the Father and enjoying all the benefits of eternal life.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

DID YOU KNOW (6)…THAT YOU CHOOSE THE MEASURE OF YOUR GAIN OR LOSS

Christian Life, ,

DID YOU KNOW (6)

…THAT YOU CHOOSE THE MEASURE OF YOUR GAIN OR LOSS

Human beings have this crazy idea that it is okay to have two standards of judgment, one for ourselves which is lenient and another for other people which is based on the standard we set for ourselves but is very strict. We let ourselves off on the basis that we are “only human” or that we are not responsible; it is someone else’s fault that we said or did this or that or that we are this way, that is, we are angry, miserable, frustrated or whatever. We judge others because they did not measure up to the standard we set for ourselves.

The Apostle Paul understood human nature.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things (Rom.2:1).

Now we have to ask: How fair is that?

God is absolutely just and fair. He has a simple solution for our foolish injustice. He has determined that we set the measure of justice we receive from Him by the way we treat others. Jesus put it like this:

Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matt. 7:1-2).

If we think that we have the right to set the standard and to judge others for their wrongdoing, we must not forget that we are automatically passing judgment on ourselves as well, and that the punishment we inflict on others will come straight back to us.  

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A gallows seventy-five feet high stands by Haman’s house. He made it for Mordacai who spoke up to help the king. The king said, “Hang him on it!” So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordacai. Then the king’s fury subsided (Esth. 7:8b-10).

God’s just measure applies in othersituations as well. I found a significant one at the end of Jesus’ story about the sower and the seed, and His explanation of the parable to His disciples. They asked Him why He taught in parables. He gave them a curious answer.

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything is said in parables so that,

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” (Mark 4:11-12).   

Why would Jesus not want them to believe? He was quoting from Isa 6:9-10. God commissioned Isaiah to go and preach to His people to harden their hearts because they had already chosen to ignore His word and disobey His instructions. Isaiah would continue to give them God’s instructions until their disobedience made them ripe for judgment. They had already chosen their course and its outcome. Isaiah’s message would harden their hearts until they were carried into captivity. Through their suffering, some would finally return to the Lord. 

By teaching the people in parables, Jesus was doing what Isaiah had done in the past. Only those who had a heart to believe and receive His Word would gain understanding from His teaching.

However, there was an equally serious warning for those who chose to listen to Him.

“Consider carefully what you hear,” He continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him (Mark 4:24-25).

Did you get the gist of Jesus’ words? What we choose to do with God’s Word will determine whether we gain more than what we have now or lose what little we have. We can never remain neutral to the Word of God. Every time we choose to ignore what we have read or heard, we lose more of our ability to understand and respond. If we keep ignoring what God wants of us, we will eventually be so immune to His Word that we will be unable to hear or understand it.

There is also another side to the measure we choose to use. God responds to our generosity with a deluge of blessing. That’s the kind of God He is. He uses the strict measure of our choices to dispense consequences, but He give back to us in immeasurable bounty when we act out of love towards those in need. Consider this promise:

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).

This verse does not only relate to material things; it relates also to the measure of love, time, care and forgiveness we extend to others. The more we pour ourselves into the lives of others, the more God pours His love and grace into us. How much better to use a huge measure of love and kindness in our attitude and interaction with others than to judge or condemn because we can never out-give God.   

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

DID YOU KNOW (5)…THAT JESUS OFFERS US REST, NOT RELIGION

Christian Life, ,

DID YOU KNOW (5)

…THAT JESUS OFFERS US REST, NOT RELIGION

People, and especially ignorant people, often speak of Christianity as one of the world’s great religions. That is simply not true. Christianity is not a religion; it is a restoration of God’s estranged sons and daughters to fellowship with Himself.

If Jesus came to set up a new religion, then what He did would be nothing more than a figment of His imagination. He would be the world’s worst liar since He would be no more than another human being perpetrating deception on the human race. The entire history of the Christian church would be based on a hoax and millions of adherents would have put their faith in someone who died like everyone else.

Firstly, was Jesus a real person? Did He live on earth or was He a make-believe character of fiction to satisfy the craving of some highly imaginative person? Are the Biblical narratives true?

Jesus not only exists as a historical figure in secular writings outside of the Bible but His resurrection has never been disproved, even by the finest legal minds. He lived, died and rose again in Israel just over 2000 years ago.

But what of His message and His promises? His words could have been misleading even though He was a real person. The truth of His words rests on one indisputable fact; He said He would die and rise again on the third day and He did. If it is impossible for a human being to bring himself back to life, this would have been an empty promise and a lie if God had not raised Him from the dead. God would not have confirmed the words of a liar or a dreamer by raising Him from the dead if He were not telling the truth.

Let’s settle this. If Jesus told the truth about His death and resurrection, then we can be confident that everything else He said was also true. He said that the Father sent Him. For what purpose? To reveal the Father to His people. For what reason? Their religious teachers had obscured the nature of God by their innumerable additions to God’s word. They saw Him, not as a Father who loved them and desired to have fellowship with them but the strict disciplinarian God who punished every deviation from His commandments.

Jesus was the face of the Father to His people. He used every opportunity to show the compassion and mercy of His Father and the religious leaders hated Him for it. They killed Him because He showed them the true nature of God. Blasphemy was their charge and guilty their verdict without looking at the evidence. He proved to them beyond reasonable doubt that He was the Son of God but they found Him guilty before He was tried and condemned Him to death, innocent though He was, because of prejudice.

Religion can offer no more than a set of rules and rituals to appease a god whose demands are never satisfied. Why? Religion is based on a god or gods who are the product of human minds. No one can conceive of a being higher or greater than himself. Gods represent the worst of human characteristics, holding those who believe in them loyal by fear of failure. Those who worship them are locked into an endless round of doing whatever they can to ensure that they do not offend their god.

God called the children of Israel into fellowship with Him as His sons and daughters but, instead of loving Him as their Father and obeying Him out of reverence, they turned their relationship with Him into a religion. 

It was Jesus’ mission to reveal the truth about His Father, to deal once-for-all with the sin that separated His people from God and to call them back into God’s family as His beloved sons and daughters. The Holy Spirit would come and live within them, God residing once again in the His true temple, their bodies, so that they could have freedom and rest in fellowship with Him.

Jesus knew what religion did to people. Practising religion was trying to satisfy the never-ending demands of an unpredictable god without ever knowing when enough was enough. It was all self-effort with no guarantee that they would eventually be acceptable to their god. Religion has no goal except what the creator of that religion envisages.

The greatest tragedy of all is that the people who have opted for religion over rest would rather work for their salvation regardless of the futility of trying to live up to God’s standards than trust Jesus and enjoy His rest.

If Jesus is real and His words are true, His offer still stands and whoever believes Him and receives what He has promised, experiences the most amazing supernatural peace, the outcome of the forgiveness of their sin and reconciliation with the Father.

 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened (from trying to please God by keeping rules), and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt.11: 28-30).

There remains, therefore, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his works just as God did from His (Heb. 4:9).

The rest Jesus offers us is rest from working to please God and trusting the words of Jesus; that He pleased God for us, died in our place to pay the debt for our sin and gives us, as a free gift, His perfect righteousness. We are now complete in Him – nothing more to do than to believe and receive what He did for us. When He cried out, “It is finished,” He ended the rule of law and ushered in the time of grace.

We have been fully accepted in Jesus and can rest in what He did.

God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them… (2 Cor. 5: 19a).

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3: 1).

Yes, my dear brothers and sisters, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters of God, free to love Him and live in fellowship with Him as our Father. No religion! No rules! No fear!   

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

DID YOU KNOW (4)…THAT TRUE FORGIVENESS FLOWS FROM COMPASSION

Christian Life, ,

DID YOU KNOW (4)

…THAT TRUE FORGIVENESS FLOWS FROM COMPASSION

Many, if not most people struggle to forgive. Some even refuse to forgive the offense of another, choosing to allow bitterness to destroy them and all their relationships rather than to let go and be free.

Someone once said that harbouring unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

In His model prayer, Jesus highlighted two things that will destroy us. The first is the refusal to forgive.

And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matt. 6:12).

Forgiving our debtor is the only thing that will free us from being eaten alive from the inside out by our bodies’ response to bitterness. Our bodies, souls, and spirits function as a unit. Our emotions which come out of what we think and believe, produce physical reactions which, if sustained over a long period of time, will gradually destroy our organs and shorten our lives.

God designed our bodies to functional optimally when our hearts and minds are at peace and we can only have sustained peace when we have no issues with God or other people. Jesus took care of our issues with God, removing the barrier of sin and reconciling us to the Father through His shed blood. He also took care of the barrier between us and other people in the same way.

 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Jesus. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups (Jew and Gentile) one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which He put to death their hostility (Eph. 2:13-16).

He has given us the right and privilege of forgiving our debtors because He has already forgiven all the debt of sin, ours and theirs. When we choose not to forgive, we are punishing them again for the sin that has already been punished.

The second thing that will destroy us is our self-centredness and all the ramifications of selfish living.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one (Matt. 6: 13).

Unfortunately, misunderstanding this Scripture has led us to believe that the devil is our main problem. He may influence us towards evil, but we are actually our own worst enemies. We are not Satan’s victims unless we allow Him to control us by believing His lies. Jesus exposed His deception and defeated him at the cross. Our own selfish pride, not the devil, causes us the most trouble. Living in dependence on the Father, not by our own wisdom and wits, will keep us walking in humility and freedom from the destruction we cause ourselves by our arrogant independence.

Let’s go back to the issue of forgiveness. In response to Peter’s question, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus told a story about a king who called his servants to account for the debts they owed him (Matt 18:21-35).

 Peter thought he was being magnanimous by forgiving his brother seven times for the same sin. Jesus pointed out that it was not how many times he forgave his brother that was important but how he felt about his brother.

In the story, one servant owed the king such a vast sum of money that he would never be able to repay him in his lifetime. The king demanded payment or he, his wife and children and all his possession would be sold to repay the debt. The servant pleaded for time and promised to pay what he owed.

Imagine the scenario. A servant owed his master more money than he could earn in a lifetime and yet he promised to repay his debt! How would the king react? Would he close his heart to the servant’s plea and make his wife and family also pay for the servant’s folly? The entire story hinges on the next verse.

The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go (Matt. 18:27).

Perhaps for a moment, the king put himself in the servant’splace. Enslavement for the rest of his life was a horrible alternative. Instead of anger and revenge, his heart was filled with compassion. The servant’s wellbeing meant more to him than the money he owed. He responded to the compassion he felt by forgiving the servant, cancelling the debt and setting him free.

The same servant met a fellow servant who owed him a paltry amount. Instead of responding with the same compassion and mercy the king has shown him, he demanded immediate payment and refused to forgive as his master had forgiven him. Imagine the king’s outrage when he found out what the servant had done. Not only did he recall the debt but he also had the servant jailed and handed over to be tortured until he could pay.

What a terrible end for a man who refused to show mercy! The end to Jesus’ story is a chilling reminder of what happens to those who refuse to forgive.

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart (Matt. 18:35).

Jesus was not only talking about the consequences of unforgiveness in the life to come. Torment begins now, in this life in many different ways, the physical, emotional and spiritual outcome of holding on to offenses. 

The key issue is: How much do you value God’s mercy towards you? If you refuse to forgive, how can He show mercy to you? He must treat you in the same way as you treat others. You cannot expect one standard for God and another for yourself. You set the measure of grace you receive from Him by the way you choose to show grace to others. How do you feel about the one who has harmed you? Jesus shows us how to evaluate people who offend you:

Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23: 34).

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.