Monthly Archives: June 2023

BY FAITH, ABRAHAM…

Prayer, ,

BY FAITH, ABRAHAM…

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. Hebrews 11:8-12

Abraham’s story is a fascinating account of one man’s journey into faith and obedience. Since he is the father of faith and the man God chose to be the recipient of the New Covenant in embryo, there are many lessons from his life that can help us understand our journey of faith in Jesus.

In the past, as I have journeyed with Abraham in the book of Genesis, two aspects of his life have emerged.

Abraham made many decisions which did not come from any interaction with God but they impacted directly on fulfilling God’s plan for his life. He left Ur of the Chaldees with his father, went to Haran and stayed there until his father died. This was his first step towards Canaan but he was not aware of God’s purpose for him at this point.

Then God told him to leave Haran but left Abraham to find the way under His silent direction. Abraham chose Canaan, not knowing that Canaan was to be his destination.

Abraham moved from place to place in Canaan, setting up altars and worshipping God as he went. His godly influence impacted the Canaanites and especially the Canaanite kings of the city states so that he became well known all over the country. By setting up altars, he was claiming the territory by faith for God.

Although Abraham made the choices to do as he did, apparently without clear instruction from God, his developing God-awareness allowed him to be open to divine guidance without being aware that he was being led by God.

How often we, too, make choices which, on hindsight, are exactly what God wanted us to do or where He planned for us to go without being told.

If we allow God-awareness to guide our thinking, we need never be afraid of making decisions without specific direction from the Holy Spirit. As God’s children, we are led by the Spirit if we are more concerned about God’s kingdom than about pandering to our flesh.

A mature son will not pester daddy about every tiny detail of his life because he knows that daddy trusts him to make wise decisions. Likewise, our Father trusts His mature children with everyday decisions and guides him along His chosen path as His children acknowledge Him in all their ways.

Abraham also has much to teach us about prayer. The Bible does not explain how God came to him on the many occasions interaction with Him are recorded. There is one record of the Lord appearing to him as “the angel of the Lord”. This phrase occurs often in the Old Testament. This “angel” speaks and acts as God and so, we assume that He is the second person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Jesus.

However, on this occasion, when the angel prophesied of Isaac’s birth and the imminent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham took the cue  and “prayed” for his nephew, Lot’s deliverance by entering into a discussion with the Lord.

Why did God even want to share His decision to destroy the wicked cities of the plain with Abraham? It was all about relationship.

This was no “dear Lord Jesus, here’s my prayer list” kind of prayer. This was Abraham’s opportunity, through humble but bold negotiation with God for the protection of the righteous, to share in what God was about to do. Abraham’s real concern was for Lot and his family but his plea for the Lord to change his mind encompassed any other God-fearing people who we in danger of being destroyed.

I learn from this incident, and many other times when God held a conversation with Abraham, that prayer is so much more than a one-way string of “gives” and “do’s” that we daily present to Him.

I am also becoming wary of the daily “quiet time” that is so ingrained in us from the time of our new birth that we feel guilty if we miss out even one day. How often I have begun my day feeling bad because I have not had a quiet time because of circumstances. Does that mean that God feels so short-changed that, for spite He messes up the rest of my day?

What a tragically low view of our Father whose love for us is beyond measure and deeper than our wildest imagination or understanding. He is so entwined in the fabric of our lives that He wants much more than a hurried “quiet time” in the morning, only to be forgotten for the rest of the day.

Paul said, “Pray continually.” That means, stay in contact with God all day. Abraham shows us that we can converse, even negotiate with God in every detail of everyday life, from the most significant to the most mundane and unimportant details of being human.

In the end, it’s about cultivating a God-awareness that keeps us in God’s presence instead of our trying to bring Him to us when things go wrong or needs arise. It is surprising how much He talks to us of which we are unaware because we are so preoccupied with getting on with the business of living.

So, let’s meander through the Bible, stopping a moment here or there to ponder on the stories of people’s lives. Let’s tarry to smell the fragrance of a holy moment or to shrink from the words or actions that grate on our sensitive souls. Let’s slow down and learn from God’s great saints how to be in every way, God’s beloved sons and daughters.

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

Apologetics, ,

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

I have a great concern about the many prophecies and prophetic visions regarding South Africa that so-called “prophets” are speaking and publishing in the name of the Lord.

According to this category of spiritual leaders, God has a great plan for South Africa. For example, from this nation will come a revival that will spread from Cape to Cairo! The things that God plans to do in and through this country are many and great, so they say. One prophet from up north even stated that, 10 years ago, God spoke of things He was planning to do in South Africa in the next 10 years, but they have not yet happened because the people were not ready!

These so-called “prophets”, who have accepted and use the title “Prophet”, speak with great authority, not because their prophecies are being fulfilled, but because they prefix their words with “the Lord showed me… ” or “the Holy Spirit revealed to me…” They speak as though they have greater access to prophetic visions than the run-of-the-mill believer.

These prophetic voices set up false expectations in the hearts of God’s people that distract them from the truth of God’s Word. The Bible alone speaks authoritatively about who Jesus is, who we are in Christ, what our role is in the world, and what our true expectations are for the future.

WHAT DOES GOD’S WORD SAY ABOUT FALSE PROPHETS?

In the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God severely warns the people of Israel against listening to the false prophets who speak lies in His name.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.”

Jeremiah 23:16 NIV

“The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come, you will understand it clearly. I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds…. “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds?…  “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 23: 20-22, 25-26, 28-32 NIV

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?”

Ezekiel 13:3, 6-7 NIV

Jesus also warned His disciples to beware of false prophets.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

Matthew 7:15-20 NIV

“Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”

Matthew 24:4-5 NIV

HOW ARE WE TO EVALUATE PROPHETS WHO CLAIM TO SPEAK FOR GOD?

Let’s examine the difference between Biblical prophecies and extra-biblical prophecies (which actually form part of the modern-day heresy called Neo-Gnosticism) .

(Neo-Gnosticism is a recurrence of the Gnostic heresy that plagued the early church in Paul’s day. Gnosticism refers to, among other things, secret knowledge revealed to some which adds to the sufficiency of Jesus for salvation.

Anyone who claims to have extra revelation from God, over and above what is written in God’s Word, is participating in the Neo-Gnostic heresy).

  1. BIBLICAL PROPHECY is clear, unembellished, and specific. It states what will happen before it happens, e.g.,

Among the many prophecies God gave Ezekiel about the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of His people, is this specific prophecy about Zedekiah and its exact fulfilment.

“Even Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving. Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, though he will never see it, and he will die there. I will scatter his servants and warriors to the four winds and send the sword after them. And when I scatter them among the nations, they will know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel 12:12-15 NLT

“By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone. Then a section of the city wall was broken down, and all the soldiers fled. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians, they waited for nightfall. Then they slipped through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden and headed toward the Jordan Valley. But the Babylonian troops chased King Zedekiah and overtook him on the plains of Jericho, for his men had all deserted him and scattered. They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. There the king of Babylon pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah. The king of Babylon made Zedekiah watch as he slaughtered his sons. He also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. Then he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in bronze chains, and the king of Babylon led him away to Babylon. Zedekiah remained there in prison until the day of his death.”

Jeremiah 52:6-11 NLT

Biblical prophecy, for example, clearly states that God has spoken eg,

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying,”

Jeremiah 1:4 NIV

“He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”

Ezekiel 2:1 NIV

BIBLICAL PROPHECY is classified as “God’s Word”, and is, therefore, utterly reliable and trustworthy.

“Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

Jeremiah 23:28-29 NIV

“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:19-21 NIV

Hundreds of Messianic prophecies about the first coming of Jesus were precisely fulfilled. (On these grounds, we can trust the Biblical prophecies regarding His second coming).

“When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.”

Acts of the Apostles 13:29 NLT

EXTRA-BIBLICAL PROPHECY is noticeably different from Biblical prophecy in both style and content.

Extra-Biblical prophecies focus on, not “The Lord says in His Word,” but what “the Lord revealed to me”. They are often vague, flowery, rambling, obscure, non-specific and unfulfilled. They are cannot be authoritative because they did not come from God.

EXTRA-BIBLICAL PROPHECIES are often backed up by declarations or prophetic actions for them to be fulfilled. 

  • BIBLICAL PROPHECY will be fulfilled regardless of people’s responses. God promised, for example, that David’s dynasty would never end, even if his descendants failed to follow David’s godly example. Despite David’s many wicked descendants who ruled in Judah, Jesus, son of David, is the final fulfilment of that prophecy.

BIBLICAL PROPHECY and its fulfilment, along with creation, is a clear witness to the existence of God and relates to God’s purposes for Israel and Israel’s preparation for the coming of the Messiah. All Biblical prophecy eventually points to the coming of Jesus to accomplish redemption for both Jew and Gentile.

“Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

Revelation 19:10 NLT

“Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.  From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”

Isaiah 46:8-11 NIV

3. BIBLICAL PROPHECY speaks against sin and warns of the consequences of disobedience.

Every book in the New Testament contains warnings about the consequences of ungodliness, especially in relation to our Lord’s second coming, for example…

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NIV

Many of the prophecies in the New Testament contain warnings of bad things and judgement coming on the earth rather than good times and revival, and prophecies that deal with the believers’ future focus on Jesus’ return and the restoration of all things under His eternal reign.

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

2 Timothy 3:1-7 NIV

EXTRA-BIBLUCAL PROPHECY focuses on good times coming as opposed to what the Bible predicts, ignoring the sinfulness of the individual or the nation.

EXTRA-BIBLICAL PROPHECIES ignore the supremacy of Jesus and make predictions about all the good things God is planning to do in and for an ungodly country. These prophecies are to be fulfilled by making declarations about what God is going to do.

According to many of these prophecies, God is about to bring massive revival to South Africa which will change the country. However, nowhere in the New Covenant does God promise revival.

Throughout the New Testament, the focus is on becoming who we are in Christ. Revival is for dying or dead people. Believers are not dead but alive; we have been made alive by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Most of these declarations come from the Old Covenant, which are irrelevant for us because.

A. We, as a country, are not in covenant with God,

B. We are not in relationship with God through the Mosaic Covenant,

C. Jesus has fulfilled the Old Covenant and brought us, who believe in Him, into the New Covenant,

D. The New Covenant does not involve nations but individuals, joined to Jesus by faith through the Holy Spirit,

E. The New Covenant has transferred us into another realm, citizenship in the Kingdom of God. Our focus is to be on God’s Kingdom, not on our nation, except to be witnesses for Jesus to the ungodly world around us.

F.  We are no longer subject to the devil’s deception because Jesus exposed and disarmed him at the cross, taking away his power over us,

G. The focus of the New Covenant is not nations, including Israel, but the church which is God’s “holy nation”. Jesus is head over all things for the church.

EXTRA-BIBLICAL PROPHECIES have no confirmation in God’s Word. They arise purely from the imagination of the “prophet”. They have no authority or power over God’s people. Power lies in what God has SPOKEN not in what people claim that God has spoken.

“I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.”

Jeremiah 23:21-22 NIV

“Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

EXTRA-BIBLICAL prophecies often directly contradict God’s Word.

“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.”

Hebrews 1:1-2 NLT

Jesus is God’s final word to the world. God has nothing more to say to us because He has said everything and given us everything we need in and through Jesus.

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence.”

2 Peter 1:3 NLT

“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

Colossians 2:9-10 NLT

There are severe warnings for those who add or take away anything to the Word of God, both from Old and New Covenants, and the finished work of Jesus. They will come under God’s judgment.

“So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.”

Deuteronomy 12:32 NLT

“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

There is a trend in some streams of the church where people desire a  “word from the Lord” which amounts to what I call “spiritual fortune-telling”. This is the counterpart of the fortune-teller or taro-card reader, clothed in Christian “prophecy”.

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”

2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT

There is evidence, in Scripture, of prophetic words spoken to individuals regarding their future e.g., Jeremiah’s words to Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:5-17); and Agabus’ words to Paul (Acts 21:10-14). However, these were not sugar-coated prophecies about a rosy future but warnings about what was about to happen.

So-called “words” from the Lord are dangerous because they raise false hopes, focus on success and prosperity and distract from Jesus who is the one upon whom our lives depend.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith….”

Hebrews 12:1-2a NLT

So, let us beware, dear friends, that we are not sucked into the modern extra-biblical heresies of “the Lord revealed to me…”

How do we deal with such prophecies?

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”

1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 NIV

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV

The answer is simple. Test every prophecy by the standard of Scripture. If it does not conform to the measure of God’s Word, it is not of God. Reject it as false and misleading.

God has given us His complete revelation, preserved in the covers of a book. Anything more than that is outside the authority of Scripture.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV

ARE YOU CRAZY?

Christian Life, ,

ARE YOU CRAZY?

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. Luke 6:20-23

What is He talking about? He almost sounds like some sort of killjoy; only happy when everything goes wrong; glad to be miserable!

This would sound crazy if it came from anyone’s lips but Jesus’. What is He getting at? You cannot go very far into the gospels before you realise that Jesus lived in the environment of God’s kingdom. Don’t get me wrong — He was a very down-to-earth person, in touch with reality, especially the need of the people around Him, aware of their suffering and full of compassion for them.

However, He also knew that there was no permanent solution for them in the present world system. He could heal them now, but they would be sick again. He could raise the dead, but they were destined to die again. As long as the world system they were in prevailed, there would always be sorrow, sickness and suffering, because it is an imperfect fallen world and will remain that way unless God intervened.

The good news is that the present world system, with all its sin and imperfection, is temporary. He came from the Father to get rid of the obstacle to restoration and reconciliation, the huge debt of man’s sin. God had set the course for restoring everything that was broken, distorted and out of joint and it culminated in Him. What God started in Genesis 1 and 2, He would complete according to Revelation 21 and 22.

Through Jesus, God provided the forgiveness that restored the broken relationship between Him and His estranged sons and daughters, but there was also the matter of choice. Would they want to come back to the Father’s house? How did the lost son in the far country come to his senses? He looked at his circumstances, starving and looking after pigs, and realised that he had been much better off at home.

Jesus said that it is very difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of God. Why? Is it because they have money? No. It’s because they use their money to satisfy their own need. Money is a good servant but a bad master. Wealth is good if it is used to serve others but bad if it feeds greed and selfishness.

Therefore, according to Jesus, loss and hunger and persecution are not blessings in themselves but they are if they create an awareness that life is much more than what we eat, what we drink and what we wear. Life is transient, like mist that is here in the morning but gone by midday. It is foolishness to place our faith in and live for what is passing away.

God allows these kind of circumstances into our lives to draw our attention to a kingdom that is permanent and eternal; a way of life that echoes the eternal character and values of the Father. Greed and selfishness belong to this transient, imperfect world and will eventaully go out with the trash. We might be ridiculed and sidelined if we side with Jesus now. His way may seem puny to those who believe in control and force and power, but in the end, He won then and He will win again.

If you open up to Him, He will change you heart and set you on a course of generosity and unselfish service that will bring you joy and the realisation of who you really are, a son or daughter of God, created in His image to be like Him.

A WORD OR A MIRACLE?

Christian Life, ,

A WORD OR A MIRACLE?

“Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things…. After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret, and they brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, They ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

Mark 6:34, 55-56 NLT

O, how we love miracles! Crowds flock to “healing campaigns” at the invitation, “Come and get your miracle.” When things go wrong in our lives, we plead with God for a miracle. We crave lives that are uninterruptedly smooth and blessed, kept calm and peaceful by God’s intervening miracles.

We whine, “Why me?” when obstacles and struggles confront us. We want God to restore order and calm in our lives so that we can jog along on our comfortable, trouble-free journey.

So, we beg for a miracle!

The people were so excited about being miraculously fed that they ran after Jesus for more.  However, He had something to say to those who treated Him like a miracle-dispensing machine.

“So, when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

John 6:24-27 NLT

The crowd wanted more bread while Jesus came to give them the bread of life.

“Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35 NLT

How like the crowds we are. We crave bread to keep us alive. Jesus offers us “the Bread of Life” so that we will live forever.

“During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:3-4 NLT

How do we receive God’s intervention in time of need? Don’t ask for a miracle. Ask for a word. A miracle is open-ended. It may or may not happen. God’s Word is infallible. What He promises, He will do, no matter how long it takes. Miracles may solve a temporary crisis but God’s Word wil live in our hearts forever.

PRAYER

Father God, forgive me for seeking your hand for miracles more than for seeking your face for fellowship. You desire worshippers who worship you in spirit and in truth, not parasites who cling to you for blessings.

Help me, Lord Jesus, to gaze on your face, to contemplate the beauty of your life on earth. I see the Father in you. The more I think about you and your perfection, the less I think about myself and my imperfection.

You are everything I need and want to transform my life and take me to the Father. Teach me, Lord, to live by your word because your word feeds my hungry soul and lights my way to the Father.

A GLORIOUS CHURCH

Bible Study, ,

A GLORIOUS CHURCH

“And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

Ephesians 1:23 NLT

What is our view of the church? It all depends on our perspective.

Sadly, our understanding of “the church” is coloured by our personal experience. Many, like me, have enjoyed a fragment of the true family of God, where love, harmony, and peace have been taught and fostered by a shepherd who leads by example and does not usurp Jesus’ position as head of the church.

Others have become disillusioned with the church and walked away because of the business-like, sterile, programme-orientated institution of their local church rather than the living organism of Jesus’ body, patterned for us in the New Testament, that it is intended to be.

The church is a mystery. It is the vitally alive, growing and maturing body of Jesus Christ. It is made up of people from every nation who have been born again into the Kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The church is one world-wide body, united through faith in Jesus as Lord, across the globe and across the generations. It is not subject to doctrinal or denominational differences. It has a simple mandate from Jesus, to believe in Him and to love one another. These are the distinguishing characteristics of the true Church, and the witness to the world that the Father sent Jesus to be the Saviour of the world.

The Apostle Paul paints three word-pictures of the church that give us a clearer understanding of what Jesus intends His church to be as it lives in the world as His witness before He returns to claim His people for eternal life with Him.

THE CHURCH IS A BODY – its function

Jesus gave His disciples the first clue to the nature of the church.

“Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Matthew 8:19-20 NIV

Many Bible scholars have misunderstood this passage because they do not understand the way of Hebrew thought. This is not about the cost of following Jesus. He was not poor. He was a rabbi who was well supported by the people, especially a group of faithful and wealthy women. Judas kept the group’s money bag from which he stole, according to John, so, there must have been money available to take care of their needs.

In Hebrew thought, Jesus referred the places where creatures multiply. Foxes and birds reproduce in dens and nests. They don’t live in them. Jesus, as the head, did not yet have a body from which He would reproduce Himself. After Pentecost, when the church was born, Jesus, as the head, would multiply Himself through His body to build His church until it is complete before His return.

The purpose of Jesus’ body is to be one with the Godhead and with one another. This unity is to reveal to the world the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit so that the world would believe in Jesus.

“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.”

John 17:20-21 NLT

A body has a multiplicity of unique individual parts that function together in perfect harmony to produce a living organism. So it is with the body of Jesus. However, without a brain, the systems that make up the body cannot function efficiently, and the body will die. Without Jesus as the living head of His church, His body is nothing but a sterile, non-reproducing organisation.

The picture of the church as a body speaks of a living, functioning, reproducing organism of head and body in perfect unity and harmony powered by the Holy Spirit. The members of the body lovingly serve one another, build one another up, and reproduce Jesus in the lives of others.

THE CHURCH IS A BUILDING – its purpose

The second picture of the church is a building made of living stones, an individual and corporate temple in which God dwells by His Spirit.

A temple is a place of worship, place of sacrifice, a place of service, and a place of submission of heart, will and life to God who reigns from the inside. It hosts God who makes His dwelling in the inner shrine of our hearts.

The sacrifices of the New Covenant are neither animal, nor blood. Jesus has shed His own blood to take away the sin of the world and reconcile us to the Father. The sacrifices we offer in the New Covenant are acts of worship that express the attitudes of our hearts.

Everything we do in our everyday lives, no matter how simple or mundane, expresses our love and gratitude to God for His grace and goodness to us.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT

As God’s temple, we offer the sacrifices of

Praise

“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name….”

Good works

“… And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”

Hebrews 13:15-16 NLT

Generosity

“At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.”

Philippians 4:18 NLT

A repentant heart

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Psalms 51:16-17 NLT

THE CHURCH IS A BRIDE – its goal

A “bride” speaks of togetherness, companionship, and intimacy in a permanent, unbreakable union for an entire lifetime. Jesus came to earth to seek His bride. All who believe in Him are His beloved and betrothed bride awaiting the day when He returns to claim her as His own forever.

The betrothal period is an important part of the bride’s preparation for her wedding day. She has two tasks to do to prepare for that day.

Her first task is to separate herself from all other men. No longer must she be alert to the invitation of other “hopefuls”. Her role as Jesus’ betrothed is to focus all her attention on her “heavenly lover”.

Her second function is to prepare her wedding gown. Her bridegroom has given her His spotless robe of righteousness bought with His own blood.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

The bride’s task is to adorn her gown with the good works that are the fruit of His righteousness.

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)”

Revelation 19:7-8 NIV

What are the” good works” we are to do to adorn our wedding gown? In obedience to the Holy Spirit, we are to use our spiritual gifts to serve and built up the body of Christ until we reach unity and maturity in Christ and conformity to His image.

“So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV

So, we see that Jesus’ church is not an organisation running programmes to keep God’s people busy. It is a living organism made up of believers, who do life together, worship together, and live in intimate communion with Jesus, eagerly awaiting His coming to consummate an eternal union with Himself and to live in God’s forever family.