Tag Archives: fire

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE- THE ROOSTER PULLED THE TRIGGER

April 12, 2020Bible StudyChief Priest, courtyard, fire, PeterLuella Campbell

THE ROOSTER PULLED THE TRIGGER

“Arresting Jesus, they marched Him off and took Him into the house of the Chief Priest. Peter followed, but at a safe distance. In the middle of the courtyard some people had started a fire and were sitting around it, trying to keep warm. One of the serving maids…noticed him…and said, ‘This man was with Him.’

“He denied it, ‘Woman, I don’t even know Him.’

“A short time later someone else noticed him and said, ‘You’re one of them.’

But Peter denied it, ‘Man, I am not.’

“About an hour later someone else spoke up, really adamant: ‘He’s got to have been with Him! He’s got “Galilean” written all over him.’

“Peter said, ‘Man I don’t know what you are talking about.’ At that very moment, the last word hardly off his lips, a rooster crowed. Just them, the Master turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what the Master had said to him…He went out and cried and cried and cried.” Luke 22:54-62.

Would Peter ever forget that night? Every time a rooster crowed, for the rest of his life he would remember.

I guess that many thousands of sermons have been preached on this passage of Scripture over the centuries, mostly focusing on Peter’s denial and Jesus’ forgiveness. After all, it’s a message of grace that everyone needs to hear.

But God’s grace comes to us in many different ways. Sometimes we identify God’s grace as His direct intervention in our lives; miraculous healing, forgiveness, times when we cope when we have no strength of our own.

At that moment in Peter’s life, I am sure he would like to have killed that rooster because it triggered a memory that brought him to utter despair. What if Jesus had not warned him in advance that it would happen? Would the sound of the crowing rooster have had as much impact on him as it did? Probably not.

He would have felt bad about denying Jesus but, because of the warning, every time he heard the rooster, he would also have heard his own retort at Jesus’ warning, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to jail and to death.’ It was not Jesus’ words that haunted him as much as his own.

Peter did not know himself. He had no idea of his weak and cowardly heart until the crowing rooster pulled the trigger! He had a long journey ahead and a lot of growing to do before he could say those same words and mean them.

The rooster was only being a rooster but, for Peter, his voice was a forceful reminder of his fallible humanity and his need for God’s grace because he could not do it on his own. It was his failure that caused him to be aware of his constant need of God and caused him to rest in the power of Jesus to give him strength to stand under testing.

Peter could not have penned the words in his letter to believers under pressure had he not experienced what he did on that terrible night. Only tested faith can come out pure, like gold that has gone through fire. Had Peter not fallen that night, he could have claimed victory through his own will-power, but his crash was the best thing that ever happened to him.

The sound of the crowing rooster was a trigger, not of failure and despair but of hope, a reminder of God’s grace that forgives, restores and gives another chance to those who discover, through experience, how weak they really are, and who learn to rest in the strength that God supplies.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – RIGHT SIDE UP

January 14, 2020Bible Studychange everything, disrupt and confront, fireLuella Campbell

RIGHT SIDE UP

“I’ve come to start a fire on this earth – how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right-side up – how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront!” Luke12:49-51.

This is fighting talk! Jesus is speaking about revolution here, but what did He actually mean?

We will misunderstand Jesus’ words if we take what He said literally. As always, where the literal meaning is inappropriate, the Hebrew people interpret the words according to their function, not their form; for example, wherever God is spoken of in human terms or in ways that conjure up grotesque pictures, the words are not intended to be understood literally. God is spirit – He has no hands, face, wings etc. These images explain how He relates to us.

We also need to put Jesus’ words into the context of His character. Was He a revolutionary? Yes. What kind of revolutionary? Never in the sense of using force or cruelty to change anything. His intention was always to address the issues of the heart. He came to bring radical change to society, not through political power or coercion but through the inward transformation of people, one by one.

Jesus’ work in people is never cosmetic. His death on the cross shows us that. Sin requires drastic measures to eradicate it so that the inward lives of sinful human beings can be changed. His conflict with the religious leaders raged around this point. They were satisfied to maintain the status quo as long as they could put on a show of ‘holiness’ on the outside to impress people.

Any religion that addresses behaviour without getting at the root of the sin nature is false, deceptive and fatal. No one can be changed inside by wearing the right clothes, eating the right food or carrying out the right rituals. None of that can touch the problem of sin at its core. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure…” Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV) is the Bible’s diagnosis of our plight.

Jesus came to confront and defeat the real culprit, the devil, to strip him of his power to deceive and to release us from captivity to his lies. Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished a great victory over the devil.

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV).

To understand Jesus’ words correctly is to know He came to declare war on the real enemy, the devil, not on people. He came to rescue and redeem us from the slave market of sin and transform our hearts. Only then can society be turned the right side up when righteousness, justice and peace are restored through the men and women who put these things into practice in their lives.

Forcing people to subscribe to a religion that is heartless and cruel may be revolutionary but it can never bring peace. Jesus is the only Prince of Peace and His peace is the deep inward tranquillity that comes from being at peace with God through the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation to our heavenly Father. In that security, we can settle our issues with our fellow men and live out of our transformed hearts.

THE BOOK OF ACTS – TRIAL BY FIRE

August 2, 2019Bible Studyfire, kill, trialLuella Campbell

TRIAL BY FIRE

“That night the Master appeared to Paul. ‘It’s going to be alright. Everything is going to turn out for the best. You’ve been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem. Now you’re going to be my witness in Rome.'” Acts 23:11 (The Message).

How desperately Paul needed reassurance at that moment! Things looked pretty bad for him. He was not involved in any criminal activity and at least the Pharisee part of the Sanhedrin had given their verdict — in their row with the Sadducees — not guilty, but not in an official trial. He could not be released and even if he were, he was still in danger of being torn apart by the angry mob if he so much as stuck his nose out of doors.

Paul must have felt very alone in his circumstances, between a rock and a hard place and not knowing what would happen to him next. Things seemed to have gone horribly wrong. There seemed no way out and he must have been wondering whether God’s plan for him had been derailed.

Just when he needed it, the word came from the Master Himself. ‘It’s okay, Paul, everything is still on track. I’ll get you to Rome, just as I said I would.’ It’s just like Jesus to affirm Paul even in these sticky circumstances. He spoke words of encouragement and approval like a good father and Paul must have breathed easy again, knowing that, crazy as things seemed to be God was still there orchestrating the situation for His own purposes.

Paul was in custody in the barracks, and now the Roman captain was sitting with a problem on his hands — what to do with him. He had no authority to release him or to try him. It was the Jews’ fight. Somehow he had to get Paul a trial by the proper authorities.

“Next day the Jews worked up a plot against Paul. They took a solemn oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. Over forty of them ritually bound themselves to this murder and presented themselves to the high priests and religious leaders. ‘We’ve bound ourselves by an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. But we need your help. Send a request from the council to the captain to bring Paul back so that you can investigate the charges in more detail. We’ll do the rest. Before he gets anywhere near you, we’ll have killed him. You won’t be involved.'” Acts 23:12-15 (The Message).

Now what! Paul’s Jewish antagonists had hatched a seemingly fool proof plot to kill him. No one knew about it, so they thought, and now they had Paul in the bag! This reminds me of the words of an old hymn:

“Though the cause of evil prosper,

Yet ’tis truth alone is strong;

Though her portion be the scaffold,

And upon the throne be wrong;

Yet that scaffold sways the future,

And, behind the dim unknown,

Standeth God within the shadows,

Keeping watch above His own

(“Once to every man and nation” – James Russell Lowell)

The reassurance Jesus had given Paul was enough for him to know that, no matter what the current circumstances, God would turn it to His own advantage.

Jesus Did Not Say That We Will Live With Him In Heaven Forever

September 27, 2015Apologeticsearth, fire, purge, rule, WordLuella Campbell

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE WILL LIVE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN FOREVER

As much as we like this idea, the assumption that we are going to be in heaven for eternity is just not true. God created the earth to be a perfect home for man. It was His intention from the beginning that the human race, perfected in holiness and righteousness as His sons and daughters, will live in union with God and rule over the earth in partnership with Him.

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 all livestock and wild animals and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ (Gen. 1: 26)

Adam’s rebellion did not change God’s plan. It was a part of His plan since God was not taken by surprise. How else would He reveal His mercy and grace to the entire universe including the fallen angels, if He did not have a plan to redeem and rescue mankind from the consequences of sin?

The erroneous idea that Jesus will take His church to heaven and then destroy the earth and all its ungodly inhabitants, flies in the face of the entire drift of Scripture. Both the Old and the New Testaments bear witness to a God who does not destroy but renews and restores everything that was broken by the Fall. He did not destroy the entire human race and begin again when Adam fell. His plan of redemption through Jesus was already in place before the beginning of time.

All the inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. (Rev. 13: 8)

God has always preserved a remnant for Himself – people who are faithful to Him in the midst of apostasy and ungodliness. It was through the remnant of faithful Jews that Messiah came; Zechariah and Elizabeth bore John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah; Mary and Joseph – Mary chosen to be the mother of Jesus and Joseph, a godly man, together with Mary, chosen to raise Him in a godly home; His disciples who believed in Him were groomed to continue His mission on earth after He left.

Throughout the Scriptures God’s intention is clear. Using the picture of a geographical kingdom, God taught His people that they were to rule over their territory in righteousness under His protection and guidance as a witness to the surrounding nations that He alone is God and that His nature is love expressed in mercy and compassion to all. That they did not get it and fell into idolatry over and over again did not cancel out His plan.

Both Paul and John clearly understood that Jesus’ death accomplished much more than forgiveness of sins. Just as the disobedience of Adam had cosmic repercussions, so the death of Jesus, the last Adam, brought about the reversal of the devastating effects of Adam’s sin.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom. 8: 18-22)

John was privileged to have glimpses into the future when Satan will be vanquished forever and Jesus will be established as God’s rightful king over all creation. John witnessed the end result of redemption – a renewed heaven and earth which came together under the rule of God. In picture language he described heaven coming down to earth, symbolising the final union of heaven and earth with God taken His place among His redeemed and perfected people.

Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ (Rev. 21: 1-4)

What did John mean by the words ‘a new heaven and a new earth’? Did he mean that God will utterly destroy the earth and start all over again? This interpretation is not consistent with Scripture. Peter gives us a glimpse into the meaning of a ‘new heaven and a new earth.’

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. (2 Peter: 3: 5-7)

To be consistent, we must interpret the destruction of the earth by fire in the same way as the “destruction” of the earth by water. Destruction did not mean annihilation by water in Noah’s day, and therefore it cannot mean annihilation by fire when Jesus comes. “Destruction” in Scripture is often used in the sense of purging, i.e, the removal of everything corrupt and evil. Take John’s testimony about the Messiah, for example.

I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matt. 3: 11-12)

What is God’s intention, then? Just as He created (i.e., reshaped and filled a formless and empty earth) the heavens and the earth by His word through the Word – Jesus – so He will purge His creation from evil by His word through the Word so that it will be His dwelling place with His people forever.

We shall continue this study tomorrow.

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, will soon be on the bookshelves.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

God Guilty Of Being God!

September 5, 2015Bible Studyfire, high priest, Peter, warmedLuella Campbell

GOD GUILTY OF BEING GOD!

A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death, but they did not find any. (Mark 14: 51-55).

What a formidable bunch – high priest, chief priests, elders and teachers of the law – the whole shooting match! The most powerful civil and religious authority in the land. They knew they had Rome behind them because they were hand in glove with the Roman authorities, if they could just convince Pilate of His guilt. And Jesus. One man against a ruthless mob but, as we read on we will soon find out who was actually in charge.

The writer of this gospel put his signature to his work in two short sentences. Who was the young man who was sneaking around in the dark, watching and following the crowd to see what was happening. Why was he out in his underwear in the pre-dawn chill? Whoever he was, when he wrote the story he must have been speaking about himself. Who else would have been aware of an insignificant detail like this and included it in his gospel as if to say, ‘I was there’?

Once again Peter was out front. He was brazen enough to shed his fear and follow Jesus to see where they were taking Him. Of course, their first port of call would be the high priest’s residence – and he was waiting for them. The rest of the religious hierarchy quickly assembled.

Jesus and the might of Israel – face to face at last, and they thought they had Him. They had subdued their enemy, and now they had to find a charge that would stick, and one that would put Him away for good. What sort of a justice system was that? Arrest a man because they wanted Him out of the way, and then cook up a plausible accusation to make Him look guilty. How many governments, even the most corrupt in the world, apply justice like that?

They had a difficult situation to contend with – first a charge, then the evidence to convict a man who had dared to challenge His accusers, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” Not a single person came forward with an accusation, not even His avowed enemies. O, they had lots to say about Him but they could make none of it stick.

Many testified falsely against Him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against Him, ‘We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’ Yet even their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are brining against you?’ But Jesus remained silent and gave not answer. (Mark 14: 56-61)

Is that really what Jesus had said? A few words changed the whole picture. He said, to quote Him accurately, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ (John 2:19) John added, ‘But the temple He had spoken of was His body.’ In a play on words, Jesus was speaking prophetically of what they would do to Him – destroy His body – and His resurrection. Of course they would not understand. But how could a statement like that make Him worthy of death?

To them it did not matter whether the accusations agreed and whether they were false or not. They had their “proof” of His guilt and they could go ahead and sentence Him. In their eagerness to get rid of Him, they overlooked an important detail of their justice system. Anyone who bore a false witness against the accused was subject to the same sentence as the accused. These false witnesses should have been crucified along with Jesus!

What a mess – created by the very ones who were entrusted with the sacred task of exercising justice in the name of their God. God condemned to death for being God, at the hands of men!