Separation - Romans 8:31-39

As humans there are many kinds of hurt and pain we endure though out life, the obvious is often seen or experienced in the physical. Its hard to deny the experience of physical pain whether it be enduring chronic back pain or even one of the many cancers people experience and yet it is this pain which I find more bearable then most. For it is the kind of pain that others cannot see, the emotional hurt that I believe not only is more difficult to deal with but in many ways scars us more than all others.

Being separated from those we love and are in relationship with has to be the most difficult and gruesome pain I have ever felt in my life. In recent years this kind of pain has been very real to me and not knowing or having any understanding of how I can fix it makes it the more difficult. Relationships is what makes people into family and families into community. It really does lie at the heart of who we are as humans. And when we understand that this characteristic of being human is a reflection of how God has created us, we also know that being in relationship must also be at the heart of who God is.

God has never been or desired to be a distant being in which we have no connection or relationship as some people will often perceive. Many murals have been painted of a God who is in heaven with a heavy stick of correction ready and willing to punish his disobedient servants. And yet this in no way reflects the nature of our God whom from the beginning of time, even in the writings of Genesis, reflects his plans and desire for a way in which His creation might come back into perfect love and relationship with Him.

Throughout the old testament we find hundreds of prophecies relating to the coming of the Messiah, the one who we know as Christ Jesus. It is through this ministry of reconciliation of our Lord Jesus that we can once again come into God's loving arms and the amazing relationships that He desires for His creation. As Jesus said of himself "I am the way, the truth and the life.." John 14:6

In separation from those we truly love we get a glimpse of God's own heart towards His creation. Though He desires a loving and perfect relationship with them, He is often rejected and hated by the very ones He created and loves. Nothing it would seem can cause greater grief than to have those you love reject you and yet this is what mankind does every moment of the day. How can God go on loving and displaying His love for creation when there is so much hatred towards him? I guess this is what makes Him God and we just a mere shadow of our intended selves. So as Romans says

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We can only pray for this same love to be displayed in our own lives!
God Bless you, God loves you...

Quadratos - The Four Paths of Heart & Mind

I wanted to recommend an amazing book I have just completed. Based around the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, John and Luke. This book by Alexander Shaia examines the four paths of spiritual growth and development.

quadratos.com Heart & Mind

Losing Control - Matthew 16:25

Since the age of nine years old, I have had constant upheaval in my life. This is not to say there have been wonderful and blessed times as well but the general pattern, even as a Christian man has been a continual pattern of moving from one thing to another. I have made many excuses for this in my life, taking the Pentecostal view of prosperity and blessing I would often describe this as a gift and a calling of my life. Yet when I look back, even today at things I have done in recent years I see that almost everything I have done has been out of reaction to my hurt and pain from my childhood and teenage years.

Since my parents divorced at age nine, I would move from house to house as I was confronted with hurt and pain from those around me. Whether it was because of my stepfather treating me as a second rate member of our house hold because I was not his son to being told to sleep on the lounge at my father's home as my step sister needed the only spare room in the house. These early years of my life continued throughout my teenage years and even after inviting Christ to be Lord of my life at age seventeen.

Hurt continued as I grew older and the interesting thing about hurt is if not dealt with it becomes increasingly difficult to deal with as time progresses. When at age nineteen years I was excluded from being a part of the leadership team for the youth department of our church where I was employed, rather than dealing with my hurt at this time I fled to another opportunity and place where I did not feel threatened. This is when I started a habit of starting new projects and pioneering new ministries in the name of Jesus when really it was all about me fleeing from the hurt of those around me.

As time moved on and those around me continued to hurt me, I looked for my own strength and gifts to make up for my lack of humility. Pride and arrogance grew stronger in my life as the projects I started in my own strength and out of my own hurt were often viewed as successful. Rather than giving God glory for my life I went about glorifying my own natural abilities and made excuses to my self and those around me for running from place to place. I would make my family, namely my wife and children bare the brunt of my hurt by forcing them to accept these new so called opportunities to serve the Lord.

In the last two years I have gone through a process by which all of the things of which I would boast have been stripped away. The churches and ministries I started, the homes I restored and built and even the respect from the only people in my life that I have ever really trusted. All has been taken from me and yet now for the first time ever in my life I know that I am in a place where God is truly ABLE to do EXCEEDINGLY and ABUNDANTLY, ABOVE ALL and BEYOND that I could ever hope or imagine (Ephesian 3:20).

I have lost control of my life and whilst many would feel uncomfortable with losing control I know that when I am not trying to control the outcomes of my circumstances by being my own boss, own ministry director, owner builder or even my own pastor of my life that now Jesus can begin to be ALL those things he can be in my life and more. This is precisely what Jesus was saying that if any one wants to gain his life he must first lose it (Matthew 16:25).

The most powerful sermon ever preached in my opinion is the Sermon on the Mount by Christ Jesus in Matthew chapters 5-7. In these two chapters Jesus outlines more or less the attitudes that we as followers of our Lord Jesus should have in us. Most importantly to me over the years has been in particular the Beatitudes that Jesus spoke of in the third to tenth verses of Matthew 5. These are listed below:-

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

Having a Pentecostal and prosperity view point I never really made sense of these verses until recently in my walk with Christ. How could the poor in spirit, the mourners, meek, hungry, thirsty, pure, peace makers (perhaps these last two I understood) and the persecuted be those who apparently inherit the Kingdom of God. In fact if we are to understand Jesus's word correctly, it is these who make up those who are in heaven and even in their nature and character have the kingdom within them on earth. This went right across all ideology and thoughts that I was used to.

 

Yet when we examine the characteristics that are in contrast of those with these attitudes we soon realise that people who are not poor are rich, who do not mourn have joy, who are not meek are proud, who are not hungry are full, who are not thirsty are quenched, who are not merciful are unmerciful, who are not pure in heart are evil, who are not peace makers are war mongers and who are not persecuted for Christ are anti-Christ. These people at least in their own minds have their full and need or lack nothing on this earth.

 

When we realise that we have nothing in ourselves that cause us to inherit the Kingdom of God, that is when are hearts are ready to receive from God all He has to offer us. This is also true of the fruit of the spirit when viewed in contrast to the fruit of the manifestations of our flesh as we read in Galatians 5. When we can acknowledge our need for God to work in every part of our lives, knowing that we have nothing within ourselves, then the helper, the precious Holy Spirit can come into and work through our lives to produce fruit which remains and which in turn will produce it's own fruit.

 

God Bless you, even those that hate Christians including me, I pray that God works wonders and miracles in your life and shows you the richness of His heart and sincere love that He has for you.

Marriage Today - Jimmy Evans

I wanted to post a link for some excellent teaching I have been listening to of late, namely that of Ps Jimmy Evans and the ministry of Marriage Today. There teaching for married couples is some of the best I have heard and highly recommend them.

You can find them on marriagetoday.com

King David - A heart after God's own heart

1Samuel 13:14 would have to be the most compelling proof that God was looking for a king that not only did his will but had a heart after God.

Yet when we examine the life of King David, that is some of the terrible things he did whilst in service as a king, it is difficult to see how his actions reflected that of a heart after God. Many people today argue a similar thing about the church. How can the church which throughout the ages has imposed such cruelty upon both members and non members alike can be a true representation of the body of Christ. And yet that is what it is and always will be!

To understand this heart of King David we need to look at King David's reaction to some of these things he did. The most obvious that springs to mind is King David's action flowing him seeing a beautiful woman, namely Bathsheba, bathing on a rooftop at a time when Kings normally go to war.

The account can be found in 2Samuel 11 and without going into detail, King David has an affair with this women who we later find is pregnant with the King's son. To cover up his sin, King David then arranges to have Bathsheba's husband returned from the very battle that the King himself should have been fighting so that he might sleep with his with and thereby have an explanation for the pregnancy. All this however goes horribly wrong as Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, refuses to sleep with his wife knowing that his comrades are on the battlefield. All of which are the attitudes and morals that King David himself should have displayed.

To add misery to his shame, King David arranges to have Uriah killed in battle. A death that really King David himself should have met with. Yet the story does not end here, as Nathan the prophet representing the voice of God or the Holy Spirit speaks to King David revealing his wickedness. It is King David's response to this which gives him the title of one with a heart after God. King David did not deny or run again from the truth, but embraced the opportunity to bring him again in right standing with God. He repents and ask God to forgive him and from this attitude writes the amazing Psalm 51.

What made King David a great King was not the many battles he fought or the lands that he acquired by them, nor was it is victory over his enemies but it was his desire in all things to please and seek first the Kingdom and will of his heavenly Father. King David was a man that was interested in making his heart and thereby his life right with God.

Scripture tells us that a man speaks what is in his heart, it is therefore fair to say that the things we speak of are a reflection of what it in our hearts. And though only God knows what is in our hearts, it is also fair to say that what we speak reveal the true integrity of our hearts. And whilst many of us, including myself, need heart transplants. That is to have our hearts renewed by God's love and the blood of Christ Jesus, it is also fair to say that we must guard our hearts from what we expose them to.

Paul in the book of Romans tells us to renew our minds, a scripture that most believers are familiar with. This renewing is not a one off solution but a daily walk ensuring that the things we think about are holy and seasoned with grace. It is the thoughts of our minds which ultimately determine the attitudes of the heart. As proverbs says "As a man thinks, so is he". If you too want a heart after God, what then are you filling your mind with?

Giving for Justice and Equality

According to Paul the apostles writing to the Corinthian Church, their reason for laying aside a sum of money for the purpose of giving was for equality and justice. That is, out of the overflow of the Corinthian churches they would set aside money to give to those who were in need and who lacked. Equality lay at the heart of giving in the New Testament. Not to say that it was wrong to have an abundance, but where there was need amongst other believers it was an expectation that they should share what they had with others.

Another reason for giving appears to be injustice, that is those who were shown justice from others would indeed give to those who had been shown injustice. Such as when a person had something taken from them, whether it was through personal or public persecution by others, then those who had received justice would reach out to those who had been unjustly done by.

Today in our world there is much injustice. Almost everywhere we look whether it be on TV or otherwise we hear of how others are wrongly done by others. It is these people whom Paul seems should be recipients of our love and care in society. Equally there is also much poverty, not so much in our own nation with the kind of social systems we have in place but certainly it still exists.

Over and over again we find in scripture two kinds of people who it was expected in Jewish culture that should be recipients of mercy. Namely, widows and orphans who in Jewish culture had no real means of income. Once a women was widowed she had little chances of receiving an income. Most often she would remarry, beg or if possible be taken in by another family member if she had any chance of survival. Additional, orphans too if they had no benefactors would often succumb to their peril.

The question I have, in our giving through the western church, is how much of what we do really benefits those who are genuinely needy. In a nation of plenty where there is truly no lack, how do we care for those around us both us a nation and individually to our neighbours and those we interact. Is our giving today up to the biblical test or is it simply a justification of our own conscience to appease our own worldliness. What I mean is, are we truly aware of why we give and if so do we really know what happens to the gifts we give. Or do we simply give to make ourselves think we are doing good when our giving is really wasted.

Does our giving truly appease injustice and bring equality, does it truly reach the widows and orphans of todays society. Or is it a feel good operation which simply justifies our useless programs and positions of authority that we have created throughout the years. some may argue that it is better to do something rather than nothing. I am not sure of this, "obedience is better than sacrifice".

I wonder and pray?

Marriage a picture of the Church

As a Christian, I have always valued the institution of marriage. Yet coming from a broken home of nine years of age when my parents divorced, I was often fearful of my childhood being outworked in my adulthood. That it, though I new marriage was a part of God's plan, never quite understood the symbolism and the power that marriage is to society as a whole and the church specifically.

Marriage is a picture of the relationship God has with His church, which He affectionately calls His bride. Revelation 19:7-9 culminates this expression of God's love for His bride in these versus. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

God's plan of salvation was never just to save us from hell, but to establish a covenant relationship of love with the redeemed of God for eternity. It is in marriage we have a picture of this relationship and one of the reasons why marriage must remain pure to its intentions. Marriage was always between a bride and a groom. that is the female which was made in the image of the male coming together to be the one flesh. This same picture we have in the relationship that Adam must have had with his creator. He who came from God, that is made in the image of, would be in perfect relationship with his creator.

Marriage is also a covenant relationship, which also symbolises the covenant that God has with his bride the church. Just as God saw Israel as one who was naked and abandoned, He made a covenant promise to take her in and make her his own. Covenants are important as they are not like contracts that can be merely torn up or broken based on a set of rules or regulations. But true covenant relationship is life long. Once again a symbol of God's life long (eternal) promise to us who love him. This is even demonstrated  as said in Romans that "Whilst we were yet sinners, Christ died for us".

As we know from 1Corinthians 13, marriage is based on love. The kind of love that is not merely feelings or emotions, but the kind of love that is enduring and sacrificial. When we say our vows at the altar, that is before God and our family, we promise to love and cherish in sickness and in health, for richer and poorer till death do us part. This kind of love is at the core of God's relationship with his church. Almost every commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples, of which we are their fruit and offspring, was based on this kind of love.

When we erode away the importance and values of marriage, we ultimately do the same to the true values of the church and God's plan with His church on this earth. Marriage was established well before the church was and for a good reason. Marriage is a true picture and symbol of the kind of relationship that God desires with his bride the church and therefore the reason why we must fight to retain it as established by God.

Losing weight and the Kingdom of God - Body, Soul & Spirit

When Jesus performed his earthly ministry of reconciliation, that is to bring the gospel through the giving and laying down his life for us, he never once allowed his flesh to lead or distract him from the task given to him by the Father.

Over and over again, whilst others slept or fulfilled their fleshly appetites, our Lord denied himself to pursue the pleasure of His Father and the plans He had for Him. John 4 is a classical example of this, just when Christ was tired, hungry and thirsty from the journey, He took time to bring the gospel to the Samaritan women by the well and in doing so saw a great harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God.

From scripture, it is easy to understand that we, man, have three parts. Just as the trinity is made of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit so too have we a body, soul and spirit. Paul in 1 Thessalonians prays that your whole body, soul and spirit might prosper. In Genesis 1:26 we find that we too are made in the likeness of God and therefore have these three aspects of the trinity operational within our own lives. It is common thought amongst even the most hedonistic cultures that man at the very least has soul/spirit and a body which is evident to all.

Paul teaches us that the flesh must be made subjected to the spirit. The spirit being the area of our lives which is hearing the voice of our creator God and able to discern His still voice. The flesh representing the ways of the world and carnal nature which denies God and is interest in only self. Paul in Romans 12 tells us that when we come to God that we must renew our minds, that is our thought patterns, ideologies and concepts. Knowing from scripture that God's ways are higher than our ways and God's thoughts higher than our thoughts.

Often however, when we are battling a certain area of the flesh we do it not with our souls and spirits but with our flesh. A classical example of this is with weight loss. In Australia alone, the diet and fitness industry is a billion dollar business. Just in the area that I work, most people are members of a gym or are signed up to some diet formulae which is meant to help them lose weight. Not to mention that obesity is at epidemic levels in this nation.

Yet fighting our flesh by the flesh is not really dealing with the issues of the mind that caused the obesity in the first place and many of these people when they cease their diets or gym activities quickly regain weight. This is because they have not allowed their spirit to lead over their flesh and they continue to have stinking or wrong thinking.

To truly regain victory over the flesh we must build up our spirits through prayer and confession of God's word. In some way we need to redo the circuitry of our minds by bypassing what the flesh desires and as Paul says setting our minds on things above rather than on things below. Coming back to John 4 and the Samaritan women, she initially was so wired to focus on the physical she missed what our Lord was saying about living waters and not thirsting again. She thought it was all about not having a bucket or the physical means in which to draw water.

By denying the flesh is not enough if all we do is build up another area of the flesh, such as body building, we must also build our spirits, the area of our lives which is receiving from God and allow our lives to be led by our Spirits which in turn are led by the Holy Spirit.

What is the Holy Spirit wanting to achieve in your life and what thinking needs to be changed to achieve it?
God Bless

Discipleship & Love for Christ

Jesus in Matthew 28 gives the disciples, including the apostles, prior to his ascension what we call the great commission. And whilst many would agree the great commission to make disciples of all nations is just as vital today as when Christ spoke these words, the question remains, how do we make disciples today?

With what seems to be endless bad media of church leaders and pastors who have betrayed the trust of our youths and led them on a path of deception through both sexual, physical and emotional assault. One can wonder if discipleship of believers into the kingdom of God will ever be the same. And certainly if we take into account of the thousands of young people who have been dismayed and scared for life through these ungodly acts its fair to say it can never be the same.

Yet if we examine scripture, we know that though times and people change, God's desire to reach the lost and begin this glorious relationship with all creation remains as strong as ever. In Jesus' time, there was a greater cultural understanding of discipleship then we in the western world have ever truly understood. In fact it was considered a normal and natural transition from childhood into adulthood that a young person would seek out another mature and wise leader to give guidance and to train them in the ways and attitudes of our God.

Most young boys, usually from the age of 12 or 13 years would seek out a Rabbi, that is a teacher, who could train them not only in the scriptures (Torah) but also in the heart of God towards his creation. The boys would spend several years both living with and away from the Rabbi at times until the written and the spoken word was inscribed on the heart of the young man.

In the same way, young girls were taken into the home by the mother to learn not just basic house skills, but also the attitudes and motivations of a godly mother and wife. Woman in Jesus' time not only took care of basic household needs such as cooking and cleaning but were responsible for every aspect of the home and decisions surrounding it.

After both boys and girls had reached maturity they would return to their homes to help the father with his farmer duties or the mother with hers until they inturn would begin married lives and repeat the whole process with their own children. During this time with their parents they were once again grounded in the roles of the father or the mother of the household.

When we examine this culture of discipleship, it is very hard to imagine a similar practice in our western world and especially not in our 21st century. How then should we make disciples? Scientist tell us that our days and predominantly broken up into 3 periods of time, that is time to sleep, time to work/learn and finally time to rest/play. Whilst these periods may vary somewhat depending on your circumstances it is fair to say that most of us spend our waking hours either at work or school and at rest or play. For most primary and high school children this time at school will vary from 6 to 9 hours depending on your commuting needs. Those working spend anywhere from 8 to 15 hours per day depending on commuting needs, it is therefore no wonder that most people by the end of their day have little or no interest in being discipled let alone making disciples for themselves.

What then is the answer? Some have argued that discipleship needs to take place during our rest times whilst visiting our local churches or youth groups. And for many years I would agree that this is a natural and normal way of viewing things. Yet when we consider the average youth or adult church services run for a period of 2 hours or less it is unlikely nor possible for one youth leader or pastor to achieve this by himself. Nor do I believe the great commission was given to a select few but to the whole body of Christ. Discipleship must therefore take place by all at times and places that are practical and possible for all involved.

There are however a number of professions which I believe have a golden opportunity in which to make disciples. First and fore mostly are those who are employed to teach or train. Teachers have at their disposal hours each day to share their lives with those young students around them. And though once again, the average class of students can be up to 30 students in public schools, these teachers will see their students multiple times throughout the week. A great deal more than any pastor or youth leader may do.

Naturally, there are many other professions which have a great impact and potential to make disciples and I do not wish to take from any of them. This example simply serves as a purpose to help us think out of our church minded boxes we live in and see the potential of utilising the roles more than what we first thought.

Making disciples however will come to no effect if we have not love as Paul the apostles so blatantly pointed out to the church in Corinth. Quoting that there works would be as a clanging cymbal or resounding gong if we have not love. Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians "the love of God compels us". Hence we can have the greatest opportunity or even programs for making disciples that ever existed, but if we have not love they are a waste of time. Why then is love so important?

When we think of this kind of love we are not referring to the love of a friend which we call Phileo love, nor is it the kind of love that family members have for one another known as Storge love. It is naturally not the lust driven kind of love we see in Eros but it is the kind of love that God demonstrates for us even whilst we were yet sinners. That is His Agape love which is sacrificial. Luke tells us it is this agape love which daily denies itself, takes up it's cross and follows Christ. Just as Christ denied himself to serve to the needs of others, so too are we called to follow in Christ's example to lay down our lives for others.

Not only in the making of disciples, but all good works we do in Christ's name are called to be done out of a heart of love for Christ and others. When love for others is our motivation, then whatever we do will result in good fruit and even fruit that remains. There is one remaining aspect that we must take into account. The Holy Spirit was sent as the helper to ensure that all we decide to do with our time and efforts results in bearing not just fruit but spiritual fruit that remains. Be led by the Holy Spirit, let love be your motivation and let your works exemplify Christ offering for all of mankind.

God Bless

Roman 5-6 Slaves to Sin or Righteousness

When we read Paul's accounts in Romans chapter 5 and chapter 6, we soon realise that there are three things that should be at work in our lives. Paul speaks distinctly of being slaves to sin, slave to righteousness but later in chapter 6 and again in chapter 8 we realise there is another aspect at work in our lives. That third element is the Holy Spirit.

Paul speaks about the law and its effects on our lives, ultimately lending us over to sin and how having the laws of sin at work in our lives. This is ultimately a metaphor for those who follow the flesh and are subjected to the flesh.

Paul also however speaks of subjecting ourselves rather to sin but to righteousness. This aspect examines the workings of our minds. Yet Paul hear emphasises that our mind is in continual battle. This I believe is because of our thoughts and the influences upon them from the world in which we live. Some time ago I did a study and found that primary school children received over 3000 messages through media, television, internet etc every day. This study is now over 10 years old and the effects and influences from these elements would be far greater now than ever. In fact they estimate the web grows by at least 750,000 pages per day. Therefore the influences from the web would have a greater effect than ever on the minds of everyone who use it as a reference source.

The final element that Paul puts to us in the metaphor of the heart. Hence body, soul and finally spirit are all examined in these chapters of Romans. In this last aspect, Paul says it is those who are led by the Spirit which are the sons of God. So whilst we know we cannot be slaves to sin (the body), that our thoughts are in constant battle by external forces (the mind), what we can rely on to lead us to righteousness is the leading and working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

It is this which calls us sons of God, when we each day are led not by the flesh or even our own intellect and thoughts by Gods Spirit.

Risk Mitigation & The Kingdom of God

Within in any business there is what we refer to as risk mitigation. This is simply controls, restrictions and checks that are put in place to ensure the investment made is protected from potential risks. Yet risk mitigation is much more widely used even in society and our lives than what we realise.

Even within the framework of our jails and correctional institutions do we have these processes in place to ensure the safety of detainees and workers alike. A risk management plan is often drawn up which limits the activities of detainees to ensure the safety of themselves and others. Throughout society we see these processes in place, whether it be for the unruly student within our school systems or separation of patients in specialised wards to ensure certain diseases are not spread.

Though this may sound like a harsh way in which to treat other people, it is necessary to remember that the purpose of these controls are for the good of the person on which they have been imposed and for the safety of those around them. Even within the kingdom of our God do we have such controls in place. Obviously God restricts access to his presence to those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus but also through life's experience proven their love and faithfulness through a variety of trials.

At times throughout our lives, I believe are placed upon us controls to curb behaviour and attitudes which are contrary to the kingdom of God and the very heart of our Lord Jesus. Though we often don't equate these controls to God but to those people around us who we believe have imposed them, it is obvious that it is God who places them upon us to bring us back to the path and direction to which we have been called. Paul the apostle wrote to the Philippian church that he "presses on towards the high calling which is in Christ". The Psalmist tells us that "He leads us in the path of righteousness".

Once again we can think that we should simply have the freedom and the liberties to do as we want. Yet simply doing as we please does not always lead us to the Kingdom of God. In fact the first verse of the Satanic Bible says "do as though wilt". Yet Isaiah 55 says that God's ways are higher than our...

When we find ourselves with restrictions, whether it be from society, church, work or even from our own families, it is important to ask the questions "what is God trying to save me from and to where is He leading me right now in my life. What is God saying to you and what are you doing about it? Perhaps it is those very restrictions that are saving your marriage or even your very soul. Scripture tells us that God corrects those he loves, just how loved are you right now!

Change, Conflict & Gardens

As mentioned in earlier posts, I am currently reading the book Heart & Mind by Dr alexander Sharia. This book examines the four gospels in what we call an exegesis. That is taking into account the style of the writings, the audience, political and even social aspects in which they were written.

According to the writer, the book of Matthew is all about embracing change. The new believers of Jerusalem, to whom this book was written, were in a state of constant change. That is everything they had known and understood as Jews was in turmoil including the traditional ways in which to approach God and even the very Temple (metaphor for the Mountain on which God brought faith to the people of Israel in the first place) was destroyed in AD70. As a result the followers of the Way or Christians as they became known as in Antioch (their new headquarters of their ) were in a state of change and as a result were being continually asked of our Lord to embrace these new changes.

The book of Mark is all about the conflict and in particular the persecution and trials faced by the Messiahians of Rome as they became known. As Nero began an onslaught of the these new believers to cover up his own insanity and attempts to burn Rome in AD64, they were in constant fear of death in circus Maximus or some other gruesome way in which the Romans could be entertained.

The book of John is all about gardens, that is metaphorically speaking of the Garden of Eden but focusing in particular on the Garden of Gethsemane, Garden of the Tomb, Garden of the locked and closed doors when the disciples went into hiding among others. It is hear in the gardens of our hearts that our inner belief and faith are exposed but also were they can both die and be resurrected. It is in our gardens that we deal with our sins (weaknesses) and but also in our weaknesses allow our Jesus to truly be our strength.

It became apparent to me only today that whilst reading this amazing book that the Lord Jesus was in fact leading me through these stages in my life. Almost in real time as I read through the pages, as slow a reader as I am, he is showing me the struggle to let go to old ways and traditions, though in Christ only 30 years of so I have developed them. He is allowing tension to arise in conflict of good and evil through my work place and even using my wife to walk me through the garden of my life to expose areas that are holding me back in my life.

Our God is awesome and who genuinely cares about us, even as individuals among the millions and billions of inhabitants of this earth. He loves me and everyone and earnestly desires to see us grow and blossom into the men and women of God he created us for!

God Bless

Our Weaknesses Can Lead To Death

Whilst playing tennis this morning with my wife, the Holy Spirit spoke to me about weakness. Being male, though I was feeling a little tied from tennis, I wanted to press through my weariness to continue until my wife was done. And though this may sound heroic and thoughtful to my wife's needs it can also be dangerous.

Suppose I was a person with a weak heart, in my pride of not wanting to succumb to tiredness I press on in playing until ultimately I have heart failure and die. As dramatic as this may sound, this is also possible in a spiritual sense. That is not acknowledging our weaknesses (sins) will ultimately bring death as Romans tells us, "the wages of sin is death".

After telling my wife of this new analogy, my wife also said that our strength can also lead to our deaths both in the natural and in the spiritual. She late explained that when we try to achieve what only God can do through us when we acknowledge our weaknesses and we press through in our own strengths or gifts or abilities, ultimately we cut God off from being our strength and help in time of need.

So just as not acknowledging we are weak not asking God to help us and rather pressing through by ourselves will also bring destruction.

Once again, James calls for us to confess our weaknesses one to another, in doing so, we open up the store houses of heaven, the power of the Holy Spirit and all that God is able to do in and though our lives.

God Bless

The Perfect, Permanent & Powerful Love of God

I have been listening to some awesome teaching by Jimmy Evans recently and encountered an amazing sermon on God's love. Whilst many of us feel we understand that God's love is perfect, that is the agape love that God gives us never fails or disappoints, what we often forget is that whilst we are able to portray aspects of God's love in our lives, we however are not always perfect. We may at times therefore disappoint those we love and care for.

God's love is also permanent, meaning that He will never withdraw nor remove His love from us despite how we feel or even act towards Him. This is best seen in Romans 5:8, "Christ died for us whilst we were still sinners." We however are vulnerable and will often choose to love based on our circumstances and experience. This is often because of the way we have been treated and the hurts that we have experienced in our lives.

God's love is also powerful, meaning it is able to bring changes and effect us in a way that restores us to how God intended us to be. We on the other hand are never truly able to display this kind of love in our humanness. Often the type of love that the world displays today is destructive rather than wanting to build others up.

Whilst it is easy to admit we cannot display this kind of love all the time, what is harder is to remember those who we love and who affect our lives are also unable to display this love towards us all the time. This to me is a great relief as I realise that people can never truly fulfil my needs for love, that there is only one who can, that is Jesus!

Whilst I could stop hear and say that's all, we are doomed to failure as we will never be able to give love as God gives love there is in fact more to this message. Paul tells us in Philippian's to "work out your salvation". A scripture which I battled with for many years in my life. Mainly as I understood the work that Christ did on the cross for us was "completed" and also as I believed not in a works minded mentality that is that we should work for our salvation knowing that Christ did it all on the cross. This however is not what Paul is saying, in fact when we study the context of the scripture we find that Paul is explaining that we need to put to work in our lives the power that Christ wrought for salvation on the cross.

Salvation in recent years as often been viewed simply as a decision we made after a two hour sermon and an emotional song induced altar call which we reluctantly responded to. As a new Christians pastor for many years I explained to those who made this decision that this was the first day of their new lives. Meaning the process has begun but there are still many steps we must take to continue on this journey of salvation. At this point many people will argue that we are perfect in Christ. And certainly when we are in Christ God's view of us is of the pure and spotless bride, yet it is also true that many of us come into this new found relationship with baggage. I would even argue that all of us have baggage and it is this baggage that God lovingly and graciously deals with throughout our lives.

What we often forgot is that God is truly interested in our souls/hearts/spirits more than he is interested in simply fuzzy feelings we experienced in an altar call to receive Christ as Lord. I am fully convinced that God allows us to experience hurt and pain (trials of many kind) so that through those experiences we are able to see our true character and the condition of our hearts. By this, when we are honest and humble to admit our failings (sins) we are then able to invite King Jesus to deal with our short comings and weaknesses.

Through it all, the Holy Spirit is able to work in our lives and produce the fruit that will remain, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness..... when we invite him to do so.

God Bless

Spiritual Discernment

Paul in his book to the Corinthian Church explains that one of the gifts of the Spirit is discernment of spirits. That is understanding the spirit by which people or organisations are influenced or even subjected to. Subjection naturally speaks of kingdom, that is when we subject ourselves to a particular thing, everything relating to that thing have an influence upon us. When we subject our lives to King Jesus all the benefits of His Kingdom become ours, so long as we don't subject ourselves to other kingdoms or spirits.

I am rarely free on Sundays these days, but when I am my wife and I try to visit local churches in the area to see and hear what God is saying to these local congregations. An alarming thing I have noticed in the last 15 years or so, is the familiarity of things which are being said during services which don't sit right. One such thing is the term of "this house" and all that this house represents. I recently put this to prayer and asked the Holy Spirit to show me what was really being said by this comment and term. Amazingly as I watched a documentary on the Roman Empire, the narrator started to speak about temples the Romans built for their demigods and the term they used for them. The most common term for these temples was house and they spoke about the spirit of that house. Immediately I realised the Holy Spirit was revealing to me the reason why this kind of talk is infiltrating the church today. These spirits are continuing to have an influence on the body of Christ today and it is even coming out in our worship times!

Again another common saying we often hear in our congregations is "Welcome to the house of God" and whilst many of us would automatically see this as being appropriate to a place of worship that fact remains that we, God's body and people, are the only true houses or temples of the Holy Spirit. So when we meet together, we the temples of the Holy Spirit are joining together to bring worship and honour to King Jesus, the place or building in which we meet has little or even no bearing on the presence of God. Another common adjective we like to bring to offering sermons is that we are contributing to the work of God. Whilst this can be true, the reality remains that most of the funds we bring to the church today rarely are used to see souls saved. In fact the commandment to "go into the world and make disciples" is almost a lost cause for many congregations but more importantly for many believers.

Why do I say these things? Is it to be cynical or negative about the body of Christ today? Not at all, if Christ is the head of His body and I am a part of that body than I would be cynical towards Christ our Lord and myself as a part of His body. In fact I know that the only hope the world has is in Christ of which we the body are a part. I say this to make us his body aware and hopefully discerning of potential influence and harm that other spirits besides the Holy Spirit can have on our gatherings and most importantly upon us individually. We need to be aware in 1Peter5:8 as Peter said "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.."
God Bless

Experience allows us the privilege of sight

When travelling on a train recently with my son into Sydney for the day I realised that as I was travelling with my back towards my destiny and my face/front to where we had come from that I had the advantage of time. And my son who was facing towards our destination had the disadvantage of time as it was limited to his perspective and view point.

When moving forward, our perspective in time is diminished. But experiences give us the advantage over time, enabling us to view from the advantage of experience and perspective what is really taking place. Time and therefore experience give us a broader and more mature outlook on our circumstances. In addition they enable us to know that in time everything works out for good, as Paul indicates in Romans.

Perceptions and Expectations

Growing up in Western Sydney in Australia for me was a very enjoyable, and though I never knew Christ until the age 17, I would almost describe as a blessed time. Though my parents were divorced at age 9 and we had a number of years which were a little uncertain, my upbringing was filled with lots of adventure and excitement. Living for some years on acreage gave me access to horses, motor bikes, cars and other luxuries that many living in the city would not know.

Along with this lifestyle came a certain stigma, that is we were known as "westies" a term to describe those who lived in western Sydney and with this stigma came the typical cliché descriptions. Westies were renown for their Ugg boot, flannelette shirts and dark blue jeans. During school times we wore desert boots to ensure our school uniform had the westie flavour. And though life in the west of Sydney was wonderful we always new that it came with a stigma or expectation from others that we were a certain kind of person with typical cliché expectations that hung over our lives.

Naturally, expectations we might have on people can be completely false and untrue. Rehab, the prostitute who assisted the spies to gain insight and understanding to the city of Jericho is once such person in who we would have certain expectations. And yet despite these worldly concepts and ideas we may have of a prostitute the Lord was able to bring and give access to the people of Israel to the promised land. As a result of her actions, she is one of the few women listed in the genealogy of Christ due to her marrying Salmon the father of Boaz.

Growing up within this environment of cliché I also fought against labelling or giving false perception to certain groups, yet as I grow older and more and more each day reflect upon the life I have lived and embrace change for the future, I know I in turn have certain expectations for certain people groups. As men, we often view our wives not so much in terms of their full potential but limit their potential by focussing on their abilities to fulfil their roles as a wife or a mother. I know I did this with my own wife, valuing more her role in what she can do for me rather than God's own specific and individual plan for her life. Indeed I believe it is my marriage to my wife that has led me down this path seeing it as a wifely duty and role.

In general we can place people groups in certain boxes and expect the outcome to be different. This in it's conception is insane yet we do it over and over again with each generation. As males, we must remove the gender typical ideas we have been raised to know about females and visa versa for as females towards men, and continue to embrace God's plans and individual hopes for every person. This will require that each of us seek not our own will but the will of our heavenly Father. This requires that we are Spirit led and not self seeking in our ways. It's all about God's kingdom coming in our lives and laying down our own.

God Bless

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 My Strength is made perfect in weakness

I have been reading a book called Heart and Mind. An amazing digression on the four gospels, examining mainly the purpose of their writings, that is to what group of believers and the main themes in their writing. It is by no accident that I am reading this particular book, recommended to me by a friend and colleague I have know since my teens, who together we are working out our salvation in the true sense. Recently in my daily readings I read 2Cor 12:8-10 and immediately the Holy Spirit began to speak to me about my life and how when I (we) are willing to confess our weaknesses to one another (as James instructs us to do), that God in what can only be described as our lowest points in life is strongest. When we are willing and able to confess our sins and acknowledge that we cannot or simply unable to do or be what is required, then Christ is able to do exceedingly above and beyond what we could hope or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

In fact the opposite of this is also true, that when we in our own strength, intellect, power, abilities, gifts and more, assume they we can do or be,  that is when Christ is unable to intervene and help us. God wants us to acknowledge him in all our ways and in everything that we do, especially when we pretend to do it His name.

The writer of heart and mind Dr Alexander Shaia speaks of when in Mark's gospel, the ladies who go to the tomb the day after Christ's burial, are greeted by what we assume is an angel are instructed to meet Jesus in Galilee, not so much a place but a region and a metaphor for the wilderness. Yet in the book, the writer explains that the women don't run to meet their master, in fact their is no account in this gospel that they ever did, instead they flee in fear of the message given by this man dressed in white robes. If they were to meet Jesus at a particular place, then surely they would have did as asked instead of fleeing. Yet if Jesus was truly saying that I will meet you in the wilderness/desert place, alluding to Jesus being their in our weakest hours then this would confirm also what Paul says, in our weakness He is strong. When we are confronted with life's obstackles, trials and difficulties, this is when Jesus appears and is strong in our lives. A little like Jesus being present with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fire of the book of Daniel.

Yesterday, as my wife and prayed together, my wife prayed "there two or three are together in unity there is Christ in the midst of them". When we are praying together, humbly, that is with contrite hearts before our God, not coming instead with pride or arrogance, this is when King Jesus is present and working mightily in our lives. We as the church of Christ Jesus in this world and amongst this generation need these kinds of prayers, it is when we pray with these kinds of hearts that our prayers are truly "effectual & fervent coming from a righteous" heart as James says.

The letter kills but the Spirit gives life - 2Cor 3:6

Even when we are in Christ, what we do can lead to death. As we read in Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth, though the church was manifesting some amazing and wonderful gifts by the Holy Spirit (1Cor12), they had allowed these manifestations run or be lead by their heads rather than their hearts and obviously not by the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, we the church today, though manifesting spiritual things can be lead not of the Holy Spirit but by our heads and knowledge. How many times throughout my 32 years as a follower of Christ have I heard of this program or that program which for a time has great enthusiasm and the appearance of success only to go to the junk heap of lost dreams. Why, because though these ideas and concepts of new ways of winning the lost might be great ideas, but they are not necessarily God's ideas.

Again, I know I recite this verse a lot throughout my blogs, those who are led by the Spirit, Romans 8 tells us are the true sons of God. This obedience to the Holy Spirit and what He is saying to do is a true mark of sonship in Christ. And yet it is only when we rely on our own ideas or knowledge or wisdom, even that which we have gained through obedience and submission, that we cease to truly be effective for the Kingdom of our God.

Matthew 7:21 can be heard throughout the annals of time, 21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’…

Even the appearance of success, as seen by man or the world, if not subjected or submitted to God's will come to naught. How many times I have heard good minded believers say how their programs or ideas will make money for the kingdom and by it be a blessing. Yet our Father who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who according to Psalm 23 causes me to "have no lack" and who is Jehovah Jirrah the Lord my provider says I don't need your money. This once again is a lack for our own disobedience to the Spirit and a working out of our flesh that justifies our ways.

Everyday we need to be submitting ourselves, including our minds and will, to that of Christ. Pauls tells us we need the mind of Christ Phillipians 2:5; 1Cor 2:16, again Paul instructs us to renew our minds in Romans 12:2. And this renewing must take place daily as we take up our cross, denying ourselves (that is our will, desires, plans, vision, kingdom etc) and submitting ourselves unto the Lord and His plans for us.

Being in the Kingdom of God requires submission and obedience of every part of our lives to that of the Kingdom and it's ways. It's only when we have done this that we can declare to be in Christ!

Zechariah 4:6 The Working of the Holy Spirit (Revised)

Zechariah 4:6 The working of the Holy Spirit

I have heard many preachers, including myself, speak on this particular scripture and naturally disperse on how we as believers need not to rely on our strength and power but on the Holy Spirit. And whilst this sounds fair and reasonable it is also fair to say that God is able to use anything or anyone to bring about His plans and purposes. This is displayed in scriptures like Sampson using the jaw bone of a donkey or even a donkey speaking to Saul on the road to Damascus. Not to mention how the Lord was able to take some unlearned fishermen and tax collectors to turn the whole world upside down.

What then is the deeper meaning to this scripture and how does it impact the out workings of the church today. To understand the purpose behind any scriptures we must understand the original audience and circumstances surrounding it. Whilst I don’t intend to make an exegetical study of this verse, I do wish to greater see what the Lord has intended.

The context by which Zechariah wrote these verses is very interesting. Israel at the time was in a time of rebuilding and renewal. The temple was in disrepair as was the nation after what we can call the Diaspora of the Old Testament. This was a time of new beginnings to the Jewish race and I believe the Lord was not just interested in the present generation but in the many to come and the impact they would have on the whole world.

Throughout the book of Zechariah we see prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus and the ushering in of the kingdom of God and a new commandment. This new kingdom would not be like the one of old where God’s might and power was displayed like when the Israelites were brought before the Lord on Mt Sinai in Exodus 20 where God showed His might and power in thunder and lightning and billows of smoke. Instead Jesus is seen as one coming in lowliness (9:9); as the Prince of Peace (9:10); as the one who is crucified for our transgressions (12:10) and as a shepherd forsaken by his sheep (13:7). Not exactly the picture of strength and power but more as one meek and mild riding on a donkey.

Jesus himself declared a new commandment in John 13:24, “love one another, just as I have loved you.”And again in Matthew chapter 5 we see the Lord Jesus speaking about this new kingdom and its new commandments. Ranging from adultery that is committed simply by looking at a woman lustfully to having angry thoughts making you a murderer. Jesus however, even in this chapter re-iterates the need to love not only those who love you but even those who hate you.

Zechariah was therefore speaking about the coming Kingdom where King Jesus would reign. This new kingdom was very different to the ways the Israelites had known previously. I recently heard Heidi Baker speak on God’s kingdom being completely the opposite to worldly thinking. This therefore requires every believer to learn a new way of thinking, bringing Pauls instruction to the Roman believers most valuable. Paul’s instructions was to renew our minds in Romans 12:2 and not to conform to the pattern (what we see in the world) of the world.

 This new kingdom was based on not pursuing our own thoughts and therefore ways but those of God. It is here that the Holy Spirit and His nature become so important to the believer. Symbols of the Holy Spirit are often seen in scripture as oil, fire, wind, rain, river, wine and a dove. And whilst all of these can have a powerful effect upon the receiver, those who have encountered the presence of God’s Spirit would agree that he is gentle and never forceful in his approach. Jack Hayford in his book “Symbols of the Holy Spirit” says “The workings of the Holy Spirit are invisible, glorious, and gentle, and within them, He never tells us about Himself. He comes to glorify Jesus—helping us to see Jesus more, to understand Jesus better, to respond to Jesus more obediently, and to love Jesus with a deeper heart of commitment”.

Isaiah 40:31 is one of my most loved verses, it says “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Recently I underwent and continue to do so, some amazing changes in my life. Just prior to these events I happened to read a book by Col Stringer called On Eagles Wings which I highly recommend. In this book, Col speaks of how Eagles about every 7 years will literally pluck out there wing feathers so that new feathers will grow out. In this process, the eagle is completely vulnerable and open as he is completely defenseless in flying away from his enemies. And whilst the eagle will find a high rocky crag away from potential threats, it still remains vulnerable. What’s most interesting is that at the end of this process, the eagle is able to fly higher and catch the up drafts more easily with his new feathers.

Jesus commanded the disciples in Matthew 28 to “go into all the world...”yet we often neglect to remember that he also said to “wait”. In acts 1:8 Jesus also commands the disciple to wait for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. It is this very thing I believe Zechariah is speaking out in chapter 4:6. Though men often dare to tread where Angels would not and rush in like fools, I believe it is the gentle voice of the Spirit leading and guiding the church today that is most needed. When we wait upon the Lord or His precious Holy Spirit, we will then be able to mount up with eagle’s wings.

I love what Pastor Gordon Gibbs used to often say “find out what the Holy Spirit is doing and do that”. Not content to do his own thing but to be obedient to the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.

Comparisons of the Holy Spirit

As discussed earlier, the Holy Spirit in scripture is compared to oil, fire, wind, rain, river, wine and a dove. Whilst the scripture does not say the Holy Spirit are these things it does say the Holy Spirit is like these things. It is therefore essential in understanding the outworking of the Holy Spirit that we understand the effects these elements can have on us.

Just as oil can have a lubricating and energising effect on machinery so too can the Holy Spirit both equip and enable his church in being all Christ called us to be in Him. We see the result of this in how the early church response to caring for one another and ensuring everything was shared. The body of Christ worked as one and we might even say was a well oiled machine.

The results on the day of Pentecost and fire coming upon the believers equipped them to speak forth the things of God boldly, whilst only a short time earlier Peter had denied our Lord. Again just as fire can cause us to be zealous and bold, it can also be consuming and at times as the Lord a all consuming fire which burns not only away those things which are sin and dross but even our very lives.

When we think of wind it can be that gentle whisper blowing through the gum trees or the still voice of the Spirit speaking to us to bring about His plans for our lives. In comparison it can also be a hurricane or cyclone as we say in Australia which destroys everything in its path.

Again rain in season,  that is the spring and autumn times can bring growth and prosperity from crops yet out of season can cause everything to be lost.

A river such as seen in Ezekiel can be ankle, knee or even waist deep which still enables us to enjoy it and be refreshed but when it is a torrent which sweeps us away in its path disabling us from standing and only being at its peril it too can be powerful.

Wine, when taken in moderation scripture says can be good for the stomach yet when there is not control can take away all that we have and know. And a dove which is sensitive to movement, when settled upon the believer can cause them to be lead into greater experiences.

Comparisons in Jesus’ Ministry

Jesus went about doing Good and healing the sick. Jesus himself claimed he came in Luke 4:18 18“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

In the same way that Jesus ministered so too will the Holy Spirit minister in and through us...

The gifts of the Spirit display in their outworking the very ministry of Christ. See 1Cor 12 & Rom 12

Why do we need to know how the Spirit Works?

Matthew 24, Jesus says  ”in those days the love of many shall grow cold”.

Again in Revelation 3 the Laodicean church who thought they were rich, the Spirit says they are wretched, poor, naked and blind”. And counsels them to buy from God Gold refined in the fire, fine linen clothes and balm or salve for their eyes that they may see again. All things which Laodicea were renown for.

Isa tells us in the last days the enemy will come in like a flood, but the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a banner against it. Isa 59:19

Daniel 12 says in the last days knowledge will increase. Today there are over 1 billion web pages available to us with that number increases approximately 200,000 pages per day.

There is a mine field of information out there, every weeks friends email, text or ring me about some new teaching or ideas they have found on the web. And though there is wonderful information to be explored that can bring a great blessing to the body of Christ, there is a need no greater than we have today to be discerning, aware and understanding of how the enemy will attempt to make your love grow cold.

 Scripture (Eph 4:30) tells us that we can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit. Yet we know that we can only grieve those whom we are in intimate relationship with. My son and my daughter grieve me when they do wrong, but my work mates’ family does not because I am not in relationship with them.

In the same way, if we can grieve the Holy Spirit then we must also be able to PLEASE the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, if you love me...you will obey my commands or do as I say (John 14:23).  Again, if we wish to be pleasers of God and of the Holy Spirit then we must be willing to listen & obey what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.

Fruit of the Spirit

Again, if we wish to understand how the Spirit operates we need only look at the fruit He produces in our lives. See Gal 5

Comparisons of the Holy Spirit

Comparisons of the Holy Spirit

As discussed earlier, the Holy Spirit in scripture is compared to oil, fire, wind, rain, river, wine and a dove. Whilst the scripture does not say the Holy Spirit are these things it does say the Holy Spirit is like these things. It is therefore essential in understanding the outworking of the Holy Spirit that we understand the effects these elements can have on us.

Just as oil can have a lubricating and energising effect on machinery so too can the Holy Spirit both equip and enable his church in being all Christ called us to be in Him. We see the result of this in how the early church response to caring for one another and ensuring everything was shared. The body of Christ worked as one and we might even say was a well oiled machine.

The results on the day of Pentecost and fire coming upon the believers equipped them to speak forth the things of God boldly, whilst only a short time earlier Peter had denied our Lord. Again just as fire can cause us to be zealous and bold, it can also be consuming and at times as the Lord a all consuming fire which burns not only away those things which are sin and dross but even our very lives.

When we think of wind it can be that gentle whisper blowing through the gum trees or the still voice of the Spirit speaking to us to bring about His plans for our lives. In comparison it can also be a hurricane or cyclone as we say in Australia which destroys everything in its path.

Again rain in season, that is the spring and autumn times can bring growth and prosperity from crops yet out of season can cause everything to be lost.

A river such as seen in Ezekiel can be ankle, knee or even waist deep which still enables us to enjoy it and be refreshed but when it is a torrent which sweeps us away in its path disabling us from standing and only being at its peril it too can be powerful.

Wine, when taken in moderation scripture says can be good for the stomach yet when there is not control can take away all that we have and know. And a dove which is sensitive to movement, when settled upon the believer can cause them to be lead into greater experiences.

James 2:14-26 Faith Without Works is dead

Last week when visiting some older friends, I felt the Holy Spirit give me a word from James 2:14-26 for these friends. The word was faith without works is dead. Leading up to this word, this couple have gone through some traumatic events this last six months. The husband, Tom, experienced a stroke leaving his left arm and leg completely immobile causing him to be placed in a nursing home. His wife, Iris, as a result sold the family home and purchased a small apartment to be near to her husband. Since the stroke, we have prayed continuously for this couple and according to scripture have believed God for Tom's full recovery.

When I arrived to visit Tom last week, though he was still immobile I sensed faith arise both in him and myself when we talked and prayed together. In response I sensed the Holy Spirit say that it would not belong till Tom would be returned to his precious wife Iris and once again living as man and wife in their new apartment. After praying, Tom was so filled with joy and faith that he asked me to visit Iris at her new apartment.

Arriving at Iris' apartment, I shared with her about our time of prayer and what I sensed the Holy Spirit had me share with her husband. As we were talking I sensed the Holy Spirit say "Faith without works is dead". And as such if we are to believe God at his word and promises that we must act accordingly. I then told Iris to do what she felt she should do, but had I been her that I would buy a double bed to place in their apartment in anticipation for her beloved Tom's return. Iris' eyes lit up as I said this and you could see her faith literally in her eyes and said that she already had one in storage.

It is this kind of faith that God looks for in us who believe, faith that results in action. When we say we believe something, that belief must bring about change in our lives otherwise our belief is futile. Again if we say we believe that Jesus is Lord and Saviour of our lives than our lives should be a reflection of this truth. When there is no change, reaction or result in our faith than really our faith is futile. Hebrews 11:1 says faith is now and our reaction to God's promises must also be now. It makes no difference what we have believed and done in the past but rather what we believe and are doing with our faith for today that truly matters.

I still don't know if Iris has arranged for the double bed to be moved into their new apartment, but without it there is no faith.

Put your faith to work today!

Zechariah 4:6 Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord

Zechariah 4:6

 

I have heard many preachers, including myself, speak on this particular scripture and naturally disperse on how we as believers need not to rely on our strength and power but on the Holy Spirit. And whilst this sounds fair and reasonable it is also fair to say that God is able to use anything or anyone to bring about His plans and purposes. This is displayed in scriptures like Sampson using the jaw bone of a donkey or even a donkey speaking to Saul on the road to Damascus. Not to mention how the Lord was able to take some unlearned fishermen and tax collectors to turn the whole world upside down.

What then is the deeper meaning to this scripture and how does it impact the out workings of the church today. To understand the purpose behind any scriptures we must understand the original audience and circumstances surrounding it. Whilst I don’t intend to make an exegetical study of this verse, I do wish to greater see what the Lord has intended.

The context by which Zechariah wrote these verses is very interesting. Israel at the time was in a time of rebuilding and renewal. The temple was in disrepair as was the nation after what we can call the Diaspora of the Old Testament. This was a time of new beginnings to the Jewish race and I believe the Lord was not just interested in the present generation but in the many to come and the impact they would have on the whole world.

Throughout the book of Zechariah we see prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus and the ushering in of the kingdom of God and a new commandment. This new kingdom would not be like the one of old where God’s might and power was displayed like when the Israelites were brought before the Lord on Mt Sinai in Exodus 20 where God showed His might and power in thunder and lightning and billows of smoke. Instead Jesus is seen as one coming in lowliness (9:9); as the Prince of Peace (9:10); as the one who is crucified for our transgressions (12:10) and as a shepherd forsaken by his sheep (13:7). Not exactly the picture of strength and power but more as one meek and mild riding on a donkey.

Jesus himself declared a new commandment in John 13:24, “love one another, just as I have loved you.”And again in Matthew chapter 5 we see the Lord Jesus speaking about this new kingdom and its new commandments. Ranging from adultery that is committed simply by looking at a woman lustfully to having angry thoughts making you a murderer. Jesus however, even in this chapter re-iterates the need to love not only those who love you but even those who hate you.

Zechariah was therefore speaking about the coming Kingdom where King Jesus would reign. This new kingdom was very different to the ways the Israelites had known previously. I recently heard Heidi Baker speak on God’s kingdom being completely the opposite to worldly thinking. This therefore requires every believer to learn a new way of thinking, bringing Pauls instruction to the Roman believers most valuable. Paul’s instructions was to renew our minds in Romans 12:2 and not to conform to the pattern (what we see in the world) of the world.

 This new kingdom was based on not pursuing our own thoughts and therefore ways but those of God. It is here that the Holy Spirit and His nature become so important to the believer. Symbols of the Holy Spirit are often seen in scripture as oil, fire, wind, rain, river, wine and a dove. And whilst all of these can have a powerful effect upon the receiver, those who have encountered the presence of God’s Spirit would agree that he is gentle and never forceful in his approach. Jack Hayford in his book “Symbols of the Holy Spirit” says “The workings of the Holy Spirit are invisible, glorious, and gentle, and within them, He never tells us about Himself. He comes to glorify Jesus—helping us to see Jesus more, to understand Jesus better, to respond to Jesus more obediently, and to love Jesus with a deeper heart of commitment”.

Isaiah 40:31 is one of my most loved verses, it says “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Recently I underwent and continue to do so, some amazing changes in my life. Just prior to these events I happened to read a book by Col Stringer called On Eagles Wings which I highly recommend. In this book, Col speaks of how Eagles about every 7 years will literally pluck out there wing feathers so that new feathers will grow out. In this process, the eagle is completely vulnerable and open as he is completely defenseless in flying away from his enemies. And whilst the eagle will find a high rocky crag away from potential threats, it still remains vulnerable. What’s most interesting is that at the end of this process, the eagle is able to fly higher and catch the up drafts more easily with his new feathers.

Jesus commanded the disciples in Matthew 28 to “go into all the world...”yet we often neglect to remember that he also said to “wait”. In acts 1:8 Jesus also commands the disciple to wait for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. It is this very thing I believe Zechariah is speaking out in chapter 4:6. Though men often dare to tread where Angels would not and rush in like fools, I believe it is the gentle voice of the Spirit leading and guiding the church today that is most needed. When we wait upon the Lord or His precious Holy Spirit, we will then be able to mount up with eagle’s wings.

I love what Pastor Gordon Gibbs used to often say “find out what the Holy Spirit is doing and do that”. Not content to do his own thing but to be obedient to the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.