No Surrender!  

“Long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water 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 destruction of the ungodly…the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?  2 Peter 3: 5-11

Those two words will forever be synonymous with the Rev. Ian Paisley particularly and with the ‘loyalist’ cause in Northern Ireland. Still today they are the slogan of the thousands who protest

over the withdrawal of the flying of the Union Flag over Belfast City Hall except for ‘Designated Days’ and of other similar groups throughout the United Kingdom. It is not however a phenomenon restricted solely to those shores; it is not unique to have shows of patriotism and nationalism all over the world. Whether in the USA where there too they have an ardent admiration for their flag, incorporated of course into their National Anthem and right here in Tenerife, graffiti is evident everywhere declaring, “Independence for the Canaries”!

We invest a lot of time, energy and passion defending our culture, our country, including the land and our flag and all of that is understandable and I have a certain empathy with that. HOWEVER, are we NOT investing so much of ourselves, fighting and arguing over, protesting and lobbying over, these things that are in the end transient, not eternal and therefore in the whole scheme of things, of LESS IMPORTANCE than we imagine or believe??? In case you missed it? Read the verse at the head of this blog!!!!!

In Church these past Sunday mornings we have been studying the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This Sunday, we have come to the last few verses of Chapter1, from verse 27 to verse 30. Just FOUR verses but mighty profound and thought provoking I felt as I prepared the message. Here is the impassioned plea of Paul to this little group of believers, this family of God, these citizens of heaven, meeting, worshipping, working and warring in the hostile environment of a Roman Colony, where they were distinctly un-roman! Paul not only exhorts them to live their lives worthy of BUT to “stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel” v27 Paul’s NUMERO UNO was THE GOSPEL everything else was secondary to the Gospel. “His jailhouse joy rested in the fact that the gospel went out to pagan soldiers, then through his encouraged brothers and was even preached by his competitors who were trying to afflict him. ‘What then?’ asked Paul. ‘Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice” (R Kent Hughes. The Fellowship of the Gospel)

I know I have been here before (See ‘Are You ashamed of the Gospel’) BUT I think it needs to be repeated again and again until we start to get a grip of the reality of our task and particularly here in Tenerife! There is so much that is anti-God on this Island and events and organisations endorsed by the authorities (EG New Buddhist Centre in Adeje!) that will only serve to mislead the community and rather than us as God’s people proclaiming the Good News we are occupying ourselves with sideshows?? I stand four square with the Apostle Paul in his firm belief that God transforms people and communities by the Power of the Word PREACHED and therefore he and I say again “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16) and from that I will not and we dare not surrender to any other cause for this alone is our DUTY!                                                                          

The Gospel must be our priority, the Church is NOT called to stand firm for a political opinion or a political party or for an ideology or for a pro-stance on something, those things are NOT the central core issue that the Church is to stand for the faith of the Gospel and the Gospel ALONE. You see that’s how we can go into our Communities. We go into our Communities with this;                             I am NOT ashamed of the Gospel because it is the Power of God for salvation for EVERYONE!!        No matter who you are, what you are, what language you speak, what religion you practice, what situation you are in.                                                                                                                                           We go into our community because we have GOOD NEWS; it’s the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet what do we spend so much of our time doing? Telling them about every other thing and getting ourselves tied up in all sorts of agendas and arguments! Even if they are good and may well be the ‘BIG ISSUE’ OF OUR DAY, yes even the whole debacle over gay marriage and homosexual rights!

How do we change our communities, our cities, our nations?? One soul at a time..                         That is our business, that is our task AND that is OUR COMMISSION!  

                                                                                               “The weapons we fight with

are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”(2 Cor.10:4)                                          What are those weapons? The Preaching of the Word and Prayer!!

What Paul recognises and highlights is that to do that is to enter dangerous ground and to invite conflict and suffering therefore it is an imperative that WE the Church, WE THE FAMILY OF GOD (I put that here because that is what we are, a family..I know as family we have times when we fall out, say some things to each other that we don’t mean BUT when we are attacked by others boy are we able to forget the things we did to each other and rally together and become a force to be reckoned with – Don’t mess with my family!!! There just is nothing like family, and that’s what we are folks and WE MUST STICK TOGETHER AND WE MUST FOCOUS ON THE MAIN THING. We will never do it alone BUT together we can with the help of the Holy Spirit conquer the world for Christ…HALLELUJAH!!..

   

                                                                  

So! Where do YOU start? Well let’s begin with our own families then our communities at least and leave the result to our ALL POWERFUL SOVEREIGN GOD!

 

 Let me finish with repeating verses 27 and 28 this time as translated in the New Living Bible “Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God.”                          NO SURRENDER! 

                            

Flying by ‘The Wind’!

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counsellor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever” John14:16 (Amp)

Lorraine and I try to take one day a week to ourselves. We potter about for a couple of hours then we head to our favourite place, El Medano. There is a little beach on the left hand side of the town that over the last few weeks has been more or less deserted except for US. There we sit and watch and listen to the sea and it’s ever rolling tides, have a wee sandwich for lunch and relax in the beautiful sunshine..There is just one other thing about this place I forgot to mention, it is very windy, all the time..I mean very windy!! You have a real battle on your hands getting everything tied set up and then weighed down before the relaxing begins But when you do it’s worth it all and the wind becomes you friend keeping you cool in the blistering heat.

These last couple of weeks the beach has become busier with ‘windsurfers’ who obviously need plenty of wind and here has to be the perfect place for these guys. ‘If Lorraine and I were just a little younger’, we muse, we just might have given that a go BUT we’ll content ourselves to watch the

young experts surf across the waves. NOW let me put in an ‘excuse me clause’ before I go any further. I know nothing about windsurfing and therefore my attempt at describing things pertaining to this sport may be clumsy!

Watching these guys had me enthralled. They make the thing look so easy, yet I know that it's probably not BUT, no matter how good any of them were, and at times in some of the higher waves there were more than a few of them doing somersaults and all sorts of stunts BUT as some point EVERY ONE OF THEM, fell off and fell in! What I saw then has become the thread for my blog this week. To get back up onto their board and onto the waves again, I watched the windsurfers push their sail upwards to catch the wind again

and they waited for the wind to catch it. As the wind caught and the sail lifted they came up with the sail and back onto their board and off they went again!
                                                                                                                      So simple, yet so profound as I thought about that.........
Windsurfers need the wind. Without the wind, they cannot do anything! The wind determines their direction, their speed, their ability to do their sport.. Most of us don’t think much of the wind, for them it is vital!!

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus in John Chapter 3 He used the wind as an analogy of being born of the Spirit, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” That analogy comes for the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel where in Chapter 37 the Lord brought Ezekiel to the Valley of Dry bones and he witnessed life being breathed into the dead bones, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live…….and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”  V9-10                                                                                  

Life, God life, came and comes from the Holy Spirit and the coming of the Holy Spirit is described metaphorically as the coming of the Wind.                                                                                           Jesus also said that we must abide in Him or we can do nothing (John 15) but He was going back to heaven so how do we continue doing that? Well the Holy Spirit would come and He would by our Helper (Chapter 15 then 16) and so in v7 of Chapter 16 Jesus says this, “ I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counsellor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].                                                                                                                                                       

Oh yes! Like those surfers for whom the wind is so vital, so too we Christians the coming and indwelling and working and power and guiding of the Holy Spirit is so vital to us, for it is as Zechariah says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord” 4:6.                        We are utterly dependent upon HIM! WE CANNOT DO THIS ON OUR OWN..NEVER! BUT listen to this TODAY! God has put this on my heart to write TODAY for someone reading this BLOG YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS. No matter how long we have been walking the Christian life. No matter the amount of experience and knowledge and wisdom we have accumulated, at some point ALL of us will ‘come off’. That is, all of us will fail or fall or have a time in our lives when we wonder to ourselves ‘How can I go on’, ‘Is there a way back’? AND this is what I found so profound in that simple picture of those surfers!!!!

When they fell off, they pushed their sails up. The wind caught their sail and with its power the sail lifted them out of the water, back on their board and back on their journey..
Hurting, broken, discouraged, despairing Christian, lift your ‘sail’ let the wind of the Holy Spirit catch it and lift YOU up put you back on your feet, heal your broken heart, comfort your troubled soul, take that failure and make it a lesson you have learned, the disaster an opportunity to bring Glory to God and set you off on course again with renewed faith, strength and joy..   
                                                                                                                                    
GO ON CATCH THE WIND, LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LIFT YOU OUT OF YOUR TROUBLED WATERS PUT YOU BACK ON YOUR FEET AND BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO YOUR SOUL!

 

 

 

I watched those surfers get back up time and time again and ride those waves. They never gave up and as they came off the water the look on their faces said it all. The waves might have been high, the sea might have been rough but with the wind in their sails they conquered, they overcame and they had one great time doing it…
I finish with this quote from Francis Chan from his Book on the Holy Spirit ‘The Forgotten God’ (worth a read!)  “I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said its better for us that the Spirit came and I want to live like that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.”

Any fool can be a DAD?

God says “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it …” Ezekiel 22:30

It’s Father’s Day in the UK this Sunday and although we live in Tenerife, part of Spain, we nonetheless celebrate ‘Fathers’ here this weekend too..
Any fool can be a dad; it takes someone special and certainly NOT a fool to be a FATHER! It seems to me that much of what is wrong in our homes, therefore on our streets, therefore in our communities, therefore in our Governments, therefore in society, therefore in our world is because there is the absence of good, strong, godly FATHERHOOD?                                          
In one of Dr. James Dobson’s 2008 newsletters, he writes: "Some years ago, executives of a greeting-card company decided to do something special for Mother’s Day. They set up a table in a federal prison, inviting inmates to send a free card to their Mom. The lines were so long they had to make another trip to get more cards. "Due to the success of that event, they decided to do the same thing on Father’s Day, but this time, not one prisoner felt the need to send a card to his Dad. In fact, when asked about it, many had no idea who their fathers were. I find that a sobering illustration of the importance of a dad and his blessing to his children." (From a sermon by Gene Edwards, "In Search of the Blessing")                                      

The Bible tells us that Fathers are to be heads of their households, to teach, to mould, to nurture, to encourage, to discipline and to lead themselves by example and practice and when they do not, well the evidence is there for all to see.
Thinking then of Fathers and the need we have for good fathers, took me a little further to think the same of the Church? Well is there not a direct link? After all to be a leader in the Church is not one of the qualifications that “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?” 1Timothy 3:4-5.
So can we conclude that as we see, I believe, the lack of godly fatherhood in our homes the result is evident in the decline in our society therefore is the same true in our world because within our Churches there is a similar lack of spiritual leadership? Men are not being what they should be or doing what they should do.. Oh yes there are a lot of men saying what needs to be said, there’s a lot of noise BUT nobody is prepared to act upon their words, it’s like what used to be heard in every household, maybe still is, when you were told to do or not to do something and when you asked why? “Because I said so, that's why!” 

These last few days I have been reading in the Old Testament and before you launch an attack on me, I know what you’re going to say!
What has the Old Testament got to say to 21st Century people? Well a whole lot actually, maybe because people are the same whatever century we live in AND perhaps if we had learned from the mistakes of our forefathers we wouldn’t be doing the same thing all over again!!!  THERE!

Now where was I? The first book of Samuel opens up with an amazing story about Hannah and how she gives birth to a son Samuel. The young boy is dedicated to the Lord and becomes a mighty prophet and a godly priest BUT running in stark contrast to this, through the first four chapters in another story about another family and this one is not great at all. It is the story of Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas.
It is the story of a family out of control because the father was not being the FATHER?
I think there is a clue in Chapter one about the nature of Eli. The High Priest, yet one who, it seems, has little discernment when he misunderstands Hannah, who is praying to God but Eli interprets as a woman who is under the influence of alcohol! In Chapter two then we discover the truth about the two sons as well. They were as verse 12 puts it, “worthless men” corrupt, scoundrels, a bad lot as some of the other translations puts it. They didn't even know the Lord? Yet their father had brought them into the priesthood?
They were Priests.. WHAT??? Aren't they are supposed to be godly men, spiritual men, good men, not just men who are following the line of the family business, yet there they were? The story is far from over however, we discover too they are abusing their position as priests. They have a terrible name amongst ALL the people and so we read these words, “Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel….. For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.
1 Samuel 2:22-23                                     
Worse still they were stealing from God in taking from the sacrifices that which was the Lords, “Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.” v17 and there’s more. They even used their influence and position to gain sexual favours with the women who served at the gate of the Tent of Meeting v22. Oh yes Eli knew what they were up to all right and he even called them to give account for their wrongdoing. “Why do you do such things!” v23.  What on earth is going on here? I keep hearing story upon story, everybody is telling me of the awful things you two are up to and it’s not right!
And he warns them BUT that’s ALL he does. The two boys don’t listen and ignored their father’s words, and carried on doing what they had always done!                            
In stark contrast to Eli’s sons stands Samuel who we are then told in the same verse continues to grow and was doing well, being blessed by God and the people spoke well of him! It is a bit of irony then, that this young protégé of Eli is the one who brings him news of God’s judgement upon the sons and upon him, the reason, well it’s clear even before we read it, “He knew what was going on, that his sons were desecrating God’s name and God’s place, and he did nothing to stop them.”
1 Samuel 3:13 TM  He didn’t restrain them, he didn’t rebuke them, he didn’t discipline them, he didn’t stop them. Eli did nothing! He was one weak father indeed! …Just stood there and watched it all happening!
It was Edmund Burke who once said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

You see I am not saying Eli was not a good man, he was BUT he just wasn’t the Father he ought to be. He let the boys do whatever they wanted, he loved them, he taught them the difference between right and wrong, he even taught them the Word of God, I am sure BUT he never disciplined them and he put them into places they should never have been in, simply because they were his sons.
He had wronged them by his actions at the beginning, and wronged them by his inaction at the end.. AND then the saddest thing was that what began as a family problem became a nation’s problem!

Israel’s spiritual leadership was rotten to the core and so it is understandable that when you turn another page into Chapter 4 that the people are just treating God with the same contempt as Hophni and Phinehas. God has become a mere talisman, a lucky charm to hang round their neck?
They go out to battle and face defeat and their response is let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant out with us and “IT will save us from our enemies.”? ! Samuel 4:3                                                                                  

Well if things have got bad they are about to get worse? The battle is lost, Israel is defeated, the Ark is captured and both of Eli’s sons are dead..The sense of  loss and of sorrow at what has taken place is summed up by the naming of Phinehas’s new born son as ICHABOD.. That’s what his wife named the child! “And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” 4:21.
Do you see it? A family destroyed, a Nation in ruins and God’s testimony dragged through the gutter and the fault lies with the ONE MAN! ELI!!!

Our homes and families are missing fathers who will not only be good fathers but godly fathers, who will be prepared to lead, to take the responsibility to be good roles models, to match words with actions?
Loving your children is NOT just about saying you love them, that's good or about spending valuable time with them, that's necessary or indeed just being good examples that they will follow, that's essential BUT  loving them enough to know when you must discipline them also.

               Heed the lessons of Eli! AND our ‘Spiritual Father’s’
      as it were, in our Churches, you must heed this lesson too.
There are very real connections here. I am not the only one who sees what happened to the Nation of Israel, happening right now to the Church of Jesus Christ. Ichabod??
Are you prepared to sit back and watch it happen, to allow others to go on sinning and robing God and treating His Church with contempt?

Our families need Strong Godly Fathers,
Our Churches need  Strong Godly Ministers and
Our Nations need Strong Godly Leaders!!!
Who are not only able to speak up BUT who are not afraid to take action when it is needed!

 

I for one am listening..I think to myself at times, I’m only one man, leading one small church on one little Island in the Atlantic Ocean, yet as this old poem says…

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. 
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Any fool can be a Dad? I don’t want to be just a DAD! I want to be a Godly Father; I want to be a Godly Minister that perhaps through me God would raise up from my children, from my Church, Godly people who will change our world, who will lead our people ,who will be the ones who restore the Glory!

“but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honour me I will honour, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Samuel 2:30

 

 Come on let’s do this together?

 

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose," Philippians 2:2

Here’s a story I have used before. A man was stranded on an island. Alone for a number of years, he was finally located and people came ashore to rescue him. They quickly discovered he was the only human on the island and that caused them to ask him a question. Because landing on the island they observed 3 structures built at the edge of the beach. “What are the 3 buildings for?” they asked the man replied, "This is the home I built for myself" Then showing them the other building he said "This is the church I go to." Then someone in the group said "Hey, what's the third building over there?" And the man replied "That's the church I used to go to."

You will notice I said I have used this story before but not now I don’t believe the disunity and division that exists in our churches is a laughing matter any longer indeed it is of grave concern to me..If you have been following my blogs of late you will know that I am deeply concerned about the state of our nations and what we as Christians should be doing to change things. What I have been saying is that we need to reclaim our high view of Scripture for ‘the Word of God is the power of Go unto salvation’ STILL!! Last week I spoke on our need to keep preaching the Gospel!! We are exhorted to look after the poor and the needy, I acknowledged that we cannot shirk our responsibility to those things BUT I also say that there are a plethora of organisations these days who offer social care to the many, the Church can do so too BUT it is ONLY the Church that has the Gospel and while food and clothing and shelter may alleviate people's immediate situation it will NEVER change their eternal destination??

I go a step further this week and suggest that there is one more BIG problem that stands in the way of the Church making the difference it ought to be making in the World and that is disunity and division! Might I say that if and when we reclaimed our high view of Scripture and got on with preaching the Gospel we wouldn’t have to even talk about this now at all because we would have the wisdom and discernment of the Word and we would be to busy doing the Work of God we would no longer have the time to get involved in useless argument!

How desperately sad is the fact that the church is known by schism, not unity; ignorance, not knowledge; and indecisiveness rather than maturity. How it must break God's heart to see us continue in such a poverty stricken condition in light of what He has done, stands ready to do, has the resources to accomplish, and has defined as our calling in Christ. - R.C. Sproul
"Among Christians there ought to be so great a dislike of schism, as that they may always avoid it so far as lies in their power. – John Calvin

The unity of Christendom is not a luxury, but a necessity. The World will go limping until Christ's prayer that all may be one is answered. We must have unity, not at all costs, but at all risks. A unified Church is the only offering we dare present to the coming Christ, for in it alone will He find room to dwell.       - Charles H. Brent

God cares nothing about our manmade divisions and groups and is not interested in our self-righteous, hair-splitting, and religious, man-made formulas and organizations. He wants you to recognize the UNITY of the body of Christ. - M.R. DeHaan

 

The bickering and the infighting among Christians has become just plain ridiculous and a nasty habit has developed that if you don’t like the decisions made, you don’t like the way the Pastor speaks or you don’t like the songs we sing, well we’ll just go and start our own church until such time when someone leaves that one and another springs up…Curious to me are the amazing names folks come up with for ‘their’ churches these days, like

 

Run for Your Life International Chapel’ (Where to I wonder?) or Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church of the Absolute Predestanrian Faith and

Order’ (Me thinks someone fell out with the Arminians here?)  ‘Guided Missiles Church’ (Yes there really is one somewhere in the USA!) AND ‘Church of the Cross’ (No the name isn’t strange I liked this one for the words on their Noticeboard that really sums this up!) “Don’t let worries kill you. Let the Church Help”

 

 

Now there is something to make us think! 

I haven’t yet found a Church that is honest enough to have a name like “Church of the Holier than that other Church done the Street” ??
 Jesus said that the world would know that we were His disciples by the love that we have for one another (John 13:35).  Are you challenged yet?                                                                                

 

Let me ask you to do this, right now, pick up your Bibles, now look up JOHN 1:18
What does it say in that verse? “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son………… has made him known.” 

 

Now keep your finger in that verse and look up 1 JOHN 4:12 and see what that says.. Yes I want you to find it in your Bible I want you see that this is what God’s Word says not just me!  

 

What does that verse say? “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete (brought to full expression) in us.”

 

Both verses begin the very same way. In the first we are told that God revealed Himself to the World by the incarnation of His Son, Jesus. The world saw God in Jesus! How does the world see God today? The Church? Yes BUT that needs to be qualified. The Church, the Body of Christ, the PEOPLE of God, the true believers WHO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That’s the whole definition and that’s how and  when the world sees God when it sees US, YOU and ME loving each other..

It is all right to have differences of opinion on the non-essential matters like worship styles or days, or dare I say this, pre-trib rapture, post-trib rapture, Arminianism, Calvinism, etc. Whether you believe one or the other, does not affect salvation. Yet far too many Christians use these non-essential differences as justification for division and sometimes even insight anger. When this occurs, the love of God in our hearts is sacrificed to our pride. Instead of saying to one another, "I am right and you are wrong," we should be saying something like, "It is certainly possible that you are correct.  Now, let's work together to glorify God and expand His kingdom."  Perhaps this is too simplistic, but at least it displays an attitude of humility that helps to bring unity.  Having said that however, in my experience, this has seldom been the reason for the many a row. It’s more likely to be a clash of personalities, a jockeying for position or a sheer lack of forgiveness and again in nearly every case it boils down to an ignorance of the Word of God, or even plain common sense or decency..I know I said this is no laughing matter but I can’t help myself, here is a typical example,

“The story is told about a small, country church where the pastor called a special meeting of the congregation to approve the purchase of a brand new chandelier. After some discussion pro and con, an old farmer stood up and said, "Buying a new chandelier may seem like a good idea to you, but I’m against it for three reasons. First of all, it’s too expensive and we can’t afford one. Second, there isn’t anybody around here who knows how to play one. And third, what we really need in this church is a new light fixture."

 It is the devil that wants us to fall into the self-abuse of division and bickering. Proverbs tells us, “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,  a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.  Proverbs 6:16-19. Oh how easily we can justify the things we say and do and even make them sound so spiritual!!! THEY ARE NOT!

Folks we need to take a long good look at ourselves. We need to look at our churches. We need to look at one another and decide that we will love each other despite our differences, that we will stand on the essential doctrines of the faith and that we will be united against the enemy and all that opposes our God. To turn the tide of immorality and greed and cruelty and violence and deceit we need the Church to be together and working with one another, loving one another, UNITED and of common voice. The Church must get back to the place where when it speaks the people listen!!!! 

 

It may be difficult for many of us to look lovingly into the eyes of those of a different denomination or those who have hurt us without thinking in our hearts that they are wrong.  But, we need to be reminded that all of us have caused hurt and been wrong ourselves. Reminded too that we are all sinners who have been saved by the amazing Grace of God and brought together into His family; that we ARE brothers and sisters and that there are greater things at stake here.

Folks we will spend eternity together and at the moment for some that would be almost an anathema?  Remember to what Jesus said teaching us on prayer, “And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ‘For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:12-15.

Will not many reading this today recite these words in prayer tomorrow but will still not forgive???

Paul buttresses Jesus words with these…“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14 

All of us I am sure will have our theologies corrected when we stand before the throne of God.  All of us will give an account personally for the things we have said and done, things that we are not proud of and regret, not one of is exempt..It is surely time for us to see the 'plank that is in our own eye rather than the twig that is in our brothers!' Therefore, let us put all these things away, let’s not behalf like selfish, silly children any longer.  We need to put the wrongs behind us, forgive one another and to seek to work together to further the Kingdom of God.

Ask yourself what is most important in YOUR life. Is it your relationship with God?  If it is, and it should be, should you not also be seeking the same thing that God wants?  Should you not also be seeking to love one another as Christ commanded us? Love is the perfect bond of unity, (Col. 3:14).
Remember, it is the devil that wants us to fight each other so that he can be freed up to deceive the world. If we are fighting each other then we are not being and not doing what we should be and are falling prey to His tactics.

I know that it is easy to speak these words and it is very difficult to apply them. That is true because true love is difficult to live.  But what if the world began to see the Christian Church uniting in spite of its differences? What if the world started to see how the Christian Church started to love not only their own church members but other church members too?

What do you think the world would say if the churches' bickering stopped?

What do you think the unbelievers would say if they saw us living more and more the loving attitude and a sacrificial life of Christ across denominational and personal barriers?

It would be a tremendous witness for Christ. It would be a tremendous assault on the enemy and I know that God would use it mightily to bring others to Himself by His grace.

Just to finish here are three more quotes from men better known than me. Perhaps you might take heed to what they say..and then the final and encouraging word from THE WORD!

What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together because they have all been loved by Jesus himself. They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus' sake. - D.A. Carson

I have never yet known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord's people were divided.

- D.L. Moody

In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.  -- Richard Baxter

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes

It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.                   Psalm 133

 

 

Are YOU ashamed of the Gospel?

“The Lord had called us to preach the gospel” Acts 16:10
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:15

I find myself constantly wrestling and constantly frustrated with a seeming hopelessness to make any difference in a world that is doing everything in its power to destroy itself! Man’s utter depravity is endless; our appetite for the gory and the disgusting is insatiable; our hunger for power causes catastrophe and our greed collapse and in the face of it all our leader’s stupidity is unbelievable. As I watch the news broadcasts on television I shake my fist, clench my teeth and mumble something inexpressible at the sheer sense of despair.
That is until I remember that this is NOT my world, it’s God’s World.. and I am forced to go back to the Prophet Isaiah where I am reminded of this, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,

or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness” Isaiah 40:12-23 

 Wow!!! Now there’s my answer, there’s my confidence!

Now what was God’s answer to all the woes of this World? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. What is still the answer to all the woes of the world the Gospel!! Do you know when you are writing blogs the advice given by the experts is ‘do not quote too much scripture’? Well here’s another one, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of
God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16
I am NOT ashamed of the Gospel and believe my heart, soul and mind that it is still the power of God and His means to transform our world hence, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7 

I found this hugely appropriate quote from John Macarthur which I subsequently posted on the Church Facebook page last Tuesday….“Although changing our society by calling it back to a safer morality is a noble goal, that has never been Christ's goal for His church. The church has but one mission in this world: to lead people destined to spend eternity in hell to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and an eternity in heaven. If people die in a communist government or a democracy, under a tyrant or a benevolent dictator, believing homosexuality is right or wrong, or believing abortion is a woman's fundamental right to choose or simply mass murder, that has no bearing on where they will spend eternity. If they never knew Christ and never embraced Him as their Lord and Saviour, they will spend eternity in hell.”

Following on from my blog last week and in the light of all the happenings in our world here lies the clarion call to the Church of Jesus Christ…PREACH THE GOSPEL, PREACH THE GOSPEL, PREACH THE GOSPEL!

Don’t misunderstand me, I do not mean that we stop making our voices heard when wrongs are done or remain silent when laws are passed that spit in the eye of God’s Word, neither am I saying that we should be ambivalent to the needs of others.. The Bible clearly teaches us “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” James 1:27 and Jesus own words of rebuke in Matthew 25 ‘Depart from me……. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
Oh yes we must look after the poor and the needy, the widow and the orphan, we must defend the weak and the helpless. We must comfort the sick and the dying, we must be resolute in our defence of what is right and condemn that which is wrong BUT we must NEVER allow those things to become the end in themselves.. In many of these areas we are seeing in the ’Emergent Church’ a revitalisation of the so called ‘Social Gospel’. The oft quoted phrase of Francis of Assisi is used as their slogan, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” I understand what is being said here I have used the quote myself to highlight the necessity for us to practice what we preach!! It’s no good us talking about a Gospel that transforms if people do not see that transformation worked out in our lives…
However the need is NOT another Social Gospel the need is the Gospel itself, plain and simple, for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ”How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? ….So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:13-17 and that should give us such encouragement because fanned with prayer if we just do what we are meant to do as Church then we are NOT helpless in the face of all that is going on, far from it we are powerful and able to see even the direst circumstances changed!!!

So go on preaching the GOSPEL, you may be laughed at; you will be scorned and for some put in prison or even put to death… “but the word of our God will stand forever” Isaiah 40:8 
“Never lose heart in the power of the gospel. Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted.” Charles H. Spurgeon