Honey along the Path

And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” (1Sa 14:24-27,43-45)

This will be my last post in this series looking at the symbolism of honey. I have deliberately left this one until last, and given it a great deal of thought. Whilst what follows is certainly not the only, or even the most obvious exegesis of this passage regarding Jonathan's tasting of the honey (and I have drawn other lessons from it myself) I believe there is an important lesson concerning the word of God and how we receive it.

The word of God is living and active. It is not static; it is not a text book. This means that it always has more to teach us. Whilst the cannon of scripture is closed - we do not expect any new scriptures, or any new truths - this does not mean there will not be new revelation. New revelation is different from new truth. All truth about God is eternal, it cannot by definition be new. However, no-one has a complete revelation or understanding of God. When our eyes are unveiled (or brightened) to see something new (for us) from God's word, we have received fresh revelation by the Spirit into eternal truth.

The problem is that man always has a tendency to try and institutionalise the truth of God. To make formulas and constructs of human wisdom that act as a wineskin for the revelation of God. This in itself is not a bad thing, until those who grow up in these "institutions" become more attached to the wineskin than they are to the reason it was constructed, or the wine it contains. Thus when a "new vintage" comes along, one that will not fit with their beloved constructs, traditions, practices - they would rather reject the new revelation of God, and run-out the men who bring it, than to have to adapt and change to accommodate it.

Such has always been the way, even before the Scriptures were complete. Each generation of God's people rejoiced in the legacy of the prophets of past generations, whilst rejecting, despising and persecuting the prophets who spoke to them in their own time. Even Jesus himself was rejected in this way:

We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from. (Jn 9:29)

Church history is full of the same warnings. Those who begin in the power of the Spirit and/or a new conviction of truth from the Holy Scriptures, become in the passage of time just another institution with its own traditions and values which they hold to more dearly than the principle of pursuing the revealed truth of God's word no matter what the cost which drove their original founders.

"There was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so sure established, which in continuance of time hath not been corrupted." ~ Thomas Cranmer [Founding figure of the Church of England]

Even in the early church this tendency had begun. Thus Paul's uncompromising words to the Galatians:

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Gal 3:3)

Saul was such a man. He began well, in a powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit, leading God's people to victory over that which held them captive. But then he tried to establish and consolidate his victory in the flesh. He became jealous and hostile towards those who carried the anointing of God, and made his own rules that God had no part in that prevented the people receiving the food they needed.

Yet even in such a situation, God causes fresh honey to spring up along the path for those who are bold enough to taste it.

It was the people of God who were the final judge this day, because the old rules and ways of the flesh did nothing for them. But the man whose eyes had been brightened with the fresh revelation of God, was the one who led them into victory, the way the old man once had.

The lessons are clear. Because the "institution" we are a part of was in the cutting edge of God's plan in the past, is no guarantee it is today. Or indeed, because we are part of a fresh revelation of God's purpose today, is no guarantee that the "institutions" we are a part of today will still be manifesting the life of God in the years to come. God cares nothing for the institutions of man or the monuments they leave behind. He only has one church, one people, however they are distributed or fragmented. What he cares about is those who will live according to all that continues to be revealed from his wonderful word of truth.

He doesn't need another denomination - what he wants is a people who all have the sparkle of fresh honey in their eyes.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. (Pr 4:8)

"God has yet more light and truth to break forth out of his holy Word." ~ John Robinson 1620

Honey from the Rock

He [the Lord] made him [Jacob] ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. (Dt 32:13)

But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. (Ps 81:16)

There is a very short answer to the imagery of the honey from the rock: honey is the word of God, and the rock is Christ. Christ came as the ultimate word from the father. He is the ultimate revelation of God. All of God's word finds its focus in him.

But there is a longer answer. For the imagery of the rock is another of those frequently occurring motifs in Scripture that is highly significant. God is frequently referred to as the Rock in the Old Testament, so Christ as the Rock (1Co 10:4) is an obvious reference to his deity. But interestingly, Abraham is also referred to as a rock:

Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. (Isa 51:1-2)

Abraham became Israel. He was one man when he was called, and he responded to a personal call, but he was driven by his corporate vision of the city of God, and he became a people belonging to God.

The rock in this context represents the eternal kingdom purpose of God: to take hold of a man, and through him to fill the earth with his people.

It is not just Abraham, but all those to whom God made a covenant express this unchanging purpose. Adam was one man whom God commissioned to fill the earth. As was Noah; as was Abraham. In Moses and David too we see a covenant to a man which is to have an outworking to all God's people.

This is the same imagery and the same great kingdom purpose we see in the wonderful second chapter of the prophet Daniel. A rock cut from the heavenly mountain, that impacts the earth and grows until that same mountain is reproduced in all the earth.

For all the covenants, and the kingdom purpose of God find their fulfilment in Christ. He is the true fulfilment of the rock. One man through whom God will produce a people who will fill the earth with the knowledge of his glory.

Honey from the rock is thus the message of Christ and his kingdom. The message of the Kingdom; the good news of the kingdom; the gospel of the kingdom; the gospel.

(It is important that we remember that the gospel is the gospel of the kingdom. It is not the gospel of the individual. Christ's message was not "Repent, and come into all the blessings of God." - though that is indeed the case - but, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." It is not a call to self-improvement, but a call for self-denial for a cause that is bigger than any individual.)

Honey from the rock is not just meant to nourish us, but to be exported by us to the ends of the earth. As the rock that is the kingdom grows to fill the earth, so too the honey from the rock must flow from this mountain to touch all mankind.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Mtt 24:14)

Honey from the Lion

Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. (Jdg 14:5-6)

After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion. (Jdg 14:8-9)

One thing that causes Christians much confusion and difficulty is the issue of trials and suffering. Anyone who has walked the journey of faith for more than a moment will know, even if they don't admit it, that we as Christians are not immune from the effects of Adam's sin on this fallen world. Jesus himself promised us tribulation. Paul said we must pass through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God.

Yet many have bought into a false teaching that assumes that once we come to Christ, everything will be a breeze. We will be shielded from all trials and sorrows by the grace and favour of God. As a result when the inevitable trials and difficulties do occur they are off guard and totally unprepared. Their faith is not ready, and they falter, thinking God is no longer for them or that he is no longer in control.

Peter warns us to watch out for our enemy who prowls like a lion. Why would this be necessary if God will never let him come near us? Those who teach in God's house have a responsibility to prepare God's people for when the lion attacks.

Samson, for all his faults, was a man chosen and anointed by God. Yet God did not spare him from the attack of the lion. It came at him with everything it had got. Its full onslaught of might and intimidation. A young lion, in full vigour, roaring with all its might - its sole aim to bring the man of God to a premature end.

But even though Samson has nothing in his hand, nothing in his own ability or resource to defend himself, he stands firm and in the power of God he overcomes.

This is what we must understand: Bad things will come against us, God never promised they wouldn't, but no matter what comes, we can always overcome! The promise of the Scriptures is not that no weapon forged against us will ever come against us, nor even that no weapon will draw blood, or cause us genuine hurt. The promise is that no matter what comes, it shall not prosper. Nothing can overcome those who stand firm in their faith in God. The lion can rush, the lion can roar, but the lion can never overcome. We can always overcome him if we stand our ground.

When the lion comes, he comes roaring. He roars, "Where is your God?", "How could he let this happen?", "Where is his protection when you need it?", "Why you?" But the hallmark of men of faith is this: they shut the mouths of lions! They are not intimidated by his roars, and they do not entertain his doubts. They stand firm and overcome.

Honey from the Lion is thus a delicious irony. That which came against the man of God to consume him is itself consumed, and becomes a source of strength. That which came roaring doubts, became a source of God's word.

We may not understand at the time why we go through times of trial and difficulty. We don't have to. We just have to stand firm in faith and overcome. But when we revisit them later, those past victories can speak to us and be a source of God's word to us.

They proclaim, "The God who was with you in all you overcame in the past, is the same God who is with you today to cause you to overcome anything you may face. He did not let you fall then; he will not let you fall now."

Honey from the lion is the food of warriors. It is the sustenance of those who are ready to overcome today, because they have already been tested and stood firm.

Alone on a hillside, tending his fathers sheep, a young boy with a deep love and devotion for God was attacked by a savage lion. Who knows whether at the time he understood why his loving heavenly father allowed such attack. What we know is this, later in life that boy saw a giant defying the God in whom he had stood firm, and as one who had tasted the "honey from the lion" he was able to declare with complete conviction:

"The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." (1Sa 17:37)

Caution: Do Not Boil!

"You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." (Ex 23:19b)
"You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." (Ex 34:26b)
"You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." (Dt 14:21b)

Repetition is significant in the Scriptures. It is the prophetic equivalent of using bold typeface, or a highlighter pen.

So I have known that these verses were significant, even though I have been puzzled for a long time as to why!

However, as I have been meditating on the imagery we have been examining in the last few posts, a possible answer has emerged.

Like Paul, when he explains the significance of the ox treading out the grain, I am struck by the question: Is it for young goats that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake?

If we see the young goat as an immature member of the flock, and its mother's milk as that which should have brought it through to maturity, then these verses strike me as an expression of what I have always considered to be the golden rule of preaching:

Never use the platform to have a go at a brother.

There is a time for rebuking, but even this should be done in love with a view to seeing our brother restored.

That brother may be immature. He may have made a massive doctrinal error. He may have totally wound us up the wrong way. But God never gives us his word to use as a weapon - not against flesh and blood anyway! Whatever measure of platform God gives us for our words, we must make sure that they always build our brother up and never boil him alive!

Milk from the flock

He [the Lord] made him [Jacob] ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock. (Dt 32:13-14a)

I finished my last post by proposing that milk and honey represent the word of God that comes to us, that addresses basic issues in our life, and causes us to grow onwards towards maturity.

When the Lord led the people out of Egypt he fed them with manna. This was food direct from heaven, and collected individually. However when the people entered the land the manna stopped. There was a new dynamic, one of milk and honey. It is no longer a sustenance that comes primarily direct from heaven, nor one that is applied to individuals in isolation; it is one that is from the flock for the flock.

It is important for us to realise that God has not just called us out of something, he has also called us into something. The people were not just called out of Egypt to wander in the wilderness being fed by the mercy of God by manna direct from heaven; they were called to enter Caanan to become an established people who would nourish each other with the milk and honey that would cause them to grow up into maturity.

Those who are baptised into Christ are baptised into his body. We do not just become a new person in the waters of baptism, we become part of a new people. We become part of a covenant community, the flock of God, where each member has a responsibility of care for the other, and where each has something that is needed for the common good. No child of God can ever reach maturity in isolation. Manna is not enough, we need milk and honey. It's not just that we need to receive it, as part of the flock we are supposed to produce it.

We need to see our time in the word in this light. God gives both bread and seed. Are we coming to him just for manna for ourselves that will get us through the day, or are we coming for milk that will both satisfy us, and be a source of blessing to others? When you read the word, don't just think how it applies to you, take something for someone else too.

This is how the body is meant to function and build itself up. Paul writes to the Ephesians:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Eph 4:11-16)

Maturity is not reached by believers in isolation. Nor is it reached just by the working of the "recognised ministries". It is reached by the body, when the whole body is functioning as a body. The milk is not produced the the shepherds, but by the flock. The role of the shepherd-teacher is not to run around from morning to night trying to feed every sheep and goat with the milk that it needs. (Jethro had to rebuke Moses for such behaviour) Rather it is to equip the flock to produce its own milk. So that the members of the body can minister to each other. Only in this way will the body reach maturity.

God wants his church to be a land flowing with milk and honey. He wants a bride that is prepared for his son. He wants a people who continually minister the word of God to each other in love.

Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. (SoS 4:11)

Milk and Honey

I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex 3:8)

The Exodus out of Egypt and into Caanan is a paradigm in the Word for our own salvation. We were slaves in sin, just as they were slaves in Egypt. We were saved by the shed blood of Jesus, the lamb of God, just as each household in Egypt was saved by the blood of a lamb on their door posts. And we too have been brought into an inheritance in Jesus, just as Joshua (the Hebrew pronunciation of Jesus) brought them into the good land that God had prepared for them.

We know, of course, that our salvation is not the end of our journey, it is the beginning. Our pilgrimage begins as we follow Jesus in his triumph, brining in his kingdom and growing ever more closer into his likeness.

We don't have to read far into the Old Testament to find this reoccurring description of the land that God was leading them into: It was a land flowing with milk and honey.

On the surface this represents the abundance of God's bounty and provision towards his people in the inheritance he was giving them. But I want to suggest that the symbolism goes deeper. Honey, we have established, is the taste of the Word of God. Milk is the sustenance that is needed to bring a child from weakness to strength, from immaturity into maturity.

Peter uses this illustration in his first epistle:

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation (1Pe 2:2)

The writer to the Hebrews also uses the same illustration:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Heb 5:12-14)

God's spiritual milk then is the basic teachings of the word of God that are foundational to us leading a life of faith. We need them if we are to continue in our pilgrimage in the land onwards to maturity and the fullness of Christ.

This spiritual symbolism of milk bringing us to maturity where we can discern good from evil is not just found in the New Testament either, for Isaiah says:

He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Isa 7:15)

Which brings us full circle back to Honey and the unmistakable taste of God's word. We need God's word if we are to grow into maturity. Without it we will stay in infancy.

Having laid the groundwork for this interpretation of Milk and Honey, I will draw some applications out of it in the next post...

Tastes like Honey

Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.(Ex 16:31)

The rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. (Ps 19:9b-10)

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Ps 119:103)

And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. (Eze 3:3)

So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” (Rev 10:9)


The word of God describes its own taste. It tastes like honey.

This sets up a motif and a reoccurring theme that I want to examine in some following posts. Not every occurrence of honey in the scriptures is applicable to the word of God, but many of them are.

If I have time, and I'm not distracted by something else, I'd like to look at: Milk and Honey, Honey along the Path, Honey from the Lion, and Honey from the Rock.

But to kick off, that fact that it tastes of anything speaks volumes by itself. It is meant to be consumed! It's not enough merely to get into the Word, the Word needs to get into us. It's designed to be tasted, eaten, and savoured like sweet honey.

Not just that, but one we have eaten the sticky stuff, there are tale-tale signs, for it sticks to our lips. Once consumed, it is meant to be spoken.

The first mention of the word tasting like honey comes with the manna. Which we are told represents the Word of God in Deuteronomy.

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Dt 8:3)

This sets up an important pattern for how we should receive the word of God: daily! We need to get away from thinking the word of God is something we only receive on a Sunday morning. The pattern for the manna was that they would gather it for six days, and live off their reserve on the Sabbath. Sadly, many believer's try to live by the complete opposite!

To fear or not to fear...

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 20:18-21)

God does not want us to be afraid of him, but he does want us to fear him.

Confused? Let me try to explain.

We are very familiar with fear as a negative thing. Fear locks people up. Fear paralyses. Fear prevents people doing the things they know they should do. Fear robs people of their peace and causes them to live under the cloud of worry and anxiety. There is the fear of man, the fear of failure, the fear of death, along with all manner of phobias and neurosis. Christ came to set us free from all such fear.

But there is another kind of fear, a positive kind, a kind that is often neglected and rarely taught.

I was thinking about this recently as I was talking to my son about crossing the road. Now, on the one hand although I don't want my son to be afraid of the road, to tremble and panic whenever he reaches the kerb, I do want to instil in him a fear of sorts. A fear that gives him a correct sense of danger and that will keep him from putting himself into a situation that could harm or kill him. This kind of fear could save his life! That's a positive thing.

This, I believe, is the correct purpose of fear: a strong motivational force that gives us a correct sense of danger and keeps us from situations that would cause us harm.

A fear of heights is a bad thing, but it has at its root an inbuilt recognition of the danger of falling from heights. We need such recognition of danger to make sure we treat such situations with the utmost care. No fear in this case would be worse than too much fear. As usual with the strategies of the enemy, the phobias he locks people up with are not original inventions, but merely distortions of the good things of God. A brave man is not a man without fear, but a man who can overcome his fears.

This is the kind of fear we should have for God. Not a fear that locks us up and keeps us from coming into his presence. We know that we are forgiven, accepted, invited sons who can come with boldness before God's throne of grace. But to have no fear, here as elsewhere is worse than too much fear. We need to recognise that our God is not "safe!" He is not an indulgent grandparent who winks at our misbehaviour and panders to our demands. He is an awesome holy righteous God, a consuming fire, a God who expresses his holy wrath against sin every day (Ps 7:11). He is our father, whose love will not shrink from discipline when it is needed.

The fear of God is designed to keep us from the situations that would harm us. Keep us from the consequences of bad decisions, and keep us from unnecessary discipline. Like children, if we cannot understand why we should do right, we can at least fear what will happen if we do wrong. God wants us to fear him that we might not sin.

The fear of God is not to keep us from coming, but to keep us from straying.

The Lion & The Lamb - Volume 1

It's no secret that I am not a great reader (with the exception of the Word). I don't read a lot of books, Christian or otherwise. Those books I do read, it takes me a while to get through. For me to finish a book is an endorsement in itself! So this book review has been a long while coming! Roger, Matthew, Gavin and Richard have all beaten me to it.

I could, perhaps, have written the review before I read the book. I know the author and I was at the conference where the material in this book was preached. Those two facts alone would have been sufficient for me to recommend this book to anyone. Tony Ling has had an enormous influence in my life, as he has had for many. There is no-one who sparks, stirs and provokes the Spirit in me the way his gift does. And he was on top form during this conference. If you would like a sample you can listen to the first session for free on the School of the Prophets website. It should give you a good impression of the book too.

Since the book is based on transcripts of the conference, it preserves the life and dynamic of Tony's preaching style, and makes it a very easy read. For those of us who have had the privilege to hear Tony preach, you can almost hear his voice as you read along!

What I love about this book, is what I love about Tony's preaching. His great love and profound insight into the whole counsel of God's word, enables him to paint the big picture of God's great eternal plan, drawing on scriptures from all over the Word. He makes connections and draws parallels that makes your jaw drop; not just because you have never seen them before, but because once he has painted the picture for you, you can't believe you had never seen it before!

The topic of the book of Revelation may put some people off. There has been so much rubbish written on this book in the past, that many are quite naturally wary of paperbacks written on the subject (or if they are not, they should be!!) But with Tony you are "in safe hands." He handles the word of God with great respect and care, showing how the symbolism in Revelation can be found throughout the rest of the Bible, and so only in this context can it be understood. Thus this is not one of those books that draws predictions and theology from this book that cannot be founded anywhere else in the word; quite the opposite. Tony shows how this book fits into place as the ultimate revelation of Jesus Christ the returning conquering king, and the fulfilment of the purpose of God in the earth that begun in Genesis; a hope we are not detached from but integrally involved in hastening.

This book leaves you wanting more, which is good because it's only volume one of two. The second volume should be out sometime this year (I believe).

If you love God's word, and have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying through it, you will love this book.

You can order it from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com or from Living Rock Church

The Cheerful Giver

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2Co 9:6-7)

God rewards the generous giver, but he loves the cheerful giver.

I was musing on this distinction during my holiday. Not that I think there is a conflict here, but there is a distinction: the cheerful giver will always be a generous giver, but a generous giver need not always be a cheerful giver.

Whilst there is an inviolable spiritual principle concerning sowing and reaping that applies to all men regardless of faith or motives, God is concerned with the heart. What matters to him is not the amount given, but the heart that was stirred to give.

It strikes to me that there are not one, but two wonderful cycles of blessing here.

On the one hand, as we sow we know that we will reap. We sow generously and we reap generously. God provides for us so that on every occasion we have enough and to spare, so that we can be generous in every occasion. We are blessed because we sow; we sow because we are blessed.

Parallel to this there is another, and to my mind, an even more wonderful principle. We give cheerfully because we have received the Father's love; we receive the Father's love as we give cheerfully.

Now, I have to be careful here, because I don't want to imply that somehow the love of God can be earned. That we receive God's love from works rather than through the grace that is ours in Jesus. But I do want to emphasise what the Scriptures say: God loves a cheerful giver.

God loves all that is good, that is, all that is aligned with his own nature. He is by nature the ultimate giver, and his giving is motivated by love. The most famous verse in the Bible begins, "God so loved the world that he gave..." And he continues to give, not because he has not already given us enough in Christ, but because it is an inseparable part of the essence of his nature to give.

If the love of the Father is in us we will be givers. Not reluctant givers who have to be coerced or hyped up from the pulpit to give. Not calculating givers, who are already looking for what they will get back in return. But cheerful givers. Those who give freely, without thought of return, generously and motivated by love.

Those who give this way have discovered the truth of the Lord's words: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." The generous giver will receive his blessing in due course, but the cheerful giver is already abundantly blessed by the extravagant love of our heavenly Father.

---

This post is not just theory. Here is a practical opportunity to give. The Disasters and Emergency Committee have recently launched a fresh appeal for the 4.5 million people dependant on aid in Darfur and Chad in the light of the imminent rains and the risk of a pandemic of diarrhoea and malaria this could cause. Darfur has been described as "one of the greatest concentrations of human suffering in the world at the present time." The oncoming rainy season is only going to make a bad situation worse.

Please consider if you wish to give to this appeal. Give a little, give a lot. Whatever you give - give cheerfully.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. (Pr 19:17)

Cream up!

Well, I'm back from a wonderful holiday in Portugal.

One of the first and most important parts of each day while we were away was applying suncream before we went out. Whilst it comes out of the bottle like a cream, when it is on your skin it feels like oil. I have to say I learned to enjoy my morning "anointing" before I went out into all that the day had in store.

In fact the Mediterranean lifestyle is "oily" in many ways. There is the smell of fish oils, the taste of olive oil, as well as the feel of the suncream oils. All of these are very good and positive things. In fact I heard on the Radio this morning further evidence of how healthy the Mediterranean oily lifestyle is.

As Christians, we too are called and designed to live an oily lifestyle. One under the continual fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high. I thought of this every time I told my son not to go out of the apartment until he had "creamed up." It wasn't enough that we had done so yesterday, we needed a fresh anointing for today.

Now that I'm back, I'm seeking to apply this good habit in the spiritual. It doesn't matter how full of the Spirit I was yesterday; what counts for today is that I am full of Him today.

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil. (Ps 92:11)

Then he said, “These are the two sons of new oil who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zec 4:14)

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (1Jn 2:27)

Back in Two Weeks

I'm signing off for two weeks. We fly to Portugal tomorrow for our holiday.

Although we are all looking forward to it greatly, my heart is full of empathy right now for the deeply moving events that have happened there over the last four days. My prayers are with the McCann family regularly. Lord, may Madeleine be returned safely and soon.

Ephesians Every Month Google Gadget

If you use Google Personalised Homepage (now called iGoogle) you can now add an Ephesians Every Month gadget to your page by clicking on the "Add to Google" button above.

Alternatively you can also add this gadget to your webpage / blog.

With the right hand and the left

They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen. (1Ch 12:2)

by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left (2Co 6:7)

[I'm writing this post as a right-hander. If you are left-handed just reverse the illustration.]

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. The intense white light of Christ's glory cannot ever be fully reflected in any one man; instead it is spread, like in a prism into the multicoloured wisdom of God displayed in the Church. This is how God has ordained it to be, one body but may parts, each with our own unique strength arranged just as God has desired. So that together we represent the fullness of Christ.

Our right hands represent our strengths; they are used more and so have become stronger.

Our right hands represent our skills; the things which through a combination of practice, natural ability, and the Spirit's anointing we have become especially good at.

The right hand represents a place of honour. This is why Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

As members of the body, we all have our areas of strength, skill and recognition, but it is important that we realise we don't have to be limited just to those areas.

You don't need to be a healing ministry to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. You don't need to be a prophet to bring the word of the Lord. You don't need to be an evangelist to share the good news about Jesus with a friend or colleague. You just need to be willing.

Don't just expect that someone more qualified will come along. The right man for the job, is the man or woman of God who is in the right place at the right time. You may be the only representative of Christ that comes across that person or that need.

Don't let your strengths, your skills, or the gift that people recognise in you become a box that restricts you. God will use your right hand, but he will use your left hand also!

Moses and Elijah: The witness of the Scriptures

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. (Matthew 17:2-3)

On the mountain of transfiguration we have two and three witnesses to the event. The three disciples and the two Old Testament characters, who appear when Christ is glorified. Two and three are important numbers in the Scriptures concerning witness; for it is by the testimony of two or three that a matter is firmly established. (Dt 19:17, Mt 18:16) So it is to the significance of Moses and Elijah as witnesses that I want to turn next. There is another way that Moses and Elijah represent witnesses, but the first one I want to examine is how they represent the witness of the Scriptures.

The Old Testament is frequently referred to in the New Testament as "The Law and the Prophets," Jesus himself referred to it this way several times. This is due to the division of the Old Testament books into the first five written by Moses, who was the one who brought the Israelites the Law of God that they were to live by; and the prophetic writings which included the rest (interestingly including the historical books eg. Samuel, Chronicles, Kings - which were often written by prophets. Just shows that you need a prophetic vision of the future to correctly understand your past!)

When Jesus is glorified it is highly significant that these two figureheads of the Law and the Prophets turn up. And it is significant that they immediately direct their speach towards Jesus. For the whole Testimony of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, is directed towards and finds it fulfilment in Christ.

"We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (Jn 1:45)

And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

But it is also significant that the testimony of Moses and Elijah is revealed when the glory of Christ is revealed, for Paul says:

But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. (2Co 3:14-16)

It is only when Christ is revealed that the true testimony of the Scripture can received.

It's easy to see how these two go together. For if all the Scriptures are ultimately there to testify to Christ, then it follows that we can only receive this testimony when we know the one to whom they testify.

But, I believe there is a greater implication than just the one off event of turning to the Lord. For the disciples knew Jesus, they had (three of them) seen him glorified on the mountain, yet there were still aspects of the Old Testament Scriptures and Jesus' words that were still closed to them until Jesus was risen from dead.

Our revelation of the scriptures is governed by the extent of our revelation of Christ.

So we have a wonderful positive cycle between reading the Scriptures and knowing Christ. For it is by reading the word that we know him better, and in knowing him better that more of the Scriptures that point to him are unlocked to us.

This is not attaining to some new secret knowledge, not made clear in the plain reading of the word (like the Gnostics beleived), but a wonderful journey of discovery of the wonders of Christ, as if we too were travelling down the Emmaus road with him, slowly discovering how more and more of the word finds its true meaning to point to him, our hearts burning within us with each new revelation.

For Moses and Elijah show another thing in this respect. The word is alive; a living testimony to Christ. It is living and active (Heb 4:12). The Bible is not the kind of book you read once and then know completely. But one where you discover something new every time you open its pages. If we know how to listen we will discover that Moses and Elijah are still speaking!

No one but Jesus

...And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:8)

The end of the account of the transfiguration contains another small detail, but one that is the most significant.

The end result of this encounter, the final state after all that took place, when everything else was said and done, the one focus, the one object of attention the only one left to occupy centre stage was Jesus.

Of course on a superficial level, you could say that this verse is just there to indicate that the glory cloud, and Moses and Elijah were no longer there, and that is true. But the wording is not accidental. Everything that took place was to give glory and honour to Jesus alone. It is fitting that at the end, the disciples gaze was on nothing and no-one else.

This, again, has application to the Church. At the end of the day, everything that we do, all the we build, everything that we are a part of must be judged by this, and this alone: how does it serve to give glory to Jesus?

To put it another way, does it end with Jesus alone central in the spotlight? Have we assisted in lifting him up, bringing him honour, or as the Manchester boys would say... "Making him famous."

Everything else must be subordinate to this ultimate goal. All our worship, all our witness, all prophecy, all service, all ministry, all leadership, all meetings, all activity. Everything.

Once we take our eyes off Jesus, we allow all kinds of other things to come in. The Church is not here to give us a ministry, to satisfy our spiritual hunger, or to pander to our preferences of style. It's not here to be relevant to society or to meet a niche need in the community. It's not here for us, period. The Church exists for one purpose, or rather one person: Jesus Christ alone.

The ultimate purpose of all activity in the Church is that Christ alone should be seen, not only in its focus, but also in its destination. For the Church itself, when it reaches maturity, is to represent the fullness of Christ.

It is for this reason that God has given the church the gift of ministries:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

That is our ultimate goal. That is how it will be when the Church reaches maturity. That when the world looks at the church, they will not see our anointed leaders, great teaching, efficient programmes, or anything else that we might like to pat ourselves on the back about...

...they will see no one but Jesus only.

The New Creation

"In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed." (Ex 31:17)

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them (Mark 9:1)

This is a small, but highly significant detail. Why do both Matthew and Mark record that the transfiguration happened after six days?

It is a deliberate statement. It declares the work of a new creation!

When Daniel disclosed the vision of the king, he revealed great truths about a Kingdom that would come. A Kingdom that would not co-exist with any worldly authority, that would not come as an appendage to an old way of life. But a radical Kingdom that comes from heaven like a rock, that smashes and obliterates all that was before and starts a completely new creation that is a work of God from first to last.

The Church, as God's kingdom people, is a manifestation of God's new creation within the old. It is the new leaven that is working its way through the dough.

The Church is first a new creation, because before anyone can become a part of it, they must become new creations themselves:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2Co 5:17)

But the new creation is not limited to those in the Church. We are not an enclave of this new reality taking cover and under siege, waiting for the day of judgement when the new heavens and earth are formed. God's plan is to export this new creation to the world through us!

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Ro 8:19-21)

It is important for us to understand that seeing the new creation is not just our hope for tomorrow, but our mandate for today! We are already a part of the new creation, because we are in Christ, and as we go out in his authority to extend his kingdom and see his will done on earth as it is in heaven, to make disciples and teaching them to obey everything - the new creation is already breaking through into the old.

Just as creation shared in the consequences of Adam's fall, now too the creation is destined to share in Christ's work of redemption. God has made a covenant with the earth, and he has a destiny for it: not to destroy it, but to transform it.

The mission of the Church is not to disengage from the world and wait for its destruction, but to engage with the world and to be God's agent of transformation.

Google Personal Homepage Problems!

If you are currently having problems with your Google personalized homepage, you are not alone! Many bloggers are reporting lost settings. Mine have reverted to how they were about a year ago!

It's frustrating, but hopefully with so many people affected they will find a way to bring it all back.

The Glory of Christ Unveiled

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:1-2)

Here is another way that the mount of transfiguration is a parallel with the Church, for the Church is a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand, a people elevated that the glory of Christ might shine forth.

Of course Jesus has always had glory. He did not receive it at his transfiguration; he was always that majestic and awesome and glorious. It's just that his glory was not immediately visible. What happened on the mountain was an unveiling, a revelation, of the glory of the eternal Son; the glory he has had since before the creation of the world. [Jn 17:5]

Nor is it just to those first fortunate three that Christ's glory was revealed, for Paul writes:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2Co 3:18)

Not only is Christ's glory unveiled to us, but through us (the Church), Christ's glory is unveiled to the world. Despite our imperfections, his perfect glory is reflected in us, and as we co-operate with the Spirit, that same glory is reproduced in us as we are transformed to be ever more like our Lord.

The Church is not just the place where God reveals his glory, but the people through whom he displays that glory to the world.

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. (Ps 50:2)

Jesus is already Lord of all, and the glory of God already fills the earth, but what us needed is a revelation of that glory, so the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

The Church is God's prophetic demonstration to the world. In the church there is a revelation of the glory of God. In the church all bow the knee and confess Jesus as Lord. And so is declared the ultimate intention and destiny for all of God's earth.

The voice from heaven

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Mt 17:2-5)

The account of the transfiguration is one of my favourites. There is so much in there that is relevant for us, for when we come together into God's presence.

We come at an invitation. We come to fall down and worship the glorified Jesus. We come to hear the testimony of all the Scripture, the law and the prophets that testify about him. We come to have our gaze fixed once again away from all the other distractions, and upon Christ himself. But most of all, we come to hear the voice from heaven!

The Church (the assembly of the called-out people of God) is the place where God still speaks.

Peter, when he makes reference to this awesome event says this:

For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. (2Pe 1:17-18)

But he doesn't stop there. He goes onto say something quite remarkable!

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (2Pe 1:19)

Something more sure than the audible voice of God from the mountain top in front of the manifest glory of Christ!?

Yes, for Peter, and for us, the voice from heaven was not just a past event he looked back to, but a confident expectation he had whenever the church assembled. The prophetic word - the voice from heaven through mouths on earth. The ongoing voice of God speaking in the midst of his people is the assurance of his presence with us. Our God is a God who speaks. It is inconceivable that he could turn up and remain silent.

Peter gives no indication that this was something confined to his mountain top experience, nor even something confined to the Scriptures (the prophetic writings which he goes on to discuss in verses 20 and 21) but an ongoing experience that is needed and should be present in the church until "the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." That is, until Christ's return.

I have great admiration for Peter. Many seek to put him down. They speak of his lack of faith when the started to sink - but this was a man who walked upon the waves of the sea with God! They speak of how he blurted out when he should have remained silent - but this is a man who heard the audible voice of God from the cloud of glory!

Jesus liked Peter too. Sure he often got things wrong, but he was always willing to step up and step out, and I think at the end of the day, that was the quality that Jesus was looking for the most.

It's easy to remain silent in the gathering of the Church. It's easy to think of all the many, sometimes valid, reasons why you shouldn't step up and speak out. But the voice from heaven comes now, as it did then, in response to those who speak up on earth.

Great quotes from fellow bloggers today

"His command is the highest possible evidence that we can do it."
~ Richard


It's not about the number of bums on seats on a Sunday, but the number of bums that are out of their seats the rest of the week!
~ Mark


Amen!

Therefore?

Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore[?], the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.(1Co 14:22-25)

This is a confusing passage of scripture. Paul seems to contradict himself, and leaves many people wondering which sign is for who. In fact because of the confusion, many would rather just ignore this passage and not draw any conclusion from it at all.

But Scripture is not meant to confuse us, but instruct us. And there is no passage that is unimportant or without value.

Although I, like most, am wary of any exegesis that hangs on hidden meanings pulled out from the Greek, I think this is a case where an insight into the Greek can help.

In English the word "therefore" is a 'particle' that carries as strong sense of positive conclusion. In the Greek particles are used primarily to indicate a join and can be much more fluid in whether the clause joined is to be understood as supplemental or subtracting from what came before.

The only equivalent we have in English is the use of the particle 'or'. Consider my earlier sentence: "There is no passage that is unimportant or without value." All English readers will have implicitly understood that here 'or' was actually being used where strictly a 'nor' is needed. I was not saying "There is no passage that is unimportant, or there is no passage that is without value, (but it may be one or the other.)" Instead what is meant is, "There is no passage that is unimportant, nor is any without value." The negative particle exists and makes the meaning explicit, but in common use the positive particle can frequently be used in place of the negative. The context is important to determine which is intended.

This is even more prevalent in the Greek, where 'and' and 'therefore' can also be used in this way, where in English they cannot.

So, this passage could also be translated with "If, however" instead of "If, therefore" without any injustice to the fluidity of meaning that exists in the Greek. The problem being, of course, that as soon as you chose one or the other you make the connection concrete and remove the fluidity.

The Greek word used here is the positive particle "oun" (therefore, [however]). Paul could have use the negative particle "alla" (but, nevertheless) which would have made the meaning explicit, but the use of negative particles tends to be used for emphasis in Greek, and perhaps Paul did not want such emphasis (perhaps wanting to emphasise "all" instead?). So perhaps "however" is too strong the other way.

The best I could come up with, that preserves the meaning of what I believe Paul was trying to say, without adding any emphasis that is not there is to use the English phrase "All the same."

Using this, and separating the discourse on the two gifts, we get:

"Tongues is a sign for unbelievers, all the same, if an unbeliever comes into a context where all are speaking in tongues he will think you are crazy."

"Prophecy is for believers not unbelievers, all the same, if an unbeliever comes into a context where all are prophesying he will be convicted by the presence of God among you."

Does that make more sense? Does it fit the context of a discourse to those who were abusing the gift of tongues and neglecting prophecy? Does it fit with what we know about these gifts from elsewhere in the Word?... I think so.

If you accept this rendering of the passage there is more that can be said on the operation of these gifts. But I'll leave that for another day....

Update 8:45pm
Just thought of a phrase I like better than "all the same": even so.
This has the advantage that it could be written [even] so and thus show clearly what is explicit and what is inferred.

Tragedy or Statistic?

The recent heart-wrenching tragedy in Virginia this week has made most people stop and think. Think about life and our own mortality, how one day you can wake up and have no idea it is your last. Think about the families who have been so cruelly robbed of loved ones. Think about what could drive a human to take such evil action. Think about guns and their control.

One thing it has made me stop and think about is the scale of human tragedy in the world today, and how we respond to it.

Joseph Stalin said, "One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a statistic!" Whilst I totally disagree with his cold-hearted disregard for the sacred and precious nature of every human life. He did have a point in terms of our perception of tragedy. It seems we have an inbuilt limit to how much sorrow or tragedy we can empathise with, beyond that we shut off and cant or wont take it in.

Consider these three "statistics" and how you, or the media responded to them:

• 32 - The number of deaths at Virginia Tech in the shooting this week.
• 140 - The number of deaths in the Baghdad bombing yesterday.
• 270 - Conservative estimate for the average number of deaths every day for the last four years from violence, starvation and disease directly resulting from the conflict in Darfur.

Why is it that some tragedy moves us, yet others don't penetrate the indifference that shrouds our hearts? Is it that some are simply too big for us to comprehend and take in? Is it they are too far removed from our own situation? Or is it more convenient for us to live in a little bubble and block them out?

This week I heard an account on the radio about Darfur that moved me in a way that I had not felt before about this tragedy. I felt compelled to do something. I logged on to the Oxfam appeal website and made a donation. Not much I know, but it was something. It's always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

400,000 deaths is not a statistic. It is the tragedy of the loss of a single life multiplied 400,000 times.

How old is the Earth?

This is not a new posting, nor a question that I ever set out to try and answer. Nevertheless an interesting discussion on this topic has developed on my previous posting "Darwinism on CBeebies".

If you have an opinion, or any insight, please join in the discussion there.

Darwinism on CBeebies

I was watching CBeebies (a children's digital TV channel from the BBC) with my four-year-old son yesterday. The program was "Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies", which is a great show that mixes cartoon characters with real life footage from the animal kingdom in a fun and educational way.

In this particular episode the characters find a fossilised dinosaur footprint. This was great for my son, who like most boys his age, loves dinosaurs. The show was excellent, right up to the last minute, where the wise "Mama" elephant explains how dinosaurs evolved into birds and so "the descendants of dinosaurs are still around today".

It seems that the BBC considers Darwinism a suitable topic to slip into children's programs!

I don't see any great conspiracy here, most people just assume evolution to be true without giving it much thought. But it is a shame, that evolution is presented so often as an unquestionable fact, when its foundation in proven science is so flimsy. This only serves to perpetuate the myth. If "the descendants of dinosaurs are still around today", then they didn't become extinct! Extinction kinda excludes living descendants does it not!?

Anyway, at this point I looked at my wife and we both rolled our eyes. But before we thought of what to say to Michael, he chirps up with, "That's not right!"

That's ma boy!

It is finished! Paid in full!

Easter is a time when we traditionally reflect upon the death, resurrection, ascension into glory (and as Matthew rightly points out, the return!) of Christ.

Here is a meditation on Jesus' last word from the cross.

Most of what Jesus said from the cross, is recorded in Aramaic, the language of the Jews, and were quotes from the Old Testament. However when he cried his last utterance, the New Testament writers switch to the Greek.

The word he uttered was the single Greek word, "Tetelestai." This does indeed mean, as all our Bibles translate it: "It is finished". But there is another significance that is lost on modern readers.

Greek was the common language of the Roman empire, thanks to the rapid conquest and Hellenisation of the world under Alexander the Great. In particular Greek was used for legal transactions. The word "Tetelestai" had such a legal meaning that all the Jews would have been familiar with. Whenever they received a tax demand, they would have to take the money to the authorities, and upon completion of the transaction the word "TETELESTAI" would be written across the tax demand, nullifying the power of the document - it was finished, done, complete. A modern equivalent would be "PAID IN FULL".

When Jesus cried, "It is finished" he was not indicating that he had done all he was ever going to do, and was going into retirement, but that the debt of sin over sinful man had been paid once and for all. The price has been paid. The law of sin and death annulled. God has declared "TETELESTAI" over it - PAID IN FULL - It is finished, annulled, done away with - it has no power anymore!

Cheaper than Skype!

Voip (Voice over internet protocol) has been around for a while now, and Skype has some stiff competition.

There is much I could say on this subject, since I have recently converted our home phones to call out over the Internet using a service provided by Voiptalk and in the last 27 days have saved £24.73 against the same calls made on the landline (and £4.19 against Skype). But I fear if I went into the fascinating (for me! ;-)) details, I would loose all but my most loyal readers (those who have still stuck around despite my recent lapse in regular blogging!)

However, I would like to draw your attention, if you use SkypeOut, to one possible alternative, that requires no technical setup, no specialist harware, and runs out-of-the-box with its own software application (just like Skype).

VoipBuster, hails itself as Skype's biggest rival and has its sights set on stealing its customers. And offering international rates as low as 1 euro-cent (~0.7p) a minute; 5 hours of free calls a week to the USA (including mobiles), Portugal, Germany, Spain, Luxemburg, Norway, Austrailia, New Zealand, etc, and unlimited free SMS messages to mobiles in your country... I'm surprised they haven't stolen more!

I have been using this service for the last week and can confirm it works: free means free (though you do have to register and buy some credit with them first, and you stop getting free calls after 4 months if you do not buy any additional credit)

The Eye of God

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 33:18-19

This is a wonderful promise, and one that made me think of this image. My friend Simon first showed me this photo from the Hubble Space Telescope at the end of last year, and explained how it had been titled "The eye of God."

It is a composite image of the Helix Nebula, a distant relic of an exploded sun, stretching over one million million miles in diameter.

If that blows your mind, just think how much more awesome it is that the real eye of the eternal, almighty, infinite God is fixed upon you.

It illustrates why, if we walk in the fear of the Lord, we need fear nothing else!

The Law: Not under, not outside, but in Christ.

To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. (1Co 9:19-20)

I'm not trying to reopen a debate on the nature of the Old Testament Law to the New Testament believer... but I did think this was a helpful insight.

Paul, in the midst of his discourse on how he has become all things to all men in order to win them, mentions, almost as an aside, his relationship to the law. This gives a valuable insight into our relationship to it too:

We are not under the law
We are not outside of the law
We are under the law of Christ

Although we are no longer under the law, we are not outside of it either. It still applies to us as it finds its fulfilment in Christ. All of the law must pass through Christ before it applies to us.

Some of the law gets added to, because the real issue is one of the heart and not of observance of the letter. e.g. the commandments against adultery and murder.

Some of the law does not pass through because it has already been ultimately fulfilled in Christ. e.g. the sacrifices for sins, the cutting off of the flesh in circumcision.

Some of the law becomes a matter of conscience, because it was to illustrate a principle that is now better illustrated in the New Covenant realities, and the issue is not one of observance, but of faith. e.g. eating or not eating certain foods, observing or not observing special days.

And some of the law passes through unchanged. e.g. honouring ones father and mother.

Whilst we might disagree on the finer details of interpretation and application there are some things that are very clear:

First, no-one is justified by observing the law. We cannot earn our salvation or favour with God by observing the law. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

However, those who love God will obey his commandments. Whilst we cannot earn favour by obedience, we can grieve the Holy Spirit by disobedience.

A correct understanding of the law plays an important part of our walk of faith. It makes the difference between observance and obedience on the one hand, and between liberty and licence on the other.

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. (1Ti 1:8 NIV)

Speak it clear and make it plain

They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. (Nehemiah 8:8)

This passage in Nehemiah refers to a group of Levites who assisted Ezra in instructing the people from the word of God.

In many ways, the Old Testament Levites and priests are a foreshadow of the New Testament ministry of the Teacher. It was they to whom the people were instructed to go if they had a difficult question they did not know the answer to. It was they who were charged with instructing the people in the Law of God. And, importantly, it was they who were anointed in the presence of God to do the job. Nowhere, Old or New Testament, do we get the notion that such ministry was ever to be purely intellectual or academic. They had an anointing in the Spirit to impart spiritual truth.

As such, the activity of these Levites is a great example for all of us who teach or preach amongst God's people. They were to read clearly from the word of God, and to make the meaning of it plain to those who heard.

The public reading of Scripture should never be underrated. Could it be that we value our own words more than God's? I know that this would never be something we would consciously be guilty of, but what do our actions say? How much Scripture is in our preaching? How much time do we give to God's word before we prepare our own?


Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (1Ti 4:13)

[I say this as a challenge to myself, and to anyone else who will receive it. I don't have anyone else in mind.]

On Darwinism, Creationism and Petitions

There has been a recent petition and counter petition to the Prime Minister that has brought the issues of Creationism and Darwinism to the fore again.

Those who are familiar with this blog will know that I have posted on the topic of faith and science and Darwinism in particular several times. Check my archives under "faith and science" if you want to see what I have had to say.

In this particular case I have not signed the petition. Not because I don't have strong feelings on the subject of faith or science - as a Christian with a first-class honours degree in Physics, I care about both - but because the petition is primarily about faith schools. Something I am ambivalent about. It is people who have faith, not institutions. I did not attend a faith school, and I don't know much in the way for or against that would persuade me to petition the Prime Minister about them. People should have the freedom to make up their own minds on scientific theories and the claims of Jesus Christ, regardless of what type of school they attend.

The original petition, despite its emotive wording and obvious atheistic bent, basically said that creationism should not be taught as science in schools. This may come as a shock to some, but I actually agree with that statement!

Don't get me wrong. I believe absolutely that the Universe was created in a literal seven days by the one true living God as revealed in the pages of the Bible. But I believe this not because of any scientific theories I have studied, or which school I attended, but on the basis of my own personal faith in Jesus and in the authority of the word of God.

Simple logic dictates that if the Genesis account is true, then the act of creation was a miraculous act by the hand of God himself. It can no more be explained by science than how Jesus rose from the dead, walked on the water, or turned water into wine. To attempt to come up with scientific explanations for the miraculous acts of the divine hand is both foolish and futile.

Faith and science are not enemies, but they are distinct. Faith should be taught as faith, and science as science. They are not mutually exclusive. When did you last hear the argument that Shakespeare should not be taught at school because it is not scientific? The Genesis account does not need to be scientific to be true. Nor does it need any scientific bolstering to make it more acceptable. It stands on its own merit.

The opposite side of the scale is where the problem with Darwinism lies. I don't have any problem with evolution being taught in schools. Indeed how can you argue against what you are ignorant about? There is much good science bundled up with Darwin's speculative nonsense about the Origin of the Species. Where the problem lies is when it is presented not as theory but as unquestionable fact. It then crosses the line from science into dogma.

Having said all that the counter-petition is worded well, and is careful to promote the teaching of creation rather than creationism. But it doesn't change the fact that both these petitions are primarily about faith schools, and concerns about them setting their own scientific curriculum. If you care deeply about faith schools then by all means sign the petition, but if you don't then don't feel obliged to respond in a knee-jerk way. Save your energies for the real battle.

"Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honour as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread." (Isa 8:12-13)

Upward Sparks

Most people know that lightning is a massive discharge of electrical energy from the heavens to earth. It's power is so intense that it momentarily heats the air in the path of the surge hotter that the surface of the sun! This causes the brilliant flash we see as lightning and the shock-wave through the air we hear as thunder. In actual fact they are one and the same event but because light travels so much faster we see it essentially instantaneously, whereas the sound takes a while to catch up. Roughly four and a half seconds for each mile travelled.

But not many people know that a lightning discharge also, almost always, involves a small discharge upwards from the earth before the main strike occurs. These upward sparks are known as "positive streamers".

What happens in a lightning storm is that the base of the thundercloud accumulates a massive negative charge as electrons are knocked off the rapidly ascending ice particles in its core. The earth underneath the cloud is thus positively charged with respect to the cloud-base. The earth and the cloud-base become like the two terminals of a giant battery, super-charged with energy.

As the energy in the cloud seeks to find a way down to the ground, the energy in the ground is also seeking to find a way up to the cloud. Think of them like the jump-leads attached to the two ends of the battery. When the leads touch, that's when the sparks fly!

The interesting thing is, that whilst it is the heavens that holds all the energy, it is released in response to an "upwards spark" from the earth.

I was thinking of this yesterday in connection with prayer. These "upward sparks" are a wonderful illustration of how God uses our prayers. All the power is his, but he chooses to release the awesome power of heaven in response to these little "upward sparks" of prayer send up from the earth!

Our prayers may not seem like much, but all the power of heaven is waiting to be discharged in response in a way that will connect heaven to earth, and make an impact that will be felt for miles.

[If you would like to see a picture of one of these upward sparks, have a look at this picture, and look carefully at the telegraph-pole on the left-hand side of the main lightning strike]

Philologus

Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. (Romans 16:15)

I have been doing a bit of reading into New Testament Greek. I bought myself a book on the subject, which, geek that I am, I'm finding fascinating! I'm only on chapter 4, so I'm still a total novice, but I'm already finding helpful insights as a result.

Take the name Philologus in the passage above. Never meant anything to me before, but as I read it yesterday, I thought, "What a great name!"

[This is where I show off] It comes from two Greek words: philos, meaning friend and companion; and logos the Greek word used for both the Word of God, and Christ himself as the eternal Word in John's Gospel. So Philologus literally means Friend of the Word. [I double-checked my amateur Greek at Studylight, and was gratified that I got it right.]

You can see why I thought it was such a great name. One that should apply to all of us who belong to Jesus.

We are friends of the Word. Walking in companionship with God's written word. Walking together because we are in agreement (Amos 3:3). Spending frequent time in the company of the Scriptures. Going to them for advice and council and support. Being familiar with them as with a closest friend.

We are friends of The Word. Walking in companionship with Jesus himself. Walking together because we are in agreement; my will submitted to his. Spending frequent time in his company. Going to him for help, advice, council and support. Being familiar with him and what pleases him, as with a closest friend.

But Philologus doesn't just mean The Word is my friend, it means I am the Word's friend! How amazing, incredible, and mind-blowing is that. We can be friends of the Scriptures because they are living and active, and our lives, if we are submitted to them, testify to their eternal truth. And we are friends of the eternal Logos himself, Christ... because he says that we are!

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:13-15)

What awesome privilege it is to be a philologus.

Baby comes back from the dead

This news story from the BBC caught my attention!

I have been listening to the news a lot lately, and so many stories are bad news of loss, tragedy, war and hatred. Stories involving children can be especially heart-wrenching. So it was so uplifting to come across this wonderful, miraculous story of tragedy turned into joy.

All good things come from God. Though he isn't mentioned in this article, everyone involved acknowledges that it was a miracle!

I wonder who was praying

To bring them back to the Lord

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them.And they abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention. (2Ch 24:17-19)

It's always tragic when you read the account of a good king who turns bad. Joash after doing such great work in restoring the house of the Lord falls under bad influence when his good influence, Jehoiada the priest, is gone.

Yet here we read of the mercy and forbearance of God. He did not act in wrath straight away, but sent prophets among them, with the purpose of bringing them back to the Lord.

This is a simple phrase, but it communicates a lot about the purpose and nature of the prophetic gift. The prophets were not sent to write new scripture, as some suppose is the inevitable outcome of prophetic utterance. Nor were they sent to make bizarre and fanciful predictions about the future. They were raised up, from among the people themselves, to turn the hearts of the people to the Lord.

This is the true nature, not just of prophecy, but of all the gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes to his people. They operate among the people and they point them to the Lord.

Believe his Prophets

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed." (2Ch 20:20)

Very often the test of our commitment to the Lord is worked out in our relationships to others. It's easy to say we love the Lord, give him our all, are submitted to his rule and believe his word. But our loving, giving, submitting and believing are not tested when we are in isolation.

John says we cannot truly love the Lord, unless that love is demonstrated towards our fellow man.

Offering God all we have is, in one sense, easy. It is in the specifics, when God asks us to give sacrificially above any beyond what we normally set aside that that commitment is really tested. And it is when those whom God has placed in spiritual authority over us make a decision that we disagree with, that the measure of our submission is truly revealed.

Equally, it is easy to say we believe God's word, when what we really mean is we believe in our own interpretation, emphasis, and outworking of that word. Our own exegesis of the word rarely challenges us out of our comfort zones, because we so often see what we want to see, read what we want to read, emphasise what we want to emphasise, and outwork that which is already familiar to us.

We all, as believers, have the same Word of God, yet the interpretations and emphasis throughout the body of Christ differ dramatically. How do we know that our emphasis is the emphasis that is important to the Lord?

Our belief in God's word is most often challenged, not through our own reading of the Scriptures, but in response to the prophetic word. When the prophetic word challenges our emphasis, shakes our comfort, and demands we engage our faith, we have a choice: to accept it and embrace it as the word of God, or to reject it.

A counter example to the one of Jehoshaphat above, is that in Jeremiah 42, where the people claimed to have total commitment to do whatever God commanded them, and that they would obey whatever word Jeremiah brought to them, but they had already decided in their hearts what they expected God to say. When Jeremiah brought them a word that was contrary to what they wanted to hear, they rejected it.

For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, "Pray for us to the Lord our God, and whatever the Lord our God says declare to us and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything that he sent me to tell you. Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live." (Jeremiah 42:21-22)

The prophetic word always demands a response from us. It is the response of faith that leads to success.

Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.

The Law of First Mention

I received this anonymous question via my "Off the record" box:

The Law of first mentions? Where on earth did this come from? And does it extend beyond "Genesis has special details"? Because what about Job? Does that count as a first mention, seen as it could be older than genesis (in terms of being written) or do we just rely on the abilities of some old monks to put the bible in order for us. ; ) I have heard a number of teachers refer to this, but I cannot yet make use of it myself. So what better place to clear it up than where thousands of people can read it!

I'm flattered that this reader thinks I am able to give a definitive answer, (and that they think I have thousands of readers!)

Well, I'm more than happy to offer my thoughts on the subject, and to open up the comments section so that others with wisdom on the matter can chip in with their contributions too.

First, what is the Law of First Mention?
It is a principle in Biblical Hermeneutics (The framework for understanding and applying the Scriptures) that states that the first mention of something in the Scriptures is especially significant and sets the stage for how it is to be understood in the rest of the Word.

I have to say here, that I think "Law" is a misnomer, as it implies that it is something fundamental that can be appealed to to establish other truth. I think that the reader is right to challenge and question this. I think it is better to think of it as a "principle" or a "rule of thumb", because more often than not, the fist mention of something in the Word is highly significant. Not because there is an inviolable law that says it has to be so, but because that is what we observe to be the case.


Why should first mentions be significant?
So, what is the principle behind this principle? Why should there be special significance with how something is introduced in the Word?

Whatever you think about the first-mentions principle, one thing that is clear from the Scriptures is that Origins are important. The Bible begins with Genesis - the book of origins. And in this book are the origins, not just of the Universe, but of every major theme of Scripture: Sin and Redemption, Covenant, Prayer, Worship, God's people, God's ultimate purpose for his world, and even the Gospel and Christ himself, if you know how to look.

God begins at the beginning for a reason. We have to understand where we have come from if we are to appreciate where we are going. For example, you need to understand the problem of sin and the fall of man in Adam, if you are to appreciate forgiveness and our redemption in Christ. We see that God's commission to the Church is fundamentally the same as his commission to Adam - to go out into all the world and fill it with people in the image of God who will represent the Kingdom rule of God on the earth just as it is in heaven. God does not have many plans for this world, but one eternal unchanging plan. That is why origins are important, because what God purposed from the beginning is exactly what he will accomplish at the end.

Thus the first mention is significant, because more often than not, it is also the point of origin.


What constitutes a first mention?
In this context, we understand that it is the origin, rather than textual position in a compiled book, that is significant. Although the events of Job predate much of Genesis, Job deals with the issue of suffering rather than the issue of origins. To carry maximum significance, the first mention should be traced to the Book of Origins itself - Genesis. This is not to say that first mentions elsewhere are insignificant, but they certainly carry less weight.

There are other passages outside Genesis that deal with origins. Acts 2, for example, which is highly significant as a reference of origin when considering the nature of the Church. [Which in turn is the New Testament expression of God's called-out people, which can be traced back to Genesis.]


Usage and Abusage
Like any other principle, the First Mention principle can be both used and abused. It is absolutely right and proper, when studying any theme in Scripture, to make sure you trace it back to its first mention, to ensure you understand and grasp the context in which it is introduced, and any significant light that this sheds on the subject. However it is totally wrong to use this principle like a law that can be applied in isolation without reference to the rest of Scripture, to give a distorted emphasis to a verse of first mention, and to make it mean something that is not borne out by how the progressive revelation of Scripture fills out the details on this subject.

There is a wise old saying that goes: If all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail!

The principle of first mention is just one of many tools we have in understanding and getting the most out of the Scriptures. Used correctly it can help frame our understanding of Biblical themes. Misused it can distort verses beyond what was ever intended.

Another day, another snowman

Our best snowman yet! This one was bigger than Michael.

The Belt of Truth

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth (Eph 6:14)

I'm no expert in Greek, but I do know how to use the resources over at studylight.org! In the Greek having-fastened-on-the-belt is all one word. So the emphasis here is not about some mysterious object, "the belt of truth", but on an action: "belting-ourselves" with truth. So here, as well as in the rest of the passage concerning the armour of God, is not about some metaphysical protection that we have to don to engage in spiritual warfare (found here and nowhere else in the word), but about how we apply the spiritual principles clearly laid out in the rest of the Scriptures.

Another interesting fact from the Greek is that the word for belt, the root for the word used here, is "zone", from which we get the English word... erm... Zone! So we could also understand this instruction as "zone yourself in the truth".

Some limitations are bad. When we limit our faith or our expectations in God, these are limitations we were never meant to have. But other limitations are good. It is good to have proper boundaries. Proverbs says: "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." (Pr 25:28). Self-control is setting up good and righteous boundaries for our behaviour. Even God is "limited" in this way: it is impossible for him to lie. Why? Not because it is too difficult for him or beyond is power, but because it is outside the "zone" of his perfect nature.

In this context to belt-ourselves with truth, means to confine ourselves, in thought, in behaviour, and in confession, to the truth. And the ultimate truth, of course, is the truth of God's word.

It's not about being "honest" about how I feel, or how I assess my circumstances (that might lead to a whole other set of confession and behaviour), but to refuse to think of myself or act in a way that is outside of what God declares me to be. That is the truth that I "zone myself" with. So that to use an expression of Keri Jones, "I am framed by the word of God," and anything that comes in (what I receive) and anything that goes out (what I confess) has to pass through the filter of the Word of God and what he declares me to be.