Every Man like David

On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. (Zec 12:8)

I found this fantastic promise in the word this morning. Part of God's restoration heart is that every one of his people should be like his servant David. Of course the greater purpose of God is that we should all be like Christ, but being like David can illuminate some important things. Here's what it means to me:

• Every man with his heart caught by the purpose of God


• Every man with an abundant and enduring anointing of the Holy Spirit


• Every man a passionate worshiper who seeks to give God the glory due his name with every fibre of his being.


• Every man under authority, submitted to those whom the Lord has placed over him: preferring to be wronged rather than to lay a hand on the Lord's anointed


• Every man a bold warrior who extends the kingdom in one victory after another no matter what the opposition.


• Every man preparing those who will succeed him to continue where he left off.

[I use the word man in the generic sense, so ladies, this includes you too]

How great it would be if even the weakest amongst us was like David! Yet this is God's heart for his church.

I also believe it is a warning. David's failings are presented to us as well as his successes. David shows us that no man, no matter how great, is beyond the reach of moral compromise. Our battle is not without an enemy, and this enemy would seek to destroy us. The way he does this is not by putting colds and coughs on us, as some believers seem to think. His MO is to tempt and to accuse. He would seek to seduce us into moral compromise under the deception that it is secret and no-one will know, and so seek to disqualify us from ministry, or else so accuse us by our past failings that we disqualify ourselves.

I feel stirred that we must be prepared and on our guard against such temptations and accusations. For a man to be powerfully used by God he must lay hold of and remain in the grace of God, and master the sin on his doorstep (Ge 4:7).

Feeding on the Word

And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them." (Eze 3:1-4)

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings." (Rev 10:9-11)


The Bible has a lot to say about many things, including itself. However we should not expect to find prophetic imagery of leather bound books with crosses on the front. The book form of the Bible only existed after the printing-press. In biblical times the word of God was recorded on scrolls. So when we see a scroll in prophetic language, especially if that scroll is coming from the Lord, what we are seeing are the Scriptures referring to themselves: we are seeing the recorded word of God.

It is interesting that in these two cases where the prophets are commanded to eat the scroll we are told it tasted like honey. This is of course what the manna tasted like. The manna was another demonstration to God's people that they needed to feed, not just on bread alone, but on every word that comes from God.

The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. (Ex 16:31),

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Dt 8:3)

It is also interesting and highly significant that in both cases the prophets had to feed on the word before they were commanded to prophesy. It is a rather obvious statement, but a valuable truth nevertheless, that you cannot bring the word of God out of you, if it is not in you to begin with. The scriptures are prophet food. If we are to be God's prophetic people we must make sure we are getting a good diet of the word of God. God doesn't speak into empty heads, but into hearts that are full of his word.

Bon Appetit!

Sons of Fresh Oil

And a second time I answered and said to him, "What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?" He said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord." Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones [lit. Sons of New Oil] who stand by the Lord of the whole earth." (Zec 4:12-14)


Tony Ling brought a fantastic word to Living Rock Church on Sunday. It was a key word for us. I'll add a link to the audio as soon as someone [probably me! ;-)] puts it up on the LRC website.

It excited me for several reasons. I'm always stirred when Tony speaks. He is a man who carries the anointing of God, and there is something about his prophetic gift that always sparks something in my spirit. I was also strirred because so much of what he shared resonated with what the Spirit has been communicating to me in my own meditations in the word.

Tony spoke about the Spirit and Power of Elijah, and how this relates to the ministry of the Church who are preparing the way for the Lord by restoring all things. The fact that Elijah is a type and pattern of the church is something I am utterly convinced of from my own studies in the word. I even wrote a short paper on it. Tony shared how on Mount Carmel Elijah brought restoration to a people who had "rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death" (1Ki 19:10) This he linked to the "Way of God" (the Lordship of Jesus), the "Worship of God" and the "Word of God". He then went on to talk about Elijah's cloak, and how it represented his prophetic anointing. In a fantastic parallel he linked how this cloak floated down to the ground after Elijah ascended, and anointed Elisha to continue his ministry, to how the Spirit was outpoured after Jesus ascended, and how we are cloathed with power from on high, to enable us to continue the works of Jesus. I was chuffed because of these four things: the Lordship of Christ, the worship of God, the word of God, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit; I had preached on three of these the previous week. Three out of four ain't bad! ;-) It's great when you hear the word of God when you prepare to preach, but it's even better when you have this confirmed. From the mouths of two or three witnesses a thing is firmly established.

On the subject of the two witnesses. Once you see that Elijah is a type for the prophetic ministry of the church, you can also follow that the two witnesses in Revelation 11 (who perform the miracles of Moses and Elijah) also correspond to the witness of the church in the world. This in turn corresponds with the visions of the prophet Zechariah, which I had just been reading that morning!

As a church, as God's prophetic people, God is clearly speaking to us at the moment. We need to be sons of fresh oil. We need a daily anointing with his Spirit to get his job done, just as surely as we need the daily bread of his word. If we are serious about being a part of God's plan to impact the world, and bring in his kingdom there is just no substitute for the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." (Zec 4:6)

One year on

It's my blogday! One year ago today I wrote my first post and entered the wonderful world of blogging.

It's no coincidence that my blogday comes so soon after Roger's. It was reading Roger's blog and the encouragement that he gave me, that prompted me to start my own blog. Now, one year on, I'm still going strong.

So what has a year of blogging done for me? The main thing I have got out of blogging is the sense of community that exists between fellow-bloggers and regular readers. I have "met" like minded people I would never have come into contact with otherwise, and felt in close contact with dear brothers I would otherwise only have had infrequent dialogue with.

Next it has been an exercise in discipline. Blogging is hard work! Nothing worthwhile is ever easy is it? I nearly gave up on a couple of occasions. You run out of things to say, and after a while you just get out of the habit. My thanks to Cerys Wood, and Roger Aubrey again who provoked me to get going again at those moments.

I have found it helpful in my own meditations in the word. When you write something down and share your thoughts with the world, it forces you to think things through much more thoroughly than when you just keep the thoughts buzzing round in your head. Also when you have "discharged" your thoughts in this way, it gives a release that allows you to move on to thinking about something else.

It has been rewarding too. All sowing produces reaping doesn't it! I love getting comments on my blog, or seeing other bloggers make reference to my posts. It's great to look at my stats too and see the number of visitors. I had 40 unique visitors yesterday — that's more than attended my first Daniel Masterclass! To be honest, it's the visitors who keep me blogging, so thank you. Special thanks to all my regulars who leave comments: Marcos, Cerys, Anna, Kev C, Joe, Roger, Matthew. It was also through my blog and Google that I got back in contact with a dear long-lost friend. That was a great moment.

So to any would be bloggers out there, or those who are just starting, here are my three top tips from 1 years experience:

1. Sowing and reaping! Yes, it works even in the blogoshere. If you want to be linked, start by linking others first. You want more comments, leave comments on other people's blogs.


2. Read like-minded blogs (An Aggregator is an invaluable tool for this). Blogging, like any communication, works best when it is not just monologue. Read what others are writing about. If you are feeling uninspired, a good way back in is to take what someone else has written and expand upon it in one of your own posts.


3. Install a stat-counter as soon as you can. It will be demoralising at first, but there is nothing like seeing your hit-count rise to keep you posting.

Threefold Authority

This post is brought to you by the number three.


I mentioned in a previous post that the number three is very significant in scripture. The problem is, though, that it is significant for more than one thing.

Three days is a prophetic time in scripture that points forwards to Christ's death and resurrection. Examples are Jonah's three days in the belly of the fish, and Moses' declaration that the people should take a three day journey into the wilderness in order to offer sacrifices. (Mt 12:40, Ex 5:3)

Three is also significant in that is one of the numbers of established witness: by the testimony of two or three witnesses a thing is firmly established. An example would be Abraham's three visitors who testified against Sodom. Most other examples of witnesses tend to be twos rather than threes: Joshua and Caleb who gave a good witness after spying out the land, Moses and Elijah who witnessed Christ's transfiguration, and the two witnesses in Revelation. But it is still worth bearing in mind that three can be used in this way too. (Dt 19:15, Mt 18:15)

But the threes that have been jumping out at me lately are the threes of God's delegated authority. Within the Godhead of course we have Father, Son and Spirit who set the example for all the others. In the heavens God established Sun, Moon and Stars. In the created order he established Man, Woman and all the animals. In the family his order is husband, wife, children. And in the church we have the pattern of Apostles, Elders, and all God's people.

It is interesting to speculate about a possible link between the final two uses of three. Three is the number of the community of God. Two is the number of the community of man (husband and wife). Either of these two numbers can be used to establish something, which reflects the fact that God has delegated his governmental authority to man.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecc 4:12)

Snow is falling...

From the mouths of infants

My 2½ year old son is starting early with his good confessions of faith. Yesterday while I was giving him his tea, we were listening to "Open the Eyes of My Heart" by Sonicflood (A firm favourite of Michael and mine) While they were singing the chorus, "Holy Holy Holy, I want to see you," Michael looked at me and said, "Michael not holy holy holy?" I agreed. He thought for a minute and then replied: "Just Jesus."

That evening as Jacqueline was putting him to bed, she asked him to sit nicely and not squirm around because Mummum had a sore head. He knelt up, put his hand on her head and said: "Make you all better. Amen!"

My Cup Overflows

Yesterday I had the pleasure and privilege of bringing the word to the good folks at our Lutterworth congregation. I shared on the foundation, heart, and means of restoration: The Lordship of Christ, the worship of God, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I concluded from Amos 9, that the result of a restored life is overflowing joy: "New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills."

As I was preparing I felt stirred to do something a bit different. I felt I should take a saucer, and a glass, and fill it to overflowing with wine at the relevant point in my message. At the time I felt confident I had heard from God, so I assembled everything I needed there and then. But doubts quickly tried to crowd in: "What if it comes across like a gimmick?", "What if they confuse it for the wine in breaking bread?" Never the less, I determined that I would do it. I'd rather be a fool for Christ than be disobedient to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit. What did I have to lose? Just my pride and a good bottle of wine - nothing in comparison.

I need not have worried. Matthew was there leading worship, and he had already decided to break bread. So there was no chance of confusion there. Also, just before I reached the point in my message, a lady in the congregation interrupted me and shared on Psalm 23: the anointing of joy, and our cup running over! Praise God! We all heard from God and went away blessed. God is good.

Which Version?

I have nearly finished reading the Bible through in two years. I have often over the years tried to read the Bible through in one year, and even succeeded a couple of times, but my success rate at this has been around 30%, and I think I'm not alone at finding it a challenge. But reading the Bible through in two years I have found much more achievable and more rewarding — you have more time to reflect on what you are reading.

I want to do the same over the next two years. And with my birthday approaching at the right time, I have asked for a Two-Year Bible. The only question I have is what version? I did a scary calculation today, and realised that I have been reading the NIV almost exclusively now for over seventeen years! Time for a change methinks.

I had thought of going to the New Living translation, because they have a two-year version, and because Keri Jones, our apostle always recommends it so highly. But my recent meditations in Amos have made me think twice. The layers of symbolism in Amos 1:3 and similar verses is an excellent place to compare versions:

ESV: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment

NIV: For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath.

NLT: The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not let them go unpunished any longer!

In the ESV (which is a recent discovery I am appreciating more and more) the NKJV and NASB the word and is preserved which allows an exploration of all the layers of significance. In the NIV the dynamic equivalence has obviously picked up on the tetrad and translated it to fit better with this form using even instead, but you miss the possibility that this is actually a seven split into 3 and 4. Whilst in the NLT you are completely oblivious to any levels of prophetic symbolism at all!

What to do? Am I splitting hairs (and numbers) and could do with just taking in the broad-brushstrokes? Should I stick with the ol' faithful NIV and aim for 20 years!? Or should I go to the ESV and really dig down deep!?

Any comments or advice appreciated. Two years is a long time so I want to get the right version before I set out!!

Feed for thought

If you subscribe to this blog via the site feed, can you please update your aggregator to point to my new feedburner feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/chrishamer-hodges. Thank you. And thanks for reading!

For three, and for four

OK, here is what I've got on Amos' use of numbers in the first two chapters of his book.

Tetrads

First, the structure has been carefully chosen to be very close to the tetrad forms of the kind found in Proverbs 30.

Three things are never satisfied; four never say, "Enough" (v15)
Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand (v18)
Under three things the earth trembles; under four it cannot bear up (v21)
Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride (v29)

These tetrad forms were apparently a popular Jewish teaching device of the time. The introduction of the elements as three, and then four, was to give emphasis to the fourth item. I guess they are an ultra-micro version of a three-point sermon with a conclusion — no wonder they were popular! ;-) The fact that Amos chose to use a form (very similar) to these tetrads, perhaps implies that he was a prophet who also had a teaching ministry, or maybe a prophetic teacher — I like that! This might also explain his reticence to include himself among the mainstream prophets of his day. (pure speculation of course!)

But I stressed, that his words are very close to this kind of tetrad, because although they are crafted to have the same form as this device, Amos' words are not tetrads! If they had been they would have been subtly different. If Amos had said:

"For three sins of Damascus I will not revoke the punishment; for four my wrath will not be turned away."

This would have been a true tetrad. But he didn't; the structure of the sentence is very close, but subtly and deliberately different. Also note that unlike the tetrads in proverbs, no list of four sins or transgressions is listed - just one! What Amos is actually saying is "For three sins and for four", in other words in a roundabout way he is saying: "For seven sins of Damascus...."

Sevens

This leads on to the second point. The symbolic use of the number seven in scripture is clear and unambiguous. It represents fullness or completeness, because on the seventh day God rested from all his work of creation. Seven transgressions would thus correspond to a full measure of sinfulness.

Compare this with the following scriptures:

In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. (Ge 15:16)

In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. (1Th 2:16)

God is the creator of emotions, and he is an emotional God. He feels anger, love, zeal, even hatred and jealousy. But unlike human emotions, the emotions of God are never from wrong motives or out of control. God is never in an out of control rage, but he does decide to get angry. In his mercy and his forbearance he does not respond immediately to sin, but allows time for repentance and restoration, but there comes a point when sinfulness reaches its limit, and God decides, enough is enough; I'm going to get angry now.

Amos was prophesying that the sins of the neighbouring nations, and of Judah and Israel themselves, had reached that limit; God's judgement was imminent.

And something else I can't quite put my finger on....

The third layer of symbolism is one that I have not quite pinned down yet! I just have a gut instinct that there must be more here. I'm not trying to force the scriptures to say anything that is contrary to the plain reading of the text; I'm not looking for any "hidden coded messages". I believe, despite what some may think after reading the latter part of Daniel, that the purpose of prophetic symbolism, and all prophetic communication for that matter, is always to illuminate never to obfuscate! And it is for this reason that I feel there is more here.

The main message of Amos is clearest understood as "For seven sins of....", so why would he split it into 3 / 4 unless there was some more significant symbolism to be communicated by doing so. Although the tetrad device is clever, I do not for one minute think that the prophet communicated this way just to show off how clever or educated he was. "I may be a farm boy, but get a load of this..." No, just doesn't sit right. The prophet is bringing the symbolism of the number 3 and/or the number 4 into play.

My first reaction was to link this and contrast it with the three righteous men mentioned by Ezekiel in his judgements of the nations: Noah, Daniel and Job could save only themselves if they were present (Eze 14:16,18). But on closer inspection it didn't seem to stick.

Something to chew over, and come back to another day, I think. My good friend Matthew has already suggested a possible significance of the 3 / 4 split in a comment on my previous post, that I think has some mileage.

A way with numbers

“For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment..." (Amos 1:3)

It seems I'm not the only one who is intrigued by numbers. The more I read in the prophetic writings, the more I am struck by the significance and prophetic symbolism in the numbers they chose. This is particularly true with the books of Daniel and Revelation which I have studied in some depth, but I believe it is also true of some of the other prophets.

Take the above quote from the beginning of Amos, repeated throughout chapters 1 and 2. If you are like me, you have probably skipped over the numbers here without giving them much thought. But I suddenly have a new found respect and admiration for this "rustic" prophet. Far from being a simple farm lad, he had an ingenious grip on the prophetic symbolism of numbers. I believe there are at least three layers of meaning carefully chosen and crafted together in this phrase....

....Unfortunately I don't have enough time to fully expound them today, so you'll have to come back tomorrow if you want to know what I've discovered. ;-) If you can't wait here are some clues: Abraham. Proverbs. Completeness / Fullness.


Update

---

Sorry! This is what happens when you post in a hurry! The link to Abraham is tenuous at best! What I had in mind was actually Eze 14:16,18. And as Ezekiel was some 200 years after Amos, he could not really have been building on this revelation. In my haste I misrecalled the number of righteous men for which God would spare the city when Abraham pleaded for Sodom. Although Abraham had three visitors the number which he "bargained" down to was 10 not 3. Kinda takes the wind out of my sails on this one. But hey, you don't get fresh revelation if you're not prepared to explore some new avenues... but some turn out to be blind alleys.

Three is still a significant number in the scriptures even without this link. So I may still post on it anyway.

---

The Continuance of the Prophets

And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
and some of your young men for Nazirites.
Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the Lord. (Amos 2:11)

“For the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:7-8)

I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ (Amos 7:14-15)


I have been stirred to look at the book of Amos recently. As I have been reading and meditating, and looking into some of the detail of the prophet and his book, I came across some interesting information.

The above quotes from Amos do not look at all remarkable until you consider this fact: he was the first of the prophets whose utterances are recorded in the canon of scripture among the prophetic writings. Yet he does not claim to be the first of the prophets; he makes reference to a continuous lineage of prophets, and implies a company of contemporaneous prophets to which he barely considers to include himself.

It struck me that this is much like the cessationist debate, but in reverse! There is certainly no doubt as to whether there was a continuance of prophetic ministries before the canon of prophetic writings were started. Amos makes reference to a whole lineage and company of God's prophetic people that had nothing at all to do with the writing of scripture. It seems clear to me, and to Amos, that God's desire to have a prophetic people is an eternal and continuous thing, that is for the most part independent of the process of inspiration and writing of the word of God.

God has always desired to have a prophetic people, before, during and after his word was written!


“Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Nu 11:29)

Infinite Beauty

My post on perfect numbers generated some interesting discussion, so at the risk of being labelled a geek again, I thought I would continue for one more post on the amazing beauty and infinate detail that exists in God's creation, not just in the details without (the vastness of the Cosmos) but also the infinite details within, and in particular in numbers. What's so beautiful about numbers, I hear you say? How can a number have infinate detail?

Consider the snowflake; though it is tiny, it has beautiful detail, and were you to magnify these details, you would see just as much beauty on the finer details that exist upon these details. There are details on details, and further details on these details, right the way down to the atomic level. Not quite infinate detail, but these types of shapes are known as fractals, and can be represented by mathematical equations which do indeed, theoretically at least, have infinate detail. There is as much beauty and detail, no matter how much you zoom in: infinity enclosed within a finite space. Incredible!

One of the simplest of these mathematical equations (Z_n+1 = Z_n² + C) is also one of the most beautiful. It's called the Mandelbot Set, after its discoverer, but the infinate beauty of this equation was crafted by God, just waiting for man to discover it.

Here's another Java Applet I wrote so you can try it out for yourself:





To explore the infinite (within the limits of the computer's arithmetic) detail in this fractal, drag a box around the area you wish to explore and then click in this box. You can repeat this as often as you like, increasing the magnification each time. When the screen stays blank, your computer has run out of decimal places to perform the calculations . Press the 'Reset' button and start again!

Holiday Snap

Perfect Numbers

I took a number of books on holiday to read. Apart from the Bible I took a book on Church history that I still have to finish, a collection of early Christian writings, and a good paperback novel which I bought in the airport.

The paperback I bought this time was "Fermat's Last theorem" by Simon Singh. I had already read his follow up book "The Code Book" and found it fascinating. Despite this book being about mathematics, I found it a rivetting read.

As part of the background to the theorem, Singh provides some background to some mathematical theories in the dramatic historical context in which they were first formulated. One such concept that particularly caught my imagination was the idea of "Perfect Numbers"

Every number has a set of divisors: numbers that can divide the original number into another whole number. If the only whole number (apart from itself) that can be a divisor is 1, then the number is said to be "Prime". Examples of prime numbers are: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 etc. If the sum of the divisors is more than the number itself, that number is said to be "excessive". If the sum of the divisors is less than the number it is "deficient". But if the sum of the divisors is exactly equal to the number itself then it is said to be a "perfect" number. The first 2 perfect numbers are 6 (1 + 2 + 3) and 28 (1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14).

Why this caught my interest is that some early Christian writers, like Augustine, noticed a link between these perfect numbers and the numbers involved with God's creation: God created the world in 6 days, and the moon which was created to mark the months has a 28 day cycle. This, they say, points to the initial perfection in all God made.

Now, I'm still unconvinced on the merits of this link. One has to be very wary of imposing modern scientific understanding upon the text of the scriptures, which neither knows, nor cares about such ways of viewing the world. The language of Genesis is one of description, not mechanics, and it holds true regardless of what the current scientific theories might be (I don't include Darwinism as a scientific theory!). Also the term "perfect" is a happy accident; if Pythagoras had named them "balanced" numbers instead, I wonder if the connection would have been so apparent. Finally the third "perfect" number is 496 which has no scriptural references whatsoever.

Never the less, I can't help but like elegant connections and details like this. God's creation was indeed perfect in every way before sin marred it. Who knows if God chose these numbers to reveal this perfection or not? One thing that I particularly like is the restoration of the number 6. This number has often been associated with evil or demons, but even Revelation 13 is very clear: it is man's number. Man was the pinnacle of God's perfect creation, created on the sixth day. To me the fact that 6 is a perfect number is a fitting reminder that man was created perfect, and is destined to return to perfection. Man does not belong to the devil nor to demons, but to his perfect Creator.

1100 miles and 20 degrees.

Hi, I'm back.

We had a fantastic time in Portugal. The weather was gloriously sunny and warm for the majority of the time we were there. Bit of a shock to the system coming home though: yesterday morning I was sipping my second cup of strong filter coffee in T-shirt and shades, overlooking a panoramic view of the sea; this morning I was scraping the ice off my car!

Off to Portugal!

Hooray! Tomorrow the Hamer-Hodges family fly off to Portugal for a much needed week's break in the sun. It's still about 20°C out there and sunny!

Michael has been looking forward to it sooo much! He even packed a little bag of toys a week or so ago, and said "I go to Portugal now?" Just one more big-sleep now, and we can all go on the big aeroplane.

Don't miss my posts too much! ;-) I've left you something meaty to chew over while I'm away; I look forward to reading your thoughts when I get back.

Abundant Blessings.

Blood, Fire and Billows of Smoke

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
" `In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"
(Acts 2:14-21)

I mentioned in a previous post that the imagery of "Blood, Fire and Billows of Smoke" in Joel 2 / Acts 2 fascinates me. It's one of those places in scripture, where you just know there is great revelation to be unlocked if only you could get a handle on it. I have often stopped to chew it over when I have read it, but it has only been recently in the light of conversations had on this blog, revisiting scriptures relating to baptism in the spirit, and re-reading Jordan's book, that the pieces of the puzzle finally seem to be fitting together. I'm not claiming I have the definitive exegesis, or that what everyone else says is wrong, but for me, this seems to satisfy in a way that other explanations haven't. I certainly think at least there is some mileage in it, or I wouldn't be sharing it. Anyway, read on and see what you think.

Signs on the Earth

Jordan points out in "Through New Eyes" that this scripture is a Chiasm ["A chiasm is a literary device in which parallel ideas or terms are presented in a sandwich form instead of normal parallelism"]

 (A) I will show wonders in the heaven above
    (B) and signs on the earth below
    (B) blood and fire and billows of smoke
 (A) The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood

This helps, because is shows that "Blood, fire and billows of smoke" are related to "Signs of the Earth Below". Jordan suggests that the imagery of Blood fire and smoke are to do with war, and links this to the darkening of the heavenly bodies representing human authority and rule. Whilst this is certainly plausible, I don't find it very satisfying. The scripture uses many symbolisms for war, but never "blood, fire and billows of smoke", what is more these symbols are very powerful scriptural pictures that are used elsewhere, and not in the context of war. The darkening of the sun and moon does not have to represent the fall of a human government either. They are there to govern time and seasons, so they could equally be pointing to the end of an age in some other way than just geo-political. Couple this to the fact that Peter includes these verses in the fulfilment of what happened at Pentecost and the explanation of war seems even less satisfying.

Blood + Fire-and-Billows-of-Smoke

Since "Blood, fire and billows of smoke" only occur together in Joel 2 and Acts 2, we must de-couple at least one of these symbols to examine where the other two are used together. The most fruitful approach I have found is in separating "blood" from "fire and billows of smoke." This seems a good way to proceed, because Joel 2 is a prophecy about the baptism in the Spirit, and we have already come across the column of fire and smoke in relation to baptism in the Spirit pictured in the Old Testament, described as baptised in the cloud. (1Co 10:2)

Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. (Isa 4:5)


Fire and billows of smoke is also the language of Sinai, and represents the awesome presence of God that none but Moses could approach.

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently (Ex 19:18)

It is also repeated in the description of the altar of incense, when the priest would go behind the curtain on the day of atonement. Here again it represents the awesome holy presence of God, that only the high priest could enter.

He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die. (Lev 16:12-13)

The way in changed forever

This second image of fire and billows of smoke is particularly useful as we are told in Hebrews about this event: But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. (Heb 9:7) So now we have all three elements re-united again: blood, fire, and billows of smoke. If this is the event they are referring to, then they represent the means by which sinful man is permitted to come into the presence of almighty God.

So we have signs on the earth relating to the way man comes before God, and signs in the heavens relating to the end of an age. Is it beyond the realms of reason to assume that these are both connected, and relate to Pentecost? Could it be that they represent the end of an age of how man comes into the presence of God! Before it was exclusive to the high priest, but now it is inclusive of "all flesh"; before man had to come into the presence, but now the presence is poured out; before it was limited to once a year, but now we have an abiding presence of God within us that will never leave us nor forsake us.

So where's the blood and smoke?

Joel prophecies that the day of Pentecost will be marked by "Blood, fire and billows of smoke", but when we come to the New Testament scriptures we see that the only sign that is given is one of fire.

"I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Mt 3:11)

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:3-4)

The fulfilment of the sign of fire is clear, but it begs the question: where is the blood and the billows of smoke. After pondering this question for some time I am of the opinion that this is exactly the question the scriptures want us to ask! The blood and smoke speak volumes by their absence!

The absence of blood is easy: we no longer need to come before the Lord by shedding blood, because it has been shed once for all by the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Our sins have been covered, and God's wrath fully propitiated. Christ's blood now seals an eternal covenant by which we may now enter boldly without fear of condemnation.

But the absence of smoke is not without precedent in scripture either. Consider Isaiah chapter 6; above the fiery coals of the altar, he saw not the billows of smoke that should have shielded his gaze from the holy presence, but he saw the Lord himself! It is also interesting that the first consequence of this encounter is that his lips were consecrated with this same fire, to enable him to declare the very words of God!

So this links in with the fact that the signs in the heavens reveal a change of an age. It is no longer one man who enters the presence of God, to make atonement for the people. But it is now a people who have been touched by the fire from heaven, and whose lips have been opened to declare the wonders of God, who take the presence of God with them, out to the whole word to declare to every nation tribe and tongue the good news of Christ's atoning sacrifice for sins, and that the way to God has been changed forever. It is open:

Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved!

Sticking my oar in!

I couldn't resist! I have recently been browsing wider in the Christian blogsphere, and I came across a big debate on the gifts of the Spirit. Sadly the debate was not on "How do we best move in the spiritual gifts?" or "How should the gifts be administrated?", but the age-old "Are the gifts of the Spirit for today?" cessationist / charismatic argument.

There are still many of our brothers and sisters in the Lord who are in expressions of the church where the gifts of the Spirit do not operate, or if they do, they are ignored or suppressed. What is more, some of them actually seem to like it this way! They actually argue that the church is better off without the gifts of the Spirit, and that God never intended them to last beyond the "apostolic" age!

What I found most ironic was one site where many cessationists were patting themselves on the back for their doctrinal correctness, and bandying around the term Sola Scriptura. How sad! A term that was originally intended to restore biblical practice to the church, has now been distorted to the point where it means that God can only communicate through the scriptures! Surely, if these people want to claim "Sola Scriptura", they should base their doctrine on the gifts of the Spirit on what the scriptures actually say about the gifts, and not on their misguided notions of the implications of Sola Scriptura!

I guess the reason I stuck my oar in, and joined the debate is that I once used to attend congregations like these. I was never deliberately cessationist in my theology, but I had received no teaching on the gifts, and had no experience of their operation. I was concerned about the discrepancy between my experience and what I read in the letters and Acts, but I had no idea what to do about it. I knew people who allegedly spoke in tongues, but because in the circles I moved in at the time, it was frowned upon, they used to put their hands in front of their mouths, and all you could hear were slurping noises! The first time I properly heard someone speak in tongues, the words were coming out of my own mouth! No-one laid hands on me, no-one directed me. Just a young man earnestly praying alone in his room for God to fill him with his Spirit so he could effectively witness to his friends, who got what he asked for! I don't know if my comments have done any good, but even if they encourage one person to seek God and find out for themselves what he can do... it will have been worth it.

If you want to follow the debate, or flex your theological muscles and join in, the best place to start seems to be Adrian Warnock's blog.

Bon fire and billows of smoke

Had a great time at the Eagles' tonight! They really know how to put on a firework display! I was very impressed.

Michael loves fireworks, but until tonight has only ever caught a few from his bedroom window as we have been putting him to bed. He had been counting the days until he could see "Lots and lots of rockets!" He wasn't disappointed!

Thanks Andrew, much appreciated.

Staying Close to Stay Full

One last observation (for now) from the river in Ezekiel 47. As I mentioned before the river flows from underneath the temple. It comes from the presence of God. To stay in the river, we have to stay close to God.

We can see this in another portion of scripture that talks about baptism:

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. (1Co 10:1-2)

We often pick up on the fact that the passage through the Red Sea was a picture of water baptism. But Paul also states that being under the cloud was also a picture of baptism.

Now we know that the cloud represents the presence of God. And it was this presence that led them for forty years in the wilderness.

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out--until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels. (Ex 40:36-38)

If "baptism in the sea" represents water baptism, what can "baptism in the cloud" mean except baptism in the Holy Spirit: the presence of God within us.

It is interesting, in this case, to notice again the difference between these two baptisms. For although they passed through the sea as a one-off, they stayed under the cloud for the entire duration of their pilgrimage to the promised land. Baptism in the Spirit does not mean a one-off filling, but a life continually led by the Holy Spirit. If we are baptised in the Spirit we should be leading lives that are continually led, guided and prompted by the stirrings of the Holy Spirit within us. As we obey these promptings and stay close, we stay in the river, and so we stay full. As it says in Galatians 5:25:

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Staying Under to Stay Full

Back to the image of the river again. The picture in Ezekiel 47 reminds me of what Matthew shared with us on Sunday: the difference between the baptism in water and the baptism in the Spirit.

When we are baptised in water we come up again straight away, but when we are baptised in the Spirit we are meant to stay under forever!

We often think of being filled with the Spirit, like taking our cup back to God for him to turn on his "tap" and replenish us. But I think a far more scriptural image, certainly post-pentecost, is to think of it like Ezekiel in chapter 47, being immersed in the river that is the Spirit. This fits both with the concept of "baptism", and the reoccurring New Testament phrasiology of being "In the Spirit". We thus should not ask "have you been baptised in the Holy Spirit", but "are you baptised in the Holy Spirit". It is a lasting position we are meant to live in, not a one-off experience so we can tick the box "Charismatic"!

It's not about trying to get more of the Spirit into us, but like Ezekiel, getting more of us into the Spirit. It's no problem to stay full if you stay in the river.

As I have said in a previous post it is also interesting to note what Jesus says in John 7: "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." It's not a picture of a vessel filled from on high, but of a well springing forth from within. The Holy Spirit, the river we need to get into, is already inside us! We just need to make sure that our well is not blocked, and we do not inhibit his "gushing forth" in our lives.

If this concept of staying in the river, to keep the river within us flowing seems a strange mix of "who's inside who?" compare it with what Jesus says in John 15:4:

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you."

The Hand that made us is divine

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.
The unwearied sun from day to day
Does his Creator’s power display,
And publishes to every land
The works of an almighty hand.

Soon as the evening shades prevail
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listening earth
Repeats the story of her birth;
Whilst all the stars that round her burn
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings, as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What though in solemn silence all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball;
What though no real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found;
In reason’s ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
Forever singing as they shine,
“The hand that made us is divine.”

–Joseph Addison


I was thrilled to discover yesterday on Matthew's Blog, a link to the complete text of "Through New Eyes" by James Jordan. If you haven't read this book, stop what you are doing and download it now! It is an outstanding book that will help you get the most out of the Bible by bridging the gap between our 21st Century way of thinking, and the worldview and symbolism contained in the pages of scripture.

I have been devouring it again, and came across this poem that I really like. It appeals to me both as a scientist and as a believer. The true study of science will never disprove God — how could it?! That is a fantasy propogated by the lies of the Darwinists. The study of God's creation will always point to the creator. That is why, when I was at University, the Physics department had one of the largest Christian Union groups of any faculty, and why when you consider the greatest Physicists of all time: Newton, Einstien, Maxwell — they were all firm believers in the divine hand that had shaped the cosmos.

Jordan, correctly points out in his book, that besides being giant balls of gas, the stars are there for a divine purpose. To reveal to all who will see, aspects of their creator. Not just the majesty and awesome greatness and power of God, but they also speak of his rule and his Kingdom. They were placed in the heavens to govern.

I was meditating on this recently, and I believe it explains the purpose behind, what is one of the most misunderstood scientific discoveries of our time.

In 1924 the astronomer Edwin Hubble (Made famous by the recent spectacular images beamed back from the space telescope that bears his name) made observations of the spectra of light emitted from the stars. He made a remarkable discovery. All the spectra were "red-shifted": the spectral lines for the emission of known elements in the stars did not fall on the frequencies they should have, but occurred at lower frequencies. This is an effect known as a doppler shift. Waves from an object travelling towards you appear to have a higher frequency than stationary waves, and those travelling away from you have lower frequencies. It is the reason for the "neeeeeOOOOOW" sound as a race car goes past: you hear the engine sound make a high-pitch noise as it is approaching, and a low pitch one as it roars away.

The fact that all the spectra of light were red-shifted meant something amazing: all the stars in the universe are moving away from us. This led to the discovery that the Universe is expanding — all the time, and in every direction — something that was also predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity. But this data has been misinterpreted! Georges Lemaître, in 1927 proposed what is now known as the Big Bang theory, by assuming that if the universe will be bigger tomorrow than it is today, it must have been smaller yesterday, and even smaller the day before that, all the way back to when it would shrink to a single point.

It is interesting to note however, that although this theory is today championed by atheists, it's original proponent, Lemaître,was a Christian, and tried to use it as proof that God had created the Universe.

If only Lemaître had read Jordan's book!! (I know it wasn't around then!) Then he would have understood that the eternal expansion of the Universe is there to tell us about the nature of God's kingdom. I believe it to be a cosmic declaration of Isaiah 9 verse 7! Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. And we would have been spared the precedent of trying to explain creation by science; a trap which many Christians still fall into. Creation defines the laws of science; science does not, nor can it, explain the miraculous divine act of creation itself. Its ultimate purpose is to point us to God.

All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord!

Flowing out, to stay full

This Sunday I had the pleasure and privilege of praying for some brothers to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues. I love this! Nothing make me feel more alive than when God uses me as a channel for his blessing. It's always fantastic to see people powerfully touched by God and filled with his holy presence, but there is something extra special when it is the first time. It's like what it says in the scriptures; even though God loves everyone the same, and shows no favouritism, there is still more rejoicing over one sinner who repents, than over 99 righteous men who do not need to repent.

It also made me think of the image of the river again. I think sometimes Christians miss out on staying full of the Spirit, because they try to be cisterns rather than rivers. The blessing of the Spirit is never meant to be contained by us, for a personal blessing, but to overflow out to be a source of life to many. Ironically, the more we "give out" in the Spirit, the more full we get. The more we try to receive and contain, the drier we become.

It's the same principle that's at work in other forms of blessing: sowing and reaping. The amount we reap is determined by the amount we sow. If we sow sparingly we reap sparingly. If we sow generously, we reap generously. It also follows, in the same vein, that if we are faithful with little, God will entrust us with much. As Keri Jones says "God gives seed to sowers."

It's just the same in the spiritual as in the natural. The more we give out, the more we receive, and God increases the gifting of those who are faithful in using what they already have. If you want to stay full of the Holy Spirit, don't just wait for opportunities to receive, look for opportunities to give!

Be blessed.

Rivers of Living Water

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (Jn 7:38)

I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple... As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in--a river that no-one could cross... When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh.... Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. (Eze 47:1-12 [selected])

We had a great time in cellgroup last night. It was a time together in the presence of God. There was much that happened that was encouraging, but the most exciting thing for me was that God was present and he spoke to us through prophetic words. He reminded us of who he is, the awesome God who is bigger than anything we can imagine, and beyond any description we could aply to him, and yet he is the God who is with us, and who reveals himself to us. He also spoke about "Rivers of Living Water" and his desire to refresh those who were thirsty or weary.

As we ministered to a couple of the group members in response to this word, the Lord quickened to me the image of the river in Ezekiel 47. In particular three aspects of it:

1. The Lord is leading us deeper into the things of the Spirit. He doesn't want us to be dry or weary but full of the river of life that comes from the Spirit. This is not just something that comes from above, but something we stir up from within — the Holy Spirit within us.


2. The river makes the sea fresh! In the natural the sea makes the river water salty, but not in the spiritual. God's river is sufficient for whatever situation we might face, no matter how "salty" it might seem.


3. The river flows from under the temple. It is as we draw near to God, and seek his presence that we experience the river of life.

Speaking of being immersed in the waters of life, there is one other fantastic bit of news from cell that I have to share. Richard gave testimony of how on the day that Joshua his son (5) was to be baptised, his granny was so moved, that she gave her life to Jesus too, and they were both baptised together, the same day, one after the other. We watched the video together, and rejoiced greatly that God is saving whole households! Praise God!!

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Today is the first day of the rest of your life
— unknown

As I was driving to work today, I was thinking of some of the things I had not done very well previously, and how when we work, whatever we do, we should do it as if we are working for the Lord himself, and not just for our boss or our company or our clients etc. I wasn't beating myself up about these things, or feeling down about them, but I was feeling convicted of the need to change!

I was reminded of a scene from Vanilla Sky (weird film!). In it Tom Cruise plays the role of a self-centred, hedonistic business tycoon, who is brought to his senses when he falls in love (awwww!) Penelopy Cruz, his love interest, is decidedly unimpressed with his lifestyle so far, and convinces him to mend his ways. She comes up with this great quote: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." (Anyone know who this quote is from? Answers in the comments please) In other words: "It doesn't matter how you have lived your life so far. Now you have a fresh start. What matters is what you do with today that sets a pattern for the rest of your life."

When we come to Christ, we get a wonderful fresh start. All our past failures are erased and we get to start with a clean sheet. But it's not just a one-off. Jesus paid for all our sins, not just past, but present and future as well. Every time we mess up, and come to the Lord and say sorry, he forgives us as if it had never happened. (1Jn 1:9) Each day with Jesus is a new beginning. There is nothing bad in our past that needs to set a precedent for how we live today. Today really is the first day of the rest of our lives. We don't need to wait for the new year, or for a specific ministry time, or for someone to lay hands on us. If God is convicting you of something you need to change, Today is the day to do it! Accept that your old mistakes have been forgiven and forgotten, and that before you is a great opportunity for success. Just make the decision to be different, and be different!


Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts (Heb 3:15)

Wash and make yourselves clean... Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! (Isa 1:16-17 [selected])

When he came to his senses, he said ... "I will set out and go back to my father".... So he got up and went to his father. (Lk 15:17-20 [selected])

One size fits all?

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armour on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. (1Sa 17:38-39)

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1Co 12:17-18)


I'm grateful to Cerys for bringing this to my mind today. Yesterday she pointed out that her experiences were different to mine, and the way God deals with each of us is very different. He is gracious, and knows exactly what each of us need. This is absolutely right! It made me think of the two scriptures I have mentioned above.

Saul tried to get David to fight the way he did, but it just didn't work. David had his own way of fighting which turned out to be far more effective. We can't try and force everyone to be just like us, or to do things the way we do them, it is not the way God has planned it to be. The body is made up of different parts; you get a very different response when you shove a cotton bud in your eye, than you do when you put one in your ear. In one case it is helpful, but in the other case it certainly is not. We need to recognise the God-ordained diversity that exists within the body, and not try to impose a "One size fits all" mentality.

Now there are some things which are the same for all of us. Truth is not subjective, no matter what our society might say. Doctrine is either true for everyone or it is not true at all. There is none of this pluralistic "If it works for you, Brother...." Personal morality, is not a matter of choice either. God has clear standards and shows no favouritism. But every child is different, and God has arranged his body full of people who think and respond in different ways, and God is able to relate to them all as individuals.

This is particularly true in the area of gifting. Which is the context of the 1 Corinthians passage: "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit." One error, that thankfully I have not heard for a while is, "I have the Spirit, therefore I have all the gifts." This is just not true. We all have the same Spirit, but we do not have the same gifts. Although God is transforming us into the likeness of Christ, no one individual can ever represent the fullness of the gifting of Christ. If there was such a man, he would be an Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher all rolled into one — just as Christ was. But what does the scripture say? The gifts of the Spirit are distributed according to his will (Heb 2:4) We have different gifts according to the grace given us (Ro 12:6) And that not all are apostles, pastors or teachers (1Co 13:29)

We are designed to need each other! None of us has it all. None of us can survive without the variegated input from the full range of the ministries which God has arranged in his body. There is no room in the plan of God for a lone-ranger "Me and Jesus" mentality. We belong to each other. We cannot grow and function properly until we both find our proper place and gifting within the body of Christ, and also recognise and accept our dependance on the fellow ministries which God has joined us to.

We must never think we have it all, but equally we should never underrate the gift that God has given us. The body needs the gift that you have, and is incomplete if you don't use it. It's not arrogant to think this way... it's the way God has ordained it to be.

The Family of God

One of the things that has surprised some people about us (myself and Jacqueline) during this tough time for us, has been that we have not missed a single Sunday morning meeting. Sometimes it is right for those who are grieving to have space away from everyone; indeed our elders told us clearly that if we needed to we could stay away for a week or two. We considered this option seriously, and nearly went down this route, but in the end I decided against it.

The Church is the family of God. Who do you gather around you during a tough time, if it is not your family? As Matthew says on his blog today, it is when you have a few knocks that what is really inside you is revealed. Is the church as the family of God just a nice theory for us, or is it reality? The Church, Paul says, is a body, though it is made up of many parts, it is one. When one part suffers, the whole body suffers with it. I felt strongly that this was not a time to withdraw, but on the contrary, a time to engage with the body and embrace all the healing and love that they were more than willing to give. Theology is not just meant to edify the mind, but to guide your steps. In fact theology that has no bearing on how you live your life is worthless!

This is not to say that this has been easy for us. Jacqueline in particular has found Sundays quite hard. The well-meaning sympathy, brings all the emotion to the surface, when you would rather something so personal was not on public display. Never-the-less she has willingly submitted to my decision, and agrees it is the right thing to do. It would be hard whenever we came back to the meetings.

I hope also, that we have been a provocation to others. I may not have a label or a recognised title in the church, but I am a leader. I lead by example. If we, who have lost a baby, can still make it to the meeting on Sunday, I hope it will cause others to examine some of the reasons which keep them away! Not to condemn, but to provoke.

One thing that gives me great satisfaction in how we as a family have come through this tough time, is that our theological convictions have been tested and proven. We do not believe and confess one thing when things are going well, and another when calamity strikes, but the same truths that have sustained us in the good times, were there like solid rock for us in the tough times too.

One of the best compliments I have received for a while came from one of the folks on my Daniel class. He said, "When you were teaching from Daniel, I could tell that this was something you have lived through." Amen. God spare us from theology that cannot be lived through!

No Power of Hell, No Scheme of Man

No power of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till he returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!

— In Christ Alone, Keith Getty & Stuart Townend.


Tonight I had the privilege of ministering from the book of Daniel again. This time I was looking at chapters 3 and 4. Chapter 3 is the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and chapter 4 is the account of the vision of the great tree and Nebuchadnezzar's fall and restoration.

Although it isn't mentioned explicitly in the text, chapter 3 is all about how God is sovereign, even over the activities of Satan himself. The Satanic influence can be seen by the direct comparison to Revelation 13 (worship the statue or die) and the fact that what is portrayed is a complete distortion of the plan of God. The golden statue is a false God, the music of all kinds of instruments is false worship, the decree is a false law, the sentence of the righteous is a false judgement, and finally the fiery furnace is a false hell! Yet through it all, even in this overt Satanic scheme, God turns that which was intended for evil and to destroy and works it for good: to advance his purpose and strengthen his people. It's wonderfully reassuring to know that the enemy cannot prevail, even his worst schemes cannot succeed, and that it is God who is working all things out for his glory. No matter what we go through, he goes through it with us, and he brings us out the other side into a greater blessing.

Chapter 4 shows God's sovereignty over the nations: "The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes" Even the mightiest of nations and the most powerful of kings is in the hands of the Lord and he can depose them in an instant. Once again, even though they seek their own glory, it is ultimately God's purpose and his will that prevails. We need not feel intimidated by being a lone voice in a big secular nation, for all things are in the hands of the Lord and he will always see that his kingdom advances and his people are blessed.

Taken together these chapters are a powerful message: God is in control! We need fear no power of hell, nor any scheme of man!

[If this has whet you appetite, you might want to check out my notes.]


Be blessed, and sleep well — our God is in control!

Message from Jacqueline

You've heard a lot from me on my thoughts and feelings on what we have been through lately, but I thought that those who know us would want to know how Jacqueline is doing. So I've managed to persuade her to prepare a post for this blog. Please leave her lots of encouragement in the comments.


Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us at this time. It is so comforting and encouraging to know that people are standing with us from all around the world. We have felt so blessed by the way that God's family have supported us over the past few weeks and have been greatly touched by all the e-mails, notes, messages left on the blog, meals and flowers. Thank you all very much.

Chris and Michael have also been a great strength to me and helped me to recover emotionally and physically. God has blessed me with a fantastic husband and son and I am extremely grateful for this.

I know that God is my strength and He has lifted me up when I have felt low. We sang a great song last Sunday (Lord, You are good) and as we sang, I confessed with my mouth that You are good all the time, and all the time, You are good. I know that He is restoring my soul and strengthening me every day. God is a Good God. Please continue to pray for us your prayers really are making a difference. Thank you.

Jacqueline

He lifts me up

Yesterday I ended by saying that God is the one who raises us up. The Spirit is definitely communicating this to me at this time. This morning I read Ezekiel 2 and 3 and the same thing jumped out of the pages at me!


"As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet..." (Eze 2:2)

"Then the Spirit lifted me up..." (Eze 3:12)

"The Spirit then lifted me up..." (Eze 3:14)

"Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet..." (Eze 3:24)


I can testify that I have known through this time, and still feel strongly, the Spirit within me raising me up! Not just raising me above my circumstances, but stirring up deep desires and awakening the call of God on my life. My spiritual man is alert and attentive and ready for action!

"The one who clings"

From one minor prophet to another; today I'm revisiting my old friend Habakkuk.

I was provoked by reading a post from my friend and elder Matthew Ling on the Now and the Not Yet. His post in turn was provoked by reading something on Trevor Lloyd's blog. (This just goes to prove what Trevor stated in one of his reasons for blogging: it provokes discussion and thought on deep issues that tend to be overlooked in normal Christian conversations.)

Habakkuk is one of my heroes in the faith, precisely because he understood the nature of the now and the not yet of the Kingdom. Or to be more accurate, its full threefold nature: the kingdom come, the kingdom coming, and the kingdom yet to come. You see, just as there are Christians who miss out on the "now" because of their focus on the "not yet"; there are also those who miss out on the "now" because of their fixation on the past, and what God has already done. Even if it is something as central and as important as the cross itself, a preoccupation with you've "already got" can stop you laying hold of the fresh grace God desires to pour out.

Habakkuk was a man who understood what God had already done, and lived in the good of all of it. "O LORD, are you not from everlasting?" (Hab 1:12) He also had one of the most profound visions into the future destiny of the Kingdom of God: "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." (Hab 2:14) But neither of these were enough for him; in his great prayer in chapter 3, which inspired the popular worship song, he shows that he is one of the violent men, who do not passively wait for the Kingdom to come, but who actively take it by force: "LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known" (Hab 3:2)

I like the way it is put in the NKJV: "Revive Your work in the midst of the years!" Like Habakkuk we live in the midst of years, between the now and the not yet. We have tasted of the age to come, but have not yet seen it come in its fullness. But we also recognise that as God's prophetic people it is our duty to actively lay hold of the not yet and bring it into the now. For his Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. To passionately call on God to renew his work in our time. Never to be content with the nostalgia of the past, or just the hope of the future, but with all our being to strive for a present reality! When we pray for God's kingdom to come, we are praying for it to come Today!


Habakkuk is also precious to myself and Jacqueline at this current time. A close friend brought the closing verses of Habakkuk as a word of encouragement to my wife recently:

Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

These words are not gloomy, self pitying or pessimistic. Habakkuk was not the Morrissey of his day! But he discovered the secret of worshiping God in all circumstances: It's all about him, and he never changes! He is always worthy of our praise. Last Sunday I danced before the Lord, and worshipped him with just as much passion and zeal as I always have. It's God I'm worshipping, not my circumstances I'm reflecting. God knows the sadness I have inside — I don't have to be miserable to prove it to him!

Even Habakkuk's name is inspiring. It means "The one who clings!" Whatever you are facing, be it good or bad, clinging to God is always the best thing to do. He is the one who will raise you up!

The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

Proverb

If God takes you through the valley, it is to get you onto a higher mountain.

— yours truly

Grain, Wine and Oil

I have been meditating on Joel chapter 2 over the last couple of days. What a great chapter of scripture it is. Like Numbers 11 (another of my favourites) it is a prophetic declaration of Pentecost and God's desire to fill all his people with an abiding anointing in the Holy Spirit.

There is plenty of other stuff in this chapter to get your teeth into too. There is the great promise of restoration: "I will restore the years the locust has eaten." And the signs in the heavens and on the earth (I'm still chewing over "blood, fire and billows of smoke" — fascinating imagery that I haven't worked out the full significance of yet. Answers on a postcard if you have any ideas — or just leave a comment below!)

But the thing that spoke to me from the chapter today was the great promise of abundant blessing: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully." Grain speaks of financial or material blessing (Lk 17:35 Lk 12:18, 2Co 9:10, 1Ti 5:18 etc) Wine speaks of the joy of life (Ps 4:7, Jer 48:33, Ecc9:7 etc) and oil speaks of the anointing of the Spirit (1Sa 16:13, Isa 61:1 etc, etc) It is thus a reflection of God's will to abundantly bless every area of our lives: materially, emotionally, and spiritually. Everything we need to be fully satisfied in life is found in God. He doesn't frustrate us (unless it is to provoke us to move on in his purpose for our lives) but he wants to satisfy us fully; to give us the desires of our hearts.

This theme of a blessing of grain, new wine and oil is one that reoccurs in scripture:

Ps 104:15 Wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

May you know the Lord's abundant blessings in every area of your life today! Our God is good!

House abloom

Our house is full of flowers at the moment. Another precious sign of the love of God's people, family and friends. We have had to import some vases because we ran out of places to put them! Any more, and our fish (Splish and Splosh) will be getting some company!!

I have sometimes wondered, when I was on the "other side" and those I knew were grieving, how flowers made them feel. Is it a continual reminder of loss that makes them sad? A reminder of the love of friends that makes them glad? Or just a bit of colour that brightens the room and lifts the spirit? (Girls: You'll have to excuse me; being a bloke I have never really received many flowers before! So forgive me if I don't get it.)

For me, it is a reminder of the love and thoughts of others, and so, very welcome. But it has also made me think of something more prophetic: "The wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy." (Isa 35) It's a promise of restoration; of sadness being replaced with joy, and emptiness with abundance.



Isaiah 35
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendour of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Praise

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?"
"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.
(Romans 11:33-36)

What a mighty, awesome, wonderful, gracious, loving, all-sufficient God we serve! No matter what we face, nothing is too big for him. Nothing catches him off guard. Nothing can snatch us from out of his firm grip on our lives. It is he who is outworking his precious and wonderful plan for our lives and for his world. He has included us as part of his eternal plan to bring his glorious kingdom to the earth. He has made us co-heirs with Christ himself! He has forgiven all our sins, and welcomed us into his glorious holy presence. He daily pours out his love and his mercy and his grace into our lives. He has chosen to dwell within us by his Holy Spirit! We are participants of the divine nature! He surrounds us on all sides, and leads us on into ever increasing glory to become like Jesus. He rejoices over us with singing! He calls us by name before the angels. He looks upon us with an infinate Father's heart of love and affection. We are the apple of his eye! How awesome to know such love, and this by the authour of life himself: the almighty creator, the one who forged the galaxies and set them in the infinate cosmos — the same one who watches over me and my family!! What shall I fear? What shall make me afraid? Who is equal to such a God? All glory to God; it's all about him. Without him we are nothing; in him we have everything!

To put it another way...

Our God is a great big God
Our God is a great big God
Our God is a great big God
And he holds us in his hands

— Jo and Nigel Hemming (©2001 Vineyard Songs)

Theology

For men are not cast off by the Lord for ever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.
For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.
To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land,
to deny a man his rights before the Most High,
to deprive a man of justice-- would not the Lord see such things?
Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?
(Lamentations 3:31-38)

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"
He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
(Job 2:6-10)

One of the things I am very grateful for at this time is that all of the words of encouragement we have received at this time have been sensible and mature. I am very pleased to say, we have not had any of the flaky nonsense that usually surfaces when a believer goes through a time of trial. No-one, praise God, has tried to "discern my sin" or tried to imply that it is due to lack of faith that we went through what we did. All the words that have come, have focussed on God, and his love, his sovereignty and his mercy, and not on Satan and his alleged activities.

Maybe such talk is going on behind my back; who cares! That's where such sulphurous talk belongs! (Mt 16:23) I'm not saying that a believer cannot suffer as the result of sin; that much is obvious. But the conclusion that all suffering is the result of personal sin is just plain wrong! How then could Christ suffer? And why are we told that we will share the sufferings of Christ?

Let me take this opportunity to address a widespread theological problem. Everyone, I trust, can accept that good things come from God; indeed the scriptures tell us that all good things come from God (James 1:17). But many have a problem accepting that troubles and calamities can also come from God. There is a widespread belief that all such activity is from Satan. If anything "good" happens it is from God, but if anything that is not "good" happens it must be from Satan.

There are two big problems with this theology: first, you don't have to read the papers for very long to realise that the world is full of events that are not "good" — so just who is in control? God or Satan? But the real root of the problem is the deficiency of the word "good."

You see we use the word good to mean more than one thing. In the first instance we use "good" in the moral sense: ie. the opposite of evil. Good represents everything that is morally correct, pure and upright. In this sense of the word, God is good all the time and in every situation, and everything he does is good, and there is nothing that he does or is that is not good.

But good is also used to mean "pleasant"; ie the opposite of trouble. We talk of good times, and good things. But God is always good, by the first definition, even if we do not experience the "goodness" of the second definition. It is not correct to say, that everything God does is "pleasant". Indeed the scriptures plainly tell us, that every true son of God undergoes discipline from the Lord, and that no discipline is pleasant at the time. It is here where many believers go wrong, and attribute all such "unpleasantness" to Satan, and waste their time, shouting at the devil and "binding" him when they should be submitting to God (which will always enable us to resist the devil anyway! [James 4:7])

I am encouraged, if what I have received in the way of notes and comments is representative, that we are leaving behind such immaturity, and laying hold of the precious truths of the sovereignty and goodness of God. The Kingdom does not have to come in its fullness before Jesus is Lord. He is on the throne today. From the perspective of heaven, the whole earth is already full of his glory. There is no authority, in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth that does not come from him. He is the one who raises up kings and kingdoms and deposes and overthrows them again. He is not just Lord of the saved, but Lord of all. He is not just in control of our lives by the quiet waters, but even when we go through the valley of the shadow of death!

Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?

Gratitude

Thank you to all who have, and continue to, send us comments, emails and notes of encouragement. Thank you for the flowers, the meals, the prayers, the love, the hugs, the smiles, the ironing and the babysitting. We feel well loved. It's great to be part of a body of believers who know how to express the love and comfort of Jesus to those who need it.

Thank you too, to those who have offered us words of faith or verses of encouragement. These have not been received as trite or patronising platitudes, but as they are — words of life!

In particular the verse that Jo mentioned: Ro 8:28, has been particularly precious to us. We know that our family is not at the mercy of Satan, but in the hands of a loving sovereign God, who is working all things together for our good, and our greater blessing. We may not know, nor do we need to, why we had to go through what we did, but one thing is for sure — there is great blessing ahead for the Hamer-Hodges family!

Relief!

God is good!

My, what a bumpy ride we have had the past two days! As if what we had already gone through was not enough!

Sunday afternoon, Jacqueline started bleeding and getting pain. She was due for a checkup on Monday, but sensibly decided to go into the labour suite at the hospital to get checked out by the midwifes on call. To her dismay she was told to stay in overnight. Being back in the hospital where we lost the baby was the last place she wanted to be, and caused her no small amount of distress. But she was assured it would mean she could get a scan first thing in the morning, and it was just routine.

Somewhere in the changeover of shifts, Jacqueline's situation was obviously not communicated, as a woman with a very troublesome labour was put in the room next to her, and kept her up half the night, and in the morning she was told she could not have the scan until 11:30am! The scan revealed that Jacqueline required a follow up procedure that would involve going under general anesthetic... and potentially another night in hospital! I don't know if it is possible to convey just how much anguish this news caused my poor wife!

As I sat on the bed next to Jacqueline, before she went in for the procedure. I comforted her, that this really was the last stage; after this we could escape far away from hospitals and have time to recover emotionally from all that had taken place.

The procedure should have only taken five to ten minutes; so after half an hour elapsed I got ready to welcome the bed carrying Jacqueline back to the room... an hour passed, and still she did not arrive. Then I saw the doctors striding past the door with concerned looks on their faces; no-one made eye-contact with me or said anything. At this point, I'm not ashamed to admit, I lost my peace, and became very anxious. I knew nothing should have gone wrong, but still it just didn't seem right!

After a incredibly long hour and fifteen minutes, the doctor came in to speak to me. She said the procedure had been a complete success, but during the time Jacqueline had been under the anaesthetic, her heart had developed an irregularity! They were keeping in the recovery room for further observations until a physician could examine her!

It was a heart-wrenching moment, to see the look on my wife's face when the doctor explained there was yet another complication and she would have to stay in hospital for another night, and await another doctor's assessment for what further treatments she would need!

It took two hours for this doctor to arrive, but as soon as he did, our situation changed! He explained that although he was the doctor on call, he was also a Registrar Cardiologist, and so we were getting immediate expert opinion. He had an excellent bedside manner, and was very professional, and sympathetic and considerate of what we had been through. He looked at Jacqueline's ECG and said it was nothing to worry about. It was perfectly within normal parameters for someone who was in a great deal of anxiety and stress. After questioning Jacqueline further about her medical history, and running another ECG, he declared that there was no risk, and we were free to go home!

How to describe the relief and joy of that moment! How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news! How wonderful it is when a man or woman with presence and authority announces good news to those who are in despair and sorrow! (How precious is the good news we carry to the lost!) How good God is to us that he sent us this man, this expert, at just the right time, and spared us from further anguish and another night in hospital. We are all home now. Praise God!

Loss

There is no easy way to say this. Certainly not in a public forum like a blog. I considered not saying anything at all... but nothing would seem genuine or sincere, or from the heart, if I did not write about this first, and I'm not ready to give up blogging just yet.

Jacqueline and I have had a very sad few days. We have known the Lord very close to us, and experienced an extra special measure of his grace and peace. Never the less, we still grieve, as all do when we experience loss, but it is grief that contains the ultimate hope of a joyful reunion in glory.

We lost our baby.

Seventy Sevens

"Seventy `sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. (Da 9:24)


The "seventy sevens" in Daniel are a much misunderstood passage of scripture. They have been forced into meaning all kinds of weird and bizarre things. Because of this, many Christians shy away from this prophecy, and would rather not say anything about it than be tarred with the same brush as the way-out dispensationalists, who love to speculate about apocalyptic passages like this.

But it is still the word of God! And it is all there to do us good. We should not surrender any part of the scriptures to false teachers. It is precisely because we remain silent on these issues, that they have room to spread all their fanciful nonsense.

In any case, I don't mean to sound arrogant, but it's really not that hard to understand, once you know how to look. Take a step back from all the details that people tend to fixate on and take in the big picture. Let me present you with the clues, and see if you can work out the mystery for yourself:

• Does it help if you think of "seven seventies" instead? Daniel started the chapter by praying to God after he realised that the seventy years prophesied by Jeremiah represented the restoration of the Jewish people. As seven is the scriptural number of wholeness and completeness, what do you think seven seventies could represent?


• Seven seventies are 490 years; approximately 5 centuries. Daniel prophesied around 500 BC.


• The vision was announced by the angel Gabriel, who declared that Daniel was given the vision because he was "highly favoured" - ring any bells? (Lk 1:28)


• "Seventy sevens" is mentioned again in the New Testament by Jesus, in reference to the forgiveness of sins (Mt 18:20-21).


• The interpretation involves the "cutting off" of the "anointed-one" (literally: messiah). This is not the first time such prophetic language has been used. (Isa 53:8)


• What is it that all the Old Testament prophets pointed towards? The anti-christ?? Think again! (1Pe 1:10-11)

Return to Daniel

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Da 7:13-14)

This Friday I begin to teach on the book of Daniel again. It is the Autumn term of our EQUIP course and I am re-running my "Daniel Masterclass." It is a real pleasure for me to return to these scriptures that I love so much, and contain such deep and profound truths on vital issues: the eternal Kingdom plan of God, the revelation of Christ, the sovereignty of God, the nature of trials, and the victory of the saints.

In my opinion the book of Daniel is a highly under-rated book. It is often only taught in the childrens ministry (our loss, their gain!) or is shied away from because of the difficult apocalyptic visions, that have been done such injustice by the bizarre interpretations of the dispensationalists. But we need not fear these passages; in fact they hold deep and precious truths, not bizarre and fanciful predictions.

Take all the numbers in Daniel. Let me share something simple, yet profound: all the trials of God's people in the book of Daniel are numbered! This is in itself the most important fact to grasp. Before you try and work out the significance of the actual numbers, the very fact that they are numbered speaks volumes. Before we face any trial, any hardship, any testing time, God has already set a limit on its duration. It will not last forever!

Any trial that God leads us into, he will also lead us out of. And Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, he will be with us all the way through it too! There is nothing that we go through that he does not go through with us too.

It is a truth, whether your theology can handle it or not, that God does not always spare his children from the time of trial. Like Lazarus' sisters we can sometimes wonder why the Lord seems to hangs back from coming in miracle power. Sometimes it is his will, rather than taking us around the trial, that we go right into the heart of it, but then, just like our Lord, to come bursting out the other side, in greater strength, greater faith, greater courage, greater anointing, greater love, greater compassion, and into greater blessing.

How great is our God! All things work for the good of those who love him, and no weapon forged against us can prosper. We go from strength to strength, no matter what comes against us. Praise God!