Death of the Prince - The Price of Peace

And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great terebinth, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.

Joab said, "I will not waste time like this with you." And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak.

Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them.

And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

2 Samuel 18:9,14,16,33


Discerning readers will probably know where I am going with this already, but if not let me highlight the details. The King's dearly beloved son, lifted up on a tree, his torso pierced, and the high price that was paid to bring peace to God's people. As unlikely as it may seem, in Absalom's death we see another type of Christ.

Now anyone who knows anything about the story will know that Absalom was anything but a model son! Apart from leading a rebellion against the King, he was also a murderer and a rapist. You could not think of anyone more different from the holy and humble Son who went to the cross in submission to God's will. But if seeing a symbol of sin and wickedness where we expect to see Jesus alarms us, we should remember that the precedent has already been set much earlier in Scripture.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. (Jn 3:14)

What was Moses thinking? You'd have thought if he was going to prefigure the death of Christ he could have chosen a more appropriate symbol, wouldn't you? If Moses had lifted up a pure white lamb, or a dove, we would have got it, right? But a SERPENT! The epitome of rebellion and sin. How can that represent Christ?


For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2Co 5:21)


You see, something very powerful is being communicated to us through these types: Just how much God hates sin, and how high the price was to free us from it. Jesus, when he went to the cross became the embodiment of sin. Though he himself was sinless he took upon himself all the sins of the world. The cross was a very ugly moment; Isaiah predicted that in his 52 and 53 chapters, and anyone who has seen the film The Passion of Christ will know there was nothing pretty there. Jesus did not just become ugly because of his beatings and lashings, but because he took upon himself all the ugliness of every evil deed.

Something else is communicated through this passage. Something very precious indeed... The heart of the Father.

We often major on (and rightly so) all that Christ went through as he went to the cross. His obedience even in the face of death is enough to keep us praising for all eternity. But the New Testament is rather quiet when it comes to what the Father himself was experiencing at this time. It is left for us to discover the Father's heart through the types and shadows left for us in the Old Testament. Types found in the accounts of men like Abraham, Jephthah and David. Men whose stories communicate the exceptionally high price the Father was prepared to pay to make provision, stay true to his word, and bring peace to his people. Anyone who thinks that God made a cold calculating assessment that Jesus had to die, and then stood back detached and emotionless is a million miles off! The Father loves the Son with an intensity of emotion that eclipses even the best of us as fathers.

In the face of such love, we gain a fresh perspective on the cost the Father paid to bring us peace. And perhaps we can read again and be moved to tears by the most powerful verse in the Bible. One that has often been robbed of its impact through over-familiarity.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Without Borders Google Search

Google have just released a service that allows you to create your own custom Google searches. Jumping on the waggon early, I have knocked together one for all things Ministries Without Borders related. The search is done on the Without Borders website, all related church sites, Covenant School of Ministries sites, and all related blogs (that I currently have in my Band of Bloggers list). I'm sure the list is incomplete, but it's a start. Give it a go.


Without Borders Search

If you would like to add the search to your site/blog, insert the following code:


<b>Without Borders Search</b>
<form action="http://google.com/cse" id="searchbox_013573112956649578089:bwa5ol4pljq">
<input name="cx" type="hidden" value="013573112956649578089:bwa5ol4pljq"/>
<input name="q" size="40" type="text"/>
<input name="sa" type="submit" value="Search"/>
<input name="cof" type="hidden" value="FORID:0"/>
</form>
<script src="http://google.com/coop/cse/brand?form=searchbox_013573112956649578089%3Abwa5ol4pljq" type="text/javascript"/>


If you would like to offer to help keep the service upto date, visit the new homepage for this search, where you should see a link to volunteer.

Just like us!

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. (James 5:17)


I love the Old Testament. (You may have gathered that by now!) It's God's "picture book". The eternal truths of God's plan, revealed in the New Testament, are contained in the Old Testament in picture form. What the New Testament writers called "Types" and "Shadows".

The Old Testament is full of types of Christ. That much is obvious; you can find him on every page if you know how to look. But the Old Testament also contains types of other things, like the Church - types of us!

The greatest prophet, Elijah, is one such type. The most important one in fact. As well as being a real historical figure, he also plays an important role in revealing the nature of the church.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.

Once you realise this, there is a huge amount that can be unpacked. Enough for a whole series! The prophetic nature of the church. Its role in the restoration of all things. Preparing the way for the Lord's coming. Passing on the anointing to the next generation. Overcoming opposition. Miraculous provision. Beholding the glory of the Lord. Being caught up to be with him forever [visibly not secretly!] etc.

But among all these things that Elijah can communicate to us, James focuses on prayer. Elijah was a man whose prayers opened and closed the heavens. Likewise the Church has been given authority to bind and loose. When Elijah prayed, things happened! And that's exactly how it should be in the Church.

It's possible to pray, and then undermine the faith in your prayers by your confession or action. Like the believers in Acts who prayed that Peter would be released from prison, and then couldn't believe it was him knocking at the door!

When we pray we should believe in the power of our prayers. This is not the power of positive-thinking, but the power of biblical-confession.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)

As the song goes: These are the days of Elijah!

God's word *is* power

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Co 1:18)

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb 1:3)

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (Jn 12:48)


These verses communicate a truth that has been highlighted for us again and again as a people in Coventry. God's word does not just carry God's power - it is God's power. When God speaks it is as good as done, not only because he cannot lie, but because his very speaking accomplishes it! He does nothing that he does not speak first (Amos 3:7). When we pray, we are not twisting God's arm to do something he doesn't want to do, but we are cooperating with him in the very way he has chosen to work. Our speaking it out to him is the way he has chosen to bring it into reality.

Nowhere is the power intrinsic to the very nature of God's word clearer than in the gospel. These words that may seem like foolishness to some, don't just allow the power of God for salvation to come - they are the power of God for salvation.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Ro 1:16)

Good News!

God loves you and has a good plan for your life

Many people believe in God, but disagree about what he is like. If God exists how can we know anything about him?

The only way that we as created beings can know anything about the creator who is outside of the creation we inhabit is because he has chosen to reveal himself to us. The Bible is the record of that revelation. God revealed himself to different people at different times down through history; through visions, and miracles, and through prophets (those who spoke on God's behalf). But all of these were just leading up to the ultimate revelation: God chose to become a man and show himself to us. That man was Jesus. Jesus was not just a good man, or an inspiring religious teacher, he was God made flesh. Through Jesus' life and words we have the ultimate revelation of God. If we want to know what God is like we only have to turn to Jesus.

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father [God], and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:8-9)

Jesus revealed that God is "Our Father," in fact the word he used to address God literally means "Daddy." He is not a far of and distant deity, unconcerned over the suffering that goes on in his world. He is a loving father - the ultimate father - who is intimately concerned for each one of his children. More than any natural father loves his children, he loves us, he only wants the best for us. He wants to see us succeed and do well.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)


Through Jesus you can receive forgiveness for the things that separate you from God

But God did not just come so that we could know about him, he came that we might know him. Jesus came not just to tell us about God, not even just to show us, but to open a way for us to come into a real and living relationship with him. That we might not just know that God is our father, we can actually experience that relationship. As such Jesus came on a mission - a mission to die.

When Jesus died on the cross, many at the time saw it as a tragedy or as a defeat. Here was a man who had healed the sick, fed the multitudes, walked upon the waves of the sea, even raised the dead, but yet seemed powerless to save himself. Yet unlike the men crucified either side of him, Jesus was not paying the price for his own misdeeds... but for ours! When he hung on the cross he was dying in our place. The reason he chose to die was so that we could live. Because he has paid the price in full for every evil ever committed he can now offer us a full amnesty from the things we have done that separate us from God - the things the bible calls sin.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Jesus is not just one of many ways to get to God. He is the only way. Shortly before he went to the cross, aware of what was ahead, Jesus prayed earnestly that if there was any other way, God would spare him from the ordeal ahead. This is the only prayer of Jesus that was unanswered. It was unanswered because there is no other way. Jesus had to go to the cross, and if we want to come to God we must come through him, and the forgiveness he offers. We cannot do it though any of our own efforts, no matter how good they be, we cannot get it though any other spiritual path no matter how well intentioned. Jesus is the only way.

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)


You can receive this new life today!

As wonderful as the cross is, it is empty tomb and not the cross that is the ultimate sign of God's victorious plan for our lives. For Jesus did not stay dead, but he rose again - still as a man, but no longer as a mortal man - he now lives forever, and so continues to offer to all men, this way back to God. He defeated death, so that those who come to him might have eternal life. Not just life after death, but a new life before death, one filled with the life and power of God.

In order to receive this new life we first have to surrender our old life. To receive forgiveness we must admit that we have done wrong. The gift of God will cost us nothing, yet demands everything. This new life cannot come as just a patch on our old way of life, it can only come as a complete replacement. This total surrender is what it means to "make Jesus Lord" of our lives. It means that we no longer live for ourselves but for him. Ironically, it is in this surrender that we find true freedom, and in giving our lives to him that we truly find them.

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:25)

The good news if you want to receive this new life, is that there is nothing to stop you. You can do it today, and begin a new life with God that will fulfil you in the way that nothing else can, because it is what you were made for.

All you have to do is through prayer (talking to God out loud - he will hear you) acknowledge that you need forgiveness, accept the forgiveness Jesus offers and surrender your life to him. He will then give you this new life. Then tell someone. Tell someone what you have done, that you have become a Christian - a follower of Jesus Christ.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

If you have done this, praise God! It is the best decision you have ever made, and one you will never regret, but it is only the beginning. I'd love to hear from you to help you get started. email me: chris.hhodges@lineone.net

Care to coComment?

Writing your own posts is only half the fun of blogging. What turns a blog from a cold bulletin-board of information to a lively community full of interaction are the comments.

Not all these comments will be on your own site either. In fact unless you are already a well established blog with loads of regular readers, most of these comments will not be on your own blog. Keeping track of all these blog-conversations that you are involved with can be quite a challenge. For example on a moderated blog, there may be no response for a day or two and then several all at once, by which time you may have got bored and stopped checking, and so miss out on what others had to say in response.

I had thought for a while: "If only there were a way to keep track of all the posts I had commented on, that would alert me when there was any update." Well, a quick Google a couple of months ago revealed there is such a tool: coComment.

It's a free service, and if you regularly comment on blogs other than your own, I recommend you sign up.

If you want to see an example, you can take a look at what I have been commenting on. Click the button below. There is also one at the bottom of my side-bar.

Outstretched arm and outpoured wrath

"I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment." (Ex 6:6)

...with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. (Eze 20:34)

And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had burst forth against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" (2Sa 6:6-9)


This is one of those passages of the Old Testament that many people have a problem with. Those who create a false dichotomy between the wrathful vengeance of the Old Testament God, and the loving kindness and mercy of the God revealed in the New. But it is the same God! Absolutely 100% identical. His wrath against sin burns just as hot in the New Testament, and his mercy and forbearance are just as evident in the Old.

You see, when David brought the Ark of God up on a cart he violated the clear instructions of God as to how it should be transported. Under the Levitical law anyone who even saw the Ark should have been immediately stuck down dead. God however showed great mercy, and rather than striking down all of his people, chose instead to ourpour all of his wrath on one individual who stretched out his hands. The judgement on the one meant mercy for the many, and after three months the presence of God was restored to the heart of the people where it belonged.

This is another way that demonstrates that the God of Old and New are the same, because this is a prophetic picture of Christ. Uzzah acted in ignorance and irreverence, whereas Christ set his face with deliberation and out of submission to God, but both by their outstretched arms took upon themselves the wrath of God that would otherwise have come on the whole people, and so fulfilled the prophecy of Caiaphas: "It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." (Jn 11:50)

It is also a reminder for us to walk in the fear of the Lord, to do things his way and never assume that we can just do things our own way, and God will ride along with it. I'd rather train myself in the fear of the Lord than receive any reminders!

Congratulations Dave and Sarah

From Dave & Sarah

I love a good wedding, and this one was great! There is something very special about a wedding when the Bride and Groom not only have a deep love for each other, but also a deeper love for the Lord; when there is a real sense of his presence during the worship, and spontaneous responses of joy and celebration from the congregation at the making of a covenant before God.

Congratulations Dave and Sarah! (Auntie Sarah and Uncle 'Tar Dave as they are known round ours) Every blessing on your life together.

It was also a pleasure for us to offer hospitality to Simon, one of the groomsmen, and Carole, his wife, over the weekend. Simon did an excellent job, both as master-of-ceremonies and as worship leader. It was a pleasure to serve such servants of God with our home, to get to know them better, and hear about the wonderful things the Lord is doing in Huddersfield. May God provide you with a building that meets your needs abundantly - enough, and to spare!

...oh yes, while we are on weddings, I've not forgotten that I promised a picture of Michael and me in our kilts, at my brother's excellent wedding last week. If you would like to see it, click here.

I'm Feeling Lucky

No, I haven't gone superstitious! Try this out:

Go to www.google.co.uk
Type "I want to serve the purpose of God in my generation"
Hit "I'm Feeling Lucky"

Cool or what!?
I'm currently getting about 2 hits a day from this search. :-)

"For such a time as this"

Please welcome to the blogging family, Richard Bentall. You may have seen Richard's insightful comments here and on other related blogs recently. Incidentally, long insightful comments on other people's blogs is usually a good sign you need to start your own! I'm pleased to say Richard has done just that.

Richard is another fellow member of the Living Rock Nuneaton cellgroup, who has remained faithful through thick and thin for many years. His loyalty and support, not just to myself and Jacqueline, but to the group itself has been invaluable. He has a passion for worship and music, as well as the people of God. He is a Kingdom man, called "for such a time as this."

It has been a real blessing to see how God has particularly stirred him and taken hold of him of late. The word of God is alive in him and coming out with clarity and confidence, and the Spirit of God is stirring in him as he has been stepping out in the gifts - especially tongues and interpretation. In his passion for the Word and the Spirit he is a man after my own heart, and one pressing in hard after the heart of God.

His blog will be one to watch! Please give it a visit, and leave some encouragement.

The fire in the equation

Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe.

~ Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time.


Following from yesterday's post, I thought of this quote from Steven Hawking, that I really like. For it is not just the undeniable order in the Universe that the atheist cannot get round, but the fact that there is a Universe at all! I read A Brief History of Time when it came out, back in the late '80s and really appreciated the irony in this quote. Here was a man who had tried his hardest to provide a consistent scientific model for the Universe that removed any need for a creator. He set off to find the Grand Unification Theory, the equation for everything, the one equation to rule them all - yet he discovered in one rare moment of clarity towards the end of the book, that even if man was to ever reach the top of this ladder, he would suddenly have nowhere left to go.

Any scientific theory can only explain what is already there to be explained; it cannot by force of its own logic and reason cause things to work that way. Many scientists forget this fact: the workings of the Universe are not governed by the laws of science, it is the laws of science that are governed by the workings of the Universe. As such, to try to explain scientifically how or why there is a Universe at all is like trying to lift yourself up off the ground - impossible. The questions of origins cannot, not now, not ever, be explained by science; they can only come because the creator chooses to reveal them to us.

No matter how hard you try, you cannot remove God from the equation.

Undeniable Design

I heard an interesting article on Radio 4 the other day, and came across it again today on the BBC website, about how Scientists are at last trying to tackle the "problem" of the "apparent" design behind the Universe.

The "problem" has been coined the "Goldilocks Enigma" because there are so many factors in the laws of physics (the strength of forces, the charges and masses of fundamental particles etc) which if changed by even a minute amount would cause the Universe to be such that life would be impossible, and yet the Universe is "Just Right" for life. It is undeniable that the Universe has been "fine tuned" for life - the only problem (for the atheist scientist) is how.

Here are a couple of quotes from the book "The Goldilocks Enigma" by Paul Davies:

If almost any of the basic features of the universe, from the properties of atoms to the distribution of the galaxies, were different, life would very probably be impossible. Now, it happens that to meet these various requirements, certain stringent conditions must be satisfied in the underlying laws of physics that regulate the universe, so stringent in fact that a biofriendly universe looks like a fix - or 'a put-up job', to use the pithy description of the late British cosmologist Fred Hoyle. It appeared to Hoyle as if a super-intellect had been 'monkeying' with the laws of physics. He was right in his impression. On the face of it, the universe does look as if it has been designed by an intelligent creator expressly for the purpose of spawning sentient beings. Like the porridge in the tale of Goldilocks and the three bears, the universe seems to be 'just right' for life, in many intriguing ways. No scientific explanation for the universe can be deemed complete unless it accounts for this appearance of judicious design. Until recently, 'the Goldilocks factor' was almost completely ignored by scientists. Now, that is changing fast.

So, how come existence? At the end of the day, all the approaches I have discussed are likely to prove unsatisfactory. In fact, in reviewing them they all seem to me to be either ridiculous or hopelessly inadequate: a unique universe which just happens to permit life by a fluke; a stupendous number of alternative parallel universes which exist for no reason; a pre-existing God who is somehow self-explanatory; or a self-creating, self-explaining, self-understanding universe-with observers, entailing backward causation and teleology. Perhaps we have reached a fundamental impasse dictated by the limitations of the human intellect.

It is just a shame that when faced with this undeniable evidence that the Universe was designed and created for life, that Scientists feel the need to pull a rabbit out of a hat, in this case suggesting backwards causality, rather than accepting as he very nearly does, that he has reached the limits of human understanding and is now into the realm of the divine.

It is also a shame that this age-old evidence is only getting media attention now because authors like this one claim to have found a way around it!

"The universe does look as if it has been designed by an intelligent creator," says the author... well, there's a very simple explanation for that observation... it was!


For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Ro 1:20)

You cannot out-give God

Here's a testimony I knew I would be able to give. Why? Because I took God at his word.

At the Elders and Leaders' conference a couple of weeks ago we took up not just one offering but two, and the second was in response to a prophetic word from the Lord. This word was that we were to try to be like God in his generosity, but that we would never be able to attain such a target because no matter how much we gave, God would always give more. Taking up an offering in response to such a word was fairly obvious, even though we had already just given, but another word came, through a proven prophetic ministry I know and trust: "Whatever you give, you will have back within the week."

This then presented me with a challenge. Not whether I should give; that was obvious. But how much? If I really believed that was the word of God then a "generous" amount would be very different from one where I could only give what I could spare. I took a deliberate decision to receive the prophetic word as the word of God, and stepped out in faith giving a lot more than I would have otherwise, believing that I would get it all back.

One week came and went, but both Jacqueline (who wasn't there when I gave) and I still held on to the word. If you examine prophetic time periods in the Scriptures, you will see that they are very rarely exact.

Today we received a cheque from the Inland Revenue, covering everything we had given to the Lord, plus another £80! Praise God.

That's ma boy!

 

Have kilt, will travel

I picked up my kilt from the hire shop yesterday, and we are heading north tonight! (It's generally not a requirement to have a kilt to get across the border into Scotland, but this is a special occasion!)

My brother is getting married!

It's going to be a great event! Michael is going to be a page-boy, so he and I will be in matching kilts! (I promise to post a photo when we get back!)

We will be away for the rest of the week until Monday, so I'll probably not blog until then. In the meantime check out my other post today, and "pass it on!"

Here's a wee picture of the happy couple, Anthony and Lucy, to end with:

Pass it on!

Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples) [John 4:1-2]

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."...Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. [Matthew 14:16,19]


True ministry always releases others to do the same. It never tries to hold on to all the activity for itself.

Jesus himself is the ultimate measure of any ministry. For as Ephesians 4:7 says "Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift." Indeed, all the ascension ministry gifts are a specific measure of Christ's own gift. Jesus has reproduced his ministry to the church in the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers he has given. And in doing so he has set a pattern, of how they too, and all ministry in the church, should "pass it on", so that others among the saints are equipped and raised up to operate in the same gift (though only Christ himself can make someone an ascension gift) so that the body may be built up through the ministry of every part.

Jesus rejoiced in the fact that those who came after him would do what he had been doing, and even greater things. This again is a hallmark of true ministry. Those who are more concerned about their own reputation feel threatened by men of gifting that are being raised up by God. This was king Saul's problem. David on the other hand displayed a totally different attitude when he was told that his successor (Solomon) would be the one to achieve his dreams. He rejoiced, and made every preparation for his son to succeed in all that God had called him to.

If you have any ministry to the body, never seek to do it all yourself and so make the people reliant on you. Pass it on! Try to make yourself redundant! You will never manage of course, because those faithful servants who can say, "Lord, you gave me three talents, and look, I have replicated three more" will be given yet more. The greatest reward of ministry should be to see others walking in your anointing. To know that even when you are not present, your ministry to the body continues through the lives of those you have impacted and inspired.

The true measure of greatness of any ministry in the church of Jesus Christ is not the gap they leave behind, it is the inheritance they pass on.

Doing the Word (by Tim Coles)

Guest-blogger: Tim Coles

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Jas 1:22)


Once we have heard from God (whether through prayer or reading the bible) we can't simply make a note that we have heard from God and frame it and hang it on the wall as our Certificate of hearing. We need to obey the instruction that we have received. Failing to do so results in our own reasoning coming in and rationalising it away.

---

[Note from Chris: Tim is a great friend of mine, and faithful member of our Nuneaton cellgroup. It has been a real joy for me to see him continue to grow in God and in his involvement in Living Rock. He is one of those "Behind the scenes" guys who is a real blessing to the life and operation of the church. Though he prefers to stay behind the scenes, he has a rich deposit of the word inside him and is always a blessing when he shares from it. I'd like to see him come out from behind the scenes more often, so please be generous with your encouragements!]

My glory is nothing

Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing." (Jn 8:54a)


I was quite taken aback as I read these words this morning. Of course I have read them before, but I don't know if I ever stopped to think about them. This is Jesus, God incarnate, to whom all glory on heaven and earth belongs speaking. How could there ever be any circumstance or situation where his glory could be less than the awesome glory of heaven, let alone "nothing"? Yet Jesus clearly says that if he were to take any glory upon himself, even though he would be justified in doing so, that glory would be worthless and meaningless. The glory Jesus has, he has because it was given to him by someone else - his Father in heaven.

It made me think along the lines of Roger's last post. If Jesus could not take any honour or glory upon himself, even though he was entitled to it, how much less should we seek to take upon ourselves any ministry or title, label or office that has not been recognised by others. We may be correct in our estimation of our gift and anointing, we may have correctly identified our "ministry", but if we apply it ourselves it is worthless and means nothing.


Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips. (Pr 27:2)


I'm impressed by the men of God I relate to. I can't recall a single time one of them said "As a <insert-label>, I say to you..." Although the apostle Paul introduces himself in all his letters as an apostle, he never uses this label as a badge to make himself look bigger, or as a stick to give his words more clout. If a man is lacking in anointing or gift, he cannot acquire it by invoking a label. If a man lacks authority in his words, he does not gain anything by "pulling rank!" Self-apportioned honour is worthless. If it was for Christ himself, it certainly is for us!

Through the Church

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Eph 3:9)

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Eph 4:16)


Keri Jones, the apostle we relate to, said at the Elders and Leaders' conference that what the church needs in this generation, more than ever, is a correct understanding of ministry.

It is not through an apostle that the manifold wisdom of God is displayed to the world. It is not through an apostle that the church is built up into its fullness in Christ. Nor do these things come through an eldership. An eldership cannot represent the fullness of Christ to the world or to the body either. It is through the church that God has chosen to reveal his manifold wisdom, and through the church that the body ministers to itself to build itself up into the fullness of Christ.

It's not that apostles or elders are not important. They are vital! There can be no representation of God's kingdom rule without the delegated authority in the men God has chosen. Whenever God chooses to do a work in the earth, he first chooses a man. But there is a key difference between office and ministry, authority and gift.

Keri warned of the dangers of any man, or group of men, in office or recognised ministry thinking they are distinct or separate from the rest of the body. There is no "elders and people". There is only people, of whom some will be elders. The shepherds are themselves part of the flock of Christ. The teachers are still students of the word. "The ladder is laid flat", as Keri put it.

As a preacher, this is something I have been very conscious of for some time. When I bring the word of God, I am not coming as someone distinct or separate to the people I am preaching to, but as one of them. Although I am bringing the word, I am also one of those who is receiving it. I do not say "You need to....", as if I was coming as one who is already past such things, but "We need to...", because this is for me as much as it is for everybody else.

The job of any ministry in the church is never, "Hey, look at me." - although there is a requirement that such men should be an example in conduct. But to equip the saints for the work of ministry. So that as each and every ministry gift in the church is released to operate as it should, we can all together, like God himself, say "Look at his Church!" The wonderful, beautiful, radiant Bride being made ready for the coming of the Bridegroom.

Companions

I'm back; quite tired after all the traveling: Cardiff, Hudersfield, Portsmouth in three days. It all went well, so thank you to all those who prayed.

The Elders and Leaders' conference was fantastic, just as I expected it would be - plenty to take away and chew over, on holding fast to our inheritance, responding to the call and living full of the Holy Spirit.

The wedding was also a really good time. Someone thought I was a "Minister" after my reading, so I guess that means I delivered it well! ;-) John and Jolene will be off on honeymoon now, and I wish them every blessing in their life together.

My time at the funeral was bitter-sweet. It was a deeply sad and moving occasion, but it was wonderful at the same time to see my uncles from America, and other family members that I only tend to see at such occasions. It was also a joy to discover that my cousin had a genuine faith in the Lord Jesus, and so is now in a much better place, free from all pain and suffering, and that on the last day we shall be reunited.

One common occurrence in each of these three very different events, was that in each case there was a meal together. Eating together is very significant in every area of life; even before you take into account the spiritual significance of the covenant meal, just sharing food with someone is an act of sharing life. What sustains you, sustains me.

I took away a real nugget from something that was shared at the wedding, as the bride and groom broke bread together. Not sure if I had heard it before, but it blessed me again even so. The word companion literally means "bread sharer"; from the Latin com (together) and panis (bread). Those we eat with, and especially those we break bread with, are our companions on life's journey through all the sorrows as well as all the joys.

A conference, a wedding and a funeral

I've got a busy few days ahead, so don't expect any posts here until Tuesday next week.

Tomorrow, I head down, bright and early, for the Elders and Leaders' conference in Cardiff. I'm looking forward to it immensely. Last year's conference was so significant for me. It was not just a time of instruction, but of powerful impartation. I still hold deeply and passionately in my heart some of the things that were imparted to me from last year.

So this time I'm going with an increased expectation and excitement, knowing I'm not just going at our apostle's invitation, but that the Lord himself is expecting me, and has more to impart to us all as we stand together as covenant brothers to see his Kingdom advanced in our generation.


On Sunday we are heading up to Huddersfield for a wedding. An old and faithful friend of mine is getting married. It's going to be such a joy to witness him make his marriage covenant before God and men, and a privilege to do one of the Scripture readings for them at the service.


Then on Monday, I have another early start, but this time down to Portsmouth for a family funeral. One of my cousins, still a young boy, died this week after a long fight with a cruel illness. As you can imagine there is much sadness amongst my family over this news. Please pray that I can express the Lord's comfort with sensitivity at this time.

Pray Without Ceasing

Pray without ceasing (1Th 5:17)

Three simple words, but what an impact to the life of a believer if we live by them!

I was struck this morning by something very similar in the words of Samuel the prophet.

"Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you" (1Sa 12:23)

Even though the people had sinned against the Lord by rejecting him as king, Samuel still knew his responsibility to make intercession for those whom the Lord had given him care over.

The Apostle Paul, also, again and again in his letters states how he never stops praying for all the saints.

As we learn to pray without ceasing we become more like the one that we are being transformed to be like: Christ Jesus, who ever lives to make intercession for us! [Heb 7:25]

The Same Spirit

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. (1Co 12:4-6)

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Ro 8:11)


I am speaking to our youth tonight about the gifts of the Spirit. I'm looking forward to it greatly. I preparation I have been meditating again upon the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

One simple truth has struck me deeply again - we all have the same Spirit. It seems obvious, and it is, but it is also profound.

Sometimes we can discount ourselves, compare ourselves with others, and think we could never do the same - But we have the same Spirit inside us! No-one has any more and no-one has any less.

This is the point that God seems to labour in Numbers 11 (yes that chapter again!) when God says he will take the Spirit that is on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. It was not some other Spirit to the Holy Spirit, God himself, the third-person of the Godhead, but the point being made is clear. Once they were full of the Spirit, they had the same resources, anointing, and power residing within them that Moses himself had.

But here's the mind-blowing thing. We don't just have the same Spirit within us that is within the men of God we so greatly admire, we have the same Spirit within us as Christ himself! The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells within us! Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are participaters in the divine nature.

With that fullness of the life and power of God bursting within us, is it any wonder that it must break forth in sign, and wonder and miracle. The Spirit does not take up residence within us to hide and take refuge, but to be made manifest!

On Prophecy and the Sufficiency of Scripture

"Defend the Bible? I would as soon defend a lion." ~ C.H. Spurgeon


It's my own fault. There are some blogs out in the wider Christian blogosphere that I really should stop reading. They do more to make me cross, than to bless me. Some of my regular readers may want to skip this post while I get this off my chest...!

There is a widely used argument against modern-day prophecy that I have seen resurface over the last couple of days. It goes like this:

1. The Scriptures are sufficient [ie. there is no more to come]
2. The Scriptures are God's word
3. If God were to speak today it would either:
   
1. Constitute new scripture
2. Carry less authority

Since it is heretical / absurd that either we should expect new Scripture to be written, or that the voice of God should be somehow diminished in authority, the only conclusion is that God no longer speaks.

By putting forward this argument I think they honestly believe that they are championing the sufficiency of scripture and the authority of God and his word, when in reality they undermine both!

Let's indulge in a little reductio ad adsurdem, and assume for the moment that their logic is correct.

The logic does not just apply to prophecy, but to any direct or indirect communication from God. It's not just that prophecy doesn't happen - it cannot happen! Nor does it stop there, in order to preserve the sufficiency of his word, God is bound not only to not communicate through prophecy, but he is bound to keep silent for as long as his word is sufficient. Since the scriptures are not just sufficient, but eternal, God, by inspiring the last line of Revelation, effectively struck himself dumb for all eternity!

So what will happen on the day of Judgement, when God comes in glory to judge the world? How will he say "Well done good an faithful servant"? How will he accuse the wicked of their sins? Through mime?! With a game of charades?! Will we have to spend eternity with our fingers in our ears going "la la la", lest we accidentally overhear the voice of God, the sufficiency of Scripture is proved false, and thus God is proved a liar, and the whole of existence disappears in a puff of logic!

Consider also how ironic, that the great almighty living God, the one who rebuked the idolator, and mocked the idols for being mute, is now mute himself.

Absurd! Absurd! Absurd!

So where is the argument flawed? Well, it is a well know logical fallacy known as "Affirming the consequent". It goes like this: If A is true, then B. B is true therefore A must also be true. For example: "Cats climb trees. My brother climbs trees. Therefore my brother must be a cat!" In this case the fallacy is in assuming that because all Scripture is the word of God, every word of God must also be Scripture.

If it can be shown that God speaks outside of his sufficient self-revelation contained in the Scriptures then the whole argument collapses. This is easily demonstrated by reading what the sufficient Scriptures themselves say, rather than postulating supposition upon supposition based on notions of their sufficiency.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Ps 19:1)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (Jn 10:27)

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. (Heb 3:15)

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. (1Co 14:1)

etc... etc... etc...

Just how eternally sufficient are the Scriptures if they were out of date the moment they were complete? If as soon as the Scriptures were completed all the passages referring to the charismata no longer apply, that puts the eternal word of God on a par with the church phone-book. Hardly an endorsement for sufficiency!

No, here is what the sufficiency of the Scriptures means. In all the vast stretches of eternity that we spend with the Lord, hearing his voice directly [and that is why prophecies will cease] we will never hear a single phrase, not a single word, that contradicts God's self-revelation contained in his word. There will never come a day when "all bets are off", and God redefines himself by another standard. What a mystery, what a miracle, that though we will spend all eternity hearing from the Lord and growing in our knowledge and appreciation of his infinite worth, we will never find anything that is not first laid out in the Scriptures themselves. This is why the Scriptures are always our ultimate test for any prophecy - God will never say anything, not now, not ever for all eternity, that contradicts his word.

If the sufficiency of Scripture can cope with an eternity of direct revelation from God, it can certainly cope with today's prophecy.

God no more needs our efforts to protect the sufficiency of his word, than the ark needed Uzzah's outstretched hand!

We're in the Wiki

I discovered today that Wikipedia, the world's biggest free-content internet encyclopedia, has an entry for Ministries Without Borders.

It's pretty sparce, but since Wikipedia allows anyone to edit, update, and expand their articles, it doesn't have to stay that way...

Joseph: A Pilgrim's Diligent Hands

Diligent hands will rule (Pr 12:24a NIV)

The last point I have to make about Joseph's time in prison and his belief in his dream is to do with his attitude towards his circumstances while he waited for his dream to be fulfilled. Far from putting his life on hold, Joseph threw himself into whatever task was before him with all his might. This for me is the difference between a traveler and a pilgrim. A traveler is in a temporary state of transit between one fixed position and another. The journey is just a means of getting from A to B. The pilgrim is continually in transit towards his ultimate destination; life is the journey and the journey is life.

Joseph was not just a traveler, bags packed, legs crossed, paperback in hand, biding his time until he arrived at his destination. He was a pilgrim, no less focused on his destination, but diligent in whatever his hands found to do along the way.

Our dreams are supposed to drive us forward in the purpose of God, not cause us to stand still. If we think we have to wait until our dreams are fulfilled before we can serve God as we aught, we have not caught the heart of a pilgrim.


Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools. (Ps 84:5-6)


Jesus put it another way in the parable of the talents. The implications are that man who only received one talent looked at the man with five, and thought that he too should have had five talents, and because he did not have five, he could not do anything effective for his master. Instead of looking at what he had right now, he was paralysed by his dream of what he should have in the future. When he should have seen +1 all he could see was -4! But, if he had taken this one talent and put it to use, he would have been one step closer to his dream of having five. We need to learn the secret of being content with what we have got right now. [Or as Dave so eloquently put it: "How much is enough?"]

Paul put it this way:

"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." (Php 4:11)

This is not the "contentment" of those who have forsaken their dream, and decided to settle where they are, but the contentment of pilgrims who know they are on the right road and are closer to their dream at the end of the day than when they first arose.

For even when we attain our dreams we do not cease to be pilgrims. God just moves us on to the next dream. Joseph remained a pilgrim to the end of his life (and beyond!) for God had given him a new vision of God's people returning to their homeland. When the pilgrims of the Exodus came out of Egypt, they carried Joseph's bones with them.

Like Joseph, we are pilgrims following our dreams from the Lord into eternity, working with all our might as diligent servants along the way.

Joseph: Confessing the dream

I mentioned that I had two more lessons to draw out from Joseph's time in prison, and his faith in the word of God over his life. This is the first of those.

His feet were hurt with fetters;
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the Lord tested him. (Ps 105:18-19)

As I mentioned yesterday, some believe that it was Joseph's confession of his dream that got him into trouble in the first place, and that God had to take him through exile and prison to be taught humility and discretion.

I have a couple of problems with that interpretation. First, when did Joseph stop being the spoilt boy and become the great man of faith? From the offset, right at the beginning of his time in Potiphar's house we see him behaving in an exemplary way. I don't see any evidence of this process that was supposed to have happened. Sure, there was a process in the plan of God going on, but for my money Joseph was already a hero of faith (just an unproven one). But the other thing is this, and once again Psalm 105 gives us additional insight - he was still confessing his dream even in the dark confines of prison!

Confessing [giving outward vocal expression to] our dreams is important, in fact I would say it is vital if we ever want to see them become reality. Lack of confidence, false humility, disappointments of the past can cause us to keep our dreams bottled up inside [I know!]. But there must come a time when we let them out if we ever hope to see them materialise.

First, if our dreams have their origin in the kingdom of God, then they will find their place in the kingdom of God. What I mean is this: we must make ourselves accountable to those who have spiritual authority over our lives - our elders and fathers in the faith. In this respect Joseph did absolutely the right thing when he shared his dream with Jacob. We cannot claim to be following the kingdom call on our lives, if that call takes us out from the kingdom authority which God has placed over us.

Secondly, although our confession is not a magic formula which twists God's arm into action, God in his sovereign will has chosen to use our confession of his word to accomplish his purpose. This is the mystery of both prayer and prophesy. God chooses to withhold his hand, until the words of faith are spoken. (Even God had to speak to bring creation into reality.) Although he could achieve and complete his kingdom purpose in a moment, he has chosen right from the start of creation the long route of achieving it in cooperation with the men and women who have been made into his image. Although what Joseph confessed was God's word, Psalm 105 says that it was his words that had to be fulfilled.

Both before and during his exile, Joseph's confession of his dream played an integral role in seeing them become a reality.

There is another great example of this principle in Scripture. There was a righteous woman named Hannah who was barren. Every year she came to the presence of God with her dream of a child bursting inside her, and every year she left with her heart filled with sorrow of a hope deferred again. One year that changed. Eli the priest challenged her, and forced her to give expression to her silent petition. He agreed with her confession, and sent her away with his blessing, and this time her dream was fulfilled.

Now Eli wasn't even a great man of faith, but he was the one in the position of spiritual authority. It seems clear from the account, that confessing her dream and bringing herself under authority was instrumental in seeing the fulfillment.

I'll say again, confession is not a magic formula for getting what we want from the Lord. We don't know how long Joseph had to confess his dream in prison before he saw the reality. Nor was Joseph confessing words of denial or ignoring the facts. He was not rebuking the chains, refusing to receive them, or confessing that the prison was not really there! But he was confessing the word of God over his life, unswayed by those facts around him. It was this word of faith that God chose to fulfill.

Confession does not force God to act, but he rarely acts without it!

Joseph: Cleaving to the dream

Gavin has recently done an excellent series of posts on his blog on Joseph and some valuable kingdom principles that can be drawn from his life. Inspired by a recent post from Dave that was profound, honest, and inspiring - I'd like to add my own post on Joseph - this great man of faith.

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end - it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay. (Hab 2:4 ESV)

One of the things that inspires me about Joseph is that he never stopped believing in his destiny in God. God gave him a dream as a young man, and told him that he was called for great things. His brothers thought he was arrogant, or deceived. They derided him and his vision. He went through exile and prison where he could not have been further (in his own understanding) from the fulfillment of that dream - yet he stood firm. He is thus a great example for all young men (and women) of God who recognise the call of God on their lives, but have not yet come into the fulfillment of that dream. His story is a lesson for all of us who still dare to dream big in God.

Psalm 105 gives some additional insight into the life of Joseph that we do not find in the Genesis account:

His feet were hurt with fetters;
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the Lord tested him. (Ps 105:18-19)

Some believe that Joseph ended up in exile and prison because he was naive, that he shared his dream too early, or that he was young and proud. I don't believe this - God himself orchestrated the events of his life, not just to get him into the right place, but also to test him! (Oh yes - the Lord does test us [Heb 11:17]. He never tempts us - but that is different altogether.) The word of God itself, the very dream that sustained him, was a source of testing to Joseph. It was a test to see if he would stay true to the dream, or whether he would succumb to the opposition along the way and abandon it. It was a test which Joseph passed with flying colours.

Joseph must have been tempted to become bitter when he considered how he had been wronged. Sent into exile because his brothers did not understand the call on his life. Sent into obscurity because men made assumptions about him that only he knew were false. He could have easily given in to bitterness. But Joseph overcame bitterness with forgiveness and grace.

Joseph must have been tempted to become frustrated when he had to watch as other men around him had their dreams fulfilled (the cupbearer) while his still remained far off. But Joseph overcame frustration with patience and peace.

Joseph must have been tempted to become despondent when he had to wait, and wait, and wait. Would the fulfillment ever come? Was he deceived to still believe the dream? How must he have felt when his one glimmer of hope, the recommendation of the cupbearer, came to nothing? With no other avenue through which the fulfillment might come, Joseph must have been tempted to give up on the dream. But Joseph overcame despondency with perseverance and faith.

Another great man of faith, Caleb, had to slay three giants (the sons of Anak) before he could enter his inheritance [Jos 15:14]. Joseph slayed his three giants while he was locked in that prison cell. Bitterness, Frustration and Despondency lay slain at his feet while, still in chains, he pressed on to lay hold of what was his in God.

As a man of faith, Joseph passed through this valley of Baca, and has made it a place of springs, so that those who follow may find refreshment and hope along the way. Not only did he overcome his giants, but there are two other things that we can learn from him in this period of his life.

I'll share on these tomorrow...

A Glimpse of Heaven

Adrian Warnock has a post on his blog today in response to a cessastionist's concerns over emotional expression in worship. Normally I wouldn't post on something like this [to me, and most of my readers, there is no debate!] But on this occasion I have a story to recount. You see, although I am a passionate, all-out, dancing, clapping, hand-raising, kneeling, laughing, crying, charismatic worshiper; one of the most profound things I ever learned about worship, I learned from a cessastionist!

While I was at University, many moons ago, I had similar debates over worship with a friend of mine who was from a Brethren background. To him the only valid expression in worship was solemn reverent standing; to him even raising ones hands was too much. Although we had many debates (all of them pleasant) we always had to agree to disagree.

Then one day when we were both on a Christian Union weekend away, we all had a particularly powerful time of worship where the presence of God was tangible. I looked across the crowded room, and was astonished to see my Brethren friend with his hands raised, peace shining from his face, lost in worship of our Lord.

After the meeting, I rushed across to speak to him, to find out which of my many arguments had finally persuaded him. What he said to me in response has been burned into my soul ever since...


He said, "I caught a glimpse of what worship will be like in heaven, and I thought, 'Why can't I start now?'"


God did in one moment, what I in all my wisdom and persuasion had failed to do in months. The lesson he learned in that moment, is one that I believe holds for all of us. For if we think we have made it in worship just because we raise our hands, we are deceived!

The standard for worship is not set by those around us on a Sunday morning, but by those who are continually around the throne.

In worship, as in all other things we do for the Lord, our aim must be to see manifest on earth what already exists in heaven.

Apostolic and Prophetic: Sent and Speaking

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God (Jn 3:34a ESV)

These words are part of the testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus, nevertheless they apply to anyone sent of God. For as Jesus himself said: As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you (Jn 20:21). Indeed this verse represents the very essence of what it is to be the Church of Jesus. The two irreducible things we must always be is: sent and speaking. Or to put it another way: apostolic and prophetic. The foundational ministries for the church are Apostles and Prophets (Eph 2:20). There is no dichotomy between God's plan for an apostolic church, and his will for a prophetic people - they are one and the same. To be apostolic we must be prophetic; to be prophetic we must be apostolic. To speak the words of God we must be sent, and if we are sent then we are sent with the word of God.

This is also a great promise, a guarantee, that if we go where and when we are sent, then he will also give us his words to speak. The end of the verse tells us not only how, but when and where:

for he gives the Spirit without measure.

Without limitation! We are God's apostolic and prophetic people wherever we go, and whenever we are there. We are sent with something to say!

Angels and the Rock

An Old Testament theme I have noticed recently is how often angels of God turn up at a rock.

In Genesis 28, Jacob saw the angels of God ascending and descending, and in response sets up the rock (stone) which he had used as a pillow and anoints it with oil.

In Judges 6, the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, and in response he prepares an offering on a rock, which the angel touches with his staff and fire comes from the rock and consumes it, and the angel disappears.

In Judges 13, the angel appears to Manoah's wife, and in response Manoah prepares a burned offering on the rock, and the angel ascends in the flames.

I guess it should be no surprise because the typology of "the rock" is clearly explained in the New Testament.

For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1Co 10:4)

In the New Testament, it is not "the rock" that the angels of God ascend and descend upon, but on Christ himself, of whom the rock was just a type and shadow.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (Jn 1:51)

It is also interesting in this last Scripture, that these words to Nathanael occur just after Jesus changes one of his other disciple's names... from Simon to Peter, and Peter, of course, means... "rock".

Now, I know there is more obvious significance to Peter's name change, but it is interesting, not only in the context, but in light of the fact that now Jesus is ascended to heaven, the ones the angels are dispatched to are his disciples:

And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?" Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Heb 1:13-14)

Just like Jacob, the ministering angelic multitude are ascending and descending all around us whether we perceive them or not.

Between Zorah and Eshtaol

And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. (Judges 13:24-25)

The book of judges is a tragic tale of a repetitive cycle of judgement and deliverance for the people of God. The people would neglect God, fall under judgement and become subject to the cruelty of the neighbouring peoples. In their despair they would cry out to God, and he, in his mercy, would hear their entreaty and send them a deliverer who would drive out the nations because God was with him and went like a hornet before them [Ex 23:28, Jos 24:12]. Yet after the death of the judge, the people would return to their own ways, and the sorry cycle would begin again.

The details in the call of Sampson are interesting [to me!] He, as an individual, seems to embody the state of the nation. He too oscillates in his ministry between compromising with the enemy, and driving them out in the power of the Spirit. So it grabbed my attention when I discovered that the places he was between when the Spirit stirred him - Zorah and Eshtaol - mean "Hornet" and "Entreaty". God meets the man where he is, and meets the nation as it is; in the state where they are the Spirit begins to stir.

Although the tale of Sampson is an account of victory, and contains great typology of Christ, the end of the account I find sobering:

Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. (Jdg 16:31)

Sampson dies, the cycle begins again, and not only have the people not moved on, but the deliverer himself is back where he started.

It's sobering, because today's move of the Spirit does not guarantee tomorrow's victory. We can be stirred by the Spirit - blessed, touched, refreshed, delivered, healed, equipped, envisioned, empowered - and yet afterwards still be in exactly the same place that we were before.

God meets us where we are at, but to break the cycle we have to move on.

It's not enough to be stirred by the Spirit's movings, we must be moved by the Spirit's stirrings.

Now available in Java

For anyone who is interested in reading through the book of Ephesians Every Month. If you were put off using my EEMReader because you were unable / unwilling to install the .NET framework V2, it may interest you to know that this handy little application of mine to assist you read this great book is now available written in Java. This means it should work on all versions of Windows, Linux, Solaris and MacOS.

Enjoy

Abba! Father!

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" (Ro 8:15)


Some verses in the Bible are just so amazing that we rarely take them in with the full impact that they carry. Familiarity causes us to gloss over them, or we think we know what we mean.

Occasionally the Spirit will not allow us to progress in our reading, causing a verse to arrest our attention. Demanding we give it our full attention until the magnitude of the truth it expresses sinks in.

I had such an experience this morning with this verse. The Aramaic word for Father is "Ab", and yet that is not the word used here. It seems the translators are reluctant to translate it at all, possibly because of fear of the potential irreverence of the implications. "Abba" was the word that young children would use towards their dads. For my money, Eugene Peterson comes closest, despite the nature of his paraphrase, when he translates it as "Papa". It means "Daddy" or as it would be used in our household - "Dada!"

Because of the Spirit we have received, poured out on us through the complete work of Christ, God has become not just our "Father" - a relational and legal concept for us to understand - but he is our "Daddy", full of real emotion, warmth and love for us not just to know about, but to experience in intimacy.

As I thought about my relationship with my own son, and the joy I get when we embrace and he calls out "Dada!", I got a precious insight into the heart of the one from whom all fatherhood on earth derives. He not only permits us to call him "Daddy," he loves it!

Some of us may feel we are too mature, too respectful, too enlightened to use such a word for God. Is it that? Or are we just too religious? The sad thing is that, another reason this word is not translated, is because over the years the word "Abba" just became a formal religious word to use when addressing your prayers to God.

But how precious, if we are not too proud to approach our heavenly Father the way the Scriptures exhort us to come - as little children (Mk 10:15) And enjoy the embrace of our loving daddy.

As Christians we often make a lot (and rightly so!) of the relationship we have with Christ. We also revel in the real, tangible and powerful presence of the Spirit. But let's not forget that we were saved into a relationship - an intimate relationship - with all three persons of the Godhead. We have not been adopted into a cold foster home, but a warm and loving family - and a father who watches eagerly at the window for the first glimpse of his approaching sons, that he might rush to embrace them. [Lk 15:20]

If we quieten our hearts to listen to the voice of the Spirit, we will hear that he is crying out: "ABBA! Father!" [Gal 4:6]

The Son and his Bride

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. (Ge 1:26-27)


On the sixth day God created the beasts of the land, however this act of creation was totally eclipsed by what would follow: the highlight, the climax, the ultimate work of his creation - the man in his own image, who would rule on his behalf.

God did his best work on that first Friday afternoon. (There's a challenge for us as we seek to reflect the creative nature of God!) It was another Friday afternoon many centuries later where the whole history of creation would find its focus once again on a hill called Golgotha.

These two events are not unrelated for the ultimate act in God's creation, reveals the ultimate purpose of creation itself. To reveal the Son of God, and celebrate his union to his bride.

Right in the beginning of the Bible we have seen many themes established that run all the way through the Scriptures, but none are as important as the one revealed on this day: It's all about Jesus. The revelation of Christ is not just the ultimate purpose of the Scriptures, but of the whole of creation itself.

But here's the marvelous and wondrous and mind-blowing thing: it's also about us. For God saw that it was not good for the man to be alone, and from his pierced side brought forth his bride. Creation finds its consummation not just in the son, but in the bride too. Not just in the revelation of Christ, but in his union with the church. How awesome that we are involved with the very reason the creation exists. Creation is not just longing to see the son, but it's on tiptoes to see the bride too - those sons of God of whom we are a part who are being transformed into the image of Christ.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. (Ro 8:19)


And so what we see established in Genesis we see consummated in Revelation:

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; (Rev 19:7)

Just as anyone who thinks the 6th day is all about the beasts would be missing the point, so too, anyone who thinks Revelation is about 666 and the Beast has also totally missed the plot. From Genesis to Revelation it's all about one thing: the Son and his Bride. It is what all of creation exists for.

...to exercise authority.

So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Ge 1:21)

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Ge 1:26)


Man was created not just to be under authority, but to exercise authority. On the fifth day, just after he created the sign of his authority in the heavens, God created the fish and birds. These are listed first among the things that man was to have dominion over.

In fact those who understand the nature of the kingdom of God know that being under authority and exercising authority are not disconnected, but are one and the same. Since all authority derives from God, there is no authority that exists separate from his line of delegated authority. To exercise authority we must be under authority.

A soldier in uniform displays that he is under the authority of his superior officers, and ultimately to the monarch of his land. But it also gives him the right to discharge his orders with the full authority of those superiors and his monarch behind him. In the same way, as we submit to our elders and to God we are empowered with God's authority to bring in his kingdom rule. A Christian who is not submitted to the eldership of a local church, is like a soldier out of uniform. Those who are not under authority have no authority.

This was the great insight that the centurion had into the nature of Christ's own authority. Because he was a man under God's authority he could speak with the authority of God behind him, just as the centurion, a man under Caesar's authority could speak and act in the name of Caesar.

But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." (Mtt 8:8-9)


In giving man authority over fish and birds first we have an interesting theme that is developed in the rest of Scripture. For the creatures of the deep, are often linked to the powers of the abyss, and the roaring sea to the nations in rebellion to God. Likewise the birds of the air are linked to the powers of the air that keep men blinded to the truth and snatch away the word of truth before it can take root.

Not only does God reveal that he has sovereign authority over all powers, even the powers of the enemy. But he has given this authority to man. It is as we submit ourselves to God, that we are given his authority over all the powers of the enemy!

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. (Lk 10:9)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Jas 4:7)

Under Authority...

And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. (Ge 1:16-18)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Mtt 6:10)

On the fourth day God set the pattern for his kingdom authority on the earth in the heavens for all to see. The sun and the moon were not just there to give light and to mark the days and nights, but they were put in position to rule and to govern. And so everything in creation on the earth was done under the display of God's kingdom authority.

This shows another reoccuring theme of scripture, that the kingdom of God is all about God's delegated authority, and that nothing is established in the kingdom except if it is under the authority which God has put in place.

In each sphere and area of life God has established a line of authority which traces back to himself. To reflect the creative nature of God and establish something lasting in his kingdom, what we build must be done under the authority which God has put in place. In the nations God has raised up governments and rulers. In the family he has given the position of rule to fathers and mothers. In the church to apostles and elders. There is no authority on the earth which God himself has not put in place, for all true authority derives from him.

To bring God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, we first bring ourselves under the authority which God has put in place.

Fruit and Seed

And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. (Ge 1:11)

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Ge 1:28)

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." (Ge 9:1)

No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. (Ge 17:5-6)

He [the righteous man] is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. (Ps 1:3)

And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. (Eze 47:12)

As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. (Mtt 13:23)

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (Jn 15:8)


Here is another very clear way that we are to reflect the creative nature of God - in producing fruit. God's work of recreation in us, is not just a plan for the next life - to get us into heaven. But a plan for this life, a plan for today, that we might produce fruit - much fruit - an abundance of fruit.

There are many ways that God wants us to be fruitful. In our character - we cooperate with the Spirit to produce his fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. In our finance, as we sow generously we will receive generously from the Lord who is always generous. In our ministry for him, it is his will that we are fruitful as we not only grow and develop in our gift, but lead others through in the same gifting.

However the clearest way God wants us to be fruitful is in making disciples. Just as God caused the fruitful land to come out from the sea, so he desires that we bear fruit from among the nations - a harvest of souls.

Another interesting theme that reoccurs in scripture is that God does not just speak about fruit, but of "seed-bearing fruit" or "fruit in which is their seed". Why is this important? Because God is not just interested in a one-off harvest, but a continual cycle of sowing and reaping, reaping and sowing. The harvest itself provides us with the means to sow for the next (bigger) harvest. In every area that God wants us to be fruitful, it is seed-bearing fruit that he gives us.


And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food." (Ge 1:29)

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. (Ge 8:22)

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. (2Co 9:10)

Separating the Waters

And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. (Genesis 1:17)

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21)

And as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. (Joshua 3:15-16)

Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. (2Kings 2:8)

Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. (2Kings 2:14)


Should it be any surprise to us that God's pattern in creation is an example for us for how he creates in our lives? After the separation of light and darkness, comes another kind of separation - the separation of the waters.

This again is repeated in the Exodus, which is a pattern for our salvation. God follows the same pattern when he does his new creation in us as he did when he created the heavens and the earth. After he has taken us out of darkness into light, he requires that we undergo another separation in the waters. The people of Israel passing through the Read Sea, is of course a type and foreshadow of baptism. This is not an optional extra for the new Christian, but a command of God, and part of his process of making us a new creation. Just as the original division of the waters would be used to create a new heavens and a new earth for Noah and his family. It is a symbol of death and resurrection, a participation and public identification with Christ's own death and resurrection, and a powerful means of grace which cuts off the influence of the old life.

Once again I would suggest that ther is more here than just the one off action of baptism. There is also a way that, in coming to maturity, we learn to reflect the nature of God by making such separations for ourselves. It is significant that some of the most prominent men of God in the scriptures - Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Elisha all parted the waters and passed through.

The separation of water from water is different from the separation of light from darkness. It is not a separation of property but of purpose. One part of the waters were no different for any other, there was no mixture that needed to be removed, nevertheless there was a separation that needed to come in order for the purpose of God to advance.

This speaks to me of laying down our lives (another element that is strong in baptism). All that God gives us is good, and he wants us to enjoy life, but if we allow ourselves to be caught up with just the enjoyment of life then the good can rob us of the best, which is to know God and advance in his calling for our lives. Sometimes this will require us to make a division in what is good so that we may pass through into what is best. We lay down certain things or activities, not because they are wrong by nature, but because they are not in-line with the purpose. We rejoice in what God gives us, but we never cling on to it so tightly that we are not prepared to lay it down in order to move forward in our walk with him.

Is it sacrifice? Not really when we focus on what God will bring us into rather than on what we have left behind.


"Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life." (Luke 18:29-30)

Light and Darkness

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. (Ge 1:3-4)

So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. (Ex 10:22-23)

Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. (Ex 14:19-20)


Right from the beginning God has been separating light from darkness. God himself is described in terms of light - all that is good and upright and noble and true without deceit or any fear or shame of being on display. This is in contrast to the darkness, those deeds which are shameful to be exposed, that are corrupt and deceitful.

When God comes into a situation, as with creation, the first thing he does is to bring a separation between light and darkness. The story of the Exodus is a parallel with our own salvation, and here again the separation takes place. Those who belong to God have light, while those who are opposed to God have darkness. It is interesting that the very same presence of God in the cloud, brought light to some, yet darkness to others. (This is taken up in the minor prophets like Joel and Amos who warn a rebellious people that they should not expect the day of the Lord's coming to be one of light but of darkness.)

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble. (Pr 4:18-19)

The same division took place when we turned to the Lord. For no one can accept Jesus as Lord without repentance and faith. Repentance which turns away from all that is darkness, and faith that embraces all that is light.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1Pe 2:9)

This is not just a one off separation, but an on going process of sanctification as we learn to bring this separation to our own lives, and embrace all that is light and reject all that is darkness. A good way to live a life pleasing to God is to "turn the light on" - live as if you were on display to the world... Because you know what?... You are!

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible (Eph 5:8-13)

The Mystery of Marriage

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32)

It was my pleasure to attend a great wedding service over the weekend. It was not great because of its size or expense, but because the two people getting married had an obvious, radiant love both for each other and for the Lord. The sense of God's presence during the service was evident, and there was a great assembly of men and women of God as witnesses giving their support to the couple, their worship to the Lord, and their "Amen" to the covenant sealed.

As I looked on at the bride and groom, I was reminded of Paul's words in Ephesians, of how everything about marriage is a reflection of Christ and the church. I saw the love in the groom's eye towards his bride, the presentation of the pure bride, beautiful in white spotless garments, and had a renewed surge of praise towards God for his eternal purpose in Christ for the world through the church.

All the months of preparation culminated in this one day, where all the labours were rewarded, where all the servants who attend the groom and the bride, share in the joy. Just so all who minister in the church, do so not for any glory for themselves, but looking forward to that great day when the bride will be presented to the bridegroom.

A timely reminder of the mystery of marriage in my own life too. Today is our seventh wedding anniversary.

Thank you, Huddersfield

In the context of my review of Without Borders '06, I would like to give out a special public thank you to the team from Huddersfield Community Church who did such a good job of looking after Michael in Globetrotters 3. This freed Jacqueline to sing in the choir and me to sit under the ministry of the word.

This is the first year that Michael has been happy during the children's ministry. And the first year we have been able to leave him without one of us being in the group as a parent-helper. So this was a big blessing to us.

I'd also like to thank them for being so gracious to me when I turned up 20 minutes late to pick up Michael after the first evening meeting! [Partly due to a misprint on the literature, and partly due to a giant prayer-ring stopping me getting out of the main hall!]

Your hard work and service was greatly appreciated!

The Wild Ox and the Horn Anointing

God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. (Numbers 23:22)

[Of Joseph] A firstborn bull he has majesty
and his horns are the horns of a wild ox;
with them he shall gore the peoples,
all of them, to the ends of the earth;
they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
(Dt 33:17)

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil. (Ps 92:10)

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. (1Sa 16:13)


Another theme that stood out for me from the Bible Week was that of the "Wild Ox" and the "Horn Anointing".

We all have an anointing in the Holy Spirit, but it is possible for us to put restrictions and man made limitations on it -- to "flask" it. King Saul was anointed with a flask of oil, whereas King David was anointed with a horn. We can play it safe, or try to conform to someone else's anointing. But God wants us to move without restriction like wild oxes under the unique "horn" anointing he has for our lives.

One example in particular that stood out for me is the difference in how we respond to what we hear. If we have heard the word of God, is that enough for us to step out in faith, or do we require some other confirmation? To move under the anointing requires a response of faith to the word of God. We have to have confidence not only in God, but in the anointing that he has given us.


God has said it; I believe it; I am able to do it; I am going to do it.

Nothing Less...

Here's another simple phrase from the Without Borders '06 Bible Week that has stuck with me.

"Never settle for anything less than the manifest presence of God in every meeting."

Keri said this on the opening night, when he shared that he had considered what the point was of another conference, another week away, another set of meetings. Like Moses, he came to the point where he said "If your presence is not going to be there, I don't want to go." Then as a declaration of purpose and faith he stated, "I am here!" He then shared on how God was not at the beginning, but in the beginning. God is never a spectator, he always desires to the main participator, the centre and source of all activity.

This is something that is resonating strongly with my spirit at the moment, and has been since the elders and leaders' conference last year when Keri again shared his vision for the Church, where God's manifest presence is always evident.

Since then I have felt an anointing accompanied by a sense of an imperative from the Lord concerning the spiritual gifts. They are not optional extras. They are not fringe benefits. They are the manifestations of the Spirit of God. The mark of God's presence amongst his people.

I was privileged to speak to Keri one-to-one after that first meeting, and he again looked me in the eye and said, "Never settle for anything less!" I am increasingly finding that I'm not just unwilling but unable to do so! (I'm finding myself at the front quite a lot these days) I can do without many things, but I cannot do without God's manifest presence. It is this, and only this, that makes us different from anyone else on the planet.