The link to my book - Destroy and Deliver (Autobiography)

Monday 28 February 2011

True Faith!

(Hebrews 11:1) “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.”

The word of God, the Bible is available for most to enjoy, even in communist countries like China and the like, bibles are obtainable if sincerely sought out. For us living in South Africa they are freely available. It is the greatest seller of all times and it is full of wonderful truths. It helps us find answers to the pressing questions of life. Did you know that everything you need for life can be found in the Bible? Faith is found in the bible! Faith is not something we apply to ourselves as we learn to repeatedly tell ourselves we must believe and convince ourselves that we believe in something that is false. Faith gets us to believe in that which is unseen. I was told that I have HIV, which is true and then I am told not to believe the diagnosis as it is a lie, yet the virus is evidently in my blood, I have the virus! I am then told that there is sin in my life because I am HIV positive. The problem with this theory is the bible clearly teaches that God uses our bodies to get our attention and ultimately walk in obedience to Him. He often uses it to help us look to Him as we examine our walk with Him. Our bodies are a tool He uses to get us to sit up and pay attention. “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (1Corinthians 11:29-31)

So sin is forgiven through the Lord Jesus and His completed work on Calvary’s hill, the reason I am HIV positive is because of my own sin and God’s judgment, but I have now been forgiven as I have found forgiveness in and through Him, the Lord Jesus. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1John 1:9)

I found forgiveness and I was also restored to active fellowship (membership) within the body of Christ that I was then in fellowship with. Although I was once committed to Satan for the destruction of the flesh my discipline had now been lifted, I had to serve my sentence with one purpose in mind, I needed to sit up and pay attention to my lifestyle, it was there to teach me to fear God and walk circumspectly before Him. No different to someone who was found guilty for stealing and going before a judge and the after pleading guilty for that crime, a sentence was served to that individual and then carried out. The slate was now clean as the sentence for that crime had now been paid. I found forgiveness, nevertheless I still live with the HIV virus in my body, and it still has one intention and that is to destroy my white blood cells. It wants to take me out! This has nothing to do with faith! We must not confuse forgiveness with consequences. If we confess we will be forgiven, but the reaction to our action will and must still run its course. If I get cancer faith teaches me not to use all my energy to be healed as I am obsessesed with the illness but rather learn through my illness to glorify God. I may well seek healing for my body but if it is required that I live with the cancer/HIV then so be it, my hope shifts from me being obsessed with having my body healed but rather finding excitement that I may even sooner be in heaven with my Lord if he wants me home. That is true faith and the bible is our instructor, the Holy Spirit takes what is written and then inscribes it on our hearts, only then can we say we believe, it is a lasting work of God and not a man-centred futile effort to conjure up false faith. “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

If we have hope as Christians in this life only then we will be miserable! “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1Corinthians 15:19)

Heaven must captivate us in its entirety! We must always be looking beyond the now and we must look to the hope we have for then, it must be what drives us on a daily basis. Let no one tell you that you are sickly because you have sin in your life, it may well be true and it is a good place to start with self examination but if you have sincerely repented and found forgiveness and illness remains then find grace from the throne room of grace to look heavenward and that in turn this will ignite our hope for heaven. Let no one lie to you and leave you living in a condemn state, that as a bruised reed you feel there is no longer any hope for you, there is hope and His name is Jesus, only do not hope for healing in this life only but rather be captivated by the hope to come - heaven. If you are frail and your body is weak remember that one day you will receive a body, a glorified body that will not know pain, it will never age and it will be similar in makeup to the Lords glorified body, what a hope we have! This is the correct understanding of faith and this is what the bible teaches. I have not done this topic any great justice with any accurate expository unpacking of extended consideration to the subject, but it is the principle that I want us to understand and with that understanding I trust we can live in faith and apply our minds to God and find His will for our lives. Be aware of the decoys that are sent to trip us up. If He has begun a good work in us, he will complete it! I have been told that a true Christian cannot have illness in his life, which is a liar. I will prove that to you, Elisha the prophet who receives a double portion of the Spirit than that of Elijah died of a sickness. “Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die...” (2Kings 13:14)

Remember it is the Word of God, the Bible where we find all the answers for our lives, feast upon it and find everlasting life.

Signing off

Tyrone

Sunday 27 February 2011

“You cannot serve God and money”

(Matthew 6:24) “You cannot serve God and money”

We all have dreams, hopes and ambitions but most of the time that is all man centred; it is all about self! But this is another great lie that the devil has sold us as an honourable attribute to have. Let me explain; without going into any specifics and singling out any pet subject let me rather speak in broader terms and leave the interpretation to your own consequence and the work of the Spirit in your lives. If grace has fallen on us as it has for some, our eyes have been opened to the message of the glorious gospel. Jesus Christ is real in our lives and we have received His Spirit and the Holy Spirit now lives within us, He is alive in us. “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Romans 8:9)

Think of it like a man occupying a house, prior to his occupancy the house stood empty, but now it has a tenant. We were all blinded by sin and walked around in the dark groping at the crumbs of life, yes even when we won best sportsman or the top academic award. All that type of achievement does is stroke ones ego, just another decoy in life to try and keep you away from the truth and living in it! Anything and everything that is man-centred is exactly what is says, it is about man and about self. The way we like to reason and I have heard these types of remarks made; “but it is not a sin, it is a good thing to be a doctor you are helping people” or “he has such talent I think we must send him abroad to develop that talent.” You are right if you say that on the surface none of those ambitions or goals is sin, however what we must examine in our lives is the difference between that which is man-centred and that which is God-centred. Anything that we do and I say anything or everything without God in the forefront of our minds is man-centred and therefore it is sin in itself. We all need daily bread to sustain our mortal flesh, if we do not eat we will eventually die, so we must eat, but when I take what I eat for granted, when I think as a man and believe I have the right to my daily bread and I overlook the grace of God in my life it is all about me and not about my great heavenly Father. Give us this day our daily bread.(Matthew 6:11)

We reason like this, “I work hard you know, so therefore I am entitled to a treat.” I hope you see the subtle deception with this kind of reasoning. We have been exhorted to imitate Paul as much as he imitates Christ, we pray on a daily basis; well I hope we do have a desire to be more like our Saviour. Man has invented many clever snares to trap the animal they hunt and with great success. Satan goes around like a roaring lion; with subtle deception attempting to ensnare those that now confess Jesus as Lord. Do not be fooled everything that is man-centred is not from God. All we need to do to confirm this to be true is to look at all the examples through scripture that pleased God and He got men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to pen those accounts. Let us look at the greatest faith chapter in the bible, Hebrews 11...

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.” (Hebrews 11:3-14)

These are all great examples of God-centred faith and they are there to help us understand how we should also live, if we want to be great, then we must lose our lives so that we may find it in Him and we must live in accordance to His will and not our wants. We must lose all our human endeavours wherever and whenever they rob us of our relationship with God our Father no matter how honourable they may seem. It is about heaven and our lives there and not about our lives here on earth. I know I have struck a nerve, nevertheless ask yourself this one question, what is of importance to you, this life or eternity? Whatever the answer will be will determine how we live. Let us not say both because we cannot serve two master; "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

If and when I do anything in my life before I consider His will for my life, I walk according to my own lust and not His will! And if I am honest with myself I am guilty in so many areas of my existence, however this must not be excused as acceptable but rather let us repent of this type of reasoning and seek out grace to lay down our lives as Christ laid down His life for the church. I will end with the words of our great Saviour, “You cannot serve God and money”.

Signing off

Tyrone

Saturday 26 February 2011

I Can See!

(Genesis 1:25) “... And God saw that it was good.”

To be born blind would be tragic, but it would be devastating to lose ones sight, the thought of not being able to see a beautiful sunrise as its rays shimmer off the morning dew, with all its beauty endorsed by God’s signature, would for me be unbearable. We all are similar yet differ in the gifts God has given us through His universal grace. But sight most of us have. I am a photographer by profession and therefore always seem to look for images in and through whatever my eyes behold. A photograph has the opportunity of capturing an image never to be repeated, you may see a similar event, but it will never be exact. How often with camera in hand have I been in the “Great Timbavati” (land stretch that includes the Kruger National Park) and been at a hyena den with its pups playing freely for all to see and thought to myself tomorrow I will come back and get better pictures, and even if on the following day they were still there playing on the same anthill, everything would look different. The sun now on the east with the completion of my surroundings having a different look and feel, there is a window of opportunity for a photographer known as magic hour, it is the best time to take a picture but the window of opportunity does not last long. {So is it for all of God’s children when He speaks, “As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."” (Hebrews 3:15)}

It is imperative to use that time well in order to outshine the opposition. It must not be taken for granted! So was it when I often planned a particular picture in my mind and got up long before sunrise with anticipation only to find the day overcast and the sun blocked by the clouds. This morning I am reminded how privileged I am to see and how thankful I am to God for my sight.

God is pleased with His ability to see and therefore blessed us with sight so that we can see the wonders of His works, which in turn exalts His name. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

This was one of the intentions of creation, us glorifying God in and through His creation, but before long Satan hindered the minds of men. To think that evolution is believed by some is a disaster. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:21-23)

Have you ever really considered the power behind this statement, “and God saw that it was good.” It grips me this morning with freshness, let us consider the goodness of God but before we can understand His thoughtfulness we must have sight in order to see the truth behind this proclamation. We must understand that He created all things and see His brilliance through creation. But before we can do that we must consider the thinking behind His creation. We must see the change that He instituted.

Where we find, to our comfort, the first article of our creed, that God the Father Almighty is the Maker of heaven and earth, and the catalyst of His creation is through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, the Word! “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:3-4)

What amazes me in creation is what God used to create, He created from nothing. We all know that we need material in order to construct. We need a pen and paper to pen our thoughts, we need wood for fire and we need material in order to build a shelter, but not God! He created the heavens and the earth from nothing! Ponder this with me. How brilliant is our God! The world is a great house, consisting of upper and lower stories, the structure stately and magnificent, uniform and convenient, and every room well and wisely furnished. But as the earth has not only its surface adorned with grass and flowers, but also its bowels enriched with metals and precious stones, so the heavens are not only beautified to our eye with glorious lamps which garnish its outside. The Hebrew word of God is Elohim, which tells us that God is the powerful creator. The manner in which God worked His brilliance is He created it, that is, made it out of nothing. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void...” (Genesis 1:1-2)

There was not any pre-existent material out of which the world was produced. The fish and birds were indeed produced out of the waters and the beasts and man out of the earth; but that earth and waters were made out of nothing. By nature we are taught that it is impossible that anything should be made out of nothing; the potter cannot produce a vessel without clay. Yet with the almighty power of God it is not only possible that something should be made of nothing, but in the creation it is impossible to consider any alternative, for nothing is more harmful to the honour of the Eternal Mind than to worship the creature rather than the creator. The power is of God and all the glory is to Him and Him alone must we pay homage.

The majority of mankind has the ability to see, and yet it is often taken for granted. But ask a blind man to paint a sunset, it will be impossible for him to capture it as seen by those who can see. We must be able to see the work of His hands, not only in creation by more importantly in our own lives. We all love the sight of beautiful things. With those thoughts in mind let us now be ever more thankful for our new birth, not only do we see the majestic works of his hands through nature but now we can see spiritual things, we can see heaven in its glory and only because of the work of Calvary! Without His intervention in our lives through regeneration we would still be blind. Salvation is the work of God. Just as he alone was involved with His creation so too is it He alone who quickens the soul “dead in trespasses and sins,” and it is He also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life. He is both “Alpha and Omega.” “Salvation is of the Lord.” How great is our God and how greatly to be praised! I thank you Father for sending your son to die in my stead so that I may see, and not only do I thank you for my sight but for the sight for all who echo these word, “I can see”. That day was no different for all who have been born again from that day when a blind man receive his sight. “They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.” (John 9:13-14)

May we also fall to our knees today thanking our Father for sending His son, our beloved Saviour for paying the price for our sin so that we can now go free and see!

Signing off

Tyrone

Friday 25 February 2011

The Harsh Truth!

(John 12:25) “Whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

He that loves his life more than Christ shall lose it but he that hates his life but prefers the favour of God and his interest is in Christ shall keep it unto eternal life. It is Christ’s doctrine and He must insist on it to wean us from this world and to ignite within us a hope that will be everlasting. We must learn to hug Christ at the expense of this overpowering drive to love self and lookout for self. We must seek out grace to accomplish this; it is only for a season that we will have to endure with this body of corruption!

Just a little longer and the trump of God shall sound. There is a day coming when the trump of God shall bellow through the heavens and the dead in Christ shall be changed, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye men and woman will be going about their daily affairs and the next minute, awestruck as they behold their glorified bodies. A body that is incorruptible, immortal, never subject to the degeneration of death, it shall sure be a sweet day, the sweetest of days. Our abode will no longer be amongst thorns and thistles, we will walk upon streets of Gold with God as our God and Father as His radiance in and through the Godhead in its fullness available for us to enjoy, the Lord’s brilliance radiating light so that no sun is needed there. Nothing that is able to defile is permitted to enter those pearly white gates. The Word of God, our Saviour will be on His throne as we will serve Him as King, He will be magnificent to behold. That will be a glorious day, it is days like these when I feel a little weaker and despondent and somewhat insignificant that I need to be reminded of the hope we have in Christ our Saviour, and we need to consider Calvary and all His accomplishment there. Our eyes need to shift from self and others to Him; the safest place for the child of God is at the feet of Jesus... do you recall the account of Mary where she took a pound of expensive ointment from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She had understood the greatest place she could find herself was at the feet of Jesus; it will be no different in heaven, with our King on His throne with His faithful saints awaiting His instruction. “Have you not seen, have you not heard, have you not understood,” Mary had definitely understood that she needed to wash her master’s feet, no towel needed as she used her hair to wipe off the excess spikenard from her masters feet, no thought given to her own glory (hair) as it was of little importance to her as she beheld His glory! A very good example of how she was willing to lay aside her own life to lay hold of eternal life. She took what was precious to woman of that time, and used it on the Lord Jesus in abundance, it was so pleasant that all within the room enjoyed the agreeable aroma that now filled the space, except of course Judas the one who was a thief. He was so taken up by his own life that he missed her heart in the matter. A good example of one who lost his life! He loved his own life so much that he ended up with thirty pieces of silver, but all it produced was death! “And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:5)

What about the woman caught in adultery? The law demanded that she be stoned, it demanded her life! What was she to do? There was nothing she could do within herself to save herself, but she was now at the feet of Jesus and she found life, no sweeter place to be found than at the feet of Jesus? For her, it was sweeter than that of the honeycomb, forgiveness can be found nowhere else but at the feet of Jesus. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:10-12)

Probably amongst the greatest of all accounts was the sinner who needed to find forgiveness at the cost to her own humiliation. When have you ever seen such humility that this sinner finding repentance has shown us such homage washing the Lord’s feet with her own tears and wiping them dry with her hair.

“The great respect which this poor penitent sinner showed him, when he was at meat in the Pharisee's house. It was a woman in the city that was a sinner, a Gentile, a harlot, I doubt, known to be so, and infamous. She knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, and, having been converted from her wicked course of life by his preaching, she came to acknowledge her obligations to him, having no opportunity of doing it in any other way than by washing his feet, and anointing them with some sweet ointment that she brought with her for that purpose. The way of sitting at table then was such that their feet were partly behind them. Now this woman did not look Christ in the face, but came behind him, and did the part of a maid-servant, whose office it was to wash the feet of the guests (1Sa_25:41) and to prepare the ointments.

Now in what this good woman did, we may observe,

1. Her deep humiliation for sin. She stood behind him weeping; her eyes had been the inlets and outlets of sin, and now she makes them fountains of tears. Her face is now foul with weeping, which perhaps used to be covered with paints. Her hair now made a towel of, which before had been plaited and adorned. We have reason to think that she had before sorrowed for sin; but, now that she had an opportunity of coming into the presence of Christ, the wound bled afresh and her sorrow was renewed. Note, It well becomes penitents, upon all their approaches to Christ, to renew their godly sorrow and shame for sin, when he is pacified, Eze_16:63. 2. Her strong affection to the Lord Jesus. This was what our Lord Jesus took special notice of, that she loved much, Luk_7:42, Luk_7:47. She washed his feet, in token of her ready submission to the meanest office in which she might do him honour. Nay, she washed them with her tears, tears of joy; she was in a transport, to find herself so near her Saviour, whom her soul loved. She kissed his feet, as one unworthy of the kisses of his mouth, which the spouse coveted, Son_1:2. It was a kiss of adoration as well as affection. She wiped them with her hair, as one entirely devoted to his honour. Her eyes shall yield water to wash them, and her hair be a towel to wipe them; and she anointed his feet with the ointment, owning him hereby to be the Messiah, the Anointed. She anointed his feet in token of her consent to God's design in anointing his head with the oil of gladness. Note, All true penitents have a dear love to the Lord Jesus.

III. The offence which the Pharisee took at Christ, for admitting the respect which this poor penitent paid him (Luk_7:39): He said within himself (little thinking that Christ knew what he thought), This man, if he were a prophet, would then have so much knowledge as to perceive that this woman is a sinner, is a Gentile, is a woman of ill fame, and so much sanctity as therefore not to suffer her to come so near him; for can one of such a character approach a prophet, and his heart not rise at it? See how apt proud and narrow souls are to think that others should be as haughty and censorious as themselves. Simon, if she had touched him, would have said, Stand by thyself, come not near me, for I am holier than thou (Isa_65:5); and he thought Christ should say so too.” (Matthew Henry)

Sin is such a vicious enemy that it seeks to destroy the saint, it constantly rises its head to try and trip us up, and at times even thought it ought not to be so, we fall by it! How many have fallen in it? We need to be vigilant against the sin that so easily besets the believer; we must be on guard against it. However if we do sin we have a High Priest that when we confess our sin He is just and faithful to forgive us of our sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)

I can honestly say there is a part of my character that I hate with such vigilance, I long for the day when I will see my Saviour as He now is, not bruised and crushed hanging on a tree but in all His glory, seated at the right hand of the Father. There is a day coming when His promise will eventually arrive in its fullness and we will be like Him. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Thursday 24 February 2011

The Fiery Trials of Life!

(1Peter 4:12) “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Life within its circumstances may force us at times to change gears. Detours to life are evident to all when as we are under construction and therefore detours must be part of our lives. Let us consider that for a moment, why we would need change to our lives is simple; it is only through hardships that one’s character is formed. There is an advert I have recently seen a Johnny Walker commercial with Haile Gebre Selassie (widely considered the greatest distance runner ever – has set a host of world records, won two Olympics gold’s and captured eight world titles in events ranging from the 1,500 metres right up to the marathon.). He explains that as a young boy he had to run 20km to school every day, and that is where he learnt to find, as he puts it, “one big push!” Poverty and the lack of transport with athletic capabilities gifted from God. This man was given the perfect formula to help him find greatness as an athlete.

David had a similar experience, his life was full of blessings and he often would stand boldly declaring the victory he trounced in and through his God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, however his life was also full of tears and suffering, he spent time running from King Saul and lived in caves with a shortage of food. Life wasn’t always a bed of roses and neither should it or will it be any different for the child of God. The more God prepares a man for service the more he seems to be squeezed in order to glorify God. It was like that for the greatest of all examples; yes our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ was squeezed so tightly that in the Garden of Gethsemane He began to sweat drops of blood, God in the flesh having to endure suffering, WHY? The supposition is that Christ had suffered for us in the flesh, or in his human nature. The consequent or implication is, “Arm and fortify yourselves likewise with the same mind, courage, and resolution.” The word flesh in the former part of the verse signifies Christ's human nature, but in the latter part it signifies man's corrupt nature. It is important that we understand the makeup of our flesh, its corruptibility and its tendency to always look for outs! I find it interesting that Peter gives us this teaching, the boldest of all the original Apostles, he was the one to venture out and walked on water, he also cut off the roman centurion’s ear when coming to arrest the Lord but then also denies the Lord three times.Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." (Matthew 26:34)

I loved the Lords response to Peter’s uncompromising statement, “never me Lord”, how familiar are those words to your ears, I am guilty as charged! The Lord must have looked into Peter’s eyes with his piercing compassionate stare without even a hint of disgust or animosity and said, “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32)

It was needful for Peter to be brought down to size and to understand the weakness of his own flesh, as it was part of his process in killing off the old man, we too have to go through a similar process to kill off the lusts and wants of our old man. Many of us may say, like Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death." (Luke 22:33)

And yet when he was challenged with that exact test he denied the Lord!

Words and promises flow from our tongues with such ease, but when they are tested they seldom stand up to the test, may God continue to be merciful as He will be to all His children and help us find grace in time of need to stand firm in Him.

Suffering is as much a part of a Christian’s daily life as eating and sleeping.

“Some of the strongest and best arguments against all sorts of sin are taken from the sufferings of Christ. All sympathy and tenderness for Christ as a sufferer are lost of you do not put away sin. He dies to destroy it; and, though he could cheerfully submit to the worst sufferings, yet he could never submit to the least sin. The beginning of all true mortification lies in the mind, not in penances and hardships upon the body. The mind of man is carnal, full of enmity; the understanding is darkened, being alienated from the life of God, Eph_4:18. Man is not a sincere creature, but partial, blind, and wicked, till he be renewed and sanctifies by the regenerating grace of God. How it is further explained, 1Pe_4:2. The apostle explains what he means by being dead to sin, and ceasing from sin, both negatively and positively. Negatively, a Christian ought no longer to live the rest of his time in the flesh, to the sinful lusts and corrupt desires of carnal wicked men; but, positively, he ought to conform himself to the revealed will of the holy God. The lusts of men are the springs of all their wickedness, Jam_1:13, Jam_1:14. Let occasional temptations be what they will, they could not prevail, were it not for men's own corruptions. All good Christians make the will of God, not their own lusts or desires, the rule of their lives and actions. True conversion makes a marvellous change in the heart and life of every one who partakes of it. It brings a man off from all his old, fashionable, and delightful lusts, and from the common ways and vices of the world, to the will of God. It alters the mind, judgment, affections, way, and conversation of every one who has experienced it.” (Matthew Henry)

So the next time we ask, “Why Lord?” let us remember God is preparing His children for greater things to come and it is only through suffering that we will become more like our glorious Saviour in character! “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Signing Off

Tyrone

Wednesday 23 February 2011

In Him Must we Trust!

(Hebrews 13:5) “I will never leave thee.”

No promise is of private interpretation. Whatever God has said to any one saint, He has said to all. When He opens a well for one, it is that all may drink. When He offers bread all may eat, for whosoever to the Lord may come He will not turn one away. The tragedy of it all we know that many will not come. In which camp do you belong? The Camp where the rivers flow with milk and Honey and you can see an abundance of blessing just waiting to be enjoyed, or are you amongst the sceptics - that believe that this is it, one life and then the end, you will be wrong! There were sceptics amongst the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, those who through generations came from the seed of his lions, there were those who did not believe that the Promised Land was there for the taking and yet two of the spies had a different spirit. They saw a land that had bunches of grapes the size of a man and two men had to carry one bunch. Yet the other ten spies saw giants in the land, what is it you see? Is life a drag, is it a grind and does it seem as if things only get worse! If you have a different Spirit, if you have been born again then you will eventually see the promise even if it now seems a little cloudy. I will remind you in time past, olives were placed between two stones and pressure was then placed onto the olives with a grinding action and through that process, sweet nourishing olive came forth. Let us consider an olive straight from a tree, it is inedible, but with a little bit of work and through time they are delightful to the taste. Olive oil must be the king of oils and olives are enjoyed by many but not all! So is it for the mankind, not all enjoy the sweet promises afforded the child of God. It is only those who see God’s promises that may enjoy what is seen. There is a granary and it is full to the brim, there is a door to give out food, there may be a starving man, a faithful saint in desperate need for its supply, who is the occasion of it being opened, but all hungry saints may come and feed too. The impartiality of God’s love on display, there is a throne room full of grace, is it not also for all, yes it must be for all and we are instructed to approach it with boldness. Whether He gave the word to Abraham or to Moses, matters not, O believer; he has given it to us as one of the covenanted seed. As blessed as they were, we are even the more blessed all because of the finished work of Calvary, because our Saviour, the greatest of the great defeated the devil and all His allies in one final battle. The “Battle of Britain” lasted 114 days where Hitler and his German Luftwaffe came at the British with 2500 military airplanes, Germany however were defeated by the British. Our Saviour had all of hell, not just the air force, but as much as hell could muster was thrown at Him, on that cross and out of His glorious mouth came these sweet words that now ring true to our ears, “IT IS FINISHED” There is not a high blessing too lofty for us, nor a wide mercy too far-reaching for all who would come. Lift up your eyes to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west, for all this is available to the saint, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. When we are inclined to say, I can go on no longer let us remember, the olive! Let us remember Calvary and our Masters accomplishment there. Climb to Pisgah’s top, and view the utmost limit of the divine promise, for the land is all ours. There is not a brook of living water of which we may not drink. If the land flows with milk and honey, eat the honey and drink the milk, for both belong to the child of God. God has promised it and it is ours to be had! Be bold to believe, for He said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” In this promise, God gives to his people everything. “I will never leave thee.” Then all of God’s attribute will we have the right to, not because of who we are or what we may have achieved, but because of what Christ accomplish in obedience to God His Father. Is he mighty? He will show himself strong on the behalf of them that trust Him. Is he love? Then with loving-kindness will He have mercy upon us, have we not seen that in our lives, I know I have time and time again I have witnessed the love of God in my life. Whatever attributes may compose the character of Deity, every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on our side. To understand, there is nothing we can want, there is nothing we can ask for, there is nothing we can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven which is not contained in this text-”I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

How sweet these words should and must ring true in our ears. To Him be glory now and forever more!

Signing off

Tyrone

Tuesday 22 February 2011

The Old Man Crucified!

(Romans 6:6)Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin;”

To stand the test of time, to endure, to undergo whatever it may take to stand upon the finished work of Calvary; who will finish, and who will fall by the wayside? All pressing questions I now have probing my brain, so many different stories with so many voices in this world of ours. If it was not for the Spirit of God, how lost and opinionated we would all be. In ourselves we love to explore the hype of Christianity; somehow we have that built into us. Be warned, if it has not be written and then expounded on by the Apostles, we must hear warning bells no matter how appealing and cuddly the story may seem. We must give earnest heed to the apostles teaching, they have been single out by God to bring us His mind on so many issues pertaining to life and godliness. We must fight again the driving temptation to hanker after voices which seem to have more of an appealing story for us to follow. Whether their stories bear relevance or not to our lives, we have what we need and that is the “Canon of Scripture”. It is complete and as it has pleased our heavenly Father, let it also please us! Let us become leaches hungry for God’s word, so hungry in fact that instead of reaching for books written by authors of today, we would begin to instinctively reach for the Bible, books in themselves can teach us a phenomenal amount, so books can be very good for our spiritual wellbeing, however as some may have a positive effect, bad books, those full of opinionated ideas of what the scripture does not teach have been penned to tickle our ears and can unsettle many who are young in the faith. The power of the pen is greater than any fighter jet or atomic bomb, it moulds and shapes peoples understanding, but as good a help as it can be, the opposite is just as true, be cautioned! “For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;” (2Timothy 4:3)

Even autobiographies need to be viewed with much caution; I have written my own story and am in the process of deciding whether to correct some wrongs in “my story” or to let it rest, once again that great well balance preacher Charles Spurgeon helps us reason with a sound mind. This is what he has to say about our past lives, prior to us repenting and finding forgiveness; “Our sins must be put to death with every circumstance of shame and self-humiliation. I must confess I am shocked with some people whom I know, who glibly rehearse their past lives up to the time of their supposed conversion, and talk of their sins, which they hope have been forgiven them, with a sort of smack of the lips, as if there was something fine in having been so atrocious an offender. I hate to hear a man speak of his experience in sin as a Greenwich pensioner might talk of Trafalgar and the Nile.
The best thing to do with our past sin, if it be indeed forgiven, is to bury it; yes, and let us bury it as they used to bury suicides. Let us drive a stake through it, in horror and contempt, and never set up a monument to its memory.
If you ever do tell anybody about your youthful wrongdoing, let it be with blushes and tears, with shame and confusion of face; and always speak of it to the honour of the infinite mercy which forgave you. Never let the devil stand behind you and pat you on the back and say, "You did me a good turn in those days."
“Oh, it is a shameful thing to have sinned, a degrading thing to have lived in sin, and it is not to be wrapped up into a telling story and told out as an exploit as some do.”
"The old man is crucified with him." Who boasts of being related to the crucified felon? If any member of your family had been hanged, you would tremble to hear anyone mention the gallows; you would not run about crying, "Do you know a brother of mine was hanged at Newgate?” Your old man of sin is hanged; do not talk about him, but thank God it is so; and as he blots out the remembrance of it, do you the same, except so far as it may make you humble and grateful.”

“EVERY new man is two men—every Believer in Christ is what he was and not what he was—the old nature and the new nature exist at the same time in each regenerate individual. That old nature the Apostle calls a man, because it is a complete manhood after the image of fallen Adam. It has the desires, the judgment, the mind, the thoughts, the language and the action of man as he is in his rebellious estate. He calls it the “old man,” because it is as old as Eden’s first transgression. It is as old as we are. It is the nature born with us, the natural depravity, the fleshly mind which we inherited from our parents. It is tainted by the old serpent and bears within it a dread propensity to his old sin.” (C.H.Spureon)
With those thoughts in mind let us rather leave those things that are behind us, let us not dwell on them where possible and let us run this race with diligence, cleaving onto every word of God, let our focus shift from one another and rather let us be captivated by CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED, let us remember His exploits as they will help us live more godly in Christ!

“The old old story it is ever new, the old old story praise the Lord its true, how Jesus died for me as well as you, the old old story praise the Lord it is true.”

Paul the Apostle teaches us this very clearly; “Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13)

The model we should aspire to is the legacy Paul left us and this is His legacy, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1Corinthians 2:2)

Signing off

Tyrone

Monday 21 February 2011

Until Then!

Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

Here was a man that lived life by pleasing God, he so please Jehovah the great “I AM” that after 365 years God took him from earth to heaven, just like that, one day he was walking on earth and the next instant he was in heaven no longer in a flesh and blood body but with God in spirit. He had walked and talked with God and he had pleased God and therefore God decided that he would be more useful to Him in heaven, why? Does God need to explain Himself to anyone, God forbid we would reason as if he did? But we have eyes to see the hidden mysteries of God, if we have been born again, then God the Holy Spirit is merciful to teach us from scripture the hidden truths of scripture according to the measure of the gift of God. “Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (Ephesians 4:8)

It is now up to the individual to take that gift, the gift that God has imparted to that person, it cannot be bought or earned, it must however be honed. Have you ever seen a gifted professional tennis player not practising by putting in long hours and still becoming the very best? It won’t happen! Charles Spurgeon is an example in point; He was given too much study, but never obtained a theological degree. God had gifted him with a great teaching gift, he put in long hours through prayer and study, and he depended upon the help of God the Holy Spirit, which can be clearly seen when we study what he had to say. He was not a man wise in his own eyes and yet although he is dead or rather sleeps; the name he has been given which still rings true today, the “Prince of Preachers”. Did you know that before he opened his academy to help equip wannabe preachers, to teach them to wield their sword with precision and skill, they had to already have fruit to their ministry. They didn’t need a university exemption; they had to be able to read, but they needn’t have been great scholars, with a proviso that their ministry must have lead new converts to Christ. He understood the gifting of God! They all had been born again; they had received the spirit of God and they were God’s children, each with a measure of Christ! Boasting is to be excluded and God alone must be exalted! However he compiled a list of “must have books” in ones library, where and when they could be afforded, the purpose behind this list was to help equip the preacher to hone his gifting and to glorify God in bringing a balanced message to their congregation. But, prior to this list, he read 3000-4000 books, this would not have been a skim read but rather a study when warranted before complying his list. I am not sure if the man ever slept! He had at least 1000 men through those doors.

I say some of the modes, since I suppose that as the Lord Jesus left his disciples free from rubrics and liturgies, each church worshipped according to the working of the free Spirit among them; one with the open meeting of the Corinthians, and another with a presiding minister, and a third with a mixture of the two methods.” (Charles Spurgeon)

As I was saved in a Pentecostal church similar to that of the church of Corinth in application. Although I saw a great freedom in purpose amongst the believers in the body of Christ, even if much of what I was taught I can no longer hold too. I still see great benefit in many areas to their application. A question in point, would be the misappropriation of scripture taken out of context. Let me explain or rather let Spurgeon explain! “We cannot expect to deliver much of the teaching of Holy Scripture by picking out verse by verse, and holding these up at random. The process resembles that of showing a house by exhibiting separate bricks. It would be an astounding absurdity if our friends used our private letters in this fashion, and interpreted them by short sentences disconnected and taken away from the context. Nowadays since expository preaching is not so common as it ought to be. They must get that instruction from us, or nowhere else; nor do I see how we are to give them such spiritual assistance except through the regular practice of exposition.”

However their application in giving an opportunity to all individuals within the body of Christ, from the greatest to the least of the congregation to freely impart their gifting I am yet to see elsewhere. It may have been very loose at times and this would allow for error, but then it should be up to the leading brethren to put that right. On the other hand the reformed churches I have witnessed or been a part of in some small measure lack this application in allowing each member to bring their gifting to the body of Christ within the same capacity. They lack the understanding that Paul endeavoured to teach the church at Corinth. God has designed a pattern to help conform his children into the image of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, Paul give us teaching on the subject. He explains how we need one another in the body of Christ, it is not about social circles for the sake of conformity as people huddle within groups within the church, but about our place individually in the church even in ministry, because you have a doctorate in theology does not necessarily mean you have been given the gift of teaching. It may, but not certainly! That is why Paul speaks to the church at Corinth explaining how and why we need each other in the body of Christ (church), we are a member of the body of Christ in as much as we supply. As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." (Corinthians12:20-21)

We need one another to get to understand our Saviour with a fuller measure and to help equip us to become more like Him. How ridiculous it would be to for us to blindfold ourselves and then expect our ears to see! However what I do love about reformed theology or at least the church I now fellowship with, is the seriousness they take on expository preaching (verse for verse through a chapter), it helps us get a clearer understanding of the bible and how we should live our lives. There are fewer margins for error in this methodology of teaching.

I am yet to find a church that has a mixture of both, Spurgeon must have witness it otherwise he would not have mentioned it. How I would love to find a congregation with that balance. It is like what was said and I quote, “I say some of the modes, since I suppose that as the Lord Jesus left his disciples free from rubrics and liturgies, each church worshipped according to the working of the free Spirit among them.”

Having said all of this, who am I? I have hashed so many opportunities in my life, how could I ever expect people to take what I say with any seriousness, I may be heard to some degree, but the likely hood of changing the minds of those who lead would be futile.

Regardless of where we find ourselves in fellowship, let us look to our great God and Saviour seeking out His will for our lives and let us remember to supply in whatever measure it is afforded us for the edifying of the body of Christ, for the equipping of the saints, until we come into the full unity of Christ. Until like Enoch, we no long have to walk and talk with God veiled from His awesome presents, until the day that our ship finally arrives in the “Port of Heaven” and we will commune with God our Father. No longer having to veil our conversation as they veiled theirs, but conversing in humility eyeball to eyeball with the only true God. “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” What a pleasant thought!

Signing off

Tyrone

Sunday 20 February 2011

Typology!

(Act 8:9) “But there was a man named Simon,”

 

As my thoughts penned yesterday were on the warnings we receive from the Lord Jesus on deceiving men and all those that lie against the truth, I thought it may be good to look to the bible as it could give us some warnings and what those types of men and woman may look like. The bible is full of typology and we will often see the same pattern throughout time and through passing generations. The events of the Old Testament often depict similar events in the New Testament; you could say it is the silent voice of God giving us clues on what will happen in the future. In other words Typology (a.k.a. figura in Latin) in Christian theology and Biblical exegesis (a critical explanation or interpretation of a text) is a doctrine or theory concerning the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. If we look closely enough we will see repeat patterns throughout the bible, let us use an example to amplify the coming of the Lord Jesus; the Lord teaches us that in the days of Noah. “They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:27)

 

In like manner, people will be doing exactly the same things in the days of the coming of the Lord; we must pray for strength and grace not to be those who would be deceived into believing lies and  chasing false doctrine.

 

Now if we look at this man Simon the sorcerer, we see a pattern that people from that time admired him and they gravitated toward him. So why did they admire him and call him a man of God.


“They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great. And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.” (Act 8:10-11) - Let us not confuse false signs and wonders as the work of the Spirit.

 

To him they had regard (and perhaps the more because the time fixed for the coming of the Messiah had now expired, which had raised a general expectation of the appearing of some great one about this time. Probably he was a native of their country, and therefore they embraced him the more cheerfully, that by giving honour to him they might reflect it upon themselves. 2. They said of him, This man is the great power of God - the power of God, that great power (so it might be read), that power which made the world. See how ignorant inconsiderate people mistake that which is done by the power of Satan, as if it were done by the power of God. Thus, in the Gentile world, devils pass for deities; and in the antichristian kingdom all the world wonders after a beast, to whom the dragon gives his power, and who opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, Rev_13:2-5(Matthew Henry)

 

The anti-christ will have the same effect on the world; he will appear as an angel of light and deceive the nations. Simon was a type of the anti-christ! His luring tool was the magic he was able to perform, but the anti-christ will have false religious people backing him all the way. People had expected the return of the Lord, they may have been growing impatient, and it will be the same in the days of the Lord if He chooses to delay to his return; “But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.” (Matthew 24:48-50)

 

People will be looking to advance His return then they will say he is the christ! Remember the Lord’s warning to his children; “Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:23-24)

 

He will use signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if possible! That will not happen as God’s children have understood as He has given them eyes to see and they know their masters voice. But this lure will be so great that it will rock the world as they bow done and worship him as God.

 

In the city of Samaria Simon Magus had been busy there, and had gained a great interest among the people, and yet they believed the things that Philip spoke. Phillip had just declared the wonderful truth of the gospel and people had believed his message and people had been saved. The same people that once were taken up by Simon’s magic and been bewitched by him.

 

“We are told how strong the delusion of Satan was by which they were brought into the interests of this great deceiver. He had been for some time, nay, for a long time, in this city, using sorceries; perhaps he came there by the instigation of the devil, soon after our Saviour had been there, to undo what he had been doing there; for it was always Satan's way to crush a good work in its bud and infancy, 2Co_11:31Th_3:5. Now, First, Simon assumed to himself that which was considerable: He gave out that he himself was some great one, and would have all people to believe so and to pay him respect accordingly; and then, as to everything else, they might do as they pleased. He had no design to reform their lives, nor improve their worship and devotion, only to make them believe that he was, tis megas - some divine person. Justin Martyr says that he would be worshipped as prōton theon - the chief god. He gave out himself to be the Son of God, the Messiah, so some think; or to be an angel, or a prophet. Perhaps he was uncertain within himself what title of honour to pretend to; but he would be thought some great one. Pride, ambition, and an affectation of grandeur, have always been the cause of abundance of mischief both to the world and to the church.” (Matthew Henry)

 

What amazes me with this account is how much emphasis is placed upon the power of the Holy Spirit; He offered to pay for its power! Money and the Holy Ghost when accompanying one another should get us to at least sit up and pay attention. It should at the very least get us to examine what is being preached! I am thankful for the strength and the power of Divine grace, by which these new converts were brought to Christ, who is truth and will unarm the works of the devil. Grace works in the lives of those who were once captivated by the power of Satan but now is brought into obedience to Christ. Where Satan, as a strong man armed, kept possession of the palace, and thought himself safe, Christ was stronger than him and freed the captive, praise His name! He led captivity captive, and made those the trophies of his victory that the devil had once triumphed over. Let us not despair of the worst, when even those whom Simon Magus had bewitched were brought to believe. If we have been hoodwinked into believing the lies of the false prophets and the false teachers lets us repent from the errors of our ways and cleave to the finished work of Calvary.


We must remember Noah’s example; by faith Noah was warned of the upcoming judgment, we in turn must find grace in time of need to mimic him; “By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)


We have not yet seen the “Rapture” but it will happen, God has declared it to us through his Word. Therefore let us not look to this event with intrigue but rather heed the voice of our great Saviour as we attentively heed His warnings on these upcoming events and be on guard against the error of our times.


Even so, we cry to you our God as we beckon your return, come quickly Lord Jesus, we long to behold your glory and bow down and worship you, our great Redeemer and High Priest, Jehovah God we will worship you and you alone, Amen!


Signing off


Tyrone