Reflecting on the race...

(2Timothy 4:7) “I have finished the course.”

As I settled down last night, prior to switching the lights off, thoughts of the reality of Christianity kicked in. My thoughts went to the life hereafter as I asked myself, would I rather continue to live out my life here on earth or move on to the next realm of my existence? Is Christianity a fairytale that we like to believe in as we are caught up with the hope it affords us, when we think on death do we fight with every fiber in our bodies to live? Do we cling to this life here on earth, with all mite and strength? Are our lives filled with death so that we may live or is our claim “we are Christian” surreal?

So much of our lives are filled with fantasy, the stories that parents teach their children from a young age feeds this imaginary hope, fairy-tales and happy ending is where so many hang their hat. We love the thought of having a cake and also eating it. Self-preservation the order of the day! Am I any different? And yet if we embraced the hope of Christianity with all we have, we would be gladly laid down our lives for others. We would long for the life here after and I know we say we do, as part of us undoubtedly does, but I am concerned that it is no different to the fairytale hope we had as children.

Why does the writer of Hebrews tell us of so many valiant pilgrims that lost their lives as he stresses the point that the “world was not worthy” of them; “Women received their dead by a resurrection: and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword: they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves, and the holes of the earth.” (Hebrews 11:35-38) – The world was not worthy! Can I make that claim about my life? Absolutely not! Can you? The retort is left up to the individual! Would I without a blink of an eye leave behind that which I have and give it to someone in need; I would fight with every fibre in my body to hang on to what I have. This was not the attitude of those mentioned in this text.

There is a test we can apply to see our hearts in the matter; if God said to us, today is the day you will breathe our last, the day of death had final arrived, would we be excited or would there be regret? Would we seek out justification not to have our lives ended, would we be quick to make comments like, what about my family or could we with an honest heart say yes Lord take me now I long to open my eyes on the other side, I long to bow before your throne as I sing praises to my God and Father.

Obviously there would be a pull to arrive in heaven as it is God’s work and not ours, but are we captivated by it? This was Paul experience; “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:” (2Timothy 4:7) – Or is your experience my experience; so much time has been lost to frivolous trivia that I fear and I cannot with any assurance echo the words of Paul. Does that now mean I am without hope? Definitely not! Thankfully it is the work of the Lord Jesus that will get us home. Selfishness and our own agendas in not the call to a Christian’s life, please forgive me Father God for the lack of faith that I have so often apply to my life with all the bad choice I have made along the way.

Having said that, I long to open my eyes on the other side, I hunger to be with my God; where neither rusting nor moth can any longer taint the call upon my life. I am wearied and hard-pressed as my life is filled with failure, but there is a day coming when this will end, I will nevertheless suffer loss; for this I seek forgiveness but the thought of the New Jerusalem and the reality to always be in the presence of the only true holy God without the failures of the flesh and the absence of sin in my life is a wonderful thought. Where corruption will be swallowed up by incorruption where this body of mortality will put on immortality and all the heavenly hosts in one accord sing praises to our King.

So if today was my last as a citizen here on earth, I must conclude, it would be well with my soul. Ever so come quickly Lord Jesus!

What on earth would enable someone to live in a ditch and suffer such torturing, but this glorious hope the Christian has for the life to come. May this hope grip us like never before and with the time we have left here on earth may we learn to lay down our lives for our God and King.

Signing off

Tyrone   

Freely we have received, now freely give!

(Matthew 10:8) “Freely ye received, freely give.”

There is a vast difference to religion in a traditional form to Christianity in its actual form. One speaks about laws and regulations; it is all about the does and don’ts of life while the other produced a lifestyle outside of regulation, it is far more personal. It is a between an individual and their God. Prior to salvation, we never understood this verse; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

Christianity makes no provision for boasting as the sole dependency of the believer depends of the finished work of the cross. God started the salvage and it is God who shall complete the rescue, in and through His beloved Son the Lord Jesus. It has nothing to do with our abilities, we must understand this! Religion on the other hand is all about self; looking to be noticed by men and receive praise from them for our apparent good deeds. The one is a form of godliness, but it in fact denies the power of godliness; “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2Timothy 3:5-7) - While true Christianity has nothing to do with trumpet blowing. Paul does not address the other false faiths per say but rather the Christian faith and the weeds that are sown amongst the good seed. We are told to let then grow together, but that does not mean we should not recognise them as such, weeds they are!

We have been taught not to let the right hand know what the left hand is doing; this is in the context of good deeds. Religion looks to be praise by men but the true Christian holds it within his heart and it is between him and his God; "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-6) – Don’t you just love portions of scripture like this, directly from the mouth of the Lord Jesus? We know that it is the soundest of advice as it come directly from our God and King.

The writer of Hebrews refers to this as a dead work; “Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God." (Hebrews 6:1)    

What then is the lesson for the believer? Let us not get caught up with good deeds for the sake of patting ourselves on the back, if this is our common practise then we are no different to the weeds, we have not understood the work of the cross. However this does not mean that our lives should not be filled with good works as we know we have been called to walk in His statues; “And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3:14) – We must always be on the lookout to be of help to those in need and especially those of the household of God. But let us remember when God places necessity upon us to help others that we keep it between Him and ourselves. If not then we are no different to the hypocrite! We must be generous and ready to share; “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1Timothy 6:18-19)

This world and all its trappings have taught us to look out for self, but this is just another lie, it is not the way of the true Christian, we have received clear instruction on this. May God give us a heart of generosity as we learn to give with cheerful hearts. Freely we have received now freely give! – “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” (Proverbs 11:24) 

Signing off

Tyrone    

Iron sharpens Iron!

(Proverbs 27:17) “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

It is once again an early start; I ultimately always end up enjoying these mornings, not that I am happy to lose much of my needed beauty sleep, but I am thankful that God has afforded me the opportunity and placed a concern on my heart for a brother in Christ.

My mind goes out to the times where he was always the first to throw out warnings against the bad choices throughout my life and he never pulled any punches. Yet, most of those timely warning where discarded at an obvious cost; pain and suffering the order of the day! Yet I only have myself to blame, he did his part.

Self-reflection is never a joyous event, but once we come through it, once we have been pruned and spring pushes forth, it is beautiful to witness the first bud on that branch as it springs to life. Why does it take so long for the penny to drop? We seem to always repeatedly make the same mistakes. These lessons have their specific purpose; they are there to teach us to obey our God and Father. But when we see a loved one making the same mistake over and over and falling for the same trap, it is heart-breaking. I now see him making the same mistake.

It is moment like these that I begin to understand the principle of what the Lord teachers us about being “our brother’s keeper”, just a little deeper. When we become pro-active in these areas of our lives then we walk as Christ intended us to walk, in obedience! It is nevertheless painful to watch someone dear to our hearts making the same mistakes. I just want to grab him and shake him like a rag-doll. We have a responsibility in sincerity to rebuke and warn one another where and when the need should arise, whatever that may entail. But in so doing we must first examine our hearts in the matter. Why? Just to make sure our attitude is not one of accusing our brother so that we may excuse ourselves. Once that has been dealt with we then need to speak out in love.

Did you know that many years back metal crafters would often use iron to sharpen iron? I am not sure whether this is still practiced but the writer of Proverbs hones in on this point; “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another”. We were once dead in our trespasses and sins; although we have now found life we still have rough edges in need of filing. The Lord came to do the will of His Father. He died and gave us life, so if we have life, if we have His Spirit, we have been place on God’s workbench and those rough edged in our lives need filing. We are the catalyst needed in each other’s lives to accomplish this task. We sharpen one another. But if we sit on the outside looking in, how will we ever be of use to a brother? We won’t be! We are our brothers keepers so let us act accordingly.

To be a watchman is of crucial importance; in a watchtower there is normally an around the clock guard, especially in times of war. We are at war; let no-one convince you to the contrary, and our enemy goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. His objective is to get us to snooze at our post! But that is not what God requires from us. We must sound the alarm when danger is on the horizon. Now a guard must leave his post at times to rest up, but is replaced by a new fresher sentinel. If we see our brother opening himself to error we are then the one at the post and we must sound the alarm. If not we will then be “guilty of the body and the blood of the lamb, not discerning the Lord’s body” (note the principle).

Let us travel back in time and use an illustration to prove my point but before we do this we must understand that it is the flesh that hinders, it is of no use to the spiritual man: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63) – Note, we must see it as such and we must operate from this foundation without any other frills; “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalms 127:1)  

It is all about the well-being of God’s family and not about winning any popular poll awards. God is building His church and the gates of hell will not prevail, but it is crucial that the watchmen speak out if they see danger on the horizon.

“For thus the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees.” (Isaiah 21:6) – We have been instructed to look out for one another. How serious should we take the tutoring?

It is imperative we heed the following warnings…

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul." (Ezekiel 3:17-21)

I hope and pray we see this crucial necessity that we are our brother’s keepers and that it is iron that sharpens iron. May God give us tongues to speak out in love, for if we remain silent, then we do the work of the devil!

Signing off

Tyrone   

           

Diversion Tactics!

(1John 2:21) “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”

And yet we lie to ourselves so often!

Why is it that we miss the obvious, I often focus on varying considerations and overlook the more serious contemplation. I do not want to undermine the importance of the role of dreams in our lives, but these considerations should have caused a greater urgency in me to explore the purpose of what these signs are actually saying. We get caught up in the signs instead of realising what the signs are for.

Signs and wonders proved the validity of the Lord Jesus; it proved that He is the Son of God!  If we therefore believe that today we are in the “last days” what then is it teaching us? It should create such urgency in our daily living that we wouldn’t get caught up in the hype of dreams, prophesy and the like but it should spur us onto a life of selflessness as the day of the Lord draws nigh. He is coming should be our cry! But is it I wonder! Or do we look to all these supernatural claims as the solution for daily living instead of leaning on the finished work of Calvary? I would suggest that many err on the side of error.

It is obvious that “your old men shall dream dreams”, the text teachers us this will happen, it is a no brainer! God’s Word never fails as it cannot lie! – “so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” (Hebrews 6:18)

Hang on for just a minute, I have just seen something of great importance, thank you Father God and thank you God the Holy Spirit for your enlightening revelation where and when you choose to reveal it.

I have had my eyes opened to another, if not the greatest of all the devils trickery and it revolves around the diversion in the essence of scripture.

Stay with me for just a little longer and I will explain. We see the obvious but instead of focusing on the kernel of truth, we tend to lean on a built mechanism that is triggered within our minds and we then suspiciously look to disprove something instead affirming it.

Why do I make such a statement? As I was now looking for some answers on this topic, I noticed that much attention is given to the importance of telling the truth. However, there are warnings that teach us that even when we believe we speak the truth we are liars. In other words there is a danger that we will go to such extremes when trying to make a point that we will even lie to be heard. And if we continue in this fashion even our conscience will be seared and we will become numb to the truth. Now this is quite a statement, but there is much truth to it! Look at what God did many years back; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 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.” (Romans 1:18-22) 

Once again we need to look into the mirror; the Apostle John has this to say; “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1John 1:6) – If my life is filled with self and very little of my life belongs to the Lord, then I am a liar even though I believe I am not. If I continue in sin that grace may abound and lean on the hope of denial as my anchor, I am nothing but a liar. When I habitually practise the on-going destruction of sin as a daily pattern in my life, I am nothing but a liar! Therefore if no place is given to my life being led by the Spirit then I am also a liar.

Look at the strong words the Apostle Paul uses; “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:17-25)

Let me conclude by saying, instead of giving so much of our time to signs and wonder, let us rather seek holiness for our lives, let our resolve to walk in the Spirit. Do not be lured into the traps of Satan diversion tactics, as he is the master tactician. Let us be on the lookout for all those tainting lies in our lives, for if we scratch the surface we will not have to scrape deep to expose the error of it. May God help us to live godly in Him!

Signing off

Tyrone

The roles of dreams, do they still play their part?

(Act 2:17) “Your old men shall dream dreams.”

Dreams, everybody has them, in one form or another at different times throughout their lives and yet some have more impact than others. Last night was another one of those nights, my dreams where somewhat disturbing, with a reality second to none. I felt somewhat defeated as unbelief began to flood my soul. We know what robs us of our faith, it is sin and yes my dreams were full of failure, I failed certain tests when tested that in reality I had failed in the past. I was hoping that I had move beyond this mind-set, as we all need to grow up into the fullness of the statue of Christ. We all need to put off childish things!

On the one hand I was somewhat relieved to wake up and realize that it was but a dream and yet on the other the nagging question is why did I have such a dream? Where better to go looking for answers than the Holy Scriptures.

Dreams had a specific place mainly throughout the Old Testament; God used a dream to warn Abimelech (Pharaoh) that he had taken Sarah Abrahams wife, and that particular dream brought him to his senses and he gave Sarah back to Abraham. Joseph had a dream about the rest of his family bowing down and worshipping him. Although his brothers mocked his dream it nevertheless unfolded as Joseph had predicted. Then we have the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker which Joseph also interpreted correctly. Then Pharaoh’s dreams plagued him for a long time as he looked for answers in all the wrong places. Soothsayer and magicians were summoned with no success; Until God stepped in through Joseph’s interpretation. There is a fabulous lesson for us to learn; God is the answer for all our questions, not people’s opinions or horoscopes and the like. As they can be very damaging!

Prior to salvation whilst abroad in England I met a young lady who of all things foretold ones fortune from the residue of a finished cup of tea or was it coffee? She was from some Slovak country, Czechoslovakia I think! A common fashionable young woman; put it this way she did not have a broom under one arm! I was twenty-one years old at the time and now I am forty-five. Twenty four years ago and I am still influenced by what she told me, it may not be helpful, but nevertheless very real in my mind eye as what she predicted often flashes into play. I often tell myself that it is a lot of rubbish which it surely is, but that does not change the fact that it has such a hold on my reasoning at times.

I fear many are trapped by similar scenarios; they hang their hope on what some wannabe prophet tells them especially if it involves hope of some kind. Many false Christian movements lure people into these traps and normally around the traps of money. Although we are taught that this is but a form of witchcraft, the damage in a lot of cases has been done, these trapping memories remain with us, and it is these memories that I wish to explore.

We must conclude that with dreams as well as prophetic utterances God’s Word has to be the final authority, or else how will we ever be sure for the well-being of our lives?

The writer of Hebrews teachers us that; “Long ago, at many times and in many ways (note, dreams no doubt had their place), God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) – The question I now have, has their function run their course, have they ceased?

I see the in the book of Acts the Luke tells us this; "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;” (Act 2:17) – There seems to be carnage attributed to this verse as every Tom Dick and Harry make heyday with this stanza. Everyone is a prophet and all dream dreams and people see visions. But surely we must accept the fact that these need to be tested. Does the Bible instruct us to test such claims?

I would like to spend some time over the next couple of posts exploring these thoughts…

Let me leave us with Matthew Henrys take on this verse and the reason for this is that the concerns we now have may have tainted our reasoning on the subject. Back in the seventeenth century the charismatic movement had not yet taken root. So he was not influenced but what he saw and dealt with the text as he read it. I believe a fair synopsis!

“The text itself that Peter quotes, Act_2:17-21. It refers to the last days, the times of the gospel, which are called the last days because the dispensation of God's kingdom among men, which the gospel sets up, is the last dispensation of divine grace, and we are to look for no other than the continuation of this to the end of time. Or, in the last days, that is, a great while after the ceasing of prophecy in the Old Testament church. Or, in the days immediately preceding the destruction of the Jewish nation, in the last days of that people, just before that great and notable day of the Lord spoken of.

 Act_11:17. Or, upon all flesh, that is, upon some of all ranks and conditions of men. The Jewish doctors taught that the Spirit came only upon wise and rich men, and such as were of the seed of Israel; but God will not tie himself to their rules.

That the Spirit should be in them a Spirit of prophecy; by the Spirit they should be enabled to foretel things to come, and to preach the gospel to every creature. This power shall be given without distinction of sex - not only your sons, but your daughters shall prophesy; without distinction of age - both your young men and your old men shall see visions, and dream dreams, and in them receive divine revelations, to be communicated to the church; and without distinction of outward condition - even the servants and handmaids shall receive of the Spirit, and shall prophesy.” (Matthew Henry)

 Until tomorrow then,

Signing off

Tyrone  

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry!

(Psalms 2:12)  “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry”

The goodness of God is a distinctiveness I am learning to love the more I live. To think of His supremacy, there is none greater than Him, when He speaks the heavens shake and yet when I think on Him, goodness comes to mind. This morning my thoughts are with God’s goodness toward me. It may seem somewhat selfish, forgive me! Nevertheless this morning I will thank my God and Father for His goodness, His glorious mercy and grace and above all else for His glorious Son, my Splendid Saviour, the only Saviour that equips a man with a voice whereby they can cry “ABBA FATHER” – “my Father”! All praise and honour belongs to our King, the King of kings, the only One who has it in His power to present us to His Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Triune Godhead, without His sacrifice, none of us would sit with any similar thought as we ponder the goodness of God. THANK YOU FATHER FOR YOUR GOODNESS! I pen these words to say I am thankful and I love you for it! Lord Jesus words cannot describe how thankful I am for your selfless sacrifice, THANK YOU!

Be warned all you kings and rulers of the earth, what will you do with Gods goodness? What will you do with His Son’s sacrifice for sin? Do you reason like a madman and believe you will be accepted on the basis of your own efforts, etc.  If so, you will be wrong and you have been warned! - “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalms 2:10-12)

(Isaiah 51:5) “On mine arm shall they trust.”

“In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father’s arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time. Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father! Now that thou hast only thy God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in him. Dishonour not thy Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as he built the heavens and the earth, glorify himself in thy weakness, and magnify his might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye. May the Holy Spirit give you to rest in Jesus this closing day of the month.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Thank you for your goodness, great Jehovah Father God, and for “saving such a wretch like me”.

 Signing off

 Tyrone

How shall we escape!

(Hebrews 2:3) “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;”

“Typology”, what role does it play in the believers life? It has a very important function I believe but I am not sure many share my sentiment. Firstly let us look at what the word actually means and then why we should pay particular attention to its responsibility in our lives.

Typology means the study of religious texts for the purpose of identifying episodes in them that appear to prophesy later events and more importantly the study or systematic classification of types that affect our lives. In other words, how can we learn from those who have gone before us?

What can others teach us about God and what He requires from us…?

Obviously it is the Word of God that gives us instruction on how we should live, but it is also the Word that uses the examples of others, training us to learn from their mistakes where and when needed.

The writer of Hebrews pays special attention to the children of Israel in the Wilderness. Let us therefore look at some of His warnings. He has instructed us to pay even more special attention to what we have heard, least we let them slip; “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.' As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:7-13)

It would be good for us to study their journey in parallel to our journey hear on earth and to learn great lessons from them. Time will not permit us to look at this in any depth, but my encouragement would be to read through the book of Exodus and Numbers and put ourselves in their shoes with a sincere heart and then see the similarities of their lives with ours. There is much we can learn!

I look at my life and I see a nagging trait that without much effort looks to disobey God’s Word and I am fearful for it. But I am convinced that God’s Word will stand, regardless of people’s opinions. Maybe it is time to fast and pray or like Jacob to wrestle with the angel of the Lord until these truths sink into souls and they become like second nature in our lives. For if we chose to ignore these warnings we will suffer loss; “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:14-19)

What fascinates me is this is not the first time I have considered these warning and yet I find myself just like they found themselves walking in circles. May our great God and Father continue to have compassion on all His struggling children! Not all struggle but many do! I am however convinced that He who has begun a good work in us, although at times on reflection it seems somewhat distant, He will nevertheless complete His quest and all of God’s children will eventually arrive safely in the New Jerusalem. But we must pay careful attention to His instruction.

Let us not look to the left or the right, let us not look for justification as we excuse ourselves and accuse others; this is not the purpose behind this text. It is no different in type to the instruction that the Apostle Paul gives us in Corinthians prior to taking communion; “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” (1Corinthians 11:28) – Note we must examine ourselves and not one another. Sure we are to learn from the mistakes of others, this is the purpose of this text, however these warnings are to teach us to fear by learning from their mistakes and not to look for self-justification.

This then is our daily prayer; "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:9-15)

The day is coming when the love of many will wax cold, let us therefore guard our hearts in and through our great Saviours sacrifice; praise His name!

Signing off

Tyrone

   

The trappings of unbelief!

(Numbers 14:11) “How long will it be ere they believe me?”

Over the years as a Christian, how often have I forgotten the basic Christian fundamentals of life as a believer? The proof of that answer would be as they say in the pudding. If and when my life was as is full of peace, I then, by the grace of God walk by His Spirit and live according to the call of God upon my life, if not, then I walked as I once walked, a dead man groping in the dark. I did not say it would be a life without suffering, we have been called to suffer as Christians and if anyone tells you otherwise they are liars; “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (1Peter 4:16) – Think on it like this; an athlete trains hard for a prize, in fact their training is so intense that their whole life revolves around winning that prize. Their life orbits around their training and so too should our lives gyrate around God’s call and His Word, but unfortunately, this is often not the case. Which in itself does not change our standing in the Lord Jesus; we are sanctified by His shed blood and not our own works as we often look to them for justification. However, we are nevertheless children, if we have His Spirit; we cannot one day be a child of God and the next day no longer be part of God’s family. That is a misconception that even some believers like to believe, they are wrong!

Having said that we also know that God requires obedience; our life goal then must be to obey our heavenly Father. How then is this done? It is very simply, we must learn to obey His Word, the Holy Scriptures; the Bible! Our instruction is not vague but rather concise, where we then struggle is when we walk in unbelief. We tend at times to doubt God’s Word as we either overthink it or we believe we know better. Without exceptions when I look back on my life, all of my scars are a reminder of my unwillingness to obey the simple instruction found in the Bible. I thought I knew better! But thankfully God is greater than our folly, praise His name! He is patient and slow to anger and for this I will be eternally thankful. When God corrects us for our wrong-doing it is an act of love and it must be view as such.

Father God I am thankful for your correction throughout my life, without it I would be lost, but now I have life. My scars now help me to remember the lies and trapping of all that oppose your Word and will. The Word of God is a safe-guard to protect us from ourselves, may God help us to except this truth, as it will be a lot less painful. Suffer we must, but the Apostle Peter reminds us that we are not to suffer as evil-doers; “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (1Peter 4:15-16) 

Our downfall is our minds, we do not want to believe the Word of God, but believe it we must. All we need remember is that our God knows what is best for us, even if we think the worst; our minds are no match for Him. May we learn to trust and obey!

Look at our belated brother’s struggle over a hundred years ago, the same struggles we have today.

“Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonours Christ, that he will withdraw his visible presence if we insult him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we can never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal and perseverance. Among hateful things it is the most to be abhorred. Its injurious nature is so venomous that he that exerciseth it and he upon whom it is exercised are both hurt thereby. In thy case, O believer! it is most wicked, for the mercies of thy Lord in the past, increase thy guilt in doubting him now. When thou dost distrust the Lord Jesus, he may well cry out, “Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.” This is crowning his head with thorns of the sharpest kind. It is very cruel for a well-beloved wife to mistrust a kind and faithful husband. The sin is needless, foolish, and unwarranted. Jesus has never given the slightest ground for suspicion, and it is hard to be doubted by those to whom our conduct is uniformly affectionate and true. Jesus is the Son of the Highest, and has unbounded wealth; it is shameful to doubt Omnipotence and distrust all-sufficiency. The cattle on a thousand hills will suffice for our most hungry feeding, and the granaries of heaven are not likely to be emptied by our eating. If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust his fulness, but who can drain a fountain? Myriads of spirits have drawn their supplies from him, and not one of them has murmured at the scantiness of his resources. Away, then, with this lying traitor unbelief, for his only errand is to cut the bonds of communion and make us mourn an absent Saviour. Bunyan tells us that unbelief has “as many lives as a cat:” if so, let us kill one life now, and continue the work till the whole nine are gone. Down with thee, thou traitor, my heart abhors thee.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

This then must be our resolve to the Word of God and nothing in our lives must come before its instruction, May God help us to learn and appropriate this truth to our lives! May we remember that it is a daily walk; “just one day at a time sweet Jesus is all I ask of you.”

Signing off

Tyrone

Perilous times shall come!

(2Timothy 3:1) “That in the last days perilous times shall come.”

My upbringing was not that of a Christian, sure I went to Catechism with the Catholic Church, but it was a dry dead experience, they even taught fables. In fact their doctrine is so instilled into people growing up under the catholic faith that they begin to by default live it out. It becomes acceptable to pray to Mary or one of the saints. This was clearly evident in my Grandmothers (Nonna’s) life.  Man-centered religion without any biblical truth to it! So let us call it what it is, an organization rotten to the core, my heart goes out to so many sincere believers, babes in Christ, as they could never be more than that if they have spent all their life growing up under their rule.

The Word of God, the Holy Scriptures have in fact been made available to us the common man through blood, sweat and probably many tears of great men of God. May we never forget their sacrifice!

It obviously started with God, “in the beginning” and then through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from there we read Moses and the prophets. The New Testament begins with the birth of the Lord Jesus. The greatest of all; the One who came to pay the price for sin, and repentant sinners! But for a long period of History the Bible was not available to the common man, it was kept in secret by the governing authorities as they wanted to control and mislead the people. They had an agenda, I suppose no differently to the money preachers of today. That’s why whatever was said by the church leaders could never be questioned.

There is no hidden agenda with our great God and Father, praise His name! He speaks very plainly through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour and without mixed words, i.e. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) – There is no message clearer than this, outside of Christ covering, His sanctification, we will never call the only true God our Father. Christ instruction is plain and simple and we are now able to read it for ourselves. Why then would we want to ignore it, when it is so concise in so many areas of our lives? We know it is because of sin and we have covered this in previous posts. But my concern is why we would stay in such an organisation, if we in fact find ourselves in such a church, one that preaches and teachers against the truth. We have the Word of God at our finger tips. What excuse do we have? It was a struggle for men to get us the bible! Here is a man who died to get it to us!

Some history…

“The chain of events that led to the creation of Tyndale’s New Testament started in 1522. It was in this year that Tyndale illegally acquired a copy of Martin Luther’s German New Testament. Tyndale was inspired by Luther’s work and immediately set out to imitate Luther’s work but in English. He made his purpose known to the Bishop of London at the time Cuthbert Tunstall. Hewing to his Catholic faith, for which he would later be imprisoned, Bishop Tunstall refused Tyndale permission to write this heretical text. After this rejection Tyndale moved to the continent and ended up in Hamburg where he completed his New Testament in 1524. During this time period Tyndale frequented Wittenberg where he consulted with Martin Luther and his associate Melanchthon. The first version of Tyndale’s New Testament was put into print in 1525 in Cologne however the process was not finished. From there Tyndale moved the publishing process to Worms where the first recorded complete edition of his New Testament was published in 1526. Two revised versions were latter published in 1534 and 1536, both personally revised by Tyndale himself. After his death in 1536 Tyndale’s works have been revised and reprinted numerous times. Furthermore much of his work can be seen in other, more modern versions of the Bible, including, perhaps most famously, the King James Bible.

Tyndale's Pentateuch was published at Antwerp by Merten de Keyser in 1530. His English version of the book of Jonah was published the following year. This was followed by his revised version of the book of Genesis in 1534. Tyndale translated many other Old Testament books including Joshua, Judges, first and second Samuel, first and second Kings and first and second Chronicles. Unfortunately these unpublished works haven’t survived to today in their original forms. When Tyndale was martyred these works came to be in the possession of one his associates John Rodgers. These translations would be influential in the creation of the Matthew Bible which was published in 1537.

Tyndale used a number of sources when carrying out his translations of both the New and Old Testaments. When translating the New Testament, he referred to the third edition (1522) of Erasmus’s Greek New Testament, often referred to as the Received Text. Tyndale also used Erasmus' Latin New Testament, as well as Luther’s German version and the Vulgate. Scholars believe that Tyndale stayed away from using Wycliffe's Bible as a source because he didn’t want his English to reflect that which was used prior to the Renaissance. The sources Tyndale used for his translation of the Pentateuch however are not known for sure. Scholars believe that Tyndale used either the Hebrew Pentateuch or the Polyglot Bible, and may have referred to the Septuagint. It is suspected that his other Old Testament works were translated directly from a copy of the Hebrew Bible. He also made abundant use of Greek and Hebrew grammars.”  (Wikipedia on Tyndale)

It is obvious that God has willed for us to have the Bible, and now we have it, but if we reject its council and hold to the traditions of men, now even the more we are without excuse. If you can read, then read and make sure what men are teaching you, is sound doctrine. We have been warned that in these days “perilous times will come”.

It is simply not good enough to have a form of Godliness but to deny its power. We have been clearly instructed to turn away from such people. A clear concise instruction from the Holy Scriptures; “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2Timothy 3:5)  

If you find yourself amongst that number, whether it be in the catholic church or some perverse money preacher organisation, I then urge you flee from it with all you might and look to the Holy Scriptures, the Bible for direction. For God is for His people and will never let one of His children be lost to the wolves, but the danger of the roaring lion is a very real one and we must be on guard against him and his luring deceit.

Let us remember to pray for one another, with a sincere heart.

Signing off

Tyrone   

Perfect Gifts!

(James 1:17) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”

 I have been confined to light duties and bed rest over the last two weeks due to the common cold, probably flu or some similar virus looking for housing, an unwelcomed guest and yet without any of my consent it forced itself upon me. Just another by-product of sin, something unwanted and yet very real.

Frustration an understatement to so many ailments that sin has scarred us with. I look back in time, and although I may not be affected by old-age, however my body does not function quite like it once did when I was twenty. When I look back on photographs from the past, not my past but my fathers and grandmothers past, I see a time when they were full of life, with a hint of invincibility to their smile and yet they both now sleep. They have move from this life to the next and all they now await is the judgment, God’s judgment! A very real but daunting thought!

My father went earlier than most and did not suffer much up until his two day ordeal before he breathed his last. But my grandmother stayed in an old-age home. A sad state of affairs, although she never ended up in frail care pre say, she was lonely and we as family did our bit and paid her visits on the weekends. Or did we do our tad? I am not convinced! Another trap that sin has captivated us with, self and more of self seems to be the order of the day.

We could go on and on about the scars of sin and all its traps, but I fear I would need more time than God has afforded me in this life to unpack all of its lures and snares. We can however define it up like this; sin is everything God is not! Sin lures us into believing that we will derive some pleasure from what it has to offer. At times it would appear to be beneficial as we derive some pleasure from it, but when stripped down and exposed to the core, it leave us with a void of emptiness. God has none of these qualities, they are foreign to Him, praise His name! Everything about Him is full of substance, of a lasting kind, and His gifts are eternal!

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

At times I wondered why God felt the need to send His Son to pay the price for mankind’s sin. Was it that He felt somewhat responsible for creating Adam and the Eve? But we know He is far wiser than that! His wisdom outshines all the wisdom to be found throughout the universe; both the seen and unseen spheres of creation are no match for Him. And yet while we were yet sinners God sent His son to die for us. We were His enemies. Go figure! I pray that we would get just an inclining of God’s perfect plan for our lives; He is brilliant in all that He does, and He is perfect. Perfection needs no alteration, in fact because He is perfect no alteration could possibly be added.

This in itself should teach us that sin is but a treacherous lure to keep us from God.

This struggle is not an isolated case that we alone face on a daily basis. We all struggle in some areas of our lives. Even the Apostles had similar struggles. The Bible is full of warnings against the strength of sins vises (an immoral or wicked habit or characteristic). We must learn to put on the mind of Christ, for we know He is perfect. Although we are reckoned righteous because of what Christ has achieved on our behalf we still battle against our old natures.

Let us highlight some of those warnings…

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:22-27) – Note, if this was not a common concern amongst God’s people, why then would Paul warn us against these traps? The answer is obvious, because they are very real!

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” (Colossians 3:8-10)

Our brilliant God and Father knows how to give His children good gifts and all of these instructions are the best of gifts, if followed they will anchor us in His love. It is the lures of sin that looks to beguile the believer, but we are to have no part with their lies. At times we are batted in the wind and in stormy weather but only because we forget to walk by faith. How often have I felt like a bruised reed! Father God from this day forth help us carry this banner of truth close to our bosom; - “let God be true, but every man a liar!” (Romans 3:4) – Note if we remember to lean on this truth it will be good for us as God knows how to give good gifts to His children. When we in child-like faith follow His instruction it will be WELL WITH OUR SOULS.

Signing off

Tyrone

We are at War!

(Revelation 12:7) “Now war arose in heaven…”

From an early age we are all conditioned to except adversity, it is a reality we all come to grips with through life. No one likes the idea of war, unless you are some radical fundamentalist. And let’s face it, which of us has time for radicals? I think about the tragedy of the Twin Towers in New York, I remember the day clearly, in fact it is one of my few clear memories; it was a day I sat engross in Matthew chapter 24 trying to arrive at a deeper understanding about what the layout of the land would look like when the Lord returned to fetch His bride, the church. I was looking for the answers to the “pre, mid or post Rapture”. I was seriously seeking biblical clues to help me prepare for battle. It was sometime during my study that my phone rang with Juks my good friend and brother in Christ on the line and he immediately asked me, “are you seeing this”! There was a tone of disbelief to his voice. So I hurriedly flip on the TV. I was thousands of miles away as I witness live television about some madmen that had flown an aeroplane, not any aircraft, but a commercial flight filled with passengers into one of the towers. It just didn’t seem to make sense! But what later unfolded was inexplicable; as I gaze at the TV screen I saw another plane in shot and it seemed to be on a collision course with the other tower, then it happened, it flew straight into and through the tower! Immediately my mind was filled with disbelief, however I had physically witness the event and tragically it was true, a terrorist attack on America had succeeded. A radical fundamentalist group had achieved what they had set out to do. This event caused much pain and suffering for the citizens of the USA, and especially those who lost loved ones. The whole world grieved with them. No matter how one cuts this disaster, it was an act of WAR.

My point is this; we all find something we are willing to die for, now some rational is totally without any coherent logic. People strap bombs onto their chests and commit suicide, it is a fact! We may think them mad and yet they believe in their cause and do exactly that, regardless of what we think. They are extreme fundamentalists (a religious or political movement based on a literal interpretation of and strict adherence to doctrine, especially as a return to former principles)!

Should the Christian fall under this classification? Should we be classed as extreme fundamentalists? We better be! If not, we may need to check our birth certificate. Now before I am misunderstood, let me make it very clear, we are to be fundamental when it comes to sound doctrine and not our own man-centred ideas. We are at war and the battle is fierce, it was never meant to be a frivolous engagement. Look at what the Lord Jesus had to endure; He died a cruel Roman death nailed to a tree. If that isn’t extreme then I am not sure if we have a correct understanding on our calling.

I am weak in application to this call, the call God has called every believer too, but while I have breath I will by the grace of God have hope. I will seek out His grace in time of need to endure this fierce battle. I may fail more often then I like, but so long as He is in my corner I will press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus my Lord. If we have His Spirit, we are reassured of this truth; "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Our battle is not to strap bombs to our chest and the like, but we have been called to come out from amongst them. This is a serious consideration that every child of God must arrive at. Do we often overlook some of God’s instruction?

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty." (2Corinthians 6:14-18)

“1. In stated relations. It is wrong for good people to join in affinity with the wicked and profane; these will draw different ways, and that will be galling and grievous. Those relations that are our choice must be chosen by rule; and it is good for those who are themselves the children of God to join with those who are so likewise; for there is more danger that the bad will damage the good than hope that the good will benefit the bad.

2. In common conversation. We should not yoke ourselves in friendship and acquaintance with wicked men and unbelievers. Though we cannot wholly avoid seeing, and hearing, and being with such, yet we should never choose them for our bosom-friends.

3. Much less should we join in religious communion with them; we must not join with them in their idolatrous services, nor concur with them in their false worship, nor any abominations; we must not confound together the table of the Lord and the table of devils, the house of God and the house of Rimmon. The apostle gives several good reasons against this corrupt mixture.” (Matthew Henry)

If we apply this type of behaviour as we should, does it not makes us fundamental? It sure does! Nevertheless God requires it from us. If not, why then have we receive such clear instruction. You decide! Every instruction that comes from the Holy Scriptures has been set out for our well-being. We must never second guess God’s wisdom, for if we do it will be at our own peril. I have but highlighted one portion of scripture as I believe we tend to overlook so many helpful instructions, and this is one of them.  

We are at war, no differently to the angels in heaven. There will be a day when the battle will come to an end, but until then, may we be reminded to put on the full armour of God. May we remind one another about this on-going battle, we are at war!

Signing off

Tyrone