Peace and Security!

(1Thessolonians 5:3) “While people are saying, "There is peace and security,”…”

It would appear that my thoughts and the direction they are taking as I blog is somewhat constant of late. My mind this morning is filled with preparation for the coming of the Lord and what we as Christians must be on the lookout for prior to that event taking place. And yes I do believe that God the Holy Spirit is directing my judgments, but I also understand that the enemy loves to throw in doubt along the way, that is why we must stick to the text as we explore it. Let us forget supposition!

But before we get there, I would like us to consider this unavoidable fact; we will never be able to remain neutral when asked to make a decision about whom we will serve. Please understand this very clearly! I am convinced even the heathen has heard about the "mark of the beast", he may not believe it as the Christian presents their case, but he certainly understand what warning comes with it; “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” (Revelation 13:16-18)  

Think on this; if you are force to choose whether or not you family will survive, “so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark.” If one chooses the well-being of their survival over that of eternal damnation, the bible is very clear that whoever receives the mark will end up on the wrong side of God and hell will be their final destination. I am not looking to debate what that will actually look like, whether we will have an actual number or an electronic chip under our skin, which in itself is another consideration. All I am looking to do is bring certain scriptures to our attention; “And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." (Revelation 14:9-11)

Therefore all that still live on earth at this time will be force to make a decision, neutral bystanders will not exist. Knowledge is helpful if used correctly but woe to all who ignore it.

When will this happen and when will the Lord return to earth to receive His followers? This is a question that should concern every Christian. Paul the Apostle gives us insight into to both these considerations.

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1Thessolonians 5:1-2)   

And yet Paul as well as the Apostle Peter gives us inkling to what will transpire before this event materialises; “While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1Thessolonians 5:3)

What now is the message of so many? “Peace and Security” is the fag that is now flying, it is beginning to gain momentum, but will we take note! I will remind us all that while it is still day we have an opportunity to call upon the name of the Lord; “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” (Psalms 18:3)

I leave you with one question will you call upon the name of the Lord to escape the enemy?

Father God I pray have mercy on all of your children, wherever they may be across the globe and wake us up if we have begun to grow weary. Save those who are yet to be saved as I know you shall, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

False prophets!

(Matthew 24:11) “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.”

In light of yesterday’s blog and the many challenges which came with it, a three car pileup on the N1 highway which cause a delay and forced me to find another route home and this left me without a signal to post my blog at the usual hour. My apologies!

With that said this year is of particular interest to many skeptics and conspiracy thrill seekers; could it be the end as we know it is their question? Life infiltrated with supposition, opinions and everybody seems to be an expert. Have you every watched a group of men stand around a braai (barbeque) as each give their view on how it should be done. Even a simple fire can cause confusion. What fascinated me is the vigor in which this is done with no one willing to give way until they are heard without at least a little fight. What then of the false prophets of this world, how determined will they be? I suggest fierceness and commitment will be their resolve.

We must understand that there is a warfare which is rather fierce and it happens within a realm we cannot physically see. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)   

It is a spiritual conflict which in turn affects us as individuals in the natural realm. Many are blind to it, but that does not mean that it is any less real. There are ultimately two forces at war; God with His ministering spirits (angels) who are for God’s elect, while Satan and his forces (fallen angels) are against all who call upon the name of the Lord. 

Those who think they remain neutral have all been brought under the devils power and may not even know it. They belong to him and he is recognized as their leader, in fact they are his children. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

 

Sin has blinded them to believe many lies, which takes them captive at will.

What then of these false prophets who will lead many astray?

“The deceivers would pretend to divine inspiration, an immediate mission, and a spirit of prophecy, when it was all a lie. Such they had been formerly (Jer_23:16; Eze_13:6), as was foretold, Deu_13:3. Some think, the seducers here pointed to were such as had been settled teachers in the church, and had gained reputation as such, but afterward betrayed the truth they had taught, and revolted to error; and from such the danger is the greater, because least suspected. One false traitor in the garrison may do more mischief than a thousand avowed enemies without.

[2.] There should appear false Christs, coming in Christ's name (Mat_24:5), assuming to themselves the name peculiar to him, and saying, I am Christ, pseudo-christs, Mat_24:24. There was at that time a general expectation of the appearing of the Messiah; they spoke of him; as he that should come; but when he did come, the body of the nation rejected him; which those who were ambitious of making themselves a name, took advantage of, and set up for Christ. Josephus speaks of several such impostors between this and the destruction of Jerusalem; one Theudas, that was defeated by Cospius Fadus; another by Felix, another by Festus. Dosetheus said he was the Christ foretold by Moses. Origen adversus Celsum. See Act_5:36, Act_5:37. Simon Magus pretended to be the great power of God, Act_8:10. In after-ages there have been such pretenders; one about a hundred years after Christ, that called himself Baṙcochobas - The son of a star, but proved Baṙcosba - The son of a lie. About fifty years ago Sabbati-Levi set up for a Messiah in the Turkish empire, and was greatly caressed by the Jews; but in a short time his folly was made manifest. See Sir Paul Rycaut's History. The popish religion doth, in effect, set up a false Christ; the Pope comes, in Christ's name, as his vicar, but invades and usurps all his offices, and so is a rival with him, and, as such, an enemy to him, a deceiver, and an antichrist.

[3.] These false Christs and false prophets would have their agents and emissaries busy in all places to draw people in to them, Mat_24:23. Then when public troubles are great and threatening, and people will be catching at any thing that looks like deliverance, then Satan will take the advantage of imposing on them; they will say, Lo, here is a Christ, or there is one; but do not mind them: the true Christ did not strive, nor cry; nor was it said of him, Lo, here! or Lo, there! (Luk_17:21), therefore if any man say so concerning him, look upon it as a temptation. The hermits, who place religion in a monastical life, say, He is in the desert; the priests, who made the consecrated wafer to be Christ, say, “He is en tois tameiois - in the cupboards, in the secret chambers: lo, he is in this shrine, in that image.” Thus some appropriate Christ's spiritual presence to one party or persuasion, as if they had the monopoly of Christ and Christianity; and the kingdom of Christ must stand and fall, must live and die, with them; “Lo, he is in this church, in that council:” whereas Christ is All in all, not here or there, but meets his people with a blessing in every place where he records his name.

(2.) The proof they should offer for the making good of these pretences; They shall show great signs and wonders (Mat_24:24), not true miracles, those are a divine seal, and with those the doctrine of Christ stands confirmed; and therefore if any offer to draw us from that by signs and wonders, we must have recourse to that rule given of old (Deu_13:1-3), If the sign or wonder come to pass, yet follow not him that would draw you to serve other gods, or believe in other Christs, for the Lord your God proveth you. But these were lying wonders (2Th_2:9), wrought by Satan (God permitting him), who is the prince of the power of the air. It is not said, They shall work miracles, but, They shall show great signs; they are but a show; either they impose upon men's credulity by false narratives, or deceive their senses by tricks of legerdemain, or arts of divination, as the magicians of Egypt by their enchantments.

(3.) The success they should have in these attempts,

[1.] They shall deceive many (Mat_24:5), and again, Mat_24:11. Note, The devil and his instruments may prevail far in deceiving poor souls; few find the strait gate, but many are drawn into the broad way; many will be imposed upon by their signs and wonders, and many drawn in by the hopes of deliverance from their oppressions. Note, Neither miracles nor multitudes are certain signs of a true church; for all the world wonders after the beast, Rev_13:3. (Matthew Henry - 1662-1714)

The Bible as well as faithful men has warned us of what will happen, but what will we do with this warning?

Signing off

Tyrone

Prophecy!

(Matthew 13:14) “Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

There have been many varying predictions over time about many different things. Prophecy has its part to play throughout the Bible; in fact it is what is used to prove the Bible.

Isaiah the prophet predicted how the Lord would suffer long before Christ was born and his prediction was exact. Every “t” was crossed and every “i” dotted.

“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:1-13) 

There is a current prediction that many are now talking about and this is what it entails; a NASA scientist had this to say about it;

“PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT DOOMSDAY IN December 2012 has blossomed into a major new presence on the Internet. This fear has begun to invade cable TV and Hollywood, and it is rapidly spreading internationally. The hoax originally concerned a return of the fictitious planet Nibiru in 2012, but it received a big boost when conspiracy theory websites began to link it to the end of the Mayan calendar long count at the winter solstice (December 21) of 2012. Over the past year, many unrelated groups have joined the doomsday chorus, including Nostradamus advocates, a wide variety of eschatological Christian, Native American, and spiritualist sects, and those who fear comet and asteroid impacts or violent solar storms. At the time of this writing there are more than 175 books listed on Amazon.com dealing with the 2012 doomsday. The most popular topics are the Mayan calendar and spiritual predictions that the disaster in 2012 will usher in a new age of happiness and spiritual growth. Quite a few authors are cashing in with manuals on how to survive 2012.

As this hoax spreads, many more doomsday scenarios are being suggested, mostly unrelated to Nibiru. These include a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field, severe solar storms associated with the 11-year solar cycle (which may peak in 2012), a reversal of Earth’s rotation axis, a 90- degree flip of the rotation axis, bombardment by large comets or asteroids, bombardment by gamma rays, or various unspecified lethal rays coming from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy or the “dark rift” seen in a nearby galactic spiral arm. A major theme has become celestial alignments: supposedly the Sun will align with the galactic center (or maybe with the Milky Way Dark Rift) on December 21, 2012, subjecting us to mysterious and potentially deadly forces.” (skeptic.com)

I trust it is plain to see the difference in both predictions, the one is full of factual evidence without any supposition and interference while the other is full of opinionated ideas of what will happen. What will you believe? Whether this prediction will come to pass is of very little importance to me, it is contrary to scripture and carries no weight. The Lord Jesus has spoken clearly on His “second coming” and this is what He had to say about the day and the hour; “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Mathew 24:35-36)

What then is our lesson? Trust and believe nothing that is contrary to scripture as God has spoken in and through His Word, His Son! Bless His name now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

 

New years Day!

(Psalms 40:4) “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!”

We are through another year and into a new one, the cycle continues to role on as it always has. Yet in the not too distant future it will take on another perspective where a great lie will be the order of the day. What day will that be one may ask? It will be the reign of the anti-christ, when a man claims to be the true God in the flesh. When the world flocks together as one in unity worshiping him as God, and it will be the allotted time for Satan to have his reign. Peace will be his war cry!

“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!" (Revelations 12:12): - it will be a time of absolute mayhem, there will come a time of absolute chaos and he will destroy as he is the great destroyer. But for the Christian he will be powerless! We may need to loose our lives but our souls remain save. And yet the bible is full of warnings; The Lord Jesus will come as a thief in the night, He will catch those who do not love the consideration of His appearing off guard and what better day to spring His surprise than on New Year’s Eve. The night where the whole world celebrates in unison as if all is well. It may be well now but very soon all will change, will we be ready is my question? I pray we will take His warning seriously!

 “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:5-13)

When the devil speaks he speaks out of his own character and just as he started with a lie when be deceived Eve so too will he end with a lie as he claims to be God. Then his reign will end and he will be chained in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. And yes I do see it as a literal place as the Word declares. Praise to our great King as He has defeated the devil once and for all as He hung on that cruel roman cross. How I truly long for that day when I will be able to embrace my Saviour in person, even so come quickly Lord Jesus! Whatever challenges lie ahead in the New Year let us remember to put our trust in our great Lord and Saviour and nothing else!

I have just driven through Plettenburg bay and the New Years is at hand and there is absolute pandemonium as people gather in crowds partying with alcohol in hand, and fireworks thundering, with awesome flashes in the night sky as if all is well and yet the judgment looms. How blind are the blind, and yet I was amongst the number, I did nothing to deserve my sight and yet I see! Please have mercy Father as you usher in the remaining number of your elect. Tarry I pray for the sake of those who are yet to respond. On the one hand I long for your soon return but on the other I dread the end for those who reject this glorious gospel. So many we know who refuse to bend their knees. Why is my cry? God knows! There is a sadness mingled with joy in my heart, if that be possible.

Help us Father God to be even more diligent than before, help us glorify your holy name. Help us to come out and to be separate.

Signing off

Tyrone

     

Honest reflections!

“A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17) 

Another year comes to an end for some while others have just recently passed, with some now waiting the judgment of God, an event to happen somewhere in the not too distant future. I think of a passed press photographer Jon Hrusa, who just recently died long before his suspected allotted time of seventy years. For us who still breathe and are able to reflect on the highs and lows of the year, let us now do that!

My reflection is not so much on the material aspects of the year but rather my spiritual walk throughout and my relationship with my great King. It is a rather futile exercise if taken in its entirety as there is far too much to consider all at once. I need to examine the areas of my struggle and this must be done with a sober mind. Has there been any progress in my ongoing sanctification must be the question I scrutinize. The days of pretence should be long gone, just the mirror, our conscience and the Word of God to keep us thinking correctly.

I will use the list of the works of the flesh to examine how I progressed; “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.” (Galatians 5:19-21): - As I read through the list I realize one thing, without the work of the cross in my life I would be in serious trouble. I am left guilty as charged in every point, and without exception. I may not openly practice sorcery per say, but even if I bow down to anything acknowledging its priority higher that my great God at any given time; then I am guilty as charged! I do not consciously make it a habit to go out of my way to practice many on the list but our “bodies of death” will look for any excuse to enter into their sin if given an opportunity. Our minds on the other hand will repel all on the list as we put on the mind of Christ. But only when we put on the mind of Christ and only when we walk in the Spirit.

My question then is this; how successfully have I walked in obedience throughout the year and how diligently have I looked for the grace of God to walk in the Spirit? I suppose it is an impossible question to answer with absolute honesty. God Knows! What then am I thankful for? I am thankful for the resolve the Lord has given me in allowing me to consistently blog throughout the year, with many challenges along the way, these times have been very precious to me and I hope and pray that others too may have been reached through it, having a deeper relationship with our great God and our Redeeming King. God knows!

But what of all the continuous struggles, the areas where I find I am not as successful as I would like to be? They do disappoint, it does hinder my walk with the Lord and I hate it so! Having said that, the battle rages on, while I have breath, I have this hope and even in these areas of my life, I have the opportunity to conquer. Even with their disappointments they however do teach me to look for grace in times of need. I confess I am not always victorious, but one day we shall be like our glorious Saviour and so we fight on in His strength. Please help me be more astute in these weak areas of my life Father God, make me ever more like our great Saviour, your beloved Son. Help me continue to grow from strength to strength in the areas that bring glory to your name and help me die daily in the quarters that look to rob me from walking in obedience, I pray. Help all who call upon the name of Jesus as I know you shall, Amen!

This then is my prayer for all your children’s ongoing sanctification; “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalms 51:10-17)

On this last day of the year 2011 and into 2012 may we all carried with us this banner as it reads with hope and absolute assurance; “…"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"” (John 7:37-38)   

  

It is the rivers of living water that I resolve to search out in this New Year, help all your children with this their desire, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Dips and troughs!

(Psalms 23:4) “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Troughs, valleys and mountain tops, somewhere along life’s journey we will either be on top of the mountain or in some dark dingy ditch and at times somewhere in-between. Today is a day where music rings sweet to my ears, for this I am thankful Father God. To reach the peaks in life we have to go through the gorges. Yet, we often think we stand alone but this is never true for the Christian, as our Redeemer lives so too does He live for all who have His Spirit. Our great High Priest forever interceding on our behalf, praise His glorious name! How will we ever be able to repay His tender mercies, the truth be told it is an impossible task. And yet He still chose to die for God’s (His Father’s) elect, what mercy is this? It is when I have thoughts like these that I can somehow relate to this statement; “O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?” (Psalms 144:3)

There are many mysteries in scripture that need seeking out but the Lord Jesus’ role as our high priest in not one of them. Why did the Lord Jesus need to suffer? It will become clear to all who search out this truth. In order for Him to sympathize with our frail human flesh, He also needed to go through hardships to understand what we go through. It was one thing to die in our place for our sins on that cruel Roman cross as He bought us salvation; “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) - But an entirely different matter that He had to suffer whilst doing it…

It is not as if God our Saviour asked us to put the body under, or give it to be burned and I do not mean literally but rather to make sacrifices. Simply put, not those sacrifices which account to dead works but those which help change us in character; “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1) - That which is required from us as Christians is no more than a reasonable requested appeal. Let us not lose sight of why the petition is made by Paul; it is a process we all need in our lives to understand God’s will for our lives, without it we will be left groping in the dark, clutching at straws and always asking the question, Why?

“No gain without pain” is often a phrase coined especially in gyms; it is as true for the athlete as for the Christian. How will we ever be able to sympathize with a street kid if we do not spend a night with him on the streets, or understand what it means to starve if we are constantly eating? All these type of experiences are shallow and makes us fence sitters pretending to understand. Jesus Christ our Lord was no fence sitter when it came to His High Priestly ministry, He suffered like no other, He understands every temptation known to man as He endured them all. He experienced the lot as nothing escaped Him. God the Father so willed it, but why? So that the Lord Jesus would be touch with our weakness, praise His name! “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:2-4)

God help us never to forget that even the apparent gutters in life have their intended purpose and they are obstacles in life to help change us into the image of Christ! Our great Saviour learnt what it meant to endure against the temptation of sin; in fact, His experience was so intense that He began to sweat drops of blood. He may have never succumbed to sin of any sort but He surely understood what it meant to fight it off. We will never have to go to the lengths He went to! And yet we have been called to walk as He once walked. How do we achieve this? It is not theoretically complicated; “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 5:24-25)

Let us not confuse the “letter of the law” with the freedom we now have to serve God from dead works. It is through the Spirit we have been set free and so let us apply ourselves to Christ’s Spirit and not the letter of the law. It is all about our relationship with Him and not the dos and don’ts of life. We will have to suffer to understand what it meant for Him to die in our place. Let us not kick against the pricks but rather cry out to Him in time of need. He has been touched with the feelings of our struggles; we praise and glorify our Kings glorious name, Amen!

Let us also remember why they wandered in sheepskins, destitute and without food and were willing to lay down their lives even to the point of death in time past. No differently to the Lord Jesus’ example, they understood that they were seeking a city whose builder and maker was God. We now need to reason as they reasoned for it will be worth it all. I pray, God help us today to understand the future of our hope with a brighter prospect that yesterday.

Signing off

Tyrone

   

Glorify God in your bodies!

(1Corinthians 6:20) “For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

There is something exhilarating about the mornings; the dawning of a new day speaks of so much hope and potential. One is not completely sure how the day will pan out, but as I watch the sun break the horizon, I now see what I had just imagined, its beauty as it obeys God’s command and rises revealing its own glory. I suppose one would be tempted to forget the creator when one is so taken by the beauty of a sunrise, but I will not forget my God through creation and I will stand back and honour Him as I admire the brilliance of His creation. Even God needed to rest after the brilliance of His creation. Did creation sap Him of His energy or did he just need to sit back and admire it? I am not sure why, however one day we will know for sure.

Do you remember where the downward slide began for mankind as they forgot to honour God for whom He is? “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 1:20-22)

Something very similar I believe happened in heaven a very long time ago. The angels would have gatherer before the throne of God as God had instructed and they all would have seen the same thing, God in His entire splendor seated upon His throne. But the eyes of some drifted from God the creator to the grandeur of His creation that surrounded the throne, Satan himself! One third of the angels chose to follow the creation (the devil) and not the creator. I suppose no differently in type as man served the creation as their god; the cow is a sacred animal to some, the reason they are kind to it is that they believe they may be reincarnated as one. This type of reasoning is not only wicked but an abomination in the eyes of God, and for this very reason He has given them over to the lusts of their hearts, sin their ruler, as it was once ours. Homosexuality now a normality and acceptable in most of the western world. Why? Let us cut to the chase. Because men chose to ignore the God of creation and would not give Him honour as the God of creation. This however will never excuse them, it has brought with it God’s judgments. Without the covering of Christ’s blood for their sins they will be doom to a lost eternity, where their teeth will grind with never-ending pain as they rue the day they chose to ignore God as God.

Let us therefore always be quick to honour our God and Father in and through His creation. But never let us view the beauty of creation at the expense of our great redeemers sacrifice on our behalf. For you are aware that this world as we know it will be folded up like a garment and thrown into the oven. God will create a new heaven and a new earth; this world will come to an end no matter how hard civilization tries to save it. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” (Revelation 21:1)

Let us therefore focus on that which is important, the new heaven and the new earth as this day will eventually arrive, our minds may not be schooled to visualize it with any accuracy, but God had declared it and it will come to pass. Let us train ourselves not to waste our live with fruitless trivia that will be burnt up at the works judgment, let us seek God’s face in and through the perfect work of Calvary, where our great Saviour paid the ransom for our folly and sin. As children of God let us now honour our God for who He is and let us not waste our lives but rather look to find the precious treasures that we have been called to walk in, those treasures that we will take with us into eternal glory, the new heaven and the new earth. Let us learn to present our bodies as living sacrifice unto God, let us walk in the Spirit and we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh as we waste our precious time on trivial nonsense.

It all began with our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus and it will all end with Him, therefore let today be a day filled with His glory as we honour Him as God.

We have it in our power to direct today’s conversation in glorify our Saviour as God and so let us remember to honour Him with it, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

The love of God, who can Fathom it?

(Deuteronomy 4:7) “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?”

The sun still sleeps but is soon to rise over the calm blue sea. The birds softly twitter and I hear their chips from every direction as I pensively sit on this fine expansive wooden balcony overlooking Hoby beach in Plettenburg Bay. It is overcast with the evidence of a wet evening as my toes pleasantly squish in the residue from last night’s rain. The ocean looks more like a lake than the sea; I have to go back many years to recall a similar sight. It looks and reminds me of Greece, something similar to the Mediterranean Sea. It is very pleasing to the eye but with that comes so troubling thoughts as I remember the folly of those day, yes I may not have known any better because sin had robbed me of God’s brilliance, O this “body of death” with wine, woman and song the order of the day.

However, no sooner has my mind been taken to a place filled with debauchery and passed off as acceptable to most, my mind now drifts into the realm of grace and God’s abundant mercy and I do not speak about His general grace but rather His specific grace; He sent His Son to die for me, praise His name! It boggles the mind to think that God as God, knowing what He knows, the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. And yet He still chose to call me by name, If you have His Spirit then He has also called you by name, what a merciful act!

One day all I could ever do was the opposite of what I didn’t want to do, I would know that I had had enough to drink and yet I would have another, I would resolve to stop a certain habit to find I continued in it. And yet somehow amongst the chaos there came a flicker of light, a glimmer of hope, something similar to what I now witness, clouds all around me with a small opening as the sun now breaks through magnificently with its glory shimmering off the water’s surface and now it is gone. Isn’t life like that? We have these moments of shear brilliance and then we soon forget them. Nothing can ever compare to the eternal brilliance of what God has done for us in and through His Son. Why is it we so soon forget! This morning I will not forget but remember the cross and my beloved Saviour, won’t you do the same? Take a moment to remember His death and what it took for the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us back unto His Father, our Father.

Praise you great name Lord Jesus and thank you Father God, great Jehovah for thinking of me a wretched sinner, who only gave thought to himself. I once was an enemy of the cross but now I am free, I am gifted to cry out to you and all because of Christ’s selfless sacrifice. Sure we may still struggle with many things, because of this “body of death” that still looks to blindside our advances, but now we have a hope that burns bright and clear. We know that if we hold onto Him, our hope, it will soon be over and worth it all. One day in the not too distant future we will sup with Him in the kingdom of heaven. Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!

“The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.”

- Gal_2:20

When the Lord in mercy passed by and saw us in our blood, he first of all said, “Live”; and this he did first, because life is one of the absolutely essential things in spiritual matters, and until it be bestowed we are incapable of partaking in the things of the kingdom. Now the life which grace confers upon the saints at the moment of their quickening is none other than the life of Christ, which, like the sap from the stem, runs into us, the branches, and establishes a living connection between our souls and Jesus. Faith is the grace which perceives this union, having proceeded from it as its firstfruit. It is the neck which joins the body of the Church to its all-glorious Head.

“Oh Faith! thou bond of union with the Lord,

Is not this office thine? and thy fit name,

In the economy of gospel types,

And symbols apposite-the Church’s neck;

Identifying her in will and work

With him ascended?”

Faith lays hold upon the Lord Jesus with a firm and determined grasp. She knows his excellence and worth, and no temptation can induce her to repose her trust elsewhere; and Christ Jesus is so delighted with this heavenly grace, that he never ceases to strengthen and sustain her by the loving embrace and all-sufficient support of his eternal arms. Here, then, is established a living, sensible, and delightful union which casts forth streams of love, confidence, sympathy, complacency, and joy, whereof both the bride and bridegroom love to drink. When the soul can evidently perceive this oneness between itself and Christ, the pulse may be felt as beating for both, and the one blood as flowing through the veins of each. Then is the heart as near heaven as it can be on earth, and is prepared for the enjoyment of the most sublime and spiritual kind of fellowship. (C.H.Spurgeon)

I wish to leave you with this thought; remember that we all have the same struggle, this “body of death”! We are all required to contend with it, our own as well as others, I believe we have been left to lug them around in that sense, they are a help as well as a hindrance. A help as they remind us of our hope and that one day we will receive a glorified body no different in type to our great Saviours resurrected body and an impediment as they look to keep us from walking in faith. When those around us do not act as we would like, lets us remember they too have a similar struggle. When they are sharp with their tongue, let us remember we too have been prickly with ours. Let us learn to die so that others may live!

Signing off

Tyrone

The Seasons!

(Habakkuk 3:17) “Though the fig tree should not blossom.”

It is now as I sit on the deck of a holiday house and look out over the sea with the sun rising from the east typing my blog on my notebook that I realize that once the sun breaks the sea it is an impossible task to compete with the sun. The glare so intense that I no longer am able to see the screen and to continue with any efficiency as I try to keep on typing, what started out as an easy exercise prior to the sun rising has now become an impossible task.

Just as the seasons have their season, so too must we have seasonal reasoning. Who has ever seen a gardener prune the leaves off a tree in autumn? That would be ridiculous! God has made away for them to shed as He commanded; there is a time and a place for trees to lose their leaves. Nothing can be done to prevent it. Why then do we as Christians always look to prune ourselves, why are we always so hard on ourselves? I do not mean that we should not be sober with our reasoning. Obviously we are called to judge ourselves so that we would not be judged with the world. It is our obligation and responsibility to examine whether we eat worthily. But I think sometimes we forget that our great God and Father is the potter and we are but the clay. We love to as the clay take charge and somehow try manipulating the potters hand as we see fit. A pointless exercise!

Our lives have been mapped out from before the foundation of the world, and there will be seasons no differently to the trees losing their leaves in autumn, at times, we too will feel bare and exposed. This however is only for a season! In fact this is the time we are more dependent upon the “Root” for nourishment as our “branches to life” are now exposed to all the elements the season has to throw at us.

I have seen a great danger come to the fore when we enter this barren season, we become so self-sufficient and forget that we are in greater need of the roots nourishment. We begin to eat from our own tree, the “body of death”, instead of the finished work of Calvary. We walk in the flesh instead of in the Spirit.

It is king Solomon that teachers us that as in the seasons we too must have times of sadness and then happiness, it is what helps to build us in character. But it is not up to the individual to look to build his own character; how often do we summons unnecessary hardships upon ourselves when there is no need for it? Far too often I would suggest! We forget that the wisest of all master-builders is at work. Why is it then that we ever feel that we are capable of competing with our great God? A Futile exercise!

We must learn to always be dependent upon our Lord and Saviour and even the more when our branches lie bare to life’s hard lessons. It is for a specific reason, even if we do not see it at the time. To question our maker is simple folly! If God is for us who can be against us, I ask you? If we have His Spirit we then belong to Him, no ifs and buts! Let us not be like the misguided priests from days gone by were they would sit flogging themselves to feel worthy, dead works of the highest order. In Christ alone, by grace alone and through faith alone do we stand. We cannot earn it, we cannot work for it, for if we could it would not be a gift from God but rather payment for our own efforts and this would then nullify the perfect work of Calvary. God forgive us forever entering into this type of reckoning, it is forgiveness we need and we reason like this far too often.

Let us learn not to try and force the seasons, but rather learn to recognize them for their own beauty and we too will then share the sentiments of the prophet and song writer; “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

It is in this place that we will learn to understand this verse with meaning; “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11) And it is in these barren times that we must learn to love one another as ourselves. This is the Apostles John’s lesson to us!

God give us the strength to be solely dependent upon His Son’s finished work and not our own make shift plans that can only ever amount to even more heartache.

Signing off

Tyrone

The Last Adam!

“And you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:10-12) 

“That was imperfect and defective; if the first covenant had been faultless, there would no place have been sought for the second (Heb_8:7), and the law was but a shadow of good things, and could never, by those sacrifices, make the comers thereunto perfect, Heb_10:1. But all the defects of it are made up in the gospel of Christ, by the complete sacrifice for sin and revelation of the will of God. Which is the head of all principality and power. As the Old Testament priesthood had its perfection in Christ, so likewise had the kingdom of David, which was the eminent principality and power under the Old Testament, and which the Jews valued themselves so much upon. And he is the Lord and head of all the powers in heaven and earth, of angels and men. Angels, and authorities, and powers are subject to him, 1Pe_3:22.

2. We have communion with Christ in his whole undertaking (Col_2:12): Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you have risen with him. We are both buried and rise with him, and both are signified by our baptism; not that there is anything in the sign or ceremony of baptism which represents this burying and rising, any more than the crucifixion of Christ is represented by any visible resemblance in the Lord's supper: and he is speaking of the circumcision made without hands; and says it is through the faith of the operation of God. But the thing signified by our baptism is that we are buried with Christ, as baptism is the seal of the covenant and an obligation to our dying to sin; and that we are raised with Christ, as it is a seal and obligation to our living to righteousness, or newness of life. God in baptism engages to be to us a God, and we become engaged to be his people, and by his grace to die to sin and to live to righteousness, or put off the old man and put on the new.” (Matthew Henry)

“The last Adam.”

- 1Co_15:45

Jesus is the federal head of his elect. As in Adam, every heir of flesh and blood has a personal interest, because he is the covenant head and representative of the race as considered under the law of works; so under the law of grace, every redeemed soul is one with the Lord from heaven, since he is the Second Adam, the Sponsor and Substitute of the elect in the new covenant of love. The apostle Paul declares that Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Melchizedek met him: it is a certain truth that the believer was in the loins of Jesus Christ, the Mediator, when in old eternity the covenant settlements of grace were decreed, ratified, and made sure for ever. Thus, whatever Christ hath done, he hath wrought for the whole body of his Church. We were crucified in him and buried with him (read Col_2:10-13), and to make it still more wonderful, we are risen with him and even ascended with him to the seats on high (Eph_2:6). It is thus that the Church has fulfilled the law, and is “accepted in the beloved.” It is thus that she is regarded with complacency by the just Jehovah, for he views her in Jesus, and does not look upon her as separate from her covenant head. As the Anointed Redeemer of Israel, Christ Jesus has nothing distinct from his Church, but all that he has he holds for her. Adam’s righteousness was ours so long as he maintained it, and his sin was ours the moment that he committed it; and in the same manner, all that the Second Adam is or does, is ours as well as his, seeing that he is our representative. Here is the foundation of the covenant of grace. This gracious system of representation and substitution, which moved Justin Martyr to cry out, “O blessed change, O sweet permutation!” this is the very groundwork of the gospel of our salvation, and is to be received with strong faith and rapturous joy. (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

A child is born!

(Isaiah 9:6)  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;”

Once again there is no change to the habitual pattern of my morning, the birds are singing, the sun is rising and there is a peaceful serenity to my mood and surroundings. Yet, there is a difference for most compared to every other morning; last night was a night where children across the globe waited in anticipation for the night to end, so that the day would bring with it lots of pleasant surprises, gifts accompanied by lies and all under the name of Christ. We know that the bible is very clear with certain truths, it leaves no wiggle room for manipulation and yet because we carry with us these “bodies of death” we like to wiggle a lot.

Today is the holiday known to the western world as Christmas, a holiday with origins hijacked from Pagan worship a long time ago? I will not go into this with much detail as I have in the past and most have already made their decision on where they stand concerning the celebration of Christmas. I once in my ignorance celebrated Christmas with great intend but now look to avoid it for the sake of the unbeliever. Or for the nominal Christian who believes what they do on the 25^th of December will score them points with God.

The Christmas celebration could be classed amongst the greatest of dead works.

It is not Christ’s birth that we are required to remember but that Christ came to “live to die” so that we could go free. In other words, birth speaks of new life, Christ birth spoke of trial after trial and anguish upon anguish, “foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of man had nowhere to lay His head.” We have been commanded to remember His death. Be that as it may, the arrival of the birth of the boy child Jesus was the beginning of new hope for lost sinners, as well as for all those in Abraham’s Bosom (Paradise- the holding cell prior to Christ’s victory on the cross). The angels in heaven were now paying very careful attention if it were possible that they had neglected their posts before. Satan and his band of demonic angels were also showing great interest and already from the outset plotting to have God’s plan stopped; a futile exercise, nevertheless King Herod search the Lord out to have him executed. He failed!

Why is it that God dealt so harshly with the men of old who would not break down the temples of the false God’s? Idolatry a serious sin in God’s economy, He is not willing to share His glory with another, as if He should ever entertain such a thought, God forbid we reason with such disrespect. But when we take this holiday and introduce lies to it all under the pretense that we remember a child being born, and then we have Santa Claus figurines and Father Christmas hats on our heads as we celebrate the day, we have now just crossed the line, Idolatry the order of the day!

Let me ask a question, can God lie? No He cannot! “…in which it is impossible for God to lie…” (Hebrews 6:18): - So then when people chose to tell their little children that it is Father Christmas that brings them their presents and also that it is the day the Lord Jesus was born, which one is it? One is the truth and the other a lie! In fact both are probably a lie as we have no proof the today was the day Christ was actually born. Can God lie? And yet we lie under the banner of acceptance and the title “fun”. Let us not run with the masses when they lie to their Children, let us be clear on what this perverse holiday speaks of, and let us be the salt of the earth. Today is an opportunity to preach the gospel with accuracy, use it with loved ones and family, take them to that junction in the road and force them to chose! Do not let them get away with thinking that nominal Christianity will keep them safe from God’s judgment.

“We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Saviour; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because not of divine authority. Superstition has fixed most positively the day of our Saviour's birth, although there is no possibility of discovering when it occurred. Fabricius gives a catalogue of 136 different learned opinions upon the matter; and various divines invent weighty arguments for advocating a date in every month in the year. It was not till the middle of the third century that any part of the church celebrated the nativity of our Lord; and it was not till very long after the Western church had set the example, that the Eastern adopted it. Because the day is not known, therefore superstition has fixed it; while, since the day of the death of our Saviour might be determined with much certainty, therefore superstition shifts the date of its observance every year. Where is the method in the madness of the superstitious? Probably the fact is that the holy days were arranged to fit in with heathen festivals. We venture to assert, that if there be any day in the year, of which we may be pretty sure that it was not the day on which the Saviour was born, it is the twenty-fifth of December. Nevertheless since, the current of men's thoughts is led this way just now, and I see no evil in the current itself, I shall launch the bark of our discourse upon that stream, and make use of the fact, which I shall neither justify nor condemn, by endeavoring to lead your thoughts in the same direction. Since it is lawful, and even laudable, to meditate upon the incarnation of the Lord upon any day in the year, it cannot be in the power of other men's superstitions to render such a meditation improper for to-day. Regarding not the day, let us, nevertheless, give God thanks for the gift of his dear son.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone     

Understanding!

Friends it is that time again to sit back and receive from another; we are not to receive from just anyone but when they have been tried and proved like our brother Charles Spurgeon we know we are in good hands and what he says will be fruitful manna from heaven. We are all the same in part as we all carry with us the “body of death”, therefore it is good to sometimes to be still and listen to others so that we do not get caught up with ourselves and our own pet subjects.

“Friend, go up higher.”

- Luk_14:10

“When first the life of grace begins in the soul, we do indeed draw near to God, but it is with great fear and trembling. The soul conscious of guilt, and humbled thereby, is overawed with the solemnity of its position; it is cast to the earth by a sense of the grandeur of Jehovah, in whose presence it stands. With unfeigned bashfulness it takes the lowest room.

But, in after life, as the Christian grows in grace, although he will never forget the solemnity of his position, and will never lose that holy awe which must encompass a gracious man when he is in the presence of the God who can create or can destroy; yet his fear has all its terror taken out of it; it becomes a holy reverence, and no more an overshadowing dread. He is called up higher, to greater access to God in Christ Jesus. Then the man of God, walking amid the splendours of Deity, and veiling his face like the glorious cherubim, with those twin wings, the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, will, reverent and bowed in spirit, approach the throne; and seeing there a God of love, of goodness, and of mercy, he will realize rather the covenant character of God than his absolute Deity. He will see in God rather his goodness than his greatness, and more of his love than of his majesty. Then will the soul, bowing still as humbly as aforetime, enjoy a more sacred liberty of intercession; for while prostrate before the glory of the Infinite God, it will be sustained by the refreshing consciousness of being in the presence of boundless mercy and infinite love, and by the realization of acceptance “in the Beloved.” Thus the believer is bidden to come up higher, and is enabled to exercise the privilege of rejoicing in God, and drawing near to him in holy confidence, saying, “Abba, Father.”” (C.H.Spurgeon)

How grateful I am for the way in which ones thoughts are confirmed, here we see reference made by our brother about the privilege we Christians have, we are encouraged to approach the throne room of grace, addressing this awesome God as our Father (ABBA FATHER). This thought blows my mind and yet this is exactly what Christ has achieve for us on Calvary, He has opened the door to His Father by His perfect sacrifice whereby we may also address Him as our Father, praise His name!

How unworthy I feel on a daily basis, but only when I forget why I are able to approach the throne room of grace with boldness does this fear grip my heart, it is not about me or any of us, it is all about the King of kings and the Lord of lords and no one else. How often we need to be reminded about this truth! How often we tend to look at our accomplishments instead of His, forgive me Father! “Change my heart O God, make it ever new, may I be like you.”

It was not that David was skilled with a slingshot, although he most certainly was; it was about His belief in His God’s ability to bring down the giant Goliath, the obstacle that stood in Israel’s path. In case you are not convinced about my reasoning let me then use another example; the walls of Jericho came tumbling down by men blowing a trumpet and a shout. Obviously the men used to blow the trumpet where trained buglers. We too need to be trained as Christians that do not put their trust in the flesh but those who have learnt to walk in and by the Spirit. That is all that is needed and God will give us the victory. “Faith the substance of things hoped for.” Which means we need to have faith in future grace! There is something within that tries to convince us that we are still alive to the old man and we find ourselves often living there. But in fact we have died and our new lives in Christ have begun, we need to believe and bleed this truth as we now look to grow in future grace.

Let us remember our Saviour…

“For your sakes he became poor.”

- 2Co_8:9

“The Lord Jesus Christ was eternally rich, glorious, and exalted; but “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” As the rich saint cannot be true in his communion with his poor brethren unless of his substance he ministers to their necessities, so (the same rule holding with the head as between the members), it is impossible that our Divine Lord could have had fellowship with us unless he had imparted to us of his own abounding wealth, and had become poor to make us rich. Had he remained upon his throne of glory, and had we continued in the ruins of the fall without receiving his salvation, communion would have been impossible on both sides. Our position by the fall, apart from the covenant of grace, made it as impossible for fallen man to communicate with God as it is for Belial to be in concord with Christ. In order, therefore, that communion might be compassed, it was necessary that the rich kinsman should bestow his estate upon his poor relatives, that the righteous Saviour should give to his sinning brethren of his own perfection, and that we, the poor and guilty, should receive of his fulness grace for grace; that thus in giving and receiving, the One might descend from the heights, and the other ascend from the depths, and so be able to embrace each other in true and hearty fellowship. Poverty must be enriched by him in whom are infinite treasures before it can venture to commune; and guilt must lose itself in imputed and imparted righteousness ere the soul can walk in fellowship with purity. Jesus must clothe his people in his own garments, or he cannot admit them into his palace of glory; and he must wash them in his own blood, or else they will be too defiled for the embrace of his fellowship.

O believer, herein is love! For your sake the Lord Jesus “became poor” that he might lift you up into communion with himself.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

What we have just read has been achieved for every true believer; we sing praise and shout acclamations unto our great redeeming King and we say we love Him. We will bow to know other is our instinctive cry and yet we understand our frailty; help us to live in obedience we pray.

Signing off

Tyrone

A Gentle Spirit!

(Titus 3:2) “To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”

The bible is full of instructions like these, gentleness and with meekness, especially from the Apostles. If anyone had the right to be harsh it could have been them, what great examples they have left us. And yet their instruction is often that of tenderness. Have the Christians of today forgotten how tender the Lord has been with us? Name one man amongst us that has not deserved death and hell, you will not find one! In Christ alone, through faith alone and by grace alone do we stand. Nothing we have ever done or could ever do in ourselves will ever change this truth! I am surrounded by a constant barrage of accusing or excusing and even I am amongst the number. Be merciful to us our great Father God, who do we think we are, forgive us I pray!

“You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.” (2Samuel 22:36): - If we were to examine the lives of those who have gone before us, anyone worth their salt in Christ and those who have left behind an imprint in the sand have always been gentle with the weak. Take C.H.Spurgeon writings and it will be clearly evident that he too had a gentle spirit when ministering to others. Obviously there are times when a harsh word is needed but as a rule he spoke with tenderness.

Our great Saviour was often meek and gentle; “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!” (2Corinthians 10:1):- Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, therefore my conclusion must then be if we neglect this teaching we do not walk not in the Spirit but in the flesh. Even if I am doctrinally correct in my theology and I lack gentleness I then walk in the flesh and this is why I believe the Apostle Paul teachers; “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," (1Timothy 6:20) – And – “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, (2Timothy 2:16) – And finally; “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (Titus 3:2)     

“To speak evil of no man: mēdena blasphēmein, to revile, or curse, or blaspheme none: or (as our translation more generally) to speak evil of none, unjustly and falsely, or unnecessarily, without call, and when it may do hurt but no good to the person himself or any other. If no good can be spoken, rather than speak evil unnecessarily, say nothing. We must never take pleasure in speaking ill of others, nor make the worst of any thing, but the best we can. We must not go up and down as tale-bearers, carrying ill-natured stories, to the prejudice of our neighbour's good name and the destruction of brotherly love. Misrepresentations, or insinuations of bad intentions, or of hypocrisy in what is done, things out of our reach or cognizance, these come within the reach of this prohibition. As this evil is too common, so it is of great malignity. If any man seemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, that man's religion is vain, Jam_1:26. Such loose uncharitable talk is displeasing to God, and hurtful among men. Pro_17:9, He that covereth a transgression seeketh love (that is, to himself by this tenderness and charity, or rather to the transgressor); but he that repeateth a matter (that blazes and tells the faults of another abroad) separateth very friends; he raises dissensions and alienates his friend from himself, and perhaps from others. This is among the sins to be put off (Eph_4:31); for, if indulged, it unfits for Christians communion here and the society of the blessed in heaven, 1Co_6:10. Remind them therefore to avoid this.” (Matthew Henry)

By nature we know that Paul was not a sensitive tender-hearted person. How do we know that? It is not that I can find scripture and verse per say to prove my thought, but we are able to deduce from the way he carried out his life from the scriptures that “he took no prisoners”. He was a man who served under the headship of the Jewish faith and he was instrumental in capturing Christians and arresting them to have them killed. He was relentless in his quest until he came face to face with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus.

Our character and nature in the natural man has nothing to do with whether or not we should be gentle or not. We must not mix the flesh and the Spirit into one pot, although we often do as we look for excuses why we shouldn’t instead of why we should. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit and therefore all Christians who walk in the Spirit should pursue gentleness as the will of God for their lives.

Signing off

Tyrone