Dark and useless.

Bishop John Taylor Smith, Chaplain General to the British Army, died long before I was born - but, for many years, I have felt that I knew him, as my own minister, spiritual mentor, and friend, the late Rev. George B.Duncan, often referred to him, and quoted him. 

The First World War took place during his long tenure as Chaplain General, and the story is recorded that he had been visiting a military hospital during the conflict. As he made his way from one ward to another, he passed a group of convalescents who were seated around a table on which a bowl had been placed - upside down. The Bishop paused, and spoke to the men. "Do you know what is inside that bowl?" he asked. On receiving a response in the negative, he replied, "Darkness and uselessness!"

Then, reaching over, he lifted the bowl and set it down again, the correct way up. "Now," he said, "it is full of light, and ready to hold fruit, soup, or anything else for which it is suited. It is a converted bowl! Which position represents your spiritual lives, gentlemen? Are you inverted, and useless; or have you been changed and made productive because you have turned from darkness to light?"

The condition of the natural man is described, by Paul, as "... darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God ..." (Eph 4:18). However, the transforming grace of Almighty God makes an astounding difference in one's experience. It frees us from the power of darkness and death, and brings us into the light where our lives may become useful to the Lord and to our fellows.

César Malan was a Swiss conservative evangelical minister, and hymn-writer, in Geneva at the beginning of the 19th century. He was suspended from preaching, after having preached a forthright sermon that did not please those in authority over him (I can now relate, personally, to this dear brother's situation!) but later, reinstated - for a time! On a trip to Great Britain, he was visited by Charlotte Elliot - also a hymn-writer. She was experiencing that deep sense of spiritual need to which Paul referred, and said to Malan: "I am a very great sinner. Will Christ Jesus take me, just as I am?" "Yes," was his immediate response. "He will take you, just as you are, and no other way!"

Charlotte returned home, went to her room, and wrote those words that have become so familiar through the evangelistic campaigns led by the late Dr Billy Graham: 

"Just as I am - without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me;

And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee - O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am - and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, Whose blood can cleanse each spot - O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - though toss'd about with many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without, - O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - poor, wretched, blind; sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find, - O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe, - O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - Thy love unknown has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone, - O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - of that free love the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above, - O Lamb of God, I come!" (Charlotte Elliot, 1789-1871).  

"Just as I am". Have you come to Jesus in that way? Have you repented of your sins, and claimed His help in living your life for Him? Have you opened yourself to the working of God the Holy Spirit in your life? 

He has paid the price. He waits for you to respond to His love and grace and mercy. Will you do so? This might be the last opportunity that you have! I pray that you will - and would be honoured to help in any way. If you wish to do so, please use the e-mail address at the top of the blog, or a pm in Facebook! I shall respond as quickly as I can.

The fragrance of Lebanon.

Lebanon is a Middle Eastern country that is often in the news  - sadly, for reasons that are not good! However, did you know that the same country is mentioned at least 68 times in the Tanakh (that's the Old Testament part of the Bible)? 

In those days, it was a great, high, mountain range covered with mighty cedar trees. As these trees were felled, a pungent, pleasant, odour was released, pervading the the air surrounding the majestic heights. Those who had been to its towering peaks to secure the choice specimens that grew there, came away with their clothing saturated with a lasting fragrance. It was just as, last night, my wife opened the door of our wood-burning stove - and there was a delightful woody fragrance that pervaded our home, and was still there when we arose this morning.

We may apply these facts to the life of the true disciple of Jesus. When we spend time with Him - quality time! - then something of Him remains with us. There is a lingering aroma of holiness that surrounds those who, like Peter and James and John, have been on the mountain top with the One Who loves them with an everlasting love.

When the Dome of the Rock was being constructed, in Jerusalem, at the end of the 7th century A.D., it was customary to bring loads of incense and aromatic shrubs into the shrine, which was named al-Sakhrah.* As a consequence, anyone worshipping there carried with him so much of the perfume of the place that, when people passed him by, they would say to one another: "He has been to the Sakhrah today"!

Is it not the case that too many of us tend to dwell in the dark valley of defeat and despair when we should be living on our own Lebanon? However, it is only as we commune on the heights of sanctification with the Saviour, that the refreshing fragrance of His grace will permeate our personal testimony to His saving power.

May I suggest that you examine yourself - as I examine myself - to determine whether, or not, you have set your affection on things above. Have you cast aside the enticements that contemporary society offers, and chosen the high road of holiness that will take you to the peaks of praise and fellowship? When you do, you will hear, with great joy, His sweet whisper: "my bride; ... the scent of your garments is like the scent of Lebanon." (Song of Solomon 4:11). 

 * the Arabic word for the Rock, as it is claimed, by Islam, that it was from that spot that the founder of the religion, Mohammed, ascended to heaven after his miraculous night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem on the winged steed al-Buraq. In the much older, and true, Jewish tradition it is the spot on Mount Moriah on which Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son, the son of the promise, Isaac.

Repentance - the missing message in the church today!

When we were back in Scotland for the Christmas and New Year celebrations, my wife and I decided to visit Edinburgh, to see the Christmas Market. We were not a little impressed! What a variety of products from so many different countries - and, of course "the shows"!

It was as we made our way up from the Princes Street Gardens to the street itself, that we spied a gentleman with a large (and I mean LARGE!) placard hung from his neck, and a Gospel message written on it. We decided to say "Hello", and perhaps encourage this dear brother in the Lord, and we were so glad that we did because he was, indeed, encouraged. We chatted for a few minutes and then, as we left, he handed us one of the high-quality publications (I hesitate to use the word "tract" as this was so much more!) that he was offering to passers-by.

We accepted it, but it wasn't until much later, when we were back in the home of the friends who were providing us with hospitality, that I sat down to read it. I was disappointed! The main text was good but, towards the end, I read these words: "All you need to do is simply believe that Jesus died in your place to make a way for you to be born into His family."

Sounds good! Many will have used such words on many occasions. I confess, sadly, that I have done the same! Regretfully, those words are, Biblically, untrue! Believing that Jesus died in your place, on the cross, in order that the way into Father God's presence might be made available to one and all is, of course, necessary. But that is not "all you need to do"! The leaflet leaves out a most important step - one that has been playing on my own mind for some months. 

The message of John the Baptiser is a good place to start. He preached: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt 3:2). What was the first message that the Lord |Jesus preached? "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt 4:17). Something similar about those messages, don't you think?! And the first word in each is the word "Repent"! 

That, I am sorry to have to say, is what is missing in most (if not all!) preaching of the Gospel in what we refer to as "the west". In my private devotions, I am currently reading through the book of the prophet Jeremiah. I have been reminded that one of the key themes in that great book is that of repentance! Commenting on one section of the book, Warren Wiersbe writes: "The false prophets flourished in a ministry that was shallow and popular because they promised peace, and never called for repentance." (Be Decisive; p.22). Does that sound, in any way, familiar? It certainly makes me think of many of those who are the 'big names' in evangelical Christian circles. They don't have to be part of the "name it and claim it", or "prosperity gospel", scenes. But they are in the business of making everyone feel nice and comfortable, and ready to "ask Jesus into your heart"! However, they appear to have "airbrushed" repentance out of the salvation experience - and without repentance, there can be no salvation! By the way, as I was reminded in an e-mail this morning, it is not strictly correct to say or sing that Jesus can come into our hearts, unless it is clearly understood that He is there symbolically in the presence of the indwelling Spirit of Christ. In this way, “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts” (Gal.4:6) so that “Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Eph.3:17).

In the margin of the copy of the Bible that I use in my private devotions, are written these words: "Surely the most dreadful words in all of the Scriptures." Those words are written next to Matt.7:21-23, where we read: "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers.' " I have come to the conclusion that those to whom those terrible words will be uttered may well be those who have not repented! They have sought to live the Christian life, the life of a disciple of Jesus, without ever having truly been born again of God the Holy Spirit.

Many will be familiar with the little booklet, by A.W.Tozer, entitled "Worship, the missing jewel of the evangelical church." May I be so bold as to claim that repentance is the the missing message the church today? May I also recommend a series of brief (app. 35-40 mins each) messages by David Pawson, that are freely available on YouTube? There are six in all, including one on this subject of repentance. It is probably best to go through the full series, in the correct order! Click on the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFuJa5n3hAU&list=PL1uFkq_wpOTJhZeCud6eW84CP1OPsEQgv

May Father God grant us the grace to truly repent, that we might know the fullness of life that is available in the Lord Jesus, and live our lives truly in the power of God the Holy Spirit.  

The Bible - and carrots!

One of my friends, here in France, often states his conviction (with which I happen to agree!) that the church in the "west" is dying from ignorance. He is, of course, using the word 'ignorance' according to its true definition - lack of knowledge - and the ignorance to which he refers is ignorance of the written Word of God, the Bible. Why should this be the case, And how might it be remedied?

I believe that the answer to the first question is that the Bible is not being read by those who claim to be disciples of Jesus. There are far too many who only read their Bible at a morning worship service on Sundays - and ignore it for the rest of the week. Yet if it were to be suggested that they have only one meal on Sunday, and nothing until the following Sunday, the same people would throw up their hands in horror!

So the answer to the second question is: Read your Bible regularly - on a daily basis. And don't just read - think as you do so; pray that God the Holy Spirit will help you to see, in that Word, something that you have never seen before. Use those words of the psalmist: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law." (Ps 119:18). One of the things that constantly convinces me that the Bible is a living Word is the very fact that I can read a passage for the umpteenth time, and suddenly notice something that I had never noticed before! Obtain some good Bible reading notes to stimulate your thinking. This site will provide some guidance to the various options available. 

http://www.lcbc.org.uk/bible-reading-notes.php

In addition, if you live within travelling distance of a Christian Bookshop (e.g. the GLO Bookshop in Motherwell, or the Faith Mission Bookshops in various parts of Scotland) you will receive good advice there.

Of course, there will be those who will say that they simply don't like reading! I understand. Someone very close to me has this precise problem! That is where the carrots come in. When my younger daughter was very small, she did not like carrots. Try as we would, my wife and I were unable to persuade her to eat up the carrots on her plate. So we came at the situation from another angle. We managed to get her to eat one - yes, just one - slice of carrot. And we let her know that we were pleased that she had done so. After a short time, we succeeded in having her eat two slices. After all, that was only one slice more, and she knew that she could manage one slice. The number of slices was gradually increased, and she now eats a full portion as easily as anyone else!

May I suggest that, if you are not a 'natural reader', then you start with a short portion of the Word, and then gradually build up the length of the passage you read. Remember that a number of the Biblical books, especially in the New Testament, were written as letters - and who receives a letter (or an e-mail, etc.) and read just a few lines before putting it down until the next day/week/month?

The Bible is the Word of Almighty God to the world. As such, it is of paramount importance that it is read - especially by those who claim to have been born again, and to be disciples of Jesus. Writing to his "son in the faith" the young pastor Timothy, the aged apostle Paul had this to say: "... continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man (or woman!) of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (II Tim 3:14-17).  The scripture to which Paul referred was, of course, what many of us know as the Old Testament. However, the same may be said of the writings of the New Testament. The whole of the Bible is given that we may know its divine Author more fully, and be able to serve Him more effectively. I commend it to you!

Please pray for me.

It's been too long since I last published a post on my blog! In fact, I haven't done so since last year!! So, safely back home, and having caught up on a lot of other essentials, it's time to do some serious work. The subject of this post is the very important one of prayer.

The apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, asked his Christian friends in the great Roman metropolis to pray for him: "I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company." (Rom 15:30-32).

Paul asked these fellow-believers in the capital city of the Roman Empire to join with him in prayer as he anticipated his visit to Jerusalem with the contributions he had gathered from Gentile (non-Jewish) believers. He not only needed deliverance from hostile opponents, but desired also that his service among the saints of God (i.e. every one who has come to Father God in repentance, and faith, accepting the salvation so graciously offered through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus at Calvary) would be acceptable. He fully believed that the Lord works when His people spend time in earnest intercession for others. He then expected that he would be able to joyfully travel to Rome and find further refreshment in the company of the disciples of Jesus who dwelt there.

The whole story is recorded in Acts 21:17 - 28:16, but you must look that up, and read it in a Bible, as it is too much for me to put into a post! Things didn't work out quite as Paul had expected! However, what we must emphasise is that he submits himself, with his whole being, to the sovereign will of Almighty God for life, and death, and eternity. That is why he writes "... by God's will ..."!

One day, a humble labourer was on his knees smashing stones on an anvil, when his pastor came by. Impressed by the man's untiring effort, the pastor exclaimed, "John, how I wish that that I could break hard hearts the way you break those stones!" John immediately responded: "You can, pastor - but you must do it on your knees."! Every disciple of Jesus who longs to be truly effective in touching lives for the Master, must learn this lesson - a lesson that is not easy to learn!

Intercessory prayer is a wonderful source of strength and encouragement to those who are brought to the Throne of Grace. One minister of the Gospel records that one of the greatest blessings he ever received came at the bedside of an elderly, and infirm, woman whom he had visited. After he had prayed with her, she placed her hand on his and said: "Now, pastor, let me pray for you." She did so and, then informed him that she had been faithfully praying for him for the past ten years! He left that home greatly renewed in his own spirit.

A Scandinavian pastor preached before a congregation to which my wife and I belonged, many many years ago. I regret to have to confess that I remember little of his message. However, what I do recall is of great importance, as he encouraged us to specifically inform brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus when we were praying for them! What we might term "the other side of that coin" is that, like Paul, we should not be hesitant in asking fellow-believers to pray for us!

A final thought for this post. In his commentary on the great Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus, Raymond Brown makes this heart-searching statement: "To be prayerless is to be guilty of the worst form of practical atheism." Someone else has written, conversely, that the best way of influencing others for God, is to uphold them, in prayer, before God!

Please pray for me!