Mountains!

Today, my wife and I were in the Pyrenees - that mountain range between France and the Iberian Peninsula. We went, specifically, to visit some ruins about which my wife had been reading -  the Château de Montségur. When we arrived at the car-park, we were already more than 1,000 metres (heading towards 3,500 feet!) above sea-level – and we had to climb a vertical height of more than 200 metres (the length of the necessarily zig-zag path was closer to 600 metres! See the additional pictures, below.) to the ruins themselves. Climbing Tinto is an afternoon stroll, by comparison!

I have to admit that, especially after the physical effort involved (neither of us comes into the “young” category!) the ruins were a bit of a disappointment. However, the view of the surrounding valleys was awesome. The journey to the car-park was also magnificent, as we drove through that mountainous region, with its snow-capped mountains and vast forests. It was when we had reached about 700 metres above sea-level, and with the thought of a number of recent tsunami warnings in my head, that I found myself thinking: “At least, up here, and so far inland, one wouldn’t have to worry about tsunamis!”

Certainly, although the power of the sea, in a tsunami, is frightening, those mighty mountains will not be moved by any body of water, however large, and at whatever velocity! Then my mind started to wander, and I realised that a day is coming – and many believe that it will be very soon – when even the mountains, the symbol of strength and solidity, will perish!

In that fascinating – but so open to misinterpretation – book, The Revelation of Jesus, the Christ, given to the agèd apostle John, we read these words:

 "The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" And there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague." (Rev 16:17-21; emphasis added).

The Greek word translated "It is done" is the word "Gegonen". This not the same as the single word uttered by the Lord Jesus, on the cross: "Tetelestai" (my apology to purists, but Blogger doesn't support Greek script!), usually translated into the English language as "It is finished" (John 19:30). That particular word "Finished", was Jesus' mighty cry of triumph. He was proclaiming that the work that the Father had given to Him had been completed. Full atonement was now possible through His shed blood - the blood of the perfect Lamb of God that, alone, cleanses us from all sin.

"Gegonen" is somewhat different. It means that the series of judgments, already referred to, is about to be completed, and that the dominion of the beast is about to come to an end forever. The meaning here is, that that destruction was so certain, that it might be spoken of as now actually accomplished.

The two stages of the end of all that currently is, are the Rapture of the true Saints of God (nothing to do with any formal declaration by any specific organisation), and the Second Advent/Coming of the Lord Jesus, the Christ. The first will happen without any warning; the second will be prefaced by certain signs. Many see these signs being fulfilled in these days.

Of course, there are those who scoff. This is only to be expected. Peter wrote: "First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming ? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.' They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up." (II Peter 3:3-10).

The question is - "If He were to call His own this very night, would you be ready?" I recall someone saying, many years ago, that we should live as if He is returning today; and work as if He will not return for another hundred years! I am considering, over the coming weeks, and as the Lord permits, a series of posts on this very important subject. I shall not be providing a 'time line', but will seek to show, from the written Word of God, what current events may be saying to us. I hope that you will follow the series - and learn from it.

The New Birth.

Many of my former pupils expect it; other friends like it; some don't really understand it; only one has ever criticised it (to me!)! It's my normal greeting when one celebrates the number of years that they have been on planet Earth! For those who, to the best of my knowledge, are not disciples of Jesus, the greeting is simple: "Congratulations on reaching another anniversary of the day of your birth."  For those whom I believe to be disciples of Jesus, there is a slight change: "Congratulations on reaching another anniversary of the day of your physical birth."

Why should this be so? Well, it's really quite simple! My biological mother gave physical birth to me on a specific date, at a specific time. That day was my 'birth day'. Every year since, on that same date, I have celebrated my birth day. What I have not done is climb back into my mother's womb, to be re-birthed! When I was one year old, I (or at least, my parents!) celebrated not my "1st birth day" - that had already taken place a year earlier - but the first anniversary of my birth day. When I reached 21 years of age, I wasn't physically birthed for the 21st time! To give an analogy, I was also married on a specific day, at a specific time. One year later, my wife and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We did not celebrate our first wedding! That, too, had taken place a year earlier. On the following year, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary - not our second wedding! If we are both spared until September of this current year, we will not be celebrating our fiftieth wedding - that would make the average bigamist seem like an amateur by comparison - but the fiftieth anniversary of the day on which we were married to one another!

So, I celebrate, annually, both the anniversary of my wedding day, and the anniversary of my birth day!

However, I do happen to have a "second birth day"! Just a few days before I reached 15 years of age, I committed my young life to the Lord Jesus, the Christ. I recognised that I was a sinner in the sight of Almighty God; that nothing I could ever do could deal with my sins, or wipe away my sinful nature. However, I also recognised that, in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, God the Son, my sin had already been dealt with! John, the "beloved disciple" writes that "... if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (I John 1:7; emphasis added). What wonder; what relief. What I could never do, He has already done! 

It has been beautifully put like this: "He paid a debt He did not owe; because I owed a debt I could not pay."!

Here is a (confessedly, long!) quotation from my first book: "Great Words of the Faith" -

"... the life of the disciple of Jesus is exciting and exhilarating.  It’s not some boring routine of church attendance, prayer, and Bible reading – although many could do with a lot more of all of those!  But there’s a new dynamic; a new power; in life.  There is the

“... fruit of the Spirit – love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal.5:22-23),

the means by which life may be enjoyed!  True disciples of Jesus are joyful people; and anyone who calls him/herself a Christian and doesn’t have this deep, unquenchable, joy – regardless of situation or circumstances – is only a caricature of the real thing.  The true believer is irrepressibly happy, because his joy isn’t dependent on external conditions, but is the result of a cataclysmic change within.

Have you been converted?  Are you changed?  Have you turned from self to the Saviour?  You may not be able to put a date on when it happened; on when you received new life in Christ; but that doesn’t matter.  The important thing is that you have it.

If I stand at the edge of the deep end of my local swimming pool and dive, or jump, in then the precise moment at which I enter the water may be easily determined.  If I go to the seaside and walk bare-footed along the beach, perhaps in conversation with a companion, I may suddenly become aware that the water is lapping around my ankles – but I will have no idea of the precise moment at which I entered it!  However, what is important is that I be found in the water – however I may have arrived at that state.  It’s the same with conversion.  Some are able to pinpoint the precise moment and place; others are unable to do that, but are no less certain of their standing before God.   They have “entered the water”.  And if you have – you’ll know!  Emotion does sometimes have a part to play – but it’s not essential.  All you have to do is to ask Him to take over, and start living your life for Him.  It’s the greatest, the only worthwhile, way to live.  And conversion, according to Jesus, is an absolute necessity. 

“Except ye be converted … ye shall not enter.” (Matt.18:3).

Those aren’t my words – they’re His!

The experience may differ; but the essence is always divine; and the effect? – dynamite!" (pps 30-31).

I hope that that brief (in terms of the book!) extract may encourage someone to take that step, and yield themselves to Almighty God, in the Lord Jesus, and have God the Holy Spirit take up residence within them. Those who do are "born again" (Jn.3:3) - and do, genuinely, have two birth days!

It would also be my hope that some may be encouraged to purchase the book (and its companions!). Links are at the top of the blog and remember, I receive not one penny on sales. ALL royalties are sent directly, from Amazon, to the bank account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church. The e-book costs less than a fish supper - and may do you more good!!

The truth will out!!

Sometimes one has to "set the record straight"! My blog has been going now since Dec.2007! I have published almost 1500 posts. It was started, and has continued, as a "ministry" blog. It's prime purpose is to propagate the Gospel - the Good News about Jesus the Christ and His atoning sacrifice at Calvary.

I do, from time to time, make my personal contribution to the world of politics, science, and the state and Children of Israel. However, the one thing that does not happen is any financial benefit accruing to me! I mention this, as clearly as I can, as I have been accused of encouraging people to follow the link to the blog, just so that I can make more money!

This is not the case - so why do I encourage people to follow the link? Why don't I simply publish every post, in full, on Facebook? The reason is simple - I want more people to read my posts! However, Google has some algorithm that means that when someone searches on any topic, it checks the number of "hits" that every mention of that topic has received. It then brings up all of them, in order of that number. If my blog that mentions that topic has tens of thousands of "hits", then the blog is nearer to the beginning than if it only received fifty "hits"!

So, if you think that my posts deserve a wider audience, please follow the link - and encourage others to do so as well.

Thank you PS This is the link!!!!

https://crazyrev.blogspot.com/ 😇

Why "go to church"?

My current daily readings are in Paul's letters to the believers in Thessalonica. These letters are perhaps most used when one is considering the Rapture, and/or the Second Advent (they are not the same thing! See my book "Great Words of the Faith" - details above. ALL royalties go directly to Release International in support of the persecuted church.). It is true that the main reason for this correspondence is the problems that were being encountered by the Thessalonians due to some unhelpful teaching on these matters. However, as I reached the end of the first of these letters, I realised how much Paul had to say about another matter that is dear to my heart.

As he draws this letter to a close, the apostle deals with the local church. He writes: "... we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,  and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil." (I Thess 5:12-22).

There is sufficient material in that section for a short series of sermons! However, permit me to simply throw out a few "blessèd thoughts"! The first of these is that it is really tragic when believers neglect, or ignore, the local church. The New Testament knows nothing of the "solitary believer" (except where fellowship is physically impossible, as for many in the persecuted church, today). The church is meant to be a family - and a family requires a number of people. The church is a building - but one cannot build much with just one, or two, bricks. The church is a group of fellow-workers - not a "congregation of two"! (see I Cor.3:9).

Now, of course, no family of which I have ever had any knowledge - including my own - is perfect! However, without a family to protect and nurture, a child would suffer and die! It is also the case that no Christian Fellowship is perfect. However, there is the well-known saying: "If you ever find the perfect church, don't join it. You'll only spoil it!" You see, the church - any fellowship, congregation, or ministry, is composed of imperfect people! However, the true child of God needs a church family in order to grow, and thrive, and develop the gifts that God the Holy Spirit gives to him, or her. It is in, and through the local church that we may best serve God, and receive spiritual support in our serving.

Now I know that, in this modern world, I can go to YouTube and find many fine messages, and good teaching, from sound and experienced brothers who are true ministers of the Word. But where is the fellowship? Where is the relationship? To whom may I go when I have a difficulty? Is singing a chorus/hymn/song by myself a genuine experience of worship? It may be - on occasion! However, there is something that blesses me when I ma worshipping in concert with others of like mind.

When I was a young man, in the British Merchant Navy, I was also a very young, immature, and inexperienced, disciple of Jesus. Each Sunday, when my ship was at sea, there was what was referred to as "Divine Service"- held in the First Class ballroom (I sailed in a large passenger liner!). This consisted of the Captain reading through the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, and then the congregation - mostly passengers, but with a few crew members - singing the "sailor's hymn": "Eternal father, strong to save". It was, on my part, an attempt to witness to my faith - but spiritually uplifting it was not!

How happy I was when we were in port on a Sunday! I checked the local churches and, if possible, found one of my own denomination. If that was not possible, then I went to a congregation close to the docks. I worshipped with Presbyterians; Free Presbyterians; Baptists; Anglicans; and Independents. I made friendships that lasted for many years - and am still in contact with the then Assistant Minister of the Scots Church in Margaret Street, Sydney, Australia. I learned lessons that I would never have learned as a "solitary Christian". I discovered that, if I was with other true believers, then whether I was in Southampton, or Kowloon; in Sydney or San Francisco; in Vancouver or Melbourne; in Honolulu, or wherever; I was "family". These were my brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, and we were "... all one ..." (Gal.3:28) in Him.

I know those, today, who appear to believe that they can survive without the family. I would lovingly suggest that, at best, they can "exist". But one is more vulnerable to the attacks of the evil one if one is not in a family. When a lion is tracking a herd of antelope, it looks for the one that is separated from the herd. That is the vulnerable one - and is more easily taken down. It doesn't have the strength of the family to protect it.

You want to be "church"? Then be part of a family of believers - and may you know the blessing of the Father as you find your own place of service in that family (because the true church of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, is not a spectator sport!).

He is always "in control"!

It was only when I logged on to my Blogspot dashboard to start this post, that I noticed that the number of people who had accessed the previous one was a great big Zero! Now, I have had some posts that have been viewed by few people - but had never experienced a zero before. That was when I noticed that I had failed to publish the post!!!!! I had published it on other sites, but not on what should be its premier site! Duh!!!!! [Comments that refer, in any shape, manner, or form, to my advancing years will, obviously, be deleted!!].

Anyway, I am still being exercised by the thought of the absolute control of Almighty God. The recent flooding in parts of Israel, together with the "sabre-rattling" of certain national governments, reminded me of the story of some people who spotted a nine-year-old boy in a swollen river. He was struggling as hard as he could to stay afloat in the raging torrent, but did not have the strength to swim to the river's edge, even although it was only a few yards away. Rescuers quickly jumped in, and pulled him to safety. 

The boy, exhausted and bedraggled, lay panting on the riverbank. After he had recovered sufficiently, someone asked him, "Did you fall in?" "No," came the reply, "I just wanted to find out how strong the current was. I guess that I now know!"

Perhaps the first lesson that we all need to learn from that story is that we must be careful where we go! The adage is true - "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" (it's not from the Bible, by the way!).  To deliberately place ourselves in temptation's path is to mock the providence of Father God!

However, the story illustrates something else. In Psalm 9, David sings about the strength of the omnipotent God, the creator, Ruler, and Judge of all of the universe. He describes what happens to those who decide to challenge His strength, or to exalt themselves above Him. They eventually find out how powerful He really is. They lose their thrones. Their kingdoms, or empires, crumble. Their armies collapse. Yet YHWH endures forever! 

"Thou hast rebuked the nations, Thou hast destroyed the wicked;" (v.5). 

However, David also provides another side to this all-powerful God. He portrays Him as the One Who protects, and cares for, those who take refuge in Him. "But the Lord sits enthroned for ever, He has established His throne for judgment; and He judges the world with righteousness, He judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." (vs.7-9). 

The same God Whose power destroys evil, preserves what is good - and no-one can break through His protection, without His permission (remember Job!!). What a consoling, and strengthening, comfort it is to know that God's power can thwart the wicked, and protect the righteous! That is a God worth trusting. As we look around us, and see the increasingly rapid approach of the end of time, we may ponder the words of the un-named psalmist who penned Psalm 2:

« Why do the nations conspire,

and the peoples plot in vain? 

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the Lord and His anointed, saying, 

"Let us burst their bonds asunder,

and cast their cords from us." 

He Who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord has them in derision. 

Then He will speak to them in His wrath,

and terrify them in His fury, saying, 

"I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill." » (Ps. 2:1-6)

In a world of many superlatives, our God is still the greatest. Glory to His name!

My ornithologist friends will, undoubtedly, immediately recognise the birds in the picture as "Brown Boobies". The picture is courtesy of a regularly changing background that I receive when I go online! I now have quite a varied selection of shots - from the simply beautiful to the very interesting.

My reason for saving this particular picture is that I am currently reading through Paul's letters to the early believers in Thessalonica - generally accepted as being among his very earliest correspondence. I wonder if you can work out the connection!!

Paul's Thessalonian correspondence has a lot to say about the rapture - that unannounced event in which the true church (not CINOs - Christians in name only!) will meet with the Lord Jesus "in the air". By the way, it is interesting that Paul uses a specific word that refers to the lower reaches of the atmosphere of planet Earth. There is a different word for the higher, more refined, atmosphere. This, of course, is significant. It us the same word that he uses when, writing to the Ephesian believers, he refers to the adversary as "... the prince of the power of the air ..." (2:2). In other words, he is declaring to the Thessalonians that the Lord Jesus over-rules the satan - even in the domain in which he thinks that he has the power! Hallelujah!

The relevant words in I Thessalonians, are found in chapter 4: "... this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord." (vs. 15-17).

What a wonderful prospect for those who are truly, "... in Christ Jesus." (Rom.8:1). We shall meet the Saviour, and spend eternity in His presence. That word "meet" is also significant. The Greek word is only used three times in the pages of the New Testament. In each case it refers to an 'advance party' that has been sent to meet a visiting dignitary and escort him to the one who had sent them. It is used in Acts 28:15 where, we read: "And the brethren there [i.e. in Rome], when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage." The other reference is in Matt.25 where "... ten maidens ... took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom." (v.1). The five wise maidens, who had brought additional oil for their lamps, then "... went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut." (v.10).

The Matthew passage is, of course, also speaking of the return of the Lord Jesus, and the basic message is that 1. "... you know neither the day nor the hour." (v.13); and that 2. because of that, we should always be ready. That was my first thought when the picture of the Brown Boobies appeared on my screen. You see, they are "looking up"! I have no idea what it is that they see; or if they are all looking for something in particular. However, they are, to me, looking upward, expectantly.

That, of course, is how every disciple of Jesus ought to be. Looking upward (not always literally - I don't wish to walk into a lamp post!) in anticipation of that call of the archangel, and the sound of the trumpet (which, I suspect, may actually be the sound of the shofar!), "... awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:13-14).

A belated, but no less sincere, wish for a blessèd 2020 to all of my readers.

An unusual "Hogmanay"!

It is a salutary thought that I have just gone through my 75th new year celebration - although, admittedly, I don't recall anything about the earliest ones! However, the move from 2019 into 2020 must be the most unusual one of them all. I even ended up preaching - at 0550 on Jan 1st!

How did this come about? Well a number of weeks ago we were invited to the party to celebrate the birthday of a friend's daughter. Nothing unusual there! However, this particular friend is originally from Madagascar, and most of the folk invited to the party were also Malagasy. One of our other Malagasy friends casually asked if we were going to be around at the New Year and, on receiving an answer in the affirmative, invited us to a special event in Poitiers - about 270 km (170 mls) north of our home village - at a Malagasy Christian Fellowship. It seemed a long way to go for a party - but we thought that perhaps this lady and her university student daughter might actually need a lift so, we agreed to go. Anyway, we were curious as to how these lovely people celebrated at that time of the year! 

As it turned out, they already had transport arranged, so we made our own way up to the venue. We had not been offered any advice with regard to the dress-code, so we had gone in what we felt was appropriately casual attire and, when we arrived, everyone else was dressed in a similar fashion. Before too long, sandwiches (French sandwiches! i.e. baguettes spilt and filled) and hot/cold drinks were being offered, and we enjoyed these. However, shortly afterwards, we noticed that people kept disappearing - and returning, dressed for a special occasion! We suddenly felt extremely "under-dressed"! This, apparently is what Malagasy folk do at this time of the year!

The worship service commenced shortly after 2100 (that's 9.00 p.m. for those who prefer the '12-hour clock'!), was as full of joy as one would expect from Malagasy disciples of Jesus who have a Pentecostal approach to worship, and included a stirring message form the pastor. We didn't understand a word he said, but an English language speaker provided us with the gist of the message. Almost three hours later, we counted down to midnight, and welcomed a new year.

It was then that the 'party' commenced. There was more 'congregational praise'; the young people, and the children, put on special displays of song and dance; one family had produced a short sketch; there seemed to be no end to the talent! It was also when we started the 'buffet'-style meal! The first course was an amazing variety of items, together with an abundance of soft drinks. However, we didn't just sit down to eat! The other activities continued with, among others, what I can only describe as a Christian version of the "conga" - perhaps understandable, as the original comes from Africa. At about 0400 (yes, that is, indeed, 4.00 a.m.!) the main course was served. However, there was no let-up to the activities. Then, about 0545, the dessert was laid out. I had gone out to obtain some of the delicious items available, but realised that I had left my empty tumbler inside the main hall. As I entered the hall to retrieve it, the pastor called out my name. Having confirmed that he wanted me to go to the front to stand with him, I made my way down. That was when he informed me that he believed that the Lord had given me a Word for the gathered fellowship - and it was to be in French!

Now, I am becoming more comfortable preaching in French from a prepared text - but in a situation in which I was unprepared, and which was totally unexpected ... ...!! However, God is good, and I was able to speak for about ten minutes on God's control of all that happens, and our need to trust in Him for the year ahead. 

The 'party' began to close down about 0700, and there was a room for the females and children, and the hall that we had been using, for the males. However, although we had been advised to bring sleeping-bags, etc., we decide that at that time of the day, we would just drive home. We arrived, safely, at about 1000 - and, having almost fallen into bed, slept until about 1600! If we are spared until this time next year, we would love to return (and have been invited!) - but we shall probably take our little caravan in order to sleep a little more comfortably, and maybe even at a slightly more respectable hour!

An experience, indeed! However, we made some lovely new friends, and now have a Christian family in Poitiers.

May I simply commend that brief message that I brought, to one and all. The God Whom I worship is the Sovereign God of the universe. He truly is "in control" - however much what we see around us may appear to deny that statement. The old song had the chorus: "I know Who holds the future, and He'll guide me with His hand." That has been my personal experience for, now, more than 60 years. Will you join with me in experiencing His guidance in 2020?  You will never regret it if you do!