Standing, and falling!

 Writing to the early disciples of Jesus in that contemporary centre of immorality - the city of Corinth - the apostle Paul made this statement: "... let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (I Cor. 10: 12). In context, he has been reminding the Corinthian believers of the history of the Jewish people, and exhorting them not to fall into certain practices of their fellow-Corinthians.

However, the advice is good for everyone, and at all times. I recently read about an Englishman named Bobby Leach. He was a stuntman who, in 1911, went over the world-famous Niagara Falls in a specially-designed steel drum - and lived to tell the tale! Although he suffered some minor injuries, and spent some six months in hospital, recovering, he survived because he recognised the tremendous dangers involved in his feat, and he had taken every possible precaution to protect himself from harm.

Fifteen years later, whilst on a publicity tour in New Zealand, he slipped on a discarded piece of orange peel, and broke his leg. He was taken to hospital, but complications set in; the leg turned gangrous; and it had to be amputated. Subsequent to that operation, his health deteriorated and he died shortly afterwards. 

So how was it that he received greater, and ultimately fatal, injuries while walking down the street, than he sustained while going over the Falls? It was simply because he was not prepared for danger in what he assumed (as would most of us!) was a safe environment.

There is, surely, a lesson there for the disciple of Jesus today. Some of the great temptations that roar around us like the rushing waters of the Niagara Falls, will leave us unharmed. Yet a small, seemingly insignificant incident may cause our downfall. Why should this be? Could it be that we simply become careless and fail to recognise the potential danger? We mistakenly think that we are secure!

Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, and exhorted them to "... be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints," (Eph 6:10-18).

We must always be on guard against temptation, remembering that the devil "... prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour." (I Peter 5:8). Someone has said: "Whenever we fall, it is usually at the point where we think that we are strong."!

A victorious disciple of Jesus is a disciple of Jesus who watches out for even those little pieces of orange peel!

A good witness.

Have you ever stopped to think how people get their idea of Jesus? The frightening truth is that most of them get those ideas from people who claim to be disciples of Jesus! That is people like you and me!

Of course there are those who will immediately respond by saying that they are not evangelists! Neither am I! According to Paul, in his letter to the disciples of Jesus in 1^st century Ephesus, “… His [Jesus’] gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, …” (Eph.4:11-13). So being an “evangelist” is a specific gift of the risen Lord Jesus to the church at large.

However, that same risen Lord spoke to His disciples (and, by extension, to all future disciples) just before His ascension, and return to the Father. He said: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8).

Do you see the difference? Only some are gifted, by the Lord, to be evangelists. However, when the Lord Jesus spoke those words, he used the plural form of “you”. So, while only some disciples of Jesus are called to be evangelists, all of us are witnesses. How do we witness? By what we are! You and I are witnesses, whether we like it, or not. The only question is “What kind of witness am I?” Am I a good witness, by my life commending to others the One Whom I claim to serve? Or am I pushing more people away from Him than I ever draw to Him?

“Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today; He has no feet but our feet, to lead men in His way; He has no tongues but our tongues to tell men how He died; He has no help but our help To bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read; we are the sinner’s Gospel, we are the scoffer’s creed. We are the Lord’s last message, given in deed and word; what if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy with work other than His? What if our feet are walking where sin’s allurement is? What if our tongues are speaking of things His lips would spurn? How can we hope to help Him, and hasten His return?” (Annie Johnson Flint; 1866-1932).

Religion - or Relationship?

Mary works hard because she wants her boss to recognise her accomplishments and reward her with a promotion that will increase her salary. Nancy loves her job, and the product that her company sells and, out of a deep sense of loyalty, she works hard to make the product better.

Mary is like the person who hopes that good works, or religion will, one day, be rewarded by Almighty God (of Whose existence she may not even be totally convinced!). Such a person counts on their good deeds to gain them entrance to heaven.

Nancy is more like a picture of the person who has faith in God, and His grace, through a personal relationship with Jesus, the Christ, and is assured of eternal life. Such people do good deeds out of gratitude and love for the Lord.

Someone with "religion" may believe in the existence of God; attend a worship service - even regularly; 'say prayers' (which is not necessarily the same as 'praying'!); show kindness; and be considered to be a generally 'good' person. People who have "religion" have many good qualities - but religion is not, and never can be, a substitute for a saving relationship with Father God, through  the atoning* sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, the Christ (Messiah; HaMashiach), and the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKadosh).

People with faith put their trust in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness of sin. They have assurance of eternal life, and seek to become more like Jesus on a daily basis - the process known as "sanctification"* It is not a matter of my 'works', as if I could somehow earn salvation. Paul, writing to the early believers in Ephesus stated: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph 2:8-9). There is one Way, and one Way only. Jesus said: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6) - words that appear to have been forgotten (or are ignored!) even by some members of the clergy with whom I am acquainted!

Religion - that is man-made, and leads to hell; or a relationship with the Sovereign Creator of all that exists - a relationship that does not depend on what you have done, or can do, but solely on His love, and grace, and mercy?

Remember: we are saved, not by what we do, but by trusting in what the Lord Jesus has done!

*These words, or a cognate, are dealt with in my first book: Great Words of the Faith (access details above). The first 10% is available for preview on the Amazon link. Remember that ALL of the royalties earned go directly to the bank account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church.

Saved to serve!

This morning, in my personal devotions, my reading was Matt.25:31-46. These are some of the words of the Lord Jesus concerning judgement. There is too much to share in a blog post but, perhaps, one of the most important lessons concerns behaviour. 

We read: "When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed Thee, or thirsty and give Thee drink? And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then He will say to those at His left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 

What do these words say to us? May I suggest that the first thing is the certainty of His coming?  Secondly, that there will be judgement! But I want to emphasise what I see as a third lesson. If you read those verses carefully, you will notice that the charge against those who are condemned to eternal punishment does not concern what they have done, but what they have failed to do! There are sins of omission, as well as sins of commission! James writes: "Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (4:17; my emphasis). The Westminster Divines defined "sin" as "... any want of conformity unto (omission), or transgression of (commission), the law of God." (Shorter Catechism). Not doing good is the moral equivalent of doing evil!

Of course, those who had - however unknowingly - served the Saviour (through serving others in His name) did not gain salvation by their good works! Paul makes that perfectly clear when, writing to the believers in Ephesus, he states that: "... by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (2:8-9). I have written in the margin of my Bible: "Salvation is not by works; but good works are the result of salvation." In that vein, Paul continues: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10; my emphasis). 

We do not serve to be saved - but we are certainly saved to serve!

Seven lessons from seven letters!

Having completed, in my personal devotions this morning, chapters 2 and 3 of the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ given to John, I want to share just a little about them. These two chapters contain the seven letters to seven different Christian Fellowships, sent by the Lord Jesus and, while one may preach a sermon on each them (and I have done so, on more than one occasion), I want to share just one lesson from each that will, I trust, prove to be of some help, encouragement, or even challenge, to those who read this post!

1. The church at Ephesus

The main lesson here is that this was a church that was "resting on its laurels." Having commended them, the Saviour then shows that He knows all about them: "But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first." (2:4).

How easy it is, at the beginning of any project, to be filled with excitement and enthusiasm. However, as days become weeks; weeks become months; and months become years; some of that excitement and enthusiasm fades. In a specifically Christian context, this surely applies to the devotion to the Lord Jesus that is often so characteristic of the new believer. Sadly, some can "get into a rut" - even in Christian service. They go through the motions - but it is all a routine, without true love and fervour.

One of the lessons from the Lord's letter to the Ephesians (and Paul's letter majors on the same theme!) is that we must keep the fire burning brightly, if we are to serve fully, and faithfully.

2. The church at Smyrna 

The main lesson here is that appearances can be deceiving. However, for Smyrna, the deception is on the positive side: "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) ..." (2:9). This group of believers were apparently weak and without influence. They were a very small minority. Yet - they were rich with regard to eternal matters. It is so easy for a minority (and true disciples of Jesus are certainly a minority in the UK at the present time!) to lose heart; to imagine that their cause is hopeless; that they might as well submit to the current "zeitgeist". 

This letter is an encouragement to perseverance. Perhaps that is why the Lord exhorts them: "Do not fear what you are about to suffer." (2:10) - words that are undoubtedly much more meaningful to those in the persecuted church of some 215 million people in more than 50 countries worldwide - and assures them that even our testing is under His control, and limited according to His will. (see the rest of v.10).

3. The church at Pergamum

This is a church that compromised. Oh, the letter starts off with commendation that shows that even the death of one of their number had not encouraged any other to deny the Lord. However, Jesus goes on to say "But I have a few things against you ..." (2:14-15). What He had against them was the tolerance (now where have I heard that word before?!) shown to heretical teachers. I have written in the margin of my Bible: "Even a church that withstands external pressure may be infected by internal heresy. The same is true of an individual!"

The lesson we may take from this letter is that it is always dangerous to compromise. Yet, as I look at so much of the established denominations in the UK, I see a great deal of compromise; and, sadly, I see a lot in the lives of individuals as well.

4. Thyatira

Here, again, is the accusation of compromise. However, it is towards the end of the letter that we read: "... I am He Who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve." (2:23; emphasis added). I was involved, recently, in an online discussion with a gentleman whom I have never met, and whom I may never meet. He was objecting to another contributor's reference to 'good works' in the context of the Christian faith. Now, I agreed fully with him that it is "... by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph.2:8-9). However, I had to point out to him that Paul continues, in that same letter: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph.2:10; emphasis added).

Our good works do not, and cannot, save us. Only the shed blood of the Lord Jesus is sufficient for that. However, I am saved to serve - and that involves the good works that Father God has prepared for me. When I stand before the Judgement Seat of the Christ, I will be judged according to what I have done "... in the body". (II Cor.5:10).  The apostle also writes that: "... no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (I Cor.3:11); but continues: "...each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done." (v.13 - read the whole passage!)

So, one major lesson from this letter is the need to remember that being"in Christ" and with Him in me, is not an excuse to sit back and do as little as possible!

5. Sardis

This letter begins, in some ways, in a similar manner to that to the church at Smyrna - but it is a mirror image! "I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead."! (3:1). Appearances are, once again, deceptive. This time, however, external activity is covering up internal decay, and even death. This was a church that had grown comfortable, and content, and was living on the reputation of former days. My marginal note here is that "It is possible to be active without being saved", and I refer to Matt.7:21-23.

The lesson from this letter is , surely, that we should not allow ourselves to become so comfortable in our churches, and in our personal lives as disciples of Jesus, lest we find ourselves shrivelling up and dying!

6. Philadelphia

If I could choose to be a member of any of these seven churches, this would be my choice! The believers in Philadelphia was a church that seized its opportunities. It is the only one of the seven that receives no criticism whatsoever. It was not a powerful church in worldly terms, but it was a faithful church. "... I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My Word and have not denied My Name." (3:8). This is why the Lord has set before them an open door (v.8) - the symbol of opportunity! It is surely true that, those who are faithful in small things are given greater responsibility. That is certainly one of the lessons from Jesus' parable of the Talents (see Matt.25:14ff).

One lesson from this letter is that we should seize every opportunity for service that the Lord lays in our path. Indeed, we should be constantly looking for such opportunities for service, that others "... may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matt.5:16).

7. Laodicea

This is the church that was so mediocre, the Lord was ready to spew it out of His mouth - in other words, He was saying "You make me sick!" (3:16). What a sorry state this church was in! They said: "... I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing;" (3:17); but the Lord saw that they were "... wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." (v.17). What an indictment for a group of people who claimed to be disciples of "... the faithful and true witness ..." (3:14)!

When I read about this church, I find myself thinking of the so-called "mega-churches" that seem to abound in our own day - and I wonder is the Lord saying the same thing about some (if not all) of them! However, note that certain familiar words are from this letter: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears M y voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me." (3:20). These words, used so often in evangelistic rallies, were spoken to a church! My marginal note: "The tragedy: Jesus, the Lord, the Light, the Life of the church is locked out." However, there is always hope. So, in v.19 we read: "Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent." The footnote that I have written for that verse reads: "The Lord still loved these 'lukewarm' believers - but chastens as a sign of that love" cf. Prov.3:12; Heb.12:6ff; (inter al)."

And one lesson? We must always beware that we do not spend so much time building our own 'kingdom', that we forget the Kingdom of God.

Seven lessons, from seven letters. May they be blessed to the hearts of all who read them.

The story of Charlie Gard has been tragic from start to finish.

The heading is taken from the Leader Comment in a national newspaper - and one can surely understand the sentiment expressed. The article states:

"No-one can fail to have been touched by the agony the family of the 11-month-old baby has gone through.

The situation that Charlie’s mother and father faced was every parent’s nightmare.

One of the saddest aspects of the case was that Connie Yates and Chris Gard found themselves caught up in a high-profile legal battle which must have made it even harder for them to cope with their awful situation.

In the end, they lost their legal battle and they lost their son. Their hopes for experimental treatment, for Charlie to be allowed to die at home, and finally for him to continue to receive life support in a hospice for several days were all dashed.

Great Ormond Street Hospital has said it will examine what it can learn from the case.

It is difficult to see how the ultimate outcome could have been avoided, but it is clear there was a breakdown in trust between Charlie’s parents and the doctors an early stage.

In the end, it was decided the loss of the child could not be feasibly prevented, but the parents’ heartbreaking experience was worse than it should have been."

However, in what may be considered a sign of the times, I did not notice any comment regarding the spirit of this child? Is this because there are fewer of us who believe that physical death - whether it comes in the womb (abortion), or when one is a centenarian - is not the end? 

When I learned of Charlie's death, I started to sing: "Safe in the arms of Jesus, Safe on His gentle breast. There, by His love o'ershaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest". Because I have no doubt at all that, for that child who had not even reached the first anniversary of the day of his birth, the words of Paul are totally applicable: "... to depart and be with Christ, ... is far better." (Phil.1:23). Yes, I believe, firmly, that Charlie Gard is in the presence of the Heavenly Father, and that His eternal destiny is assured! "On what grounds?", someone might well ask. My response would be: "On exactly the same ground as anyone else - the amazing grace of God."

I sometimes tell the story of the man who died and - because it is just a story! - arrived at the Pearly Gates. He was met there, of course, by Peter (such stories usually major on popular opinion, rather than strict Biblical truth!) who, surprisingly, was holding a clip-board. 

"Name?", asked the apostle. 

The man gave him the information. 

"Ah, yes," said Peter, "you are on the list. Now, all that you have to do is to gain 100 points in order to gain access to heaven." 

"And how do I do that?" enquired the man.

"Not a problem", responded Peter. " Just tell me why you should be allowed to enter through these gates!"

"I wasn't expecting this." said the man. "However - let me think - oh, yes; I was a loving husband and father to my wife and children."

"That's good." came the reply. "That gets you 5 points."

"Hmm", said the man, thoughtfully, "and I also attended my church regularly."

"Good!", said Peter, "That gains you another 5 points."

The man scratched his head. "Oh, for the last ten years of my life, I was an elder in the church."

"Excellent," replied Peter, "That's worth a further 3 points."

"Does my regular tithing help?" asked the man.

"It most certainly does." said Peter. "That gets you a further 3 points."

"So how am I doing so far?" came the (understandable?!) question.

"Let's see", said the apostle, doing some quick addition, "you now have 16 points."

"Oh dear," said the man, "only 16! At this rate it will take the grace of God to get me through!"

"100 points!" smiled Peter. "Welcome!" "

It's only a story - but there is a very real truth contained in it. Paul again: "... by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph.2:8-9).

Do you know that grace? Have you thrown yourself, fully, on the mercy of Almighty God? Or are you labouring under the delusion that you can, by doing all of the right things (in your own eyes!) God will be "obliged" to let you enter the heavenly realm? 

Of course, there are good works that we must do - but they are the result of our salvation, not the means of it! Paul continues, in that letter to the disciples of Jesus, in Ephesus: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (v.10).

Please don't put the cart before the horse! Come to Him, in repentance and faith, and receive His wonderful gift of salvation, fully paid for by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus at Calvary.

As always, if you think that I may be able to be of any personal assistance, please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address at the top of the blog. I will get back to you as quickly as I can.

Deeper than that!

Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian explorer who tried to measure the depth of part of the Arctic Ocean. On the first day he used his longest measuring line - but was unable to reach the bottom. Having recorded the length of his line in his log-book, he wrote: "The ocean is deeper than that."

On the following day, he added more line, but was still unable to measure the depth so, once again, the log-book entry read: "Deeper than that!" After several days of adding more and more lengths of rope and cord to his line, he had to leave that part of the ocean without having learned its actual depth. All that he knew was that it was beyond his ability to measure.

Here, in S.W.France, I have the privilege of, among other things, ministering the Word of God to a group of anglophones. We are currently nearing the end of our study of the First Letter of John - a letter that covers a number of important areas, none less so than the love of God and the fact that "God is Love" (I John 4:8,16).

Nansen's experience reminds me that we cannot plumb the depths of the love of the God Whose very essence is Love, because our human measuring line is too short. The Russian folk-song, come hymn, reminds us:

"Vaster far than any ocean,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Is the love of Christ my Saviour,
Reaching through eternity."

John, in his record of the Gospel, provides what is probably the best-known verse from the New Testament scriptures: "God loved the world so much that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever places their trust, unreservedly, in Him may not perish, but have eternal life." (my paraphrase!). 

Paul. writing to the early disciples of Jesus in Ephesus, reminded them that: "...  God, Who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and made us sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ..." (2:4-6; emphasis added).

In the light of such incredible love, ought not our gratitude cause us to serve, and praise, Him more zealously during the years that we are granted on this earth? Grace Reese Adkins wrote the lovely old hymn: "By and by, when I look on His face", with these words in the chorus:

"More, so much more;
more of my life than I'd e'er given before.
By and by, when I look on His face,
I'll wish I had given Him more."

As we try to comprehend God's love, we may well exclaim: "It's deeper, much deeper than that.", and determine, by His grace, that we shall give Him more.

The power of the Blood.

This morning, in L'Église Évangélique Libre, in Bergerac, was another first - for me! Having already been the first native English speaker to preach in French, I spoke this morning at the monthly bi-lingual worship service - in BOTH English and French (i.e. I provided my own translation of the English into French!). The response, I am happy to be able to say, was very positive - with one native Frenchman even asking me, afterwards, if I would give him some French lessons!!! (he was joking, of course!).

I'm not going to provide the text of the message here (it should be online at http://eel-bergerac.fr/apercu.htm within a few days), but do want to share a story that I included in the message which, itself, was on the Power of the Blood of the Christ. For the benefit of the few who follow this blog, and who speak French - either as a first, or second, language - I will provide both versions!

The story is told of an old woman who lay dying.  Her pastor visited her.  “I am told,” he said, “that you are dying”.  “Yes”, she replied.  “And have you made your peace with God?” asked the pastor.  “No”, came the simple response.  “And aren’t you afraid to meet God without having made your peace with Him?” “Not at all”, was the answer that startled the pastor.  He grew more earnest.  “Dear woman,” he asked, “do you realise that you have but a short time to live, and that you must soon meet a holy God?”  “I do.”  “And you are not afraid?”  “Not at all.”  “And you haven’t made your peace with Him?”  “No.”  “Whatever are you thinking of?” cried out the pastor.  A smile passed over the features of the dying woman.  “I have not made my peace with God because I do not need to do so. Jesus made peace, almost 2,000 years ago, through His blood, shed on the Cross, and I am simply resting in the peace He made!”

On raconte l'histoire d'une femme agée mourante. Son pasteur lui rend visite. « On m'a dit, » dit-il, « que vous êtes mourante ». « Oui », répondit-elle. « Et avez-vous fait la paix avec Dieu? » demanda le pasteur. « Non », fut la simple réponse. «Et n'avez pas peur de rencontrer Dieu sans avoir fait la paix avec Lui? » «Pas du tout». Cette réponse fit tressaillir le pasteur. Il devint plus sérieux. « Chère madame, » demanda-t-il, « ne réalisez-vous pas que vous avez peu de temps à vivre, et que vous devez bientôt rencontrer le Dieu saint?» «Je le sais.» «Et vous n'avez pas peur?» «Pas du tout. » « Et vous n'avez pas fait la paix avec Lui? » « Non ! » « A quoi pensez-vous? » s écria le pasteur. Un sourire s’afficha sur les levres de la femme. « Je n'ai pas fait la paix avec Dieu parce que je n’ai pas besoin de la faire. Jésus a fait la paix, il y a près de 2000 ans, par Son sang, versé sur la Croix, et je peux tout simplement me reposer sur la paix qu'il a faite! »

The lesson from the story concerned the happiness of those who have learned to thus rest in the peace that the Christ has made - peace between sinful people like you and like me - through His own blood, shed at Calvary. As Paul write to the early believers in Ephesus, "In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood" (1:7). Jesus has paid the debt that we owe, but that we could never repay. Because of His perfect sacrifice, the just demands of God's law have been fully met, and we may enter into communion with our Creator.

Have you entered into that peace? It is available to all - regardless of your social position; your educational achievements; your employment (or lack thereof!); your financial standing; the size of your home, or car, or wide-screen television set; or any other of the many criteria by which society tends to measure and judge us. All that we need to do - but it is a BIG "all" - is to confess to our sinfulness; accept that we are unable to do anything about it; receive the offer of salvation that is made to us; and turn away from the sins that weigh us down. Not something that we are capable of doing on our own, but that can be achieved as we open ourselves to the working of God the Holy Spirit - the "Breath of God" in the Hebrew language - and let Him have His way in our lives.

Are you resting in the peace that is offered in Christ Jesus? You may do so - and you will never regret it, either in this life, or in eternity.

Properly dressed!

Because I didn't want to miss out two posts on the Commandments, I held this one over.  It actually happened yesterday.  I was walking down into Motherwell at the time when the secondary schools were disgorging their pupils.  It was raining and, while the wind wasn't very strong, it was bad enough to make me zip up my jacket and keep my hood up.

He was walking towards me.  He looked as if he was about 13 years of age.  He was in the uniform of one of the local schools - grey trousers, white shirt and school tie, school blazer.  He also had what certainly appeared to be a more than adequate coat - hung over his arm!   I found it difficult to believe.  Weather conditions such as there were; the means of protecting himself from them; and he was not making use of that protection. 

Then I started to think, and realised that the boy - upon whom I may never again set eyes - was an illustration of so many who claim to be disciples of Jesus!  We walk through life, suffering all that the enemy throws at us.  We are, spiritually if not physically, bruised and battered.   Yet provision has been made for us; protection is available; if only we will make use of it.

Paul, in his letter to the disciples of Jesus in Ephesus, tells us to "Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Eph.6:11).   He then goes on to list each item of that armour (vs.14-17), and encourages us to "Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and perseverance." (v.18).  These are verses that are worthy of our meditation, and application!

A young teen may have felt that it was more 'macho' to walk in the rain and the wind with his coat over his arm.  The worst that would happen is that he would take longer to warm up when he reached his home (there may also have been an irate parent somewhere in the picture!).  When you and I fail to use the spiritual armour that the heavenly Father has provided for His children, then our own Christian walk is negatively affected, and our witness is likewise influenced.

Let us be sure that we put on that armour, and that we maintain it on a daily basis.  It will be for our own good, and will bring glory to His Name.

A prayer for the Church.

As I approach the completion of vol.2 in my "Getting to know you" series of books (Foundations of the Faith, for anyone interested!), I am already thinking of future volume!   I suspect that vol.3 will be People Jesus met and, having watched a video (that I endeavoured, unsuccessfully as you can see, to add below), vol.4 might well be Great prayers in the Bible.

These are wonderful words from the great apostle to the Gentiles, in his letter to the believers in the ancient city of Ephesus.  Certainly one of the great prayers to be found in the written Word of God.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" (Eph. 3:14-21; NIV).