Exhorting one another

One of my favourite books in the Bible is the letter to the Hebrew disciples of Jesus - I suppose that, today, we would call them "Messianic Jews"! In that letter - the author of which remains anonymous (although my own thinking is that it was Barnabas!) - we read these words: "... exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.." (Hebrews 3:13).

The fascinating word rendered "exhort" (Greek para-kaleo) in that verse, elsewhere translated "comfort," "appeal," etc., literally means "call alongside."

 

For example, note II Corinthians 1:4: "[God] comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." Remember that the root of the word "comfort" is not the, "There, there. It will be better soon", of a mother to a small child, but is literally "with strength", that is "strengthen".Also look at Paul's appeal to Philemon. "I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose [spiritual] father I have become in my imprisonment." (Philemon 10). Such words as "desire," "entreat," and "pray" are also used.

 

However, the unusual importance of the word is emphasised by the fact that in its noun form (paraklétos) it is used as one of the titles of God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: "But when the Counselor [paraklétos] comes, Whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness to Me;" (John 15:26).

 

Thus, a disciple of Jesus who is "called alongside" to comfort a sorrowing friend, to beseech a person to do right, or to exhort him to useful action all in the name of the Lord Jesus is, in effect, performing the same type of service on the human level that the Holy Spirit Himself performs on the divine level. Further, these words would inform us that this type of service - whether done in the context of exhorting, or strengthening, or pleading - is designed specifically to prevent the one to whom he is "called alongside" from being "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." And since this is a moment-by-moment danger to the unwary, the ministry of exhortation (or strengthening or entreating, as the need may be) is one which must be performed "every day, as long as it is called “today."

A God of Absolutes.

Over a number of years, I have developed the habit of weighing myself every Friday morning - just to keep a careful eye on my weight! However, I have discovered that our bathroom scales play a trick! When I first step on to them, they register a certain weight. However, if I then step off, and back on again, I amazingly lose a couple of pounds in the process! Neither dieting nor exercise required!! Regretfully, repeating the action doesn't lose me another couple of pounds! Now one of those readings must, surely, be false. However, needless to say, I judge my 'progress' by the lower reading!

We live in an age in which many people believe that there are no absolutes! Self-serving behaviour, it would appear, is the order of the day, and tramples the moral law given for the protection of society. Our contemporary culture prides itself on 'freedom' - that is actually bondage to sin. I am, allegedly, "free" to do what I want; to believe what I want; to be what I want. However, the truth is that I am going to conform to something outwith myself - in many cases, the latest fashion or fad! 

In some educational establishments, for example, the concept of a school uniform appears to be unknown. Pupils may wear what they wish, provided that it does not cause unnecessary offence! However, as one drives past such schools, one often observes that the pupils are all dressed in the same way! They may not be wearing a school-sanctioned uniform - but they tend to be dressed uniformly!

Paul writes to the early disciples of Jesus in Rome: "Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." Rom 6:16-18. In other words, whether we admit it, or not, we are subject to that which effectively controls our actions!

Almighty God is the God of absolutes. His scales never give a false reading. With Him, a pound is a pound; a kilogram is a kilogram; right is right; wrong is wrong. He says "... I, YHWH, do not change;" (Mal 3:6). The writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus, states that "Jesus, the Christ, is the same yesterday and today and for ever." (Heb. 13:8). This means that what He has declared to be sin, is sin - regardless of what humanity may otherwise decide! His Word is true, and eternal.

For those of us who are His disciples, this assurance is a source of great strength. We gain confidence in the face of difficulty, and anticipate the fulfilment of every divine promise, and prophecy. I am nearing the end of my current reading of the Book of Daniel in my personal devotions. I am now working my way through ch.11, and am amazed at the accuracy of prophecy that any student of history can confirm as having taken place. This, of course, encourages me that those prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled, will be - in His perfect timing!

If Almighty God were easily moved by every whim or notion, our eternal destiny would be in constant jeopardy. But, because He is the Unchanging One, we may be absolutely certain that His promise is true, that He "... so loved the world that He (the Father) gave His (the Father's) only Son, that whoever believes in Him (the Son) should not perish but have (here, and now) eternal life." (John 3:16; emphases added). 

Have you taken Him at His word?!

Why would anyone want to be saved?

If you and I were standing outside a burning house, with people at windows, screaming for help, that question in the title would seem to be very stupid, and insensitive. If no-one helps them, those people are going to die - and not very easily. Likewise, if we were out on the ocean, and saw a ship that was sinking, we would not ask such a crass question about those on deck shouting for help.

We understand the necessity of help when we are in physical trouble. Most people, in life-threatening situations, wish to be saved. It is natural, and normal.

Salvation may be said to be at the centre of the Christian Gospel. That word "Gospel" means "Good News" - and if one is in a potentially fatal situation, than being saved is, surely, "Good News". Yet it is often the case that the Good News of the Gospel message is portrayed as "Come to Jesus, and all will be well!" "Come to Jesus, and your life will improve dramatically!" "Come to Jesus, and send a cash sum to this particular ministry, and watch your bank balance grow!"

In other words, this "version" of the Gospel message is all about "me"; what I can get out of it; how it may benefit me, in material terms, here and now"!

But what does the Bible teach? It teaches, first of all, that you and I are sinners. Because of that, we are separated from the One Who created us. That means that we are destined for eternal death - not just the physical death that is the lot of every mortal being, but an eternal separation from Him. Did you realise that you will live for eternity*? The only question concerns where you will spend that timeless existence!

The next point that must be made is that no-one is able to "earn" salvation by good works. Even if I could spend the rest of my natural life in a totally sinless condition, I could never make up for the sins that I have already committed. And even if I had only ever committed one sin (fat chance!), I still cannot make up for even that one! I am in a bad place!

However, the Good News is that Father God loves me, and you, so much that He has provided the means by which I may escape the punishment that is due to me. In the Persona* (not a typo!) of the Son, He came into this sinful world; lived a life in which He was tempted in the same ways that we are - yet without ever yielding to those temptations; grew up in a working-class family; became a peripatetic rabbi, teaching, and healing, and encouraging; was arrested by the religious leaders of His Jewish people (the ordinary folk, heard Him gladly!); underwent a number of mockeries of trials; and was crucified by the Roman authorities. He became, the perfect sacrifice for your sin and for mine. Paul writes: "For our sake He [the Father] made Him [the Son] to be sin, Who knew no sin, so that in Him [the Son] we might become the righteousness of God." (II Cor. 5:21). His sacrificial death was, and is, sufficient to deal with your sin, and with mine!

Of course, if I see a beggar sitting on the pavement, and I offer him some cash, that offer is of absolutely no use to him if he does not stretch out his own hand and take it! So the offer of salvation must be accepted if it is to become real in my life. But when I do accept it, by faith, then I am assured of my eternal salvation. There is a place in the new heaven, and the new earth - for me! Not because of anything that I have done, or can do, but all because of what He has already done.

That, I would suggest, is why anyone would wish to be saved. Because the wonder of that new, eternal, life is beyond anything that you or I can even begin to imagine! 

So the real question is not "Why would anyone want to be saved?", but "Why would anyone not want to be saved?" Father God does not force any of us into submission- He invites us to salvation. What is your response going to be? The writer of the letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus asks the unanswerable question: "... how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (Heb. 2:3). There is no escape! The decision must be made - and made now!

*Each of these words is dealt with in my first book: "Great Words of the Faith". Links to it, and the other two currently available, are at the top of the page. Remember, I receive no financial benefit from sales. ALL royalties are sent directly to Release International, in support of the Persecuted Church.

Some things never change!

Last week I celebrated yet another anniversary of the day of my physical birth (my spiritual rebirth was some 15 years later!). This week, my wife celebrates another anniversary of her physical birth. Tempus fugit (Time flies, for those who missed out on a Classical education!!). 

Last year, we celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary and, in our annual newsletter, I posted two photographs - one taken on Sept. 4th, 1970 (our wedding day!), and the other taken on Sept. 4th, 2020. I have to confess that each of has changed, quite considerably, during the intervening period! Every year; every month; every day; reminds us of the passing of time, and the changes it brings, be they major, or minor. We are changing; the world is changing (and, for many of us, the past ten months, or so, have seen some of the biggest changes that we have ever known); experiences are changing; our lifestyles are changing; the future is unknown! 

I can only speak for myself, but I can hardly believe that we are already more than half-way through the second month of 2021! Of course, like the New Year itself, it is only a mark in time; in the continuous journey of planet Earth around the Sun. Yet time is important to us. 

However, some things never change! Speaking through His prophet, Malachi, and using His Covenant Name, the Almighty Creator of all that is states: "... I, YHWH do not change;" ( 3:6). Writing to the early Jewish disciples of Jesus - Who, of course, is the incarnation of the Father - the anonymous author of the Letter to the Hebrews makes this astounding claim: "Jesus, the Christ - the same yesterday, today, and for ever." (13:8). Those words point us to:

The Unchanging Christ. What He was 2,000 years ago, when He walked this earth, He is today in the timelessness of Glory, and He will be throughout eternity. His atoning sacrifice remains effective for all who come to Him in repentance and faith. He opened the way into the presence of the Father, that even a sinner such as I may enter, and be received by Him - not because of anything that I might seek to claim, but purely because of His love, and grace, and mercy. I am forgiven as much as any of those who are "justified by faith" - in other words, because I have responded, positively, to the offer of salvation that was made at Calvary, the Father treats me "just as if I'd" never sinned at all. My sin is not only forgiven, but also forgotten! Hallelujah! Glory to God!

The Gospel message is the same. His covenant love never changes. His grace remains all-sufficient. His promises continue to be true. He is faithful in times of sorrow and distress, as well as in times of joy and laughter. His Word is the same. His presence, through the third Persona (not a typo! See the chapter on "The Trinity" in my first book - details above!) of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit, is the same.

But there is also: 

An unchanging commitment. For the disciple of Jesus, that commitment is to worship God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is to proclaim the Gospel - the Good News that I have described, briefly above. It is a commitment to serve Him as He commands. It is a commitment to live my life in such a way that I am a good witness for Him. In His final words to His disciples, before He ascended to the Father, the Lord Jesus said: "... 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 1:8). Please note, that this is not a call to every disciple to be an evangelist; but a command to every disciple to be a witness. There is a big difference but, if you are a disciple of Jesus, then you are (as I am!) a witness. The only question is "Am I a good witness, or a bad witness?" If, like me, you must confess to not being the best you might be, then you may turn to God the Holy Spirit, and seek His sanctifying work in your life.

Then, of course, there is:

An unchanging commission. That commission is recorded for us by Matthew, in his account of the Gospel record. "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Matt 28:18-20).

Now, "... all the world ..." does not exclude your own family; your next-door-neighbour; your friends; your work colleagues; etc. This Great Commission ties in with the commitment to be His witnesses - everywhere, and anywhere.

There are many - myself included - who believe, firmly, that we are in the very last days prior to the Rapture of the true saints of God (there is also a chapter on that subject in the book referred to above. Remember, ALL royalties are sent, directly, to Release International, in support of the persecuted church). That being the case, there should be an urgency in the church. Those who are disciples of Jesus should be earnest in prayer; eager to serve; excited in their (our!) witnessing.

I would claim that, in order to do so, we must stay close to the Saviour, that He may be close to us. Henry Francis Lyte wrote the words of one of the best-known Christian songs: "Abide with me." In the second verse are these words - 
"Change and decay in all around I see:                                                                                                        O Thou Who changest not, abide with me."

May all who read these words know His unchanging presence at all times. It will be for your good, and will bring glory and honour to His Name.

The year of cancellations!

This week, we (my wife and I) received the news that our flight to Israel, booked for September 30th, has been cancelled. It had been booked in January for a three-week visit to the Holy Land, as a "holiday of a lifetime" and our gift to one another for our Golden Wedding Anniversary - on September 4th. To celebrate the actual date, we had planned to visit Scotland and have a meal with our family. The ferry was booked just a week before the Prime Minister announced that France had been removed from the list of 'safe' countries. That meant that we would have had to spend our complete time there in isolation! This evening we amended the ferry booking to later in September - but, of course, may well have to postpone the date even further!

Sadly, we are experiencing no more than many have already experienced over the regular holiday months in the Northern Hemisphere. It's been that sort of year (and it isn't over, yet!). Some of us are not even fully convinced that all of the restrictions that have been put in place are necessary, helpful, or even fully enforceable!

The cause of all of this upset is, of course, something that is invisible to the human eye. It is a virus - Covid-19 - that has disrupted not just our own plans; not just the plans of so many in Western Europe; but people the world over. We have discovered the truth of the words of the Scots bard, Robert (Rabbie) Burns that "The best-laid plans o' mice and' men gang aft agley"! (from "To a mouse"). For those who need a translation, a rough one would be: "No matter how carefully we make our plans, be we mice or men, they often go awry"!

I was speaking by 'phone, just last evening, with my younger daughter. In the course of that conversation, we mused on previous plans that had not come to pass. At one time, it was my own plan to emigrate to Australia - but when the opportunity came to do so, I failed to seize the moment!

However, there is One Whose plans are always fulfilled. That One is Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is. As we read His Word - the Bible - we discover that His plan is for this world that we know to eventually be destroyed, and to make way for a new heaven, and a new earth. He has not said precisely when that will happen, but He has given us some indications of the season in which it will take place. The first sign - and the one that will happen in a nanosecond - will be the rapture* of the true disciples of Jesus, the Christ (see I Cor.15:51ff; I Thess.4:13ff). That will be followed by a seven-year period of tribulation. It will be after that period that the Lord Jesus will return, with His church, and after that, the new heaven and the new earth.

The apostle John was given a glimpse of all of that which he recorded in what we know as the Revelation of Jesus the Christ. He wrote: "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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them; He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."Also He said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death." (Rev 21:1-8).

It is only those who have a personal relationship with the Father, through the Lord Jesus and His atoning sacrifice at Calvary, who will inhabit that new heaven and new earth. The signs are all around us that the rapture - that will set this particular timetable in motion, is very close. The big, and extremely important, question is: "Are you ready?" If you are not, then I urge you to do something about it - and to do it now! Writing to the Corinthians, Paul stated "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Cor 6:2; emphases added); while the writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus asked the unanswerable question: "... how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (Heb 2:3).

"Rapture ready" - should be the aim of each and every one of us!

* The subject of the Rapture is dealt with, in greater depth, in my book "Great Words of the Faith", available from Amazon in both paperback, and Kindle formats. Links are at the top of the blog. Please permit me to emphasise that I do not receive a single penny from sales. ALL royalties are sent, by Amazon, directly to the Bank Account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church.

Can I lose my salvation?

Yesterday, one of the members of a Facebook Group to which I belong, responded to someone else's posting of Hebrews 6:4-8 which reads "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold Him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned." 

Now those are scary words! They appear to be saying that I could, conceivably, lose the salvation that is mine in the Lord Jesus. This brother was certainly concerned, and he voiced that concern. I have responded to him already, but then thought that it might be helpful to share my thoughts with a wider audience.

I responded in the form of a letter, but I shall just give the main text here - and maybe add a little (I didn't want a comment to be too long!).

1. Apostasy is a genuine problem. The author of Hebrews is not dealing with any hypothetical situation. He is addressing people who were experiencing personal problems. However, as the Lord Himself, He is not out to condemn, but to encourage. (see John 3:17).

2. You should note that this warning passage presents us with a particular situation. It is a rule of the interpretation of the Bible to discover, first, what a passage meant to the original readers. In this case, the main purpose was to urge Jewish disciples of Jesus (remember, Hebrews is so named because it was written to Hebrews!) – what, today, we might refer to as “Messianic Jews”. – not to allow themselves, under the pressure of persecution, to leave the distinctive aspects of their new faith, and slip back into the purely Jewish claim that Jesus was a blasphemer, a fraud, a charlatan, who deserved to die as He did. The writer was not dealing with the sincere believer who is depressed about his spiritual failure. Sanctification is a lifelong process, and John makes clear that anyone who claims to be sinless is far from the truth: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (I John 1:8-10|). I made up a little plaque for my study. It reads: "In this life I shall never be sinless but, by God's grace, I may sin less." My wife and I were recently counselling a young woman who had fallen into sexual sin. I pointed out to her that, by Jesus’ standards, I am a serial adulterer (and murderer!).

3. There is a warning, for us, in this passage. You should note that the words “crucify” and “put” (v.6) are, in the original Greek language, present participles. That means that we should really translate “while they are crucifying” and “while they are putting Him to an open shame”. It is, if you like, while we are acting in this way, that we cannot be brought to repentance. If we stop – then repentance is possible! We depend, for our salvation, not on our love for the Father, but on His great love for us!

4. Finally, we must remember to compare scripture with scripture. Our God does not contradict Himself! It is all too easy to take a passage, out of context, and build a doctrine on it! For example, I sometimes shock friends by informing them that I have become an atheist! I shock them further by telling them that I am doing so because the Bible confirms it! Three times, I read the clear, simple words: “There is no God”! So, if I believe the Bible, I have no option other than to be an atheist! Of course, if I read those particular words in context, I discover that it is “The fool [who] has said in his heart ‘There is no God’” (see Pss. 14:1; 53:1; and note 10:4). So, we must not let the enemy confuse us. The N.T. is full of assurances for the child of God. Even in Hebrews, the author is “sure of better things” (6:9) and, as one who served at every rank in the Boys’ Brigade apart from Sergeant and Captain, I cannot forget 6:19-20: "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek."!

If you are being attacked by the enemy, I trust that this will be of help to you.

Slavery

In case there is anyone who has not noticed, most of western Europe is currently experiencing a severe heatwave. Yesterday, our outside thermometer - shaded by a large canopy - registered above its maximum mark of 50C! At 10.20 p.m., it was still registering 34C!

Regretfully, I had some essential work to do - outside. It was not a pleasant experience. I was working for 10-15 mins, and then taking a 15 minute break - and a pint of cold drink. However, as I did so, I found myself thinking of some who did not have the freedom to 'pace themselves' as I was doing. I thought of Hebrews in the land of Egypt, prior to the Exodus. Working from sunrise to sunset, in similar conditions, but with no humanitarian, or other, breaks. I thought of Negros in the southern states of the USA, picking cotton in such conditions and, again, with no breaks. We have a name to describe that kind of situation. We call it "slavery"!

Some people seem to think that such situations are no more than the stuff of history. However, slavery goes on even today - but we now refer to it as "people trafficking", as if that makes one iota of difference to its victims! Whatever we name it, slavery is, to most ordinary people, a vile and obnoxious practice.

Yet there is one form of slavery that is positive and beneficial! When I read the letters in the Second Testament, I find that Paul, and James, and Peter, and Jude, all refer to themselves as slaves! It is true that, in most English-language versions of the Scriptures, the word "servant" is used. But that word translates the Greek word "doulos" - and, make no mistake about it, the doulos was a slave!

These Biblical writers knew all about slavery. They knew what being a slave entailed. They knew that a slave had absolutely no rights of his/her own. They knew that the slave was the absolute property of his/her master/mistress. The owner had the very power of life and death over the slave. They were considered, by the vast majority, to be property - especially when the availability of new 'property' was so ready as Rome conquered, and enslaved its defeated enemies. They were described as 'vocal agricultural implements' and some would have preferred them without the vocal part!

When I was studying history at the University of Glasgow - so many years ago! - I had to produce an essay on one of the people referred to as "Beneficent despots". Those two words could have been seen as contradictory, as someone who was, and is, beneficent is kindly, and loving, and wise; while a despot is another way of describing an absolute dictator. However, to the disciple of Jesus, the Christ, He is the true "beneficent despot"!

By that, I mean that He demands total obedience from His people, but He treats them as His friends. Indeed, towards the end of His earthly life, He spoke to those who weer His closest followers: "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15).

So, being a slave of Jesus is not a hardship - although being in His service can bring many difficulties, as those in the persecuted church know only too well. However, as we willingly submit ourselves to Him; as we echo His own prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Not My will but Thine be done." (Luke 22;42); as we crown Him Lord of our lives; then we enter a slavery that is truly privileged. 

That is why the true disciple of Jesus is happy to be known as a slave - because we are the slaves of the King of kings, and Lord of lords, Who gave Himself, on the cross, for our redemption*. Who would not gladly serve One such as that?! Who would not wish to be under His control?!

Of course, not one of us is a perfect slave - but we serve a perfect Master Who may be trusted in every situation and circumstance. I commend Him to you.


* This is one of the Great Words looked at in my first book (details above). Available as both a paperback and a Kindle e-book, ALL royalties are paid directly to Release International in support of the persecuted church. Please consider purchasing this, and the other two books, and commending them to others.

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!

Contrôle Technique

For those who do not understand the heading, it is the French equivalent of the UK Ministry of Transport test (MOT) and, I am delighted to report that, when I submitted our car, last week, it passed! Part of the reason for that was my having just replaced all four tyres - two because they had reached the limit of the legal tread depth; and two because, although they had plenty of tread depth, they were not the same brand of tyre on a single axle - a French requirement that is not a UK one!

Of course, while I was aware of the tyre situation, there were many other issues on which the car could have been failed - issues of which I would have been totally unaware! I am thinking, for example, of the exhaust emissions. I had no idea as to whether, or not, they would be within the acceptable range!

It occurred to me, afterwards, that this is a bit like sin in my life! There are some sins of which, like my unsatisfactory tyres, I am all too well aware. These are the sins to which. I believe, the anonymous writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus was referring when he wrote: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ..." (12:1; emphasis added). There are areas in my life in which the enemy knows that I am most vulnerable - and he takes every opportunity to attack me there! Left to my own devices, I would always fail and, sadly, I often do. However, that quotation for Hebrews continues: "... looking to Jesus the Pioneer 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." (vs. 2-4; emphasis added). That's the answer - "... looking to Jesus ..."!

The important thing is to deal with these sins, as I dealt with my tyres - and to do so in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and with the assistance of God the Holy Spirit.

Of course, there may be other sins of which I have not yet become fully aware, or which I simply don't recognise as 'sin'! These are the equivalent of the exhaust emissions, or of a crack in a spring, in my car. This is where I have to ask for discernment, that I may recognise those "unconscious" sins for what they are. It may even be that I have to ask someone else - someone whom I trust! - to point them out to me, just as the Contrôle Technique examiner (or the MOT test examiner) would point out the problem with emissions, springs, brake discs, etc. Of course, when they have been identified, those sins, too, need to be dealt with!

Amost exactly five years ago, I published a post on "A spiritual MOT test!" You may be able to use the link to read the whole post, but let me repost a check-list (not my original!) that I shared then:

• am I clean in word, thought, and deed?
• is Christ, as far as I can make Him, the Head of my home?
• do they know that I am a disciple of Jesus where I work?
• are other people likely to be drawn to better things for knowing me?
• do I guard time, each day, for reading my Bible, and for prayer?
• do I regularly attend worship services, and attend at the Lord's Table?
• do other people find it easy to work with me in Christian service?
• am I generous, as far as I am honestly able, to Christian work?
• am I growing in Christ?

That list stands. It is a useful set of checks for self-examination. However, I think that I would wish to add to it! For example:

• what are the web-sites that I have marked as 'Favourites'? Are there any that would cause me embarrasment if my pastor were to see them? I recall some years ago, on a visit, asking my host if I might have access to the internet to check some e-mails. The access was readily given and, as I logged on, the 'Favourites' list was displayed. I noticed one site that I thought was that of a newspaper, but with a typing error in the name. I clicked on the link - and discovered, to my shock, that there was no typing error, as I was taken to a site that was obviously intended for those with an interest in homosexuality! To say that I was shocked would be something of an understatement!
• am I in control of my temper? Or is it that, even in print, I constantly resort to the use of upper-case letters - the literary equivalent, I am told, of angry verbal shouting?
• how am I treating those most close to me? I recall my own minister, spiritual mentor, and personal friend, the late Rev. George B Duncan, often commenting that if we really wanted to know what sort of person he was, we should ask his wife! We only saw him as "the minister"; she lived with him! We saw him at his best; she saw him at his worst! What would my own wife have to say about me?!! Perhaps I should ask her before anyone else does!

You see, all of the above applies as much to me as it does to anyone who might read this post - and maybe more than it does to some! The life of a disciple of Jesus is not a life of sinless perfection, but of sanctification as, through the indwelling of Holy Spirit, Father God makes me more like Jesus. A little home-made plaque on my study wall has these words: "In this life I shall never be sinless but, by God's grace, I may sin less!" (emphasis added). I think that the words are original! They are certainly true! 

My car is now, officially, considered to be roadworthy for another two years. But what about me? Am I still worthy to be a disciple of Jesus? If I am, and I trust that I am, it is all due to His grace, and mercy, and love. All of that is available to you, too.  Have you availed yourself of it? If not, why not? 

So - what IS a "Christian"?

It was a headline in an online newspaper that first caught my eye: "A third of French ISIS fighters were born CHRISTIAN and converted to Islam, expert reveals." (emphasis in the original).

My first thought was, of course, that no-one is "born a Christian".  That, as Jesus pointed out very clearly to Nicodemus, requires that one be "born again"! (See John 3).  My second thought, coming from a Christian perspective, was that no-one is "converted" to Islam. If anything, one would be PERverted to that particular ideology.

So, what is a Christian?  Well, I am not the only preacher to have preached on that question - and on more than one occasion!  I could give a list of criteria that would define a Christian, in Biblical terms - and anything else is, at best, suspect!  My idea was to share some of the points that I have made, in the past, in this post.

Then I read today's 'Daily Article' by Dr Jim Denison - whom I have quoted before in this blog. In it, he refers to a couple who appear on American television.  He states that "Their HGTV show, Fixer Upper, is one of the most popular shows on the network. They are smart, funny, and entertaining. And the good they do in helping couples renovate houses into homes is terrific." We are informed, however, that this couple are "Christians" - and when Jim Denison uses the term, he knows exactly what he means!  He tells us that a reporter from a particular publication asked this couple where they stood on the issue of same-gender "marriage" (my quotation marks), and whether or not they would ever feature a same-gender couple on their show.    

The reporter then turned her attention to the Fellowship of which this couple are a part, carefully editing a sermon by the pastor that he preached on the Sunday after the USoA Supreme Court had declared that same-gender "marriage" was to be legal in all fifty States of the Union. (Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are all officially Commonwealths, but are counted as States for all administrative purposes!).

Now you may be wondering what has all of this to do with the question "What is a Christian?"? Well, Jim Denison makes the point that "Christians facing persecution is an escalating theme today." and, while he readily concedes that "... it is unfair to compare believers facing execution and/or confiscation of their churches and property with believers being ridiculed for their biblical beliefs regarding marriage.", he also concludes that "What the two kinds of persecution have in common is that both intend to pressure Christians to change their convictions."

That, as I read it, gave me a clue to the answer to my question. What is a Christian? A Christian is one who puts Jesus first - every time, in every situation, in every place. I recalled those young Egyptian Coptic Christians, murdered on a Libyan beach simply because they were faithful followers of Jesus. It was reported that they had the opportunity to deny Jesus, and recite the shahadah (the basic Islamic creed). Each one refused, even although they knew that it might be the means of saving their lives. I think of a Pakistani Christian named Asia, who has now spent about seven years in prison because she had the temerity to offer a cup of water to a fellow-worker in the fields, on a hot day. That fellow-worker was a Muslim - and was so offended by this, that Asia was reported under the "Blasphemy Laws" of Pakistan, and sentenced to death! She has been given many opportunities to become a Muslim, and be set free - but she has steadfastly refused to do so.

I wonder where you, and I, if we claim to be disciples of Jesus, stand in our faithfulness to Him? The anonymous (human) author of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus writes: "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." (Heb 12:3-4; emphasis added). I wonder if, with the knife-blade of a fanatic already at my throat, I would be as faithful as those young Copts.  I wonder if, after about seven years in prison, in solitary confinement for my own safety, I would still be faithful to the Lord Jesus. I trust that I would - and believe that, if I were to be in any such situation, I would indeed receive the grace that I needed to remember to "... take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Eph 6:13).

Let us never forget those who, on a daily basis, are indeed called upon to show that they are truly His. Let us pray that we, who enjoy so much relative ease in the "west", will be likewise faithful if, and when, real persecution comes to us!

It needs to be read!

Over the past week, or so, I have been with a couple of groups of people that included some who would appear to have very little knowledge of the Bible, although they are, I believe, regular "church-goers".  A number stated, openly, that they do not know it as well as they should and because of that, they do not know the basic message of the Gospel.  To hear, for example, a professed disciple of Jesus accept the possibility of reincarnation tells me that such a person either hasn't read Hebrews 9:27 - "... it is appointed unto man to die once, and then comes judgement." - or has totally failed to understand it! 

Of course, important 'though the reading of the Word of God is, that is not enough if we are to be true servants of the Lord Jesus.  I have been reminded of the story of the man who announced to his pastor that he was planning to visit Israel.  After having shared his planned itinerary, he asked the pastor : "And what do you think I'm most looking forward to doing?"  The pastor thought for a moment before replying.  "Well," he said, "a number of things come to mind.  However, since you want me to name just one, I would think that it would have to be the empty tomb."  "No," responded the other.  "Obviously I do want to see that, but the highlight of the tour will be to climb a mountain. Then, when I reach the summit, to read aloud the entire Sermon on the Mount!"

The pastor knew his flock!  He shook his head, all too aware of the man's spiritual problems - and the reason behind them.  "Brother," he remarked, "why go all of that distance just to read it?  Wouldn't it be better for you to stay at home, and keep it?!"

It is, of course, commended, and commendable, to read the Word of God.  Indeed, it is actively encouraged within its own pages!  So the Psalmist declares: "With my whole heart I seek Thee; let me not wander from Thy commandments!  I have laid up Thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee." (Ps. 119:10-11).  Paul reminds the believers in Rome that "... whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope." (Rom 15:4).  The same apostle instructs his "son in the faith", Timothy, to "... attend to the public reading of scripture, to preaching, to teaching." (I Tim 4:13).

However, if all that we do is read, then we are in danger of treating that Word, that is "... living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12), as little, if anything, more than literature. C.S.Lewis writes: "... in most parts of the Bible everything is, implicitly or explicitly, introduced with 'Thus saith the LORD'.  It is if you like to put it that way, not merely a sacred book, but a book so remorselessly, and continuously, sacred that it does not invite, it excludes or repels, the merely aesthetic approach. ... ... It demands, incessantly, to be taken on its own terms: ..." (The Literary Impact of the Authorised Version").

Reading is good, but it is insufficient.  James urges his readers to: "... be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22); while Paul assures the Romans that: "... it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified." (Rom 2:13).

You may be a faithful reader of the Word - but are you a keeper?  Do you, perhaps, just scan its pages superficially; merely perusing it as a spiritual exercise (that can, all too easily, degenerate into some form of "salvation by works"!), or to salve your own conscience?  Or does it move you to effective action?  As the titles of many of the commentaries on the Letter of James make clear, there are two parts to the Gospel - believing it; and behaving it!

Remember that, while it is true 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), it is also true that: "... we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (v.10)! 

Holding hands!

It was posted on Facebook by a former pupil who is now the mother of a little boy.  It read:

Well, as any regular visitor to this blog will understand, my mind went beyond a little boy and his mum!  I was immediately reminded of the relationship between Father God, and the one whose trust is in the Lord, Jesus the Christ, for salvation.

I sometimes read the truth that, as a disciple of Jesus, I am not perfect - but that I am forgiven.  As such, my hand is in the hand of the Father.  He is the One Who never lets me go; Who never lets me down; and Who, I must also remember, never lets me off!  Yes, even the believer is subject to the Lord's discipline.  And we should not want it any other way!

In the old Book of Proverbs, we read: "My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." (3:11-12).  The un-named writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus quotes those very words and goes on to say: "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.  For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Heb 12:7-11).

Many years ago, a Christian singing group named "Harmony" sang a song that was titled (if memory serves me well!) The Man from Galilee.  The chorus went something like this:

"Put your hand in the hand of the Man Who stilled the waters.
Put your hand in the hand of the Man Who calmed the sea.
Take a look at yourself, and you can look at the others differently;
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee."

It's a strong hand; it's a faithful hand; it's a hand that was once nailed to a cross - for you, and for me. Have you yet entrusted your life to Him?  Are you trying to hold on to His hand, rather than allow Him to hold on to yours?  His grip is, as the little boy understood with his mother, much stronger than yours.  If you yield your life to Him, He will never let you go - regardless of your situation and/or circumstances.

In just a couple of weeks, we will be celebrating His birth.  What better gift could you give to Him at this time, than your own life in total surrender, and full obedience.  You'll never regret it if you do!

Hope!

Continuing from the previous post, may I suggest that the first anchor should be hope?  The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, speaking of the impossibility of God ever proving to be false, says, "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain." (6:19).  As long as we have hope, sunk deed down in our inmost being, then life cannot ever destroy us.  It may, and often will, hurt us, but it cannot break us.  As long as hope holds out, we may weather the fiercest storm.

Most will be familiar with the old adage: "Where there's life, there's hope."  I would suggest that it is equally true (if not more so!) to say that "Where there's hope, there's life."!  Many of the survivors of the Holocaust have spoken of the hope that kept them going in the midst of the most terrible of conditions.  In many countries, today, there are those who are persecuted - predominantly those who profess a Christian faith - but who live in hope.  I can never forget the commercial traveller who, during a particularly bad snowfall in the N.E. of Scotland survived being buried for some days, in his car - when others had succumbed to the cold, and to the difficulty in breathing.  His comment, when rescued, was: "I never gave up hope!"

Of course, the hope that is an anchor for the soul is not just a vague optimism that 'things will turn out alright; that, as Dickens' character, Mr Micawber, would have said, "Something will turn up!"  Rather, it is the hope of which Paul writes to the early disciples of Jesus in Colossae: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col.1:27).  It is, in fact, more than hope, in the popular sense of the word.  It is an assurance that is based on the unchangeable character of Almighty God.

One of the old hymns states:
"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name." (Edward Mote)

Do you have the anchor of hope on board, today?  Is that hope grounded in the Lord, Jesus the Christ?  I encourage you to hope in Him.  It will be for your good, and to His glory.

A work in progress!

One of my regular activities is commenting on online newspaper articles.  Such comments may be totally secular but, quite often, I have an opportunity to witness - in one way or another!  I have also become friendly with some of my fellow commenters, including one obvious believer who uses the pseudonym "Happy"!

A couple of days ago, I was disappointed by a comment made by Happy - and told him so!  He responded: "Sorry C.B.  As you can see, I am not perfect yet.  But the good news is God is still working on me!"

What a refreshing reply!  He is, of course, absolutely correct - and not only with regard to himself!  In spite of the claims of some - particularly high-powered American speakers - there is no such thing as 'sinless perfection' while we reside in our mortal bodies.  John makes this abundantly clear: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ... If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (I John 1:8,10).

It is said that, one day, Michelangelo entered his studio to examine the work of his students.  As he came to the work of one particular student, he looked at it for a long time.  Then, taking a brush, he wrote a single word across the canvas - "amplius"!  The word meant 'larger'.  The master-painter was not rejecting the work of his student for it exhibited great skill, and was as good as could be expected at that stage of his training.  However, the small size of the canvas made his design appear cramped.  It needed to be expanded.

Often, the Lord may have to write 'amplius' across the lives of many of His disciples.  Our spiritual outlook becomes confined; our vision of what God wants to do, in and through us, is restricted by our limited spiritual growth.  The Lord is aware of the progress that we have made - but He encourages us to keep expanding our horizons.  He wants to increase the dimensions of our spiritual lives; widen our outreach; strengthen our witness.  He's not finished with us yet; each of us is "a work in progress"!

Writing to the believers in Philippi, Paul gave them this encouragement: "... it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." (Phil 1:9-11).  He knew that they were "works in progress", but he wanted them to 'keep on keeping on' that theyu might bring praise and glory to Father God.

So, "... let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer 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." (Heb 12:1-2).

Sorry C B , As you can see, I am not perfect yet, But the good news is God is still working on me.!

Sorry C B , As you can see, I am not perfect yet, But the good news is God is still working on me.!

Sorry C B , As you can see, I am not perfect yet, But the good news is God is still working on me.!

Sorry C B , As you can see, I am not perfect yet, But the good news is God is still working on me.!

Ivy - and sin!

Today, I spent almost five hours in the front garden of our new home in Gardonne.  I knew that there was a well there - as in the front gardens of the next-door-neighbours on either side - and assumed that, like theirs, the top would be plain concrete.  I couldn't immediately tell, as it was covered with ivy - that virulent, pervasive climber that can choke the life out of a tree.  I recalled a little song that my late mother would sing when I was a child:

Dozy dotes, and maresy dotes, and little lamsy tivy.
A kidilee tivytoo, wouldn't you?

It was many years before I worked out that the strange language was really very simple:

Does eat oats, and mares eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy.
A kid'll eat ivy, too; wouldn't you?

I would have been delighted if some little lambs, and some kids (as in young goats!) had appeared, today.

However, as I gradually cleared the ivy from around the well-head, I realised that there were a number if similarities between ivy, and sin!  The first one that caught my attention was the way in which the ivy clings to its host - whatever that may be.  As I tugged, and pulled, I found it extremely difficult to get the stems away from the well-head.  I was reminded of the words of the inspired writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer 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." (Heb.12:1-2; emphasis added).

That's one of the problems with sin.  The ivy around the well-head didn't all appear overnight.  It will have started as a small plant but, left unchecked, it grew stronger and stronger until it needed such great effort to remove it.  Few, if any, commit serious sins without having first committed sins that didn't really seem to matter.  I wonder if anyone has ever researched, e.g., a bank robber - and discovered that, years before, that person had stolen money from his mother's purse; that he had obtained employment, but had regularly purloined company funds; that he had mugged many a person, and stolen their wallet/purse!

Such criminal activity is, of course, a sin against the other person involved - the victim.  However, Judaeo/Christian teaching is that all sin is primarily against God.  David, the shepherd-king of Israel knew this.  Having entered into an illicit sexual relationship with Bathsheba; and having tried to cover his wrongdoing by having her husband killed in battle; he was confronted by the prophet, Nathan (see II Samuel 12).  He wrote a song to display his repentance and, in it, are these words: "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy sight, so that Thou art justified in Thy sentence and blameless in Thy judgment.   Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Ps.51:3-5; emphasis added).

David now realised that he had sinned - and done so grievously - but he also knew that while both Bathsheba and Uriah had suffered, it was God's own character that had been besmirched!

You and I are both sinners - every bit as much as David.  We may not have committed adultery, or plotted the murder of another person, but we have broken God's law, and we deserve His just punishment.  That punishment is an eternity separated from Him.  That may not seem important to some, right now.  However, when they stand before His Judgement Throne, and are cast out of His presence, they will wish that they had listened to people like me!

Of course, there is a remedy!  In the Persona (see Great Words of the Faith; chapter on The Trinity) of the Son, He took the punishment that you and I deserve.  He paid the price, that we might go free.  Have you responded to His amazing offer of salvation?  If not, then why not do so right now?  You will find a couple of helpful links if you scroll down and, of course, if I can be of any assistance at that personal level, please do not hesitate to contact me via the e-mail address above.  Remember, like the ivy, the longer you leave it, the more difficult it is to deal with.

"Working together with Him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.  For He says, 'At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.'  Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Cor 6:1-2; emphasis added).

Look to the past - for a glimpse of the future!

So the Conservative Party Conference has ended.  And what a rousing (undoubtedly prepared by others!) speech from the leader of the Party!  How well he spoke to his audience (the old words "preaching to the choir" came to mind!); how convincing he must have been to many of the electorate.  However, he did make, in my opinion, one major faux pas.  In the context of the renegotiations that he expects to be conducting with the EU, after the May General Election, and speaking to those who expect little, or nothing, to come of them, he declared: "To anyone who thinks I can't, or won't, deliver this I will say, 'Judge me by my record'!"

It may be unfortunate for Mr Cameron, but I believe that that is exactly what great numbers of the British electorate are already doing!  It's not a record that would, even politically, engender any confidence at all in the Prime Minister's negotiating, or any other, skills.  He promised - indeed, gave a "cast-iron guarantee" of - a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty; but dropped it like the proverbial hot potato as soon as he gained office, and imposed a three-line whip to stop an EU referendum bill. He promised that, under his coalition government, net immigration to this island nation would be reduced to tens of thousands.  We are now paying France to try to stop illegal ''economic migrants" from entering the UK.  Please note, I am not in any way against the provision of asylum (sanctuary) for those who are genuinely in fear of their lives.  But far too many of those who come to the UK do so, not because they require a place of safety - that should be the first safe country they enter, not the one to which they travel through at least two other safe countries! - but because we provide them with the most generous benefits!  A legal 'marriage' service may now be held between two persons of the same gender - and the PM has even stated that he wants to export this deviance around the world - "Judge me by my record"?  Not a good idea, Mr Cameron - from your perspective!

Of course, not everyone is like the current holder of the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.   I am a fan of one particular make-up of The Gaither Vocal Band - Mark Lowry, Guy Penrod, David Phelps and, of course, Bill Gaither.  In one of their recorded songs is this chorus: "But now, more than ever, I sit at the cross; more than ever, I sit at His feet.  The days of my journey have proved my Lord true, and He is so precious to me."  I love those words "The days of my journey have proved my Lord true."  They're a reminder that the Lord can be trusted - absolutely.  I have proved Him so often in the past; I know that I can trust Him for the present, and the future.  His is a record that stands up to to the closest of scrutinies.  He is totally dependable.  As the writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus wrote: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever." (Heb 13:8).

One of the Psalmists summed it up nicely when he penned these words: "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help. ... ... Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in YHWH his God, ..." (Ps 146:3, 5).

Exactly what the Conservative Party, if returned to government in May, will produce can still only be the subject of speculation.  The dependability of Almighty God, especially for those who are His adopted children, justified through His grace and through the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, at Calvary, is certain.  Hallelujah!

dropped it like a hot potato as soon as he gained office, telling the whips office to form a 3 line whip to stop an EU referendum bill.

"Anyone who thinks I can't or won't deliver this, I will say 'judge me by my record".

"Anyone who thinks I can't or won't deliver this, I will say 'judge me by my record".

"Anyone who thinks I can't or won't deliver this, I will say 'judge me by my record".

"Anyone who thinks I can't or won't deliver this, I will say 'judge me by my record".

"Anyone who thinks I can't or won't deliver this, I will say 'judge me by my record".

Back again!

Well, it's been a while.  I have discovered that PCs are like cars - great while they are working!  Sadly, just before my last trip to France, I lost my wi-fi connection and, as my ethernet cables are all safely packed away (!), I was depending on borrowed cables, and my wife's laptop.  On my return, I took it to PC World (under an extended warranty) but, when I got it back, I discovered that they had replaced the Hard Drive.  No problem re data - all backed up.  However, it has taken me forever (almost!) to reinstall software - and to re-upgrade to Win.8.1!

Okay, that's my reason (excuse) for not having posted for so long - but I'm back on track as of now!

Of course, my difficulty, now, is in deciding a topic on which to post!  So much has been in the news since my last offering.  The ongoing advance of the so-called "Islamic State" in Iraq; the move of another Conservative MP to the UK Independence Party; the revelation that police failed to check valuable CCTV evidence in their investigation into the disappearance of teenager, Alice Gross.

So I am simply going to comment on something that I certainly haven't noticed in the national newspapers - or any other news medium, for that matter!

In the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus, we find these amazing words: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever." (13:8).  In a world that seems to be forever in a state of flux, those are words that must surely appeal to our innate desire for constancy.  The fancy, theological, word is 'immutability', and what it assures us is that the Lord Jesus is unchangeable.  He is One on Whom we may depend, regardless of our situation, or our circumstances.  He is not one thing today; and something totally different tomorrow.  He is not fickle, or vacillating, abandoning, today, the plan that He made yesterday.

That, then, means that the salvation that He offers to all who place their trust in Him - confessing their sinfulness and sins, and claiming His blood and righteousness as the already-paid penalty - is not just for a time, but is for all of eternity!  (To learn more about eternity, may I recommend my book, "Great Words of the Faith" - see the top of the page).

So much of the news that we read in the newspapers, or see and hear on TV and radio, is bad news.  But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Good News - indeed, it is the best news that any mortal can hear!  It is the news of sin forgiven, and a new life that is possible in, and through, that same Lord Jesus.

If you want to know more, please check out the "Do you need God?" link on the right-hand-side of the page, near the bottom.  Then go to the link above it (New Christian UK).  Alternatively, please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address at the top.  I will be delighted to offer what help I can. :-)

Baggage, or blessing?

Baggage has been on my mind quite a bit, over recent months.   First of all, as we prepared our Motherwell house to go on the market, I had to explain to the Estate Agent that the loft, while having provided two bedrooms for my daughters while they lived with their mum and me, the house could not be advertised as having those two bedrooms.  This was the instruction given by the architect when I wanted to convert the loft, almost twenty years ago.  He explained that the space that I wanted to use as a stairwell would not allow for a stairway that met all of the current regulations.  It would be either too steep, or too narrow.  Accordingly, I was advised, I could only advertise a "floored loft with permanent access", and call it "baggage storage space"!  Needless to say, my daughters were not amused to discover that they were merely baggage!

Earlier this week, we travelled back to France.  With the house on the market, we had to empty everything that we were not prepared to leave.  We had borrowed a friend's baggage trailer, and anyone familiar with the song "Granny Fraser's flitting, fae Aboyne tae Aberdeen" would understand why that song was going through my mind! 

Today, I managed to get almost all of the items that we had brought across, and that hadn't already been stored in the static, into the garden shed that we built two years ago.  It was quite a job - and I already know that, when I start work on completing the balustrade around the terrasse, next week, there will be at least one tool that I will require that will be at the back of the shed!  Such is the well-known 'Murphy's Law'!

However, I started to think of all of the baggage that I carry around in my life.  The regrets; the hurts; the complaints.  They are things that do nothing for me except weigh me down, and hold me back.  The writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus wrote: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the Pioneer 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." (Heb 12:1-2). 

And, of course, there is no need for me to bear that burden.  That same Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30).

Are you burdened as you read this post?  Are you weary, and bowed down under the weight of your own sinfulness, and sin?  Then why don't you come to the Saviour Who, alone, can provide cleansing and salvation.  John writes: "... 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 - worth reading the full context!).   That's an amazing statement!   In the context of this post, it means, quite simply, that all of my baggage was dealt with at the cross - as long as I don't keep lifting it up again!

John Bunyan, in Pilgrim's Progress, writes: "So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up to the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the tomb, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then said Christian with a happy heart, 'He hath given me rest by His sorrow, and life by His death.' Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the water down his cheeks.

Now, as he stood looking and weeping, behold, three Shining Ones came to him, and saluted him, with 'Peace be to thee.' So the first said to him, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee'; the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with a change of garments; the third also set a mark on his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bade him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the heavenly gate; so they went their way." 

Baggage, or blessing - the choice is yours!

So, what would YOU do?

Imagine, if you will, that you are the mother of three pre-/primary school children.   It is a school holiday; your husband is at work; you are caring for the children at home.  Your eldest child is in her bedroom, with her computer; the middle boy is outside, playing in the garden; the baby is in the kitchen in a high-chair, as you prepare a meal.

Suddenly, an alarm sounds - a Red Alert alarm.  You know that you have fifteen seconds to get to a shelter.  You also know that you cannot possibly grab all three of your children in that time.  What do you do?  Who do you take, and who do you leave?  It is a dilemma of major proportion!

Yet such a dilemma regularly faces the inhabitants of many Israeli towns that are within range of Islamic Jihad (now the largest, and most influential, Palestinian militant movement) rockets, fired from the Gaza Strip. [The photographs show part of a consignment of weapons that were recently being smuggled from Iran to Gaza, to be used against Israel.  These were intercepted by the IFD (Israeli Defence Force)].

On Wednesday, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for more than 100 rockets that were fired toward Israel, a spokesman for Al-Quds (the military wing of Islamic Jihad) told Palestinian news agency Ma'an.  "You haven't yet seen the extent of our capabilities," added the spokesman, who further threatened to fire extended range missiles.  Residents in southern Israel have reported several rocket alerts going off consecutively.

It is worthwhile having such information when so much of the popular media insists on demonising Israel.  Yet it is Israel that is the only true democracy in the Middle East.  Of its population of just over seven-and-a-half million, over one-and-a-half million are Arabs - a substantial minority!  Yet they enjoy equal rights; equal access to education; equal rights in voting and representation - with 10% of the membership of the Knesset (the Israeli parliament); and even equal rights to exhibit, as a table in a Hebrew University clearly demonstrated - it was promoting Hamas (at the time, the leading Palestinian movement!).  Israeli hospitals regularly treat Palestinians who have been wounded in the ongoing conflict, with children being particularly well cared for.

So, next time someone speaks to you about those terrible Israelis, and their despicable treatment of the poor Palestinians, please set them right.  Let them know the truth - not the propaganda put out by the militants, whose only desire is the complete destruction of the modern State of Israel!

Down-sizing - or ditching?!

Okay, so we are in the flat.  We have only a few boxes left to unpack - well, only a few that are really urgent!  Problem is, we (Note from my wife: "Change that 'we' to 'I'!!) still have a lot of stuff in the house that we have now left (simply because it has not yet been sold!).

We have also encountered a couple of difficulties with the flat, the worst of which is that the boiler has broken down and is, apparently, beyond repair.  The solicitors are now 'fighting' over who should be responsible for the cost of replacement.  Still, we take comfort from the assurance that not even any of this has caught the Lord by surprise (read the chapter on 'Predestination' in my book Great Words of the Faith).

I have also realised that it is something of an illustration of the Christian life!  When a person submits to Jesus, and accepts Him as No.1 in their life, they are 'born again'.  That's a Biblical expression that means that they have started a completely new life.  It's Jesus' own words: "Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.'" (John 3:3).

I suggest that it's a bit like moving house.  When we make that submission, we have to get rid of a lot of old 'baggage'.  The writer of the great Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus encourages us to "... lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer 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." (Heb 12:1-2).

However, we don't merely need to clear out the old, sinful, baggage that we have carried around, perhaps for many years.  We also have to be aware that,contrary to what even some preachers claim, following Jesus is not guaranteed to be a 'bed of roses'.  Indeed, the Lord constantly made that clear to those who heard Him speak.  "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matt 5:11-12; emphasis added).  Perhaps we in the so-called 'developed' world have much too easy a life as those who claim to be followers of the Way!  In some fifty countries around the world, that is certainly not the case! (see some of the links below).  I sometimes wonder what would happen in, for example, the U.K. if we were suddenly to be faced with the persecution that is common-place in those countries!  I suspect that many would be withdrawing from 'church membership' - perhaps even some of those who were preaching on the previous week!  By the way, please do not make the mistake of thinking that such a thing would not happen here!  Watch the trends!

Down-sizing, and dealing with difficulties.  Part and parcel of moving house - and part and parcel of the new life, in Christ, to which all are called, even if so many reject, or ignore, that call!