Promoted to Glory.

At the end of last week, my wife and I received the news of the death, in Scotland, of a very dear friend of more than 30 years. Sadly, we were unable to travel back to attend the funeral service. We are so glad that we were able to attend the wedding of our friend Peter, to his second wife, Kate - both of them having been widowed, but having known one another before either of them were first married!

Although current restrictions meant that, in order to broadcast the service, it had to take place in the Chapel of Rest, in the Border town of Dumfries, Peter and Kate worshipped with the Salvation Army. I love the way in which the Salvation Army refers to the death of a disciple of Jesus. The person has not "passed away", or "been lost", or started "kicking up the daisies", or any other euphemism! No! When a disciple of Jesus in the Salvation Army dies, that person is "Promoted to Glory"!

Promotion, in any area of life, is seen as a very good thing. Many spend their lives seeking it - in work, in organisations, in many other fields of existence. However, I have not a shadow of doubt that the greatest promotion that anyone can experience is to be "Promoted to Glory". So what does the expression mean?

Well, "glory" refers to heaven - the "dwelling-place" of Almighty God. The eternal spirit of the  disciple of Jesus, at the moment of physical death, leaves the mortal body that had been its dwelling-place for the earthly life of the individual, and goes directly to be "with the Lord". Paul writes: "So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." (II Cor 5:6-8; emphasis added). The Lord Jesus, Himself, assured one of those who was being crucified alongside Him, but who had recognised that this Man was no common criminal, that "Truly, ..., today you will be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43; emphasis added).

Now that, of course, is not the full story! Thinking along such lines was the problem for the early believers in Thessalonica, that led Paul to provide this assurance: "But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord." (I Thess 4:13-17; emphasis added).

What Paul is emphasising is that, until the Rapture*, it is the spirit of the disciple of Jesus whose earthly sojourn has come to an end, that goes to be "in Paradise" - the mortal remains are dealt with in an appropriate manner. Then, at the Rapture, those 'dead' bodies will be resurrected and instantly changed into 'resurrection' bodies (see I Cor.15:52), that shall never decay and, as they rise to meet the Lord Jesus "in the air", those disciples of Jesus who are alive at that moment, will be caught up with them, and all of His people will be with Him throughout eternity*.

Of course, as my repeated reference to "disciples of Jesus", and equivalent terms, will have emphasised, the written Word of God, the Bible, makes clear that all of this is only true for those who are "in Christ" and who have the Christ "in them". If you are not in that position, or if you have some doubts, then I would encourage you to read the previous four posts. I do not believe that it is 'coincidence' that I am composing this post immediately after them!

As always, if I may be of further assistance, at a more personal level, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address above.

*These words are dealt with, more fully, in my first book - Great Words of the Faith. Please remember that I urge folk to purchase any of my books, not for personal gain, as ALL royalties are sent, directly, to Release International, in support of the persecuted church, but because I believe that they will be found to be helpful to those who are seeking, and also to those who have found!

Is the Church a puzzle?

One of the ways in which my wife has occupied herself during the Covid-19 restrictions, is by completing jigsaw puzzles! Actually, what she does is a lot more difficult than that. She is into "Wasgij"s! These are jigsaws - but the picture on the box is not the picture of the finished article. One has to work out what is happening in the 'box picture' and how it will work out. The result is the picture that is to be built up from the 1,000 pieces. 

Of course, as every jigsaw aficionado is aware, there is only one place in any puzzle for each piece. The piece that is designed for the top-right-hand corner simply won't fit in the bottom-left-hand corner! That, I would suggest, is a wee bit like the Church as the Body of the Lord Jesus, the Christ.

Writing to the disciples of Jesus in Corinth, Paul stated: "For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye , where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as He chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'" ( I Cor 12:14-21). 

It's worth noting that every believer has a ministry! It's not just the pastor; the elders; the youth and children's ministry leaders; etc. It's you, and me. Someone has worked out that less than 10% of those who claim to be disciples of Jesus are involved in any form of Christian service! I'm all for tithing - but that is very sad. Most seem to go to a worship service for what they can get out of it (usually, as a result of that attitude, not very much!). Service in the Body of the Christ is not optional. As the son of William Booth - founder of the Salvation Army - stated to his father concerning a friend and himself:  "We are not volunteers. We are soldiers in the Lord's army". That comment gave the name to the S.A.

We should also note that every ministry is important. This is one of the difficulties that the Church seems to face. People want to be 'in the limelight'. So, I am happy to be the preacher; or the leading elder. I have no problem with being the director of the music for the worship service; or of being one of the music group instrumentalists. Ask me to chair an important committee, or to organise a specific, and high-profile, event, and I am in my element. But making the coffee; cleaning the building; greeting people at the door. Well, those activities don't sound particularly exciting, or important! Yet there are no 'insignificant' ministries. And note that Paul states that it is Father God, Himself, Who "arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as He chose."

A final point that should be emphasised is that we are dependant on one another! There is no individual ministry that is capable of accomplishing all that the Church has been called to do. Like a jigsaw puzzle, each and every piece is required to be in its correct place in order to complete the picture. If a piece is missing altogether, of course, that is a real tragedy - the picture will never be completed! 

Read, again, those words of Paul shared above. When one part of our body malfunctions, the whole body may suffer as the other parts are unable to work together as they were designed to do. We need one another, because we have been called to work with one another. "Bear one another's burdens," writes Paul to the Galatian believers, "and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Gal 6:2).

That is not to say that we should hanker after another's gifting. Our ministry is decided by the Father - and that is the ministry in which He will use us! In any other place, we are just 'square pegs in round holes'! That is a waste of time and effort, and produces poor results.

So, be the piece of the jigsaw that you are meant to be. That will bring blessing to you, and to the fellowship of which you are a part; and will gladden the Father-heart of God. 

When life begins!

About 125 AD, a philosopher named Aristides presented his defence of Christianity to the Emperor Hadrian.  It is quite a long document that deals with the religious history and beliefs of various groups, before turning to those who followed the Way of the Christ.   One of the important differences that he noted between Christians and others concerns their attitude to physical death.  In para. XV, he states "... if any righteous man among them passes from the world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God; and they escort his body as if he were setting out from one place to another near."

He was, of course, totally correct.  Disciples of Jesus can face death differently from those who do not know Him as their personal Saviour and Lord, because they have a hope that is beyond the grave.   I recall the old saying that "Life begins at 40".  However, for the true child of God, life - new and glorious living - begins at the death of the physical body, when the spirit leaves the body and enters into the presence of the Lord.  That's why they can face death with such confidence, and even joy.  That's why those young Egyptian men who, not so long ago, were forced by cowardly Islamic terrorists to kneel on a Libyan beach to be beheaded, could die with the name of Jesus on their lips.  That's what is meant by the title of a booklet that I have (currently in a box!) - "Death, with a steady eye".  That's why the apostle Paul could write to the believers in the Roman colony of Philippi: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." (Phil 1:21-23).

Even in obituaries, and on headstones, the difference in attitude is often seen.  Believers have not "passed away": they have not been "lost"; they have not even "died"!  No!  They have been "called home"; they are "with the Lord"; to our Salvation Army friends, they have been "promoted to Glory".

What a remarkable difference there is in the ways in which a disciple of Jesus, and an unbeliever, look at death!  For one, it is often viewed as a hopeless ending.  For the other, it is seen as a joyous beginning!  Indeed, when disciples of Jesus "die", they have only just begun to live!

Being in God's will.

Selling a house can be quite a stressful experience!  It can be an opportunity to learn to be patient in the Lord.  It can bring back memories of earlier years living in that home.

One of the memories that I have been revisiting over recent weeks is of the conversion of the loft area to provide bedrooms for my two (then) teenage daughters.  When I was planning that major project, I employed the services of an architect in order to ensure that all would be both sound, and legal.  It wasn't really a complaint, but he quickly made clear to me that, although I was asking him to design the conversion in a way that would satisfy all of the regulations, I had already made the plans in my own mind - and nothing that he might say say was going to change them!  What I really wanted was for him to give the O.K. to my own ideas!

Many of us, who would claim to be disciples of Jesus, seem to proceed in the same way when we ask God to plan our lives.  The words that we pray ask for wisdom, and guidance but, in our hearts, we have already decided what we will do with our lives.  Often, those plans are good, and seek to honour the Lord.  Often there is great effort put into areas of Christian service.  Somehow, however, we seem to have missed the message of Romans 12:1-2, "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  We gladly trust Christ for salvation, but we are less willing to make the full surrender of our very bodies which ios necessary of we are to "... prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

One of my favourite stories concerns Miriam Booth, a daughter of the founder of the Salvation Army (which, by the way, celebrates its 150th anniversary, next year).  She was, by all accounts, a beautiful and cultured lady who was used wonderfully by God as she sought to serve Him.  Suddenly, and unexpectedly, she contracted a disease that brought her close to death.  A friend who was visiting her commented that it was a great pity that a person with her capabilities should be thus hindered from doing the Lord's work.

Miriam's reply was, surely, classic.  "It is a great thing," she said, "to do God's work; but greater still to be in God's will."

If you are a disciple of Jesus, it's a thought worth pondering.  Whatever our work for Him, let us be certain that we are in His will for us!

Shining for Jesus.

In Wishaw Baptist Church, our motto for this year is taken from Paul's letter to the disciples of Jesus in the ancient Roman colony of Philippi.  This meant that it was a place in which the majority of the inhabitants were more Roman than people who lived in Rome!  Our motto is from 2:15-16 where we read (NIV): "shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the words of life"

Evangeline Booth, daughter of the founder of the Salvation Army, used to tell of an experience that she had at the end of an exhausting day's ministry (no. physically undemanding, internet ministries in those far-off days!).  Someone came to ask her if she would spare a few minutes to see a particular gentleman.  When she appeared to hesitate, the messenger became quite insistent, explaining that the man had travelled a long distance just to meet with her.  "By all means, then", replied the evangelist, "bring him to me."  "He can't come to you." was the answer.  "He is 94 years old!"

Miss Booth quickly made her way to where the old man was seated.  As she greeted him he told her, "I was the lamplighter for your father when he held his first meeting under shelter.  Afterwards, he placed his hand upon my head and said, 'Always be a lamplighter for Jesus'.  I want you to know that I followed his advice, and have sought to be a shining witness for my Lord."

We may aspire to a great many tasks, and desire to occupy various places of responsibility in God's plan but, basically, we are to be light-bearers - "shin[ing] like stars in the universe as [we] hold out the words of life"  Jesus not only said of Himself,  "I am the Light of the world" (Jn.8:12); He also said to His disciples, "You are the light of the world."! (Matt.5:14).  As the moon reflects the glory of the sun, you and I, if we claim to be His disciples, are called to reflect Him, and to allow His light and life to shine through us. We are to keep our lamps trimmed, not allowing them to go out (see Matt.25:1-13).

We may sing songs like "Shine, Jesus, shine" with as much gusto as we can manage. However, it is as we shine for Him, in our daily lives, that we will have an impact for Him on those with whom we come into contact.  Keep your light shining, and He will put it where it can be seen!