Fifth Sunday.

Once again we have a fifth Sunday in the month so, as is now my custom, I wish to share some information about the persecuted church, and also to promote one of my books - remembering that all royalties go to Release International in support of persecuted disciples of Jesus in many countries around the world.

The land-locked west African country of Burkina Faso is bordered by Mali and Niger to its north, and the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin to its south. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. Known as the Republic of Upper Volta until the mid-1980s, Burkina Faso was formerly part of French West Africa, gaining its independence in 1960. French is still the language of government and the business world.

Since gaining its independence the country has been subject to on-going insecurity, with several military coups (including two in 2022) and has been prone to repeated droughts and famine. The vast majority of its people rely on subsistence agriculture. Cotton is a major cash crop.

Pastor Emmanuel*, who serves in Burkina Faso, has seen church members killed and has been forced to flee, in the face of attacks from Islamist militant groups.Serving the Lord has not been easy, particularly when persecution has meant moving from one place to another. In 2024 his village was attacked. ‘During the attack, four of our church members were killed,’ he said. ‘Many of us survived, because we managed to hide in the corn field. They targeted mostly men, but all of us were afraid.’

Emmanuel has benefited from a project supported by Release International, which seeks to help displaced pastors in Burkina Faso. He said, 'Today my heart rejoices and I thank my Saviour for what He has done for me and my family. Also, I want to thank the supporters, who are in a different part of the world, for their act of mercy. We have already received funds for food and housing for two months, together with aid for our [ministry].' ‘You have remembered us; may God remember you in every moment of your life. May God bless you and all you do for him.’

* Name changed for obvious reasons.

"I warmly commend this excellent piece of work from the pen of Brian Ross on the New Testament Letters of John.  There are three characteristics of the work which are admirable. First, it is expository in its intention: the author's concern is to explore what the text of Scripture teaches.  Secondly, it is applicatory in its form: that is, the truth is applied to Christian life and behaviour.  And finally, it possesses clarity in its structure.  I would expect it to have a wide uptake throughout the Christian church." 

Rev. Eric Alexander, M.A., B.D.

Formerly minister of St George’s-Tron Parish Church, Glasgow.

I.H.S.

The letters of the heading are well-known to many. They are found on pulpit-falls (the piece of material that hangs down in front of the lectern in most church building pulpits) in many church buildings - certainly in those of the Presbyterian persuasion in which I was reared, and in which I ministered for many years. They stand for three Latin words: "Iesous Hominum Salvator" that translate as "Jesus, Saviour of Mankind" - the basic message of the Gospel.

I was reminded of the letters when I watched the "Big Hymn Sing, 2020" from the Scots Church in Melbourne, Australia, recorded in the church building. There was the pulpit; and there was the pulpit-fall. By the way, for those who appreciate some of the "old" Christian hymns, it is worth watching - at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l66Qz2ScIQ&t=1688s

When I was much younger, I realised that I could 'play with' those letters. Indeed, they could be formed in three different ways, each of which teaches us another important truth for the true disciple of the Lord Jesus. The first combination is H.I.S. That's pretty obvious! If I am a disciple of Jesus, then I belong to Him - I am HIS! So Paul, writing to the early believers in the great metropolis of Rome, refers to them as "... who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;" (Rom.1:6; emphasis added). There is something good about 'belonging'. That is, basically, why people join all sorts of groups and organisations - from cycling clubs to choirs; from political parties to painting classes; from sporting groups to stamp collectors. However, the best group to which anyone can belong is the family of Almighty God - those who have been born again through the work of God the Holy Spirit in their lives, as they have come, in repentance and faith, and accepted the salvation that was gained for them by the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus, at Calvary.

A second combination follows on from the previous one. If I am H.I.S., then I am S.I.H. - Safe In Him. In His "High Priestly Prayer", recorded in John 17, (and, by the way, the true "Lord's Prayer"!) the Lord Jesus refers to His disciples with these words: "While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name, which Thou hast given me; I have guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled." (John 17:12-13; emphasis added). Again, in Paul's letter to the early Roman believers, he pens these wonderful words: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, 'For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:35-39; emphasis added). If I am truly His, then I am safe in Him.

The final combination returns to I.H.S. but, this time, I see "In His Service". Again, going back many years, we young believers were often taught that we are "saved to serve" and, of course, the One Whom we serve is the Lord Jesus Himself. This was the 'boast' of those first disciples of Jesus. Indeed, the word usually translated as "servant" is, more correctly, "slave". So Paul introduces himself to the early believers in Rome as "Paul, a slave of Jesus the Christ" (Rom.1:1); James commences his letter in a similar manner: "James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus, the Christ." (James 1:1); Peter is "Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus, the Christ." (II Peter 1:1).

Jesus, Himself, spoke these words: "I am among you as One Who serves." (Lk.22:27) - and serving Him is the greatest privilege that mortal man may enjoy. Of course, if I am truly HIS, and am assured that I am Safe In Him, then it will be my great desire to be In His Service!

"Iesous Hominum Salvator"; "Jesus, Saviour of Mankind". May He be your Saviour, your Lord, and your King. It will be for your eternal good, and to His eternal glory.

Grace sufficient.

One of the amazing facts about the written Word of God, the Bible, is that however often one reads a passage, one regularly notices something that was never noticed before! Often, that fresh insight will be because of a particular need in our lives. Sometimes it will be the sudden remembrance of a well-loved verse, or passage, that suddenly takes on a whole new depth of meaning. I was reading an article about Charles H Spurgeon the great 19th century preacher. If anyone knew his Bible, it was Spurgeon. Yet he was able to testify to such an experience in his own life.

"One evening, after a hard day's work, I felt weary and and sorely depressed. Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, the verse came to my mind: 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' (II Cor.12:9). Going to my study, I examined the text in the Greek, and was impressed by an emphasis I had never seen before. When I read, 'My grace is sufficient for thee', I said aloud, 'I should think it is, Lord!' The abundance of His supply compared to my need caused my heart to rejoice, and made unbelief absurd. I never fully understood what the holy laughter of Abraham meant, until then. (Gen.17:17). A great God can make good on anything that He promises to men.

"Pondering this blessed truth", Spurgeon continued, "I imagined myself as a tiny mouse in the granaries of Egypt after seven years of plenty (Gen.41:46-49), fearing I would die in the famine. But Joseph would say, 'Cheer up, little one, my granaries are sufficient for thee." Again I pictured in my mind a man standing on a lofty mountain, saying to himself, 'I inhale so much air each year that I fear the supply of oxygen will be exhausted.' But the earth would say, 'Breathe on, O man, and fill your lungs a s long as you live; my atmosphere is sufficient for thee.'" (Scripture references added)

How meagre is our faith when we fail to draw upon the unlimited resources of Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists! Are you weary, and discouraged, by whatever faces you at this time? Then trust the Saviour completely, and remember - His grace is sufficient for you!

Being a good witness.

As I continued in my private devotional readings in the Book of Genesis, this morning, I was reading in chapter 12.  This is a very significant chapter as, after the first eleven chapters and their generally world-view, the record moves to the story of just one man and his descendants.  The man is Abram (later to be known as Abraham), and the interesting thing about his descendants is that he was childless!

I am an avid reader.  I love books.  I read almost anything that is readable.  But the Bible is different from any other book that I have ever read - and this morning reminded me of why that is.  You see, there are very few of the other books that I have read that I would return to - and even those to which I have returned have not provided me with any new insight in the second reading.  The Bible, however, is the living Word of Almighty God and, as such, always has something new to say to those who approach it with reverence.  I have absolutely no idea how many times I have read Genesis 12! Yet this morning, I realised something that hadn't hit me before (although countless others will undoubtedly have seen this in the past!).  It's to do with "being a witness".

Abram showed great faith and obedience when he left Haran at God's command.  I love the link between 12:1 and 12:4 - "Now YHWH said to Abram 'Go' .... So Abram went."!  No discussion; no consultation; no forming of a committee to discuss the proposition.  It was a command, and Abram immediately obeyed!  He arrived in the land of Canaan, and it was then that YHWH informed him that He was giving this land to Abram - and to his descendants.  Remember, he is now more than seventy-five years old, and still childless!  

As he journeyed, he witnessed by building altars to the one true God (vs 7 & 8).  But then famine struck the land.  What would this man of faith do now?  We might expect him to build another altar and call upon the Name of YHWH.  We might expect him to encourage his Canaanite neighbours to trust in the Creator God. What actually happens is that he goes down to Egypt!  

Worse is to come.  He realises that Sarai, his wife, is a beautiful woman (in this period relatively soon after the Flood, it would appear that time was not yet ravaging the human body, even if man's life span had been drastically shortened!) and that the Egyptians might kill him so that one of them could have her for his wife.  So, he hit upon a cunning plan - Sarai was to say that she was his sister (not wholly untrue, by the way: see 20:12) and thus his life would be spared.  

Do you see what has happened?  The man of faith has become a man of fear; the man who worshipped the Creator God has become more concerned about his own skin.  Regretfully, things didn't work out quite as he may have expected!  He was indeed spared - but the pharaoh took Sarai into his harem!  The result of this was that YHWH "... afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sar'ai, Abram's wife." (v.17) - not a punishment, but a warning.  The pharaoh was not a happy man!  He sent for Abram: "'What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone.' And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had." (vs.18-20). 

It was one of those situations in which the unbeliever acts in a more godly way than the professed believer.  Abram's witness to the one true God was destroyed.  

So what has this got to say to you, and to me?  It is a reminder that, if we claim to be disciples of Jesus, then we are constantly witnessing.  There is never a time when we are not witnessing.  The only question is: "Am I being a good witness - or a bad one?"  Whether we are in the home, in the office, in the shop, at our recreational activities, or wherever, we are being watched by others who want to see what difference being a disciple of Jesus makes to one's life.  If they see nothing but a reflection of themselves, why would they want Jesus?

It was just on Sunday that I quoted the little poem that begins: “Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today;"  It is as  true today as it was then - and it always will be!   Do the people in the place where you work; the home in which you live; the places you frequent for recreation; know that you claim to be a disciple of Jesus?  If you haven't told them, would they know by your witness?  Do you always behave as if Jesus was beside you, in the flesh?  He is, of course, by the Spirit!

I was challenged, this morning, by reading again about Abram.  Perhaps I've been led to share it in order that you might be challenged too!

Priorities!!

I was both shocked and angered when I read a comment by someone who is not one of my own list of Facebook friends (but is on the list of a mutual friend) that she had been to the petshop to buy puppy shampoo, puppy deoderant and, wait for it, puppy toothpaste and a puppy toothbrush!!!  This pampered puppy pooch was then, apparently, taken into the shower!

Now I am as big an animal lover as anyone, and would never knowingly cause harm or distress to any domestic animal.  But toothbrush and toothpaste; deoderant; shower!!!!   Do these people, who consider themselves to be Christians, live with their heads in the clouds - "too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly use"??

Last week, as it happens, was World Water Week, when world leaders gathered together in Stockholm to wrestle with the problems arising from the shortage of water in some of the world's poorest nations.  But let's give the puppy a shower!   Across the world, almost 900 million people live without clean water.  But let's give the puppy a shower!  More than 2.5 billion people have no access to safe sanitation.  But let's give the puppy a shower!  Unclean water is the second biggest cause of children's deaths.  But let's give the puppy a shower - and don't forget to spray on the deoderant, and brush its teeth!!

I find myself asking if the owners of this cosseted canine are aware of the floods in Pakistan - and the serious concerns about outbreaks of watery diarrhoea and dysentery, and even cholera and similar water-borne diseases ; famine in Niger; persecution of Christians - often to the point of death - in more countries than some would like to believe; a despearate need for Bibles in many countries; an appeal for wind-up radios to enable isolated believers to receive sound teaching, and others to be able to hear the Gospel message; and those who seek to work in such areas always short of funds.

Now I know that I am answerable for only my own actions - and that includes my giving.  And I realise that my using less water in the UK (or here in France) doesn't provide an extra drop in Pakistan, or drought-stricken areas of Ethiopia.  But, surely, it's a matter of attitude and priorities.  I don't know the cost of puppy toothbrushes and the rest.  I do know that that money would be far better spent on providing such a basic necessity for a child in Liberia or some other such poverty-stricken country.

Jesus said: "... just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Matt 7:20; NLT).   It is not my place to judge anyone else - but I do find myself wondering what the actions of this family, with regard to a dog, says about their priorities!  They probably don't even know that this blog exists!  But if this post speaks to just one person, that in itself might save the life of just one child.  That would make it very worthwhile.