God Is Able

The Bible portrays God as omnipotent - all-powerful, able even to create all things from nothing. The writer of the Letter to Hebrew believers states:that: "By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear." (11:3). The individual is portrayed as totally insufficient to do anything but fail. Yet the Bible also teaches that great things will be done in, and through, and to us. How can this be? It is only through God's power and wisdom that anything of substance will be accomplished. He alone is able. Consider the following sampling of tasks He is able to perform for us. 

God is able to do the work of salvation in a believer's heart. "[The Lord Jesus - Who is God]  is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb. 7:25). We can entrust that salvation for eternity, Jude writes: ".. to Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of His glory with rejoicing," (Jude 24).

 

In this life we will have physical needs, and included in a passage on the obligation we have to give so that others' needs will be met, is Paul's claim that: "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work." (II Cor. 9:8). Furthermore, He alone is able to equip us for service. "I thank Him Who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because H judged me faithful by appointing me to His service," (I Timothy 1:12).

His able ministry toward us does not stop in this life, for He "will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power which enables Him even to subject all things to Himself." (Phil. 3:21). Indeed, He "is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think." (Eph 3:20).  

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. 

It's not about money!

Some weeks ago, during a Facebook "discussion" with a female former pupil, I suggested that she check out some material that I had already published on this blog. Her response surprised me! She informed me that she was not going to access my blog and make me money!

It had been my understanding that money-making blogs ran advertisements in order to accrue an income. Perhaps she thought that I did that! However, this blog was never intended to be any kind of cash cow. It is, for me, a ministry blog, that enables me to share the Gospel of Jesus, the Christ, with a wider audience than I might otherwise be able to do. I know that I also publish posts on a variety of other topics, but never with an eye to making money!

However, it may be that there is some way by which I could be making money out the blog, as it stands. If that is the case, it may have hindered some folk from sharing the link so that as many people as possible view it. Permit me to reiterate: I do not make a penny from this blog! However, I would love for it to be more widely read and so, I ask as I have asked before that, if you believe that the content is worthy, you share the link with others. I believe that, the higher the number of people who access it, the higher it climbs on some Google list. That means that if anyone does a search on any of the 'key words' (labels) that are published, Google is more likely to direct them to my blog.

As I am on the subject, I would add that although when I published my first two books, I made clear on the front cover that 30% of the profits from sales would be used to support the persecuted church. That has now changed. The covers now read "ALL royalties go to support the persecuted church". This is true for the third book that is in the process of being published.

So, please spread the word about the blog, and about the books. You will not be doing anything specifically for me - but you will be helping, in some small way, those who suffer - many in ways that are beyond the comprehension of most of us - for the privilege of being disciples of Jesus.

Ruby memories!

As mentioned, last week, it was exactly forty years ago, on this date (it was a Sunday in 1975!), that I was Ordained to the Holy Ministry of Word and Sacrament, in Gilmerton Parish Church, Edinburgh, by the Rt Rev The Presbytery of Edinburgh, the Very Rev Dr Leonard Small, CQH, being the Moderator of the Presbytery.

There were, as one would expect, a number of questions asked of me, by Dr Small. One, however, has stuck in my mind over all of those years.  The question was:

"Are not zeal for the glory of God, love to the Lord Jesus Christ, and a desire for the salvation of all people, as far as you know your own heart, your great motives, and chief inducements to enter into the office of the Holy Ministry?"   To that question, I responded: "They are".

In my mind's eye, I can still see Dr Small standing in front of me.  Indeed, I can still hear his distinctive voice in my mind!  When he came to that question in particular, he looked me straight in the eye and I can assure you, I sensed that if I had been the least bit false in my response, he would have had the discernment to denounce me, there and then!

So, apart from suffering a severe dose of unadulterated nostalgia, why would I want to share all of that on my blog?  Simply because I believe that, whether entering the ordained, pastoral, ministry or not, those first three parts of the question are ones that every disciple of Jesus should be able to answer in a positive fashion!

"Zeal for the glory of God"  The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks: "What is the chief end (prime purpose) of man?"  The given answer to that question is: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever."   So, the first responsibility of human beings is to bring glory to God.  To do so with zeal is to do so with conviction, and passion, and enthusiasm.  I wonder, if you are a disciple of Jesus, do you serve the Lord in such a way?  It's a good "self-examination" question!

"Love to the Lord Jesus Christ"  Remembering that Jesus is the Second Persona of the Trinity, we may note His own response to a lawyer who asked Him: "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" (Matt 22:36; inter al).  That response was: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment." (Matt 22:37-38).  His love for you, and for me, is beyond our human comprehension - but we may love Him with all that we have, and are, in gratitude for all that He is, and does.

"A desire for the salvation of all people."  It was Amy Carmichael, founder of the Dohnavur Fellowship in South India, who had a dream (check: http://www.thetravelingteam.org/articles/amy-carmichaels-dream) that led her into her life's work.  Under her direction, Dohhnavur was transformed into a sanctuary for over one thousand children who would otherwise have faced a bleak future. She often said that her Ministry of rescuing temple children started with a girl named Preena. Having become a temple servant (i.e. prostitute) against her wishes, Preena managed to escape. Amy provided her with shelter, and withstood the threats of those who insisted that the girl be returned either to the temple directly to continue her sexual assignments, or to her family for more indirect return to the temple. The number of such incidents soon grew, thus beginning Amy's new ministry. When the children were asked what drew them to her, they usually replied: "It's love. Amma (Amy) loves us."  We may not all be called to the kind of service to which Amy Carmichael devoted her life but, if we are true disciples of Jesus, we should certainly have a similar love for people, and a desire for their salvation - even if it means sacrifice on our part!

Forty years! It's a long time.  How I have really maintained my Ordination vows is for the Lord to judge.  But I trust that I have, in some measure, shown that my response to that particular question was true.  Can you say the same thing?!

Post-teaching pleasure!!!

It's heading for 35 years since I was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament within the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian).  Shortly afterwards, I became a parish minister in Bellshill, and looked forward to many years of preaching the Gospel message within that congregation, and to any other to which the Lord might call me.

As those who have known me for most of those years are aware, this was not to be.  A disagreement with the Kirk over who are the proper subjects for water baptism (I came to the conclusion that, Biblically, only those who were able to make their own profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, should be baptised) led me into the teaching profession as a teacher of Religious (and, late, Moral) Education, and History; and with one break, that was my life right up until I walked out of the classroom - and the school - for the last time, over a year ago.

What I did not expect, at that time, was that I would end up with so many of my former pupils requesting me to accept them as 'friends' on what was then my fairly new Facebook page.  I haven't counted the exact number, but it must be reaching close to 50, and they are all so kind in their comments - some of those who are still pupils even asking me to return! :-)

I mention the fact to demonstrate this wonderful truth that one never knows exactly what the Lord has in store in any given situation.  Most of the former pupils with whom I am in contact want little more than a wee online blether - and I am happy to provide that (it helps to keep me young!!).   However, some have been asking serious questions; one has commented that it is great to be able to talk with me without the 'disturbance' of a class of noisy teenagers; a number, unknown to me, have been following my blog; one has even become a 'follower'!  All of this means that there is the possibility that, for some of them at least, I may continue to be a positive influence on their lives, and for this, I give thanks.  I don't want to 'polish my own halo' too much (!!), but it would seem that being an approachable teacher is paying off!

It's also a helpful reminder that, at some time in the future, I may be so glad that I have had these weeks in L'Isle.  Who, other than the Lord, can say what will result from this experience - in a year's time; or two years; or five years; or whenever?  Meanwhile, I'll enjoy this new type of relationship with so many young people, and pray for them on a regular basis.