Guidance - Introduction!

It was just this week that my wife and I received an e-mail, from a very dear friend that, while not using the word, was all about the subject of guidance - "What should I do next?"; "Did I make a mistake in what I have just done?" Now I should make clear, at the outset, that our friend and her husband are disciples of Jesus, and that her concern is that they may have stepped outside God's will for their lives, and that they want to be back in it! However, I suspect that we all seek guidance in the different situations that we experience in our lives.

Many things make it difficult to believe in the guidance of Almighty God. When astronomers inform us that the nearest star (other than our own Sun!) is approximately 4.25 Light Years away; and when we realise that a Light Year is the distance that light travels in an earth-year (travelling at more than 186,000 miles per second!); and that that computes to more than 25,300,000,000,000 miles: and when we compare this with the 70 - 100 years of life that some humans attain: it seems impossible to assert that such creatures as ourselves can possibly be under the care of, and even have fellowship with, the Being Who created all of this (if you accept that it is all just the result of random events, then I would respectfully suggest that you need to expand your horizons!).

We may consider the words of the psalmist:

"When I look at Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers,
    the moon and the stars which Thou hast established;
4 what is man that Thou art mindful of him,
    and the son of man that Thou dost care for him?" (Ps.8:3-4)

In the bewildering vastness of the known universe, and as we peer down the long vista of time, it does seem to be pitifully naïve to ask: "Does God care for me?"; "Is He interested in my doings?"; "Will He direct me in every detail of my life?"; "Does He long for the worship, and adoration, of my heart?" 

When such questions are asked, the answer seems to be, to many people, a resounding "No! God, if there is a God, isn't interested and, if that is the case, we can't expect any guidance."

However, there is another side to this! Neither the vastness of the universe, nor the apparent endlessness of time, have the final word. A baby, surely, is more than a mountain, even although it is nothing by comparison of size, for even a baby can love. A man is more than a star, for a man can think. And even although a tortoise may live for well over 100 years, a child is much, much more.

Astronomy, and other sciences, may conspire to prove the utter insignificance of mankind - but man is still the astronomer, and the scientist in other disciplines! More than that, we are made in the image of Almighty God - although not in any physical sense. Even more, it is only a human being who may be born again of the Holy Spirit, and become the very child of God!

So I believe that, certainly for the disciple of Jesus, God's guidance can be very real indeed. And even the unbeliever, who doesn't seek that guidance, may receive it! Cyrus, the Persian king of the 6th century B.C., was a worshipper of idols, but the Hebrew Scriptures assert that he was a chosen instrument of the living God. The prophet Isaiah speaks these words concerning the Persian king: " ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfil all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem. ‘She shall be built,’  and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” (44: 28), and "Thus says YHWH to His anointed, to Cyrus, ... ... 'I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, YHWH, the God of Israel, Who call you by your name. For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, 'though you do not know Me.'" (45: 2-4, emphases added).

Unaware of it though he was, this great conqueror was being guided, and girded, by the Divine hand. Behind all of his conquests and empire building, the purposes of YHWH could be found.

However, it is in the context of disciples of Jesus that I propose to spend the next few posts looking at the subject of guidance. Not that the posts will be, in any way, exclusive, and I trust that those who would not claim to be His disciples will still read, and consider what they read!

Until next week!

Limitations on God's Promises

Each day, in my e-mail Inbox, I receive a message based on a verse of the Bible. This morning's message was under the same heading as this blog-post and read as follows:

«“Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 31:37)

The people of Israel, in spite of all God had done for them, continually rebelled against Him, even turning to other gods. One might think God would have destroyed them and started again, but He had made a promise first to Abraham, then to Isaac, and then to Jacob, that this nation would be His special people, and He would not break that promise.

In our text God reveals the “conditions” under which He would cast off Israel, but they are such that there is no possibility of their being met.

If heaven above can be measured: Neither Abraham nor Jeremiah could have had any concept of the number of stars or the depth of space. Now, with modern telescopes, we see unthinkable distances and even farther and farther as our technology increases. Estimates of the radius of the universe now stand at around 46 billion light-years, and no end is in sight.

If the foundations of the earth [can be] searched out beneath: Sometimes scientists claim they know more about the sun than they do the earth. But in reality, only one percent of the earth’s radius has been explored. The pressures and temperatures that exist deep inside the earth are unthinkably great, and we don’t even know how matter acts under those conditions. The promise to Israel is secure.

Scripture is likewise full of “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) made to the believer. Our text indicates God’s attitudes toward His promises. We need not worry that He will keep His Word.» (Days of Praise - http://www.icr.org/homepage/)

That estimate of the radius of the universe really caught my attention! Up came the calculator, and I started to work. As many will know, a "light year" is the distance that light travels in one earth-year - at a speed of approximately 186,000 miles per second. This means that, in distance, a light year is 186,000x60x60x24x365.25! My calculator couldn't handle even that. However, I did manage to get to a "light-day" at more than 16 billion miles. Continuing from there, and now working only in billions (!), I arrived at the conclusion that the current estiimation of the radius of the known universe is 27²² miles (approx.)! That represents a figure of 27 followed by 22 zeroes:

220,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles (approx.) - and that is only the radius of what we know!

What an amazing universe! If we had reached the very edge, and it was a perfect circle, then the area covered would be (no pun intended!) astronomical! Of course that would also immediately raise the question as to what lay beyond the circumference of the circle!

Within the known universe, mankind (or 'peoplekind' if one is the rather silly and immature PM of Canada!) can predict the arrivals of comets; can plan journeys through space (at least through the Solar System - a mere speck in what we can see - although one tiny spacecraft has, if memory serves me well, gone beyond the Solar System but has lost contact with Earth); can plot weather systems. Yet, there are those who would continue to insist that all of this came from nothing (okay, you physicists, from a singularity: but from whence came the singularity?!) and, simply by a process of random chemical reactions, and random collisions, etc., became the amazing, ordered, predictable entity of which we still mknow only the tiniest part!

As I state in one of my own books: "It requires a great deal of faith to be an atheistic evolutionist"! 

The suffering of love.

It's a couple of years now since my younger daughter informed my wife and me that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Even if you have never been in such a situation, I am sure that most folk can at least begin to imagine the emotional turmoil that followed that announcement!  Then there were many months of tests, an operation, chemo-therapy, and radium therapy.

We managed to be with our daughter for all but one of the chemo-therapy sessions. They were the ones that she found most distressing (not, I believe, an uncommon reaction!).  How often I wanted to be able to take her place - to suffer what she was suffering, on her behalf (with her healing as the eventual outcome!).

This, of course, is the very nature of love.  But if God is love (I John 4:8, 16), and if it is the nature of love to take upon itself the burdens and sorrows of the ones it loves, then we would expect that His love would become suffering as it came into contact with the sins, and sinfulness, of the ones it loves. This is precisely what happened at the moment of creation.  As Almighty God, the Creator, prepared to create a universe, with a humanity that He knew would tear itself away from His loving grip, a Cross appeared.  It simply had to be!  If that had not taken place, then the universe would have been one giant disappointment!  

In my teaching career, I endeavoured to abide by the rules that I applied to my pupils. I dressed appropriately; I didn't leave the classroom in the middle of a class in order to go to the toilet; I ensured that I was in my classroom to welcome every class that came to me.  It is an amazing thought, but God obeys every rule that He has set for us!  This applies, especially, to the law of self-giving; of self-sacrifice; of self-surrender.  In Rev.7:17, John records: "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water; ..."  The Lamb - that same Lamb that was "... slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev.13:8) - will be their Shepherd!  That means that God rules, not only with absolute power, but also in absolute goodness.  He rules, not only from a heavenly throne, but also from a Cross!

All that He asks of us is, therefore, founded on what He does, more than on what He commands.  He not only demands love - He demonstrates it.  What He asks of us is not founded on some divine whim, but on His very character.  He not only shows me what I should do; He also shows me how to do it!

What an amazing God!  He is truly worthy of all of the love, and devotion of which feeble human hearts are capable.  And this is really just the preparation time!  John Newton got it absolutely correct:

"Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought."

Maran'atha.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Belief, and behaviour!

When I was teaching, I often pointed out to my pupils that what we believe effects how we behave, and that how we behave displays what we believe.  

The previous two posts have tried to deal with a very difficult, but important, concept - that the Cross of Jesus is not just an event in time, but that it was birthed in the very hearty of Almighty God from before the creation of the universe.  I realise that, for many, those posts may have been a little too 'academic', but we now move on to matters that are very practical!

The question that arises from the previous posts is simply this: If, as the written Word of God, the Bible, teaches, the Cross is something that lay upon God's heart in eternity (timelessness, not endless time - see my book Great Words of the Faith), what are the practical implications of that upon the daily lives of those who claim to be disciples of the Christ?

So often, we tend to separate our belief from our behaviour.  The truth that we hold in our heads is not allowed to penetrate our hearts.  Is the truth of the Cross - lying on God's heart in eternity - merely something to intrigue our minds; or did He intend it to be a motivation for our daily living?  I firmly believe that "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ..." (II Tim 3:16), and that, although Paul was referring there, only to the scriptures of the Old Testament, the words apply equally to the writings of the New Testament.  I further believe that those words are to be an inspiration to us in our daily lives.  So how does this amazing truth about the Cross fit in with that?

May I suggest that it does so by revealing to us what is at the heart of the universe? You see, what determines our view of the universe will, ultimately, determine our lives, and our living!  What is at the heart of our understanding of the universe will be at the heart of our conduct.  Belief  D Behaviour!

What lies at the heart of your universe?  What effects your behaviour?   Is it justice; or power; or personal pleasure?   For the disciple of Jesus, it is love - self-giving, sacrificial love.  It is the love that held Jesus to that Cross - love for you; love for me.  

Let us live our lives in the light of that love - and see the difference that we will make in the world!

In death, is life!

In the previous post, I suggested that the Cross is all around us.  This picture is exactly the kind of thing to which I was referring!  The sign, of course, gives it added value!

The Cross of Jesus was not something that began in the minds of men, but was conceived and enacted in the very heart of Almighty God in eternity.  When God laid down the broad beams on which He built the very structure of the universe, those beams were stained red with the blood of the atoning sacrifice of the only-begotten of the Father - for He was, as we noted, "the Lamb, slain from before the foundation of the world."

This means that the Cross is not only written into the text of the written Word of God - the Bible - but is also ploughed into the very texture of the universe itself!  We may discern this everywhere - no life without death.  As Spring approaches, gardeners will be sowing their seeds.  Jesus said: "... unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24).  The seed must die to produce the life that produces the fruit!

The Cross is not some bizarre absurdity that occurred on the first "Good Friday" - it has been in the whole of life from the very beginning!  The sublime act of the death of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus, the Messiah) on that hilltop outside the wall of the city of Jerusalem, some 2,000 years ago, focuses in a ,moment of time something that is actually timeless!  It is a mystery - but a wonderful mystery. Over the next few posts, we will try to understand it better - approaching it with reverence, and awe.

Come with me on this journey of discovery - it could change your life, not only for time, but also for eternity!

BREXIT, or not?!

With the date for the referendum on the UK's continued membership of the European Union now set, I confess that I am a natural "BREXIT"er.  I object, strongly, to unelected eurocrats making decisions that effect my life; to laws being made by people who have been"appointed"; by even the Supreme Court being able to be over-ruled in its decisions by a group of foreigners (who, as has been pointed out elsewhere, are not even judges!).  On June 23rd, therefore, I shall be voting (DV) to LEAVE the EU.

But note those two letters - DV.  As many will know, they stand for the Latin words "Deo volente" which translate as "God willing".  I may not survive until June 23rd; the world, as we know it, may not survive until June 23rd; the EU might collapse before June 23rd!

There is more!  Some years ago, after the signing of the Lisbon Treaty - regarded by many as an EU Constitution, in disguise - I submitted the following to a Christian forum of which I am a member:

"SO, the Lisbon Treaty has now been ratified by each of the European Union’s member states. Well, if we are going to be accurate, in almost every case, it has been ratified by the political elite of the member states. Only the Irish had the luxury of being asked in a national referendum – and when the unelected, unaccountable, EU ‘powers-that-be’ didn’t like the answer that was received, the Irish were instructed to vote again. As far as I could see, there was so much spin exuded during the campaigning for the second referendum, that it is little wonder that the Irish reversed their earlier decision.

I have been opposed to the EU since its inception. Even when former UK Prime Minister Edward Heath – a man who, in my opinion, was a greater traitor to his country than Lord Haw-haw – led us into the EEC (European Economic Community), I voted against. I could not see how the breaking of cherished ties with other Commonwealth countries was going to be of any particular benefit to the United Kingdom.

I'm no anti-European

Of course, as anyone who knows me will understand, I am not some xenophobic anti-European! I have very dear friends in a number of European countries and, while I am only truly fluent in the English language, I can get by very well in French, have a smattering of German, a little bit of Dutch, and a little bit of Italian. And, of course, for many years, our main summer holiday has been spent in the countries of western Europe. I am just one of what I suspect is a rapidly growing number of people who are totally opposed to a European Super-state, in which I, as an ordinary tax-payer, am expected to accept every diktat, even as I fund the blatant corruption of the Brussels-Strasbourg gravy-train.

However, I have recently been wondering about the advice given by the Jewish rabbi, Gamaliel. “…my advice is, leave these men alone. If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39)

Am I opposing part of God's bigger plan?

I am having to ask myself: “Is this ever-expanding, ever-devouring, man-made entity a part of the plan and purpose of God? Is the EU a clear sign that we are in the end-times, when time and history, as we experience them, will be no more?” What is certain is that, climate change, space exploration, or whatever, history does have an end. And was it not Albert Einstein who worked out that time has a beginning, and an end, as well?

So, in opposing the EU, might I be opposing the plan and purpose of God? For me, it’s a big question. For anyone, it’s a question worth considering. My only assurance is that, as an adopted son of the Living God, my future is secure. As one of my cousins states at the close of every e-mail: “I don’t do worry, I know the ending!” History, I was often told, is ‘His story’. That story hasn’t ended, but the day is coming, sooner or later, when the heavens will open, the Lord Jesus will return, and Paul’s amazing prophecy will be fulfilled as “…at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil.2:10-11)."

As the referendum date approaches, and as I read all of the conflicting arguments, this question continues to loom large in my mind.  As I look at the changes that have occurred since November 2009 when I wrote the above - the rise of Daesh (aka ISIS); the return of blatant anti-Semitism; the ever-increasing persecution of disciples of Jesus - and their marginalisation even in many countries in which there is not overt persecution; when I read that the Pope is working towards a "one-world religion"; when I learn of the moves of the secular élite to bring about a "one world order"; I am more convinced than ever that we are in the last times, and that much of the Biblical prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled is being fulfilled before our eyes.

I shall still vote for the UK to LEAVE the EU.  However, I shall do so in the certain knowledge that the Creator and Sustainer of all that is; the Sovereign God of the Universe; is in control; and that He will have His way!   Yesterday, in Café Church, I preached on the immutability of God - His "unchangableness".  On that I rest and, regardless of the eventual result of the referendum, I shall seek to serve Him until He calls me home - whether that be by my mortal death, or by the glorious rapture. (see the relevant chapter in my book "Great Words of the Faith" - link above).  

I trust that you will be there with me!

Respect - an outmoded concept?!

The article was published last week but, somehow, I missed it. However, while reading today's (online version of) The Herald, I spotted a link, and followed it. The lead sentence had me hooked: "Look at Alia Gilani's mobile phone and the list of aunties and uncles will take your breath away."

The article went on to explain that these "... are not her blood relations, but a measure of the trust that she has built up in Glasgow's South Asian community. 'It's a mark of respect to call older people in our community 'auntie' or 'uncle' - it would be considered rude to refer to them by just their first name', explains Giani."
(http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/real-lives/a-healthy-minority-1.1044718)

For many of my generation, in the U.K., the same was true. I had more non-related aunties and uncles - and even grannies! - than I had hot breakfasts in a month. Sadly, this simple mark of respect for those who were of an age with one's parents, or even older, seems to have died during the seventies - largely, I suspect, under the influence of those psychologists who advocated treating small children as young adults.

The same situation has been adopted by the church. So much for not conforming to the world (cf. Rom.12:2!). I cringe every time a child - often not yet at Primary School - refers to me by my personal name, alone. I am at a loss as to how to react when a parent introduces me to such a child by my personal name, alone.

I recall a situation from before I was married. With the young girl who was to become my wife, I attended a Sunday afternoon Bible Class for young people. However, although designed for those in their late teens and twenties, the father of two of the girls also attended. As he was of a similar age to my own father, I always spoke to him as Mr Hunter. Then, one afternoon as we were leaving the Bible Class, and he and I were descending the stairway together, he turned to me. "Brian," he said, "I think that we know each other well enough now for you to call me John." I floated down the rest of the stairway. What a privilege; what an honour! And I was already 26 years old!! Sadly, I am unable to give that privilege to the young people I know. They assume that it is their right to call me "Brian" without my permission or acquiescence.

But I believe that it goes much deeper than that. It must have been about a year ago that we had David Clarkson speaking at Liberty Community Church. During the course of his message he commented that he had been at a particular conference/convention. It was, if I remember correctly, a bit of a charismatic affair but, David assured us, he had no problem with the 'happy-clappy' (not a verbatim quote!) stuff. What did get to him was the way in which so many treated Almighty God like the pal next door. I understood completely. I have shared the same misgiving from many a pulpit. Yes, He is my Friend; my Saviour; my Helper; and so much more. But I must never forget that He is God!

Could it be that this attitude to the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, is merely an extension of that loss of respect for adults that has been in vogue for a couple of generations? I fear so. However, it is not merely a lack of respect, but a lack of reverence - and that, I believe, is much more serious.

Our 21st century 'multicultural society' has raised many problems. But wouldn't it be wonderful if that Southern Asian culture, described by Alia Gilani, were to take hold in the U.K today? It might even lead to the return of a deeper reverence for God - His Person and His character.