The tolling bell!

In 17th-century England, church bells tolled out the news of what was happening in a parish. They announced, not only the times of the various worship services, but also important events such as weddings, and funerals. Indeed, I believe that, in many places, the custom continues to this day.

When John Donne, the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral and also an author, lay desperately ill with the plague that was killing Londoners by the thousand, he could hear the bells ringing constantly, announcing death after death. he kept a "devotional diary" that was to become a classic of the English language and, writing down his thoughts, he urged his readers: "Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."!

How true those words and, if nothing else good comes out of the current Covid-19 pandemic, it appears to have reminded people of their own mortality! Certainly, the author of the great Letter to the Hebrew disciples of Jesus made the point that: "... it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment," (9:27).

That is not news that many wish to hear! However, if we are truly disciples of the Lord Jesus; if our salvation rests solely, and wholly, on His atoning sacrifice at Calvary; if we acknowledge that ".. there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12), then the thought of death does not need to arouse dread. We know, as Paul joyfully assures us, that by His resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus has broken, for ever, the power of death. He has "... abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (II Tim. 1:10). Death has been "... swallowed up in victory ..." (I Cor. 15:54) and we may ask, triumphantly: "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" (v.55).

Another occasion on which, traditionally, church bells have been rung, is to announce a great victory, or the end of hostilities. So, when the bell tolls for the true disciple of Jesus, it announces the good news of Jesus' victory over death, and hell, and the grave.

He is our Certainty, in uncertain times.

Stop praying!

On Sunday, I had the pleasure and privilege of bringing the message to the Fellowship of L'Église Evangelique Libre de Bergerac.  It was the fourth in a mini-series on the very important topic - at least for those who claim to be disciples of the Lord, Jesus the Christ - of prayer.   On Sunday, we looked together at the prayer of a man named Simeon - you may read it in Luke 2:29-32 - a prayer that is often referred to by its opening two words in the Latin language: the Nunc dimittis.  The whole series has been intended to encourage people to pray!

However, as I continue to empty boxes in our new home, I come across photograph albums - almost fatal!  I can spend an hour just browsing through, and reliving memories with family and friends.  One such friend is a man named John.  We haven't had any contact for a long time, but I recall receiving a 'phone-call from him, one Sunday evening.  "The Lord spoke very clearly to me, this evening, at the worship service", he said, excitedly.  "That's great", I responded.  "What did He say?"  "He told me to stop praying", replied John!  

Well, I knew that John was a fairly recent convert, so I probed a little further.  The outcome of the conversation was that John had been told that, regarding a particular issue, the time for prayer was finished; it was now time for action!

In one of the local Fellowship Groups that my wife and I attend, we are currently looking at the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes - not the easiest of books to study!  However, one section that is better-known than most of it is the first nine verses of chapter three - the "There is a time ..." section.  It isn't mentioned by the writer of that book, but there is a time to pray, and a time to stop praying - and to do what we know needs to be done!

We see such a situation in another book of the Old Testament.  It is in Joshua 7 where, in vs. 10-11(a), we read: "YHWH said to Joshua, "Arise, why have you thus fallen upon your face? Israel has sinned;"  Israel had just experienced her greatest victory at Jericho, and her most devastating defeat at Ai - all in the space of a few days.  They were in deep shock!  Joshua was on his face, praying; 'reminding' (!) YHWH how bad this made both Him and His people look in the eyes of the surrounding nations.  God was not impressed!  He told Joshua, bluntly, that Israel had sinned (collective responsibility), and disobeyed His command regarding the spoils of battle from Jericho.  These things were the "firstfruits" of Israel's victory in the Promised Land, and should have been brought into God's treasury.  Instead, Achan had taken some and hidden them in his tent.  YHWH had been disobeyed and robbed, and His hand of protection had been lifted from the nation, resulting in their defeat by a mere village!  So YHWH told Joshua to stop praying, deal with the situation, and then come back to speak with Him.

Do you already know what the answer to a situation is - but you keep praying in the hope that God will give you a different answer, or even make the problem disappear?  Perhaps God will alter the rules for you!  No way!  He says "I the Lord do not change;" (Malachi 3:6).  So, if He doesn't change, guess who is going to have to!  If you want God's protection and blessing then, like my friend John, you may need to stop praying, and do what you know needs to be done.

It's a thought!

The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!

I love that title to Dr Tony Campolo's message - "It's Friday; but Sunday's coming!"  It's a wonderful, yet simple, reminder that so often, when things seem dark, we may still look ahead with hope.  That first "Good Friday" must have seemed, to the followers of Jesus, to have been as dark as it was possible to be.  But Sunday was coming, and with it, the wonder, and the glory, of the Resurrection!

On Friday, I asked the question "What's so 'good' about Good Friday?"  So, what's so special about the Resurrection of that same Jesus Who hung on the cross and died for your sins and for mine?  Well, apart from the fact that a resurrection is pretty special in itself, it's the result of that resurrection that is of the utmost importance.

The question, then, is: "What is the result of the Resurrection of Jesus?"

The first, and obvious result is that death has been vanquished.  So Paul can write, quoting the prophet Isaiah, that "Death is swallowed up in victory." (I Cor 15:54).  It follows, then, that neither can death hold those who die (physically) in Him.  As some of the sports commentators might say: "That's a result"!

However, wonderful 'though that result is, it is not all.  It is also worth noting that the resurrection of Jesus proves that God's plans are always fulfilled.  So Peter, on the first Day of Pentecost of the Christian era, preaches, "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know - this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.  But God raised Him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it." (Acts 2:22-24).

The Resurrection of Jesus also eases the pain when loved ones, who are in Christ, die.  Paul, again, writing to the believers in Thessalonica, assures them "... 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." (I Thess 4:13-14).  We grieve when someone who has been loved by us dies.  But the disciple of Jesus has just moved to a better life - "promoted to Glory", as our friends in the Salvation Army would put it - meaning that our grief is tempered by our perspective on eternity.

So, on this Resurrection Day, we gladly affirm, "The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Hallelujah!"

And we rejoice!

Easter Day

"The Lord is risen"  "He is risen, indeed"
The traditional Easter greeting appears, at least in the circles within I move, to have gone somewhat out of fashion.  Yet those eight words encompass the greatest message that has ever been told among mankind.

It's a message of victory.  Paul writes to the early disciples of Jesus in Corinth: "... thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor 15:57).

It's a message of hope.  In the same letter Paul says "... Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died." (I Cor 15:20)  In other words, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is not a stand-alone event, but the forerunner of the resurrection to eternal life for all who have placed their trust in Him.  "Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back." (I Cor 15:22-23).

It's a message of power.  "... the end will come, when He will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.  For Christ must reign until He humbles all His enemies beneath his feet.  And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.  For the Scriptures say, "God has put all things under His authority." (Of course, when it says "all things are under His authority," that does not include God Himself, who gave Christ His authority.)  Then, when all things are under His authority, the Son will put Himself under God's authority, so that God, Who gave His Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere." (I Cor 15:24-28).

It is a message of reconciliation.  "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation."  (II Cor 5:19).

There's only one relevant question!  It was asked of the people of Jerusalem, by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate.  "... what should I do with Jesus Who is called the Messiah?" (Matt 27:22).  On your personal answer to that question, hangs your eternal destiny.  Come to Him, "... Who is the living cornerstone of God's temple." (I Peter 2:4) and, confessing your pwn sinfulness, fall before Him, like Thomas, and acknowledge Him to be your Lord, and your God. (see John 20:28).