'Wood for the trees' 1 'Your heart is wrong?'

John 8:43  Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

If your calling is to speak out about certain things in the Church it is good to clarify some points.  Sometimes people can't see the wood for the trees.  When this happens people label and compartmentalise based on a broad assumption.  It happened to Jesus.  I've been on John 8 for a while now because it is remarkable how the Lord dealt with his detractors.  The Pharisees could only hear 'this man is insulting us' when actually He was telling them they are not actually saved and need to change their parenthood.  They missed what was being said because it was a higher priority to be seen to be a rock star for God than actually hearing truth.  Anything that came to challenge their rock star status among the people is therefore obviously error.

In my own calling and sending I have to challenge the church system.  There is a version of this going around that is against the system but cannot articulate why except for a few stories where the leaders did this or that.  They don't like the system because they have a few scars.  All that issues forth from this is 'anti' this or that.   I get lumped into this crowd by people who have not heard the biblical position that I come from.  It is the same one Jesus came from when confronting the man made version of God's truth... this I call 'the system.'

In every single case it is the church system I am stating is wrong, not the hearts of the people in it.  I am in no position to judge a persons motives.  If, however, they do things that show their hearts are focused on other things like 'rock star' status, money, church growth etc, then I am instructed to call this out to those whom the Lord has entrusted me.  So to be clear:  If you are in a man made church whose practices are born of history rather than the scriptures, you are simply going to the wrong church.  No matter how blessed you feel or how good the preaching / attendance / fiscal / worship is, if it's not the practice that Jesus instructed the Apostles to do, it is simply un-biblical.  Basically, good people are going to un-biblical churches.  And that's it! God does things in these churches because a Father has to apply more care to babies.  There's the first ouch!

If, however, you understand and see that your church practice is un-biblical then you want to stay in knowing it is un-biblical, you are wilfully ignoring God's will and purpose.  You don't need me or anyone to show that this is a heart problem.  The Pharisees' problem was that they assumed they were squarely in God's will and purpose and now some bearded miracle worker is tipping up the apple cart!  Jesus had reason to be like the other anti-system people who had a tough journey with leaders.  They tried to throw him off a cliff.  I've experienced social martyrdom and excommunication from a denomination but never been dragged to a cliff yet!  My experiences are a spring board for God setting me apart to articulate the problem.

Most cannot see the wood for the trees and label me in the angry / hurt / resentful / bitter / rebellious / box, completely missing the plea to be biblical.  It's not my problem.  Myself and others like me have a task:  pour the salt into the unproductive waters (2 Kings 2).  Those hearing can be healed and become biblically productive.  But many are opting for the easy road.  Many want to be part of the shiny church that offers much in width but not much depth. 

In short, my point is not that your heart is wrong, but your church probably is, biblically. 

Lets talk.

Gary Ward

Was Jesus always 'nice?'

When we think of the ways of our Lord Jesus we see outrageous love, mercy and grace.  These poured out from Jesus as he healed, forgave and demonstrated who he was before Israel.  Believers should be aspiring to these qualities, not by an act of theatre, but by the transformation of the core self as we submit, yield and abandon to Jesus, risen and glorified.   We are given an overview of our fruitfulness and hopefully we desire to have love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, self control and faithfulness in wonderful abundance.  I'm sure we all admit we are a work in progress.

The gospels record Jesus as the perfect model of divine attributes but then he confronts a particular bunch of people.  These were the religious establishment of the time.  Jesus' tact changed and we see love mercy and grace expressed in an entirely different way.  The best example is John 8 when he is taken on by the Pharisees.  Jesus wipes the floor with them, delivering truth straight from the hip.  The motive behind this was love, grace and mercy but we should not miss the fact that he did not shy away from the hostility of the Pharisees. 

Today it is frowned upon to stand up for truth or even engage anyone in what appears to be an argument.  The overarching idea about Jesus is that He is a wet blanket, just being nice all the time.  He called them liars! To tell someone their father is the devil and they wanted to carry out their fathers desires is not nice!  But it is truth!  To engage anyone in the way Jesus confronted the Pharisees is considered lacking in grace or missing the 'Jesus mark' somehow. 

We must be careful that we are not in fear of being perceived lacking in grace or missing the mark just because we confront issues.  BUT we must also make sure our motive for confrontation is love, mercy and grace.  Often we confront out of poor motives and that is not good.  But to slam confrontation itself as un-christian or graceless is error.  Being like Jesus involves standing up for truth even when the society, culture or Pharisaical ministry fraternity don't like it.

The Pharisees were part of the corruption that misrepresented Gods word and therefore God.  When we come across this today we may be expected to flag things up.  This is being like Jesus.  The Pharisees didn't take too kindly to Jesus because he scrambled their own self importance, status and rank.  They valued their own profile as supposed 'men of God' in their community. Jesus' message did not prop up these self appointed popes and they plotted his murder because of it.

We don't see crucifixion in our societies but we do see social martyrdom where leaders with something to protect hate truth being issued forth.  They shut out and exclude those who want to walk in all of Jesus' ways.  They hate their words and actions and try to call them out on them like they did Jesus.  Any attempt to address these Pharisaical claims is branded 'graceless' or failing to be 'nice.'  We all want to be like Jesus unless it threatens our status among our peers.  'Truth' and 'nice' never really get on well in the arena of walking out God's truth.

Gary Ward

The problem with The Message 'Bible'

The first thing that everyone must consider when approaching the Word of God is 'for what purpose am I using this translation?'  If the use is clearly to see what one individual thinks the Word of God says then you are OK with The Message and other terrible translations like it.  But anything else ranging from devotional readings or serious Bible study we need to use something that at least tries to have some dynamic equivalence.  When someone takes a scripture and says it in a nice, different or poetic way, we must make sure it is not losing what the passage was supposed to mean.  Worse case scenario is that believers take on board The Message and develop doctrine around this.  This is happening now.  Has this ever happened before?

Jesus slammed the Teachers of the Law because they had created the Traditions of the Elders. These were fence laws or oral law that had nothing to do with what God has said. The Scribes first did this.  They produced sub laws to make sure people didn't break the 613 actual Laws from God.  Then the Teachers of the Law came, around the time of Jesus, they made the scribes fence laws equivalent to God's Law.  So they taught that the laws made up by men were as authoritative as Gods 613.  Jesus was in all out war against this massacre of God's Word.  Who do we think we are to take the Holy Scripture of the New Testament and declare it valid and authoritative when it has been reworded?  Yet many church leaders are desensitised to this issue because church growth, public profile and personal status have become the goals and aims of 'church.'

Amos 8 speaks of our times. 

11 11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
    and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it.

In the same passage it speaks of the 'grain becoming less but the shekel high.'  Today less leaders care about the quality of the grain (word of God) and care about the money.  When the first coming of Jesus occurred, John the Baptist preached from the desert.  Now, as we anticipate the second coming of Jesus the true Word of God will also be preached from the desert.   You don't have to live in a literal desert to qualify, you just have to be preaching and teaching truth in the place what Amos describes, a place where the true Word of God is scarce. 

I know the author of the Message will receive a glorious reward for the things Jesus was able to issue forth through him.  I don't think Peterson was responsible for the way lazy church leaders allowed The Message to become a valid source of God's word.  But what has come from the misuse of this commentary, wrong doctrine and practices, is a mess. 

Gary Ward

The blind spot of every church leader

It was about 20 years ago the Lord started to stir me up about 'the church.'  At the time I was in an aspiring mega-church with possibly the poorest examples of leadership I've encountered.  Watching the egotistical pushing and shoving, and feeling drawn into it all,  led me to evaluate this 'church' thing.  It seemed that only the favoured few were happy and not-so-coincidentally, they were the best tithers.  What is it that keeps people with seemingly good intent blind to what the scriptures teach, and unwilling to hear beyond everything that suits their purposes?

Once I had settled in my own heart that I wanted no part of the trappings associated with being a church leader, the Lord began showing me the truth about 'church' and 'Biblical leadership.'  Standing back from the church system gave me a chance to observe what was going on without being implicated by it.  It was also a chance to put space between myself and the things I had held valuable like status, profile and position among my fellow community of believers.  I can honestly say I didn't go looking for these things consciously. But when I became a person of regard among other believers and beyond our own church, it sure felt good!  It also felt wrong, and I saw that being significant and recognised in the church circles was addictive.  Some even think it is their calling from God to be a christian celebrity!  I thought this whole thing was about lifting Jesus up as we follow the Baptiser in radical humility before the Lord?  Don't I become less, lowly and intentionally bowed of heart before Jesus? 

Those around me still appear utterly blinded to any of this and have gone on to set themselves up as central figures in what they do.  The adoration, applause and attention of their sycophants just feathers the bed for this 'drug'.  It would be all well and good if the Bible underlines this as marks of successful Godly pursuit.  But it doesn't, it says quite the opposite about anyone God is issuing forth through.  Paul tells the Corinthians that his life is routinely battered and bruised for the sake of his sending.  I'm sure we are all united in placing Paul in the 'successful Godly pursuit' bracket.  Of course, not everyone has the addiction.  Many struggle with the inevitability of being raised up by others yet do not activate the solution to the problem.  The vast majority just accept their fame among others as 'going with the territory.'  I call this the 'King Thing,' the problem Paul slammed in the Corinthian church (4:8f).  God predicted this of Israel in Deut 17 and calls it idolatry in 1 Sam 8. 

We live in the Western culture where hierarchy is the way to lead.  But we must remember that the instructions given in the New Testament have little to do with western culture.   Our culture derived from Rome and this constitutes the blind spot of every church leader.  It doesn't seem to matter that we aspire to the 'winds of heaven' while employing the 'stuff of earth' to outwork its aims and objectives.  Whether we are basking in the regalia of the 'King Thing' or struggling with it, everyone has to disengage it.  The answer is to drag our hearts before the Lord and submit our crowns to Him, the only one who is worthy to wear a crown.  We also have to do what Jesus told the Apostles to do:  have a meal in a home.  This is a covenant sign, a rehearsal for the wedding feast of the Lamb.  It re-calibrates the assembled body as 'family,' brothers and sisters under one Father.  In this environment, no one can become the big cheese.  There's no CEO in a family.  There's no rank among children. 

Some have said to me over the years that I'm simply doing 'house church.'  It's as if we all have options and I opted for this.  I champion the case for Biblical church because it is ... Biblical!  But it would be just like the genius of the Lord to have us meet a certain way so that our wayward hearts would not be corrupted.  Attention, adoration and applause are sucker punches for church leaders.  Satan can't stop a believer who wants to lead but the evil one can fill your life with the idea that you are significant, important and 'God's secret weapon in our times.' Searching people will dive right into that unbiblical way to lead, thus bolstering the myth that we 'should' be receiving the accolades.  People have made doctrines to support this warping of all that is right and true. 

The blind spot of every leader is tackling this problem.  Jars of Clay said it well in 'Unforgetful You:'

You never minded giving us the stars 
Then showing us how blind and unaware of You we are 
You painted me a picture and showed me how to see 
Though I just won't behold it 
Unless it pertains to me



Gary Ward

Voices in the wilderness...

You don't have to live in a desert to be a voice in the wilderness.  Today many believers are experiencing isolation, abandonment and social martyrdom in their towns and cities.  Their way of seeing Biblical truth seems to be less merged with fads, trends and the traditions passed on through history.  When they speak it is standing for biblical truth, walking it out faithfully and calibrating their church practice to the teachings of Christ and the pattern passed on by the Apostles.  When you determine to walk this way it can get very lonely, discouraging and often we eventually stop speaking out the truth.  After all, whose listening?  Many return to church projects they know are somehow amiss just to make sense of their faith.  I want to try to encourage you to continue to be a voice in the 'wilderness,' to walk and talk this faith filled life in the name of Jesus.

The Apostles applied Jesus teachings to their whole life and practices.  The lived in faith and repentance and also met with other believers according to the  'paradosis,' passed on patterns and traditions.  'Church,' for them, was meeting in homes around food and drink as a covenant sign.  They shared the scriptures and the Lord issued forth through graces that we call 'gifts' to build up and encourage one another.  When the Apostles died, the way believers met began to be more like any-old meeting where a spokesman stands up and everyone listens.  In the 4th century Emperor Constantine started a process of merging the meeting of believers with the state.  'Church' began to look like the Roman Empire with central meeting halls, professional clergy and compulsory attendance.  The church was squarely placed into the hands of Man.  That which facilitated the moving of the Spirit was now Man's enterprise.  But this is not the whole story. 

Ever since the meeting of believers was made into a systemic institution there were always those who sat outside of it, walking and talking as led by the Spirit and not by the state.  God always had his remnant who refused to recognise Rome. In Europe many groups were standing firm for Biblical truth and as Rome sent the Inquisitors, many were killed for standing outside the system and refusing to align with the Pope.  Hermits and monks, although problematic in their own practices, came up from non alignment with the system.  But any divergence from the Apostolic pattern for biblical ekklesia always found itself in a cul-de-sac where the enemy would manipulate and pervert. 

As history continued The Roman Catholic church became the major force on earth.  It was a political giant and entire countries were assimilated to its agenda.  It continued to send unholy auditors to infiltrate who they saw as heretics and burn them, sometimes in the homes they were hiding in.  Some willingly clamoured into burning bonfires rather than turn to the Pope.  So many groups existed to live led by the Spirit of God outside the system and Rome was infuriated.   Of course, we then had the Reformation and a clear distinction was made between Rome and the 'Protest-ants.'  With it came the idea that we have only two camps... Rome and Protestants.  But this is flawed thinking. 

If we discard labels and categories for a minute, we can explore what it actually is what made Rome into a systematised institution and eventually a killing machine.  The problem is when Man discards the biblical direction and tries to do it without the Lord.  So when Roman Catholics throw away the scriptures it is easy to see.   They will affirm that the Pope is Jesus' representative and he has final authority.  No need to scratch your head there, right!  What is new to our thinking perhaps is that many Protestants, when they discard biblical direction, they are also not to be aligned with.  How do Protestants violate the direction of God?  Surely to be separate from Rome is enough? 

When the Pope sits on the Throne in the Vatican he has substantial power.  This is the blatant refusal to bow his heart to the King of Kings, Jesus our Lord.  When we truly submit, yield and abandon to the Lord Jesus, He can rule and reign, His will and His purposes issuing forth in the earth.  Protestants may be vehemently against the Pope, Rome and the idolatry but many are still happy to create their own rule and reign on earth.  Even though this may be with only a few people, the desire to be over other believers is still there.  The whole point of Jesus risen and glorified is to be our sole King.  Believers are supposed to be His hands and feet, not another enterprise of man. 

Rome has one Pope, and as I've said before, Protestantism has millions of Popes!  When we consider the simple, home based ekklesia, meeting around food and drink as brothers and sisters, we can see how it would be more difficult to become 'Father!'  I can't see and assess a man's heart so I'm not sure anyone sets out to be over other believers in Protestantism, but as long as the structure of meeting together is 'special people doing special things in special places,' it will always lead to systematised institution.  While it may not be subduing governments and killing its opponents today, there is denominational-ism and social martyrdom for anyone refusing to take part in man made systems. 

So if you find yourself a voice in the wilderness, unable to associate with 'whats out there,' you are not alone.  You stand with the many who, by the grace of the Lord, stand outside of the systems and structures made by men.  Before we even get out of bed in the morning we are already standing against the world system that pressures us to assimilate, whether by sword or by the pain of loneliness, abandonment and accusations.  Like those who ran towards the flames of the inquisitors, embrace the life, or death, that you find yourself in.  It is much more significant, important and productive that you could ever imagine!


Gary Ward

Jesus the Mercy Seat

When we explore Romans we will come across God presenting Jesus as the Hilasterion (3:25).  This word has been translated 'propitiation' or 'sacrifice of atonement.'  While these translations speak of the result of God presenting Jesus, it doesn't say what the word means.  Hilasterion means 'Mercy Seat.  The Mercy seat is what covered the Ark of the Covenant.  What can we observe about Jesus being presented as he Mercy Seat covering of the Ark of the Covenant?

The Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Only the High Priest could go in with some very specific instructions from God.  Leviticus Ch 16 speaks of the procedure.  In short the High Priest transfers the sin of the nation (there are a few sin categories) into the animal and the animal is killed.  The blood from the resultant wound is thrown onto the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant.   This act brings about God's approval to forgive the sins.  Iv'e simplified this ritual because at every turn it is rich and loaded with meaning.  What is of my interest is to think INSIDE the box.

Inside the Ark of the covenant were three things.  One was the tablets with the ten commandments on it.  This is a story of lawbreaking by the nation (Exo 32).  Another artefact was Aarons rod that budded.  This was a story of rebellion by some who rose up against Moses leadership, in effect, against God's express will (Num Ch 16and 17).  The other item was Manna.  Manna fell when the Israelites had no food.  At one point the people complained and roused God's anger.  They wanted meat so God showered the camp with quail, so much that they had trouble collecting it all.  It was a picture of ungratefulness (Numbers 11).  So in the Ark was Lawbreaking, Rebellion and Ungratefulness.   All of these things were covered by the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant.

God presented Jesus as the Mercy Seat and as we will know from the Cross, Jesus had the sins of the world transferred to Him, just like the animals.  Then his wounds bled all over him as thorns tore his scalp, his scourged back bled down his legs and crucifixion wounds turned him into a dripping bloodbath.  So we have the sin transfer, the blood  and the covering all in Jesus on the cross.

This sacrifice covers our lawbreaking but also our ungratefulness and rebellion.  God presents Jesus as the Mercy Seat and in doing do not only covers the fact that we sin but also the wretchedness of our ungrateful rebellion.  All of this is known to God yet he took the initiative to fix the whole thing for us at infinite cost.  Simply:

God's got you covered!  Shalom!

Gary Ward

How do I know when... *1

How do I know when... I'm being oppressed by the enemy?

Spiritual oppression is when the enemy is allowed to get close enough to affect a believer.  It has a purpose in God that we are not always clear about.  One thing is clear:  we can get into all sorts of problems if we don't detect a spiritual attack.  Here are 5 indications you are being oppressed spiritually.  Its not the only 5 and certainly not a defining comment. 

1.  The 'skies' are not clear.  Eph 6

Often a believer can readily think of the Lord, their church family and the blessings they have and rejoice.  Even in trials we can think of the way the Lord has blessed us, firstly with salvation.  The readiness of this sense of joy, I call 'clear skies.'   When we experience this sense disappear and it's hard to even muster up a prayer, it could be spiritual oppression / attack.  We all have flat days but when oppression is occurring we feel genuinely fogged up about how we relate to the Lord and peripheral matters.  The skies are not clear!  Many churches teach that we can somehow make a difference by binding this and that but the Biblical response to all this is to 'stand.'  Paul tells us in Ephesians that a day of evil will come and we must set ourselves up to wear God's armour.  This armour is steadfast understanding and assurance of 6 things:

• Truth
• Righteousness
• Peace
• Faith
• Salvation
• God's word

These things need to be understood as second nature by believers because these are the focus of the enemies attack.  When we stand in steadfast surety of these elements it is like armour.  The enemy wants these elements to become unclear and foggy and when we are being attacked it will be these elements that come into his cross hairs.  Paul says to 'stand' and pray.  Clear skies are coming!

2. The devil tries to form division Phil 4:8

For no reason we can think of, we experience a nagging negativity about others.  It's a niggling sense of discomfort often coupled with accusations forming in our heads.    Sometimes we have thoughts about others and come to wrong conclusions based upon how we feel during spiritual attack.  The aim of the devil, who is basically a frustrated politician, is to bring about disunity and fractures within the family, be that actual, or spiritual family.  

One of the best tricks the devil uses is half truths.  There's no point telling an absolute whopper that you can see straight through!  The enemy can craftily have us concocting stories and conclusions from strands of truth.  When we find ourselves coming to dark conclusion about others, we need to examine our thoughts in the light of 'loving our neighbour' or we are being lied to.  The Lord does not deal with others by bringing us into dark conclusions or accusations.  It is the enemy who weaves his plans to steal kill and destroy into our minds.   How do we combat this?  When we find ourselves in a cul-de-sac of negativity turn to scripture... Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

3. We are accused and lied to about self  Eph 1

Another strategy of the enemy is to lie and accuse us about us!  Often we don't need the enemy to give ourselves a hard time but it is his speciality to have believers defeated by accusing them of their sinfulness and things from the past.  This is one of the destructive things about sin... it gives the devil ammunition!  The devil has a field day ripping into us about our failures, our devotion to the Lord and our daily walk.  One way I defend myself against this is by reminding myself of the truth about my salvation:   

When I became a believer I was accepted and adopted by the Father and he did this with total awareness about what he was taking on.  The Father has been pleased to give me the kingdom and has done so with all wisdom and understanding. So when I find myself in need of forgiveness because of sin I take it very seriously and keep short accounts with the Lord.  But what I don't do is imagine the Lord is impatient and fed up with me.  God knows the total dimensions of my sinful potential, much better than I do!  So the Lord is not surprised that I have messed up.  The enemy will give the impression that I'm a total failure and have damaged the relationship with the Father incalculably.  What the Lord expects is for us to go to Him and repent.  Then pick up our cross and carry on.   

4. We are being utilised by the Lord 2 Tim 1:11-12

If you are being utilised by the Lord, we should expect the attack of the enemy.  One believer said the enemy has no authority to attack them!  Seems strange to me that the Apostle Paul was attacked from 'outside forces' right there and then as he wrote 2 Timothy!  The greater the calling or sending, the bigger attack!    The honour of the Lord involving us in His work is amazing and we can rise up with thanks and gratefulness that he can and will issue forth through us in some way.  Don't fall into a trap thinking its only the leaders who are being utilised.  Being a Christian is, before you've done anything, a pushing back of the forces of darkness.  As we walk in the Spirit we are resisting the Spirit of Antichrist that has gone forth into the earth.  Being on God's side is enough to get the dark forces riled.  Good!



5. People say or do things that are really odd!  

Where the devil tries to divide us as in (2) above, he can also cause people to do and say things.  On more than a few occasions people have said or done things that add to the occasion of being attacked by the enemy.  I've had people say things that could never have been in their knowledge, yet they come forth with words to make the burden even harder.  With the weariness and exhaustion that comes with spiritual attack, it feels right to unleash on the people but we are not at war with people as Ephesians 6:12 affirms.  It is also tempting to live in fear of people and their words.  We may also get an option of a person who has clearly been manipulated by the enemy.   A whole world of drama can come from building a profile of a person based on this.  Resist!  

Much of this comes in on the blind side.  Being in proximity to the Lord, praying, imbibing God's word and being around your brothers and sisters is God's plan for survival during these times.  The enemy's strategy varies person to person but it will always include stopping you going to church, neglecting the Bible, distraction away from praying and feeling like the Lord can't help you.  

Hope this helps.  

Gary Ward

Critical / Cynical / Biblical?

One of the more significant challenges when wanting to follow the Lord and obey His word is being misunderstood.  One of the best examples of Jesus being misunderstood is in his death! He was Messiah, Israel knew this yet had him killed.  One of the reasons for him being set up for death was John Chapter 8.  Here we find Jesus absolutely ripping into the Pharisees and leaving no margin of 'whatever could Jesus mean by that?'  Jesus was responding to the accusations with basic facts which when understood could lead to their salvation.  So Jesus used hard truths in love.

Today there are hard truths around just like in Jesus' day.  If a believer delivers hard truths to other believers there are boxes available to be placed in.  'Cynical' and 'critical' are two of the boxes that people get put into.  It is true, however, that there are critical and cynical people around and their 'truths' can be easily measured against the word of God and debunked.  Also truth can be delivered in the wrong way to appear that there is an agenda.  To speak hard truth today is tricky because of the many boxes there are and believers ready to assign if they don't like what is being said.  The other side to this coin is that ideas that are offered as truth but are un-biblical are assigned to the 'acceptable' box and the body of Christ wanders down any old cul de sac.

Recently I was talking to a believer about mega churches not seeming to have discipleship as a priority.  This person said I was critical but I asked what Jesus meant when he said 'you compass the land and sea of the earth to win a convert then make him into twice the son of hell that you are.'  The believer asked if Jesus really said that!  It was a hard truth in Jesus time and a hard truth today... some churches are focused on looking good... filling seats.  Yet the aim of all of this, 'making disciples' is signed off with church attendance and service.  Discipleship is facilitating a believer to source themselves in their risen Lord and draw upon Him.

That said, it is also easy to become cynical and critical as we see the unbiblical practices of the church.  If you love the idea of God's people coming together to grow and encourage one another, when others make a mockery of this and clearly make it into a means of gain, it's hard to contain the frustration.  The answer is to figure out biblically why this is not sitting right in your heart.  Ive met so many people who are for 'this' and against 'that,' yet cannot tell you why biblically.  It's just their opinion based, again, on their own criteria for serving self.

 It appears to me that Jesus was unconcerned about gaining a fan club so he said it as it is.  It is a precarious position to sit between a scriptural stance and the affections of Mankind.  So many don't want the hardship of standing for Gods word that will inevitably lead to being isolated, alone and misunderstood.   Does that life sound familiar?  Jesus would identify with it and so would the Apostles and Prophets.  As the aspirations to build mega church increase, there is one who is building His church with the remnant who will not bow the knee to status, profile and personality cult.

The way ahead is to be constantly calibrating self to God's word.  That's what the Lord is doing as we offer our lives as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Rom 12:1-2).  As we join in His program for us we will find ourselves understanding that all of the corruption we see around us has all happened before in Israel.  As Paul tells the Corinthians a ballpark, ' learn from the journey of Israel' because all of that occurred for our observation.  Yet millions of believers continue to repeat the mistakes made by the leaders, even in Jesus' time, raising up a platform for self and using the ministry for personal gain.   The way to stand firm and resist error is to steadfastly avoid these ministries and make sure as they reap their rewards now, we are nothing to do with it. 

Gary Ward

God's love for the orphaned heart 1

As many people will know, you don't need to be lacking parents to be an orphan.  So many people like myself have experienced parenthood that was positional.  The ideal is that parents are functional and walk out the responsibility of parenthood.  Sadly, there are those who can interact with a person who was part of their being born but not engage the love and joy of having functional parents.  I have had this experience where my dad has been present-absent all my life.  As an adult I can pretty much live life without my dad but have to say it impacts on my relationship with my heavenly Father.  It turns out a few from our church also have issues in this area.  So how do we navigate these waters when 'father' was not exampled?

For many the main issue lies around believing that the heavenly (F)ather is not like your (f)ather.  I can readily accept this as a fact but it all gets snarled up when I have to go to the Lord when troubled.  My father caused much of my trouble so to go to my Father when troubled seems impossible.  The unlearning old patterns of thinking seems exhausting when you can't muster the faith to believe Father loves you.  Some have written books about their intimate relationship with their heavenly daddy and quite frankly it frustrates me.  'Thank you for telling me how cuddly you are on His knee!'  My experience is not that and I have to believe the unbelievable to even think he cares.

So I do my 'orphan therapy.'  I put myself in the shoes of the prodigal son.  Then I put myself in the place of the woman caught in adultery.  I'm then in Ephesians 1 seeing the Father has pleasurably, with all wisdom and understanding chosen me to be in the New Covenant.  Psalm 139 comes in handy and I am starting to feel better.  This is about me.  My Father has been pleased to give me the Kingdom.  All of this is great and helps but one thing slips through the confusion:

God made an independent free will decision to adopt me personally.

The Creator of the Universe chose me before anything was put on the clock.  This has to eclipse any absent parenthood that was also trying to recover from the fall.  God, in the most lucid state anything could ever be, saw every particle of your being, including the very bad bits, and elected you for eternal life.  Still not moved?

Now consider that the Father could not do any of this unless his own Son was crushed... and the Father had to do the crushing!  To rescue me and you, the Father went to ultimate personal expense such is His regard for you and me.  He had to inflict torture and pain on His Son to rescue us after it was us who willingly choose to rebel.  God took the hit for you, and it was of unimaginable proportion.

With this in view we can conclude that no father has ever done what the Father has done!  So you and I can take the component of 'I don't understand the love of the Father' and re-examine.  NO-ONE can fully grasp the whole nine yards of this love!  If anyone says they do then they either don't understand it or are fooling themselves.  Would I crush my Son for anyone or anything? NO!

Let us with orphaned hearts re-calibrate towards the Father and encounter this Joy!

Gary Ward

The Inst-Abram age...

Media platforms are useful in many ways but it doesn't take much to see how dangerous they are.  Providing a snapshot of our lives doesn't tell of the whole nine yards of what's actually going on.  It's not like everyone who uses social media is deceptive, its just that we don't tell the whole story.  Many of the false teachers and teachings offer something useful but the error is always that they don't tell the whole story.  In this age we live in it is more like Inst- Abram ... just seeing the good bits of someone like Abraham's life instead of the issues. 

Reporting on just good parts of something provides perfect marketing.  If we did it in our own small biblical house group we could say some really good things.  There's been healing amongst us, we have sweet fellowship, lovely times of worship and amazing times of sharing.  Sounds great... and it is!  But also we have times of brokenness,  spiritual attack and oppression and real, earthy needs amongst us.  What I am describing in the sunshine and rain is reality!  Rather than make false promises like the prosperity gospel does, we just promise a biblical journey with all it's ups and downs.

So what happens if we only report on the good things? People would be misled in believing that we have some sort of utopia.  I think it is human nature, especially us over catered for westerners, to avoid suffering.  And the more I promise continual ease, the more we buy into it.  Then... the problems come in churches who promise the ideal.  There are several ways to maintain the illusion that all is well and that is to tell the person that they are still in utopia but they are the problem.  Many Christians have been made to feel condemned, maladjusted and in some cases demonised for simply stumbling along in their walk.  It is normal to falter and fail and in the ekklesia the Lord wanted, people are there to support and assist.  Having a family to lean on when the going gets tough is the plan but in so many cases 'tough' means 'lack.'

If the gospel is presented in such a way that normality is constantly being swept along by the gentle breeze of the Spirit of God, any 'snagging on the barbed wire' would be seen as personal failure.   Obviously wrong to see snags as failure but even worse, we have entered in to 'performance mode' as believers.  It matters that we are intending a holy walk but the whole self assessment must be offset by Jesus completed work and his glorification right now.  The Lord knows the potential of our weakness yet still works with us to nudge us towards transformation.  So because he sees all, there is no surprise (to Him) when we falter and fail.  The problem is, we do like to 'post' the good bits, the perceived successes and the impressive performance.   This speaks back to us and reinforces the idea that we are not all that bad.  When the snags occur we are again shocked and appalled that we are indeed wretched.

The only way to see a joyful and peaceful walk is to fix our eyes on things above all the time and attribute the good, the bad and the ugly to our risen and glorified King.

Yours in the struggle,

Gary Ward

Understanding 'contending for the faith'

Jude's letter was clear about the dangers facing Christians, especially in the last days.  That there would be those who 'slip in among you' and masquerade as believers was a problem then but now denominations are based on this calamity.  The issue here is that the practices and false doctrines of these impostors are adopted by believers and we see it every day in churches.  It is my responsibility to firstly walk out the faith in obedience but then to discern where the rot has set in. Then I will make all those I am walking this out with aware of the error.  In this way I am again doing what Scripture teaches: 1 Timothy 4...

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

If however the 'pointing out' or 'making aware' is actually a cover for bitterness or revenge then it is a whole other matter.  I would have to examine my own heart (see, you don't have to!) for motives in calling out an individual or a church et al.  I have personally been part of churches that have publicly lied to their congregations, mismanaged money, built a 'kingdom' for themselves etc.  All these things are explicitly reasons for repentance.  Where repentance is not evident the person or church are in danger.  God gives churches or individuals over to 'it,' whatever 'it' is for that group.  We see this in verse two above and in Romans chapter 1 just as two off the cuff examples. 

Over the last year or two I have seen people I know lie to my face about the lies they told to their church.  I didn't expose this beyond some trusted friends to whom I have some accountability. Recently a church was on national UK TV because of a scandal involving the head of that organisation.  One of the reasons aspiring mega churches pat themselves on the back is because of the social action they get involved in.  The un-biblical practices they employ to get people in, and get their money, is always justified by 'helping the helpless.'  Got to say... if you have a load of people doing anything... helping the helpless is a good thing!  But if the helpless become subject to the same business-like tactics as everyone else we have a problem.  Control, megalomania and the such like are ugly in every context.  Its no problem for me to let my church family know that this is wrong and can never be right.  Biblically, I'm doing my job.    

My concern is for the believers who have fallen into the cult of personality.  Some people can do anything and the followers wont see it as sin.  This is concerning because it shows the word of God is coming second to the vision of the movement.  Believers buy into the proposals of the leaders and if they happen to violate the word of God... who cares!  As long as the movement is moving and I'm part of it... let's not tip up the apple cart!  This is exactly what Israel were castigated for... the widespread acceptance of sin as being all well and good because "WE ARE GODS CHOSEN."  

What could go wrong... turns out everything!

This is not a shock to anyone who has read the Prophets and takes the Apostles seriously.  The growing problem is acceptance of this unrepentant behaviour.  The VAST majority are taken in by the key performance indicators of 'what works' church wise.  As long as they are a part of the hive, all is well.

It isn't well.  It is everything the Apostles and Prophets warned about.   

Gary Ward 

Managing appetites...

Paul to Timothy:

1Tim 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

How do we know what is the demonic teaching and which is Godly?  Paul offers two examples of what demonic teaching does.  The underlying theme is restriction.  But the devastating other side to this coin is the works associated with it.  They forbid people to marry when marriage is the very core of God's plan that is patterned through the Bible.  The true church is a bride!  They also forbid certain foods.  Food is a blessing!  God loves feasts!  What are the demons trying to do in being behind such teachings and practices? 

When people become Christians having been implicated by the rescue plan of God, they enter more freedoms than restrictions.  This is not what people think about Christianity but it is actually true.  Paul goes on:  

4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.  

When someone brings about extra rules and regulations that God has not sanctioned they create a false religion.  This misrepresents God and people get an impression of God that is not accurate.  As a younger man I HATED being misrepresented.  It has happened so much that I've seen it as God's hollowing out process.  I have also seen more clearly the reason people do it.  Nevertheless God is misrepresented.  That is not a great idea but it is devastating to the people led into the doctrines of demons.  Central to our growth, maturity and even salvation is seeing God for who He really is.  

The whole problem with all of God's dealing with Israel was misrepresentation.  This led to carving Idols and in the same way, creating restrictions is also Idolatry.  This has been clearly said by the Holy Spirit!  The big question has to be whether Paul's observations have taken form.  I mean if you claim the Holy Spirit is clearly saying something you'd better be right, right?

I'm sure there are other examples but two huge examples remain of restricting foods and marriage.  Firstly it is the Roman Catholics that forbid their priests to marry.  This has serious repercussions in society.  Roman Catholics re-enact Jesus' sacrifice at mass, denying the Lord's once and for all sacrifice.  Secondly there is the devastating error of returning to Law.  This proclaims the work of the cross as being ineffectual and sets the person partaking into observing prescriptive Law.  Practically it means restrictions in what is eaten as Mosaic Law banned certain foods.  Interestingly, Judaisers and the Roman Catholics have this in common: Ignoring the completed work of the cross.  

Jesus fulfilled the Law for us so that we can have access to God by believing on Him.  Once truly following Jesus by faith we are not required to tick boxes or refrain from what God has given as pleasurable blessings.  Although these blessings can be abused, doing or not doing something to help God fix us is not required.  When the Apostles wrote to the gentile believers at Antioch, the main areas they advised to be aware of was managing food and their sexual practices.  In no way did they says stop eating and enjoying intimacy in marriage.  Our appetites are God given and to be met with thanks within the holy boundaries of God's graces.  

Gary Ward

Song for the struggling

Another day, another way, to limp out this walk
Identified as God's light, but struggling with the dark
Fighting with my go-to's, this much determined flesh,
Heart bowed low confession, to straighten out this mess

Who turned out the light? Scraping for a prayer
Voices to accuse me, lies from everywhere!
I handed ammunition to the hater of my soul
Half truths leave me numb, and now they feel like whole

My tears fall onto the ground in a self inflicted rain
A voice says, 'time and time and time and time again!'
'These fractures are not healing', 'a son who can't do good'
'God must now reject me, I know for sure I would!'

But what is this, a memory of a boy who lost his way?
Took the contents of the safe and partied every day?
Ventured back to his home but someway down the path
His Father came to meet him and he expected wrath

The Father's joy was beaming, the son taken aback
Dad wrapped his arms around him not one word of his lack
Robes and ring, the best food, a very noisy celebration
Father goes the extra mile to mark this restoration

How can it be that I receive that which I do not merit?
While what I'm owed is judgement, but I just don't get it?
Can it be that all my wrongs are totally outshone
By Fathers unrelenting love and joy at His returning son?

This story is the truth for all who wholly trust
That Jesus took all God's wrath, for me He said He must
So when I fall and fail and choose me above my King
The Father wants me to come to him and tell him everything

With love and joy my Father cancels out my debt
This act of going to Him is how His plan was set
'Lost sons returning home' is the genius intent
To rescue me from me and why His own Son was sent

I'm not planning sinful ways but I know they will be true
The thing to understand is Father knows it too!
I'm starting out again with eyes on things above
My failings overshadowed by my Father's boundless love. 


Gary Ward