Many stories throughout the Old Testament describe the tender heart of God. One of my favourites is the story of King David and Mephibosheth (2 Sam Ch 9.) Mephibosheth is crippled in both feet and thus not really of service to the King. In our times where our roles tasks and functions seem to signify spiritual prowess, it is fitting to examine what was being exampled here.
David was keen to show God's kindness to someone from the house of Saul. Remember that Saul pursued David to have him killed yet David made a true friend out of Johnathan, Saul's son. Before we get into the story of Methibosheth - Johnathan's son - it is important not to miss this gesture. David saw the entire episode of Saul's pursuit as part and parcel of God's will for him. This is a key to being healed and restored after a time where God's people chase you down. David had every reason to bring retribution upon the house of Saul yet he saw God's purposes in Saul being complicit to his times of brokenness. David knew that it was the brokenness that rid him of his 'Saul' and made him remain 'David.' So David embraced the painful process... something we would be wise to do.
In my bible notes I have verse 1 of 2 Sam Chapter 9 labelled "Kindness in the face of conflict." David was able to get a 'macro-view' of God's dealing with him and this was a key to him being able to show God's kindness to Mephibosheth. In verse 6 Mephibosheth introduces himself as David's servant. He was placing himself under David's rule yet the likelihood of actually serving him was reduced by his handicap. Today we have many people who have ailments and hindrances to mobility that can work on computers and do other useful and important jobs. Not so much in David's day.
In verse 7 of 2 Sam chapter 9 David tells Mephibosheth, 'Don't be afraid.' This was 'reassurance in the face of ruin.' David restores land to Mephibosheth and gives him a place at the Kings table. Bowing low, Mephibosheth asks why he is being treated this way, being a 'dead dog' and David further instructs Ziba, one of Saul's servants. David creates an economy for them and places Mephibosheth as the Master of that house. My notes record David had 'actions in the face of questions.' David arranges 'provision in the face of prejudice.' So what do we have when we put it all together?
David is a type of Jesus and Mephibosheth is a type of everyone who comes to Jesus in faith. God, the perfect, Holy Father wants us to get to a place where we can say 'what is your servant that you notice a dead dog like me?' We need to acknowledge our being part of a failed kingdom, the kingdom of self. Secondly we need to recognise we cannot walk this out at all! Think you can? Then your measurement of God's holiness is WAY too low! Thirdly we need to realise, and this is the big one, that God requires our sonship... and that has to be enough. To be invited by the King to eat at His table is the highest honour we can ever embark upon. What happens when we realise we are an adopted son and invited to eat at the King's table?
We show kindness in the face of conflict
We give reassurance in the face of ruin
We respond with actions in the face of questions
We provide in the face of prejudice
We reflect God's kindness when we recognise Jesus the King still invites us cripples to eat at His table. It is then we may be able to be used to further God's kingdom... when we have stopped all our works and come to Jesus as we are.
Gary Ward
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Thursday, 14 April 2016
About 'the Rapture...'
Perhaps the strangest doctrine that Christians have is that at some point dead people and believers who are alive will instantaneously disappear from earth and go to Heaven. Many are walking away from the idea of a 'rapture.' So we can be in line with what the scriptures teach, let's examine the case for a 'raptured church.'
Why?
Firstly, what's the reason for the sudden disappearance of the believers from the earth? There are two sides to this coin. One side is that this is the Resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15). The other side to the coin is that the time of the gentiles is over (Rom ch 9-11) and God turns His attention back to Israel. The gentiles were only ever a grafted in branch into the covenant God has made with Israel. Because they rejected Jesus, God rejected them. Gentiles don't become Jews or even 'Israel.' Both Jews and Gentiles become a new man in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). God has to take those in Christ from the earth to allow the last period of time of history to have Israel bow the knee to Messiah. And they do.
Re-popularisation of the Rapture
In 1830 John Nelson Darby and others re-popularised the doctrine of the raptured church. Darby was way off on many things and probably said some strange things about the rapture. Today people include the rapture as a false teaching just because Darby taught about it. One reason this became popular in the 1800's was because many believed Jesus return would be in the 7th Millennium since creation. 2000 would place the church in the 7th Millennium and the Zionist movement was going strong around 1830 which pushed for an actual state of Israel. For believers, in history much of the scriptures made no sense so the sniff of an actual state of Israel was exciting. For the first time the Prophets and Apostles were possibly making sense... so believers looked more closely at the end time scriptures. Thus the rapture doctrine was made front page news again. Rather than inventing it, it was simply made popular by many and Darby was blamed as the 'culprit.' By stating this in NO WAY makes me a Darby supporter. He has so many doctrinal errors it would be a separate document to discuss. I'm simply saying Darby didn't invent the doctrine. Let's move on to those who came before Darby and were at 'ground zero,' then others throughout history writing about the rapture.
The Early Church Fathers and the 'rapture.'
If Darby 'invented the rapture' then what on earth were the Early Church Fathers talking about?
Irenaeus 130Ad- 202Ad
from 'Against Heresies' 5.29
“Those nations however, who did not of themselves raise up their eyes unto heaven, nor returned thanks to their Maker, nor wished to behold the light of truth, but who were like blind mice concealed in the depths of ignorance, the word justly reckons “as waste water from a sink, and as the turning-weight of a balance — in fact, as nothing;”(1) so far useful and serviceable to the just, as stubble conduces towards the growth of the wheat, and its straw, by means of combustion, serves for working gold. And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.”(2) For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption.”
Cyprian 200 Ad - 258 Ad
Treatises of Cyprian
“We who see that terrible things have begun, and know that still more terrible things are imminent, may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. Do you not give God thanks, do you not congratulate yourself, that by an early departure you are taken away, and delivered from the shipwrecks and disasters that are imminent? Let us greet the day which assigns each of us to his own home, which snatches us hence, and sets us free from the snares of the world and restores us to paradise and the kingdom.”
Ephraim the Syrian 306Ad-372Ad
On last times
Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: “Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!” For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord.
Add to these heavyweights the Shepherd of Hermas (140 Ad), Brother Dolcimo (1240), Thomas Collier (d 1691) and John Askill (1700) who was sent to prison for his book on the rapture. We also consider Morgan Edwards as directly preceding Darby in his assertion of the rapture. We must also include Paul and the Apostles in this regard as they believed it could happen at any time.
What does 'rapture' mean?
The word comes from the Latin translation (rapio) of the Greek word 'harpazo.' This means to snatch away and is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Phillip was snatched away in Acts 8:39. So was Paul in 2 Cor 12:2 and 4. Also Jesus Rev 12:5, Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:9. Jesus also asserts no-one can 'harpazo' believers out of his hand in John 10:28-29). So it is an entirely biblical concept to be 'snatched away.'
Old Testament
Can there be any other way to discern a 'rapture' event other than the enormous examples of Enoch and Elijah in the Old Testament? Isaiah thinks so! In 26:19 we are told two things, our bodies shall live, but will also rise! The earth 'casts out' the dead! Does Zeph 2:3 hint at being sheltered from the tribulation? If so, how? Psalm 27:5 is similar. How does God hide people from a global tribulation if He doesn't 'snatch them away?' Also check out Psalm 57:1, Psalm 83:1-3, Job 14:13, Isaiah 57:1. What do these passages mean?
Job 19:25-27, 1 Cor Ch 15 and 1 John 3:2 all speak of the Resurrection and include information on receiving a new body that is incorruptible. If there is a resurrection, how does this happen without a removal of the person? The resurrected believer will rule and reign on earth with Christ... if this is the case then Jesus returns to Earth to rule and reign at the resurrection. Many believe this. However, to believe this you have to take scissors and cut out most of the Prophets for they speak of a time of tribulation and restoration of Israel before the Lord's return. We have to discard Jesus' words on the Olivet Discourse! We have to discard Daniel 9 and his 70th week. We have to deny that the Apostles were waiting for the Lords return imminently (Phil 3:20, Titus 2:13, Heb 9:28, Rev 22:20, 1 Thess 1:10; 4:18; 5:6). If you want to turn a blind eye to the Prophets and Apostles you also have to discard Peters urge to regard them for 'wholesome thinking.'
New Testament
The clearest possible example we have comes from Jesus. In John 14 we find Him telling the disciples what was going to happen. Jesus is going to his Fathers house which must be Heaven. There are 'many rooms' in His Fathers house. Jesus is describing a Jewish wedding where the groom goes away to build an extension on his fathers house. He then returns and takes the bride to be where he is. Jesus tells the disciples he is going the heaven to prepare a place for each believer. He will then come to take them where he is... in heaven. This is problematic for those who struggle with the rapture. As we presently stand in history, no-one can deny Jesus is in heaven on His Fathers Throne. So half this has been fulfilled... "I am going to prepare a place for you...." Next is the...' I will come to take you (His Bride) to be where He is.... heaven. This explicit rapture reference cannot be explained away. Paul told the Thessalonians clearly that we are snatched away. He also told Timothy to be vigilant in view of his appearing (the rapture) and his Kingdom (the millennial reign).
Rapture Deniers
Rapture deniers simply allow their rational minds to walk away from clear doctrine, especially in our age where to be seen to believe irrational things is a detriment to intelligence. Let's not forget that to be a Christian, you believe a dead man came alive again! As we continue to see every human being die, that is FAR more weird than the rapture! Some Christians who have been involved in churches that have taught real heresy struggle to believe the rapture. This is because they develop a 'won't fall for that one again' mentality. I can understand this. However, babies and bathwater are strewn in order to not 'swallow and follow' everything. As strange as it seems the harpazo, 'rapture,' is a clear teaching from scripture and through history was written about.
The end is soon
Jesus comes 'like a thief in the night' only to those who aren't watching for the signs of the end. The signs are in place and this time is the only time we can truly speculate that, 'all the ducks are in a row.' Israel has its land, Jews are streaming back. This has never been the case until recent times. We are in the final millennium and we can see the churches in Revelation 3 all exist today. The falling away is taking place and the spirit of Antichrist is evident all around us. Those who lived before us as believers couldn't make sense of the Prophets but now we can see clearly the order of events.
Make sure you are truly born of the Spirit (John 3) and truly in Christ. He will come and snatch you away as the scriptures tell us so clearly.
Gary Ward.
Why?
Firstly, what's the reason for the sudden disappearance of the believers from the earth? There are two sides to this coin. One side is that this is the Resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15). The other side to the coin is that the time of the gentiles is over (Rom ch 9-11) and God turns His attention back to Israel. The gentiles were only ever a grafted in branch into the covenant God has made with Israel. Because they rejected Jesus, God rejected them. Gentiles don't become Jews or even 'Israel.' Both Jews and Gentiles become a new man in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). God has to take those in Christ from the earth to allow the last period of time of history to have Israel bow the knee to Messiah. And they do.
Re-popularisation of the Rapture
In 1830 John Nelson Darby and others re-popularised the doctrine of the raptured church. Darby was way off on many things and probably said some strange things about the rapture. Today people include the rapture as a false teaching just because Darby taught about it. One reason this became popular in the 1800's was because many believed Jesus return would be in the 7th Millennium since creation. 2000 would place the church in the 7th Millennium and the Zionist movement was going strong around 1830 which pushed for an actual state of Israel. For believers, in history much of the scriptures made no sense so the sniff of an actual state of Israel was exciting. For the first time the Prophets and Apostles were possibly making sense... so believers looked more closely at the end time scriptures. Thus the rapture doctrine was made front page news again. Rather than inventing it, it was simply made popular by many and Darby was blamed as the 'culprit.' By stating this in NO WAY makes me a Darby supporter. He has so many doctrinal errors it would be a separate document to discuss. I'm simply saying Darby didn't invent the doctrine. Let's move on to those who came before Darby and were at 'ground zero,' then others throughout history writing about the rapture.
The Early Church Fathers and the 'rapture.'
If Darby 'invented the rapture' then what on earth were the Early Church Fathers talking about?
Irenaeus 130Ad- 202Ad
from 'Against Heresies' 5.29
“Those nations however, who did not of themselves raise up their eyes unto heaven, nor returned thanks to their Maker, nor wished to behold the light of truth, but who were like blind mice concealed in the depths of ignorance, the word justly reckons “as waste water from a sink, and as the turning-weight of a balance — in fact, as nothing;”(1) so far useful and serviceable to the just, as stubble conduces towards the growth of the wheat, and its straw, by means of combustion, serves for working gold. And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.”(2) For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption.”
Cyprian 200 Ad - 258 Ad
Treatises of Cyprian
“We who see that terrible things have begun, and know that still more terrible things are imminent, may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. Do you not give God thanks, do you not congratulate yourself, that by an early departure you are taken away, and delivered from the shipwrecks and disasters that are imminent? Let us greet the day which assigns each of us to his own home, which snatches us hence, and sets us free from the snares of the world and restores us to paradise and the kingdom.”
Ephraim the Syrian 306Ad-372Ad
On last times
Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: “Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!” For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord.
Add to these heavyweights the Shepherd of Hermas (140 Ad), Brother Dolcimo (1240), Thomas Collier (d 1691) and John Askill (1700) who was sent to prison for his book on the rapture. We also consider Morgan Edwards as directly preceding Darby in his assertion of the rapture. We must also include Paul and the Apostles in this regard as they believed it could happen at any time.
What does 'rapture' mean?
The word comes from the Latin translation (rapio) of the Greek word 'harpazo.' This means to snatch away and is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Phillip was snatched away in Acts 8:39. So was Paul in 2 Cor 12:2 and 4. Also Jesus Rev 12:5, Luke 24:50-51 and Acts 1:9. Jesus also asserts no-one can 'harpazo' believers out of his hand in John 10:28-29). So it is an entirely biblical concept to be 'snatched away.'
Old Testament
Can there be any other way to discern a 'rapture' event other than the enormous examples of Enoch and Elijah in the Old Testament? Isaiah thinks so! In 26:19 we are told two things, our bodies shall live, but will also rise! The earth 'casts out' the dead! Does Zeph 2:3 hint at being sheltered from the tribulation? If so, how? Psalm 27:5 is similar. How does God hide people from a global tribulation if He doesn't 'snatch them away?' Also check out Psalm 57:1, Psalm 83:1-3, Job 14:13, Isaiah 57:1. What do these passages mean?
Job 19:25-27, 1 Cor Ch 15 and 1 John 3:2 all speak of the Resurrection and include information on receiving a new body that is incorruptible. If there is a resurrection, how does this happen without a removal of the person? The resurrected believer will rule and reign on earth with Christ... if this is the case then Jesus returns to Earth to rule and reign at the resurrection. Many believe this. However, to believe this you have to take scissors and cut out most of the Prophets for they speak of a time of tribulation and restoration of Israel before the Lord's return. We have to discard Jesus' words on the Olivet Discourse! We have to discard Daniel 9 and his 70th week. We have to deny that the Apostles were waiting for the Lords return imminently (Phil 3:20, Titus 2:13, Heb 9:28, Rev 22:20, 1 Thess 1:10; 4:18; 5:6). If you want to turn a blind eye to the Prophets and Apostles you also have to discard Peters urge to regard them for 'wholesome thinking.'
New Testament
The clearest possible example we have comes from Jesus. In John 14 we find Him telling the disciples what was going to happen. Jesus is going to his Fathers house which must be Heaven. There are 'many rooms' in His Fathers house. Jesus is describing a Jewish wedding where the groom goes away to build an extension on his fathers house. He then returns and takes the bride to be where he is. Jesus tells the disciples he is going the heaven to prepare a place for each believer. He will then come to take them where he is... in heaven. This is problematic for those who struggle with the rapture. As we presently stand in history, no-one can deny Jesus is in heaven on His Fathers Throne. So half this has been fulfilled... "I am going to prepare a place for you...." Next is the...' I will come to take you (His Bride) to be where He is.... heaven. This explicit rapture reference cannot be explained away. Paul told the Thessalonians clearly that we are snatched away. He also told Timothy to be vigilant in view of his appearing (the rapture) and his Kingdom (the millennial reign).
Rapture Deniers
Rapture deniers simply allow their rational minds to walk away from clear doctrine, especially in our age where to be seen to believe irrational things is a detriment to intelligence. Let's not forget that to be a Christian, you believe a dead man came alive again! As we continue to see every human being die, that is FAR more weird than the rapture! Some Christians who have been involved in churches that have taught real heresy struggle to believe the rapture. This is because they develop a 'won't fall for that one again' mentality. I can understand this. However, babies and bathwater are strewn in order to not 'swallow and follow' everything. As strange as it seems the harpazo, 'rapture,' is a clear teaching from scripture and through history was written about.
The end is soon
Jesus comes 'like a thief in the night' only to those who aren't watching for the signs of the end. The signs are in place and this time is the only time we can truly speculate that, 'all the ducks are in a row.' Israel has its land, Jews are streaming back. This has never been the case until recent times. We are in the final millennium and we can see the churches in Revelation 3 all exist today. The falling away is taking place and the spirit of Antichrist is evident all around us. Those who lived before us as believers couldn't make sense of the Prophets but now we can see clearly the order of events.
Make sure you are truly born of the Spirit (John 3) and truly in Christ. He will come and snatch you away as the scriptures tell us so clearly.
Gary Ward.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Dare I trust Him completely?
It is my own experience that I trusted God and it 'went wrong.' Is that true of you? After it 'went wrong' it became problematic to completely trust God for a while. It turns out that the 'went wrong' aspect of the circumstance was my invention. It didn't go 'wrong' it went 'Biblically.' God sets us up with circumstances that look like God didn't come through but again, it is our expectations that were violated, not God's plans. Let's examine whether God has ever really let us down.
God wants to get us to a place where we unreservedly trust Him. In that process we will find a clash of 'end result.' My end result may be completely off key with God's. God wants us to be in a place where we are not tracking the end result of our trust. The idea is that we can literally stop assessing where God is taking us and simply 'walk in it.' I have met many Christians and have done this a lot myself, "Give me a word Lord" while staring at an unopened Bible on my desk! God has spoken. It's the Bible!
I'm sorry if this bursts anyone's bubble but the 'great cloud of witnesses' we are surrounded by is the list in Hebrews 11. The author of Hebrews in Hebrews 12:1 asks the reader to consider the previous chapter and immerse ourselves into their lives and experience. It's a nice idea that these characters are somehow crowded around you right now cheering you on along with past believers, but it isn't at all correct. They surround us in the sense that their faith is a multi-faceted confirmation that we are also to employ faith like they did. They were so honed and shaped that they understood that to try to figure it out is futile. 'Just keep your eyes on Jesus.' is the way to walk well. When we start to try to work it out is when we reach conclusions and camp around them. When our conclusions don't correspond to the Lord's, we can get disorientated. This is where many get off the bus in frustration, brokenness or even anger. Disillusion and disappointment can be major factors that can lead to serious consequences. Knowing how the Lord works by observing the bible characters is vital and can demonstrate that a slough of despond is actually a mechanism of God and you ARE in the centre of His will.
The Lord is the Lord of our reasoning. He is also the Lord of our attempt to create formula. It takes some time for all our self effort to come crashing down. It may happen time and time again. we may suffer greatly over God's jealous desire to have you calibrated to Him only. In our western mindset we give ourselves to this because we see the importance of the mission. "Ill let go and let God because He can work through me in this dark world." That sentiment is noble and courageous. However it runs the risk of mission something beautiful. The primary reason the Father wants your gaze to rest on Him is because in doing so you will spare yourself the pain of self reliance. He loves you and wants you to be anchored to the one who can look after you. He cares before He commissions.
So have you been around great failure? Have you experienced the deep pain of loss in the walk? It is the testimony of anyone who has been called to walk with the Lord that this will be part of it. The cross shows us that it takes extravagant measures for God to have his will done. As believers we signed up for 'the cross.' Its purpose is to deliver us into the transformation of our core beings to be like Christ. Been hurt? Suffered loss? Experienced failure? The Bible is clear we must walk on knowing this is all part of the process and no reason to question Jesus.
Dare I trust Him completely? As we understand the way of the Lord as outlined in the Bible... Absolutely.
Gary Ward
God wants to get us to a place where we unreservedly trust Him. In that process we will find a clash of 'end result.' My end result may be completely off key with God's. God wants us to be in a place where we are not tracking the end result of our trust. The idea is that we can literally stop assessing where God is taking us and simply 'walk in it.' I have met many Christians and have done this a lot myself, "Give me a word Lord" while staring at an unopened Bible on my desk! God has spoken. It's the Bible!
I'm sorry if this bursts anyone's bubble but the 'great cloud of witnesses' we are surrounded by is the list in Hebrews 11. The author of Hebrews in Hebrews 12:1 asks the reader to consider the previous chapter and immerse ourselves into their lives and experience. It's a nice idea that these characters are somehow crowded around you right now cheering you on along with past believers, but it isn't at all correct. They surround us in the sense that their faith is a multi-faceted confirmation that we are also to employ faith like they did. They were so honed and shaped that they understood that to try to figure it out is futile. 'Just keep your eyes on Jesus.' is the way to walk well. When we start to try to work it out is when we reach conclusions and camp around them. When our conclusions don't correspond to the Lord's, we can get disorientated. This is where many get off the bus in frustration, brokenness or even anger. Disillusion and disappointment can be major factors that can lead to serious consequences. Knowing how the Lord works by observing the bible characters is vital and can demonstrate that a slough of despond is actually a mechanism of God and you ARE in the centre of His will.
The Lord is the Lord of our reasoning. He is also the Lord of our attempt to create formula. It takes some time for all our self effort to come crashing down. It may happen time and time again. we may suffer greatly over God's jealous desire to have you calibrated to Him only. In our western mindset we give ourselves to this because we see the importance of the mission. "Ill let go and let God because He can work through me in this dark world." That sentiment is noble and courageous. However it runs the risk of mission something beautiful. The primary reason the Father wants your gaze to rest on Him is because in doing so you will spare yourself the pain of self reliance. He loves you and wants you to be anchored to the one who can look after you. He cares before He commissions.
So have you been around great failure? Have you experienced the deep pain of loss in the walk? It is the testimony of anyone who has been called to walk with the Lord that this will be part of it. The cross shows us that it takes extravagant measures for God to have his will done. As believers we signed up for 'the cross.' Its purpose is to deliver us into the transformation of our core beings to be like Christ. Been hurt? Suffered loss? Experienced failure? The Bible is clear we must walk on knowing this is all part of the process and no reason to question Jesus.
Dare I trust Him completely? As we understand the way of the Lord as outlined in the Bible... Absolutely.
Gary Ward
Friday, 8 April 2016
How Jesus fixes us
The book of Romans tells us that we have three parts to our salvation. Believing in Jesus we are Justified (chapters 1-5). This means the wrath of God will never be out-poured on a believer. Having been Justified, we enter the process of Sanctification (chapter 5-7). This means our horrendous shortfall between God's righteousness and ours is addressed. The last part of Glorification (ch 8). I want to offer an angle on how Jesus fixes us in the ongoing process of sanctification.
All truly born again believers have two things occurring within their lives. One is the flesh and one is the Spirit. God lives in us but also our sinful nature. Sanctification is when the Lord, little by little, has us face up to who we really are. The Bible has already let the cat out of the bag and told us, in a nutshell, we are bad at being good. It is a painful experience to face us to just how true that is. On one hand we love the Lord but on the other we fail miserably at walking it out. There are ways of becoming so distracted with the Lord's work that you never really face up to self. It is possible to offset all who we really are into a religious circus and pat ourselves on the back for good works. That is in and of itself a rebellion towards God who asks us to 'Be still' before He can issue forth through us.
I am addressing those who have downed tools in the realisation that the Bible is true when it says we are to allow the Lord to work through us. As we allow Jesus to conquer our wilfulness, we become less predisposed towards choosing the flesh. The sinful nature has been rendered neutral by the cross but our will to rebel against God and prefer the flesh over Him is the problem. The Lord seems to have us become so utterly broken over our sinful behaviour that He is able to deal with our wilfulness. As we 'do a Romans 12:1-2' daily, so we are subjected to His inner workings which are dreadfully difficult to experience.
We must be careful that we don't get slack about offering ourselves up to the Lord but also that we don't engage works to solve the problems for Him. Jesus doesn't want good behaviour... He wants you to be transformed inwardly so you behave! 'Being good' is like presenting a polished garbage bin to Him - he knows what's on the inside! This sounds like I'm saying 'behave badly so as to speed up the process?' No! Just submit, yield, abandon to the Lord daily and ask God for wisdom.
If you want to be fixed by Jesus, that thought alone is an act of grace in your life. If the longing to be more like Jesus has left you and your time is taken up with Christian mission then you need to reassess your walk. All our tasks roles and functions issue forth from the way we are engaging our source, Jesus Christ, risen and glorified. I spent many years with active churches feeling like I was doing the Lord's work. Maybe the activity plays a part in the big picture. One thing I'm certain of is that idea we were the cutting edge of the Lords will and purpose was certainly not the truth. We hindered the Lord's plans by going out with a message yet not equipped to have His accompaniment. Like a bad salesman, I was part of a church where we were experts on setting the stage - Camera, lights, ACTION! But sorely lacking the accompaniment of God. People made commitments to follow Jesus but heart-breaking realisation of sin and resultant repentance were absent.
Unfortunately the world sees the activity and applauds. 'Any movement is marketing' applies to business and churches! Those who insist they will not move unless it is Jesus moving through them are seen as lazy or deceived. 'There's a lost world out there!' This slogan becomes the catch-cry of the busy. The bigger problem, and the place where I think the Lord wants us is, 'there's a lost world IN HERE!' that needs fixing and it's biggest area of deception is thinking it isn't.
Gary Ward
All truly born again believers have two things occurring within their lives. One is the flesh and one is the Spirit. God lives in us but also our sinful nature. Sanctification is when the Lord, little by little, has us face up to who we really are. The Bible has already let the cat out of the bag and told us, in a nutshell, we are bad at being good. It is a painful experience to face us to just how true that is. On one hand we love the Lord but on the other we fail miserably at walking it out. There are ways of becoming so distracted with the Lord's work that you never really face up to self. It is possible to offset all who we really are into a religious circus and pat ourselves on the back for good works. That is in and of itself a rebellion towards God who asks us to 'Be still' before He can issue forth through us.
I am addressing those who have downed tools in the realisation that the Bible is true when it says we are to allow the Lord to work through us. As we allow Jesus to conquer our wilfulness, we become less predisposed towards choosing the flesh. The sinful nature has been rendered neutral by the cross but our will to rebel against God and prefer the flesh over Him is the problem. The Lord seems to have us become so utterly broken over our sinful behaviour that He is able to deal with our wilfulness. As we 'do a Romans 12:1-2' daily, so we are subjected to His inner workings which are dreadfully difficult to experience.
We must be careful that we don't get slack about offering ourselves up to the Lord but also that we don't engage works to solve the problems for Him. Jesus doesn't want good behaviour... He wants you to be transformed inwardly so you behave! 'Being good' is like presenting a polished garbage bin to Him - he knows what's on the inside! This sounds like I'm saying 'behave badly so as to speed up the process?' No! Just submit, yield, abandon to the Lord daily and ask God for wisdom.
If you want to be fixed by Jesus, that thought alone is an act of grace in your life. If the longing to be more like Jesus has left you and your time is taken up with Christian mission then you need to reassess your walk. All our tasks roles and functions issue forth from the way we are engaging our source, Jesus Christ, risen and glorified. I spent many years with active churches feeling like I was doing the Lord's work. Maybe the activity plays a part in the big picture. One thing I'm certain of is that idea we were the cutting edge of the Lords will and purpose was certainly not the truth. We hindered the Lord's plans by going out with a message yet not equipped to have His accompaniment. Like a bad salesman, I was part of a church where we were experts on setting the stage - Camera, lights, ACTION! But sorely lacking the accompaniment of God. People made commitments to follow Jesus but heart-breaking realisation of sin and resultant repentance were absent.
Unfortunately the world sees the activity and applauds. 'Any movement is marketing' applies to business and churches! Those who insist they will not move unless it is Jesus moving through them are seen as lazy or deceived. 'There's a lost world out there!' This slogan becomes the catch-cry of the busy. The bigger problem, and the place where I think the Lord wants us is, 'there's a lost world IN HERE!' that needs fixing and it's biggest area of deception is thinking it isn't.
Gary Ward
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
The lavish love of God
God's love for his people is beyond measure. Have you ever wondered what it is that has Him allow His Son to be tortured on the cross in our place? It certainly isn't anything we have done or value we stand for. If you can muster up a reason why God loves you based on your attributes, then you'd be way off mark. God loves us lavishly because we are his children. It's a belonging thing.
My children's imperfections doesn't in any way alter the way I love them. It's not performance based. The unconditional love I have is based on belonging. The Father loves you because you belong to Him. Romans 5 tells us that God wants to have us recalibrate ourselves (metanoia) towards God's plan (Jesus) and be Justified by the shed blood of Jesus. Then Ephesians tells us it is God's good pleasure to lavish his love upon us. It's like one of my children stood behind a closed door on the other side of my room full of provision, gifts and wonderful plans. God cannot lavish upon a person until they take responsibility for their sin in Christ. This means knowing you have broken God's law yet recognising that the shed blood of Jesus atoned for the crime. And because the shed blood appeases the wrath of God... we are not in for a beating, because of Jesus it means we are in for blessing!
This is grace! Now we have another problem... receiving God's lavish love. Because of the way we think we can systematise the whole gospel story. We make a formula that sneakily tells us God loves us because we are in this covenant or 'its just the way it works.' We can say that God loves us because he has to, ' I was just born and as a human I'm just included.' We can reduce God's love as a 'general overview,' simply 'that's the deal.' But the language that is used about God's love is personal and specific. It is his pleasure to lavish upon us (Eph 1). Behold what manner of love the father has given unto us... that we can be called the sons of God... it has intensity.
The greatest show of love for people is demonstrated in the cross. For me, God would do this. For me, He would give himself in my place. This is where my understanding jumps ship. I can acknowledge the cross as hear the old illustration say 'this much.' I'm not going to pretend that I can grasp the entirety of Jesus on the cross. I can only admit that I have no idea of my own value to the Father except that he would go to that length to rescue me. Somebody once said the cross shows that 'God would rather die than be without you.' I'm ready to accept that but I'm not sure I will fully understand it.
I think I'm going to allow God to love me today. If the lavishness comes as tribulation then so be it. If it comes as blessing and serenity in His presence... so be it. All of God's intent is to work in my best interests. The realisation of that is how 'perfect love drives out all fear.' Believe today that the Bible is true in its affirmation that God want s to be involved in your every breathing moment. Believe that His intent is to bless, even if you are in a hurricane of chaotic circumstance. It is this faith that pleases God.
Gary Ward
My children's imperfections doesn't in any way alter the way I love them. It's not performance based. The unconditional love I have is based on belonging. The Father loves you because you belong to Him. Romans 5 tells us that God wants to have us recalibrate ourselves (metanoia) towards God's plan (Jesus) and be Justified by the shed blood of Jesus. Then Ephesians tells us it is God's good pleasure to lavish his love upon us. It's like one of my children stood behind a closed door on the other side of my room full of provision, gifts and wonderful plans. God cannot lavish upon a person until they take responsibility for their sin in Christ. This means knowing you have broken God's law yet recognising that the shed blood of Jesus atoned for the crime. And because the shed blood appeases the wrath of God... we are not in for a beating, because of Jesus it means we are in for blessing!
This is grace! Now we have another problem... receiving God's lavish love. Because of the way we think we can systematise the whole gospel story. We make a formula that sneakily tells us God loves us because we are in this covenant or 'its just the way it works.' We can say that God loves us because he has to, ' I was just born and as a human I'm just included.' We can reduce God's love as a 'general overview,' simply 'that's the deal.' But the language that is used about God's love is personal and specific. It is his pleasure to lavish upon us (Eph 1). Behold what manner of love the father has given unto us... that we can be called the sons of God... it has intensity.
The greatest show of love for people is demonstrated in the cross. For me, God would do this. For me, He would give himself in my place. This is where my understanding jumps ship. I can acknowledge the cross as hear the old illustration say 'this much.' I'm not going to pretend that I can grasp the entirety of Jesus on the cross. I can only admit that I have no idea of my own value to the Father except that he would go to that length to rescue me. Somebody once said the cross shows that 'God would rather die than be without you.' I'm ready to accept that but I'm not sure I will fully understand it.
I think I'm going to allow God to love me today. If the lavishness comes as tribulation then so be it. If it comes as blessing and serenity in His presence... so be it. All of God's intent is to work in my best interests. The realisation of that is how 'perfect love drives out all fear.' Believe today that the Bible is true in its affirmation that God want s to be involved in your every breathing moment. Believe that His intent is to bless, even if you are in a hurricane of chaotic circumstance. It is this faith that pleases God.
Gary Ward
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Satan's war strategy
While Satan cannot stop people getting saved, he can frustrate the discipleship of the convert. Discipleship is the thing that is vital to a convert because discipleship is about becoming more like Jesus. When people are like Jesus they counter this world's image and shine God's restorative peace, love, mercy and grace. From this point lost people can detect the 'other-than' and become impacted by 'different.' What has the enemy done to frustrate the path towards being like Jesus - discipleship?
The answer is 'many things' but I want to underline one thing that is a real problem in the church. It is my observation and a growing awareness that this is a tactic of the enemy and we all see it every day. The strategy is to give believers the impression that they have latitude in how they serve the Lord. Allow me to explain:
I spent a short time in the British Army. During that time the sole intent of the officers was to break down any idea that I can act on my own will. They immediately begin to smash the willfulness out of the recruit for one reason. The reason is because on the battlefield all the soldiers need to have the chain of command seared into their beings. They need to hear and act only what their assigned senior says. They need to have an automatic response to the command or lives can be lost. Where the Christian is concerned the army illustration breaks down because we have no chain of command. We are supposed to be attuned to Jesus. Of course there are leaders in churches but we don't have a responsibility to do anything they ask. We are to 'be persuaded by' their leadership rather than jump to command. To find out more about this study the Greek word 'peitho.' It corrects the mis-translations in some Bibles.
Where is the enemy involved?
Since the start of the church we find Paul identifying this issue in the Corinthian church. People gather into factions following men. That can be addressed but what is a bigger problem is people thinking their own ideas, initiative and genius is, by the fact that they are Christians, God's will. But what God does to the convert is have him discipled. Meaning, taking part in a program that, like the army officer, makes us into people who hear His voice and act. The process involves setting off on our own initiative and seeing failure. The Lord gently but firmly has us become attuned to His voice only. If you think any idea that seems like a good work is, by default, God's will... this is where the deception has worked.
Simply: We are converted to be disciples to be 'Jesus' to a lost world. However many bypass discipleship and start 'doing things for God.' The latter brings a feeling of fulfillment and bypasses the hard bit of being a Christian 'discipleship.' This results in people who have a message but no mandate from God. "That's a bit harsh, people want to do good from a good heart!" If we think we can do anything to truly make an impact on this dark world by 'good deeds' we obviously haven't progressed in discipleship.
Its ALL about my demise and his prominence through this vessel.
Gary Ward
The answer is 'many things' but I want to underline one thing that is a real problem in the church. It is my observation and a growing awareness that this is a tactic of the enemy and we all see it every day. The strategy is to give believers the impression that they have latitude in how they serve the Lord. Allow me to explain:
I spent a short time in the British Army. During that time the sole intent of the officers was to break down any idea that I can act on my own will. They immediately begin to smash the willfulness out of the recruit for one reason. The reason is because on the battlefield all the soldiers need to have the chain of command seared into their beings. They need to hear and act only what their assigned senior says. They need to have an automatic response to the command or lives can be lost. Where the Christian is concerned the army illustration breaks down because we have no chain of command. We are supposed to be attuned to Jesus. Of course there are leaders in churches but we don't have a responsibility to do anything they ask. We are to 'be persuaded by' their leadership rather than jump to command. To find out more about this study the Greek word 'peitho.' It corrects the mis-translations in some Bibles.
Where is the enemy involved?
Since the start of the church we find Paul identifying this issue in the Corinthian church. People gather into factions following men. That can be addressed but what is a bigger problem is people thinking their own ideas, initiative and genius is, by the fact that they are Christians, God's will. But what God does to the convert is have him discipled. Meaning, taking part in a program that, like the army officer, makes us into people who hear His voice and act. The process involves setting off on our own initiative and seeing failure. The Lord gently but firmly has us become attuned to His voice only. If you think any idea that seems like a good work is, by default, God's will... this is where the deception has worked.
Simply: We are converted to be disciples to be 'Jesus' to a lost world. However many bypass discipleship and start 'doing things for God.' The latter brings a feeling of fulfillment and bypasses the hard bit of being a Christian 'discipleship.' This results in people who have a message but no mandate from God. "That's a bit harsh, people want to do good from a good heart!" If we think we can do anything to truly make an impact on this dark world by 'good deeds' we obviously haven't progressed in discipleship.
Its ALL about my demise and his prominence through this vessel.
Gary Ward
Saturday, 5 March 2016
#2 leadership warning signs
This is a warning for leaders because they have been entrusted with a gift from God. Balaam is a character involved in Numbers 22-24. He was a well known character who was known to bless or curse people with 'God's word.' The first thing we need to identify is that God does actually communicate with Balaam thus underlining that God may have had a purpose for him. What becomes clear however is that Balaam has motives that we can all learn from today. This is a fairly hefty study. Cup of tea?
Such is the legacy of Balaam that he is mentioned in Micha 6:5 Joshua 13:22 and we will find Moses warning over his legacy in no uncertain terms. The most attention grabbing for me is the letter to the church at Pergamos in Revelation 2. Here the Lord specifically warns the churches that Balaams actions and what he did is extremely problematic. We will unpack what these actions are now.
In Numbers 22 we find the King of Moab, Balak needing help. The Israelites had journeyed and 'settled next to him.' Balak had seen the Israeites destroy other nations and he was concerned by their power (22:3-4). Balak wants to summon Balaam a renown speaker of blessings and curses. (v5-6) A party leaves in order to meet Balaam and request he helps Balaam curse the Israelites so they wont attack Moab. The key thing here is that they knew Balaam would require payment for his communication with God. They took 'a fee' for Balaams divination to give him (v7). Balaam was charging.
They report to Balaam about Balaks request and Balaam tells them to stay over. In verse 9 God asks Balaam 'who are these men with you?' Of course God knows them but the Lord wanted Balaam to be thinking about what he is doing. Balaam had little concern about the fact that they wanted Israel to be cursed, so what was Balaam's motivation here? It seems he didn't care.
Balaam omits some detail from recounting Balak's contract (v5-6 cf v10-11). God is very clear and succinct to stop Balaam in his tracks (v12) and in verse 13 Balaam misreports by omission the reasons why God didn't want him to go with them. Balaam said God wouldnt let him go but the omission 'they shall not be cursed because the Israelites are blessed' was left out on purpose. Balaam had probably been paid for the divination... he had told them what his enquiry of God led to. To the Moabites this was divination and Balaam was probably happy to take the fee for that. Next Balak sends another party to meet Balaam but this time with the promise of money, status and wealth (v15-17). Imagine Balaam's self esteem to see the dignitaries coming to see him!
Balaam appears to make a bold and Godly declaration... a stand to only say and do what God says to him. The problem was that Balaam already knew what the Lord had said, yet told the special party who had come the second time that he would further enquire upon the Lord. This was another payday for Balaam and the Lord was watching (v18-19). Was Balaam also marketing his reputation? God then did something on the surface quite confusing. He allows Balaam to go with them to see Balak with the warning to only do what God tells him. (Num 22:20) What is going on here? It is a vital lesson in how God works. Balaam should have told the second party to go because the message was the same as the first. But Ballam, heart fixed on personal gain, told them he was seeking the Lord again thus extracting a fee. Not good. God tells him to go because a wonderful lesson is to be learned in the rest of Numbers Chapter 22:21-35.
Ballam gets on an ass and a bizzare event took place that was solely to humiliate Balaam. Read the verses and conclude with me God was saying to Balaam and every subsequent reader:
Balak meets Balaam and through chapters 23 and 24 of Numbers a pattern develops. Balak takes Balaam to a place where he can see the tribes. Alters are built, sacrifices made. Balak reports through lovely poetry that God won't curse Israel. After the first time this ocurred Balaam could have been on his way home but he allowed himself to be taken to more and more places to 'see if God has further information.' It is not clear that he was paid for the enquiries but it was the thing Balaam did so we can assume he was. In Balaams fourth Oracle about this he appears to prophesy David's kingdom which always has the overtones of Messiah (Num 24:18). Some say this is where the star comes from that the Magi knew led to Messiah. This is speculated because Balaam could be a predecessor of the Magi, the 'wise men' which Daniel was trained up to be (yet got into trouble for shunning the occultic overtones that were required). Daniel gained such favour he would have led the officials to the Torah and they may have resonated with Balaams gift (not his character) and recognised the star reference by reading Numbers 24:17. Spectulation? Maybe.
The problem was that this occured a few times. I counted 4 further possible paydays for Balaam as Balak led him to find other vantage points and see if God would curse Israel. It all ends with a furious Balak who is taken in once again by Balaam's Oracle giving (24:10-14). Balaam clearly tells Balak that he told him God would not curse Israel but he kept trying to get Balaam to further pursue God for more information. Balaam was unconcerned for Israel and kept pursuing God for the curse.
The 'divination for profit angle' is the one I've presented here. Another angle where Balaam may have pursued was simply that he thought God would change His mind. Ive tried to spare Balaam the ridicule of actually thinking this, but whether he was manipulating to gain from the seeking-out-for fees game or going for the big prizes by constantly asking God, hoping he will change his mind, the outcome is the same. Balaam has wickedness in his heart, even as someone who was gifted by God.
Why is this a warning to believers and especially gifted leaders? The answer lies in what Balaam went on to do. In Numbers 25 we find that the Israelites were seduced by the women of the surrounding area and they were enticed to eat food sacrificed to idols and worship foreign Gods. It seems strange to report on this unless the events before are linked. We then find as a result of the seduction and God's Judgement (you have to read the chapters up to Numbers 31) on Israel, a task force is raised by Moses (Ch 31) and they avenge the Midionites. During the battle Ballam is killed (31:8) 'with the sword' it explicitly says. We then find that Balaam instructed Balak to have the beautiful women of their nations to infiltrate the Israelites camp and lead them to be lawbreakers. this led to Judgement on Israel. Moses was mad because the task force spared the women, and so the story goes on.
Balaam, unable to call a curse on Israel leads the partial downfall of Israel by teaching Balak how to violate their Law and bring Judgement from God onto Israel. Was this how he finally brokered the promised riches from Balak? Again we don't get the information HOW Balaam made his gains but we know he did. Ballam is killed by Israel but his legacy lives on as a stern warning to believers and especially leaders.
Such is the legacy of Balaam that he is mentioned in Micha 6:5 Joshua 13:22 and we will find Moses warning over his legacy in no uncertain terms. The most attention grabbing for me is the letter to the church at Pergamos in Revelation 2. Here the Lord specifically warns the churches that Balaams actions and what he did is extremely problematic. We will unpack what these actions are now.
In Numbers 22 we find the King of Moab, Balak needing help. The Israelites had journeyed and 'settled next to him.' Balak had seen the Israeites destroy other nations and he was concerned by their power (22:3-4). Balak wants to summon Balaam a renown speaker of blessings and curses. (v5-6) A party leaves in order to meet Balaam and request he helps Balaam curse the Israelites so they wont attack Moab. The key thing here is that they knew Balaam would require payment for his communication with God. They took 'a fee' for Balaams divination to give him (v7). Balaam was charging.
They report to Balaam about Balaks request and Balaam tells them to stay over. In verse 9 God asks Balaam 'who are these men with you?' Of course God knows them but the Lord wanted Balaam to be thinking about what he is doing. Balaam had little concern about the fact that they wanted Israel to be cursed, so what was Balaam's motivation here? It seems he didn't care.
Balaam omits some detail from recounting Balak's contract (v5-6 cf v10-11). God is very clear and succinct to stop Balaam in his tracks (v12) and in verse 13 Balaam misreports by omission the reasons why God didn't want him to go with them. Balaam said God wouldnt let him go but the omission 'they shall not be cursed because the Israelites are blessed' was left out on purpose. Balaam had probably been paid for the divination... he had told them what his enquiry of God led to. To the Moabites this was divination and Balaam was probably happy to take the fee for that. Next Balak sends another party to meet Balaam but this time with the promise of money, status and wealth (v15-17). Imagine Balaam's self esteem to see the dignitaries coming to see him!
Balaam appears to make a bold and Godly declaration... a stand to only say and do what God says to him. The problem was that Balaam already knew what the Lord had said, yet told the special party who had come the second time that he would further enquire upon the Lord. This was another payday for Balaam and the Lord was watching (v18-19). Was Balaam also marketing his reputation? God then did something on the surface quite confusing. He allows Balaam to go with them to see Balak with the warning to only do what God tells him. (Num 22:20) What is going on here? It is a vital lesson in how God works. Balaam should have told the second party to go because the message was the same as the first. But Ballam, heart fixed on personal gain, told them he was seeking the Lord again thus extracting a fee. Not good. God tells him to go because a wonderful lesson is to be learned in the rest of Numbers Chapter 22:21-35.
Ballam gets on an ass and a bizzare event took place that was solely to humiliate Balaam. Read the verses and conclude with me God was saying to Balaam and every subsequent reader:
- Balaam 'the see-er' has a ass that can see more than you as I enable.
- Balaam the 'speaker-forth' has an ass that can speak out God's will as I enable.
- Balaam who 'knows stuff' has to say he knows little in 22:34
- Balaam has ass that is wiser than him with my enablement.
- Balaam who is trying to punish Israel only punishes an ass
- Balaam loses this altercation to... an ass with God's approval
This story seems to be included to really teach humilty to us as God still allowed Balaam to go to meet Balak.
Selah?
The problem was that this occured a few times. I counted 4 further possible paydays for Balaam as Balak led him to find other vantage points and see if God would curse Israel. It all ends with a furious Balak who is taken in once again by Balaam's Oracle giving (24:10-14). Balaam clearly tells Balak that he told him God would not curse Israel but he kept trying to get Balaam to further pursue God for more information. Balaam was unconcerned for Israel and kept pursuing God for the curse.
The 'divination for profit angle' is the one I've presented here. Another angle where Balaam may have pursued was simply that he thought God would change His mind. Ive tried to spare Balaam the ridicule of actually thinking this, but whether he was manipulating to gain from the seeking-out-for fees game or going for the big prizes by constantly asking God, hoping he will change his mind, the outcome is the same. Balaam has wickedness in his heart, even as someone who was gifted by God.
Why is this a warning to believers and especially gifted leaders? The answer lies in what Balaam went on to do. In Numbers 25 we find that the Israelites were seduced by the women of the surrounding area and they were enticed to eat food sacrificed to idols and worship foreign Gods. It seems strange to report on this unless the events before are linked. We then find as a result of the seduction and God's Judgement (you have to read the chapters up to Numbers 31) on Israel, a task force is raised by Moses (Ch 31) and they avenge the Midionites. During the battle Ballam is killed (31:8) 'with the sword' it explicitly says. We then find that Balaam instructed Balak to have the beautiful women of their nations to infiltrate the Israelites camp and lead them to be lawbreakers. this led to Judgement on Israel. Moses was mad because the task force spared the women, and so the story goes on.
Balaam, unable to call a curse on Israel leads the partial downfall of Israel by teaching Balak how to violate their Law and bring Judgement from God onto Israel. Was this how he finally brokered the promised riches from Balak? Again we don't get the information HOW Balaam made his gains but we know he did. Ballam is killed by Israel but his legacy lives on as a stern warning to believers and especially leaders.
- Firstly, the grace-enablement from God is NOT a green light to extort gain (any sort)
- Secondly, to champion a false doctrine to the body of Christ for gain is Balaams sin
- Thirdly, Micha 6:5 tells us Israel is routinely warned of this being a threat to God's chosen
- Fourthly, 2 Peter 2 noting verse 15 is a direct prediction of this being OUR PRESENT issue
- Fifthly, Jude repeats the warnings, mentioning Balaam (11)
- Sixthly, if you are seeking the Lord for money it is divination (Josh 13:22)
- Seven - Jesus is clear in his letter to Pergamum: 'I will come and fight you.' Rev Ch 2
The story of the ass talking to Balaam loses the seriousness as we laugh at Balaams predicament. This is such a serious thing that happened that it is retold and repeated as a warning over the Old and New Testaments. I want to finally link two elements of the church at Purgamum. Jesus starts with his title as the one who has the 'two edged sword.' He ends the letter with a warning that he will come and fight you with the sword of His mouth. Balaam was slaughtered explicitly with 'the sword.'
We have a divine imperative to FALL on His sword. He wants us to allow the word of God that proceeds from His mouth to divide us asunder. BY CHOICE. There are those however who have opted to be like Balaam and use their gifts for personal gain. I'm not against being blessed but to use a gift of God for profit has red flashing lights all over it. If you have been using God's gift for anything but his glory today is the day to fall on the sword that is the word of God. Recalibrate towards walking well and cast off the desire to have the renown Balaam evidently had. Stop the fees for that you have been freely given. Don't sell out for a prize, only the one Jesus has for you in heaven.
Gary Ward
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