Are you a 'son of Issachar?'

1 Chronicles 12:32

from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

This verse is in the middle of an account of David's armies amassing.  It is a useful verse but to properly apply it we must make sure we don't think that Israel is 'the church.'  Israel are God's chosen people and so are believers.  However the Church has not replaced Israel as Paul underlines in Romans 9-11.  We must also beware of anyone who wants to categorize believers into the 12/13 tribes.  That would be error.  I see this question as being in the spirit of... With that understanding I want to ask, Are you (like) a son of Issachar who knows what God's chosen people should do? 

In the church it appears that God is separating a remnant for His purposes.  Many are finding that the historical church is not preaching the word of God.  That someone cares this component is present is a telling factor that you want to honor the Lord and His word.    The worship services that repeat choruses forever yet are void of God worship content are getting tiring.  The fellowship that focuses on 'your ministry' over the sacred bond of 'brother and sister' is wearing and exhausting to many.  In the middle of all this those who are sensitive to the above are fearful of being alone so they stick with the hive. 

Of course there are those who don't really care about all this.  Church is actually a measure of where they fit into a social dynamic.  The message from the church has to be more relevant and contemporary than accurate.  Outreach is the fulcrum of the event and winning the lost is what Jesus is solely focused on.  The worship has to mimic the music of their culture and the words describe the construct of 'our worship' instead of ascribing worth to the Creator.  The word of God is shaped and morphed by the safety of keeping the crowd happy.  People aspire to achieve and succeed towards the upper echelon of church society.  Many are identifying this sort of meeting as inauthentic, man-led and mimicking the world it is supposed to be separate from.   

The painful journey from church to church trying to find a 'word-based' gathering get you labelled as a 'spiritual nomad' and whispers of doom come to fuel the enemy's strategy of doubt.  I have some good news for you if this is you.  You can break free from the 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for' inner melody by doing what believers should do.  It is likely you are called out from the mainstream gatherings to meet under the Lord's directives for 'church.'  It's simple...

Get your family together, cook a meal and get some juice and a single loaf.  Open your bibles and discuss some scripture, break the bread, eat the meal with the juice and thank the Lord for his sacrifice and his anticipated return.  From their the Lord will lead you... lo and behold THIS IS CHURCH!   It is how the first Christians met and Paul stated to the Corinthians that they must do this until he comes.   Maybe the Lord will add to your number.  

In doing this you have departed from something that is off track and unrepentant.  You have calibrated your self and family to walking the way the lord always intended it.  I will warn you though that it is a tough road to walk as the other way to do church included crutches we didn't even know we used.   This transition must be Spirit led and prayerful.   It can be disorientating and you will reach out for flesh to somehow help you.  With this is view I am sharing my skype name so that we can chat to people who want to chat over a transition like this.  This is what God's chosen people must do as we reach the end times scenario.  

Skype:  garywardframe   Facetime: gary.ward.c1@gmail.com 

Let's chat over your walk.

Gary Ward

Worry and anxiety?

We all know Jesus said 'do not worry' about anything.  However we do.  Well done if you don't!  I wanted to explore some thoughts around why we worry and can have anxiety.  The ideal place to be as a Christian is entirely rooted sourced and anchored into Christ.  Jesus is in the process of making this possible and sometimes we have good and bad days at this. What are the barriers to Jesus making us free?

As living entities we exist in this world.  To different degrees we are attached to the things of this world.  We are anchored into and depend upon the stuff of earth.  We can have periods of time where we fail and this exposes our need to have a moment by moment walk with the Lord.  Jesus wants us free because He knows that we fail and this causes us pain.  Our dependency on the stuff of earth erodes our faith because when we follow through in that dependency it is always a dead end. Subsequently we can go into a low, a sort of spiritual depression.

As we negotiate these things we can fall into worry.  Worry is the 'now' experience that can lead to anxiety.  Anxiety is more like predicting how the subject of our worry will devastate our lives.  Every worry exists because we are not anchored into Christ.  We are simply not believing-on-purpose His word.  Some have said to me 'I know what the bible says.... I just worry.'  I always say that knowing the text is not the same as having applied it to your own life as a reality.  God has contained in the Bible some examples and stories and direct statements that amount to one thing:

God, your Father longs for you to trust Him for EVERYTHING.

We can afford to disengage from dependencies other that the Lord.  If you've ever had an experience where it seems the Lord was not there for you, you are not alone in FEELING this.  In the sanctifying work of the Lord failure is all part and parcel of the package.  there are things we can learn from Moses, Joseph and Elijah.  They were slapped around pretty good by the Lord.  In each case there was an opportunity to turn to God and question his practices.  I'm sure they all had their moments... for sure.  But the key is to know that the prison, failure, let down, tragedy were all used to break our  dependency on this world.  God has not invented the trouble but He does use it.

Try this:
1. write down your present worry
2. also write down how you feel the thing will impact your future
3. Identify what you are anchored into other than the Lord
4. State what you need to be thinking about the worry
5. Find scriptures that tell you God has it covered.

Generally Psalm 139 / Ephesians 1 and  Matthew 6 of course -

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Gary Ward

Do this until the Lord comes...

It is not disputed that the first Christians met in homes and ate a meal.  The big hitting experts all agree that the first century church met in homes around a meal.  My stance on the Lords supper is well documented in this blog but to be clear here are several reasons why I would say the bread and wine are part of a full meal that is not optional for ekklesia but is ekklesia itself.

To be absolutely clear this covenant meal was what Paul called ekklesia and the prayer meetings, teaching times existed where the believers were present but cannot be defined as 'ekklesia,' the word we translate 'church' from.  What we do is, because people come to 'church'... and the 'church' are the people, whenever the people gather for whatever purpose, it is church.  This is not what was occurring in the first century.

In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul is correcting the problem of some believers coming to the gathering early and eating without the others.  Verse 33 states clearly that what Paul calls 'ekklesia' (Church) is when they meet to eat together.  Paul has qualified what we are talking about in the preceding paragraph by reminding the Corinthians where the command to 'This do...' comes from.  Jesus used the bread and wine as emblems of the New Covenant but it is not indicated that there were separated from the Passover and isolated as New Covenant emblems.  The taking of the bread and wine as part of a meal is done in remembrance of Jesus and should be done until  the Lord returns according to Paul.

Let's examine the idea that Jesus was only talking about bread and wine as isolated emblems meaning the practice of eating a cracker  and sipping some wine is valid.  This would mean that Paul in verse 33 'when you come together to eat, eat together' is a weird ritual that has no relevance.  That Paul was correcting the practice of some eating in sub groups or gorging themselves before others arrived tells us that the very practice of eating together, and eating a meal, was of primary importance as what ekklesia does.  God wanted his family to be one and do what families do!

Let's explore another logical conclusion about the Apostles that went on to start ekklesia (churches) in the first century.  If Jesus intended the practice of church to be concentrating on the emblems alone the Apostles, having been there when Jesus said 'this do,' would have been clear about what Jesus meant.  Such was the enormity of stopping the Passover short and instituting a new covenant I can't imagine any of the 11 sat around partaking would have left the room unclear about what was meant.  No-one is recorded as clarifying what Jesus was saying.  A Jewish mind would recognize the feast as the subject of 'this do.'

 We must also take seriously that Paul had a one to one with Jesus about this very subject (11:23).   The early churches did not take the bread and wine as isolated elements but rather celebrated them as part of a full meal.  To do otherwise would have been disobeying what Jesus meant when he said 'This do...'

So if Jesus meant 'just use bread and wine' the Apostles disobeyed Jesus.  However If he meant 'this do' as in 'eat together' the Apostles obeyed Jesus and Paul corrects the Corinthians because they were not eating a meal together.  Having established beyond doubt that Jesus meant eat a meal together (including bread and wine) Paul tells them to do this until Jesus comes.  

For many the idea that ekklesia (Church) is about a shared meal with brothers and sisters is challenging.  Clearly though, Paul told us to eat the full meal that had a loaf and wine included, together, until the Lord comes to get us.  here are other clues you can chase down should you want to explore the possibility that church was something other than the Early Church Fathers told you:

• "Keep the feast" Paul 1 Cor 5
• 'Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts' Acts 2:46a (To NOT DO 2:46b)
• They broke bread in their homes and ate together Acts 2:46b
• 'I will come and eat with you'  Rev 3   Laodicean church
•  'This do in remembrance of me' (no questions asked) led to full meals in homes

Gary Ward

Why zeal and wisdom are needed...

In 2002 I visited Texas and a friend who lives there.  I visited his church and the Pastor told a story, every night, about how the Lord had healed him and his wife.  This was not just backache or a headache, on one occasion he said his eye fell out of its socket and the Lord put it back for him!  I immediately latched onto this guy and saw his scheme.  If he could get the people in the church seeing him as spiritually superior to him, this would install an authority he needed to have people follow him.  Generally he was saying "see how regularly and powerfully the Lord uses me.  You can be like me if you follow me."  Note the use of the word 'me.'  I've seen this many times and it always leads to Christians feeling inadequate.

There are many people doing things for God and like to tell others how wonderful they are and how their faith does this and that.  When someone does this it is an indication that they are lacking in maturity in Christ.  Firstly, and indication of this is that one of the Lord's disciplines is to NOT act on your behalf!  We ask him for something and it does not come to pass.  Those who take the 'Ask Seek Knock' passage to mean we can ask Him for, say, a doughnut, and He will give it to you need to ... well... try it.  The Lord takes us through a time in our growth where we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness to ascertain that this is not just a rich Granddaddy relationship.  Telling people it's easy to trust God for things often shows you've never really trusted Him.  How do I know?  Because it's supposed to be hard to trust God! The disciples were rebuked for having little faith and Jesus was stood in front of them! 

Secondly, people who are always telling people about Jesus intimidate the likes of me who isn't always telling people about Jesus.  It's not because I don't want to... of course I do.  It's just that I've been placed in environments where I have to live it out before people.

Matt 5:16

1) Let your light shine before men
2) they will see your good works
3) They will praise your Father in heaven.

Don't get me wrong, if I'm on a plane or something, I'll share for sure.  But in the day to day relationships it's the long haul of living through the hard times and good, shining this light.

The third problem with people who say they are greatly used of God, in saying this, are showing how unlike Paul they are.  We must say that Paul is the ultimate example of a Christian.  His resume is impressive!  However he was the one in the wars, he was the chief of sinners and backwards and forwards with his self denial of the flesh (Rom 7).  He never told people how great his relationship and powerful works were, he just directed people to the Lord Himself.

The Gospel starts with belonging.  There is never a criteria to fit or value system around works. If you, like me, often feel inadequate, useless and insignificant to the Lord and His work, it's probably where He wants you.  He doesn't want you spiraling into a free-fall over your self esteem, value or worth.  It is the western society that has taught you to value yourself through your works.  In Christ you can separate these things for good.  You self esteem, value and self worth can be seen through the lens of being entirely accepted, loved and adored by your Father in heaven.  He has chosen you so just accept it!  Then begin to enjoy NOT having to define yourself through what you do, accomplish or aspire to.   Maybe the Lord will use us but it surely will not be while we equate our works with our value.


Gary Ward

Remnant: Truth v Error

If you find yourself sitting in a weird situation among believers it may be for a reason.  Even though we've been part of church set-up's that we've flowed with, we've always wrestled with it all.  As you journey more towards a bible believing, simple, fundamental position on things, you may have to do a study on 'the remnant church.'  In doing so there are a few errors to get past along the way.  

Those who think they are a 'remnant' of the wider church need to be sure it is not because of their elitism.  Elitism is where they believe they walk better than anyone else so therefore they must be the remnant!  The truth is about a remnant church is that they have been made excruciatingly aware of their lack before the Lord and brought it mournfully before Him.  They have not tried to develop some works-orientated program to be so busy they cannot see how wretched they are and in need of the Lord.  A believer can be in a remnant church but not be walking as one 'called out from.'  The Lord does a work to have us cease the notion that we contribute anything to the walk.  

So there's a general error in thinking but as '10 ways you know you are a remnant church' lists form, they have more specific errors.  One of them is replacement theology.  Most of the scriptures to do with a remnant is about Israel.  So many cut and paste these scriptures onto the church because 'Israel is no longer God's people but the church is.'  Error!  Romans 9-11 clearly shows Paul championing Israel to be restored in the last days, specifically in the 'day of Jacobs trouble.'  So how do we view the remnant church?  Is it anything to do with Israel?  Simply put, in this time where Israel has a blindness (which is lifting incidentally!)  the Gentiles have been given Grace to behold the Kingdom.  In effect the gentiles are 'grafted into the vine.'  In this way the come under the covenant made with Israel but do not replace them.  Grafting into a vine is not 'replacing' and Paul was clear.

Another connected issue with the remnant thinkers is that they think they have to return to Law (or at least a hybrid, reduced version).  Error!  Possibly starting with replacement heresy, believers then assume they have to keep laws.   Like all who think they have to keep any works based religion or Jewish law, the flesh loves to get on board with anything that involves them in the redemption plan. That this whole thing depends on my effort denies the unmerited free gift God has given and rips Him off of His Glory.  We can't keep the Law or work our way to right standing so that's why Jesus came... to do it for us.  Read Romans.

While everyone thinks they are the Philadelphia church, the remnant of God, the end times watchmen etc we must be careful for two reasons.  Firstly we can become proud and arrogant over the odd Graces afforded us.  Secondly we can become too humble!  There is a remnant church on the earth today and my understanding is that this is 'Philadelphia' as reported in Rev 3.  In the end it all starts with grace. All believers are offered a narrow road.  Simply, not all take it!  If you happen to be someone who has taken it, grace placed you on this road.  The only response is a deeper walk, a thankful heart, a closer walk and an ongoing commitment to pray for the lost.

Gary Ward

Mad Max v Modern church

Last night my wife and I walked out of the Mad max film after 45 minutes.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not over sensitive in any way.  I like watching all sorts of appropriate movies a lot!  My problem was that I felt insulted in my intelligence.  With almost no storyline, it just erupted into a massive vehicle chase with loads of violence.  It was... just silly.

"Why go and see an obviouly violent film (it's a remake) if you don't like violence?"  The thing is, I will watch a violent film if there are reasons for it being there.  I'm not talking about horror or gratuitously violent films. It's just that we live in a violent world and if the plot justifies it and deals with it well... it has some place in my permissions.  Last night was just ridiculous CGI, implausible situations, an unlikely cargo, metrological impossiblilities and all for no reason.  Even artistic license got up and left before I did!

While refecting on our exit, today I wondered why about 150 other people were happy to sit and soak up the 'fun.' I think I stumbled upon some analogies with the modern day church.

If we reverse engineer the modern church service it is like going seeing Mad Max.  If you care little for the story... how it occurs that we are all stood in a room worshipping, you must only be there for the experience you get from it.  In the cinema you would have had a couple of hours of an experience whereas if you had watched The Matrix for example you would have experienced a truth, a challenge, a peice of art and the usual things we find in a film because of the storyline.  Modern church can see the seats fill because it offers an experience yet fails to explain the truth of why we worship etc.  If that was fully explained from the Bible, people would be a little reticen to look for sensual experiences.  What we are left with is songs that include hints of the story, but while everyone is trying to get a worship experience, theres no chance of drilling truth down.  I'll leave the issue that most worship songs are man-centred for another time.

To be clear, I LOVE corporate worship, but I don't need slick musicians or tight riffs with Coldplay style lyrics.  I don't need it because it wouldn't be filling a void of understanding about why we are doing it.  Today's church has to be more of a live 'here and now' experience because people have little clue about the Redemption story and how it applies to them.  If you find out about what Jesus has done and allow it to drop into your heart you don't need a song about Redemption to help you worship because you'll aready have a heart singing His praise all day!

You will be a worshipper and not need a vehicle to take you to an experience of it.

I think Hillsong has a few good elements but I fear for this and other Hybrids of it that they are producing believers who have defined their Christians walk by how sunday morning goes.  "How was church?" Many ask after the service.  It is, for me, a strange question.  It is saying 'how was your experience of church today?'  Who cares frankly!  The entire issue of believers meeting is a Risen Glorified Lord of all Creation who commands us to turn to Him in our entirety for the abundance of walking with him in repentance and faith.  Who cares how your church experience was!  Get sourced and anchored in Him, not a 'blessing centre' that can only play Kareoke to an authentic Christ life.

Rant over

Gary Ward

The Remnant in the last days

It appears that at certain points the Lord takes from a whole and preserves a remnant.  These are always set apart people who have been chosen to walk well in a period where the people have become idolatrous.  Paul tells us of Israel in Romans 9-11 and we observe the 144000 in the book of Revelation Chapters 7 and 14.  Elijah is also told of 7000 who were, like him, set apart, seemingly alone, to serve the Lord.  Noah, Abram, the list continues.

When Jesus said that there would be a narrow and wide road He stated that 'few' would find the narrow road.  It has been cited that this is simply the unsaved versus the saved and therefore the remnant is all those who are saved.  It could be true but if salvation is by grace then the 'finding' is not really your act.  I believe this passage talks about saved people who are required to avoid the wide road and be about the narrow road.  The word for 'destruction' where the wide road leads is also 'loss' or 'cut off from what could or should have been.'  It is reasonable to say that this refers to the destruction, loss of any reward that should have been apportioned for faithfulness.

In Perth Western Australia there is always a road expansion program occurring.  As demand increases so the roads have to be able to take the capacity of the volume of traffic.  Of course in Jesus time we are talking more 'paths' than roads.  Wide paths are formed by the volume of people journeying along the path.  It indicates that these people are walking together and at the same time.  As a group of people walk down a trail, the width of the path will increase as they walk together along the path.  Paths are only places where people have repeatedly walked over.  Narrow paths are where few people have established a route.

Do you feel alone in the intensity of your walk?  Are you isolated around but a few faithful people who want to walk well?  Do you sense a need to be separate from the 'done thing?'  Do you have a longing to see the Lord's return?  Are you aching for the Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth to see justice and righteousness restored to earth?   Have you forsaken popularity, fame, notoriety, position, status or profile to stay on track? Will you not move unless it is the Lord? Are you about first and end times?  Are you the subject of attack from the enemy?  Do the people at work have a weird ignorance about you?  To differing degrees a combination of these circumstances will be evident in your life if you are earmarked for the remnant.

I believe the enemy uses 'wide road' strategy in his dealings with Christians.  An enthusiastic young leader decides to plant a church that will be aimed at quantity (and by default lose quality).  The enemy will sometimes allow a work to grow because while satan has no power to stop salvation, he can frustrate Holy Spirit growth.   So satan leaves these things alone.  People making salvation commitments is a type of fruit and I hope these people reap reward for this.  However, it is rare that this type of quantity orientated set up can bear the quality.

The ancient city of Sardis was known for being impenetrable.  This led to a lax attitude by those on guard.  Eventually their enemies found a way to penetrate the city.  This occurred several times throughout history.  This is a strategy of Satan... he won't frustrate a mega church, he will simply watch the downward spiral of faithfulness then weave into the gaping hole of 'compromise.'

Be Alert!

Gary Ward