And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matt 10:30
You know my name,
my atoms and cells.
You created them.
You know the hairs on my head:
The number,
the colour.
My eyes,
My wrinkles
and every quirk,
You know.
You know my very DNA,
my core.
You know my movements
and thoughts,
my rebellion and
obedience.
But more than that,
You know my heart,
no matter what I hide.
My lies, my truth.
You know me
and you still love me!
John Knox and lessons from the temptation of Christ
“Thus are we taught, I say, by Christ Jesus, to repulse Satan and his assaults by the Word of God, and to apply the examples of His mercies, which He has shown to others before us, to our own souls in the hour of temptation, and in the time of our trouble. For what God doth to one at any time, the same appertains to all that depend upon God and His promises. And, therefore, however we are assaulted by Satan, our adversary, within the Word of God is armor and weapons sufficient. ”
It is amazing the way that God works. Forces are arrayed against His plans only to be outwitted time and again.
This occurred (once again) in the years leading up to the Methodist Revival in Wales in the C18th. An Anglican minister, Griffith Jones, sometimes referred to as the “morning Light of the Welsh Revival” was often in trouble with his superiors for his unorthodox approaches. Dallimore references him in his biography of Whitefield. For example, Jones preached outdoors when the crowds became too large. This was not the “done thing.” In all, he was too enthusiastic for his times. So the authorities restricted his ability to preach. Now, this could seem like a defeat. However, Jones, undeterred, commenced a series of circulating schools (schools that would remain in an area for a while and then move on). Many thousands of people learned to read and were presented with the gospel through his work. It also provided a wonderful foundation for the revival to come – a wonderful picture of God’s sovereignty.
Griffith Jones is an example of one who sees obstacles as opportunities. Once again, there is a lesson in that for me.
In the beginning …
God spoke
into being
Ex nihilo
from nothing.
God’s breath
brought forth
the stars
the atoms
me.
The covenant
Word swept
through creation
and rebellion
empires
and kings.
His Word
sure and firm
whispers and roars
through time
and place
over sea and continent.
The Word
walked among us
and will come again
to reveal
a recreated kingdom
a world reborn
by the
Word.
Currently I am re-reading Peter Kreeft’s classic, “Between Heaven and Hell: A dialog somewhere beyond death with John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley.” Kreeft, a Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, originally wrote the book in 1982 and updated it in 2008.
The genius of this witty book is that it takes the fact that the three protagonists in this book all died on the same day, November 22, in 1963. The author then imagines a debate or learned conversation between them as they exist somewhere beyond death. Kreeft is helped by the fact that he is a Catholic. In other words, a type of purgatory is a possibility, however this is a minor issue in the book. The key element is how the three participants look at heaven, faith and life from their respective world views: Lewis an orthodox Christian, Kennedy a liberal Catholic and Huxley a pantheistic Gnostic.
Issues such as the nature of Jesus, authority, the place of reason in faith, miracles, wisdom and faith itself, are just some of the topics explored. Best of all is that it is a primer in apologetics: defending and explaining faith and the gospel. Peter Kreeft uses his knowledge of Lewis’ work to show how Christians can confidently defend their faith against the critiques thrown at them. This is not unlike the techniques used by people such as Professor John Lennox today.
“Between heaven and Hell” is not a long book and could be a valuable resource for many people – particularly Christians who sometimes find themselves lost for words when their world-view is attacked. I am enjoying this book again because it reminds me that the evangelical Christian faith is not loopy, as the world at large tries to portray it, but a well founded faith and like every world-view starts with presuppositions or “faith”. Having taken the step of faith, the Christian position has a beautiful harmony and unity. I for one, often forget that.
I spent the morning scrubbing smoky soot off wooden furniture. The problem is that the smoke smell burrows itself into the wood. The smell is difficult to eradicate. Hard rubbing with “smoke sponges” and then turps and finally applying wood restorers is required. There are two elements: the appearance and the smell. Sometimes it looks o.k. but still smells and on other occasions it is reversed.
As I was rubbing away my mind wandered to the work that God needs to do with us. Believers know that they are justified by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross but it is the daily sanctification, scrubbing with the smoke sponge and the turps by the Holy Spirit, that is the on going work that is required. To be justified means we look like the product in the catalogue and is the way God sees us through Christ, but sanctification acknowledges that the bright shiny newness of the catalogue, in our earthly life, has never really existed.
This renewing process is described beautifully in Philippians 2:12&13, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.” And, it is an ongoing work, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6.
The moral: when there is unpleasant cleaning to do, use it as a reminder of the work required on us – especially the, hard to get, inside.
And the words of the Lord are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times. Psalm 12:6
We often tend to think of our age as particularly evil but when we read Psalm 12 we realise that David struggled against great evil too. He often felt helpless against its onslaught.
In Psalm 12 he reveals a battle that is fought through the words of people in contrast to the words of God – the flattering, lying and boastful lips of people versus the pure, truthful words of God.
It is a relevant psalm for our time when advertising dominates our lives. The huge amounts spent on political campaigns to sway a small percentage of voters comes to mind. “Spin doctors” try to flatter and manipulate us. Then we have the culture of celebrity where their position and fame is used to make us believe …. whatever. I am reminded of a certain TV host of Africa American descent, amongst many, many others.
We have two choices: we either join the throng of deceivers and deceived or we run to God for His protection. His protection came in the form of one who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” and “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
David recognised his own helplessness because by nature he too was like the deceivers, but in God’s promises his life would have a completely alternative and truth led orientation through the promises of God. In God’s arms he could begin to see life differently.
“Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19 5-6
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
What is our calling as Christians? Yes we are all unique and individually equipped but there is an overall broad calling that we all possess. That is, in this fallen world, we are to be a Kingdom or community of priests. We are to be interceders for each other and the world in which we live.
A Kingdom of priests seeks the lost, broken, hurting, offended against and sorrowing, and then as the hands and feet of God ministers to them. We hold them up to God but are also God’s means of bringing healing and hope.
The tragedy is that the church is too often known for hypocrisy, crusades, offences against children, obscene wealth, and … the list goes on. In history, the church has been most potent when it has sided with the poor, broken and helpless: with slaves, children and abused workers in the industrial revolution, with starving and orphaned, widowed and fatherless.
Christ brought salvation and bread; Physical healing and spiritual healing, words and actions. His Kingdom/community is called to do the same. The priest’s role is in the here and now yet at the same time pointing to God’s eternal Kingdom.
If many Christians and churches have lost their way, we can do no better than revisit and revision our task as a Kingdom of priests; being, what Christ modelled for us.
Travels from Ur 