Keeping It Simple

Keeping It Simple: 2 Corinthians 4

Blessed

Over the past couple of years Jesus has had me spend lots of time in Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 4. When this happened I would ask Him, "Why there?" For these times and this chapter it has seemed that I have been in pain; both shoulders separately, a knee, a tooth, a foot. I believe that Jesus is encouraging me to "keep it simple, keep your focus on me and on us, on our relationship, on who we are, where we are, and where we are going!" (verse 18).

Mostly chapter 4 declares how blessed we (and the world) are that God has gotten hold of us and set us to work: "by the mercy of God we have this ministry" (verse 1). We are here to participate with Jesus in whatever He is doing on the Earth. Really, there is little else in life that is not peripheral. We are to "proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord" (verse 5) in everything we do and say. We are to be centred on Jesus; it is spiritual, and relational, and will change us, each one, from the inside. Our ministry will be costly to us, a sacrificial offering to Jesus and to the people He gives us to share with (verses 8-12).

Our side verge garden was desolate ..

This reminder of our true perspective is precious, it is so easy to get caught up in every-day life and to be smothered by complexity. Thankfully, my identity is in Jesus (Colossians 1:27), and my value as a man, brother, husband, father and grandfather flow from that; my joy in hugs and music, in nature, and as a cook and at meal times with family and friends, comes not from my years of learning and my skills but because Jesus has given me a place in the world. He has surrounded me with people and has nurtured me my whole life.

Encouraged

Paul adds: "therefore .. we do not lose heart" (verse 1). I ask, "what has this to do with that?" Then I see that, because Jesus has given us our "ministry", we have purpose in life, we are involved and kept busy doing something worth-while, we now have more than just intrinsic value. For most of my working life I did work I really enjoyed, I always grew in my jobs and, almost always, earned enough to keep body and soul together and to have a measure of dignity in my community. This was precious to me and made getting out of bed easy. Now that I no longer work at a paid job I still need the same encouragements; they now come from Jesus, my Abba Father and wonderful Holy Spirit, and from the people around me. I find that Paul's observation is true, I "do not lose heart". There is a promise in these words, that things will sometimes be tough, but we are equipped to get through, to persevere and grow; "you will receive what He has promised" (Romans 5:3-4, Hebrews 10:36, 2 Peter 1:4-8).

                                                         

Towards the end of chapter 4, (verses 15-16), Paul again writes "we do not lose heart", this time he is acknowledging the impact that our unique "ministry" has on others in the world, recognising that if we truly do what it is that Jesus asks of us, others will come to the truth of the Gospel and to a saving relationship with Jesus. Thus "grace extends to more and more people" and this will "cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God" (verse 15). Two reasons to "not lose heart"! Hallelujah!

but little by little we were given plants ..

Paul emphasises simplicity right through this chapter, and reminds us to be transparent, to be honest and straightforward and free in our dealings, to care for our conscience and to be true to God, whom we serve, to our born-again self, and to those we encounter (verse 2).

It was a great moment, years ago, when I realised that Jesus had included me into His team .. here He tells me, in Paul's lovely metaphor, that He, Jesus, is my "treasure", (not anything of me), and that I am a "jar made of clay" (verse 7), a simple vessel to hold this "treasure"; not fancy, not exclusive, but functional and workmanlike, and perhaps most of all, fragile; I need Jesus' careful handling in the bustle of life if I am not to be cracked or broken (verse 7). A beautiful image!

We think of Paul as a hero who, through his devotion to Jesus and great writing skills, has influenced so many over generation after generation. He had dedicated followers who assisted him in so many ways, and he was often honoured. But, so often in his letters, he tells us of his many and terrible hardships .. (Romans 8:36, Act 16:23, 2 Corinthians 6:4-5, 2 Corinthians 11:21-29)!

Paul reminds us in very plain language that the life of a follower of Jesus is rich and full, yet also often fraught with pain, difficulties and reversals. Even so we are able to persevere ".. afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed .." (verses 8-12). In these days we know this still to be true .. "jars of clay".

Paul was fragile yet he must also have been very tough, and so in love with Jesus that he was able to see past his troubles. He kept things simple.

For me, a big part of the simplicity of life is gratitude. Every day I look for Jesus' outpourings of grace (John 1:16) "For from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace". I am aware of being grateful most of the time .. this leads me to remembering that I am loved, particularly by my family and those near to me, but more especially by Jesus, and our Father and Holy Spirit, our counselor and comforter. Quite amazing really .. me ..

Veiled

Along the way Paul points out that not everyone is as blessed as we are. Sadly not everyone can "see" Jesus with spiritual eyes. Indeed the spirit of this world (1 Corinthians 2:12, Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 4:3) is at work in people to "veil" (verse 3-4) or block every aspect of the Gospel, and is keeping them in darkness (verse 6), in the negativity and sin, (our rebellion, disobedience and wickedness), that you and I used to know before we were set free.

My wife Trish and I have seen this in people; for a time Trish was talking to a lovely single mum about Jesus and life in Him, the woman was desperately unhappy and listened to what Trish shared but she could not see or hear. She could not let go of her worldview and accept Jesus as her Saviour and Lord. Trish and I came to understand that we were struggling against spiritual forces; sadly all our prayer and care seemed not to be enough.

The same inability-to-see appears to affect people who hold "politically correct" or atheist views; their positions are irrational and can easily be shown to be based on falsehoods, yet the people adhere like glue. These days I am asking Jesus about this .. how is it that "the weapons of our warfare" (2 Corinthians 10:4) seem to be so ineffective in this battle? And, how can we pray and speak to bring the light of Christ to these misguided ones, these who are doomed if they continue on their present path.

we filled the spaces and now it is so lovely!

Keeping It Simple?

So .. keeping it simple: Jesus has given us work especially for each one of us, "this ministry" (verse 1), and we will only make it through (verse 15) if we focus on Him (verse 18), as it is His work (verse 5). We are ordinary and fragile (verse 7), so are to rely on His strength (verse 10) and push through past our troubles (verses 8-9); we are being "renewed every day" (verse 16).

Although we are to "speak" (verse 13), "Jesus Christ as Lord" (verse 5), and "commend ourselves to everyone's conscience" (verse 2), so that "grace extends to more and more people" (verse 15), some will be "veiled" (verses 3-4), they will be unable to hear the gospel or see Jesus (John 12:21). But we will be able to continue and press on in "His life" (verse 11) and "not lose heart" (verses 1,16).

Bless us all. Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

Veiled

Can Not And Will Not See

Sometimes things seem to not make sense. We can see different elements of something and they look "right" but the whole thing just doesn't gel. I believe that often this not-gelling has a spiritual cause; something is present in the spiritual realm which prevents things in the physical world from following the laws of logic or science. I think I see something similar with some dear people.

Not everyone is as blessed as we Christians are. Not everyone can "see" Jesus with spiritual eyes (Matthew 5:8). Indeed the spirit of this world (1 Corinthians 2:12, Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 4:3) is at work in people to "veil" or block every aspect of the Kingdom of God and to keep them in darkness, in the negativity and sin that you and I used to know before we were set free (2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Galatians 5:1).

Recently, (for 50 cents!) I was able to buy a copy of Richard Dawkins' famous book, "The God Delusion". Very quickly I could see that this author, a famous biologist and professor, is one for whom Jesus' Gospel is "veiled"; he just can not and will not see. I don't have a PhD degree like Richard Dawkins but I can tell you that his book contains few facts, indeed what are stated as facts are mostly extravagant suppositions which have never been empirically proved by anybody. 

Dawkins denies the spiritual realm, so is out of step with 4 out of every 5 people in the world (82% of all humans recognise spiritual reality, (Pew Research Centre)), thus he is unable to see where everything comes from; he cannot explain anything of the Universe, neither the millions of stars and planets, nor light, nor even life itself. No explanation is presented without huge leaps of imagination which include popular theories as to possible, (yet in terms of physics, chemistry and thermodynamics; impossible) development scenarios.

Mr. Google tells me that our beautiful blue planet weighs approximately 5,974,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms! This does not include our neighbours the Moon and the Sun, or the rest of our Milky Way or the other Galaxies. Lots more kilograms! Dawkins assures us that all this and more came into being with a Big Bang which he cannot explain, neither can he tell us where the Bang came from, as he assures us that nothing, (that's right, nothing), existed beforehand!

Faith tells us that God eternally exists, and that He spoke, and on His breath the Universe was created (Genesis 1, Job 26:9, Psalm 8:3, Psalm 74:16, Psalm 104:19 , Psalm 147:4, Jeremiah 31:35, John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:15-16, Hebrews 1:10).

The Bible makes it plain that God is Lord of the Creation (Colossians 1:16-17) and will determine its scope (Psalm 8:3), including its life-span (Hebrews 1:10-12). 

I have witnessed and experienced many miracles which are supernatural events, and, just as I am convinced that those were real and that they came entirely from God, so I can also believe that He spoke and the Creation came into being. It did not come from nothing as atheists and evolutionists would have us believe, no, it came from God, who declared it all to be "very good" (Genesis 1:31). We know from our life experience that it is very good. So we are not veiled but spiritually alive (Romans 6:11), we can see Godly things (John 12:21, John 16:16, Hebrews 2:9).

Irrational Belief? No!

Richard Dawkins talks about faith. He defines faith as an irrational belief in something, a belief with no foundation. 

(This sounds to me like peoples' faith in the Theory of Evolution, they must have an uncritical faith as no-one can offer any proof that anything complex ever "evolved" from something less complex. There are heaps of studies and reports which claim such things but there is nothing which truthfully describes an actual evolution-of-a-new-species event. "Evolution of the Species" is just a theory, an idea, and now for many, a belief system, and a "foundation" of their worldview). 

If a person cannot see God and His Kingdom then I guess that person might grasp at any idea which will give a sense of identity and purpose, otherwise life could be very empty.

But my faith is not simple in this way, or shallow. I am a person of faith because I have considered many alternative theories for existence and life, have read and researched countless scientific, philosophical, historical and theological papers, and the Bible. I have closely observed nature with all its species, or "kinds" (Genesis 1), its symbiosis, its complexity (1 Corinthians 15:37-40) and its ability to sustain itself (Colossians 1:17) and reproduce itself (Genesis 1:22,28). 

I have considered the "fruit of the Spirit"; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), and loyalty and empathy, and creativity and beauty and fun, as well as faith; none of these can be satisfactorily explained by Richard Dawkins or by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. My faith is based on my conviction that these attributes of humanity all came from God, and none could ever have come by random chance. I now know who God is, I know His character and nature, and I trust Him. These are the foundations of my faith.

Also, I am alive in the spiritual realm, (Romans 8:10), and have met and developed a deep and personal relationship with the Lord of all the heavens and the Earth, and, on top of all that, I have seen and experienced many, many miracles; supernatural things, events beyond natural laws: people amazingly healed, and catastrophes miraculously averted, which science can not explain.

Another side of being "veiled" is that those who are veiled tend to hide true things any way they can. Sadly, Richard Dawkins' book, "The God Delusion" does include ridicule, scorn, mockery, derision, and misrepresentation about anything to do with faith or religion, and particularly towards Christians, Christianity and Christian theology (Hebrews 10:33). Dawkins is so smart, but he appears not to understand that to prove your argument it is best not to attack those with whom you disagree, but to argue the issues, logically and with demonstrable proofs. So sad ..

Hope and Help

For those people we know who are "veiled" and cannot see Jesus, we can pray .. John wrote that we "have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth" (1 John 2:20), and "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him" (1 John 2:27).

We can pray that this anointing is given to all those who are on our heart. Jesus went after the lost and the lonely, the damaged and the mistreated - the world often has little room for such as these, but Jesus' desire is that "none should perish" (2 Peter 3:9). These ones are already in our hearts, let us be as Jesus for them. This is what Saint Francis of Assisi meant: "preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words". Hugs are brilliant too ..

Bless us all. Amen.

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New Covenant: Prophetic

God's Prophetic Gifting

In 1516, the year before he nailed his manifesto to the Cathedral door and (unknowingly) began the Christian Reformation, Martin Luther was teaching the book of Galatians at Wittenberg University in Germany. In his letter to the Galatians Paul reminds the people that only faith in Jesus will bring them into salvation, that none of their traditions or religious practices will help at all, indeed, they will get in the way of a saving faith. It seems that Martin Luther was convicted by what God showed him in Scripture and he then taught his students. He was at Wittenberg as a priest and a theology professor; "theology" is another way of saying "God" together with "study and understand", "engage with", "ponder".

At that time the Christian Church was worldly and corrupt and did not look to Jesus, its Head (Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18), instead it relied on Church tradition and its hierarchical leaders.

Most Christians had no idea of the content of the Bible. The entire leadership of the Church appeared to be deaf to God's Word in any form.

The book of Galatians and the whole Christian Gospel came alive to Martin Luther, it was revealed to him by God Himself, by His Holy Spirit. Martin then felt convicted to publicise his insight by nailing a manifesto containing 95 perceived problems with the Church, to the Cathedral door.

This was God's prophetic gift at work .. God using His people to share His thoughts with the world.

A similar "reformation" is happening among many of Jesus' people today, not just in one central figure. Scripture seems to be speaking with a fresh clarity. Christians are more alert to what Jesus is saying and doing .. the prophetic gifting is coming more alive in us (1 Corinthians 12:8,10).

It is so encouraging to see how the Church is hearing from God and growing .. this is not like a field of corn with every plant coming along and developing like all its neighbours. No, it is more like a vast forest or an ecosystem where some things are growing and multiplying really well while other plants or species, or all of another region, seem not to be growing or multiplying much at all, and may even be shrinking or dying off. (See Note 1).

The parts of the Church where I spend my time seem to be getting more "born again" and more "Spirit filled", which is what Jesus' Word tells us to expect when the going gets tough (John 16:33, Romans 5:3-5, 2 Thessalonians 1:4, Hebrews 12:1). 

Christian people seem to be assimilating more into their "born again-ness" (Galatians 5:22-23) and showing more fruit from being "filled with the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:1-11), particularly in their ability to hear what God is saying through Jesus and by His Holy Spirit (Matthew 10:20, Mark 13:11, John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:13); this can be called "hearing God's prophetic voice" and, Scripture tells us, is a normative part of the life Jesus wants for us.

Paul wrote "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy .. the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort .. the one who prophesies edifies the Church.  I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy" (1 Corinthians 14:1-4 abridged).

I am not suggesting that we will all be the Isaiahs and Haggais of our time, but rather that we will more clearly hear from our Father and from Jesus so that we can get on with doing our part to complete God's work on the Earth: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).

We are being made ready for Holy Spirit to empower us and encourage us to act for the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Hearing clearly from our Lord Jesus encourages and enables us to be more "totally available" for Jesus, and "radically obedient" to Him.

Jesus grows us, not just a little bit, but amazingly, even to being more and more Christ-like in our lives and in our abilities (Ephesians 4:11-13). People look at us and see something different, because what He has put inside us comes out (Luke 6:45, John 7:38).

Over the years I have heard many preachers say that "God has a plan for your life" and "you have a God-given destiny" and then going on to encourage us to seize the day, straighten up and get on with what it is that God is desiring. I see this now happening spontaneously in many of Jesus' people, (rather than  coming from the pulpit on Sundays).

In my different careers I have been blessed with some truly gifted managers. It is amazing how much difference a good manager makes; they seem to have some kind of X-factor where they see more clearly and their people respond better and more fully. The text books tell us this is to do with communications and authority. Jesus clearly is such a one, In the Bible His people became devoted followers with just a word (John 1:43). People gathered by the thousand to see and hear Him (Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 25:38). 

Now He is the "manager" of the whole Cosmos, and particularly, of the Kingdom of God and the Church. He is also brilliant at communicating with and managing each one of us, at the micro level (John 4:5-29, John 8:1-11). I see devotion everywhere I look, devotion and a great willingness to join in with Jesus and what He is doing.

I vividly remember when Jesus first came to me and took my arm, (and have heard so many testimonies where people delight in telling about their first encounter with Jesus). At the time Jesus said no word; He simply gave me a gentle tug on my arm as if to say "come, I want you now". I did come, straight away, and have never since doubted that He loves me and is always my champion. It is easy for me to accept Jesus as my manager and my Lord.

"The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice" (John 10:2-4).

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28).

So this growing ability to hear God's voice, this increasing prophetic gifting is wonderful for our world. The millions of small sparks of Jesus' light pouring into our increasingly dark world are making a difference, particularly to the people near to where the light is shining, and to where our prayers are focused, to the people, the families, to our leaders, and others' leaders, all around the world.

Instead of looking on these times with despair and thinking that things are hopeless, we are going forward with Jesus, making up ground ..

Thank you Jesus.

Favourite Scriptures

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" (Jeremiah 33:3).

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

Amen.

NOTE 1: Church Statistics Reflecting Today

Statistics tell us that Christianity world-wide is growing and is still by far the most followed faith or religion in the world. In some places the growth is rapid, though the West over-all is declining in numbers. Islam is growing, it is also a favourite of the media and is politically active.

Bless us all. Amen.

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Abundance

Abundance, Abundant, Abundantly

I completed Trish and my tax returns recently, just four days before the Tax Office deadline.  A relief!

While I was working on them I was aware how abundantly blessed we are. We don't have lots of money or many fancy possessions but all our needs are met (Luke 12:22-32) and we are comfortable in our life. We have open hearts to give, and a great sense of gratitude. We are so happy that Trish is a high school teacher which she loves, this gives our main income. Also, we live in a blessed country where there is a pension for old timers like me; my pension is small because of Trish's earnings, but that's fine, it also gives me other benefits like subsidised dental care and prescription medications, real blessings.

But mostly we see our abundance in our spirits and in intangibles; we are in relationships which abundantly bless us. God saved both of us from our sins and our sinful lives .. He brought us into His family (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6); this is huge .. Jesus is not just our Saviour and our Lord, He is our brother! We now know that we are very special, this gives us vast affirmation .. we know who we are and that we are precious because God is so present to us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Acts 17:28). Our identity is now in Jesus (1 John 3:1, 1 Peter 1:8), and He is the only perfect person who ever lived (1 Peter 2:22, Jude 24)!

In every fibre of our being we know that were especially created to be God's beloved!

Last weekend was wonderful, three people in our immediate family had birthdays .. Trish on the Friday, Anlia on Saturday and Tom on Sunday. We all honoured each other, then on Sunday, Trish, Becky and I borrowed Frankie and Anlia's kayak and had fun on the river.

At what seemed to be the last minute, the family decided to get together on the Monday for dinner. I offered to cook with everyone coming here. (This is one of the abundances of not having a regular job, I am available to help).

Largely from the freezer and the pantry I made chicken cacciatore for our main course and served it with linguine and a great salad Trish put together. Becky brought a big, delicious garlic bread. I saw a pecan pie in our local bakery so bought that as the birthday cake, it just needed three candles for three birthdays (Jude and Hamish had such fun blowing them out again and again!) We also had heaps of berries, cream and ice cream so there were lots of desserts. Twelve shared our table .. conversations and laughter filled our house and hearts. Such a simple meal, quickly put together, yet a feast because we were there and we share love and care for one another. So lovely. Abundant. Thank you Jesus.

Favourite Scriptures

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever" (Psalm 23:6). 

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

"When You give it to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, and they are filled with good things" (Psalm 104:28).

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail" (Isaiah 58:11).

"For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock" (Psalm 27:5).

"'I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint'" (Jeremiah 31:25).

"'.. for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks'" (Matthew 12:34).

P.S. One of the lovely camps-by-the-sea in our Southwest where I go to write is called “Abundant Life”, it is true to its name, beautiful, with gentle, Godly people (you just know that there is something different about them), and the whole place is steeped in years of prayer .. Abundance ..

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

Prayer Now

More Prayer And More Christians Praying

These days a great many people I know are thinking and talking in terms of "where do we go from here?" Even secular people are asking too ..

In my own Christian circles the answer is immediate: "prayer, more prayer and more Christians praying". This is not a new conclusion for Jesus' Church when the world hides from the light of Christ.

In my early days of Bible College our very fearsome theology teacher told us that he would ask a great many questions of us over our years of study, and that the answer to all the questions would be "Jesus". This turned out to  be a true statement, and is still true to this day! (I have now known this teacher for nearly 20 years and, long ago, learned that he is kind, gentle, (even soft), full of love and a very godly and Christ filled man, his fierceness is illusory!)

Here are quotes about prayer from some of my heroes of the faith:

•     Martin Luther - "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing".

•    Mother Theresa - "Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts".

•    EM Bounds - "God shapes the world by prayer".

•    John Wesley - "God does nothing except in response to believing prayer".

•    John Wesley again - "I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it".

•    Elisabeth Elliot - "Prayer lays hold of God's plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit's power".

It is so good that all through the centuries so many have been praying so obediently. We cannot imagine how awful the world would be without the good that their, (and our), prayers have brought, and without the many blocks their, (and our), prayers have placed to obstruct Satan's plans for evil.

I've seen a few end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it apocalyptic movies so beloved of Hollywood producers; I'm sure that none of them come close to the horrors that a prayer-less world would suffer. Yet here we are ..

So I ask: Jesus, how would you have us pray? How would you have me pray? How, as our Father's son? How as your brother, Lord? How as a husband, father and grandfather? How as your ambassador on the Earth? How as your steward of the Earth? How as your servant in this place?

The Australian Prayer Network teaches that prayer is an activity of God which requires human co-operation to achieve God's desired ends. God knows all the "ends from the beginnings" (Isaiah 46:10, Revelation 21:6). Human prayer releases God's power. God wants to work through us (Luke 10:19; John 14:12), so that our lives come to have the meaning He planned for us before we were born (Psalm 139:14-17). Good things happen because we obey and do what God asks of us.

God wants us to be totally available to Him, and radically obedient. When God brought Australian Prayer Network into being He made it clear that that was what He seeks in His intercessors .. availability and obedience ..

Continuous Prayer

Scripture shows us prayer in action, it is constant and continuous. Revelation chapters 4 and 5 show us the eternal prayer meeting in Heaven. We are the blood purchased "persons from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9), we are very precious to our Lord. As we pray, our prayers join those in the "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:8). 

Our prayers are also very precious! We participate with the "10,000 times 10,000 angels" (Revelation 5:11). The apostle John was shown this scene so that he could tell us about it. What an awesome responsibility we have been given. (10,000 X 10,000 = 100,000,000, a truly huge number!) When John wrote the book of Revelation it is estimated that the world population was between 200 million and 300 million; this suggests that there was one praying in Heaven for every two or three on the Earth!

Prayer was a constant during Jesus' life on Earth (Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; John 17:1); in everything He sought the counsel and direction of His, (now our), Father. We are encouraged to do the same. Even now Jesus is constantly praying, by His Spirit, and interceding for us (Romans 8:27). He died that we may be forgiven our sins and saved (1 Thessalonians 5:10). Now He prays that we may have life "to the full" (John 10:10).

We can hear from Jesus. Our Brother and Lord communicates with us, God's children .. "Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth" (Psalm 78:1 NASB).

Many people have difficulty with the idea of talking or communicating with God, or being close with Him. But the very instant we are saved, Jesus brings us to His Father to be adopted as His children and to come fully into His inheritance just as Jesus is. It took years for me to accept how closely Jesus had brought me into His family .. right into the very arms of His Father! Jesus' Father is now our "Abba" (Romans 8:15); I am certain that Father God's love for each one of us is much greater than my best love and care for my own children .. We are not alone in our desire for relationship, many Psalms are cries for God's loving attention, or even His rescue (Psalm 102, 140, 141, 142, 143), in other Psalms we see God's great love and commitment to us (Psalm 91, 23).

We can also ask ..

•   "Lord, what is the big problem in the world?" 

•   "What is the big problem in my world?"

•   "What is the main thing which you want me to pray for?" and

•   "Lord, what is something helpful that I can do?"

Drought

Australia is in a major season of drought. About a decade ago, during our previous drought, many people asked the Australian Prayer Network to pray for rain. APN ran a survey; the many thousands of members were asked which Scripture God gave them when they asked about our nation and the drought. Results overwhelmingly revealed that God wanted us all to consider Haggai Chapter 1: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house, [God's Temple], remains a ruin?" (Haggai 1:4). It was clear that it was the sin of the Church which was causing God to withhold the rain. Not the sin of the secular population, or of the Australian population as a whole, but the sin of the Christian people.

The survey also showed that the sins which particularly concerned God were:

•         Lack of Christian intimacy with God

•         Idolatry

•         Sexual sins

•         The shedding of innocent blood

•         Injustice, and

•         Broken covenants.

Drought Again

Once again Australia is in a time of devastating drought. Are we still immersed in the same spiritual problems? In the years between then and now, has the Church in Australia become more Christ focused? More intimately involved with Jesus? Have we become more united? Do we still overlook our own acceptance of the world's moral codes? Our acceptance of our own moral failures? Have we grown to care more for ".. justice, mercy and faithfulness .." (Micah 6:8; Matthew 23:23) and the "widows and orphans" (James 1:27)? Or do we still focus on our own local congregation, our buildings and mortgages, our sound and video systems, our travel, celebrity and wealth? Do we still love our lives above Jesus (Revelation 12:11)?

Can we truly expect God to grant us the great revival we ask Him for? The peace we ask for?

In 2nd Chronicles the chronicler, (possibly Ezra), writes about times of drought and great difficulty:

"When I, [God], shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).

When times are tough for us it may be that God is withholding benefits, and not Satan causing more trouble than usual (John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8).

These two verses from Chronicles still speak to us today. God's Word is eternal and imperishable (1 Peter 1:23). God is calling to His people .. today that is us .. the oikos, the household and family of God .. the ecclesia, the ones He has gathered in His name, His people to rule in this world and to steward His Creation (Genesis 1:26).

He wants us to humble ourselves, that is, to put Jesus first in our lives, not just on Sundays, and to honour others and put them ahead of our self, to truly be servants. (I am reminded of the "me", "me", "me" that I am so familiar with in my own life).

Jesus asks us to pray and seek His face; to regularly and frequently seek intimate time with Him, to ask: "Lord Jesus, what are you saying? What are you doing? How can I be part of all this, here and now?"

Ezra's next words are where God asks us to repent; to identify our sinfulness, then seek forgiveness, and then to change direction, to chart a new course, to repent ..

We pray "Father .. lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13); my experience is that in Christ I can say "no" to temptation, Jesus will always help me to do this. But when temptation comes, instead of relying on my own (small) strength, I must turn my spiritual eyes to Jesus and ask for His (mighty) help. Satan hates this and continues to bring temptation to me .. it is a constant battle .. But it is very reassuring when Jesus wins my battles for me, again and again .. Sometimes I think that Satan is getting tired and may move on from me, but this never lasts, he is a very persistent foe.

Repenting or charting a new course is hard, it means changing our habits, perhaps even our lifestyle. (Joining with someone else or with a group can be great for this ..)

Then, towards the end of verse 14, the chronicler reports God's promise that we all long for:

" .. then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land". And what a promise this is! We know Scripture so we know that this promise is rock solid, we can base our faith on it because the promise is based on Jesus and His life and work.

Our World

We can each make a difference in our world. We each have a God given purpose (Ephesians 2:10) which we can discover and work towards. We can be encouraged and look at our world with hope .. Time with Jesus, intimacy, conversation, day by day .. Even starting in the smallest ways ..

Bless us all. Amen.

Favourite Scriptures

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6).

"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please'" (Isaiah 46:10).

Note:

This is the 5th article I have posted on prayer - I believe that it may be my own most thought about subject, certainly it is a passion of mine, and it is Jesus who puts our (healthy) passions in us; He wants us to be engaged, even excited, as we go about the lives He has given us ..

Pray Northbridge  -  Posted 6th August 2010

   Permalink   https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2010/08/pray-northbridge.html

Unity Through Prayer  -  Posted 21st November 2011

   Permalink   https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2011/11/unity-through-prayer.html

Prayer With An Ache  -  Posted 31st May 2015

   Permalink   https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2015/05/prayer-with-ache.html

In Their Image: Prayer  -  Posted 29th November 2015

   Permalink  https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2015/11/in-their-image-prayer.html

I believe that I am expressing here what Jesus wants me to share ..

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

Jehovah-Rapha

The Importance Of A Name

An exciting aspect of Christian life is that Jesus gives us changing seasons .. it seems that a fresh time has begun for me; God recently reminded me again of His names. In the Old Testament God revealed Himself by telling the people His different names. In Bible times names meant a great deal, they fully described a person. This is true for God too.

We even see in the Bible where God changed people's names so that they would be in line with who God had grown the person to be; I remember Abram being named Abraham when he was to be "the father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5). In the New Testament Jesus called Simon “Peter”, which means "rock". For a while it looked as though Peter was least-likely-to-succeed as a disciple of Jesus, but as I read his 2nd letter I am so aware of Peter’s rock-like-ness; his faith is unshakable as he remembers Jesus love for him and their beautiful and totally secure relationship which informs every part of Peter's life (John 1:42).

Even today we understand the importance of a person's name as we seek to call our babies by their "right" name when they are born .. sometimes we are certain of what their right name is .. Trish and I had no trouble naming our six children, mostly we felt that the names were either "right" or were God's gifts to us. Every one of our kids names still suits them very well! This is a lovely human characteristic common among the countless cultures throughout the world ..

God's name "Jehovah Rapha" is from the book of Exodus. "Jehovah" derives from the Hebrew word "Havah" meaning "The Existing One" or "Lord", or "to be", "to exist", "to become" or "to become known"; from this we can see why we know Him as God who reveals Himself unceasingly. "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you''" (Exodus 3:14).

Similarly "Rapha" has a complex meaning: "to restore", "to make whole", "to heal" or "to make healthful", (Exodus 15:26; Psalm 103:3; Isaiah 61:1; Jeremiah 30:17). When He first gave this name to Israel, God could be interpreted as saying "Healing is what I am". "Rapha" is related to the New Testament Greek word "sozo", which means "to save", "to deliver or protect", "to heal", "to make whole", "to preserve". I see that "to make whole" is God's plan for each of us. This is much more than healing our injuries or sicknesses, and even more than a doctor may try for when he or she sets out to heal our "whole person". God can heal us totally, in spirit, soul and body.

It is the very bigness of God's healing that has thrilled and encouraged me over all the years of my Christian walk. We can contrast it to the healings available through our (truly wonderful) national health services .. Our second son Frank was an adventurous Australian Rules football player, he would go flat out after the ball; one afternoon his efforts earned him a  broken leg. His team-mates took him to hospital where the doctors set the bones and wrapped his leg in plaster. The healing of Frank's leg began. (This is very memorable because he and Anlia were married while Frankie was still in plaster)! So it could be said that the skills of the hospital doctors and nurses healed Frank's broken leg. God can do much more than this.

We each see God through the lens of our own life and experience. From my younger years I see that He protected and saved me in the midst of adventures which could have been disasters. I got lost trekking in the mountains and nearly drowned while swimming in the sea when it was too rough and there was a rip .. I didn't know God then, and had not the slightest idea about Jesus .. even so God saved me, He brought me alive, and very appreciative, through some memorable and scary times!

You may say that these were not really healings, and this is what I am trying to communicate .. in the Bible "healing" is a very big word. When God told Israel that Jehovah Rapha was His name no-one was ill or diseased. It was during the Exodus and Israel had been traveling for two days and nights without water, they were tired and very thirsty. God led them to springs at Marah, but the water was bitter, (this was about 40 miles south of the modern town of Suez; bitter springs are there to this day). The people complained about the un-drinkable water and God showed Moses a tree, which, when cut down and thrown into the waters, made the water sweet. It was here that He said "I am the Lord who heals you" (Exodus 15:26). So the healing was not of sickness or disease, but of the waters, thereby saving the people and soothing both their thirst and their angry hearts.

When God heals us, it is much bigger than just fixing one presenting problem .. God heals all of us, beyond our thoughts or imaginings "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us" (Ephesians 3:20). 

This is what I get so excited about! God can even heal our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14). (He asks us, God's people, to become the unified Church, to humble ourselves together, and to pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways! For some years I have believed that the biggest single problem in the world today is the lack of unity in the Christian Church .. we even speak as though we belong to one of 10,000 different churches ..)

In my own testimony, and those of many others, I am frequently reminded of how Jesus heals us. (Indeed, for a season I was part of a lovely ministry called "Jesus Heals Us" where we all saw many miracles! "Jesus Heals Us" continues and blesses many still).

Our Spirit

Our spirit is where we relate to God; Holy Spirit can fill us so that our spirit and the Spirit of God interact, hallelujah! We can also relate to other people on a spiritual level; Trish and I are very aware that we do this. I used to often feel alone. So many of us try to live busy lives to cover up our alone-ness. Some say that we have a "God shaped hole" inside us; this was first written about by Pascal who said that we have an "infinite abyss [which] can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself", (Blaise Pascal, Pensées VII, 1670). Saint Augustine of Hippo was a wild young man, his mother prayed for a quarter century that he would come to Jesus and settle down; in his Confessions (around 400 AD), he said "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you" .. so true .. God heals our spirit when He comes to us and we can rest in Him! Jehovah-Rapha.

Our Soul

Our soul is the uniquely "you" part of who you are and includes our thoughts, memories, our will and our emotions. I guess our "soul" is our "personality". My lovely Jesus has healed my soul in so many, many ways .. For a long time I lived in fear; fear for my family and especially for Trish and our two daughters, but also of random violence against any of us, and fear of financial collapse, and fear that my many weaknesses would become known and I would be ridiculed .. Trish and I were at a healing meeting when the leader said something like: "Jesus wants to heal people from fear .." I immediately knew he meant me! I was one of the first to walk to the front to be prayed for. I may even have run, I was so sure this was for me! Jesus healed me instantly from fear; I can now trust Him to protect all my family .. when I get a hint of fear I mentally (spiritually?) look over my shoulder and there He is .. Jesus has our backs, He also walks beside each of us, and is always before us (Matthew 28:20) .. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14, and all of Psalm 62). Jehovah-Rapha.

Our Body

Our body is our physical presence, the part of us you can hug (though our spirit and our soul definitely benefit from hugs too)! Jesus can heal our bodies and delights in doing so, Scripture tells us that He was tortured and died so that we can be healed (Isaiah 53:5). After decades of prayer, study and practice in supernatural healing I confess that I understand little of it. One of my conclusions is that healing is a sovereign act of God. Sometimes is seems that not every prayer is answered in a timely way, while at other times people who appear to us to be much less deserving are miraculously and spectacularly healed. I am at an age now where I go to funerals; if the person is Christian these are always celebrations .. we all "know" that Jesus "took them home" at just the right time. This is a beautiful form of faith in action! We see that our friend was not healed on Earth but has received "ultimate" healing and now lives gloriously with Jesus. Jehovah Rapha.

I have seen hundreds of healings, (probably thousands), which science cannot explain; these were miracles where the laws of nature were suspended while God did something only He can do, supernatural events. Some of these miracles happened to me. That I am alive today is the result of several miracles .. I live in a state of deep gratitude to Jesus and day by day I can rejoice in the loveliness of His Creation, within my family and the tiny part of the world He has placed me in. Not everything in me is healed; doctors and specialists; hospital clinics, medications and physiotherapy are part of my daily life, but it's ok .. I rest in peace and joy in the palm of Jesus' hand (Isaiah 62:3).

Sometimes I will be reading my Bible and come upon a miraculous healing. This gets me to pondering about the power and glory of that moment way back in Bible times; natural processes were suspended and God in His love and compassion reached down and brought a change beyond nature. Somebody saw this and wrote it down for us to celebrate again all these centuries later! I smile to myself as though to say, "John why do you act surprised? You read the Bible and see the vast array of healings there .. you rejoice at the many reports of Jesus healing "all" who came to Him, now here you are seeing the same thing happening in our world and in our time .. Jesus never changes (Matthew 4:24, 8:16, 12:15, 14:36; Mark 6:56; Luke 4:40, 5:15; Acts 5:16, and Numbers 23:19, James 1:17).

The Bible declares that God is at work in the world and in the lives of those who believe in Him. This is just so clear to me .. Bless you.

Favourite Scriptures

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought our peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak" (Isaiah 40:18-29).

"But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:  Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,  Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,  Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.  The Lord executes righteousness And justice for all who are oppressed" (Psalm 103:1-6).

"News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them" (Matthew 4:24).

"Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed" (Acts 5:16).

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.