Be Strong And Courageous

Ready To Stand

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

When Trish's and my children were Youth Group age they would often sing songs like "Be Strong And Courageous" and "Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war".

We all understood even then that being Christian was counter-cultural and that some of our friends or workmates may think that we were a bit weird.

Our kids were learning that sometimes they may be called on to "stand" for Jesus and their faith (Matthew 12:25; Romans 5:2; Romans 11:20; Galatians 5:1; Ephesians 6:11,13,14; Revelation 6:17).

What Jesus Says

"Be Strong And Courageous" appears in the Old Testament as a call to those who were about to embark on great exploits; works requiring physical strength, endurance and often creativity (1 Joshua 1:6; 1 Chronicles 28:20; 2 Chronicles 32:7).

The same thought, (but not in the same phrasing), is expressed again and again the New Testament too, but, rather than preparing for big projects, its sense is to do with being encouraged, and standing in our faith for Jesus and His Gospel, just as our children were singing.

God may be a God of grace and love but He wants us never to forget that we are with Him in a battle against His fierce, persistent and unscrupulous enemy (Matthew 13:25; Luke 10:19; John 10:10).

Jesus wants us to stick with Him regardless of our circumstances. Back in the Youth Group days the only Christians we knew who faced real opposition, or even persecution, were far away overseas in countries where the majority followed other faiths or religions.

But now, just a few years later, that anger and opposition towards Jesus, His Gospel and His people, has spread all over the world and is very present even to us in the West.

Our Reality And Expectations

At a recent church meeting the preacher noticed a friend, Darren, in the congregation and asked him if he had something to share. Darren considered for a minute then stepped up and said these few words: "If ever there was a time for God's people to stand and hold fast to the truth and speak up, it is now". He then returned to his seat.

To me this seemingly small incident, which was unplanned and tacked on towards the end of the meeting, reinforces the words from Scripture that have been coming into my mind for the past few weeks: "Be strong and courageous .."

We know that people are losing their jobs, and some their businesses, because they hold to Biblical truths. Persecution of Christians is at the highest level in all of recorded history and can be seen in a great many countries, including the Western democracies. (Some people still speak of these as "Christian countries" and regard freedoms of religion, speech and association as absolute and unchanged, though this is now far from true as the Australian rugby champion Israel Folau and many others can attest ..)

Our children talk about their work and how it has been affected by the coronavirus and other present-day influences, and it is clear that their bosses are trying hard to ensure continuity and resilience. This is very welcome news. I am sure too that the 1%, (of whom we now hear so much) who own the great majority of the world's assets, want the world to continue to be their playground, so they want continuity too.

But it is not the billionaires or the different world leaders who bring my peace, I look to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2): "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you .. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

Recently a song played on my radio, the announcer seemed to think it reflected pretty cool thoughts for our times:

  "I believe there comes a time

  when everything just falls in line".

But really, isn't this nothing more than wishful thinking? (Radio 6IX, 19 July 2020).

So very sad. Also very scary!

           

"So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6).

So How Shall We Be?

Paul, when writing to Timothy, makes it plain that we are to show courage in times like ours (2 Timothy 1:7), to be encouraged and not discouraged (Romans 1:12), and to be ready to seek God's will for us (Romans 12:2), and to follow His leading (Mark 8:34):

"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7).

The Book of Revelation includes a letter from Jesus to the church in Smyrna. They were suffering persecution and appear to have had no resources left. Jesus told them, "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)" (Revelation 2:9); He considers them rich because they have Jesus securely in their hearts and their lives. He strengthened and comforted them but the persecution, and the lying about them, continued; Jesus did not take it away at the time of that letter which was written in the very "last days", some time in our future. All today's claims and declarations of triumph and victory and success being made by some in the church will be in their past; there is no mention of these claims or declarations in this letter.

Is there something very timely for us here?

Some suggest that the best way to go on from here is to keep our heads down, be careful who we have as friends, and live the best life we can. But this is how people responded in Germany in the 1930s. Hitler, the brownshirts and other Nazis did not go away; indeed they were emboldened by their apparent successes and the terror they created; they escalated their activities and their levels of violence. They even set out to re-write the Bible by removing all references to Jewish-ness. Life in Germany, and then in many other places, became very frightening and restricted. My Dad was in WWII and it damaged him on his inside, he never recovered from it; this is very personal to me. WWII was long and brutal, millions and millions of people, and families and nations were devastated by it.

I now understand my Christian-ness to mean that I belong to Jesus Christ (Psalm 100:3; 1 Corinthians 6:20), and that I am to have an unshakeable allegiance to Him (Romans 1:6), and He to me. He wants me to stand with Him and with others of His ecclesia, His gathered ones, His church.

For Christians to "stand" is Biblical. From my reading of Scripture I see that we are required and expected to "stand" (Mark 13:9; Romans 5:2-5; Romans 11:20; 1 Corinthians 16:13-14; Ephesians 6:13; Philippians 3:20-4:1 (and many more)).

Jesus wants us to be totally available to Him, and be ready to be radically obedient.

Christian history is full of people who have stood for Jesus, sometimes for years and years, often with little or no visible reward. But they knew and were prepared to stand so they would ultimately see God's glory in "the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10), (it is always good to read from verse 1 to 10!)

At Bible College we had to do two biographical studies; ever since then I have been blessed that I was given William Carey as one of mine; he went to India in the late 1700s. I have been to India a number of times and love that country and its people (and its food); I welcomed William as my subject. Well, what a life he had .. he was totally committed to Jesus and to his mission there, and praise Jesus for that. Everything went wrong for William, and for decades he seemed to make no headway in bringing people to Jesus though he did many great, creative and lasting works. He stood. And stood. And stood! I see William as having been very strong and courageous over many years. He is known and loved and honoured in India to this day, but his life was very hard.

Paul stood. He was also strong and courageous. Paul's New Testament letters are full of his work, his sufferings and his love and commitment to Jesus and the people he encountered; he wrote about the hard life he often had to live (1 Thessalonians 1:5; Acts 14:19; Romans 8:36; 1 Corinthians 4:10; 2 Corinthians 6:5-10; 2 Corinthians 11:23-31; Galatians 2:4; Philippians 2:17; Colossians 1:29; Ephesians 6:10-18).

Paul also wrote, in the most delightful way, about the love and joy and life that he experienced as Jesus' ambassador, teacher and evangelist (Ephesians 6:20). But he was equally clear in his readiness to stand, and to always press onwards (Philippians 3:12).

I believe that this is the kind of thing Jesus is asking of us in this present time.

People who hold to a Biblical worldview will become more and more estranged from the "social norm" as set by the ideologically bound minority who seem to be running things and "trending" today. Persecution and isolation will increase, particularly in social (and other) media, in the marketplace, (and in the church).

Yes, we will have to "be careful who we have as friends", and where and when we speak out. Ultimately many of us may have to be ready to suffer for our faith. I am very saddened to have reached this conclusion.

I am of the generations who allowed the build-up of the ideologies which infect so many of our institutions, and now our lives. I can remember in my time at university being revolted by the candidates standing for Student Union positions. I felt that no "normal" person would get involved in their far-left kind of politics. We all knew that Stalin and Lenin had killed many millions of their own countrymen and countrywomen, and that every attempt at establishing a communist government anywhere in the world turned a country into a tyrannical one-party police state and an economic basket case.

Now look where we all are! The same kinds of people ran the Student Unions in my day, and now are pursuing state and national totalitarian goals and wrecking countries. Venezuela is a typical, and recent, example.

Faith

Fortunately God builds our faith. The word "gospel" means "good news" and Jesus is the One who brings the best "good news" (Acts 13:32-33). We can be redeemed from our sinful life, our disobedience and sin can be forgiven because Jesus died for us, each one. He was buried then rose from the dead and now sits at God's right hand in Heaven where He will rule and reign, with us, for eternity! Good news indeed.

"How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" (Isaiah 52:7). 

We are the "new Jerusalem" (Revelation 21:2), Jesus is still proclaiming "good news" to us today; we are to share in His work on the Earth with our Christian brothers and sisters and to share our "good news" testimonies of how our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is healing many and bringing "life to the full" (John 10:10, Jesus' words) to our neighbours.

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world" (John 17:24 (Jesus’ words)).

Trish and I have been on Christian Marriage courses and found them to be wonderfully helpful as we work to grow together. There are things we all can do, (and other things we can undo), which help.

Likewise, we can actively and intentionally grow our own relationship with Jesus, we can talk with Him, conversationally sharing our day, our work and play, successes and failures, our dreams and worries, and our joy, and especially our gratitude. We can ask Him anything, and listen to what He says to us. Paul says to:

•  "Rejoice always" (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

•  "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

•  "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

These sweet things may come to be the highlights of our days if things get tough, but they will be highlights because Jesus will be at their centre.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

"Go in peace to love and serve the Lord".

Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

"David said to Saul, 'Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine'. Saul said to David, 'Go, and the Lord be with you'" (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,  to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jude 1:24-25).

Yes, amen.

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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 Blaise 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", (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 .. Jehovah Rapha. Bless us all.

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.

In Jesus' Hands Day 28

Testimony - Jesus Heals - 30 Days In Jesus' Hands

On 28th September 2010 I threw myself into Jesus' hands. Over the next 30 days I'm trusting that Jesus will fully heal me of all illnesses and diseases, some of long standing (1 Peter 2:24). My testimony has been undermined. I am sick of being sick. I feel led to take none of the 6 medications prescribed for me, have any tests, nor see any health professionals (Mark 16:18). I believe I'll become healthy, rested, alert, mobile, vigorous and sound of spirit, soul, mind and body.

Barry

At the crusade last night this sick guy needed prayer, he seemed to have a problem with his leg. No-one else was around. My pastors allow me to pray for people; Pastor Robert asked people to step forward, I did.

There was too much going on to have a big discussion, so I, and now another man, started to pray. Robert was leading from the platform. It was all very simple; Robert had just been teaching about Jesus. Jesus is my friend. I believe in Him and on His Name. All I could do without coming over the top of Robert was be humble, forget about myself, pray, speak to whatever was bothering this man's leg, lay hands on him.

After a time I knew to kneel down and lay my hand gently over his hand which was on his leg. After a minute or two the man stood up and headed over to the platform. Soon he was up there, under the lights, with Robert. He was healed!

Some weeks before, he had been bitten by a poisonous Australian spider. Intense pain had become a constant, his mobility was drastically reduced, the abscess around the bite mark grew and grew and grew. The man had almost become a cripple, he could not escape the pain. Normally one would expect months to pass before the body would pass the poison and normal life could begin to resume.

But this man was healed, suddenly, right before our eyes. All the pain had gone and he was bouncing around on the platform like a young lamb. I was there, I prayed. This is the most outstanding healing I have seen where Jesus used me. Talk about encouraged.

The man's name is Barry. Bless him. You could not get the smile off his wife's face! A huge burden off their whole family.

What About Me?

Yes, I did put up my hand for prayer. But somehow it seemed more important to pray for this sick man. So I did. Did I therefore miss out? No. I'm getting to know Jesus more and more. He would never bypass me because I was doing His work. Never.

Belief

A very old hymn goes:

I know whom I have believ-ed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I've committed
Unto Him against that day.

It is about Jesus. I can still remember singing those words with all my heart! All day today this truth has been with me: "Jesus is the One whom I can believe".

One of the most important things Jesus said before He was taken to be tortured and killed was: "abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me" (John 15:4).

Even in a human context we believe those we love and live with. How much more Jesus whose love towards me is so complete and so constant.

Favourite Bible Verses:

(John 6:29)
Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent".

(John 14:1)
"Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me".

(Philippians 1:6)
[I am] confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.


Praise Jesus
Amen.

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Praise Jesus.