In Their Image: Marriage

In The Image and Likeness of God: Marriage

Our fourth son Peter is getting married this year to a delightful young woman whose name is Merci. We are all very excited. Peter is showing real maturity and appears to be accepting that his levels of responsibility are greatly increasing. The excitement is very tangible and so is this sense of growing maturity. As a father I find it all very satisfying, life is advancing ..

I have had a very high regard for marriage since my teen years. Now that I'm Christian I've also come to complete acceptance that marriage, children and families are a vital part of God's plan.

When I was about 15 I saw an older couple walking on the beach at sunset. They were holding hands and talking. Clearly they belonged together. This was a formative moment for me, I knew that this is where I wanted to be one day, and to have lived all the years that would have contributed to this lovely moment.

Around that same time I heard a wise person say "marriage is a conversation". Although I was a typical teenager at the time, something in me knew that this also was a formative moment. These words have been proven true to me time after time. Open and active communication is vital to a solid marriage. Trish and I have been on communications courses so that we continue to grow in our many-faceted "conversation"!

Now I can say that Trish’s and my marriage is one of the really good things about my life. (Trish tells me that it is the same for her). It's hard work too, but great. We've found that "love" and "marriage" are both doing words, they take much effort and require forward movement.

As humans, we hold the top position in the Creation: "God created humankind in their own image and likeness .. and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:27,31), the earlier parts of the Creation were simply called "good", and they are good, right?

We tend to regard the physical as our primary home; we use our five senses minute by minute and often forget about our spiritual life and the senses which let us "see" spiritually. Until my spiritual senses were developed, (which was not hard to do but did take prayer, effort and much time), I could not see much spiritual at all, it was very frustrating being with others who could see, specially as I felt I knew the Creator and His Creation well, and His Scriptures.

The Bible tells us "God is spirit" (John 4:24), "God is love" (1 John 4:16), "God is eternal" (Jude 1:25), "God is truth" (Psalm 31:5), "God is just" (2 Thessalonians 1:6), "God is kind" (Luke 1:78). (You can each add more lovely attributes of God which you've affirmed from your own lives). All of these qualities can only be seen in relationship; so God is first of all relational. We see this first in the God-head, then in the Creation.

God of the Bible is three yet one. One God and three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, inseparable. They always love one another, give to each other and work together, each contributing from His unique qualities. In many places the Scriptures call God "Elohim", a Hebrew plural word, plural because the writers knew that God was not simply one. (Hebrew was the original language of the Old Testament, and Greek the original language of the New Testament).

The constant and eternal closeness of Father, Son and Spirit is called perichoresis, this word can only be used to describe God, nothing and no-one in the Creation has a perichoretic degree of closeness. So, above all, God is relational within Himself.

"Perichoresis" is one of the very few "big" words I remember from Bible college; I can still remember my joy on reading Genesis chapters 1 and 2, and John chapter 1 after learning about perichoresis. Awesome. Father, Son and Holy Spirit together created everything! 

Now I see Jesus all through the Psalms, and our Father's and Holy Spirit's involvement in all Jesus' life and miracles.

It follows, as night follows day, that, because people are made in God's "image and likeness" we too are relational; we must also be love and kindness and be called towards truth and justice. Does this sound like how you want to be? It's only natural that we should, it's how we are made. (See Note 2).

Now I believe that human marriage is the nearest we can ever come to perichoresis, it is a permanent state of commitment, giving, love and intimacy here in the world. This is very precious and delightful, an essential and fulfilling part of God's design.

So our excitement for our son and his fiancé is natural and good .. Praise Jesus.

FAVORITE SCRIPTURE VERSES

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails .." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV).

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:15-20 NIV).

"Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth and faithfulness" (Psalm 31:5 Amplified).

Note 1: GROUPS

When our kids were still young (Peter and his twin Rebecca may have been just 5 or 6), Trish and I were blessed to hear a number of talks, always by young men or young couples, recommending that teenagers should spend their time with groups of friends rather than seek out one-at-a-time relationships and go through the serial dating-and-breaking-up which is so painful, (even soul destroying), but which seems to be the norm for Western teens over the past two or three of generations.

One guy reminded us that for every single person ever born in the world, God has a plan. If this is so, and it is well accepted amongst Christians, then He will already have our perfect life companion already picked out. 

Wouldn't it be a great idea then to pray into God's plan? To pray for this one girl or boy, starting now, today; praying for their family, that the child would respect their parents and be kind, be a conscientious student, care for their health, brush their teeth, eat properly, learn to say "no" gracefully at appropriate times yet develop a healthy sense of adventure, and care for their spirit and soul too, that they grow to know and love Jesus, and develop rich and healthy friendships ..

Trish and I were amazed at these ideas which sounded so radical, yet for the generations before ours (before the idea of "teenagers" was invented), they would have been considered sensible and normal. So we prayed with our children; we prayed, (and still pray),  for the ones intended by Jesus' plan for our children's good and very productive and satisfying lives .. It made sense to also pray the same thing for our own children so that they would be worthy of these chosen wives-and-husbands-to-be Jesus was watching over, in which-ever family and in what-ever country and people-group they may be!

We also kept talking up this "group-of-friends" idea. When the kids were going out we encouraged them to go with a sibling or two and to think in terms of the group. Even for school dances and balls, we would suggest that the kids got a table together rather than find one special girl or boy and put their entire focus on her or him. Rather that they plan to have a great night with a group of real friends, where everyone makes sure that they all have fun and do plenty of dancing and enjoy the meal together, even hiring a limo so they all travel together.

Well, our efforts seem to have paid off, we're delighted at how our kids have turned out and at the really good decisions they have made. Of course this is not universally so .. we've all had our moments! There has never been a month when we've not had to be parents. There have been sadnesses and mistakes. Well, we only have to look at our own lives .. 

We are so grateful to be Christians, that we have our Father in Heaven looking out for us, and Jesus guiding us and ceaselessly praying for each one! We pray blessings into their life choices, and specially into their marriages.

Note 2: PAIN AND EVIL IN THE WORLD

Though God is love, sadly there is more than love in the world. Satan has affected so much, the Bible calls him the "prince of this world" (John 16:11) and "the spirit of the world" (1 Corinthians 2:12), he stands condemned because Jesus paid for all sin when He died on the cross 2000 years ago, but he is still active almost everywhere. We are all affected by this, even the most holy people we know (see Romans 7:14-25). Only in Jesus are we safe. As Christians we have power and authority in the spiritual world over sin and Satan (Luke 10:19, Colossians 2:10).

Note 3: NURTURE

Maggie Dent, an Australian author and broadcaster, discussing "Live Fast, Die Young"  a book and a community program, on Australian Radio ABC1, "Talking Heads", 14th July 2010. Quotes:

"Human connectedness is what keeps us alive. Nothing Else. Relationships".

"So, build pastoral care among our young people. Give them your relationship if there are no others. Make sure they eat properly, get good sleep and laugh. Exhausted, unloved, hungry kids are liable to make crazy, costly decisions".

Kids who have known tough times are often ill equipped for adult life; to have been rescued by someone like Maggie Dent will be much more ready to live a full life and to marry and be a parent. Praise Jesus for big hearts.


Bless us all.
Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

Promises Promises

Awesome New Covenant Realities For Us

A conversation with a friend got me thinking about faith, hope and love. As Christians we are taught that these are fundamental to our life; Scripture assures us:

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

"But since we belong to the day [that is, to this world], let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet" (1 Thessalonians 5:8).

Experience confirms this in our testimonies; that when we truly believe that Jesus, our Saviour God, is still for us and always praying and working on our behalf, then we see miracles (often not the miracle we were asking for but a change in our heart, or a change in circumstances which meets our needs and brings peace).

From there I started to ponder Bible promises I've been hearing for most of my life. It was like a light shining when I realised that the promises I remembered best were from the Old Testament and were practical, to do with the physical world; they assured me that my enemies would be totally defeated and I would gain their wealth, and that all would go well for me and my family, and for my tribe. Suddenly I saw that these are old promises; they are but a shadow of what God intends for His people. The New Covenant is here ..

For many, many years I expected to see my life improve in physical terms in line with these old promises; it was ages before I saw the reality that I am in full-time relationship with Jesus and that now my life is centred on the spiritual. Now I live largely in peace, satisfaction and joy! My relationships have all blossomed and I want for nothing (though I am still far from rich in worldly terms).

Our country is at peace, and we don't have enemies as did ancient Israel, but the life I see around me is not full of overwhelming victory even though almost everyone I know is Christian .. there is sickness and debt, and many have very difficult relationship issues. The news from TV, radio and the press about politics and corporations and drugs and wars is almost all bad. Or worse, the news sounds good but is full of the upside-down ideas and the un-truths of political correctness.

Thankfully I remember Who I belong to, and how He alone brings peace and the ability to carry on. Jesus is the source of all my faith, hope and love.

Here are some of the promises I remembered, and some thoughts on how much better off we all are with Jesus as our constant companion in His New Covenant:

Victory

There are many promises that we'll have victory in all our contests here on Earth, and our troubles will flee from us:

"Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword" (Leviticus 26:8).

"And every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until He has driven out His enemies from before him" (Numbers 32:21).

The truth is that we don't have to defeat people or nations to reach our "Promised Land". We are the "New Jerusalem". We are children of God, the betrothed of Jesus!

"And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2). That's us!

Remember too: "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).

We have been given full authority in the spiritual world in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 and throughout the Gospels and Letters:

"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all [all!] the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:19).

"And in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority" (Colossians 2:10), we have the authority and power of Jesus in the world.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:12-13).

We have been given "the ministry of reconciliation" to work as "ambassadors" and help "reconcile the world" to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). This is the opposite of seeking the defeat and destruction of our enemies ..

Wealth From Others As Spoils Of War

"But the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its spoil, you shall take for a prey to yourself; and you shall eat the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you" (Deuteronomy 20:14).

"That you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies" (Psalm 68:23).

In Jesus we have no need to covet the assets or the humility of our enemies, or to grab from others. We are given all that we need (Luke 12:22-34). Instead we are required to love our enemies, and bless them. The great commission includes these very people, they are part of "all nations".

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

The greatest blessing we can ever give another person is to introduce Jesus to them .. we have the Spirit (and the task) of "reconciliation"(2 Corinthians 5:17-19) and our Lord Jesus is the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Again and again Jesus tells us: "follow me" (Matthew 4:19, 8:22, 9:9, 10:38, 16:24, 19:21, Mark 1:17, 2:14, 8:34, 10:21, Luke 5:27, 9:23, 9:59, 9:61, 18:22, John 1:43, 10:27, 12:26, 13:36, 21:19, 21:22). 

This "follow me" command from Jesus is very important and precious to me! It calls for obedience which is given a high place in the New Testament (Matthew 28:20, Luke 11:28, Acts 5:32, Romans 16:26). We are to do the works Jesus specifically asks us, each one.

Special Giftings

"Many nations will go and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths'. For out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  And he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off. They will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more" (Micah 4:2-3).

What great promises .. physical safety (though somewhere in the future). But the benefits spoken of here all come through the good works of people and nations; sadly this has never much happened in all of history.

Never mind, we have so much more with Jesus, we Christians have become the "house of the God of Jacob". "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:19), we have become what the Arc of the Covenant used to be, and are never separate from God. The "Word of the Lord" is Jesus, we do not just hear "the Word", He lives inside us; His Holy Spirit will "teach us all things" (John 14:26). "The anointing you received from Him [Jesus, by His Spirit] remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you" (1 John 2:27).

In our world today many warn us, as Jeremiah did in Bible times: "Don't go forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy, and terror, are on every side” (Jeremiah 6:25).

But this is worldly talk and takes no account of our Lord's protection, nor of his spiritual authority and power which we carry all the time (Luke 10:19).

Testimonies by the thousands support these truths. When Jesus calls each one of us "a new creation" He is speaking a profound truth. The world has never seen anything like the renewed humanity of us Christians who have the God of all the Creation indwelling in us.

So please, cleave to the truth. You are continuously being given all that you need to lead the full and satisfying life your Father in Heaven has always planned for you (Ephesians 2:10). Ask Jesus, "how shall I follow you? What is it you want me to do as my unique share in your work on the Earth?" Ask often. Don't worry when you fail. Persevere. And cling tightly to the faith, hope and love our Lord Jesus gives you.

Bless you.

Amen.

Favourite Scriptures

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).

"And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

"For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace" (John 1:16).

"For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favour upon favour and gift [heaped] upon gift" (John 1:16) Amplified.

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

New Covenant: In His Presence

Testimonies and Jesus

My testimonies are always about Jesus. Recently I've noticed that they're also about New Covenant life. This is far more than simply being saved after hearing about Jesus and believing in Him. The New Covenant is an entirely new kind of life which is only available to Christians, who have supernaturally been made new creations so that they can live this way.

When I read the Old Testament stories I am often saddened that those heroic and dedicated men and women had so little of God while a very ordinary Christian person like me has so much. Abraham didn't know Jesus, salvation or the New Covenant, neither did Moses, David, Esther, Ruth or Ezekiel. Yet,  "All these people were still living by faith when they died" (Hebrews 11:13,14). Christians are full citizens of the Kingdom of God; and we fully share in all of Jesus’ inheritance.

My life is now embedded in Jesus' presence. Matthew 28:20 is such a reality to me: "behold, I am with you always". At so many critical times have I been aware of Jesus being right there with me, understanding, sharing in everything. Whenever I look back to a difficult time, or a very special time, I can see Jesus loving me and being part of all my life. This is relational, not religious. (Note 1).

The 2015 school year is still new for my wife, Trish, already there have been big changes at her school, some exciting and some shocking. The upshot for Trish is that her rôle as Jesus' missionary there is increasing. As each piece of news arrived, or each story unfolded I was aware that our Jesus was right there, with Trish, and all that's before her, and with all the students and faculty, indeed with the whole school. Present. Caring. Active. Involved. Our God. Jesus.

"God is love" (1 John 4:16). Love is who He is, He can’t be something else!

When I think on these things I'm surprised that I'm surprised that Jesus is so closely with us. Sure, the Bible tells us again and again that He's always present, and never not present! So why am I surprised?

Some of the surprise comes from my church experiences; being with hundreds, or even thousands, of people and everybody singing their hearts out as though their love is falling into a vacuum; begging God to show up, to bring His presence .. Where did all these songs come from? Don't the music people know? (And their pastors?) Jesus is already fully here, fully loving .. He is present with each one .. He's in the room with us, singing too, worshiping our Father with us. Joyous, glorious!

And faith. I am convinced that God is the only one who can impart or grow faith. Don’t we get our faith from seeing His faithfulness? Our own witness shows Jesus’ love and good work in our lives, as do the testimonies of others, I have seen hundreds or even thousands of testimonies. Our faith does not bring God into an event, He’s already there; His faith in His great eternal plan ensures His faithfulness and His presence  .. "I have no regrets. I couldn't be more sure of my ground - the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end .." (2 Timothy 1:12 Message).

And morality. Where does our morality come from? Certainly not from our good will which lasts only so long as we can keep up our motivation. Every year the media pundits talk about the massive failure of New Years resolutions. We seem to be powerless to mend our weak or ratbag ways, (except just occasionally). Paul was well advanced in his ministry when he wrote Romans 7 about his inability to live as clean a life as he wanted to; "wretched man that I am" he wrote in verse 24, "who will deliver me from this body of death"? His only answer is Jesus. For me too; the decrease in sin in my life is all attributable to Father God accepting me, welcoming me into His family and giving me Jesus whose love and faith in me is so constant and profound that I change and grow. Jesus places me in His Church where I mix with people who love me in ways the world neither sees nor understands. Hallelujah! (Note 2).

Jesus is called "Emanuel", "God with us". More, He's not just with us, Jesus is in us (John 14:20). This is an essential part of each Christian being a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). I see myself as a radically changed person since Jesus came into my life:

•   Firstly, Jesus accepted me, this is still doing wonders for my lifelong problems with rejection and striving to please.

•   Secondly, He forgave my sin, this happened quickly but took a long time for me to accept into myself .. but in recent years I've been free from guilt and the burden of sin; O how I love Jesus for this!

•   Thirdly, He filled me with Himself (John 14:20) and His lovely Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18); immediately I grew in communication with God and in my awareness of His presence.

•   Fourthly, I have been given authority and power in the spiritual realm; this affects everything in the physical world and in life. Everything! I share in miracles!

•   Fifth, my dear Jesus took away my heart of stone, and replaced it with a soft heart; I now believe that I am a more gentle and compassionate person and am far more generous in every way.

•   Sixth, Jesus gives me things to do, Works. It is always clear what He wants, initially in outline and then details are also clear. I find that it is often scary as He wants me to go beyond my present experience and to mix with people and learn new skills, but it is always immensely satisfying. And Jesus does give me the words to say (Matthew 10:19)!

A new creation? Yes. Perfect? Not yet. Growing? Certainly. Thank you my always present Lord and Redeemer Jesus!

How can I put any one of these changes above any other? I can't. They are all part of God’s plan to completely re-make me. I was originally made in the image and likeness of God (awesome!) but now I’m becoming conformed to "mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). New Covenant man.

"Encouraged" (Colossians 2:2). "Free to be free" (Galatians 5:1). "Filled" (Acts 13:52). "Christ in me the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27)!

Favourite Scriptures

"God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

"And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:52).

".. I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me" (2 Timothy 1:12).

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

Favourite Quotes

"For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained" (Miller, Donald. 2003. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, 115).

"Christianity is a relationship with a living God who, as a man as well as God, can be experienced – this experiential life is modelled on marriage (or marriage on this heavenly relationship?) It is not an intellectual assent to a set of ideas; it is not propositional" (Miller, Donald. 2003. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, 115)

"The theme of union with Christ is vital to an understanding of what He has done. It is grounded on His union with us. It is foundational to every aspect of our salvation" (Letham, Robert. 1993. The Work of Christ. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 75-76).

Notes

1.   The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God told Israel "I will never leave you nor forsake you"; we know from present day news from the Middle East that these words are still true - God continues to protect and keep Israel and His people there despite vast and hate-filled opposition on every side.

2.   All the communist and utopian nations and communities which ever existed have failed, with terrible costs in human suffering. Every single one. More people died under the communist regimes of Stalin and Mao than have died in all the wars that ever took place in the world! Perhaps 100 million of their own people ..

Praise Jesus for His love.
Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

In Their Image: Friends

It’s relationship .. not religion ..

Do you find that learning by doing is the best way?

Trish was asked to teach some classes for another teacher who was going to be in hospital. The children were originally to have cooking classes and prepare, cook, and present food. But Trish was told, "don't bother with the cooking, just teach some theory classes you've already prepared". Trish was upset, she told me: "but the children learn so much from actually doing, and they remember what they've learned because of their new accomplishment, it's always far beyond what they thought they could do! They achieve and grow by doing and then eating what they've cooked and through sharing". (Some kids have become the family "go to" person for shortbread or muffins or spaghetti bolognaise because of the lovely life skills they learned in Trish's classes).

I find the same thing with Christianity. It's also like friendships which mature by doing and sharing life and thoughts with others, and growing together.

So with Jesus. Christianity is not really a religion. Sure it's spiritual and to do with God, but it's so very relational! Jesus is so real to me. We know from recorded history that He lived and worked miracles and was crucified and then was seen alive by at least 500 people. Jesus rose from death and is alive today. Jesus, God, Son of God, Emanuel, God with us, man (made like you and me in God's image and likeness).

I've learned to give Jesus time and conversation and silence (quiet time) so that I'm present when He speaks to me, or even whispers, or gives me an encouraging (spiritual) punch on my arm or a warm hand on my shoulder.

The Bible makes it clear that the Christian church is Jesus' bride, and that each Christian is His betrothed. That is, you and I are promised to Jesus in marriage .. I find this awesome and exciting. It also makes me realise that even if I think I'm pretty small potatoes, and a bit of a mess up in many areas of life, Jesus thinks I'm wonderful enough to want to marry me! Believe me, any wonderfulness in me comes from Him!

All this implies a big degree of intimacy and that's the "in their image" connection. Even from Genesis Chapter 1 we can see intimacy within the God-head:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And God said, 'Let there be light', and there was light" (Genesis 1:1-3).

The original Bible language calls God "Elohim" which is a plural word and includes Father God, the Son Jesus and Holy Spirit. In these verses Father announces the launch of all Creation. Jesus creates and is light, He brings light to the cosmos, and Holy Spirit fills it all with life and order. (The sun, moon and stars were not created until the fourth day!) Later in the Bible we learn that "God is spirit" (John 4:24) and "God is love" (1 John 4:16), but already we see a tight and inclusive fellowship.

Favourite Bible Verses
"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (Jesus' words in John 15:15).

Friends
No wonder Jesus wants us to be His friends, it's who He is. Not only did He bring us to Father God and ask that we be made sons and daughters and to be included in their family, their big plan is that we are also to be included in the intimacy and understanding of ruling and reigning, and being stewards of everything on the earth; participating with Jesus in His continuing, and vast, ministry here.

Friends. Beloved. Betrothed. Saved. Empowered. Healed. Us! All over the world. Millions and millions of us. He is so generous, and kind, and patient!

The word "rejoice" is often in the Bible and in those old church songs; I can see how surely it belongs there. At a big praise meeting a year or so ago we were taught the song "My Dad is the best Dad in the whole world". Well, a song in my heart is: "My friend Jesus is the best friend in the whole world .. in the whole world". That's a great comfort to me .. I don't easily make friends ..

Jesus My Friend And Saviour
Here's a true story about my friend Jesus:
For more than 20 years I had a sometimes irregular heart beat. This was called Atrial Fibrillation and dramatically increased my chance of developing a blood clot and bringing on a stroke or other awful thing. AF patients have to take blood thinners and other medications.

For many of my illnesses I go to public clinics at our city's biggest teaching hospital, Royal Perth. There I was assigned to one of Australia's top cardiologists; he's on the heart transplant team. Mostly the clinic patients like me see registrars, not the top person who oversees and reviews; a registrar is a qualified doctor who is learning the skills of a specialist and may have another three years to go before having his or her own patients. One day a registrar told me I was to have a cardioversion; they would put me under general anesthetic and apply a substantial shock to my heart (using the metal paddles you see on TV hospital shows, where they shout "clear" just before the electric jolt makes the patient's body jump about). This procedure has shown good results with people like me.

Well, my hospital booking and pre-admission instructions arrived and I followed them to the letter. I arrived at Royal Perth on time and full of confidence, I believed that prayers (many, over 20+ years!) were being answered. Soon I was prepped and ready.

It seemed very strange then, as I was being wheeled to the cardiac operating theatres, that I should feel real fear. "Jesus", I prayed under my breath, "I'm afraid, why am I suddenly so scared?" Immediately I was aware that Jesus was walking alongside, He was relaxed, smiling love at me; He didn’t speak but I knew not to be afraid, He had everything in His hands. Then I was in a reception area, nurses were bustling about and doing people's notes. I'd found a magazine and was absorbed in a great recipe, I planned to memorise it and cook it for my family. Despite my concentration I clearly heard one nurse say to another, "his INR level is 2.3", and their conversation continued.

Why I then spoke I cannot tell you, but I know that dear Holy Spirit prompted me. There were several patients there that day, and likely all of them, except me, would have INR (blood thin-ness) levels well over 2.0. I found myself saying, "is that INR level of 2.3 for me?" Yes, it was. "But my instructions clearly told me to stop taking blood thinners 5 days ago, my INR will be about 1.5 or 1.6".

"O that can't be", replied the nurse, "your instructions would never have told you to stop your medication before a cardioversion!"

Pandemonium ensued. A brand new register was told to take blood from my arm so they could test the INR. He was shaking with fear at this responsibility and I had to ask him to step away. The nurse became impatient and told me I had to have this test ..

Eventually a very nice young man appeared by my gurney and asked what was up. This was the famous heart transplant cardiac surgeon whom I was meeting for the first time. He asked for the instructions I'd been sent. "They are pinned to the calendar in our kitchen, I can bring them in later if you like". My procedure that day was cancelled; it would have been extremely dangerous to go ahead when my INR was so low, I could have been paralysed or even died. Subsequently I had a cardioversion which went well but did not fix my AF; that is a longer story, but reflects extended blessing from this incident. My AF is now healed.

My lovely cardiac doctor had me bring the erroneous instructions to the hospital. He commenced a departmental review so that in future all pre-admission instructions would be labelled and managed in an improved fail-safe manner.

So my life was saved? I believe so. Saved by Jesus, who, by His Spirit, interrupted my recipe reading and told me to speak to the nurses. So simple. No wonder He smiled at me earlier .. He was planning to make some profound good come out of a potential tragedy!

I think of Jesus as my friend, He has my back, He looks out for me all the time. Not everything in my life or our family is perfect, and I still have serious health issues, but I have lots of vitality and I'm filled and surrounded by faith and hope and love .. Grace upon grace ..

Praise Jesus.

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"In Their Image: Friends" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

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Amen.

In Their Image: Father

The Wonder Of Being Father

Trish and I were praying on the eve of Fathers' Day.

A vision filled my senses; it was as though I was in an MRI machine inside a woman's womb as she conceived a child. Awesome! A miracle unfolding! It was so clear that God was there too; our Father, warm, smiling, rejoicing.

There on the right was an egg, the ovum from the woman, waiting .. From the left came a vigorous swimming sperm, the seed. The sperm reached the egg and I saw what looked like a kiss, when hormones were released to allow only that sperm to fertilise the egg. (My heart was filled with wonder, it was very romantic).

Then that which science cannot explain began; the two cells merged .. I could see the membrane of the ovum opening and making way for the sperm cell, then its nucleus opened and its DNA strand moved out to meet the DNA strand from the father, (normally you need an electron microscope to see these building blocks of life).

Father God's hands were there, pairing DNA bases; the billions of DNA base pairs from the mother and the billions from the father do not join to make one longer strand .. The two strands merge, just one base from each two is taken into the baby's DNA making him or her a unique person, yet in every way a child of both parents. The selection of all the characteristics is not a chance event, nor an accident, nor serendipity. Our Father in heaven does the choosing, even if our mum and dad do not know Him, (Psalm 139:13) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

This is how He knows the number of the hairs on our head, and the number of our days. No wonder then that His Word says that we are worth more than many sparrows (Luke 12:7), we are hand made by God!

As I watched, the new baby grew to about the eight-week stage; it was still less than an inch long, about the size of a raspberry. Although everything was only beginning to be formed the baby could move its arms, I could see its heartbeat. A miracle!

I am a father, Trish and I have six children, now grown, four young men and two young women. We are also grandparents of three. From our first conception until today, fatherhood has been thrilling, satisfying and rich for me, and I know that motherhood has been of vast wonder and significance for Trish. Fatherhood is also difficult, demanding and often painful. But what do I most remember? Thrilling, satisfying and rich ..

Jesus' purpose for my vision became clear; my joy at being father to my children is a genuine taste of our Heavenly Father's joy in being our Abba Father ..

I see how great is Father's joy at every conception .. He rejoices in every new baby, every life .. He longs to add each one to His family .. There are 7½ billion of us in the world and despite all the awful stuff we see, our Father's desire for us has never wavered, He created each one, loves each one and desires intimacy and relationship with each one .. How He must ache at all the hatred and greed and meanness! But at the same time, He must be delighted that so many live loving lives full of gratitude and kindness .. and that so many millions have found Him, the source and object of life and love ..

Come Lord Jesus .. Fill me anew .. Show your plans for me .. Lead me forward .. (Mark 1:17)  And Jesus said to them, "Follow me .. ".

Amen.

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"In Their Image: Father" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

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Praise Jesus.

In Their Image: Spiritual

We Are (Much) More Spiritual Than Physical

Do we think and talk enough about being spiritual? Spiritual is our principal mode of being; we are spirit, soul and body (Thessalonians 5:23), (although this thought feels very odd to us 21st Century people who are used to being the centre of our physical world and constantly aware of our senses, and our place in the world).

The story of humankind begins by introducing God, who before the Creation, was all that ever was. God is spirit (John 4:21-23). 

NOTE 1: He is also love and the essence of relationship; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, eternally loving, sharing and giving as one. This is vitally important to us all, and to the whole universe; it's where love and empathy and ethics come from. Good and bad and conscience all come from God, where else? Even the animals and plants recognise His sovereignty (Genesis 7:9; Psalm 104:21; 148:7-10).

The Creation

God spoke and the Creation came into being (Isaiah 45:12) 'It is I who made the earth and created humankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshalled their starry hosts'. 

Genesis, the first Bible book, tells us that on the very FIRST DAY God created the heavens and the earth and water. Then He spoke and light came, as well as the darkness, these He called day and night. 

NOTE 2: There's no mention of land until DAY THREE .. the sun, moon and stars were not created until the FOURTH DAY, so I believe that the light seen on DAY ONE was Jesus (John 1:4-5; Revelation 22:5). The whole of creation was brought into being supernaturally according to a previously established design, plan and purpose by God who is spirit. 

On DAY TWO, God spoke and created the sky, it lay between the expanse of water that covered the entire earth, and another watery expanse, above ..

DAY THREE, God's words created the land and seas, and vegetation of all kinds.

DAY FOUR, God spoke and created the sun, moon and stars to give the light we see all around us, and introduced the reality of days, years and sacred times. (Genesis 1:17) God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.

DAY FIVE, God filled the waters with creatures and the sky with birds of many kinds, He blessed them all with fruitfulness. From this we know that gender of male and female was a reality from the outset, and all the vast complexity of attraction, reproduction, family and genetics.

Every thing was declared to be ‘good’ at this time. But Genesis 1:1-23 tells of no purpose to the Creation. I believe that this was because only physical elements had so far been created; there was no being with a spirit with whom God could form relationship and no being to share the 'sacred times' of DAY FOUR with God; what God had done was create a beautiful, safe, fruitful environment where He could fulfil His planned purpose.

Then came DAY SIX. God formed livestock and wild animals of all kinds, big and small.

Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground' (Genesis 1:26).

Then He took dirt from the ground and made a human man who we know to be Adam. To give Adam life, God breathed into his nostrils, and he became a 'speaking spirit' (most English language Bibles translate Genesis 2:7 as 'living being' which implies that we are like cougars, or cockroaches, or cows, or cockatoos, but the original Bible language says 'speaking spirit', in the image and likeness of God, and unique in creation). God immediately formed relationship with the man and asked him to assist Himself with the work of caring for and running the Creation. Humankind was immediately included into God's eternal relationship. Spirit to spirit. 

You And I - Every Person

You and I are very special.

God did not stop there, He gave a mate to Adam; Eve, a perfect compliment, giving them together an all encompassing, intimate, personal relationship, (a relationship in the image of what God already knew within Father, Son and Holy Spirit?) The man and woman would be fruitful; they would have children and form a family. As life multiplied throughout the earth, so humankind would grow to fulfil the charge God had given, to be God's ambassadors and agents on Earth.

At this time God knew His Creation to be ‘very good’. His purpose had been established.

We are part of a spirit-created Creation; everything we've ever seen came from the God who is spirit!

It's no wonder that it all works so well together, despite the greed, aggression, and waywardness of sinful, fallen humanity! 

Every day almost all the 7½ billion of us on our lovely planet get food and water, we enjoy children and families, work, study and play, and most are also free to enjoy the God who created us.

When we stop and think, we see that our own spirituality is uniquely real and alive:
•  We pray, a spiritual activity.
•  We seek the Lord Jesus and receive help every minute, especially in times of trouble or doubt.
•  Many of us have been healed supernaturally by a miracle, beyond what any doctor or medicine could do.
•  Many too will have seen a person supernaturally healed after prayer. Spiritual healings! Miracles! Physical, relational, emotional, mental, spiritual healings!
•  Our very salvation was a miracle. Millions testify that Jesus came and took us to Himself, although we were weak, unfit and soiled by sin. Amazingly we can always remember this spiritual event, it is etched in our memory as our name is carved on our Father's hand (Isaiah 49:16). 

And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding, shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7 Amplified).

Here is a true scene; here Jesus and you are sharing about your life together, in the Spirit, and in truth:
'Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women'.   
'Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men'. 
'I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.  Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love.  Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.  His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me' (Song of Solomon 2:2-6). 

Jesus and you are betrothed. Regardless of how your life seems to be going it will have a very, very good outcome, eternally!

Praise Jesus.

NOTE 3: You may ask; what about the Big Bang and the billions of years and evolution of the species? Well, none of these concepts are more than theories, there is not one shred of real evidence that any of these theories are true despite all the professors and books and TV shows. Every theory describing these ideas has fatal flaws in its foundation, and without the foundation they are all just ideas. The Creation and Noah's Flood are very well evidenced by science but denied by many scientists and most popular media; the Flood of Noah's time changed the whole world, gave us our continents and poles and weather and seasons. Many of the fossils were formed during the flood event, they are found all over the world and tell that before the Flood, ours was a single-climate planet.

Bless you, bless us all. Amen.

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"In Their Image: Spiritual" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

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Praise Jesus.

Simeon and Anna

Prayer Is So Very Precious

When Jesus was eight days old, Joseph and Mary brought Him to the Temple to be dedicated to God. Simeon and Anna were already there, praying in the certain knowledge that God would send His Messiah in their lifetime, "on their watch". This is the promised Messiah who would redeem Israel and all of humankind at "just the right time".

Simeon and Anna had separately been spoken to by the Lord that they were to pray; each had persued this lonely task for years.

Right now, in our own time, many, many Simeons and Annas have been praying in affirmation of the hundreds of prophetic words which have been spoken over our city of Perth, Western Australia, in recent years.

There is coming a time when Jesus will reveal Himself to our fellow citizens as never before.

It is always good, where-ever it happens, when someone has that wondrous moment of clarity and they know, beyond any doubt, that Jesus is welcoming them into His life, that their spirit is awakening and lives are coming into a previously impossible fullness .. We are to expect tens of thousands to come like this to Jesus, gladly and hungrily, like thirsty wanderers reaching an abundant oasis in a vast desert. Our very materialistic and hedonistic city will change ..

These words have been given, in my hearing, by dozens of visiting missionaries, Bible teachers, evangelists, and by local ministers, intercessors, and preachers, and a great many "ordinary" Christians too. The words "tens of thousands" are a part of what Jesus has been saying to His Church.

Simeon and Anna knew only a little of what God was already committed to do, yet they prayed. Our prayer is part of our participation in God's work on the Earth. His work is sovereign yet in a great and powerful mystery, our participation seems to be vital to His timing.

I see it like this: when Jesus came to the Earth, He was fully man and, at the same time, He was fully God. When Jesus became a creature, with physical attributes, He was made a creature as we are, as a human being, a creature in God's image. A physical being with a spirit and the ability to speak; (this makes our humanity spectacularly awesome, doesn't it?)

So then, when Jesus had been crucified for our sins, rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, He rose as a man; there are many witnesses, both in our Bible, and in histories of that time, which clearly state that the Man Christ Jesus lived, was crucified and rose into heaven. 

Very simply, this means that all of us Christians, who are children of God and who are in Christ, are also risen into Heaven with Jesus where we also participate in ruling and reigning with Him, hour by hour and day by day.

This makes prayer seem much more important, a vital part of our life with Jesus ..

Meanwhile, we wait and pray, and go about our lives in obedience to what Jesus has asked of each one.  Simeon and Anna are examples for us, we can see their work and be encouraged to press on.

Bless us all Lord .. Come quickly!

Favourite Bible Verses 

"It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him" (2 Timothy 2:11-12 NASB).

And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders, a Lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.  And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.  When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.  "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth" (Revelation 5:6-10 NASB). 

".. golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" .. our prayers are so very precious, and every one of them gets heard in Heaven!

Amen.

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"Simeon and Anna" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

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Praise Jesus.

Is This You?

About A Series Of Visions I Received From Jesus

Here's a story, a vignette really, a short film of a vision Jesus gave me.

Simon and Luke are friends; they were in the same class at school and have been in the same youth group for many years; now they go to the same church and move in the same circles of friends.

Luke is settled in a good job and pressing on with his life. Simon finished Uni a year ago and has been working. After church one night Simon shares with Luke that he wants to change jobs to engage more in his area of interest and to fully utilise his degree; he also thinks it's a good time to sell the old car he's had right through university and upgrade; get something sporty and near new.

Simply put, Simon is at a watershed time in his life.

Luke can remember when, years ago, the two friends sat by the sea at church camp and Simon shared his passion; a group had just talked about their time in India where they had been working with orphans and street kids. Simon's heart overflowed with Jesus' love and compassion for the children; all his years of helping with Sunday School were reflected in his excitement about the potential of this work.

As they talked, Jesus showed Luke Simon's heart, his passion, and also the watershed areas of his life. Very clearly Jesus asked Luke to undertake for Him, to make a massive commitment to His Kingdom.

"Simon", Luke said, "it appears to me that you are in a watershed time, several areas of your life are ready for change. Would this be a good time for you to give a year to Jesus; to go on mission for a year? You could go to India or Cambodia with an orphan ministry .. anything at all .. Jesus has asked me to share my wages with you 50/50 for a year. You'll be free to focus on working full-time for Him, and I'll be able to manage my life on the other half of what I'm earning .. "

My vision almost ends here .. I do not know what these young men decide and do .. But, over the following week or so I saw other visions, or short films. They included different young men and young women, but the themes were identical; one young person was ready to make a very big sacrifice so that the other could go work for Jesus on a serious project for a year ..

What excites me is that Jesus has initiated this idea. He's placed love, compassion, and the desire to serve the Kingdom of God into all these young people's hearts. It looks as though they, who only exist in my visions, are going to go with this great, and probably difficult, adventure. Each one will be very sacrificial, challenging, and need to be fully from the heart.

Is Jesus asking you to do something like this for Him? Is He asking you to split your income so that someone you know can give himself, or herself, to Jesus' work for a year? Or for 6 months? For 3 months? Or is He asking you to give $2000 or so, perhaps anonymously, so someone you know can go on short-term mission where Jesus can truly change their life?

Favourite Bible Verses

"Love is patient and is kind; love does not envy or boast, it is not proud. Love
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4,7).

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the same measure you use it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38 NIV).

"Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity" (Luke 6:38 Message).

Praise Jesus.

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"Is This You?" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

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Amen.