New Covenant: Authority

Disciples Today

"And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction" (Matthew 10:1).

These words apply to you and me, today. The Bible is the Living Word of God. What Matthew is reporting here was for Jesus' disciples 2000 years ago. I am a disciple now .. Aren't you also? Every Christian is called to be a disciple of Jesus and to follow Him. This is how Christianity is a living faith, rather than a religion.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Jesus Equips Us

It's a quality of the New Covenant and of being Christian that Jesus has given each one of us authority and power in the spiritual realms.

The Creation concluded with Elohim, (the Hebrew name for God which is a plural word and helps us understand that God is three persons yet one God (Matthew 28:19), "making" humankind in their own "image and likeness" (Genesis 1:26-27). 

These first two people are called Adam (the Hebrew word for "man"), and Eve ("because she would become the mother of all the living" (Genesis 3:20)); God gave them rule and dominion over the whole Creation so that they would have authority to steward it "using all its vast resources in the service of God and man" (Genesis 1:28 Amplified). God crowned humanity with "glory and honour" (Psalm 8:5), Adam and Eve together, equally.

Today, with all the trouble (John 16:33) in the world, we may find it hard to imagine their great life: they were the "apple of God's eye" (Zechariah 2:8), in intimate relationship with Him; they would walk and talk with God in the beautiful garden He had given them. They were fully trusted to manage the entire Creation, and to "fill the earth" (Genesis 1:28). Fabulous. We know that as Christians we have "rivers of living water flowing from our hearts" (John 7:38) and that "Christ in us" can be seen by others, "the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Adam and Eve had the glory and the honour!

Then they fell; Satan promised them that they could know good from evil and "be like God" if they ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5), (they were already in the "image and likeness" of God, Satan was offering them what they already had)! 

They did eat of the fruit and lost their glory, their position, their authority, and they became subject to death (Genesis 2:17). All their descendants were now confined to the same status, born into a life of sin (Romans 3:23). Satan became the ruler of this world, the "prince of this world" and "ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (John 12:31; Mark 4:15, 8:33; Acts 26:18; Ephesians 2:2).

The only remedy for this calamity would be for a person without sin to pay for all the sin, and pay with blood (Exodus 30:10). There has only ever been one person with no sin, Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). Praise His name, Jesus came and defeated Satan by humbling Himself, even to dying on the Cross for us and all of our sin. His death and resurrection defeated both Satan and death. Jesus was given all authority (Matthew 28:18) and is now seated on the throne with Father God in Heaven (Hebrews 2:12, Revelation 4:3).

Jesus, the last Adam, is now "King of kings, and Lord of lords"  (1 Timothy 6:14-15) "it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]." (1 Corinthians 15:45 Amplified). 

This is being worked out in our present age, and because it has not yet reached its fullness, we see evil in the world.

Under the New Covenant our spiritual authority has been restored (Luke 9:1-2, Luke 10:19-20, Colossians 2:9-10) and is now greater than that of Satan and his demons. We can see that the Bible is true; my experiences and the testimonies of many brothers and sisters have shown this truth.

It is Jesus' intercession (Romans 8:34) for us which makes the difference; when we are weak, Jesus is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

New Covenant In Christ Jesus

The New Covenant made all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 21:5) for it changed the way of knowing God from following laws and rules to becoming a child of Father God (John 1:12, Romans 8:1), and being in a deep relationship with Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

Don Miller says that to be Christian is to "embrace Christian spirituality, a non-political mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained .. Christianity is a relationship with a living God who, as a man as well as God, can be experienced .. It is not an intellectual assent to a set of ideas; it is not propositional". Don is a young American who has a wonderful gift of speaking in clear uncomplicated language; his approach has brought Jesus to countless people of his generation. His first book was "Blue Like Jazz", (2003), and showed me a great deal about how young people think in our post-postmodern times; a really great read!

Just like Don and me, everyone is changed radically when they encounter, and are eternally saved by, Jesus.

We Are Given A New Heart:

"And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19).

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Hebrews 8:10 from Jeremiah 31:31-34).

We Are Given A New Mind:

"'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).

We Are Given A New Spirit:

"I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you" (Ezekiel 36:26).

"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

We Are Given A New Identity In Jesus:

"For in Him we live and move and have our being .." (Acts 17:28).

"But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17).

"The Holy Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16).

"Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the children of God .. " (1 John 3:1), and therefore brothers and sisters of Jesus!

"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).

We Are Given A New Name:

"The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give" (Isaiah 62:2).

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it"  (Revelation 2:17).

We Are Given A New Hope:

"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2).

".. but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (Romans 12:12).

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope" (Romans 15:13).

" .. I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

"And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment'" (Revelation 21:6).

We Are Given Power In The New Covenant:

"John answered them all, saying, 'I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire'" (Luke 3:16).

"And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth"  (Acts 1:8).

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

Adventures

Many years ago, when I read the book of Acts for the first time, I saw it as the most wonderful collection of adventures by hitherto quite ordinary people. As a boy, and in the many years since then, I've always loved adventure stories and even seeking my own exploits and challenges. So Acts really caught my attention; if this is the kind of stuff Jesus does, then count me in!

Now that I'm becoming  a mature Christian, I've known the power of God countless times. Jesus is the most faithful friend (John 15:15) a person could ever have. Not only is He busy keeping the world running but He truly wants us to share in His life and work here on the earth (Ephesians 2:10). For me, this is very satisfying.

Firstly it is wonderful, even at my age, to be valuable to people in truly important things like their physical, social and spiritual wellbeing, to help them know that they are loved and valued, and can be forgiven for all the rotten things they have done and all the good things they have left undone.

Secondly, it is so good to know that in my very small way I'm fighting back against all the declines in our culture, security and national prosperity.

And thirdly, it is great to know that I'm working with, and being obedient to, our lovely Jesus, who has been so gracious and kind to me all these years.

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

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8).

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).  

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

Great Majority

The great majority of all the people in the world believe that the spiritual realm is real; the largest and the most evenly spread subset of all the believers are the Christians. There are also hundreds of millions who believe in the spiritual but are Hindu, or Tao, or Muslim, or Sheikh, or Buddhist or any of a great number of faiths, some undefined or without names. Most also believe that there is a god or gods who rule/s the world and the universe. Less than one-fifth of all people do not recognise spiritual realities and these include the noisy voices opposed to the ideas of faith, who, sadly, have access to much media as their platform. (Please see Note 1).

The Blessing of Testimony

So by telling someone about your experiences of Jesus, and showing them His power in action in their own life, you are often simply clarifying thoughts that they have never been able to articulate. This is really profound, both for the giver and the person receiving.

I've found that people really love it when the many thoughts they have had about life and love and meaning suddenly make real sense when put into the context of Jesus and Father God and their gospel of repentance, forgiveness, salvation, healing, love, freedom and hope. It is very liberating to know that every one of us was hand-made by God for a purpose, and that He will work all our life to help bring us to our destiny.

"Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

"And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.  For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.  'Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom'" (Luke 12:29-32).

Praise Jesus. Amen.

Note 1

'Overall, 84 percent of the world’s inhabitants, which is estimated at 6.9 billion, identify with a religion, according to the study entitled “The Global Religious Landscape” issued by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/unaffiliated-third-largest-religious-group-after-christians-muslims_n_2323664.html. Accessed 14/04/2017

84% is approximately 5 out of every 6 people!

'The Huffington Post is a politically liberal American online news aggregator and blog ..' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post. Accessed 14/04/2017.

Surprising but true. Hallelujah! 

Amen.

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"New Covenant: Authority" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Lle38F2FUopuI2E4KlnLn

Amen.

In Jesus' Hands: 2017

In Jesus' Hands: 2017

"Large crowds followed Jesus, and He healed them there" (Matthew 19:2).

In 2010 I reached a point where I was sick of being sick. I had been to lots of classes where God's healing power was made clear; I had seen Jesus heal countless people in many Christian meetings, and in people's homes, on the streets and in remote villages. I had seen people healed when I prayed for them, and I myself had been dramatically healed in my spirit, my body, and my soul, (that is, my emotions and memories).

•  Soon after our fourth child was born, I was healed of smoking; I didn't really quit, I was completely set free from it. I've never wanted another cigarette! This healing was from Jesus alone, no doctors were involved at all. Decades of heavy smoking had caused COPD which still limits my lung capacity and performance, but this is livable; my Respiratory doctor no longer needs to see me.

•  Jesus and many doctors have healed me from 4 melanoma cancers, the last was in 2006. Melanoma is often said to be the worst cancer; parts of the tumour will break off and travel through the blood stream to another part of your body and begin to grow there. I think doctors believe that it is impossible to survive four separate melanoma attacks; often they laugh in surprise when they read my medical history for the first time. I still get thoroughly checked two or three times a year for skin cancers.

•  Suddenly one morning Jesus set me free from alcohol. It happened in the middle of a Christian meeting when something else occupied all our attention; I just knew that I had been healed. I am now able to not drink at all. For years I had been worried that my drinking was way beyond my control. I am alcoholic yet sober! I'm so grateful.

         

"Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them" (Hebrews 7:25  - Amplified).

A Big Problem?

But as I saw things, there was still a big problem; only a few of my illnesses were ever healed, not all of me. And besides, the number of my health issues was increasing .. Instead of becoming fully healed, like all those people we read about in the Bible (Matthew 4:24, Luke 4:40), I was becoming less well.

Back then the list of all my illnesses included six life threatening or potentially crippling things, and ten or twelve others. I felt overwhelmed.

30 Days

After much prayer with Trish and our pastors, I believed by faith to do something totally Christ centred. On 28th September 2010 I threw myself into Jesus' hands. Over the next 30 days I trusted that Jesus would fully heal me of all illnesses and diseases, even those of long standing (1 Peter 2:24). I felt led to take none of the 6 medications prescribed for me, nor see any health professionals (Mark 16:18). I believed that I would become healthy in spirit, soul, mind and body; rested, alert and vigorous.

As the 30 days went past I prayed often and spent much time in the Bible. Although Trish and I thought it best to keep the whole project very quiet, Jesus made it plain on the first day that I was to diary to PsalmsOfJohn.com each evening; so this I did. "In Jesus' Hands" was the series that resulted.

I was delighted to find that I was not adversely affected by not taking my prescription medications (some of which I had had every day for years). I felt the same level of not-quite-well but not-really-sick as I did when I was obedient to my doctors.

But I was very disappointed that there seemed to be no positive changes in my health; there were no signs that I was healing.

This lack-of-apparent-change continued through the whole 30 day period. Remember, this was a faith journey. Jesus had suggested this path, indeed He had inspired and managed the whole thing. I sometimes felt I was just along for the ride (like the paralysed man on the mat in Luke 5:18-26), but was delighted to have been chosen by my lovely Lord Jesus for His special attention.

After the 30 days was over my life returned to "normal", although after this experience I would never be the same "normal" again .. I had lived so closely with a new view and experience of Jesus that my faith had grown to be like bullet proof steel. I resumed all my medications, took all scheduled tests and scans, and kept all my doctor appointments .. normal!

After a few weeks my disappointment turned to devastation. Why was I not healed? Even of some of my illnesses?

My thoughts turned inward: How dare I challenge God, the King of kings, that He would heal me .. All the old chestnuts came flooding into my mind: I'm not good enough, others deserve His help but how could I put my weak and sinful self among them? I felt both worthless and useless; my study and teaching were useless, my love was useless, PsalmsOfJohn.com was useless, all my prayer, useless.

But faith prevailed; the many teachings I had sat through showed Jesus as healer of all who came to Him (Matthew 9:35). Also, our Lord passed His ministry skills on to His Church, to all of us Christians; this is a fundamental part of the New Covenant!

"Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" (Jesus words: Luke 10:9).

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Jesus words: Matthew 10:8).

A few days later Trish spoke to me (as only a wife will speak to her husband), and all my devastation melted in the face of her wise and loving words. Peace returned!

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24).

Now

Now 7 years have passed since that amazing month. I am still alive and remarkably well.

Happily many of my medical issues are resolved, particularly the big ones .. I AM NO LONGER UNDER THREAT OF DEATH OR BEING CRIPPLED FROM CANCER OR HEART DISEASE OR DIABETES OR ARTHRITIS!!

Jesus did hear my prayers: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15).

There are now only five medical specialists in my life where there used to be ten!

Sure, I am older and a little slower, a little less flexible. I now have some gaps where I used to have troublesome teeth. But I'm still active, vital even. I am active as a Christian, a husband, a father and grandfather, as a house-husband, a handyman and a volunteer for our local Member of Parliament and for the Heart Foundation.

And I write.

I love to have family and friends around and to cook for them; I love music and the out-doors, the bush and the beach. My exercise program has grown from walking by the river to the Live Longer Live Stronger program at our community gym, it's great; I am living stronger! Trish and I ride our bikes together and we bush-walk whenever we get the chance!

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (Jesus' words about us, John 10:10). Thank you Lord.

It's really good to be writing this now. So far, this year has been hard. Many things I'm committed to do seem to be long unrewarding uphill battles. Last year was remarkable as I flew along in a great cloud of God's grace; I saw Jesus going before me in everything I did (including some massive renovations). It was like standing in a river; that happy place we sometimes find ourselves, feet firmly planted, glorying in the sunshine and being out in nature, facing upstream with the endless flow of the river pushing and swirling past. Wonderful. So affirming. This year has not been the same.

So this is the best time to remember how good God is to me and to those around me. It's good to remember that what we see on TV and in the newspapers and the Internet is not the news; it's just what the media people want us to see. In my opinion, it's best to avoid the "popular" media, and not rely on them for facts or information! (There are truthful and morally sound media outlets; it's worth the effort to find those that are relevant to us).

Big News

The big news is that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords; His Christian Church is the biggest and best supported faith group in the world, and every day there are countless testimonies of fantastic things happening in people's lives in every country. God is our Father and Jesus never stops interceding for us. "For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds" (Psalm 9:1).

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever" (1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 136).

Report

All this happened more than 7 years ago. A long time. There have been huge medical changes in me .. How many people my age can say they are significantly healthier than 10 years ago? Very few? Well, I can! A miracle?

All the scary and life-threatening things are gone. Here is a report:

Heart

My worrying heart condition is healed. I believe that Jesus found Vincent, my last cardiologist, for me. After a number of cardiology adventures over two decades, Vincent uniquely identified my problem and applied just the right clinical fix, (a fairly new and very technical procedure). A couple of weeks later a registrar was checking me over, "I'm fixed", I said. The young doctor looked at me and laughed in surprise. I no longer need to see any heart specialists. A miracle?

Diabetes

Treatment for my last melanoma cancer was tough. The surgeons took out all the cancerous tissue from my temple and then thirty-four lymph nodes from my upper body. There are scars under my chin which look like zips and I have a lop-sided smile. Also, my internal thermostat and sweat system are damaged.

My oncologist put me on Interferon (which is like chemo-therapy); I injected myself every day for almost a year; it was a painful treatment and I became very run down; this tipped me over from being pre-diabetic into full-on type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a filthy disease; your body rots out from the inside .. your eyes begin to fail, and your circulation deteriorates, feeling goes from your legs and feet, from all your extremities, and ultimately you may need amputations! Many doctors say that diabetes is incurable, effectively a life sentence.

Apart from medications (which could do very little for me), the only defence against diabetes is diet and exercise. Praise Jesus! Trish is a Home Economics teacher and understands about food, exercise and our bodies .. She and I applied her wisdom to our lives and I am healed! I no longer get treatment for diabetes, nor do I need to be tested. All my degenerations have stopped, my ophthalmologist said my eyes have improved, then he told me I don't need to see him any more. They dropped me from the Diabetes Clinic. Hallelujah! Another miracle?

Fear and Anxiety
Those of us who were troubled by fear or anxiety were invited to come to the front at a Christian meeting. With the world in its present chaotic state, who does not fear for their family or their nation? I did, and often lay awake at night aware of my powerlessness in the face of the continuing erosion of security and of moral and cultural values. I did step forward, there were prayers, I knew immediately that something changed, I felt lighter.

Since then fear is defeated in me. Now, when I worry or become anxious or feel afraid, I simply call out to Jesus and it lifts off me. God has many names; one of Holy Spirit's names is "Comforter", the Comforter comes and I am free in a way I could not have believed. Another miracle?

"But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26).

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world'" (John 1:29)!

Feet and Knees

I was born with unusual feet, my family said I had "Grandma's feet". There came a time when I could no longer fit into footwear from the shops. Since then I have seen orthopedic surgeons who have done wonders with what would have been rapidly declining mobility; the first surgeon said, "It's a good thing you're here, otherwise you could be in a wheelchair by age 60". I wear custom made orthotic shoes, boots and sandals and can walk, climb ladders and hike in the bush. Praise Jesus for the lovely, caring medical people He has given me.

Along the way my "basketball knees" became troublesome; x-rays showed there to be arthritis with torn cartilages "like an old worn blanket". At one time I believed that Jesus healed the left knee (which was much worse than the right); my symptoms went away and my walk was easier. Recent x-rays show that the damage is still there; I now believe that Jesus simply made everything work better so that I could get around. All these years later I still walk with a limp, (like an old man?) but have great mobility and no pain. Praise Jesus for his loving care!

Mystery

I sometimes wonder why I am not fully healed, and why the miraculous healings in the Bible seem so much more complete than what I see in me and in the world today. Nothing I have experienced or learned answers these questions. To me it is a mystery, but I am at rest, at peace.

Paul, who is such a hero of the faith, also experienced a similar kind of mystery? He wrote ".. in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh .." (2 Corinthians 12:7). Many scholars have commented on this passage without finding a clear definition for Paul's "thorn". Perhaps my remaining medical worries are my thorn. (I know that I am prone to over-confidence, even pride. Do my health restraints help me keep an even keel?)

My many visits with doctors and other medical people give me so many opportunities to testify to God's presence with us and His great love and power. There is so much to be thankful for, so much to rejoice over. I'm happy to continue to live my Christian walk as best I can, and to grow in Jesus, and to share Him whenever I can. One day I'll be with Him and I can ask Him face to face .. in the meantime .. praise Jesus! Hallelujah!

Favourite Bible Verses

".. I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full" (Jesus' words, John 10:10).

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26).

"Jesus said: 'He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:38).

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Amen.

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"046 In Jesus Hands: 2017" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7gYxFJBE8ohqYnM604CBng

Amen.

Shalom New Covenant Peace

Rich Promises Of Peace

When I was little we didn't go to church much. Then when I was 10 my dad took me along to Sea Scouts which were part of our local Anglican church. Scouts was great and I learned about nationhood and loyalty, and to sail and row, build boats and fabricate their rigging, and to camp and cook and trek in the mountains.

Then, until I finished High School, I had to go twice a month to "church parades" where we would carry the flags and help old people to their seats and sing really loud when the songs had some zing; I remember "Onward Christian Soldiers" very well.

All the church services included a prayer with the words: "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds". These words have stuck with me all these years. I believe that, even then, Jesus had me marked down as one of His. It would be 30 or 40 years before I knew that these words were from the Bible; they are part of Philippians 4:7. But I did know that I was unsure of their meaning, and also that to have such an inner peace would be a very good thing.

Peace is one of the big subjects in the Bible. Peace is sought by just about everybody in the world but not many find it. (Although I have seen much peace in rural villages in India, Nepal and Indonesia where sharing is commonplace, family values are high and everyone is a person of faith). Perhaps peace can only be brought by being committed to our family, and being active in our spirit. Our Christian God brings righteousness through His justice, from forgiveness bought by Jesus' sacrifice for our sins on the Cross of Calvary about 2000 years ago.

Think about all the successful and famous people and all the millionaires and billionaires you know or hear about. Even though we see their "best" public face, we realise that any peace they have is tiny or transient, they seem still to have many insecurities, doubts and troubles.

But God's Word offers us rich promises of peace. These prophetic words were spoken of John the Baptist who would announce Jesus:

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:76-79).

Towards the end of His earthly ministry Jesus gave us the fruit of that prophetic promise to John:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Shalom

The big thing is that when our English language Bibles use the words "peace" or "fullness" (another of my favourite Bible words), the original authors mostly wrote "shalom" which is a much bigger word and is difficult for us to explain from our analytical Western perspective. Here are some meanings that "shalom" encompasses:

complete peace, harmony, wholeness, welfare, fulfillment, tranquility, wellbeing, health, safety, soundness, flourishing, perfection, fullness, completeness, harmony, rest, the absence of agitation or discord, to be fully paid for, of high moral value, to be prosperous in everything including health, relationships and finances. 

The "shalom, shalom" of Isaiah 57:19 is speaking of salvation, not simply peace. Shalom is also used as a greeting; where we might say "hello" or "goodbye", people in Bible times would say "shalom", Jewish people still do, to this day.

As I consider all these meanings and reflect on the many Scripture verses where "peace" and "fullness" appear I am in awe because I feel so included in them.

As I have grown closer to Jesus over the past eight or ten years my shalom has also grown. I am getting older, my life is getting smaller and my horizons are shrinking. I have come to terms with my unfulfilled ambitions and my absence of financial success by focusing on the good things in my life. As a young man I had heaps of adventures trekking, sailing, travelling with just a backpack and a few dollars, and entering into everything exciting which presented itself. Since I met Trish my whole life has been on a higher plane. Our six children have added so much more, and now their wives and our grandchildren too!

Not that we haven't had troubles, we've had lots. But we've never been defeated, instead, with Jesus on our side, we have been able to overcome. We build and grow things together, and we count our blessings!

"but we glory in our troubles, knowing that suffering brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

Hope, such a precious thing in our time.

"make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).

"you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).

In our family we have shared the pain of long-term unemployment and financial hardship, we've experienced betrayal, lived through serious illnesses, and seen relationship breakdown, but we have always known love and caring and beauty ..

I am so very blessed that Jesus came to Trish and then to me. It began soon after we were married. Trish had grave doubts and was struggling. Then through some friends Jesus made Himself known to her, (He is the God who reveals Himself (Amos 4:13)). Soon I became interested too and within a few years Jesus also drew me to Himself. We look back over more than 35 years together with joy. All the tough times are so outweighed by the blessings we've known and still know.

A week or so ago I walked along the shore-line for an hour or so while the sun set and daylight faded. The beauty around me was almost overwhelming; the constantly changing light, the way the stingrays didn't mind that I invaded their space to take their photo, it was as though they could understand that I meant them no harm. The seagulls also seemed to welcome me and draw reassurance from my "hello bird" greetings. Other walkers were happy to share their pleasure in being in such a glorious place.

When I got back to camp I dropped my backpack and shirt on the sand and swam. So lovely, just a bright golden glow in the western sky, the ocean currents already warm for summer, clear, clean salty water .. to me, total luxury. Then, from the shore: "Is that you John? Aren't you afraid? There are sharks out there and you can't see them!"

I responded that no, I was not afraid ..

I've since thought about my friend's words and think that my response to such fears is something like this: 

"You and I should really not be afraid of anything in the ocean, but rather to be thinking (and praying) about what is happening on Wall Street and in the boardrooms of the  multinational companies  (which are now more powerful than nations), and all the jihadists working to smash their own countries and also the Western nations, and the political correctness coming at us from so many directions and attacking our culture, and all those whose aim is to reduce our freedoms of speech and of religion". 

It's becoming clear that almost everyone in the media and most people in politics are heading (and pushing) in a direction of radical change with which the vast majority of citizens do not ascribe or agree. (Consider Brexit and the Donald Trump victories where the very vocal minorities were amazed and angry at the majority votes). Now even our democratic processes are being ridiculed and decried .. 

The popular media only report what they want us to know. There are more human slaves in the world now than at any other time in history, and most people are un-aware. 

Our Governments seem not to care about these vast evils. These are the scary things in our time!

It's scary too that we are all expected to pretend that none of these things actually exist.

We are often reminded that there is a mental health epidemic raging in Western countries; certainly the statistics we're given are frightening. No-one seems to be able to tell us what has caused this outbreak of un-wellness; but I think I know. It seems to me that vast numbers in our population are trying to live life from a worldview based on lies. Today we talk about these lies as "liberal advances" or "political correctness". In Scripture they are called "strongholds" which are "arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the truth of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5). When Jesus came, He came as truth and light. Jesus is truth (John 1:1-4, John 1:17, John 14:6). Jesus is the very opposite of what we are expected to swallow.

To me it is clear that if you are shaping your dreams and actions and life-responses around a bunch of un-truths inside your head, then that part of your person which knows the real truth is going to be confused and upset and will become anxious, worrying that the "you", for which your mind and your soul are responsible, is on the wrong track. Hence anxiety and depression, the most frequent occurrences of mental illness in our culture.

A few days ago I heard the word "shalom" and experienced an explosion of understanding. I've been pondering "peace" and "fullness" for a long time because they are now such a real part of my experience. Shalom is peace and fullness to the level which God designed when He created us and the universe all those millennia ago. Humankind was created to be in relationship with Father God, and Jesus His Son, and Holy Spirit in perfect peace and complete fullness, to be rich in relationships, health, and sufficiency. We were designed and created to know shalom all the time!

My early knowledge of "shalom" was as a greeting used by Jewish friends of my family. The dads had met while training for the Air Force for World War II. Their son Nicky and I became very good friends. I was often at their house and included in their greeting of "shalom". Now I realise that they were honouring me and our friendship by giving me such a profound greeting, a greeting which came from the very roots of their understanding of life, a greeting which includes blessings of fullness, peace and completion, all the blessings of God.

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you shalom" (Numbers 6:24-26).

Dear reader, I bless you, and pray shalom for you! Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (in Hebrew: 'Sar shalom')" (Isaiah 9:6).

"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and shalom (peace) kiss each other" (Psalm 85:10).

"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of shalom (peace) through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all" (Acts 10:36).

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, shalom (peace) and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and  shalom (peace) for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,  shalom (peace), patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people" (Ephesians 6:10-18). 

"Now may the God of shalom (peace), who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Amen.

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"Shalom New Covenant Peace" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

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Praise Jesus.

 

Whales

He Has Made Everything Beautiful

I'm down in our South West, writing for PsalmsOfJohn.com, for two weeks. Trish was able to come for the linking weekend and has just headed home. We've had the most wonderful three nights and days. 

It’s springtime here and everything is exploding with new life. We've been on three very different bush walks and were completely overwhelmed at the beauty, variety, complexity and symbiosis of the Creation all around us.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

We're at a campsite by the sea. A couple of days ago I saw dolphins so close to the shore I could almost reach out and touch them; they were catching little fishes in knee deep water! We often see metre-wide stingrays, they'll come right up and eat the scraps when fisher-folk clean their catch by the shore; every afternoon they come looking for food. Pelicans too.

Then yesterday we walked along the coast to this tiny bay (with a great surfing break), to have a prayer-time. Some trees have survived the wild coastal weather and one tree trunk is so laid down by the winds that we can sit on it, (I call these trees our "prayer cathedral", we come here at least every year). The shore is all boulders which are surrounded with anemones, muscles and sea snails and many seaweeds; a little further along is a sandy beach and great swimming. It is also teaming with birds, spiders, ants, lizards and even snakes; it's alive! Just behind the narrow beach the bush starts and is full of wildflowers and other plants, all shoulder to shoulder in our lovely "sun-burnt country".

Western Australia is world famous for its fantastic display of wildflowers every spring; there are thousands of species known nowhere else in the world. They are from the far north to the deepest south, and from the coast far into the wheat-belt and gold-fields. Some of the plants exist in just a few hundred hectares of all the world's surface! Quite wondrous.

During our prayer-time a pod of humpback whales started breaching not far out to sea; they come to the surface to blow a fountain of air and water, and then breathe in. Our first whales! We were thrilled. For me, being excited by the Creation is an every-day occurrence. But this was extra special!

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made .." (Romans 1:20).

During the best years of my career I developed computer systems to solve complex business problems. The objective was to get a handle on everything which affected that part of the business, map it out as data bases and data flows, and then design the computer applications, (now called "apps"), which would correctly respond to every possible mix of circumstances which may ever possibly arise, and all the mistakes managers, customers and operators may make from time to time.

(I stopped a bank one time because I'd not allowed for an operator error which occurred on my system's first day live!)

My customers liked my systems, so I suppose I was pretty good at it.

I see the Creation as 100,000,000 times more complicated than anything I ever had a hand in developing .. and yet it has worked for thousands of years, even to this day. Many scientists would have us believe that this is all accidental, and that "survival of the fittest" does not mean that the fittest "fittest" will not devour everything else and become the only remaining species!

Today we see this "devouring" happening in the finance industry and in the world since Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher invented "supply side" economics, and "globalisation" gained favour in high places. The theory is that if nations really look after their rich and the big corporations, and help to make them richer, then that prosperity will "trickle down" and lift up the rest of the people .. Well these ideas have not worked. Sure, the rich have got richer, and very quickly they are buying everything of value in the world; (just think about house prices ..) The rest of us struggle on with a smaller and smaller slice of the pie. We saw similar things historically in the days of the aristocratic estates, and during the industrial revolution.

But not so in God's creation; we see such beauty and such a mix of species and lives inter-acting, often sacrificially. Bacteria we cannot see, but I'm told that there are as many bacteria in a cupful of soil as there are people in the world! Bacteria in our gut keep us healthy and give strength to our immune system. Then there are the insects and tiny creatures which break down trash and are dinner for plants and larger creatures, right up the food chain. Only rarely do things run out, and then only in a small part of the world, and only for a short time. All the rest powers on. And the whales ! The flowers ! The birds ! The people ! So lovely .. To me, our Creator God is so represented in the Creation, it all  shows His loveliness and His care ..

In Jesus day there were perhaps 250,000,000 people in the world (an expert estimate), there was enough food for everyone and enough grazing for their herds and flocks. Today we number more than 7,500,000,000 and just about everyone is fed two or three times a day, yet there are still vast tracts of land in a "natural" state, and (often) the very best bits have been permanently set aside as National and State Parks and reserves for waterfowl, wild animals and marine life. God's wonderful biodiversity continues with humankind's stewardship.

Many media people, scientists and educators talk about evolution as though it were an established fact of all life, but there is still not one shred of evidence showing that any more-complex life form ever evolved from another, less-complex, life form! Not one clearly proven truth!

All the talk and scholarly "evolution" writing is based on hypotheses, (wild guesses), and none of it is based on truth established by scientific method. Another thing, these people all gloss over how the first life form began; they have no believable explanation for the coming of life. They do not even have a good definition for life (or for gravity either). And there is a complete denial of the spiritual world, though often in their conversation it is clear that they are discussing things of the spirit! At least two thirds (67%) of all the people in the world know that the spiritual world is real.

If evolution were true, then we would need no Creator God, everything would have developed by accident, nothing could have any value and there could be no spiritual life at all. Neither could there be love or empathy or grief! These are things we all experience and know to be an essential part of life.

But happily we do have a Creator God who gives life and light. His name is Jesus! The universe was established as a fully operational ecosystem and is still working!

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of humanity" (John 1:1-4).

"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" (Colossians 1:15-16).

Every day I rejoice in the Creation. I'm sure that one needs much more faith to believe in evolution than to know Jesus Christ as one's God and Saviour!

Human ingenuity has vastly expanded our ability to grow wheat, rice and other foods; crops are produced on a scale which can feed our vast urban populations. We have a responsibility to steward those parts of the Creation where we have influence; we humans have the reasoning ability and the practical skills to help maintain a sound and productive world-wide ecosystem.

"So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground'.  Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food'. And it was so.  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day" (Genesis 1:27-31).

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge" (Psalm 19:1-2).

"Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands" (Psalm 119:73).

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (Hebrews 1:3).

Thank you dear Jesus for the whales and for our opportunity to see them! So glorious! Amen.

(I began writing this post on 26th October whilst still down South, editing and getting the photos together was a big thing .. now I can post). 

Hallelujah!

• Permalink to web page

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"Whales" is now a podcast on Spotify under PsalmsOfJohn

• Public link to podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1v3p6LfhEf7ip7MD5mTtfc

Amen.