Armour Of God: Sword

Completely Trustworthy

"He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow .." (Isaiah 49:2).

"Bless the Lord O my soul! And let all that is within me shout out! Shout out!" 

(Will Regan and United Pursuit, Live at Banks' House).

One of the great things about Christianity is how answers to all the mysteries of life and the Universe are revealed in such satisfying ways (1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 1:9:10, Colossians 2:2); no fudged answers, no hypotheses or wild guesses. Our God-given natural understanding shows us well grounded answers which are supported by our observations of the world and life, as well as by our study of science, engineering, history, philosophy, anthropology and the Bible.

As we get to know Jesus we learn that He is completely trustworthy. When we first encounter Jesus, (rather than just hear about Him or read accounts of His life, miracles, teaching, death, resurrection and ascension in the Bible), we see an amazing and wonderful person who we can know intimately, and yet also worship as God of all the Creation!

When we are welcomed as a child of Father God and come into personal relationship with Jesus, (He becomes our brother as we now have the same Father), our spirit comes alive and we know we are changed. Indeed we are "born again" (John 3:3), we are a "new creation" (Galatians 6:15). We know that we have encountered God, Father God's Son (John 3:16), Saviour of the whole world (John 4:42). From this point in our life, our learning and our growing never stop!

Perhaps the most profound thing I learned at Bible College (See Note 1) is that Jesus is the answer to every question regarding life and existence, that He is central to everything, (and the Cross is central to all of history):

"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:16-17).

In my "best" Bible (NIV, with a leather cover and a lifetime guarantee, now 35 years old with hundreds of penciled notes), there is "ALL" in the margin above this passage: Colossians 1:15-20 tells us in a few words how completely Jesus is the centre of absolutely everything; the word "all" appears seven times in these few verses, along with "fullness", "everything", and "supremacy".

We the church, the ecclesia, Jesus' gathered ones, are fully part of this "all", we are His "body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:23 ESV).

The Word Of God

This is where "the sword of the Spirit" comes in:

I have come to know Jesus as "the Word of God" (John 1:1-2), He has always been so since before time began. When God spoke (Genesis 1:3) and there was light, He spoke the same Word who is shown to be "the light of all humankind" (John 1:4) and the "light" which no darkness can overcome (John 1:5). In the "new Heaven and the new Earth" which we will one day inherit, Jesus is still the "light"; He is all the light needed there (Revelation 21:1,23)!

Jesus is the Word. Jesus is Light. The third tie-in is Jesus as Sword. 

"Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (Revelation 2:16 Jesus' words to the apostle John).

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34 Jesus' words).

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus' Fullness

We see that:

•   Jesus is God, He is completely of the Trinity with Father and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1 and 2, John 1).

•  Jesus is the beloved Son who appeared on Earth to save us and defeat Satan (1 John 3:5 and 3:8).

•  Jesus is the Light (John 1:5).

•  Jesus is the Word (Hebrews 4:12, Revelation 19:13).

•  Jesus is the Sword (Hebrews 4:12, Revelation 1:16, 2:16).

"Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

Our Armour

When Paul writes about the armour of God, he includes "the sword of the Spirit" last. This is not saying that our sword is the least important part of our armour, but rather, that our armour will never be complete without our sword.

The "belt of truth" is the first piece of Paul's armour; the belt is needed to hold everything else together, to be a support and an anchor point. When we think about this and see "truth" first, and "sword" last, we get a sense of the fullness Paul is sharing with us.

Of all the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) only the sword is an offensive weapon, all the other elements are defensive or foundational and supportive:

•  The "Belt of Truth" (verse 14).

•  the "Breastplate of Righteousness" (verse 14).

•  the shoes of "readiness that comes from the gospel of peace" (verse 15).

•  and the "Shield of Faith" (verse 17)).

These enable us to "stand" (verses 11,13,14).

The "armour" verses are the concluding teaching in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. That letter is a delightful description of the church, the spiritual blessings we have in Jesus, and how we can best live in the light of all this.

Paul makes clear that what was alluded to throughout the Old Testament and hidden throughout the ages was revealed to us when Christ appeared and lived among us, and now, as we know Him through our spirit. As we live our lives here on Earth, Paul wants us to make full use of this armour, every element of which is Jesus Himself.

".. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day"  (2 Timothy 1:12). 

Jesus our "sword" is a fighting weapon, we are to use it as we go against our enemies, not just spiritual enemies but also those physically threatening us.

"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" (Ephesians 6:12).

Most people are not vicious or hate-filled but can be influenced and affected by evil spirits; here are two stories:

My friend Phil was visiting India. The short-term mission trip was going well and many were showing interest in Jesus. During one meeting Phil was interrupted by some men coming into the hall waving guns and calling on him and the other Australians to stop preaching Jesus and to leave that place. Phil stood his ground, looked directly at the men and spoke to the spirits influencing them. I have heard Phil pray many times, he would have said something like this: "you foul spirits affecting those men, we are here with Jesus Christ who defeated Satan and is Lord of all. Be still!" The men immediately froze in place. Phil went on to speak about Jesus and His Kingdom as though the men were not there, then he addressed them again. None of them had moved at all: "You ungodly spirits can now direct those men to turn and leave this building in peace, and to stay away and not bother us again, in the name of the Lord Jesus!" The men left and gave no more trouble on the trip.

The spiritual world is greater than the physical!

An African story I believe to be true was told to me by a friend of missionaries in Africa. They wanted to go to a far town to tell people about Jesus; it meant a two-day journey and staying overnight in country full of people hostile to the Gospel. They felt called to make this trip, so despite strong advice they prayed and they went. During their overnight stop the team were wakened by loud vehicle noise and shouting; they saw nothing and nothing happened. They reached the town safely and their visit was a success.

Later they heard about an amazing occurrence in the bush which was at the same time and place when and where they had camped overnight: A number of hostiles had heard about some Christians camping in the bush so decided to attack in the dark of night and kill them. As they approached the camp they saw that their would-be victims were not alone; their camp was surrounded by huge men, dressed as soldiers, with flaming swords and spears. The attackers were terrified and knew that they could not defeat these mighty soldiers, so they returned home. God had sent angels to protect His people! The missionaries were unaware but the hostiles saw clearly.

When we talk to missionaries we get such great testimonies of the power of God and His Word! Jesus always has our back (Matthew 28:20).

"The sword of the Spirit" describes the profound and complex effect of Jesus, who is God's Word, entering us and then fusing with, (or being enhanced by), God's Holy Spirit who is in us, in our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

We are given spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14) which are effective because we can use them in conjunction with our sword, God’s Word. These gifts are for the church and the whole world, not just for us, they help us in our service to others.

More than that, our lovely Jesus always wants us to grow, to move on from our sinful and selfish past, to be ready and willing to participate with Him in His work in the world.

Pruning Shears And Scalpel

Remember too that Jesus' Word is always able to shape us, to cut out what is ungodly and heal us from the corruption and maladies of the world: "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:2 Jesus' words).

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

Biblical Training

Our Jesus does not leave us defenseless from threats and attackers (Matthew 28:20), He is both our ultimate defense and our most effective weapon! Jesus is ready to help but like firemen and doctors we need education and training to bring our potential to any kind of fullness.

How many times have we been encouraged to "read your Bible, fill yourself with God's Word"? Many times, right? This is Christian training and will help give us a Biblical worldview; "a worldview is an all-encompassing perspective on everything that exists and matters to us. Your own worldview represents your most fundamental beliefs and assumptions about the universe. It reflects how you would answer all the 'big questions' of human existence". (James Anderson, "What in the World Is a Worldview?", 2014).

When we train in God's Word we learn to think and respond fast and effectively to all the situations which may confront us. (See Note 2).

A few days ago I was cleaning our barbeque and touched the hot steel, "ouch"! Immediately, I put my finger in my mouth, soon the pain was gone, all better! My response was automatic, I have been on many first aid courses, my training told my body what to do without my mind having to figure it out.

Well, we can do the same thing when spiritual troubles come. When we are full of God's Word, (Jesus), and are filled with Holy Spirit, (who is Jesus' Spirit) our response can be blindingly fast and fully effective. Just look at how our Lord answered Satan in the wilderness (Luke 4:1); three attacks (Luke 4:3-4, 5-8, 9-12), very similar to the three big problems Israel faced in their 40 years in their wilderness. Each time Jesus spoke Scripture, the Word of God; God's Word is Jesus. Satan gave up and backed off (Luke 4:13). He will back off for us too because we now carry Jesus' authority on Earth (Luke 10:19), and not just for our self and those close to us but for others in the world who need the "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7 Jesus' words).

"He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away" (Isaiah 49:2). 

This is good news.

Praise Jesus! 

Favourite Scripture Verses

"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 all humankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:1-5).

"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?’ or 'What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:31-34).

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him" (Proverbs 30:5).

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" (John 21:25)

Hallelujah!

Note 1: I heard a man tell of the most profound thing he learned at his Bible College: "God is so very, very big that we can never know Him fully. But He reveals Himself in such a way that we can know Him truly!"

Note 2: I find that spending time in my Bible is like any other kind of discipline. It is best not to follow the first method you are shown, but to find one which is effective and that you enjoy. One objective is to have the Scripture established inside us, so that we grow and change our worldview to conform to Jesus.

Many people would like to be slim and fit so start out in the trendy exercise program of the day; they don't like it so give up. Later, they will see something else and they try that, presto, the weight starts to come off and their energy increases.

Please find a system or program or method which you enjoy, you personally and not a group, you. You can join a group later, but your personal time in Jesus' Word is where you will grow the most.

"A worldview is a network of ultimate beliefs, assumptions, values, and ideas about the universe, and our place in it, that shapes how each of us understands our life and experiences, (and the lives and experiences of others), and how we act in response". (James Anderson, "What in the World Is a Worldview?", 2014).

Amen.

AfterNote: The Full Armour of God: From Ephesians 6:10-18

• The belt of truth - Truth is Jesus - John 1:14

   See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/04/armour-of-god-truth.html

• The breastplate of righteousness - Jesus is our righteousness - 2 Corinthians 5:21

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2021/01/armour-of-god-breastplate-of.html

• Our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace - Jesus is the Gospel, this was a mystery until He gave us the Church - Ephesians 1:9

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2021/11/armour-of-god-shoes-of-good-news.html

• The shield of faith - Jesus is our shield - 1 Peter 1:5

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/03/armour-of-god-shield.html

• The helmet of salvation - Jesus protects our mind - 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV and Amplified

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/10/armour-of-god-helmet.html

• The sword of the Spirit - Jesus is our only weapon, the Word of God, invincible in spiritual battles - John 1:1 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

    See post https://www.psalmsofjohn.com/2020/09/armour-of-god-sword.html

• And pray in the Spirit - continually, without ceasing - Romans 8:26 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17

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

Bless you Jesus. So lovely, so complete

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Praise Jesus.

Is God Love?

Is God ?

Is God Love ?

How Do We Know That God Is ?

Some people say that because of all the trouble and pain in the world, they cannot believe that God exists, or if there is a god, that he, she, or it, must certainly not be a loving and benign God who is for all of humanity. (Happily, we have Jesus and know truth). 

Others say that science has never found any evidence for any kind of spiritual reality, and certainly none for an all-seeing, all-knowing and loving God who is creator of the entire Universe, and personally of you, and of me. (We know that they have not seen correctly).

Many people seem to be upset that others do believe in a Creator God who is loving and good, who designed and created a very beautiful and complete world for us, who loves us always and sacrificially, and wants us to be with Him and be in His family, now and forever.

These ones try to separate us from our beliefs and work hard to get all discussion of "God" and "Jesus", and especially prayer, excluded from the public arena and kept right away from children and schools, as though it were dangerous and likely to damage the hearers.

So sad. All the arguments put forward by atheists and agnostics are deeply flawed, their foundations are sand, at best, not rock as they want us to believe. Their arguments all ignore facts, (truths), which are plain for everyone to see, and they all contain contradictions; often their arguments depend on two opposite facts being true simultaneously ..

How Do We Know That God Is?

Apart from the Bible telling us, how can we be sure that any god exists, and especially our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who created and sustains the Universe and all that is in it including you and me?

Two quick answers. Firstly, the very fact that we ask about love and joy and pain and trouble tells us that we recognise that there is a standard of right and wrong, of justice and injustice, that life has value and meaning and that we are all here for a purpose.

Some would argue that the Universe and all that is in it came out of nothing for no reason, that it was an accident and all that has happened since, the formation of the stars, galaxies, planets and life are all a vast series of accidents, and meaningless.

When we ask "is there a God?" or "does God exist?" Or even, "is God?" We are also asking "are our universal human values foolish and worthless?" And "is there a definitive 'right' and 'wrong'? Is there a plumbline, a standard or measure?" And this question inevitably leads to "who, where, why or what is that standard setter, who created and holds the plumbline?"

There is no place for purpose or value or cruelty or disaster or injustice in a dog-eat-dog survival-of-the-fittest world of accidental and meaningless existence; that would be illogical, irrational.

Don't we all recognise that life is precious, not meaningless and worthless? That each one of us has value, and it is right that we should all be able to have hope? When we are sick or injured, even very badly, why do we strive so hard to stay alive?

So I say, "yes, God is, He is a caring God who not only created everything in general, He also created with a plan so detailed that it includes you and me, and our lives from minute to minute and day to day".

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7, Jesus' words).

Secondly, we can know God in His Son, Jesus, who became human "and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). No serious scholar of ancient history doubts that Jesus did live when the Bible says, there were a great many who heard His teaching and saw the miracles He performed, and more than 500 who saw Him after He rose from the dead after being crucified.

But more than that, we can know Jesus in person, and through Him, also know our Heavenly Father and Holy Spirit. Our God is three Persons, and by Holy Spirit we can, and do, know them in our spirit. The spiritual world is real. Indeed it is greater than the physical. God already was, then the Universe was created on His breath as He spoke. But one day it "will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment" (Isaiah 51:6), later there will be "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). Our spirits will continue on, in intimate relationship with God, regardless of what happens in the physical! We are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14).

Jesus brought the Gospel message to humanity. By fully believing in Jesus and repenting of our sins, (our rebellion, disobedience and wickedness), we can be redeemed from our sinners' destiny, bought back, saved eternally; we become “born again”, “a new creation” and a full child of Father God, just as Jesus is His Son (John 3:7, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

"But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin" (1 John 3:5).

"Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

Planet Earth exists in just the right place in the Universe to be oxygen rich, warm and watery and safe for us. It appears that, statistically, it is most unlikely there is another planet with so many perfect qualities.

Life is here on our planet. Apart from the Bible, I see still no coherent or reasonable explanation for the existence of life, or where it came from, or how .. But when we think about life we see beauty, variety, symbiosis and synchronicity, sufficiency, family and love .. and much more .. somehow in our inner being we know that it all has meaning.

Beauty: As I write this I am by the sea, the sun is shining across the bay, school children and their teachers and helper-parents are walking happily on the beach, back to their camp with pockets full of seashells. Beautiful! If all the world and life were meaningless this would not fill my heart with joy as it does. Logic says "could not". Praise our Creator God!

Variety: When I was growing up our family had typical New Zealand food which was much like English food and it was great! Now in Australia Trish and I have three or four nationality's food each week. I have invented several dishes which our family enjoy, "Dad's Pesto" is a favourite and is based on Italian. Such variety! God doesn't make two snow flakes alike, let alone two people .. we are each unique, there will never be another quite like you or me! 

Variety is everywhere, different people groups look and sound different, eat differently and celebrate differently. But, largely, we all have very similar value systems and we all form up into families regardless of our nationality, ethnicity, religion or location. I believe God made us like this. We are "in the image and likeness" of God (Genesis 1:26) who is the first family (Genesis 1:1-2), we were created to enjoy the bounty the earth produces (Genesis 1:29, Acts 11:5-9). And to be in relationship with our Maker (1 John 3:1).

And the flowers! The sunsets! The singing! The laughter!

Synchronicity and Symbiosis: There are many thousands of different kinds of animal and bird, sea creature, reptile, insect, lichen, bacteria and virus, and millions of species of all these kinds. Yet they all continue to exist and co-exist, season after season and have done for thousands of years. There is no fossil record, (or any other kind of record), of any more complex creature developing (evolving) from a less complex one .. so where did these millions of species come from? How is it that the synchronicity and symbiosis in the world enables every life form to live and feed and have babies, yet not to so dominate that all other life is extinguished (eaten) as would ultimately be inevitable under the "survival of the fittest" model? We co-exist rather than battle it out to the finish; just check out the life around an African water hole! 

Some creatures travel across continents and oceans between their breeding grounds and their summer feeding grounds. Nobody knows how they navigate or how the next generation knows where and when to travel, but their species still survives, and many flourish, regardless the changes we see in the world.

Besides, prominent educators (like Mark Hauser) conclude that there is a quantum gap between human intelligence and that of any other species, far beyond any evolution understanding .. we could not have evolved - the intelligence gap is too great. This leads to the conclusion that it is a Designer and Maker who created and now sustains everything. Synchronicity and Symbiosis; thank you Jesus! 

Sufficiency: We see the horrible situations caused by wars, natural disasters and international, national and business leaders' greed and mismanagement, yet surprisingly almost all the millions of species and billions of people have water every day, enough to eat and some shelter, and loved ones and family. Many of the most intransigent atheists admit that there must be a benign intelligence behind all this.

Family: What can I say? Ants, lions, whales and people of every nationality and culture live in families, always have and always will. It is natural, and I believe, designed in by our lovely God, from the beginning. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are eternal, and eternally the first family. Many studies show that the greatest blessing a child can receive is to grow up in a family with a mother and a father. And I have learned, and find much agreement, that the greatest gift a father can give his children is to love their mother ..

Love: Babies and children who do not receive love grow into broken people without empathy or compassion. Apart from such tragedies, love is everywhere, even in the hearts and homes of the most avid atheist. Yet it is nowhere in science. "God is love" (1 John 4:16), love is a great gift from Him to us.

More: My spirit assures me that the spiritual world is real and that its order is assured by an intelligent, creative and benign being who loves and is compassionate. How can I know this? All I can tell you is that my "knower" knows. This is not scientific and I do not know if these thoughts are supported by psychology. Nevertheless, I know.

A long time ago Trish and I knew a Catholic priest who liked to understand things and be able to explain them. He sometimes found shortcomings with the English language and would use his own words. He said we all have a "knower", meaning that something inside us just "knows" some things even though they are hard to explain .. and we are ultimately proved right! He also used to say that we all could recognise when things were in "balance" (meaning that they were no longer void or in chaos). I believe that he was onto some rich truths and have often spoken these words, and my hearers have understood completely what I was saying! Praise Jesus for our hidden depths (Psalm 139:13-17).

There is so much that we know that science has no coherent or believable explanation for, has no accounting for. "Accounting" is an exact craft, if you have something, you can include it, otherwise you must not include it. Many "scientific" statements include things which have never been proven, they have hypotheses, informed guesses, but not empirical evidence, therefore they do not have them. Or they include previously proposed "proofs" which were thoroughly refuted, some, decades ago. Many high school and university texts are littered with such un-truths.

Every person is acquainted with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and many more qualities. I can also think of hope, gratitude, empathy, sympathy, morality, loyalty, generosity, pathos, justice and compassion, (Jesus is famous for showing compassion). Outside of God's Word I cannot see any beginning or cause or value for any of these .. But we all know that they do exist and are very precious, and are familiar to every person and in every culture in the world.

People (and other creatures) bond and communicate in non-tangible ways. Trish and I have twins, Peter and Rebecca, our fifth and sixth children. Anyone who has twins in their family can tell many stories about their ability to communicate remotely and without words. Our family was inducted into a "twins study" so we got to hear lots of lovely "twin" stories.

Here is one I remember: One twin of an identical pair of girls went to live overseas. These twins were so alike that they did everything together: they wore the same clothes, played the same sports and music, studied the same subjects. One day, after they had been apart for some time, the overseas twin wrote to her sister and sent a picture from a magazine. The letter said that she had seen the hairstyle and cut out the picture, taken it to her hairdresser "last Thursday" and now had the new style and liked it very much. To all our amazement she received a reply from her twin saying that she had done the exact same thing on the exact same day!

A flock of birds or a school of fish will all change direction at the same time .. Amazing! Wonderful!

Praise Jesus for His unfathomable ways. We communicate without knowing how (Romans 11:33).

Pain, Horror And Disaster In The World

When people ask, "how can there be a loving, all-powerful God with all the trouble and pain in the world?" This is called a theodicy; ("theodicy" comes from "God" + "justice").

Answering this question is difficult, we are attempting to explain the coexistence of God and Evil. Thankfully there are answers, and I am satisfied with them. This is a very big subject and better minds than mine have been studying it for centuries. Here are some of my thoughts and conclusions.

When God created the Universe and Earth and humanity I believe that things were perfect. Adam and Eve were family, and in close, loving and obedient relationship with God. Their spiritual and social needs were met, the creation was being cared for and provided every material thing they needed. They knew love, were satisfied and they were safe.

"Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame" (Genesis 2:25).

Then these first humans sinned, they ate of the forbidden fruit even though they had been told, "You will surely die". The serpent was completely out of order when it spoke to Eve who, with Adam, had dominion over all the creation (Genesis 1:26) including the serpent. 

Adam and Eve knew that they were created in the "image and likeness" of God (Genesis 1:26), so they already were fully in possession of what the serpent was offering them; that they would "be like God" (Genesis 3:5). Even so, Eve did listen, and Adam and Eve ate the fruit. Sin, pain, trouble and death entered the world.

[God said] "And I will put enmity between you [serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel". To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you".  To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:15-19).

Not all snakes are poisonous, but we have a universal fear of snakes, right? Even many animals fear them. Scripture tells us why.

Childbirth was made difficult, even painful, (all parents know this to be true), and tragically, some families have broken and ill-formed babies. Babies and mothers die in childbirth and this deeply affects us all.

The Earth is cursed, hence earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, volcanoes, bushfires (many of which start from lightning and others by malicious people). They all cause pain and trouble.

These things come from sin. So do wars and rebellions, robbery and murder, even being mean to people and speeding in our car.

Adam and Eve chose to sin. People, us, we choose to sin. Sin is now in the world. Jesus defeated sin, and death, when He died on the Cross and then rose from the dead, but the complete application of His victory will not manifest until He comes again. Meanwhile He is with us, helping, and interceding for us, constantly (Matthew 28:20, Romans 8:34).

".. But [Christ] has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26).

".. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

God knows that there is suffering. Like everything else He can make good come from it (Romans 8:28). My sufferings are small compared with those of many others, but they help me see God more clearly as a bright light and a source of love and hope, I empathise with others more deeply and I truly value what Jesus has given me in my salvation and in my life with Him. Good from pain.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). 

Is God Love?

I believe that God exists and loves us. He has an infinite number of ways of giving and showing His love.

I met a pilot who gave this testimony. He was co-pilot on a Lear Jet carrying mail. As they drew near to their intended destination they were told that the airport was too cloud-covered for landings, they were given an alternative airport. As they drew near to the second airport they received a similar warning and another alternative airport. So they changed direction again; time was passing and they had flown far, fuel was getting low. As they made contact with the third airport they were given the same message again. Their fuel was so low that they could fly nowhere else, my friend and his captain had no option but to attempt a landing with whatever navigational aids and visibility were available. Possibly they would crash but they knew to follow their years of training and flight experience. Praise Jesus; as they descended and entered the landing approach the clouds parted and they had enough visibility to land, only the runway was visible. Their fuel gauges had been showing empty for some minutes.

Months later in a different state, my friend recounted this adventure, a woman who was unknown to the pilot asked when this frightening event had occurred; he was able to tell her. "Well", she responded, "I was praying with a group on that afternoon, someone interrupted the meeting to say that Jesus had given her a picture of an airplane which was lost in the clouds up towards Canada somewhere, it was running out of fuel and bound to crash. She told us that the vision was not very likely to be true because the plane was a jet, but it was a small plane so could not be a jet - we all prayed anyway". The date and time-of-day were the same; Lear Jets are small airplanes with jet engines, the vision may have seemed contradictory, but was indeed accurate. God showed the women the trouble and heard their prayer. Jesus stretched the fuel to last the extra few minutes and made a hole in the clouds in just the right place and at just the right time. I have hugged that co-pilot; this is a true story! 

Praise the Lord, how He speaks to us and uses our prayers. Those atheists and agnostics cannot tell true stories like this .. I do so enjoy Christian testimonies, they point directly to God and His love.

Here is a new story of mine. It is late winter here and still quite cold. I like to lie in bed after I wake up, in the warm for a little longer. A few days ago all I had for this post was its title: "Is God Love?" I was awake, enjoying the cozy warmth and thinking about my day when Jesus interrupted. "Come on John", He said, "get up, I have something for you, get ready to type!" So I did, as fast as I could .. As soon as my laptop was running He started to speak, He gave me the first few paragraphs of this piece. He then told me to hurry along on another piece I was already writing, so that I could progress with this one. This may sound as though Jesus is bossy, but I know He loves me very much and would never be bossy to me, it's just His way of saying "follow me" (John 21:19) in a way that I will understand!

I wrote that yesterday .. then this morning Jesus said to me, "get up now, I have some typing for you, something you forgot to add yesterday". So I did get up and He carefully dictated what I had not thought of .. Grace and love in action. Thank you my loving Lord!

Love is everywhere. What would novelists, journalists, songwriters and scriptwriters have to write about if it were not? Our Bible, God's Word, is full of love. I am satisfied that only our lovely God in Heaven has a sound explanation for love, and He gives it to us in love.

God is love.

Praise Jesus.

Amen.

Favourite Scriptures

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

"But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared,  he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour,  so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail" (Isaiah 51:6).

"But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13).

"The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God's creation, says these things .." (Revelation 3:14).

Amen.

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Be Strong And Courageous

Ready To Stand

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

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

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

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

What Jesus Says

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

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

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

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

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

Our Reality And Expectations

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

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

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

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

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

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

  "I believe there comes a time

  when everything just falls in line".

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

So very sad. Also very scary!

           

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

So How Shall We Be?

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

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

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

Is there something very timely for us here?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Faith

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses

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

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

Yes, amen.

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Praise Jesus.