Cancer: "My Peace I Give" T-11

Cancer: "My Peace I Give You" - Testimony 11
 
My doctors have declared me "cancer free"! Some even say that I am doing "much better than most" which is lovely to hear when you are under a strong threat.
 

"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", Jesus' words (John 14:27).
 

It surely was a great relief to get this news, I have been waiting to know my results. How strong, or how fragile is my faith? How solid is the Rock on which I stand? Do I truly trust Jesus with everything? (Matthew 8:26; Psalm 18:31; 1 Thessalonians 1:8).

 
During these many months I remember being at peace. This is good! Jesus appeared on the Earth to defeat all of Satan's works (1 John 3:8), including our sickness (1 Peter 2:24) and our fear (Luke 12:32). Even in the midst of great troubles we are to have "life to the full" (John 10:10), to live life "at rest", with our heart quiet and still (Psalm 23; Matthew 11:28; John 14:25–31).
 
It is so good to have read my Bible enough that all these Scripture verses came to mind so readily, they brought comfort and encouragement and much joy.
 
The whole cancer thing began after I had spoken several times to my GP doctor and she referred me to a specialist. Then there was his examination and all the follow-up on the "red flags" he saw, then a number of big tests and biopsies, the cancer diagnosis, the treatment preparation and two gruelling months of five-days-a-week treatment, then four months of recovery, (the first two of these four were a painful struggle). More than a year altogether.
 
Jesus said "my peace I give you" (John 14:27), and my testimony is that He did give His peace, despite the un-wellness caused by the treatment and the day-after-day threat of what this cancer could do if it got into other parts of my body.
 
When Jesus gives us a gift it is truly given and is truly a gift. To know that I am at peace, through and through, is glorious; what a gift of love. I am so grateful!
 

I remember saying "sorry" to Trish when I was not keeping up with my house-husband work; our house was getting messy and we were eating mostly simple and easy-to-prepare meals. Her response was so lovely. "O John", she would say, "it is so good that you are not grumpy all the time, and complaining and having everybody run around for you. And you are doing all that's needed for your treatment. This is fine, we are OK". Such encouragement, such love! Trish was able to continue at school, teaching life skills to teenagers, (which she loves to do), and did not have to stay home to care for me.
 
Spiritual Healing
 
When a prayer friend heard about the cancer she sent me videos and a free-book-download from a Christian doctor, Michelle Strydom, who had researched the relationships between the hope-filled things the Bible says about our health, healing and wellbeing, and many great things that the last half-century of medical research has brought forth.
 
The result for me was to pour forth prayer; not so much praying that I would be healed of the cancer, but that our lovely Jesus would make me well in my spirit and my "mind-body connection", and this would, in turn, heal and strengthen my immune system, which would then assist my medical treatment and destroy any remaining cancer, even any new spread before additional tumours could form. A cascade of Jesus' blessing.
 
"Cast all your anxieties on [Jesus], because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
 
"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17:22). In our bones, in their marrow, our amazing immune system cells are formed; we surely do not want dry bones!
 
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4.6).
 

Once the prayer began, so did spiritual healing, I was unaware that I even needed spiritual healing until Jesus revealed certain issues to me! Forgiveness and repentance followed. Then Jesus' peace was able to fill me. "My peace I give you" became a reality for me.
 
This should not surprise us. Peace is what Jesus is, it is His name, and also what He does.
 
".. and His name shall be called .. Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
 
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world", Jesus' words, (John 16:33).
 
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
 
Cancer, (And More), Gone ..
 
The cancer is gone. My peace remains. There is much trouble about, but with Jesus' peace, and "faith, hope and love" (1 Corinthians 13:13) we can "persevere" (Hebrews 10:36), grow in Jesus (Ephesians 4:13), and press on, in Christ, with our life, family, fellowship, and neighbours (Romans 8:11).
 
Looking back, I was delighted when Jesus also healed other chronic and bothersome, (but not life-threatening), things in my body. "Chronic" means "long lasting and obstinate". No medicine or medical treatment was required. I can report that I now have better health, overall, than I had two years ago. For someone who is older, that is a rare thing to see. Thank you Jesus our Saviour, Lord and Friend.
 
"And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up .." (James 5:15).
 
Praise Jesus. Hallelujah.
 
Jesus is peace (Acts 10:36). We all seek after it, yet despite our best and ongoing efforts, peace is hard to find. Just look at all the headlines and magazine covers at the news-stand. Often this is a sad world where people are far from peaceful despite their outward signs of "success"; we are surrounded by epidemics of anxiety, depression, loneliness, addictions, and even suicide.
 
So let us "cleave" and "fix our eyes on Jesus", "the author and finisher of our faith" (Acts 11:23; Hebrews 12:2).

"But godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6).
 
"Better a dry crust of bread with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife" (Proverbs 17:1).
 
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked" (Psalm 84:10).
 

Thank you Father, your wonderful Son Jesus, and your beautiful and ever present Holy Spirit. Amen.

Favourite Bible Verses
 
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22).
 
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:19-20).
 
"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other" (Psalm 85:10).
 
"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 peace" (Numbers 6:24-26).
 
"Come Lord Jesus", Hallelujah!

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Amen.

New Covenant: Fellowship

'fellowship' - noun accusative feminine - Greek koinōnian κοινωνίαν - Strong’s 2842

• What is shared in common as the basis of partnership, community ..

• (lit: partnership) (a) contributory help, participation, (b) sharing in, communion, (c) spiritual fellowship, a fellowship in the spirit ..

We Are Called Into Fellowship

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9).

A clear call. A call from God Himself. The Bible translations I use all have "called" in this verse .. 

"That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).

Scripture is saying that fellowship with one another in Christ is vital for the local church. It is part of God's faithfulness that He desires to give us fellowship with other believers and also with Himself. A great blessing to all.

"Fellowship is the sole universal purpose of the local church. As we fellowship around the person of Jesus Christ, the true purposes of God are begotten by the Holy Spirit". Derek Prince: 'Rediscovering God's Church', 2006 (emphasis mine).

In Bible times God would send teachers and evangelists and apostles all around the place to help and strengthen the local churches, but it was the locals' job to do fellowship, and to do it in Jesus. This is where the people got to know Jesus, our Father and Holy Spirit, and came to know one another and to grow in relationships. From that foundation "rivers of living water" (John 7:38) flowed out from them, bringing "salt" and "light" (Colossians 4:6; Matthew 5:16; John 1:4) to their families and communities, and "the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).

They saw miracles: "God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will" (Hebrews 2:4).

Don't we all want this?

Jesus is Head over all the church (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18); we, here on Earth, are His body (Ephesians 5:23). A body is one, all its parts joined and working together, inseparable (Ephesians 4:16; Colossians 2:19). 

We are called Christian because we belong to Jesus; we are "of Christ" .. "Christian". Amazing and awesome! It was an important day for humanity when this was first seen (Acts 11:26).

We are called into fellowship for a clear reason: 

".. so that you too may have fellowship with us [mature Christians]; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). A call to join, in genuine community, with those already established in the faith and in their relationship with Father, with Jesus the Son and with Holy Spirit. Intimately. With God Himself.

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13).

".. included", even ".. marked". In all of humankind, in all of history, Christians are the only ones to be included in with the Godhead.

Jesus did not tell us to gather each Sunday in special buildings, join in singing with a near-professional and very loud group in the front, then listen to notices, listen to a "giving" sermon, then listen to a preaching sermon, and then go home.

No, He commands us to have fellowship in Jesus. Men and women, and children and youth too, high and low, mature Christians and new believers. All. Together. Worshiping, learning, praying, caring, working (ministering), and sharing lives. Fellowship. (See Acts 2:42-47).

More than just affecting their own people, the life of the early Christians impacted all of the heavenlies and all of society: "[God's] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 3:10). 

We learn that the "wisdom of God" is Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:24, 1:30, 2:7). 

Church

I have been pondering what it is to be church in our time. (I am not there yet). (I also find that some people are reluctant to talk about this). The Western church is not growing. We rejoice when new people are saved and join us in Jesus. But if the body is not growing, then for every new Christian there is another who drops out of the count. This is tragic. 

Trish and I were in a sizeable local church for many years. We grew there in Jesus and were part of things; we shared in many adventures and saw salvations, discipleship and miracles. We developed friendships and many ministries were begun by the people.

 

After major leadership changes other things changed; I began to feel uncomfortable and eventually stopped going. A while later Trish stopped going too. Good societal things were being done there, and there was praise and preaching .. but ..

What is church? What did this (changing) group of people have and then seemed to not have?

I found (and still find) that there are a great many Christians who appear to be as uncomfortable as me, and as mystified, and as separated from the raft of local churches around about. Others say that they "go to church" but are not able to connect and do not feel that they are being fed. Some have told me that they go because they believe that some kind of "church" attendance is necessary. (Remember the Derek Prince quote: "Fellowship is the sole universal purpose of the local church..")

Years have passed and Trish and I now belong in groups where we see Jesus' life among the people. This is very good news. The Lord assures us that when we earnestly seek Him with our whole heart we will surely find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13; Proverbs 8:17; Matthew 5:6)!

(Trish and I were never without Jesus, and were always able to rejoice in Christian fellowship with our family and friends and specially with one another. So we were never without "church", Jesus' "ecclesia").

Finding Fellowship

In her very busy life Trish leads a women's prayer meeting, praying "for families and the generations". Relationships are deepening among the women, they find their times together to be rich and purposeful. At school she teaches life skills in her Home Economics classes, and also "Bible"; she sees her relationships with her students grow in these classes.

I am part of a number of prayer and study groups. These also are rich and satisfying with growing relationships. And I write 'Psalms Of John' (and maintain the website). I love this work, it is a gift from Jesus, (even the name was given by Him); He and I work together. This is the most satisfying work I have ever done, it also deepens my relationship with our Lord, and  equips me for when I am in prayer and talking with people everywhere.

A year or so ago Trish and I found one local church, a half-hour drive from home, where there is a great Sunday evening gathering. We worship with rich Christian music, (much of it from Scripture and written by people in the group). There are opportunities for everyone to share and to pray for one another, also great teaching, and shared meals. Jesus is very present in these meetings. They call them "services" but I see them as Christian "meetings"; they are gatherings of God's people, not so much from-the-front and them-and-us (Acts 2:42)! 

A local church near our home held an "everyone welcome" combined-churches gathering one Sunday evening. Trish and I heard about it and went, (we were hungry for fellowship), and were delighted. The people there were very Christ centred. The songs, prayers, teaching and preaching were all full of love, full of Jesus, and were theologically sound. Many from different congregations contributed. We have been back there on other Sundays and are forming lovely connections among these Christians. We are beginning to think that this may be our new "home church".

To me all these events are "church"; essential to life in the ecclesia, or the gathered people of God. 

Definitions of ecclesia include a sense that they are a governing body, people who help keep the whole of society in good and righteous balance. Certainly a look at history shows that the most fair and egalitarian nations in the world had very strong Christian influence for centuries.

It was the Christians who established the first hospitals, schools and universities, and provided the first broad-scale welfare to the dispossessed. Christians fought for the vote for women and even for people who did not own land, they ended slavery, and pushed for better working conditions and paid vacations for employees. The list goes on. Christians were playing their proper rôle in societies.

Today we do not see this influence. Instead Christianity is progressively being marginalised in Western counties, as well as in India, the Middle East, Myanmar, North Korea and more. At the same time long established freedoms are being taken away. Freedoms of speech, of conscience, of privacy, association and religion, and the freedom to raise our own children according to our beliefs and values, (rather than according to a government defined ideology).

Perhaps most importantly, Jesus taught that every person is infinitely precious. From this grew the certainty that the people should always have more power and influence than governments and their officials; today our governments seem to be forgetting this.

Through Him

Jesus’ church just celebrated Pentecost Sunday, and where Trish and I went we saw a deep recognition of Jesus' love and care for His body. Not just us; the ministers fraternal for our part of this city have been drawing closer, coming into unity. They felt to call our regional ecclesia to a week of prayer, with a different local church hosting each evening - "from house to house" (Acts 5:42). Deep is calling to deep. Last night, Monday, there were about 30 of us gathered to worship and pray together. Trish and I know only a few of these brothers and sisters but by Sunday we, and more day by day, will be closer. We are connecting and Jesus is growing His people (Colossians 2:19)! Jesus is "building His church" (Matthew 16:18).

I am happy about Trish and me. We have fellowship and witness and Jesus' work and guidance, Jesus is providing for us (Luke 12:22-32). This is Jesus being Jesus, and faith in action.

With all the changes we see happening in the world it will be very good for each one of us to be in true and sincere relationships with a committed community of people who desire to live by, through and for Jesus and the Kingdom of God, just as in the early days of the church. Very good. Then we will all be better established in Jesus when we are in the world, helping (Ephesians 4:11-16).

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen" (Romans 11:36).

Jesus is Head over all the church, it belongs to Him and He is her Saviour (Ephesians 5:23). We cannot even see the church as she truly is. It is Jesus' job to shape her and to draw people into the joy and fullness of Christian life (Acts 2:47), so that His church will assume its ordained rôle in our world.

"Jesus gave Himself up for His church, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present her to Himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27 paraphrased).

To God be the glory. Let us pray that we may grow in fellowship .. and in loving and serving our Lord.

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14). 

Favourite Bible Verses

"Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live" (1 Corinthians 8:6).

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:1-3).

"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident" (2 Corinthians 1:20 Message). 

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased" (Luke 2:14).

Praise Jesus.

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

Unless A Grain Of Wheat

Struck A Chord
 
There was a guy in Sydney who, for years and years, would pause wherever he happened to be, and write 'Eternity' in chalk on the footpath. His impact was immense. (Note 1).

From time to time a journalist would hear about 'Eternity' on a footpath and would take a photo for his or her newspaper or TV station. Millions would see this word, and the photos and the memories would last much longer than the chalk lettering on the concrete.

We all have an innate sense of 'Eternity', so the publishing of this word struck a chord in a great many hearts, right across our sun-burnt island continent.
 
Measuring Up
 
What does God say about our life that we can relate to this talk of 'Eternity'?
 
What does the world say? It may be that you don't feel that you measure up to the ideals of some movie star, royal person, or social media influencer. Does this affect you? Aren't you in your unique life that only you can live and will live for 'Eternity'?

Was He talking to you and to me? What did Jesus mean when He said: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24).
 
I think that Jesus is saying that life with Him makes us fruitful and precious, and that it is also sacrificial. We give of our self as we relate to others and help them grow, as we ourselves grow, day by day. This is discipleship. We are all expected to disciple others as we ourselves are discipled in Christ. Jesus knows that this will not be easy; in His Word He warns us: "Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and follow after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27).
 
Happily our Father God gives us what we need so we can live like this; He gives us Jesus who then baptises us with Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8).
 
Jesus often spoke firmly like this. In John chapter 15 He is clear that we are to "abide in the vine" (John 15:4); "abide ..", not "remain .." as in some translations; "abide" means "live" or "dwell", it is a permanent position, not casual or transient.
 
Jesus makes clear that He is the vine and our Father is the vine dresser who wants only "fruitful" branches, all others will be "thrown into the fire" (John 15:6). To be "fruitful" is to grow in Christlikeness.
 
Even the good branches, (us), will be pruned so we "will be even more fruitful" (John 15:4). I am grateful when our Father prunes me; when I realise what is happening I see that He is correcting something I had not noticed, some wrong behavior which has crept into my life and, in His great kindness (Romans 11:22), God is sorting it out (John 15:3).
 
People remember things about grape vines, they are very special plants:
•  Our friend had a vineyard; his wife would call him from his pruning for lunch. When he returned to he would see that the branch he was next to cut had visibly grown, sometimes three or four millimeters in an hour!
•  Another friend saw that when a branch is cut from a grape vine it quickly dies. Other kinds of cuttings can last days, even weeks, but not vine branches, they quickly wither and die (John 15:6).
•  Yet another friend remembers that when he cut a major vine branch much sap poured forth. The supply of food from the roots to the branches is prodigious. I have known times of massive growth in me under Jesus' loving care, and seen it in many others too. We do experience this flow of life that He gives us (John 15:7-8).
•  The Lord appointed Israel to be His vine (Hosea 10:1; Psalm 80:8), expecting much fruit. Not a cedar or pomegranate, a grape vine.
 
Shepherd
 
Sacrificial living flows two ways. We are expected to follow God's example, giving of our self for others. We also learn from Father God, who gave His beloved Son (John 3:16), and from Jesus who tirelessly worked (John 5:17), doing the will of His Father that we might be saved and come into a full relationship with the Heavenly family (James 2:5). 

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).
 
Jesus wants us to commit. To many "commit" is a difficult word; they feel that freedom means the lack of commitment, the possibility of following whatever whim comes along, and not be tied to others. I don't agree. I see freedom as having an assured present and future because we belong to a One who cares for and guides us, each one, totally and completely. Part of the freedom Jesus gives us is that He is our shepherd (John 10:1-18,25-30), and we can totally rely on Him.
 
We are in a place where we have security, just like the sheep in the shepherd’s pen (John 10:1-5). 

We are in the safest place in the world! We know we are cared for and have a lifetime of worthwhile things to do.
 
Available And Obedient
 
Trish and I are part of Australian Prayer Network. When they were being formed the founders were determined to follow Jesus in every part and activity of the group. They prayed and asked the Lord what He required of them and how they were to be as intercessors for Him in these times.
 
God's response was very clear: He wanted total availability and radical obedience .. APN is now tens of thousands strong and continues to this day. We see miracles from the prayers our Heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour Jesus, and our Counselor and Helper Holy Spirit lead us into. Total availability and radical obedience. Not just then in those first days. Not just the leaders, every intercessor. Every day. So simple. But also so costly.
 
Availability means that we will give our Lord time. Time to hear His voice, time to get to know Him more, time in the Scriptures, time in prayer, time with Christians whose counsel and fellowship we value. All these make room in our heart to hear our Father's voice and to learn what He wants of us today. This may not mean that we are to join a program at our local church or to do what our friend is doing, though it may include these things. More likely it will be something where Jesus, from His Father and by His Holy Spirit has spoken into our heart .. and may even have awoken a passion deep within us.
 
Jesus sees each of us as an individual and has unique works for each one. Often these are small and quite do-able for us who do not feel especially gifted or well trained; or He may guide us into joining others in a ministry or work:
 
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). 

Total means total. Total availability is big. We need not fear. When we are willing Jesus will lead us into His will (Matthew 14:14). Amazingly, living like this grows faith as we see Jesus working.
 
Radical obedience means: ".. that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10), that we are to follow where Jesus leads (John 10:3) and to be His hands, feet, voice and heart on Planet Earth. Jesus is still known as One who "..  had compassion .. " (Matthew 14:14); it is now our task to demonstrate His compassion (2 Corinthians 5:20), as we live as ambassadors for Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:20).
 
Many times I have heard preachers say that we are to "die to ourselves" so that we can fulfill God's will for our lives. All true. What does this mean? How does this relate to this desire that we should have "life .. to the full" (John 6:63; John 10:10). Christian life is sacrificial; Jesus showed us this, as did John, Peter, Paul (1 Corinthians 15:31) and so many others. Even in the Old Testament we see God's people giving of them-self for others, time and again. When we do this our life grows into fullness; "fullness" is one of my favourite Bible words!
 
Francis Frangipane wrote: "If you want to be like Christ, you have to die for people's sins. You have to be an intercessor who 'stands in the gap'. 'The gap' is the distance between the way things are and the way things should be. You stand in that space, cast down the accuser of the brethren and intercede". 'The Three Battlegrounds', 1989.
 
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24).
 
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).
 
"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).
 
Rich Yet Poor
 
Many in the Western World are having an identity crisis. We are so rich in material terms but seem poor emotionally, in who we are on our inside. We can do whatever we want with all our money; do we believe that we no longer need God? Is the loneliness of living alone less troublesome than the effort it takes to share our life with a spouse or a friend? (We are told that loneliness is another growing epidemic in our society).
 
With everything that is "trending" and with a myriad of fashion gurus to help us, we can build any identity we want. Right? We can then change it too, whenever we want. Does this help us?
 
Has something fundamentally changed in our world? People seem to be more watchful and more ready to be unpleasantly surprised. 

Over the past year or so, since the coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak, people have been talking, or not talking, about identity. Many prayer requests reveal to me a personal lack of:
•  a strong and positive identity and sense of worth, and
•  a clear understanding of our position in Jesus, of our Christian-ness which comes from a close relationship with our Saviour and Lord, our Abba Father God and our counselor and coach, dear Holy Spirit.
 
Jesus takes us to Himself when we become Christian (Romans 1:6). This is something complete and lasting (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is not symbolic or temporary, but is a very big change that will last forever. We truly do become a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17), and remain so throughout this life on Earth and on into 'Eternity' in Heaven.
 
".. you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies" (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20).
 
A Survey
 
Trish and I helped ask questions for a survey in our local area. Our group surveyed a big range of people, some said they were Buddhist, others Hindu, others Christian, (We have various temples, churches and a mosque near where we live), and some said they had no faith or "religious" convictions, (though, in fact, everybody has heaps of them! They form our worldview and everyone has a worldview).
 
A key question was: "Do you believe that you will go to Heaven when you die?"
•  Almost all the respondents said "yes".
•  When asked why they had given this answer almost all of them said they were "a good person" and thus felt qualified for Heaven, for 'Eternity'.
•  None of the respondents said "I belong to Jesus, so yes, I will go to Heaven". (This is the true position of every Christian, but seems not to be widely known).
•  None said "there is no such place as Heaven; when you die that is the end of you".
 
When we summarised all our results and findings our group saw that few people have a coherent view of life or its purpose, or of their beliefs or their place in 'Eternity'. So it is not surprising to find that as our cultural landscape is rapidly changing, levels of self-esteem, self-confidence, self-assurance and sense of worth are declining in our societies while levels of anxiety, depression, isolation and other forms of mental illness are rising alarmingly.
 
A pastor and teacher friend who knows and is very concerned about these things says that youth suicide in Australia is frighteningly frequent and increasing more and more.
 
So where am I in all this? Where are you? We can only help others if we, our-self, have a sound sense of who we are. My testimony is that the people I know who have their identity in Jesus and in His Kingdom also have an assurance of their standing in the Cosmos and in 'Eternity', and are filled with hope (Romans 5:2).
 
It does not matter how "successful" we are in the world's eyes, we belong to Jesus and are about His business, His works (John 9:4). Jesus wants our life to be "full" on His terms, not "successful" in the world's view.

I ask, have I died with Jesus (Romans 6:10-11)? Am I "born again" (1 Peter 1:23) to "new life in Him" (Romans 6:4)? Am I like "a grain of wheat" with "good fruit" from my life? Praise Jesus, who daily helps me to "press on" (Philippians 3:12).

 
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code" (Romans 7:6). 

In the book of Acts, (some translations call it "The Acts Of The Apostles"), we see the early Christian church in action, I love the pictures painted here; people simply absorbed their Christian-ness into their every-day lives. Their identity as Jesus' followers was so strong that it affected every part of their self and their day. Their levels of fellowship, empathy, generosity, and their desire for the Word of God were extraordinary.
 
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,  praising God and having favour with all the people .." (Acts 2:42-47a).
 
The people around them saw how they lived, and responded:
 
".. and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47b).
 
Isn't this what we all are wanting?
 

The books of John, Romans, Ephesians and Colossians are favourites of mine; they reveal so much about Jesus, and tell us how to be as Christians, and what it means to belong and be part of the Kingdom of God. They tell about the spiritual world and the day-to-day world we know, and how to struggle, persevere and flourish and grow in Jesus. Wonderful. They teach that we will grow, even "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature personhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). (Note 2).

 
We become ".. his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
 
".. as it is written: 'What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived', the things God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).
 

Praise Jesus.

Amen.
 
Favourite Bible Verses
 
"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).
 
"The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works" (2 Corinthians 12:12). 

"For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God" (1 Peter 2:19)
 
"Through Him we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance;  and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope" (Romans 5:2-4).
 
 
Note 1
It was discovered that "Mr Eternity" was Arthur Stace. He had been a soldier and became a Christian in his mid 40s. He spread his message by inscribing the word "'Eternity'" in copperplate writing with yellow chalk on footpaths and doorsteps in and around Sydney from 1932 to his death in 1967 (Wikipedia).
 
Note 2
Other Bible books, like Revelation and the letters to the Corinthians and the Galatians show that even in the early decades of the church there were those who followed wrong paths. We see this still, with the corporate nature of the church, its craving after celebrity, presenting "services" which are entirely from-the-front, with the seeking after money, with the levels of isolation within the congregations. (Not to mention the systematic cover-ups of past sexual abuse and paedophilia by church people against those they were charged with nurturing. The church may think that this is all behind us now, but the world still see it as an unresolved scandal and many in our communities hold the whole church accountable).

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

Singularity - Infinity

Singularities And Infinity

I have run into a "science" word: "singularity", which is new to me and which may help shed light on the mysteries of our beginnings.

The clearest definitions I have found are these:
•  Singularity - an event without a beginning and therefore outside the laws of physics, chemistry and thermodynamics; a supernatural event.
•  Singularity - a geometric point with no dimensions where the laws of physics break down. It is a theoretical point of zero volume and infinite density.
•  Singularity - a point where all parallel lines meet.

Scientists tend to not like singularities because they cannot be explained. What they call the "Big Bang" is a singularity. Scientists talk as though the word, singularity, on its own, fills the gaps in their explanations of where the Universe and all life come from.

I'm glad science does recognise that there is a beginning, that there was something before time, matter, galaxies, supernovas, our Sun and our lovely "blue planet" came to be. A time before life and flowers, strawberries, dogs, eagles and us. Logic, (and our heart), tell us that these all had to come from somewhere, and must be for a purpose.

When I ponder "singularity" I see God. Singularities have to do with the infinite, so from that perspective must be theoretical. God is the only infinite thing we know. This may seem strange to say, because in the world of science the concept of infinity is often present. But things are not infinite, infinity is just a necessary theory and a part of mathematics. Even the smallest atomic particle can be measured so is not infinitely small. If we travel to the outer edge of the universe there will be a "last" or furthest galaxy, so not an infinite distance.

The early scientists were Christian. They saw their discoveries as showing the glory, creativity, order, and kindness of God in His provision for us, and they delighted to continue to learn more, and better understand their Creator.

Today many scientists try to persuade us that there is an impassable divide between faith and science, but this is not true. Scientists need faith too, to believe what they think they have found. We have faith because we are "certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1); we are assured that we "will see God" (Matthew 5:8).

God Is

All God's attributes are without end, without limit. Infinite:
•  His love is boundless, (happily, Christians know this to be true; even in trouble we know God's great love (John 16:33)).
•  His omnipotence is without limit, (though His power is always exactly what is needed).
•  Omniscience is what we call God's understanding of everything.
•  God will even forgive sins seventy times seven times and that is a Bible number without end, infinite.

We know our Father God to be real and present with influence, purpose and power, all of which come from His great and infinite love. God can set things "as far as the East is from the West" (Psalm 103:12), a distance which cannot be measured. Infinity?

Everything else is created.

Time began. We Christians know this as the "beginning" in our Bible (Genesis 1:1, and John 1:1). Time is not infinite, though eternity is. Eternity belongs to God. Every other use of "infinity" can only be symbolic, hypothetical or imaginary.

Science has never come close to explaining where all the Universe’s energy and its mass, (physical matter), came from; it has no reasonable, scientifically proven explanation at all for where life comes from. (Attempts to demonstrate the "origins of life" are seen as empty by serious molecular biologists (YouTube: "James Tour: The Mystery of the Origin of Life")). On top of all this lack, the much heralded "Scientific Method" rules out any possibility of there being a supernatural reality, a spiritual world, where miracles occur; (yet "supernatural" is included in definitions of "singularity"!)

Our Bibles tell us that ours is a world where, besides the Kingdom of God, there are "rulers, authorities, cosmic powers", and "spiritual forces" (Ephesians 6:12). Can you imagine living without the possibility of God and miracles in your life? In your family? In our world?

When we think of God as being infinite, beyond measure, then we can see that it would be no trouble for Him to create a big Universe, no more trouble than creating a small one, or just a "garden in Eden" .. (Genesis 2:15).

I know from Scripture, from hundreds, (probably thousands), of testimonies I have heard, from studying history, science and logic, and from many of my own experiences, that God can do anything; I can think of nothing that could limit Him from "creat[ing] the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) in a heartbeat.

And all this Creation was put in place on God's spoken word. A one-time event, a singularity.

"God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:4; 10; 12; 18; 21; 25; 31).

(A pod of dolphins just swam by! So beautiful, so graceful. I am down South at our favourite camp-site, by the sea, working with my laptop. It is late afternoon, and campers are coming to walk, paddleboard, play in the sand or share a bottle of wine as the day ends and the sun sets. A hush fell over the people, we were all blessed by this lovely event, a dolphin family getting their dinner).

Let us remember that God also created the intangibles that are so vital to life: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). These "fruits of the Spirit" are known to every person who ever lived. Let us not forget that these words are God's, that it was God who brought these concepts, and their reality, to the Universe and to us.

The atheist world of accidental creation of life, and purposeless incremental development through countless generations of evolution and partial-development, (including much doomed-to-failure-partial-development), is claimed to have brought survival and breeding success of the fittest. There is no room there for empathy or compassion or loyalty or laughter, all gifts of God to us. Even whales, horses and baby lions love to play.

And how could gender form, you know, so that species could breed and reproduce themselves? How could that very complicated multi-faceted both-male-and-female process develop over countless accidental and purposeless generations? Now there is a question!

Mark Twain said: "there is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such trifling investments of fact". Quoted by Michael Crichton in "State Of Fear", Harper Collins, 2004. Just as true today as in Mr. Twain's lifetime.

A New Heaven And A New Earth

And it will be just as easy for God to roll up the Universe, when He is ready, "like a garment" (Hebrews 1:12), and create the "new Heaven and the new Earth" (Revelation 21:1) that He already has planned. It does not sound as though it will take millions or billions of years for God to dismantle what He created, or to establish our new home; a heaven to last for eternity .. another singularity from infinity and for infinity.

Those "beginning" days of creation were unique, never to be repeated. The Bible tells the creation story, and it fits with what we see of the world. From the infinity of eternity, the infinite God created. As my lovely theology teacher often says, "it is all for His Son and for His glory!"

A singular "God" event, from love, for love, never to be repeated. Awesome!

Thank you Jesus.

Favourite Scriptures

"And, 'You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;  they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,  like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end'" (Hebrews 1:10-12).

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens" (Psalm 8:1).

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:10-12).

Amen.

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Praise Jesus.

Transparent

Definition: trăns-pâr'ənt, -păr'- something clear, see through or obvious. A window is transparent. When you are transparent your authenticity will translate as honesty and integrity, even as Godly love.

 

God's Plan

 

Isn't it God's intention that the whole of the Creation comes to know and share in His glory?

 

The Bible tells us that God's glory, grace and truth are inextricably joined together in Jesus (John 1:14,16,17).

 

It is so good to know that this is where we are headed, those of us who belong to Jesus, who are in His family and part of the Kingdom of our Father God .. We are headed to God's glory! 

Upon our salvation we were given a certain hope of eternal life with Jesus; we were immediately set free from the burden of our sins (Romans 6:22), justified and declared righteous (Romans 3:21-24), and made a son or a daughter of His Father (Romans 8:16; Philippians 2:15; 1 John 3:1).

 

From that moment God has been filling us and growing us, each one, by His Holy Spirit (John 14:26; Acts 13:52), more and more into "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).

 

Thus, we also, like Jesus, become filled with grace and truth. This is good .. wonderful for us who are saved, and really great for the world which seems more and more to be heading into "this present darkness" (Ephesians 6:14).

 

Truth is so central to life in Christ, yet seems to be becoming lost to our World (Isaiah 59:4).

 

Just as God wants us to be gracious (and generous) in the broadest sense, He also wants us to be true (John 4:23), to be genuine (2 Corinthians 6:6, 8), to be transparent (Ephesians 4:15).

 

No Transparency

 

In Western Australia we have just gone through our state government election. During the campaign there was no transparency to be had anywhere from any of the parties. None of the vital issues of our day formed any part of the discussions or comprised any part of the different electoral platforms. So the successful majority can legitimately do anything they want .. they have promised nothing of substance.

 

"The Lord has handed sinners over to their own choices in rejecting his all illuminating glory, handed them over to the darkness of their own choices" (John 9:39).

"Since an existential state of emptiness is unbearable for those made for the indwelling divine glory (Psalm 8:5), idolatry is inevitable" (John Yates, January 2021).

 

Are we so conditioned by the flow of lies and misinformation, political correctness, no-platforming, confusion, intimidation and even electoral tampering, that we will accept any kind of government that wins our untruthful election campaigns?

 

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).

 

What are we to do?

 

Pray!

 

"Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication .. keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18) and even for the whole world ..

 

Two Meanings

 

Led Zeppelin sang "sometimes words have two meanings". That was 50 years ago, and it seems that their insight has never had more poignancy than now. ('Stairway To Heaven', Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, 1971).

 

Humpty Dumpty and Alice in Wonderland shared the same ideological concept: "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less". "The question is", said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things". "The question is", said Humpty Dumpty, "[who] is to be master?" (Lewis Carroll 'Alice in Wonderland' 1934).

 

Controlling the meaning of a word gives power. Words and ideology are playing a big but unwelcome part in the lives of billions of people today in ways few foresaw at the turn of our new Century. Neither truth nor common sense have their true value.

 

Ideas which are central to our society’s core were codified in our national constitutions and also by the United Nations protocols to which our nations are signatories .. ideas now being ignored and over-ridden by our provincial, state and national law makers.

 

Truth, common sense, generations of cultural norms and even true science and proven economics play no part in decision making and law making for whole nations, and even multi-national corporations.

 

Is there now no room for God's leadership in our world?

 

Our liberty to raise our children, express what we think, and worship and pray together is being removed. Will we be unable to be parents to our children, but rather be legally obliged, at great governmental threat, to allow state representatives to be our children's only influencers?

 

Must we leave God, and our Saviour Jesus, out of our conversations? Even out of our hearts and thoughts? I believe that this is what is beginning to be demanded of us.

 

The toxic politics of our time are very destructive. Politics is supposed to work for the ultimate benefit of each nation. It is sometimes called "the art of compromise" where there is give-and-take among those proposing different solutions until a workable way forward is found. When I was young we saw this happening and our nations grew in civility, fairness and prosperity.

 

Now though, no-one will even listen to the other's point of view. Discussion is being shut down. People are being denied a place to air their view. Some subjects may no longer be spoken of in public. This path can only lead to totalitarian governments.

 

My generation were well exposed to what life was like in totalitarian Russia and the Soviet Union, and in East Germany who endured the Stasi secret police with more than 1,000,000 citizens voluntarily informing against their neighbours.

 

All this just a few decades ago! Have we all forgotten?

 

God Knows

 

These worrying thoughts bring me back to verses from Isaiah:

 

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20).

 

"Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter.  Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil [and seeks after good] makes himself a prey" (Isaiah 59:14-15).

And these verses remind me that Jesus is "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15); He has equipped us as His "ambassadors" (2 Corinthians 5:20) and "servants" (Ephesians 2:10) in the world ..

"Because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction .." (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

"Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you" (Luke 10:19).

 

Remnant - Real Friends

 

I'm sure that Christians have shared these kinds of thoughts with one another again and again over the centuries, in those times when they became aware that evil forces were at work to take over their nation. Christians are having to gather more tightly together and learn what it is to be a remnant; persecution always comes with totalitarian government.

 

Today there seems to be no broad scale and practical opposition to the evil advances .. ungodly rule is spreading.

 

Let us look to our real friends, those friends who are filled with Jesus and His Holy Spirit and live for Him. Let us share our lives, pray together, study the Scriptures and worship. Let us be careful with our resources and at the same time be generous towards those with real needs. Let us care for one another and love one another, and especially all our children and young adults ..

 

"Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).

 

Being transparent is to do with truth, truth and clarity, and even vulnerability. Sometimes transparency may be costly to us, it was costly to Jesus first. Jesus is truth (John 1:14; 1:17; 4:24).

We ask "what would Jesus do?" Then we look to His loving relationship with His (and our) Abba Father God. As in so many things, Jesus is our example of what it is to be Christian and to be a follower of His Way.

 

And let us remember: the New Testament tells us that people would come to the Christians seeking the wondrous thing that they had found (John 12:21) .. they did not need to be persuaded, they came because they were hungry, needy, and saw the light of Christ in Jesus' people, the ecclesia of God (Colossians 1:27).

 

"Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer, being alert and intent in your praying, with thanksgiving" (Colossians 4:2 Amplified).

 

Praise Jesus for His constant love and for the Christian brothers and sisters He has given each one of us ..

 

Amen.

Favourite Scriptures

".. Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, He left nothing outside His control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him" (Hebrews 2:8). 

 

"They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. 'Sir', they said, 'we would like to see Jesus'" (John 12:21).

 

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

 

 " .. Love one another .." (John 13:34, twice)

 " .. Love one another .." (John 15:12)

 " .. Love one another" (John 15:17)

 " .. Love one another .." (Romans 13:8)

 "Greet one another with a holy kiss" (2 Corinthians 13:12)

 " .. Love one another" (1 Thessalonians 4:9)

 " .. Love one another deeply, from the heart" (1 Peter 3:8)

 " .. Love one another deeply .." (1 Peter 4:8)

 "Greet one another with a kiss of love" (1 Peter 5:14)

 " .. Love one another" (1 John 3:11)

 " .. Love one another" (1 John 3:23)

 " .. Love one another" (1 John 4:7)

 " .. Love one another" (1 John 4:11)

 " .. Love one another" (1 John 4:12)

 " .. Love one another" (2 John 5)

 

Thank you Jesus ..

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Amen. Praise Jesus.