His Name shall be called the Prince of Peace

I said earlier that this verse (Isaiah 9:6), contains a reference to Christ's second coming. In the Hebrew Scriptures, there are two pictures of the coming Messiah. The first is that of the suffering servant (Isaiah 53 for example), the second the conquering Messiah (“You are My Son .... I will give You the nations for Your inheritance ... You shall break them with a rod of iron” Psalm 2:7-9). The two advents together are “to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24). In the coming Kingdom there will be peace, even to the lion lying down with the lamb (see Isaiah 11:6). In the Hebrew Scriptures, the two advents are often seen together and, without 20/20 hindsight are difficult to separate. It is clear that “Unto us a child is born, is talking about His first advent. But we see it is also about His second in the earlier part of the verse where “the government shall be upon His shoulders, ” and in context (verse 7) “Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end.”

To confirm that this latter description is not about His fist coming (if it's not already obvious) we could quote “They dress the wound of my people lightly saying 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace.” It feels very much like a description of here and now! But at the start of His ministry, Jesus announced “The Kingdom is at hand” (Mark 1:15). He is saying that the Kingdom is both here, and not yet here,  in it's fullness. The Prince of peace comes to bring peace,  peace with God (Romans 5:1), and the peace of God (Philippians 4:7). It starts with those of us who know Him. We receive the peace of God when we come to Him in full surrender (Matthew 11:28, 29; John 14:27). And it is intended to spread from us like yeast “through the whole lump (Matthew 13:13). The peace we carry is part of the fruit of the indwelling Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and when we fully live it, it is infectious. Have you ever seen the Lord work through Your peace to bring peace to another as without speech  you simply sat with them them, perhaps  holding their hand?

But will this peace ever infiltrate the whole World? Well no, the wheat and the weeds will grow together until the harvest (Matthew 13:30). In the meantime we are to be Ambassadors of the Prince of peace imploring others on Christ’s behalf, to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20), imploring them to receive both peace with God, and the peace of God. And as we pass from the old year to the new, let us renew our confidence in Him receiving His hope and peace and joy and love morning by morning through out the coming year.

Father I want to thank You that You have made our lives significant, in that as we fully engage in the type of discipleship we have been discussing, we actually hasten the day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:11, 12). Lord Jesus, teach us to be lovers of Your appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). Equip us Lord with zeal according to knowledge, and spend us Lord, like a penny in Your pocket that we may bring You honour and glory and praise in the coming year in Your precious and Holy Name we pray Amen

His Name shall be called the "Everlasting Father"

Father God tends to get a bad rap. I hear people say Jesus is okay, Holy Spirit is okay, but you have to watch out for Father God. But in the mystery of Trinity one of the Names of the child born, of Messiah, of Jesus, is the Everlasting Father. And it is easy at this point to fall into heresy. I mean to call God One, but not three! If Jesus is the Father and nothing more and nothing less, how come He prays to Him, and how come Jesus does only those things which He sees the Father doing (John 14:16; 5:19, 20)? I am not saying I can get my head round this, and as I have said before, if we can understand God we would be God! Having said that part of what it must mean that the Name of the Son is Everlasting Father, is that the Father and the Son have the same character, the same DNA. In particular, Philip asks Jesus to show him the Father and Jesus replies “He who has seen me, has seen the Father (John 14:9).

There is another misunderstanding here that I believe Trinity can help us come to terms with, if not fully understand. I mean the Father sent the Son to die in my place, and your place. I hear people saying, that that's barbaric, and that they would not ask their son to die for anyone! Well neither would I! But Jesus and the Father are One and, in danger of being overly repetitious, one of the Names of the Son is the “Everlasting Father.” We don't know exactly what that means, but it has to mean that the relationship between Trinity is different from our earthly relationships. And also that because of Trinity, when the Father sent the Son He was, in a real sense, sending Himself. Yes I know it sounds like foolishness, but then the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and was not the wisdom of the cross foolishness to us when we were perishing (1 Corinthians 1: 25, 18)? See 1 Corinthians 8:2!

The final thing that I want to say this morning, and it is part of why Father God gets a bad rap, is that we tend to confuse the character of Father God with that of our earthly fathers. In my own case I knew my dad loved me, but only from a distance. Being a workaholic he had little time for me. And this is how I thought about God for the longest time. If your father was abusive, it is likely even worse, but the Lord wants to restore the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers (Malachi 4:6). And He wants to restore His relationship with you, and for that you need to stop believing the lies the Evil one tells you about Father God, and to start believing that He is just like Jesus, and that He loves You with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

Father, there are so many things I do not understand, help me not to lean on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Please help me to be child like, and teachable. Forgive us Lord for the lies we have believed about You, and show us what we are still believing that's not true. Thank You that You have told us that if we draw near to You, You will draw near to us (James 4:8) in Jesus Name Amen

His Name shall be called "Mighty God"

 Continuing with Isaiah 9:6, one of the Names of the child born,  the son given is “Mighty God.” The verse also contains the mystery that Christ is both God and man. I mean not only is He God, He is “Mighty God.” That He is man is seen in that He comes through natural birth, as a little baby, and that He grows in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52). We can get this wrong in two ways, either denying His deity, and this is exactly what the cults, and a large part of the World does. We can also deny that Christ is man (1 John 4:2). And unknowingly (I suspect) many Christians do exactly this when they say, for example, that Jesus could do miracles, because He is God.


Think about it, Jesus told the disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead etc, and they did (Matthew 10:8; Acts 9:36-42). Does this mean,  for example, that Peter is God? If Jesus did the things He did on earth because He is God, then we can applaud Him, but we can never be like Him. But if He did these things as a Spirit fulled man, then He can (and does) expect us to do these things too (John 14:12). And when we don't tap into this, we are falling short of our calling! But did Jesus cease to be God, when He came to earth? Well no, Scripture tells us that He emptied Himself of His divine attributes (Philippians 2:7). In other words He remained God, but did not use His power as God. Rather He did the things He did as a Spirit fulled man, and then calls us to do the same, and this is what the early Church did (1 Thessalonians 1:5). 


The reason it was necessary for Christ to be both God and man, is related to the nature of covenant. Covenants were sealed by blood sacrifice. Typically an animal was cut in two, and both parties would walk through between the pieces (see Genesis 15:12-18). What was being agreed,  is that if one side did not uphold his side of the bargain, then what had happened to the animal, would need to happen to him. Only by the death of one of the parties could the covenant be annulled. And God had made a covenant with man, specifically the ten commandments. And man broke the covenant (Romans 3:23), so man had to die (Romans 6:23). But the sacrificial system of the Old Testament is the foreshadowing of  another way,  through the substitutionary sacrifice of lamb without blemish.  It was a only foreshadowing however, for clearly the blood of an animal was insufficient to atone for the sins of men (Hebrews 10:4). There would need to be the sacrifice of a perfect spotless human being. And  indeed the man Christ Jesus who was indeed without sin (Hebrews 4:15),  is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World, for  as many as will receive Him (John 1:25, 12).

Lord Jesus, without Your incredible sacrifice You could have been merciful but not just, or just but not merciful, but either of  these things would have violated Your character. Thank You for finding a way for righteous and mercy to kiss (Psalm 85:10), and for mankind to be redeemed. No wonder we will be singing Your praises for all eternity. We bless you this morning Lord,  in Your precious Name Amen

His Name shall be called Councillor

Whether we should read Wonderful and Counsellor as separate names, or Wonderful Counsellor as a single name, it is clear that His counsel is wonderful. Paul could declare “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out” (Romans 11:33)! This does not mean however, that we do not have access to these things, to His council. Indeed He has promised to give us wisdom (council) when we can admit that we need it, and then ask Him for it in faith (James 1:5, 6). It does mean that we can never arrive at the place where we no longer need His wisdom and council. Indeed, we will always be influenced by someone's council be it our own, or the World's or His. And in regard to these things, He warns “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me” (Isaiah 30:1).

Our need of Him, our dependence on Him goes so contrary to the spirit of rugged North American individualism. But it is consistent with the fact that unless we humble ourselves and become as a little child, we cannot enter the Kingdom (Matthew 18:3,4). A little child knows he has not arrived, knows he does not have all the answers, does not go round saying “I am right and everyone else is wrong.” The World tends to do this, calling everyone intolerant who does not agree with them, not realizing that this stance is intolerant in and of itself. Unfortunately the Church does something very similar, and this breeds an “us and them” mentality,  separates us from each other and the very people we say we are trying to reach. Paul tells us “If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:1).

One of the things of whose depths we will never plummet, is the concept of what, for want of a better name, we are pleased to call Trinity. The verse we are alluding to this morning (Isaiah 9:6) is one of the clearer part of Old Testament Trinitarian theology. In particular, the name of the Son given, is Councillor (Wonderful Councillor), a Name Given to Holy Spirit. Indeed “The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might” (Isaiah11:2). All this is part of the mystery of it all, part of knowing we know nothing yet as we aught to know. However this does not mean that there are not things about which we need to be sure. The writer to the Hebrews list as elementary principle such things as repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:1,2). In regard to these things we must not be ever learning but never arriving at the truth (2 Timothy 3:7).

Father, certainly the mystery of it all is past finding out. Paul asks“who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But then goes on to say that we have the mind of Christ, and that You have revealed the wisdom of God in mystery by Your Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:16, 7, 10). Thank You Father that You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children (Matthew 11:25), so teach us to be child like Lord, in Jesus Name Amen.

His Name shall be called Wonderful

Scholars are divided as to whether “Wonderful” in the quote from Isaiah 9:6 is an adjective describing His Name “Counsellor,” or it is is one of Christs many Names. It is an important question, since of names in the Hebrew culture have great significance. To the Hebrews,  a name was not just a label,  something sounding nice, or a way for us to know who we were speaking to or about. To the Hebrews a person's name was thought of as being equivalent to the person himself,  and among other things,  also signified their worth, character, reputation and authority. We see for example the Holy Spirit saying “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments” (Revelation 3:4). The NIV translates “Name” in Greek as “persons, ” but literally  it is “name.” In regard to God, we sing praises to His Name (Psalm 18:49). Since “those who know their God will do exploits (Daniel 11:32), then we need to get to know the Names of our God!

The Hebrew word translated here as “wonderful,” also has the sense of incomprehensible, remarkable and secret (see Judges 13:18).  And certainly Jesus is all of these things. The word “wonderful” means of a sort that causes,  or arouses wonder, amazement and astonishment. But along with the loss of a love of learning we have lost our sense of wonder, and we rejected anything that smacks of mystery. I hear people say that they don't believe in Trinity, because the don't understand it. But if you understood God, you would be God! It is all part of the enemy's plan in the West to hoodwink us into believing that the material is all there is. Of course his other tactic, if that does not work, is to persuade us he exists and has more power than he does. But reality is not a duality, the devil is not equal and opposite to God. And the only power he has, is that which we have given him. But enough about him!

I have a book that one day I might get round to reading (I have more books that I have not read ...). It's called “The evidential power of beauty,” by Thomas Dubay. His contention is that beauty is the place where Science and theology meet. Some have tried to explain beauty in terms of evolution as "the survival of the prettiest,” but what about the beauty of creation, of a sunset, or of music, or great literature, or the ability to inspire to greatness?  What is the survival utility of these things? Dubay's thesis is confirmed by Scripture that tells us  “the heavens declare the Glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). And who created all these things? It is the Lord of Glory,  the Lord of wonder, and truly is His Name and character and persona are wonderful. And this does not even start to mention His work in salvation. But you may ask “Isn't nature terrible too, red in tooth and claw? And I answer yes nature is both wonderful and terrible, just like our God who is also a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

Lord Jesus, great and marvelous are your works, and just and true are Your ways. Who will not fear You, our awesome and terrible God (Nehemiah 9:32)? But perfect love casts out all fear, and  so we have confidence in the day of Your coming (1 John 2:28). Lord please restore our appreciation of the wonder of who You are,  in Your precious Name Amen

Boxing day aftermath. How shall we then live?

“It's all over bar the shouting!” I don't know the origin of the phrase, but it was well known in the circles I moved in, and it expressed the disappointment of “the morning after.” After all the hype of Christmas, the over indulgence and the consequence thereof, my friend was expressing anticlimax and disappointment, if not a tinge of regret. It is Boxing day, and the commercial hype continues with Boxing day sales, or is it Boxing week, or Boxing year sales? The name “Boxing day” is said to originate in Britain where “Christmas boxes” (presents) are said to have been given to the servants. Another suggestion is that it was a reference to charity drives. Several years ago now, Mother suggested, instead of the adults giving each other presents (with some of us notoriously difficult to buy for), that we give gifts to charity in each other's name. It leaves a much better taste in our mouths, than receiving a matching pen and pencil that we neither needed, nor wanted. And this way we likely did not spend more than we could afford. I am, of course, talking about the (relatively) affluent West.

I say “relatively affluent,” since I am well aware that many in Canada live below the Canadian poverty level. And I am grateful for the programs like “angel tree,” that provides Christmas presents for children whose parents are interned in prison. I am grateful for the various food banks, and charities like Salvation Army that feed and cloth the Canadian poor. I am grateful too for Samaritan's purse's “Operation Christmas child,” that sends shoe box size presents to children in underdeveloped countries. Many of these kids have never received a Christmas gift ever. Watching videos of them opening their boxes that contain things like school supplies, as well as other things, is heartwarming. But I am also aware that in wanting to “give our children what we never had,” we may unintentionally have taught them to feel entitled.

Researcher Paul Piff concludes that “As people get richer, they are more likely to feel entitled, to exploit others, and to cheat.” But the welfare system, where the government provides everything, can produce the same attitudes. The so called “Protestant work ethic” which attached value to responsibility, hard work, thrift, and efficiency, is in danger of going out the window. It is however, largely responsible for the success of Capitalism. Someone has said that Capitalism is bad, except that everything else is worse. If history teaches us anything, it seems to be true that those countries, where the government is expected to provide everything for everyone, inevitably go bankrupt. So how shall we then live? Paul sums it up this way “The love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15). This seems to me to be the very opposite of entitlement.

Father, forgive us Lord for any part we have played in teaching others to feel entitled, and for our own wrong attitudes. Please give us Your wisdom Lord, and the Grace we need to live for You, and not for ourselves. We want be Your Ambassador disciples Lord, and to display Your Character to this wicked and hurting World, so that many may see and fear and be saved, in Your precious Name we pray Amen

Unto us a child is born, a son is given

This morning we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the messiah, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, the one who burst into space and time as a little helpless baby. We spend a long time preparing for Christmas, the Lord spent much longer. Isaiah, who lived eight centuries before Christ, was not the first to prophecy of His coming, but is perhaps the most startling, and if I dare say it, the most Evangelical, Christian and Trinitarian in the theology of His prophetic words. Through him we hear prophecies of the virgin birth (7:14); of the gospel, including the universal sinfulness of mankind (53:6a, b), of Christ's substitutionary death (53:6c, 8c, 10c, 12e); His subsequent resurrection (11a, which follows 8c); the doctrine of justification (11b); and that He ever lives to make intercession for us (12f; Hebrews 7:25). And in case anyone is left in doubt that this prophecy is about Jesus, we read “Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Isaiah 53; Acts 8:26-33; 34, 35).

Isaiah 53 points us to the finished work of the perfect son of man (Isaiah 53:9c.d; 11b). The verse indicated in the title is given  in the very midst of the monotheistic Scriptures of Judaism. It is perhaps the clearest Old Testament expression of the doctrine of the Trinity, of Christ's deity, and with 20/20 hindsight, of the second coming. The verse reads “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). The verse is universally acknowledged to be messianic, and we note concerning Messiah's deity, that one of His Names is “Mighty God.” As to the mystery of the Trinity, one of the Names of the Son given is the “Everlasting Father,” another “Wonderful Counsellor,” a reference to Holy Spirit (see 11:2).

The Scriptures speak of all this and more, as mystery, and that to believers “it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11). However, since Satan has blinded the eyes of those who do not believe, these mysteries are hidden from the eyes of unbelievers (verse 11; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4). And in their blindness, and their world without true hope they, knowingly or unknowingly, fight against the Lord and His anointed. The opposition can be fierce as with Herod's determination to eliminate the Christ child (Matthew 2:16). And thinking on these things this morning, I am reminded that we are in a war to the death with the enemy of our souls. So how shall we then live (2 Peter 3:11)?

Father, we intercede this morning for ourselves, in the battle for our loved ones who do not yet know You, and for all those for whom Christmas is such a difficult time. Thank You Father for the infinite care You took to prepare the World for the coming of Jesus, and that through Your Word, we can be sure of the things of which we have believed. Help us by Your Grace to us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with perseverance the race you have set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 11:1 NET; 12:1,2). Bring each one to hope, peace, love and joy Lord, even in the midst of the battle in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship, Advent and the DNA of love

As we have been saying, we disciples are intended to be yeast that leavens the whole dough .... making disciples to the ends of the earth. And the Lord gives the World the right to judge that we are His disciples by our love. Explicitly “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). In other words part of the DNA of a “disciple indeed” (John 8:31) is love. There are three different Greek words in Scripture that are translated “love” in English. A little overly simplistically they are eros, or erotic and romantic love, phileo or friendship love, and finally agapao. This last word is found only in the Bible and the writing of the Church. It is the unconditional love of God, the love that lead Christ to undergo suffering and death in order to redeem sinful mankind (John 3:16). And it is with this love that the World will know we are His disciples, and with which we are commanded to love one another (John 13:35; 15:12).

Scripture tells us that “God is love (agapao)” (1 John 4:16). What this is saying, is that the very essence of God is extravagant unconditional love. It is part of His DNA, and it is to be part of ours as disciples (John 13:35 again). In 1 John 4:19 we read “We love (agapao) because He first loved (agapao) us.” Some translations have “We love Him ...,” but “Him” is not in the best readings. Certainly we love Him too, but taken together these verses are saying that the source of this extravagant love is God, and our ability to love in this way comes only as we respond to the overwhelming extravagance of His agape love. But clearly not all Christians exhibit this, and those that do, may not be consistent in displaying it. And that is why He commands us to “abide in My (agapao) love” (John 15:9).

But what does it mean to abide in His love? The very next verse (v 10) tells us part of it. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love.” God's agape love is unconditional, but it is not codependent, it is not an enabling love. God's agape love is tough love when it needs to be, allowing us to suffer the consequences of our poor choices (Galatians 6:7). This love is righteously jealous, and is as strong as death (Song 8:6 LXX). For God's agape love to grow in us, it has to be returned, and this is why He commands us to love (agape) Him with all we are and have (Luke 10:27). But love also grows as we spend time (abide) with each other and Him. Since He is love and the source of love, we will know that love more and more as we choose to be still before Him in the secret place, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10; 91:1).

Father, help us in this busy season to take the time to meditate on the reason for the season. Help us to love one another as You have loved us, and help us to stay vitally connected to You in the midst of all the business and the tinsel and the trimmings and the turkey. Please help those Lord for whom this season is so very very difficult. Draw them and us into Your hope and peace and joy and love in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship, Advent and the DNA of Joy

Hebrews 10:34 stands out in startling contrast to the West's emphasis on materialism at this season.  It reads “You had compassion on those in prison, and you accepted the plundering of your possessions with joy, knowing yourselves to have a better and abiding possession.” And perhaps nowhere else is the difference between Biblical joy and happiness more pronounced, than it is here. In particular happiness depends so heavily on happenstance (everything going my way)! Joy, on the other hand transcends circumstances and allows us to rise above them. Paul and Silas  also illustrate this well, being able to sing hymns at midnight after having been been severely flogged, thrown into prison and put in stocks. And surly their joy was part of what lead the jailer at Philippi to convert, and having believed to rejoice, he and his household (Acts 16:23-34).

What I am saying, is that joy is yet another part of the DNA of the yeast that we are to be, that is to spread through the whole lump,  to the ends of the earth. Notice that this is not stoicism, gritting our teeth and simply enduring. Stoics don't sing hymns at midnight having been beaten with rods, and having had “many stripes” laid on them (verses 22, 23 NKJV). This joy is supernatural and flows out of being vitally connected to the source of all joy, to the One who “for the joy set before Him endured the cross despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). By and large the Church is not there yet, but as I keep saying if we are to be His “disciples indeed, ” we must get past the superficial happiness of the season and with His supernatural help , count it all joy when we find ourselves in the mist of diverse trials and temptations (James 1:2).

One of the proofs of the resurrection of Christ, is that many who had seen Him post resurrection were willing to go to their deaths, rather than renounce their faith. You do not die for a lie! All this bring us back to the last part of Hebrews 10:34, and to the question “what is it that they had, that we don't.” I don't know what you are going through this morning, but I suspect it's not greater than what Paul went through and described it as “our light and momentary afflictions that are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17; 11:24-33). I am not saying this is easy, nor that we can do this without Him. But what I do know, is that the day I knew was going to be the worst day of my life the Lord, among other things, drew my attention to the above Hebrews 12:2, and told me that pain is a barrier the other side of which is joy. He was telling me that I needed to push through the pain to joy.

Father, thank You for the hope, peace and joy that Advent brings when we tap into it, and it penetrates our hearts. If we are to engage in that form of discipleship that will go to the ends of the earth , and bring in the prophesied billion soul harvest, we must be infectious and display the character of the early believers, in particular, their joy. We cannot do it without You. And You will not work this work in us without our radical surrender (Luke 9:23). So this morning Lord I surrender all to You as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship, Advent, living in perfect peace

This morning we are considering the second advent theme of peace. If we fully embrace the hope (last day) as an anchor to the soul it will stabilize and fortify us, and bring us to peace. Ultimately though, peace is the gift of God,  of which and there are two aspects, peace with God and the peace of God. Paul tells us that being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Before salvation we were His enemies (verse 10), now we are adopted sons and daughters, and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15 - 17). Secondly there is the peace that God gives in the here and now. Jesus tells us “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you, ” and like any gift, peace has to be received,  and we receive it by not letting our “hearts be troubled and do not being afraid” (John 14:27). Most of us find that last part, the thing we need to do to receive His peace, easier said than done. But with His help, all things are possible.

Being a Hebrew Jesus would have the Hebrew concept of peace (shalom). Shalom includes our idea of peace which can mean little more than the cessation of hostilities. But the shalom that God gives also includes harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. And God promises to keep in perfect shalom (not just shalom), those whose mind is stayed on Him, those who trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3). I don't know your circumstances this morning, but even if you are in relative peace, you will likely know someone whose situation could rightly be described as dire. But for all of us, claiming God's shalom is about learning to look past the circumstances, to the One who holds all these things in His hands, and who has promised to work all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28).

I have said this before, that when I find myself in situation where I am either in danger of loosing, or have already lost, my peace, I work the passage Philippians 4:4-8. It's a promise that when I follow this recipe, His peace will guard my heart and mind (verse 7). And what I do, is firstly to choose to rejoice in the Lord. I can rejoice that my name is written in the Lamb's book of life, if for nothing else (verse 4). Secondly I can choose to be gentle to all, and repent if I have blown it (verse 5). I then choose to replace my anxiety and fear with all kinds of prayer and request, not forgetting to be thankful (verse 6). I need to cultivate a thankful heart, and there are always things I can thank Him for, for example Jesus and salvation. Finally I choose to set my mind steadfastly on, to meditate on, whatever is good noble praiseworthy etc. (verse 8). In other words I work this passage, and repeat as necessary, praying and asking for His help and reminding Him of His promise of perfect peace.

Father, once again this morning I resign as caretaker of the Universe. I choose to trust You Lord, and to turn my eyes on Jesus the the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:2). And I pray Lord for Your shalom for others for whom this season is so very, very difficult. Thank You Lord for Your Grace and Mercy and shalom in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship, Advent and our living hope

When I decided to take the last four days before Christmas to write on the four advent themes hope, peace, joy and love, I had not realized how appropriate it is that we are taking about hope on the darkest day of the year! Isaiah, who (speaking of Messiah) prophesied that “Unto us a child is born,” is the same one who tells that “darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people” (Isaiah 9:6; 60:2). We were saying that it is the worst of times, the world is going to hell in a hand basket! But is it also the best of times (18 December). I am sure that you are aware that for many Christmas is a dark, dark time, even for some (perhaps many) Christians. But no matter where we are, as Christians we need to remind ourselves, especially in this season, that we have been born again into “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

The Christian life is perhaps best described as a series of deaths and resurrections, whether it be reckoning ourselves dead to sin but alive to God (Romans 6:11), or with Paul despairing of life as he was pressed beyond measure (2 Corinthians1:8). He continues “we had this sentence of death so that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us ... does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will deliver us” (verses 9, 10). All such “deaths” are in fact crossroads. Will we trust in God who raises the dead, or will we despair. I'm not saying that any of this is easy! But does not God allow these things to test and strengthen our faith , giving us the ability to stand up under trial (James 1:2, 3)? And has He not promised, that when we trust Him, He will not allow us to be tested beyond endurance, but will with the trial provide the means of escape whereby we may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

 

So then, because we belong to the God of resurrection, we can find hope where there is no hope, even when hope has died. And reason the Bible describes this as a living hope, is because it survives the death of hope. Nobody' s saying its is easy! Even Abraham, of whom it's said “contrary to hope, in hope he believed (Romans 4:18), failed many times before he got there (Genesis chapters 16, 22). And the Lord never calls to do something that He does not with it give us the Grace to do it. We are practicing! The end of the quote from Paul is important, he says “you also helping together in prayer for us” (1 Corinthians 1:11). In particular it is incumbent upon those of us for whom Christmas is a delight, to remember in prayer and charity, those for whom Christmas is difficult!

Father, the Carroll “Come thou long expected Jesus,” comes to mind this morning, as I write. There was such a delay in His coming. There were in fact four hundred years of silence before “Unto us a child is born” was fulfilled. Many of our promises feel delayed equally long, Father, and there is so much pain at this time. Help us to live the living hope to which You call us, so that the World may see the reality of “Christ in me, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), in His precious Name Amen

Go make disciples: ..... to the ends of the earth

There are prophecies that Canada, with our Maple leaf flag, will be for the healing of the nations. And we are told to make disciples starting at home and going eventually to the ends of the earth (Matthew 13:13; Acts 1:8). The thought can be overwhelming, I mean where do we even start? I believe the answer is found in Jesus' parable “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into flour until it worked all through the dough” (Matthew 13:13). And we are the yeast! Yeast can be either good or bad (here, Galatians 5:9). And since we are intended to be the good yeast we need to regularly ask God to “Search me and know my heart; Try me,  know my anxieties; see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23, 24). This gives a strong Biblical basis for the fourth step “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves” of twelve-step programs.

The Big Book off AA likens this step to taking care of a business. In particular “A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself about values” (p 64). In fact all twelve steps have a solid Biblical foundation. Step one is about coming out of denial, and since our hearts are deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9), asking God to search our hearts is the only way to uncover the heart's secrets. Speaking of idolatry He says “Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21). In particular we ask Him about my anxious thoughts and feelings. Anxious thoughts and feelings can come from things we are trying to hide from ourselves, from unconfessed sin, people we resent (because we have not forgiven them), and from relationships in which we may need to make and amends etc., etc.

And as we start to deal with the issues in our lives that are uncovered in this way, we become the yeast that starts to work its way “through the whole lump.” As we follow the commands that lie behind the steps (whether we call them the steps, or simply Biblical principles), our close relationships change. Slowly perhaps, as is the manner of yeast. But I have said before, it's not about the level of maturity that we have attained, but rather the trajectory, the direction we are heading. And then as we engage in holistic discipleship in this way, the Lord will direct our steps and we will be cooperating with Him in making disciples to the ends of the earth.

Father, the task to which You have called us is far, far greater than we could possibly do without Your help and guidance. In fact Lord, it seems to be true, that if we can do it in our own strength and wisdom, our vision is not big enough, and we have settled for something far less than that to which You call us. So we come to You this morning again Lord knowing that as we surrender You will accomplish that which You desire, and we say with Isaiah “Here I am send me” (Isiah 6:8) in Jesus Name Amen

Praying for the seven Mountains (VI) Family

Though ultimately our struggle is not against flesh and blood, nevertheless the Evil one has taken many captive to do his will (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:26). We used to talk about the “nuclear family, ” meaning a father, mother and their children. The adjective “nuclear” indicated correctly, that this unit is the basic building block of a stable society. Since the 1960's Satan's has been using those he has taken captive to take aim at this very basic level, marshaling leaders in all seven mountains of influence to do his bidding. In terms of government, it started in the 60's with the relaxation of divorce laws, which were designed to protect children (who suffer greatly under divorce). It's now manifesting in the latest move to take children from parents who refuse to affirm non-biological gender in their child. Never mind that the changes are irreversible and permanent, and that studies show many, who are left alone, grow out it. The rational for all such laws are framed in terms of compassion, and a desire to alleviate suffering. No law is perfect, certainly the divorce laws were not. You cannot legislate the heart, which in the end is the problem. But many of these new laws have severe unwanted consequences, consequences that actually increase overall suffering (see October posts “Culture wars”).

The Media and Arts and Entertainment are largely on board with this agenda. By biased reporting, majoring on isolated events, employing false statistics, pseudo science and one sided propaganda, they, wittingly or unwittingly, follow Alinsky's rules for radicals (30 October). Increasingly business is weaponized in the agenda to tear down traditional family values, with bakers for example, being sued for refusing to violate their consciences. And whether you agree or disagree, it is clear that all this is eroding of freedom. That Education is being used is obvious to anyone who is informed about these things (but see 17 December). In terms of Religion, again whether you agree or not, it's hard to deny the infiltration into the church of the stated agenda to change the West’s mind about traditional and family values (see 19 November).

And what are we to do about all this? Well, it's “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). And clearly without Him we can do nothing. But the Lord requires our cooperation, we are to humble ourselves to turn, repent, obey, pray and seek His face (2 Chronicles 7:14 again). Part of obedience is that we are to make disciples starting with ourselves, our families. Discipleship needs to be Biblical and holistic (see 29 November). When we obey and seek His face and have our “conduct honourable among unbeliever," then “they may, by your good works ... glorify God in times of visitation” (2 Peter 2:12). In other words when we do these things, we will avoid what the other side needs to change in us, and He will visit us and change all our hearts and, I believe, bring us more into balance and harmony. 

Father, we declare the restoration of Biblical traditional marriages and families. We ask You to rise up fathers in loving Biblical leadership in the home, and to help us to demonstrate Kingdom values and attitudes there (Ephesians 5:15 – 6:4). Help us in holistic discipleship, to heal marriages and lives, and to be set free (Luke 4:18). We demolish the strongholds of divorce Lord, renounce generational family curses, and loose blessing for our families for the generations to come (Exodus 20:6) in Jesus Name Amen.

Praying for the seven Mountains (V) Religion

In “A tale of two cities” Dicken's starts off with his novel with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times/” Is there a more apt description of our times? It's the worst of times, there is a war against the Faith,  the whole culture is going to hell in a hand basket, and we are being intimidated into silenced in unprecedented ways and ferocity. It's the best of times, because God is moving in ways not seen since the first century, and if we are to believe the Scripture, the light of gospel shines best in the darkness, and the Church comes alive in times of persecution. Though I do need to say that compared with the rest of the World, persecution in the West is a cake walk! Also these “worst of times” are beginning to shake us out of our complacency,  showing us the need to come our of isolation and to contend for truth. We do need to do it His way of course!

If we are to be a city on a hill we must  be seen, and what is seen has to be attractive. The Biblical way is to go, and to make what I've called holistic disciples starting with ourselves. I am using the phrase “holistic discipleship,” because discipleship in the church has tended to be two dimensional (see 2,3 December). In particular if we do not take the inward journey, we will operate our of our hurt habits and hangups stunting our love and preventing the World from seeing that we are His disciples by the genuine love we have for each other (John 13:35). Related to this, is that we have been conformed to the World and lax in obedience to His Word, the very vehicle that perfects His love in us (1 John 2:5). In other words we have had a form of religion, but denied it's power (2 Timothy 3:5). But it is the best of times, and the Lord has been restoring authority and health to His church along with signs, wonders, apostolic authority, the prophetic, houses of prayer and the transformation of cities (see previous posts). 

The last thing I want to mention today that we need to pray for, is the right to speak. Freedom of speech is increasingly under attack, and we must contend in the Spirit for this battle to be won. As I have already indicate this will be to no avail if our walk does not match our talk. The exclusivism of the Christian gospel has always at some level been offensive to our culture, and we must know how to answer. Since we reap what we sow and we are reaping the whirlwind, what is important to know, is that the wounds of a friend are faithful (Proverbs 27:6). In other words though the truth may hurt, it brings healing when we turn and obey God's Laws. We have yet to see the full extent of the destruction (the worst of time) that our culture will experience if it keeps going down its current path.

Father, part of what I have written this morning is confession, the necessary precondition for You to heal our land. Father we pray for the billion soul harvest that is prophesied, and as part of our preparing the way of the Lord, we ask You to facilitate our going , and our making holistic disciples who will pray, pray and pray (me too) in Jesus Name Amen

Praying for the seven Mountains (IV) Education

In case you are not aware, let me tell you plainly, the radical Left is increasingly hijacking the syllabi of our schools and universities with its radical leftist agenda. It's not yet as radical here in Canada as it is elsewhere, but make no mistake about it, it's coming unless we rise up and pull down the strongholds in the Name of Christ. It all started long ago with the taking away of prayer in schools, and with the science faith controversy. It was always present in Universities. Atheist Professors have long been free to ridicule faith based positions thus proselytizing atheism. But proselytizing Christianity is politically incorrect, and when attempted, is met with extreme hostility. There's much to say about these things, including the fact that atheism is also faith based, though few seem able to see it.




Even the ten commandments, the very basis of Western Civilization are increasingly, if not outright banned, have certainly been marginalized. Radical sex-ed is being taught in schools, and students encouraged, for example, to experiment with sex to determine their sexual orientation. In the UK one sex-ed program teaches six year olds how to self stimulate, and Breitbart tells of a BBC educational series that teaching children that there are “Over 100” different genders. And so “of course,” we get to choose our gender independent of our biological sex, and also hypocritically of science. We have yet to see the fullness of the destruction that will follow all this (but see 25 October)! At the moment home schooling is an option here in Canada, but I was recently made aware of a High Court ruling in Switzerland against mother’s right to Homeschool. All of this is even more pronounced in the Universities, with same extreme leftist values permeating the very ethos of the system. And increasingly, in the name of sensitivity, of microaggression and the perceived need for safe spaces, free speech is under attack, the very mechanism that can bring balance and sanity into the equation (see “Do we have a right to not be offended?” 23 October).




In terms of “if my people ... repent and turn from our wicked way” (2 Chronicles 7:14), we need to acknowledge, in identification repentance (see August 10), that what has essentially happened is that the tables have been turned. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And we Conservatives have certainly abused power. It's not just in the political system! Here in Newfoundland at the time of confederation the right to denominational schools was enshrined in the constitution. There was a lot of abuse of this entitlement and of power, and that right was overturned. Some of us were not sure that was not a good thing. Democracy works (when it does), because the various sides keep things balanced, and just because something calls itself Christian, does not mean it operates out of Biblical attitudes and principles. And we need both Liberal and Conservative opinions, to keep things balanced, and we need to listen to each other!




Father, I repent for myself and for those who are called by Your name for our abuse of power and for our neglect of the marginalized. Thank You Lord for the dissenting voices that You are using to bring us back into balance. Wake us up Lord, raise up intercessors, and place Your people in this mountain of influence to pull down strongholds that exalt themselves against Your Kingdom, and bring peace, justice and righteousness to our nations in Jesus Name Amen

Praying for the seven Mountains (III) Business

Mangelwadi in his book “The Book that changed the world,” tells of a time in the Christian West when integrity was so great that a farmer could leave a container of milk by the road, trusting his customers to help themselves and to pay. We have come a long way right? Not! The Bible is strong on fair business practices (i.e. Proverbs 11:1; 16:11). Here is not the place to outline the many pros and cons of the capitalist system. There are many of both, and there are many problems. I wish I could say that honesty and integrity characterized all of our business practices, but greed, exploitation and corrupt business practices are common. Some of the Multinational cooperations are the worst offenders. One company (name withheld to protect the guilty) distributed free milk powder to mothers in certain third world countries, and then after the mother's milk dried up, had a ready market to charge for their product. A similar strategy introduced drugs to our children in schools.

Others exploit the market by poverty level wages in often dangerous, unregulated factories in third world counties, and then import the goods to the West. The Bible speaks of such practices as “robbing the poor” (Proverbs 22:22). But Capitalism and the free market system have a positive side too. They enable us to grow a healthy economy and build personal wealth. Capitalism also promotes (not perfectly of course) equality of opportunity, in that it gives the the poor the possibility of getting ahead by taking responsibility for their lives. These are conservative values, and while the Left's equality of outcome (everybody has equal wealth) sounds like a good thing, implementing it actually promotes entitlement and victimhood, and takes away initiative as we wait for the government to take from the rich and give to the poor. And if history proves anything, it doesn't work. The role government plays in business is important, but needs to be kept in balance. On the one hand de-regulation has caused chaos and instability. On the other hand too much regulation strangles, especially small businesses. I recently heard of two different government departments, one requiring doors that lead to the kitchen in restaurants to swing inwards, the other requiring them to swing outwards. Overregulation is also costly and can actually sabotage a business.

Some business models and philosophies are ungodly, greed is said to be good, and profit amoral. The Scripture on the other hand declares “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household” (Proverbs 15:27). And “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). But nobody is saying that we should not desire a fair wage for our labour. Interestingly, in light of the last part of the above proverb, books and seminars are increasingly advocating respectful inclusion of the workforce in decision making, and profit sharing. And it works because good business practices produce stable and stress free work environments and actually produce better profits. Who knew the Bible would be right about these things?

Father we ask you to raise up intercessors to demolish the strongholds of unfair, corrupt and even evil business practices, including the drug, abortion, pornography and sex-trafficking industries. In legitimate business Lord, please raise up leaders of integrity, and give them wisdom and favour to be a blessing to themselves, others and the kingdom. Help us the achieve the right balance in terms of regulation, and cause our nations to prosper in all our ways (3 John 2) in Jesus Name Amen

Praying for the seven Mountains (II) Media, and Arts and Entertainment.

The media Mountain of influence includes News papers,  and the news channels on radio and TV. It is inevitable that any particular outlet has some form of bias. It is an established fact,  that we all have some level of  bias, and the Media is no exception. Media bias manifests itself first of all in the selection events and stories,  and then secondly in how they are reported and covered.   This bias has always been reflected in opinion pieces,  but increasingly biased opinions are being expressed in what should be purely factual reporting. And this bias has become so blatant, that almost everyone  sees through it. Polls increasingly show unprecedented levels of mistrust and even dismissal of the media.  And with the advent of fake news,  it's difficult to know who and what to believe.

Lord,  we pray that the Media will return to being bearers of truth and facilitators of unity, rather than of polarization. We rebuke you Satan and bind your work within the media, and we take authority over the spiritual strongholds that you have erected in your agenda to kill,  steal and destroy (John 10:10a).  Lord we ask You will raise up producers,  media owners, anchors and reporters who will bring godly influence to media. Please protect those who know You who are already there,  protect them from attacks and from dismissal, give them wisdom to know how to answer,  and respond  to whatever comes their way. Fortify them Lord,  and give them deep and penetrating influence as they seek to be salt and light in the midst of the skepticism that so often pervades these outlets,  in Jesus Name Amen.

The Arts and Entertainment mountains of influence includes television, movies, magazines and books,  and even video games. Increasingly these areas of influence are being taken over (have been taken over) by the agenda of the radical left. These outlets promote often subtle messages about marriage, sex, family and politics, and their  ungodly messages are pervasive. It is increasingly difficult, for example, to find a movies without an explicit sex scene. This strategy, which I believe  is ultimately from the enemy, has had multi billion dollar funding.  All this and more,  is well documented (see for example “The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised As Freedom” by David Kupelian).  The aim is, and was to change our view of what is and is not acceptable in our culture.  The stories often relate heart breaking situations where society has put obstacles in the way of “progress.”  But they hide the pain and the consequences of going against God's laws that are given  to protect us (Galatians 6:7). And of course the one who “speaks”  first only seems to be right, and there is no opportunity to refute what in the end,  boils down to visual and emotional,  propaganda (Proverbs 18:17).

Father, we  come against all of this ungodly propaganda that instills fear, hate, violence and lust etc.,  into the hearts and minds  of our culture, calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:29). Our children are being seduced by these things Lord, and we ask You to raise up intercessors to petition You to tear down these strongholds.  Also Lord,  we ask You to raise  up Christ-centred television, movies, books, magazines and games. Thank You Lord that in many ways You are  already doing this, especially in the many recent Christian movies. We pray Kingdom of God come on earth in Jesus Name Amen

Praying for the seven Mountains of influence (I) Government

Fifty or more years ago there was not a lot of difference between the Left and the Right, between Liberal and Conservative. Among Christians you might hear things like “Politics is a dirty business, best to stay clear.” And by and large that's what Christians did, but slowly over the years, and not so slowly at times, Judaeo-Christain values have been under attack, and we Christians have been asleep. Now there's no such thing as perfect government, there cannot be, because ultimately it is run by flawed human beings. So in particular Western Democracy is not perfect, but if history is to teach us anything, anything else is worse. At the last election here in Canada, Christians were starting to wake up and pray, and that is a good thing, but it is a mistake to think one party is completely correct, and the other completely wrong. In the best of all world Liberal and Conservative will keep the other in balance, and to some extent fifty years ago that worked quite well.

The extremes are the biggest problem on both sides. I'll mention just one issue, the size and power of government. Too much regulation, for example, can hamstring innovation, tying things up in red tape. Too little structure brings chaos, too much becomes rigid and unyielding to change. Even the right amount of structure can becomes rigid and/or corrupt. When one party dominates, things will likely get out of balance, and then we need the other side to bring things back to centre. Three Scriptures come to mind, firstly 2 Timothy 2:1-3 commands all Christians to intercede and give thanks for “kings” and all in authority; secondly “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice” (Proverbs 29:2); and thirdly “the king's heart is in the Lord's hand. He can turn it however He wants” (Proverbs 21:1). So first and foremost we need to pray for men and women of integrity to come in government at all levels (local, provincial and federal), and we need to pray for those already there, that the Lord will change their hearts when needed.

I should confess that until recently I was a Christians who was asleep. I rarely if ever prayed for our leaders. And since the Lord can change hearts, we need to pray for them even if we don't agree, well perhaps especially if we don't agree. I did vote, but I had not even joined a party. And I am aware that may Christians do not even vote, let alone join a party, and then some of us need to become involved at the grass roots. In this current climate our children are greatly at risk. And we need to be informed. But where are we going to get the time? Good question, and clearly the Lord will not call all of us to be deeply involved, but we can all vote, and we can all be informed as we seek to understand the times and to know what to do (2 Chronicles 7:14)!

Father, help us (me) to pray and to be consistent in praying for government at all levels. Father bring godly men and women into government, and raise up godly council and Your prophets to speak wisdom and direction to all in positions of influence. Wake us up Lord, we are in a battle for our children, for our faith and for our culture. Forgive us Lord for our apathy. Show us where and how to be involved, and Lord please heal our Land in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship: Judea and Samaria - If My People ...

I finished last day's post talking (and praying) about prayer, and I keep coming back to the 2 Chronicles 7:14 promise “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” I saw again from the testimony of the two “Transformations” videos I mentioned the part that prayer and fasting played in the transformation of towns and cities. So this is the “pray and seek” Your fact part of what we need to do. The other things was the unity of the church, and our disunity and empire building are things of which we need to repent. In terms of humbling ourselves, we need to confess the part pride of being right, has played in keeping us separate.

So Father, right here and now I confess my own sin and the sin of Your people in the way we have looked down on others, who don't see things the way that we do. We confess Lord and turn from our wicked ways in allowing doctrinal differences to separate us in areas outside of a reasonable set of non-negotiable essentials (see 22 September). We also confess Father, that we have been more interested in building up our own ministries, than building the Kingdom. And we repent in Jesus Name.

Kris Volloton pointed out recently, what I had not seen before, and that is that the nations as well as individuals, will be judged. In Matthew 25:31-44 Jesus tells that the nations that will be separated into sheep nations and goat nations. It is very clear from Scripture that we will be held accountable for what we do as individuals after we have received salvation (2 Corinthians 5:8-10, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15). But as Kris points out, the Matthew passage makes it clear that we also have a cooperate responsibility for our nation. And so what exactly are the things that the Lord will hold against the goat nations? Well Jesus tells us “I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me,” and “inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me’ (verses 42, 43, 45). We need to ask ourselves how we have dealt with the marginalized in our communities, with the aboriginal people, and with those in prison etc., etc. Not everyone is equipped for prison ministry but we can certainly support prayerfully and financially those who do. And the after care of prisoners is abysmal!

Father, we confess that we have failed to be salt and light in our culture. We have allowed ourselves to be cowed into silence by the fierce opposition to the gospel, and to our values. We have criticized the extreme Left for its dealing with the marginalized, but we have done little  to correct historical injustices. We have condemned abortion, but have done little to help those who are in trouble through unwanted pregnancies. We repent Lord forgive us, show us what to do, and give us the wherewithal to do it. Without Your help and wisdom Lord the problems are intractable, so please Lord heal our land, in Jesus Name Amen.

Go make disciples: Judea and Samaria - the seven mountains of influence

If our “Jerusalem” in the great commission is 'me and my house', the church and my city, then "Judea and Samaria"  is our nation, its various its people groups, and all that influences the culture. These areas of influence have been spoken of prophetically and representatively as “seven mountains” (see 30 November). They are called mountains because the leaders in these areas radically effect the culture. The “mountains” are government, media, Arts and Entertainment, Education, Business, Church and Family.  Seven being symbolic, speaks of the seven mountains as being representative rather than exclusive. There is much that's simply wrong in these  "mountains." Though we are not to use the world's dog eat dog methods, we are nevertheless told to “go” to these mountains,  not stay home in isolation. We cannot be salt and light if we remain separate, and we must not hid our light under a bowl, or inside the walls of a church for that matter (Matthew 5:15). 

Clearly there is much diversity within each of these representative mountains. Unfortunately too often we Christians have tended to think in terms of black and white. Well there is black and white, but there are also shade of grey (see 3 September post). In the government mountain, for example we need Christians in both liberal and conservative camps. Since the extremes on both sides are destructive we need voices in both camps (not that there are only two) advocating for free speech in iron sharpening iron debates (Proverbs 27:17; 18:17). Politics is not the only area where we need Christians in the various “people groups.” Where there has been historical injustices, there is the great tendency to operate out of bitterness, and part of the Christian's role is to be salt and light and to advocate for justice not revenge. 

 As another example of a people group,  take Scientists. We need respectful dignified debate, and Christians in these disciplines need to be informed, and first and foremost to be aware of the bias of presuppositions (our own, and theirs). The major Science Faith conflicts have little to do with the facts, but rather the interpretations of facts, and these interpretations often flow out of the presuppositions of the scientist. Scientists who are Christians also need to be informed of the various positions Christians take on the issues. We need to allow our neighbour (both Christians and unbeliever)  to examine us (Proverbs 18:17),  and so to find our way to truth. The issues are often complicated, and it's too easy in isolation, to take up rigid overly simplistic positions. I have found the various online debates very helpful in sharpening my thinking (Proverbs 27:17). We must however listen carefully, feeling the weight of the arguments and weighing them, not going there just to get ammunition for “our side.”

The pattern of sending the disciples out “two by two” is interesting (i.e. Mark 6:7). So often Christians in these “mountains” find themselves isolated.  And “two are better than one, for if one fall, the other will lift him up (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10). We need to pray that the Lord will send labourers (plural) into these harvests (Luke 10:2), and we must pray for the labourers already there.

Father, prayer is so paramount in all things, and we are so weak in this area. Please raise up intercessors Lord, and help us to do our part in “praying without ceasing.” But we also need a Sovereign move of God in our day Lord, even so come Lord Jesus Amen

Go make disciples teaching them to observe all that I commanded you

The idea of making disciples (Greek – learners), is that we should be teaching others to teach others to teach others. The mathematical principle of multiplication two teaching four, four teaching eight etc., with one step each year, takes only thirty years to cover the entire population of the globe. But what are we to teach others to teach others? The answer is here in the great commission “all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). So what exactly did He teach them? We can only look at a sample. The great commission starts with “All authority is given to me,  therefore go ...” (verse 18). But we don't have His authority, or do we? Well in Luke 10:19 Jesus says “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.” The context of this verse is of Jesus sending out the seventy to heal the sick and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (verse 9). Expanding on these instruction, Jesus told the twelve to “raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.” John Arnott calls this “the beginners list!”

So yes, he has given us authority. And it is sad to me, that there are so many Christians who claim that this authority,  and miracles that follow,  passed away with the completion of the New Testament. “We don't need them now that we have the full Bible” they say! Really, are we that blind to what's happening, and to what is not happening? And if you take this view, you have to ascribe the transformation of the cities we were talking about the other day to the devil. And well, they do! But didn't Jesus answer this when He said “a house divided against itself cannot stand, if Satan casts out Satan .... How then will his kingdom stand?” Moreover “it is by their fruit that you will know them” (Matthew 12:25, 26; 7:16). And where is the fruit? Well, under Heidi Baker's ministry, for example,  over ten thousand churches of new converts were birthed in Mozambique alone! It seems to me very dangerous to ascribe the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

On the other hand, we must not be naive, there are many deceivers wino have gone out into the world, and there will always be those who peddle the Word of God for prophet (2 John 7; 2 Corinthians 2:17). It is worth noting that Jesus adds in His instructions to the twelve “You received without paying; give without pay”  (Matthew 19:8 ESV). Abuse is not just with charismatics of course, such people exist in every theological stripe.  And  we are to test all things, but we must also also be careful who,  and how,  we judge (Matthew 7:1). We must all give an account of what we have done in the body, and “to their own master, servants stand or fall” (Romans 14:12, 4).

Father, it is pretty clear that there are charlatans out there, those who do indeed peddle Your Word for prophet.   It's grievous Lord, but it should not be that much of a shock, since Satan himself is able to disguise himself as an angle of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).  Please give us the gift of discernment Father, and help us to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship and the five fold ministry

I got into trouble years ago for preaching that most church structures are not Biblical. Many have Biblical elements, for example the Presbyterians have elders (Acts 14:23). But surly one of the reasons there is so much pastor burn out, is that pastors were never intended to be alone at the top of a pyramid of authority and responsibility! My defense, was that I was naive enough to believe they would prefer truth to tradition. That didn't go down too well either! But if the prophecy of a billion soul harvest is true (and it comes from the well established and highly accurate prophet Bob Jones – Google the history of IHOPK, for example), then we cannot do church as usual! Over the years the Church lost most, if not all, of its Biblical character. The Lord however, has been restoring the Biblical foundations starting five hundred years ago with the Bible, going on to Missions, the Holy Spirit, signs wonders and miracles, the rightful place of the Fatherhood of God in the most orphan generation ever etc., etc. And it seems to me we should open our eyes to see what God is doing in our day, and get on board with it, rather than asking God to bless what we are doing.

The fivefold ministry is a name given to the five offices apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. These offices are gifts given to the Church to edify it, and to equip the saints for ministry (verse 12). Ministry is the outward journey of discipleship. It's to the saints of course, but is not restricted to them (Galatians 2:10; 6:10). Apostles and prophets are the foundation of the household of God, and the marks of a true apostle are signs, wonders and mighty deeds (Ephesians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 12:12). Among those internationally recognized as occupying this office are John Arnott (Catch the Fire), Randy Clerk (Global Awakening), Heidi Baker (Iris ministries) and Bill Johnson (Bethel, Redding). Bethel Redding is an apostolic center, operating in the fivefold ministry with Kris Vollotton as its prophet. Since all may prophecy (2 Corinthians 14:2, 31), the office is different from the gift, and apostles today don't have the authority to write Scripture (Revelation 22:18).

Clearly not every New Testament church had an apostle, and so neither should we. But since the apostles and prophets are foundational, we are the poorer if we fail to acknowledged them. Indeed “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward” (Matthew 10:41). Now there are both false apostles and false prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13; Matthew 24:24). But we must not throw out the baby with the bath water! We do not dismiss the Bible because of false teachers. In fact “there must be heresies among you, that those who are approved may be recognized" (1 Corinthians 11:19). We're told to test all things and hold on that that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21). When we love the Lord with all our heart, mind soul and strength the truth will surely out!

Father, not all of us can go to check out personally the many amazing things You are doing across the globe. We can certainly Google these things but, as in the first century, there are those out there who call black white. Give us discernment Lord, help us to truly listen to both sides, and to prefer truth to tradition. Thank You for Your promise of wisdom when we ask, in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship: Transforming of cities (beginning in Jerusalem)

Since “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint” (Proverbs 29:18 ESV), I want to mention this morning a “Transformations” video that testify to the transformation of four cities where restraint was cast of in spades. They are readily available on Youtube. Common to them all is the terrible “lack of restraint” in their pre-transformation plight. This include a city dominated by a violent drug cartel (Cali in Columbia), the others include occult, witchcraft, rampant drug and alcohol abuse, violence and ignorance (Kiamba Kenya, Hemet California and Alamolonga Guatemala). The transformations were not just in the church, but also in the community at large. For brevity I will mention only Alamolonga a town of some 19,000 people. Before transformation the town had 36 bars and four jails, at the time of the documentary, there were only three bars, and no jails! On the journey, and as part of it, the town saw miraculous healings. One healing was of a woman dying of gangrene in her entire body, from a botched operation.

What was at first amazing to me, is the change in the land. Wikipedia speaks of Alamolonga as the "Vegetable Basket of the Americas." The video documents that before transformation four trucks per month left with produce. After transformation it was forty per week, and the vegetables are of “Biblical proportions” In a second video Transformations II, we hear that the berries and the caribou started to come back after the revival in Pond Inlet. But should we be surprised, the Lord did promise to heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14)? A more recent story of Bethel in Redding California is interesting. Pew research had revealed that typically when the church in a city becomes successful, the rest of the city tends to deteriorate. I am guessing that there is less salt and light in the community. Bethel set out to change that, and among other things took over the Civic centre that was causing a drain on the city's financial resources. They turned it into a profitable proposition. In addition, the current mayor of the city was persuaded to run for mayor after a prophetic word, and one of the things she managed to prevent was the building of a casino with its accompanying problems. Following the “Carr fire” in 2018, Bethel raised and gave a thousand dollars to every home owner who had lost their home in the fire.

So then what were some of the ingredients that are common to all of this? These, again according to the documentary, include prayer and fasting, unity of the church, research into the particular problems of the city (spiritual mapping), and the tackling by intercessors, of the corresponding territorial principalities. A number of questions remain. Can this happen in my city? Well, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10 ) so yes transformation of one city prophecies it can happen anywhere. Is all this sustainable? It's not easy to find out exactly what is happening now in these places (I tried). What I do know, is that the “Jesus movement,” though extremely influential (Goggle it), nevertheless produced fewer long term disciples in my city, and I suspect that that was largely because the church was not ready, and there was very little discipleship, let discipleship of the holistic variety.

Father, that You for showing us what is possible. Please raise up leader of the caliber of those in these cities, and Lord, teach us to pray like they did, in Jesus Name Amen

Demolishing strongholds in the culture

The command to disciple the nations (Matthew 28:19) underlines what I mentioned earlier, namely that in addition to our individual responsibility before God, we also have corporate responsibility for “the nations.” But we have largely abdicated that responsibility. Acts 1:8 expands on the meaning of “nations,” to include Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. In terms of application, after “me and my house ” and the church, we need to disciple the cities, provinces and nation(s). We also need to understand the times,  to know what to do and how to do it. We have the mind of Christ and He knows these things (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Understand that the world has been taken captive through deceptive human philosophy to do his will (Colossians 2:8 NIV; 2 Timothy 2:26). We need to understand its seductive nature, and the strategies of the enemy.  Since “he who speaks first seems to be right until his neighbour comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17), one of the enemies strategies is to silence the “neighbour!” He does this through the tyranny of political correctness, by having his captives noisily drown out public debate, classifying free speech as hate speech, and verbally and otherwise attacking any “neighbour” who dares to open her mouth. Of course there are “innocents” who are caught up in all of this, but let's not be naive, there are also those ready, willing and able to use these things for political, and other gain. In such a climate, it's easy to forget that  our struggle is not against flesh and blood, and that we are not to wage war with the enemies weapons (Ephesians 6:12; 2 Corinthians 10:3). We must be as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves, and we need much, much more of the spirit of wisdom and revelation if we are to answer with the grace and wisdom that Christ answered those who opposed Him.

A couple of examples. Isn't Socialism morally superior because it makes people more equal? Who but regressive selfish jerks could oppose people being equal? But is there not another side? The allure of supporting Socialism, is that you can feel good about yourself, and look down on others! And by and large it doesn't cost you anything (1 John3:18). And is there not a difference between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity?  Another question, has socialism worked in the past? In Cuba and Venezuela there is a great deal of equality, but everybody is poor. If we don't learn from history we're destined to repeat it! And what about the abortion issue? Are not those who are who are pro - life waging war on women? Doesn't a woman have the right to control her own body? Well again, there's another side to this. Is it only the woman who's involved here? Is the fetus part of her body? If a woman is pregnant with a male fetus, does the woman have a penis? A penis is part of a male fetus and if the fetus is part of her body, then perhaps a women can have a penis after all!

Father, I pray for us all this morning, for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You (Ephesians 1:17). That You would give us the discipline to study to be approved unto You, that You would help us to know our part in all of this, to give the courage and wisdom to act in a way that pleases You. And we'll give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Go make disciples: Me and my house ...

In Joshua 24:15 we read “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” We have already talked about the aspect of demolishing strongholds of the mind in the “me,” part of this verse. Also with respect to “me,” we have been talking about the inward, upward and outward journeys. I want to add this morning, that if we are to be His “disciples indeed” (John 8:31 NKJV), we will need include traditional discipleship, such as taking up the disciplines of Scripture reading, fostering intimacy in quiet times with God, and one I am still struggling with, taking Sabbath rest (Mark 2:27). Holistic discipleship is a trinity of journeys (inward, upward and outward), and much of this blog has been about the inward journey (inner healing). But if we are to do discipleship holistically, we also need to utilize the interconnections, working the three journeys together in various periods of emphasis. We are made for community, and though I may need periods alone in the end, I cannot do the “me” part of discipleship in isolation. In fact, the command to go make disciples emphasizes the outward journey, and that needs to start at, or close to, home.

And Joshua is telling us in the phrase “and my house, ” that he takes responsibility for his house, for his family, for his immediate circles of influence. In this post Christian culture, we can no longer rely on the media and/or the schools neither to teach our children what they need to know, nor that they will teach them what is true. In some schools, for example, experimentation with sexuality is encouraged, and children are being told that they can choose their gender, which surly encourages gender dysphoria. With respect to the media, fifty Fifty years ago through stories and other means, programs often taught family and traditional values, integrity and life lessons. No longer, it all about “me!” The Biblical antidote comes in admonitions to teach the Lord's precepts and commandments “diligently to your children, you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).

But you might ask “What if our children don't want to follow the Lord?” The verse “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV) comes to mind. “But what if it's too late?” I like the illustration of the oxygen masks coming down in the plane. You put yours on first, before you help others. When children are no longer under our influence, the very best thing we can do for them, is to show the way to freedom by being radically transformed as we follow hard after Him in discipleship. Another question “What if he or she didn't follow even after I did my best?” Same thing really, but we also declare Joshua 24:15 in faith, as a promise that when he is old he will not depart from “the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Father, You Word tells us that in many things we all fail (James 3:2). Which one of us when are children are grown can look back and say we made no mistakes? Not me for sure! Help us to admit our mistakes and apologize where it is necessary and Lord please give them grace to forgive us, and draw each one close to You in Jesus Name Amen

Discipleship: Demolishing strongholds, taking thoughts captive.

This morning we are looking at Paul's statement that the weapons of our warfare are mighty, in that they enable the demolition of ideas that war against the knowledge of God, and allow us to take every thought captive unto obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 6:4,5). In terms of discipleship we need to apply this to our inner lives, then to church, and finally to the destructive philosophies of the age. This morning, we will be looking at our inner lives. We need to realize the things we think about and fixate on, are powerful influences in our lives, on our identity, on how we see ourselves and then ultimately, on our attitudes and actions. Over against this, as human beings we have this unique ability to think about what we are thinking about. And what this means, is that we can with His help, choose to take every thoughts captive, to subjugate them and, bring under Christ's control (verse 5).

It sounds simple, and it is! But simple and easy are not the same. We all have both good and bad thought patterns which form neural pathways in the brain. Neural pathways are shortcuts that when positive, enable skill sets such a playing the piano, or reading. Negative thought patterns also form neural pathways in the brain, and can result in addictions and other destructive behaviour. Obsessive thinking is in an of itself and addiction. Part of it not being easy, is that a feature of our fallen nature, seems to be that bad habits are easy to get into, and hard to get our of, while good habits work the other way round. Negative thought patterns are strongholds of the mind, but the good news, is that He has provided weapons to defeat them (verse 4). Addictive negative thought patterns can be dealt with, as with all addictions, in twelve-step programs whose principles are in fact Biblically based. Secular versions of this scratch the surface of the resources (weapons for the battle) that are available when our “higher power” is Christ (see “The principals, promises and power trinity” from January). There are advantages and disadvantages to every program, but what I want to mention here, is the fellowship of inward journey that is available in twelve-step programs. The Lord, however, has raised up many inner healing ministries, and we need to tap into those that meets our needs.

There were several blogs in July about taking our individual thoughts captive, and I won't repeat those thoughts here. But rather I want to mention some helpful tools (weapons) that overlap with traditional discipleship models. In particular, when we continue in His Word obeying and living out His teachings, then we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free (John 8:31, 32). Since Jesus is Truth incarnate (John 14:6), we will know both His Word, and know Him in relationship. And then, in line with the first commandment , when we present our bodies as living sacrifices, we'll be in process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1,2). I can't resist quoting Einstein again “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that got us into them. ” So yes, living sacrifices, half measures profited us nothing!

Father, please teach us how to take every thought captive, especially when we find ourselves falling into old thought patterns. We are practicing, practice makes perfect, and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We thank You in His Name Amen