The “reality” I live in part 3. The role of the prophetic in the trustworthiness of Scripture

If it’s true what I said yesterday, that our passionate beliefs inevitably affect the way we live our lives, then obviously it’s important to know that we are not believing a lie! In His high priestly prayer Jesus tells us, that God’s Word is Truth (John 17:17). I realize that for many, this opens up a whole can of worms. If I say this in public, I am likely to hear “Can’t you make the Bible say anything you want?” It’s a relevant question, and one needs to be answered. I mean there are between 30,000 and 40,000 registered Christian denominations, many of which make exclusives claims to have the “correct” truth. And the simplistic answer that “my view is the right one,” simply won’t cut it! There is much to say about correctly interpreting Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15).

This morning I want to look at the role of the prophetic in the confirmation of the trustworthiness of Scripture. For me, prophecy plays a huge role. And one of the most convincing sets of fulfilled prophecy centres around the Jew and Israel. In particular the widespread rejection over 2000 years, of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah plays a large role in affirming the accuracy of the transmission of the Old Testament. I mean there is no way that fulfilled prophecies would not have been later altered to fit the facts. The rebirth of Israel in a day (Isaiah 66:8), and the regathering of Israel from “four corners of the earth” (Jeremiah 23:3)come to mind. Certainly some of the prophesied regathering referred to the return from Babylon. But the regathering from all over the globe has only begun to happen since 1948.

One of the most remarkable of the many prophecies concerning the Messiah comes in Daniel 9:26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple.” The time to which “Then” refers is after “the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” (verse 25). Standard Jewish interpretation understands the sixty-two weeks to mean a period of sixty-two times seven years. And although there is some dispute as to the exact timing of this decree, nevertheless the stated times fits remarkably well with the crucifixion of Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. These examples hardly begin to scratch the surface of this important and massive subject!

Father, as I continue this morning Lord, I am very aware that what I believe affects my actions, and that my actions affect what I believe. And in particular, I am never standing still. I am either increasing in the knowledge of God, or I am decreasing in the same. We are in a war to the death for our hearts and minds with the enemy of our soul, and I need to feed daily upon your life-giving Word. And when I do this Lord your Word is self authenticating. It’s not that I have it all the answers, I certainly don’t know it all! But I do know whom I have believed and am persuaded that You are able to keep what I have committed to You against that day (2 Timothy 1:12). And I worship You again this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen

Part 2 The “reality” I live in feels real, even if it's a lie!

Have you ever wondered why some people can be so sure that they are right, when you are equally sure they are wrong? I have friends who call what I believe propaganda. But I have the very same thought about what they believe. And this is so widespread, that it is no wonder that the world believes that there is no answer to the question “What is truth?” But nobody can live as if there is no truth, well nobody I know does! I mean if we really believed that all truth is relative, then why would we get angry an hateful at other people’s “truth”?

Modern research into the brain, is giving insight into the connection between what we think and what we feel. In particular scientists have learned that every thought comes with an attached feeling. Thoughts and feeling cannot be separated, and the one re-enforces the other in a kind of feedback loop. So for example when we respond to something in anger and we "meditate" on what triggered it, the anger grows together with the belief that we are right and the other person completely wrong (been there!). In light of this, since “The wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God” (James 1:20), it is prudent to obey the command to “Not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).

Our passionate beliefs inevitably effect the way we live our lives. And since it is true that we suppress the truth by unrighteousness (Romans 1:18?), our belief system, in addition to the above, is reinforced by our “deeds done in the body.” This is perhaps seen most clearly in denial and/or guilt. In particular, in order to come into the light, we have to admit that we are wrong, and own up to the fact that our actions have likely caused not only ourselves, but others a great deal of pain. I am seeing this as a kind of investment in our denial. I am also convinced, that all of us are in denial at some level about something! And the greater the denial, the greater the pain involved in coming out of it! But Jehovah sneaky has a way of getting behind this. And one of the ways He does this is to get behind our defences by showing us our potential through prophetic words that build up, strengthen and encourage (1 Corinthians 14:3).

Father, our egos are so fragile! And this is probably one of the reasons why it is so difficult to admit it when we are wrong. It is oh so painful to have to own up to our inadequacies, especially if that involves coming to terms with the pain we may have caused others. We will not likely do this unless we can find a safe place. You are a safe place Lord, because Your love for us is unconditional, and your forgiveness free and generous. But we need safe places down here too. And part of what makes a community safe is the willingness to see the good in each other. We find this hard Lord, I do! And I am beginning to see that Your prophetic word spoken through us is useful not only for the one receiving the word, but also for the rest of us, as it helps us to see others as You see them. And You see the good, because You see them in Christ. Thank You, thank You, thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Part (5) Believe God and be established; believe His prophets, and prosper

For those who have eyes to see, the Lord often uses the “coincidence” of the same numbers coming to our attention multiple times. And when this happens, there is almost always something He wants to say to us. Sometimes the numbers are attached to a verse he highlights, and this is the case this morning's quote from 2 Chronicles 20:20. What I have “seen” three times over the last few days, is the combination 20 – 20, and the connection with sight. And I felt the Lord saying that if we fully process this verse, it will give us 20-20 spiritual vision.

Belief and obedience are strongly linked in the Scripture (c.f. Hebrews 3:18, 19), and believing and obeying are part of what I mean by processing the verse. Peter tells us that he who lacks the biblical virtues of 2 Peter 1:5- 7, is “nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins” (verse 9). I remember a young woman in the Caffe Years ago, saying to me “I don’t believe adultery is wrong!” I looked her in the eye and said not unkindly “That’s because you want to do it.” She could not quite hide her guilty as charged smile. In fact that is a prime example of what it means to suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). In secular parlance, we call it rationalization! Once I too was blinded by my desires, but I am seeing more clearly now!

I was quite discouraged this morning at the start of my quiet time. But as I came to Him, He reminded me of this verse, and its somewhat hidden connection to 20-20 spiritual vision. And as I continued to sit with Him, I remembered a prophetic word over me to the effect that He would open up His Word to me in a new way; and that it would not just be for me, but for others too. And in line with the purpose of a prophetic word (1 Corinthians 14:3), this encouraged me to press in, and to write down some of my thoughts. And it also encouraged me to take my eyes off where He does not seem to be working at this point in time, and to look for where He is working. And if nothing else, I can see that He is working in me, and I “see” once again, that I am the only one, that with His help, I can change!

Father, You knew that I was quite discouraged this morning. But I knew that if I came to You and spent both quality and quantity time with You, You would give me fresh bread. And as You promised Lord, this bread is not just for me, it’s for others. So I pray for myself and all those reading these posts, that You will help us to do our part in coming to You morning by morning, and in meditating upon Your Word. I am sensing that You are telling us Lord, that this will not only give us 20-20 spiritual vision, but also that it will establish and prosper us. And I praise and bless and worship You again this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen

Peter, Ananias and Sapphira, and the sons of thunder

I cannot leave our discussion of no condemnation in New Testament prophecy, without discussing the anomaly of the Ananias and Sapphire incident. I am calling it an anomaly because, as we saw earlier (24th November), God’s normal mode of operating since Christ, is that wrath and condemnation are postponed until the day of Judgement (Romans 2:5). But in the story of Ananias and Sapphira, judgement was not only not delayed until judgement day, it was immediate! They were both (I would argue) taken home prematurely to heaven for “simply” lying about how much they had received for the sale of their land (Acts 5:1-11).

Related to our issue, is the incident where James and John had asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven. They were outraged, because a village of the Samaritans had not received Him. Jesus rebuked them, and in one version we read that He told them “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of” (Luke 9:54). It is interesting to me, that he did not tell them that they did could not do it, that they did not have the authority to do that (Matthew 28:18-20). Kris Vallotton tells the story of an early mentor of his pronouncing death to someone who was resisting him, and the man fell down dead! So it can be done, but I understand Jesus to be saying that that is not of His Spirit!

If you think about it, if this was the norm of the way that the Lord operates in this day and age, there would be people dying left right and centre. I mean which one of us has not lied? But to say it again, His mercy is designed to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). This does not mean that the Lord cannot, nor does not, take people home when their behaviour is detrimental what He is wanting to do. He is sovereign! In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it seems to me, that at the birth of the church, the leaven of the hypocrisy that lay behind Ananias and Sapphire’s lie, needed to be nipped in the bud.

Father, I am left with a question, and it is a question not a statement. It is clear that James and John were operating in Old Testament mode in their request. My question is, was Peter operating in the same way with the Ananias and Sapphira? I mean he certainly was later, when under pressure he no longer sat with the Gentiles (Galatians 2:11)! In any case Lord we seem to need Your help, both inside and outside the prophetic, to operate our of mercy rather than judgement (James 2:13), and I am asking You for that help today and every day, in Jesus Name Amen

Discipline, conviction, correction and the prophetic

Because our sense of justice is so strong, and our thoughts that “somebody needs to do something about those people,” have strong emotional components attached to them, it is important to discuss the place of discipline, conviction and correction in the prophetic ministry. The Scripture makes it very clear that in the church we are to purge out the old leaven (1 Corinthians 5:7), that we are not to associate with brothers or sisters who are in deep sin (1 Corinthians 6:17). And was not Jesus in what I have called Old Testament prophetic mode, when he called the Pharisees a brood of vipers, and was not His act in overthrowing the tables of the money changers a prophetic act (Matthew 21:12).

I think the first thing to say, is that because there was no sin in Him, all that Jesus did must have been done in humility and love. We saw yesterday, that “Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy” (James 2:13). Now clearly Jesus needed no mercy, but we do, so we need to be very careful! I am still trying to work out the what and the how of what it means to be salt and light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation (Matthew 5:13; Philippians 2:15). The second thing to say, is that Apostolic teaching makes it clear that we do not deal with those who are outside the church in the same way that we deal with those who are inside. Indeed if we were not to associate with any who are in deep sin, we would need to go out of the world (1 Corinthians 5:10).

The third point is that New Testament prophetic is for the church (1 Corinthians 14:22; Ephesians 4:11,12). Paul does however talk about the response of prophecy to unbelievers who come into the church. We read “The secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God” (1 Corinthians 14:25). Now there may well be conviction (verse 24), but this does not come directly from the words of the prophecy, since such words are for “building up, strengthening and encouragement (verse 3). Any conviction then must come from the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). After all this is His job not ours!

Father, what I am seeing here, is that while discipline and correction are a necessary part of church life, these things are not to be done in the context of the prophetic. From my own experience, discipline is more easily received when it’s done in a relationship of love, respect and tenderness. On the other hand the most significant prophetic words I have received, have came from those who don’t know me from Adam (though they do know me from Eve!). I want to thank You Father for the depth of Your Word, and that Your greatest desire is that we be built up and comforted. Thank You that You are the God of all comfort and I thank and praise You again this morning Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Part (II) Mercy triumphs over judgement): New vs. Old Testament prophetic ministry

A former Bishop of the city of Amsterdam, a city which has long been a strong contender for the sin capital of the world, is reported to have said that if God does not judge Amsterdam, then He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. He certainly rained down Judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24), and in fact the nations too. This was according to His promise of blessings for obedience, and cures for disobedience (Deuteronomy 30:19). So why has God not judged Amsterdam? The short answer, is that before Christ, God dealt with mankind under the Old Covenant, under the Law. But since Jesus came, we are no longer under Law, but under Grace. And as I said last day, under the New Covenant, judgement is put off until the last day in order to give time for the unrepentant to turn in repentance and be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

At some level, moral outrage is out of fashion in this post-Christian era. But moral outrage cannot be so easily denied. In fact, there seems to be as much moral outrage from unbelievers (admittedly over different issues), as there is from those who are marked by hypocritical self-righteousness. Part of this, is that being made in God’s image, we are moral agents, and our moral outrage can reflect God's own moral outrage. What I am saying, is that our strong sense of justice is God given. We rightly believe Hitler should be judged, and we are offended and appalled by genocide, rape, child abuse and the like. And we have the sense that something should be done. In fact there is coming a day, the day of Judgement, when every wrong will be put right and justice will prevail.

But there is another side of God’s nature that resides, or is at least meant to reside, in us. I am of course talking about His mercy. This however, is much easier to suppress. I know this first hand, because as I have been wrestling with these posts, I find my own sense of moral outrage that “something should be done,” is often accompanied by strong emotion. And these strong emotions do not easily subside even as I meditate on what the Scripture is saying about these things. And that is why I believe, we need the equally strong teaching from the context of this morning’ verse. It is “Judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy” (James 2:13). We need to let this sink in, and we need to let it permeate all that we think and do, and especially in the way that we give and receive the prophetic word.

Father, it is obvious to me that the Pharisee is alive and well and living both on the left and on the right, in the conservative and in the liberal, in my brothers and my sisters, and in me! It is not that long ago that You convicted me of judging those who judge, “Those blankety blank judgemental people!” I need to extend mercy to others Father, because I need mercy for me! I need Your help Lord, and I choose to humble myself before You this morning, and ask You to help me to see others the way You see them, to see the treasure not the trash. And I ask You Lord to give me prophetic words to draw out the treasure, and in this way to draw others to Yourself in Jesus Name Amen

Mercy triumphs over judgement: New versus Old Testament prophetic ministry (I)

If God never changes, would not prophesy in the Old Testament be exactly the same in the New? Well since Christ, we can all prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:5,31). So you had better hope that it is different, because under the Old Testament if you got it wrong, they had to put you to death (Deuteronomy 18:20). In fact we are told in the New Testament, that we see things imperfectly, and that our prophecy is “in part” (1 Corinthians 13: 12, 9). And a sure implication of this, is that the way we understand how to give and receive a prophetic word has to differ from the Old Testament model. So while God never changes, I thank God this morning, that His way of dealing with us has changed!

Some have understood prophecy as being purely predictive, as in prophet receiving revelation from God pertaining to something that would occur in the future. Certainly, this "foretelling" is a big part of the prophetic in both the Old and the New Testament. The Old Testament for example predicted the Messiah. In the New, Jesus predicted the fall of the Temple. But prophecy is more than foretelling. The prophet Jeremiah’s ministry involved being set over the nations to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10). On the other hand, the references to the purpose of prophecy in the New Testament, pertain exclusively to building up, encouragement, comfort and the like (1 Corinthians 14:3; Ephesians 4:12). Some have called this “forth-telling.”

The Old Testament is rife with fulfilled predictions of famine, the withholding of rain, defeat in battle, deportation etc., etc. And this is reflected in Old Testament prophecy. In the New Testament, it’s not that with our Holy God condemnation and punishment no longer apply, but rather they are delayed. We read that unrepentant hearts accumulate “wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5). In other words judgement and condemnation are put off until Judgement Day. Peter tells us the reason for this delay, is because God is longsuffering toward us, and His desire, in the delay, is that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). This being the case, surely this needs to be reflected in the New Testament prophetic model. In particular the way we give and receive prophecy, needs to conform to the purposes (as stated above) of New Testament prophecy. In particular, mercy needs to triumph over judgement (James 2:13). There is more to say!

Father, I am grateful that we are no longer required to stone our rebellious sons and daughters (Deuteronomy 21:18- 21). We love them Lord as you do, even in their rebellion. In the meantime Lord it is our earnest prayer, expectation and sure hope, that You will pour out Your Spirit on them (Isaiah 44:3), that You will teach them, and that their peace will be great (Isaiah 54:13). We trust You to do this Lord for You are faithful to perform Your Word (Jeremiah 1:12), in Jesus Name Amen