New!

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah43:18,19NIV

The new year is well under way, and yet we need to be reminded not to be constantly looking over our shoulder at the past. Whether it was a good year, or bad in parts, we do not live in that year now. Like it or not, we have moved on. I love the positive tone of this passage because no matter how our past year (you can insert any amount of time here) has been, our great God is writing a new chapter for us, and it is going to be better than the last one. In fact it will be better than any that have gone before! And it just keeps on getting better!

Isn’t that just like our great God? I trust you will know this to be better than any year you have ever been through and experienced before. And then give thanks!

Free Country, Free Speech

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. Isaiah5:20NLT

The people reading this are happy and blessed to belong to a free country where free speech is the bedrock of our freedom. My own nation fought for, and won the right to retain fundamental freedoms, and especially the right to free speech, even though that speech may be offensive to some, perhaps even a minority.

Unless you are a hermit, and without electricity, you must have seen some local, national, and international news which would suggest that the fabric of our freedom is slowly but surely being removed. Much of that unwelcome and unexpected erosion is from within, and not from external factors. They may not appear to be significant freedoms, but they are.

A very small minority have convinced the legislators for example that it is time to ‘do the right thing’ and extend freedom to kill life in the womb. That little life did not ask to be there. Life was put there by an act of the will by a man and a woman, perhaps even in an act of love, but it is now unwanted and to be discarded like a piece of trash because he or she will get in the way of their parent’s life.

The sanctity of marriage as a basic freedom has been legislated against, and now we have the ‘freedom’ (is that what it really is?) to marry another man or woman, no matter if they are of the same sex. And while on this subject, we also have the ‘freedom’ to choose our gender. It is as bizarre it is as funny as it is strange. We can choose to be a man or woman at a time of our liking. School Kids are being taught that they can be male, female, gender fluid, non binary, trans, and the list goes on. People, are we serious? Really? Who in their right mind would suggest this is an acceptable definition of freedom? 

Then there is the ‘freedom’ to end your own life at a time and place of your choosing. Now, in an act of despair, unfortunately, suicide has always been with us, but we are now talking about involving someone, perhaps a loved one, or a medical team, to perform the final act which will terminate life. We have now involved others to carry out what are ‘our perceived freedoms’ So, we have succeeded in changing the basic foundations of life at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. It appears if you shout loud enough, even if a very small minority, your will is done. Governments and lawmakers roll over as they try to make everyone happy in a game of deception with the highest moral and ethical not to mention religious stakes. I despair for the future world we will leave to our grandchildren, but do we care enough to do something about it? Maybe that boat has already sailed!

One of the most famous sayings attributed to Abraham Lincoln is about deception: You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

The Invisible Wo-Man

Your giving should be in secret. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, go into a room by yourself. After you have shut the door, pray to your Father Who is in secret. Then your Father Who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew6:4-6NLV

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 1Thessalonians5:12ERV

Do you remember watching “The Invisible Man” on TV when you were young? It was compulsive viewing because although you knew the tell tale signs he would leave behind, you were never sure where he was unless he had wound the white roll of bandages around his body, or the vase would make its way through mid air to crash over the unsuspecting villain’s head.

I found myself asking the question recently, “are there any invisible men or women in the church”? In fact, in my church? Apparently there are times our secrecy is needed, but other times when the secrecy of the invisible man or woman is not acceptable to our Saviour. We are usually quite good at praying or giving in secret, and not boasting about it, but what of  the other times mentioned in the verse above when we are told to acknowledge those … among you? And what does the Lord tell us to do?

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John13:34NIV

We have a command, straight from Jesus Himself to love each other, just as He loved us! That my friends is real love, and very visibly public. It is how the world knows for certain that we are Jesus’ followers. When we love one another, we cannot hide it so in that context, there should be no invisible men or women in any fellowship. Sadly though, this is not the case, and we do have invisible people in our churches. Yes, even in my church.

That new wee family that have recently started to come, and sit at the back. Who are they? What are their names? The small, frail, elderly lady who sometimes can come when she is strong enough? Where does she live, and how does she get to church? The man who is looking for a church to settle in and sits over at the end of the row, have you talked to him? Would anyone think about phoning any of them, dropping them a card, or even paying them a visit? These folks are examples of the invisible men and women, and they are in our churches. We should have no invisible people especially in church. I wonder how I would know this?

Poverty

The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. Mark14:7NIV

There is a massive drive in the UK to wipe out the need for food banks, and poverty itself, but is this realistic? The government have announced their intention to appoint a ‘Minister of Poverty’, but can this work? This short verse contains three important points, but leaves the most important to the last in an effort to drive home the message.

“The poor you will always have with you” goes against the government’s action in appointing a minister to eliminate poverty because we are told whether we like it or not, there will always be poor folks among us.

“You can help them any time you want” is a clear reminder of the need and importance as believers to do all we can to reduce the effects of poverty, while acknowledging the clear fact that we will never eradicate it.

“You will not always have me” is the stark truth which rises above the desire to help the poor, and addresses a more fundamental need. There are two levels to this phrase. Jesus was telling His disciples that there would shortly come a time when He would not be with them, but without saying how it would happen. However today this phrase applies to those who, through their own free will, reject Him and His gift of salvation. Some (literally) very poor people will lose out twice. No food and no future, and it doesn’t have to be like that.

Based on this, I suggest we are not doing the whole job if all we do is supply food for the body. Food is very important, but Jesus tells us clearly that it is only half the work needed. It is more important that we give the message of the more nourishing heavenly manna for their soul to supplement the food for the body. Then, and only then, we will have completed the full commandment.

Extra Years?

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew6:27NIV

Short, sharp, and to the point. You don’t usually get medical advice like that, because it takes a lot longer for our ‘learned academia’ to go round the houses before they come to the point. But here it is in the Bible, and has been there for centuries. When you continually worry your life suffers! Take a deep breath and let that sink in.

It is important to understand the difference between worry and concern, or being anxious and it is this. Worry is usually a long term thing, and ‘worrier’ is the word used to describe someone who almost naturally worries before they know all the facts. Worry is in the core of their being. Most, if not all, of us have been concerned or anxious about a certain situation or person, but it doesn’t take over our life. The concern passes.

Jesus is making a statement we need to hear, especially if we are a ‘worrier’ by nature. It doesn’t have to be like this when we can leave it with Jesus to deal with. In fact the bigger problem needing God’s attention isn’t the thing or person making us worry, it’s our own heart which can’t seem to let go and let God do His work. The concerned and anxious person’s feelings will pass when the issue or situation passes, and we let Jesus take the strain (literally), so don’t feel guilty about that, however I would encourage you to get heavenly help for your worry!

Guilt By Association?

**Warning** May be offensive to some readers, so let me know where I’m wrong**

Here we go again with yet another attack in Manchester by a muslim attacker shouting “god is great” in Arabic. Yes, ‘muslim’ and ‘god’ are in lower case because they should not be honoured with a capital letter which indicates a proper noun. This terrorist almost claimed the lives of three people were it not for the vigilance of the Transport Police and the public. These lives were not taken this time and are being treated in hospital, but let’s be clear, murder was his intention. This was a short distance from the 2017 attack in Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande concert where dozens of innocents were killed or maimed. It’s not as though this is an isolated instance. This kind of attack happens on our streets  regularly, and by no other faith group.

It would be dishonest and irresponsible to suggest this extremism is representative of all muslims, but… I can’t help asking the obvious questions, and they go something like this:

> What makes him different from the other muslims he ‘worships’ with at his mosque?

> Where are the many muslims who want to publicly distance themselves from terrorism?

> Will we ever see a protest march by muslims against muslim terrorists?

> Why do our politicians not take a harder line with the muslim community as a whole?

> Why do we accept there are so few stop-and-searches for this obvious risk group?

I accept that not all muslims are terrorists, but where is the backlash from their own opposing and embarrassed kinsfolk? All muslims believe in the ultimate world domination of Islam (it’s plain to see in the koran, as is the persecution and death of all infidels [us] ) who do not convert, so perhaps terrorism is an acceptable means to an end even for the ‘ordinary’ muslim believer. To think or say otherwise would go against their core belief and that will not happen.

Based on all this, whether we like it or not, we will just have to get used to the extremist muslim terrorists because they will always be seen as necessary for the ultimate conversion of all other infidel peoples and nations. Or perhaps you disagree and think I have it all wrong!

Sheer Silence

…and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 1Kings19:12NRSV

Do you ever crave silence? Perhaps a silence where you can think straight, and avoid the daily distractions? We know the story where Elijah the strong and powerful prophet of God came up against an evil woman called Jezebel who promised to make his life a misery, to the point of death. The great Elijah ran scared for his life. We smile at this sometimes, but which of us has never run from a test or temptation instead of facing it down? So let’s not be too hasty in judgement.

God used the elements of nature to get his attention. An earthquake, but no success. A fire, and still Elijah wasn’t able to hear God. But when it was ‘sheer silence’, and there were no other distractions, Elijah heard the voice of God, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. Elijah was faced with the same question by God in v9 and v13, almost as though it didn’t get through the first time, or it needed to be emphasised. God certainly wanted his attention, and only then Elijah got the message.

God doesn’t always get through to us in the big things either. The Crusades, or the Campaigns (Revivals to our American cousins), or the Gospel Music Concerts, all with their noisy Biblical content (all good of course!). However, many times God needs us to be quiet before Him, without the distractions that noise can bring. Very recently, a close friend suffered a particularly bad couple of days in his health, but in that time there wasn’t much conversation or prayer going on between him and God. He was too busy trying to find a way to feel better as each passing hour seemed more painful than the last. When the ‘noise’ of the pain reduced and eased, that was when God spoke. But not only that, it was when my friend was in a place to listen.

Where and when would be the best place and time for God to speak clearly to you, and more importantly, for you to be able to listen?

Lost It?

I suppose it had to happen one day. It felt like I had just turned my back and it was gone without a trace. It wasn’t an ordinary relationship, but let me try to explain some more but try to keep up with my wandering thoughts!

I had a lot of good contacts there and used them a lot. We would talk and be in touch often, of course some folks were better friends than others, but I always knew where they were, and how to get in touch. The truth is there were even folks in my ‘list’ I hardly knew but I felt it was a good idea to keep a note for the future. If you’re with the same crowd for a long time, they have ‘specials’ where you can relax a bit more. I suppose I was familiar with the way everything worked and there were very few surprises. It had become a part of my life, but I didn’t mind.

After a short time at the start when I wasn’t sure how things would work out, I decided to go for the casual membership contract and I found that was good value, at least for me. It didn’t seem to work for everyone mind you, but support was just a call away, and they would try to sort out whatever was troubling me. That didn’t happen very often but it was good to know the support was there.

Then the program changed, and just about everything changed with it. I seemed to lose some of my contacts. They were there one day and gone the next. Or that’s the way it seemed. The others in the list didn’t behave the same way after that. I don’t think any of us knew how to react to the ‘improvements’ as the company rolled out one by one until the way it ended up was unrecognisable. The specials weren’t so appealing now and more suited to a different crowd, some of whom were not even on my original contact list.

Mobile phones change every year and it’s hard to keep up with the changes they bring out. On top of that, as I get older, the more I get used to the one I have, and any change of handset or contract takes me longer to get used to. It didn’t happen overnight, but there came a time when I thought, why bother trying to keep up with the constant changes which the owners called progress. Sometimes change happens and it takes you too far from the solid, familiar ground you had, and for what benefit? So, you do what anyone else does in that situation. You change provider and go back to the tried and tested ways which brought you there in the first place?

Whether it’s my mobile phone, or my church, it’s a very similar process. Who would have thought?

Tipping Point

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18

We all have a point where we break. It can be in different ways, like wages being spent before the next pay day ending in poverty, or a health issue where the body eventually succumbs to the sickness that landed that loved one in hospital, and of course there are other tipping points.

However, the biggest trigger point for our ‘tipping’ is anger, or frustration, usually with someone and not something. Paul knew our human limitations when he wrote the book of Romans. Of all people, bearing in mind all the people he had met and witnessed to, he knew the feeling of frustration where someone, or some people could not be reached with reason or fine argument. That included the folks in the churches he had started and then left before they had enough time to become mature and stable.

I believe Paul is telling us to do our best to keep the peace, and even make peace, BUT (big but) if it is not possible due to the other person’s attitude, manner, or un-Christ-like character, that by itself will not stand in the way to alter our salvation. The onus is on us to try our best to live at peace with everyone, but when that peace runs out or is just not possible, we can have a clear conscience. This becomes even more of a minefield when the difficulty arises from a conflict or difference with another Christian. The tipping point can then become a source of conflict between Kingdom brothers or sisters and the fellowship is therefore broken.

If a difference is not able to be resolved in brotherly love, our Christianity is found to be in question. Unfortunately, I have also discovered that my tipping point can come faster and earlier with some believer’s unmoving theology, than with the open minded unbeliever.

Mine or Minefield?

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.     2 Tim 3:16

For the Christian, when choices and differences arise (and they do) the Bible is our place to go for the answers. However, there is no guarantee that we’ll find something that ‘fits’ with our preconceived notions. The Bible when used as a tool to rebuke us is a real minefield, and we must be prepared to be opposed in our thoughts and manner through its pages.

However, the Bible is also a mine of good and useful advice to the seriously seeking Christian. The rebukes become a source of teaching and correction to our self seeking and wayward lifestyles.

I think it depends on how devout and serious we are about the life we lead and the example shown. Although Scripture is the final authority on all things spiritual, somehow we can still find our favourite verses which cover and confirm our point of view. Then we can hold our head high and say those words which effectively shuts down any other view, “The Bible says, and I believe the Bible every time”. If that is true, then by definition, one person’s interpretation and use of any verse is the only correct one, and until you line up with that Biblical view, you are in error. That is when Scripture becomes a minefield of epic proportions and cannot always be countered successfully, or with the needed grace.

I love the old Scottish observation of the proud mother of her son in his first military parade, who was heard to say, “Look, a’body’s oot o’ step but oor Jock”. It might be funny in that story, but not in matters of Scriptural interpretation. So, what is the Bible to you and me? Is it a minefield of rebuke, or a mine of welcomed training in righteousness?