Make it your goal today to be generous with everyone you meet.
Read Deuteronomy 15:1-3
A friend comes to you, owing you a couple of thousands of dollars and admits that there’s no way he can pay you back. He humbly asks you to cancel the debt. What do you do? How do you react? What emotions run through your mind? If you’re like me then words like angry, ripped off, not fair come to mind.
And yet the people of God are called to be generous. Generous! Is “generous” a word that describes both you and your church? I hope it is. Once you have been touched by generosity it’s hard to go back to being non-generous or greedy. And each and every believer has been touched by generosity. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read of the immense generosity we have received.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Christ Jesus gave up everything, even his heavenly throne to save me and you from eternal destruction. He suffered upon the cross, rejected by man and God so that you and I can have all the riches of heaven, our heavenly inheritance.
For Israel being generous meant cancelling all debts in the seventh year. It meant being open handed towards those in need and not harbouring a desire to have wealth at the expense of one’s fellow country men. But I suspect that many would have schemed ways around this command from the Lord. Higher interest rates could be charged as the 7th year drew near. Lesser principle could be loaned as the 7th year approached and repayment terms could be kept under 7 years. It’s amazing how human nature tends to work for selfish gain, effectively seeking to negate the will of the Lord.
What will your generosity look like today and this week? Make it your goal to be exceedingly generous today with everyone you meet. Make it your goal to give generously of your time, your talents and your treasure. If someone wants 5 minutes of your time, give them 10. If someone needs to borrow $20, bless them with $40 and don’t expect to be repaid. When you come to church, don’t settle for a 10% tithe, give 20% or more, just because you want to reflect the Lord’s generosity.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that your church will be an exceedingly generous church. Pray that each person, you included, would be granted a greater understanding and experience of what God has done for them in Christ’s work at Calvary. Pray that the love of Christ would so fill our hearts that generosity oozes out.
¥ Pray that the churches across Australia will be exceedingly generous and committed in their giving to God. Pray that we would see churches equipped and able to pay their bills, support their minister(s) and to reach out to the poor and needy because they have funds available. Pray that a spirit of generosity would sweep across the Christians in this land.
Monday 30 April 2012
Saturday 28 April 2012
Saturday April 28, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 14:22-29; Gal 6:6; 1 Cor 9:8-14
We rarely think of our giving as part of our holiness and separation unto the Lord. But here in Israel we clearly see that being holy included their food as well. Not only was a portion set aside for Israel’s God but the way it was eaten was important as well. As Israel separated her tithe to the Lord and ate in the presence of the Lord she was declaring her total dependence upon the Lord. It also functioned to remind them to constantly fear the Lord their God and to enjoy His blessings by remaining loyal to Him alone. We don’t give food and grain offerings to the Lord but the concept of eating before the Lord need not dissolve from our church services. Church lunches/dinners are a great way to eat in the Lord’s presence and to declare our total dependence upon Him.
Israel was also to support the poor by her tithes and the Levites were to be direct recipients of the tithe. The Levites had no inheritance in the land and were to be provided for by the people’s offerings. This system directly parallels the care and provision New Testament Church is called to provide for its ministers. Yet we see all too often churches that cannot pay their bills, let alone feed and provide for their minister. Far too many churches have empty pulpits and are leaderless because tithing and free will offerings are withheld from the Lord. If every person/family in our churches across the land tithed and gave sacrificially, we would have enough funds for the wealthier churches to bolster the poorer churches and most, if not all, churches would be staffed by at least one full time minister. We would probably have surplus funds to support the poor and needy both here and abroad. All it would take is for each person to give sacrificially to the Lord’s work.
Throughout April we have studied, by and large, holiness and choice. The
bottom line is that you as a child of God have a choice at ever turn to be holy, to live for God or to live for your self. You are a Holy Spirit filled being and you can make positive choices. You can bring glory and honour and exaltation to the Lord Jesus Christ with every choice you make. Whether or not you do, is up to you.
Go on, make a resolution to continue to live for the glory of your God, today.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that each individual in your congregation would be making positive choices that honour God and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that we see a revival in holiness throughout the churches across that land. Pray that the holiness shines forth so brightly that outsiders come in to find Jesus.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in persecuted lands continue to walk in holiness even though they are persecuted and deprived and harassed. Pray that nothing would be able to make them deny Christ in word or deed.
We rarely think of our giving as part of our holiness and separation unto the Lord. But here in Israel we clearly see that being holy included their food as well. Not only was a portion set aside for Israel’s God but the way it was eaten was important as well. As Israel separated her tithe to the Lord and ate in the presence of the Lord she was declaring her total dependence upon the Lord. It also functioned to remind them to constantly fear the Lord their God and to enjoy His blessings by remaining loyal to Him alone. We don’t give food and grain offerings to the Lord but the concept of eating before the Lord need not dissolve from our church services. Church lunches/dinners are a great way to eat in the Lord’s presence and to declare our total dependence upon Him.
Israel was also to support the poor by her tithes and the Levites were to be direct recipients of the tithe. The Levites had no inheritance in the land and were to be provided for by the people’s offerings. This system directly parallels the care and provision New Testament Church is called to provide for its ministers. Yet we see all too often churches that cannot pay their bills, let alone feed and provide for their minister. Far too many churches have empty pulpits and are leaderless because tithing and free will offerings are withheld from the Lord. If every person/family in our churches across the land tithed and gave sacrificially, we would have enough funds for the wealthier churches to bolster the poorer churches and most, if not all, churches would be staffed by at least one full time minister. We would probably have surplus funds to support the poor and needy both here and abroad. All it would take is for each person to give sacrificially to the Lord’s work.
Throughout April we have studied, by and large, holiness and choice. The
bottom line is that you as a child of God have a choice at ever turn to be holy, to live for God or to live for your self. You are a Holy Spirit filled being and you can make positive choices. You can bring glory and honour and exaltation to the Lord Jesus Christ with every choice you make. Whether or not you do, is up to you.
Go on, make a resolution to continue to live for the glory of your God, today.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that each individual in your congregation would be making positive choices that honour God and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that we see a revival in holiness throughout the churches across that land. Pray that the holiness shines forth so brightly that outsiders come in to find Jesus.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in persecuted lands continue to walk in holiness even though they are persecuted and deprived and harassed. Pray that nothing would be able to make them deny Christ in word or deed.
Friday 27 April 2012
Friday April 27, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 14:3-21; Mark 7:1-23
What’s your favourite food? What’s your least favourite food? I love sampling food from different countries and I particularly like trying things that are not the usual fare for meals. Had I lived in Old Testament Israel, I would have been left bereft of this enjoyment.
Israel had what many consider a strict diet. God prescribed dietary laws that were exacting. Certain animals were ceremonially unclean and were to be avoided at all costs. While it is clear that the food laws showed Israel to be a holy nation, how they functioned and why they functioned are far less clear. Many theories abound. Some argue that these laws were based on health and hygiene matters. Others have argued that they related to the religions of the surrounding nations. Others have argued from various categories and classifications of animals. Maybe it was a collection of all of these. It still remains a mystery why God had such far reaching food laws.
Five categories of living things were regulated for food. To be edible an animal had to have cloven (divided) hooves and it had to chew its cud. According to Leviticus, that requirement ruled out camels, horses, rabbits, and pigs (Lev 11:2–8). Sea life had to have fins and scales (vv 9–12). Birds were edible if they were not predatory (vv 13–19). Moses went on to list 20 species specifically prohibited because they were birds of prey or scavengers. Winged insects were forbidden (vv 22–23) except for certain types of locusts and grasshoppers (food commonly eaten by desert nomads). Finally, “the animals that move about on the ground,” including reptiles and rodents (vv 29–31), were ruled out.
What is clear for us in the New Testament age is that Jesus declared all foods to be clean. But that doesn’t negate all food laws! As you read 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 it becomes very clear that even as a believer I am not to eat food that has been offered to pagan idols, which are demons in reality. I am not to eat at both the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Added to that, according to Romans 14-15, I am to abstain from any food or drink that causes my Christian brother or sister to stumble.
As with so many other areas, food laws for New Testament believers has caused much angst and consternation. Too much blood has been spilt over the centuries fighting over what we can and can not eat. It’s time to stop fighting. It’s time to work together, putting the needs of the other ahead of our own and focusing on the gospel as of supreme importance.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that the Christian church would grow in unity and oneness. As we grow in oneness, the world will see us as Jesus’ disciples and many will come to Christ for salvation. Pray that the issues that cause division at present will be resolved by Spirit filled reading of the Word of God.
¥ Pray that your church would be unified and working as one man for the gospel. Pray that the church would function as the body of Christ as each member takes up the work God has given him/her to be doing. Pray that everyone would know their spiritual gift(s) and would use them for the edification of others and the exaltation of Christ Jesus.
What’s your favourite food? What’s your least favourite food? I love sampling food from different countries and I particularly like trying things that are not the usual fare for meals. Had I lived in Old Testament Israel, I would have been left bereft of this enjoyment.
Israel had what many consider a strict diet. God prescribed dietary laws that were exacting. Certain animals were ceremonially unclean and were to be avoided at all costs. While it is clear that the food laws showed Israel to be a holy nation, how they functioned and why they functioned are far less clear. Many theories abound. Some argue that these laws were based on health and hygiene matters. Others have argued that they related to the religions of the surrounding nations. Others have argued from various categories and classifications of animals. Maybe it was a collection of all of these. It still remains a mystery why God had such far reaching food laws.
Five categories of living things were regulated for food. To be edible an animal had to have cloven (divided) hooves and it had to chew its cud. According to Leviticus, that requirement ruled out camels, horses, rabbits, and pigs (Lev 11:2–8). Sea life had to have fins and scales (vv 9–12). Birds were edible if they were not predatory (vv 13–19). Moses went on to list 20 species specifically prohibited because they were birds of prey or scavengers. Winged insects were forbidden (vv 22–23) except for certain types of locusts and grasshoppers (food commonly eaten by desert nomads). Finally, “the animals that move about on the ground,” including reptiles and rodents (vv 29–31), were ruled out.
What is clear for us in the New Testament age is that Jesus declared all foods to be clean. But that doesn’t negate all food laws! As you read 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 it becomes very clear that even as a believer I am not to eat food that has been offered to pagan idols, which are demons in reality. I am not to eat at both the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Added to that, according to Romans 14-15, I am to abstain from any food or drink that causes my Christian brother or sister to stumble.
As with so many other areas, food laws for New Testament believers has caused much angst and consternation. Too much blood has been spilt over the centuries fighting over what we can and can not eat. It’s time to stop fighting. It’s time to work together, putting the needs of the other ahead of our own and focusing on the gospel as of supreme importance.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that the Christian church would grow in unity and oneness. As we grow in oneness, the world will see us as Jesus’ disciples and many will come to Christ for salvation. Pray that the issues that cause division at present will be resolved by Spirit filled reading of the Word of God.
¥ Pray that your church would be unified and working as one man for the gospel. Pray that the church would function as the body of Christ as each member takes up the work God has given him/her to be doing. Pray that everyone would know their spiritual gift(s) and would use them for the edification of others and the exaltation of Christ Jesus.
Thursday 26 April 2012
Thursday April 26 2012
Read Deuteronomy 14:1-2
What made Israel special was not her size or her righteousness or her abilities as a nation. What made Israel special in the Old Testament was her God!
Israel was more loved by God than a daughter is loved by her devoted father. Israel was the apple of God’s eye, his treasured possession. God had chosen Israel as the recipient of His love, for no other reason than He is a God of love. That alone made Israel special.
Now of course, that such love comes with responsibility. The people of the nations would express their hopelessness in mourning for the dead by slashing themselves with swords, knives and even their own finger nails. A people chosen by the God of hope, could not show hopelessness, even in grieving. Neither could they shave the front of their heads as other nations did.
All the commands and ceremonies given to Israel flow out of the fact that she was loved by God and chosen by her. She was the nation that God chose to be in special relationship with.
As Christians we need to remember that what makes people special is God’s love. All people are special because all humans are made in God’s image, and hence are recipients of His love. Every single being, whether born or unborn, young or old, able or disabled, is special because of God. And we also need to remember that God has chosen us believers. He has revealed Himself to us and given us His immense and free grace. We have not earned it. We have not even deserved it. We are given God’s grace and mercy because He is a God of love. Like Israel, that choosing leads to a particular lifestyle.
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the work of PIM (Presbyterian Inland Mission). These padres spend much time on the road alone, travelling from one station to another or one town to another. Pray that God would encourage them and protect them on their travels. Pray for a welcoming reception at the stations and towns and that there will be many opportunities to speak of Christ and to build relationships.
¥ Pray that God would bring blessing and growth to the church in Myanmar. Pray that believers would be willing to share their faith and bring others to the Lord. Pray for receptive hearts and for God to add daily to those who are being saved.
What made Israel special was not her size or her righteousness or her abilities as a nation. What made Israel special in the Old Testament was her God!
Israel was more loved by God than a daughter is loved by her devoted father. Israel was the apple of God’s eye, his treasured possession. God had chosen Israel as the recipient of His love, for no other reason than He is a God of love. That alone made Israel special.
Now of course, that such love comes with responsibility. The people of the nations would express their hopelessness in mourning for the dead by slashing themselves with swords, knives and even their own finger nails. A people chosen by the God of hope, could not show hopelessness, even in grieving. Neither could they shave the front of their heads as other nations did.
All the commands and ceremonies given to Israel flow out of the fact that she was loved by God and chosen by her. She was the nation that God chose to be in special relationship with.
As Christians we need to remember that what makes people special is God’s love. All people are special because all humans are made in God’s image, and hence are recipients of His love. Every single being, whether born or unborn, young or old, able or disabled, is special because of God. And we also need to remember that God has chosen us believers. He has revealed Himself to us and given us His immense and free grace. We have not earned it. We have not even deserved it. We are given God’s grace and mercy because He is a God of love. Like Israel, that choosing leads to a particular lifestyle.
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the work of PIM (Presbyterian Inland Mission). These padres spend much time on the road alone, travelling from one station to another or one town to another. Pray that God would encourage them and protect them on their travels. Pray for a welcoming reception at the stations and towns and that there will be many opportunities to speak of Christ and to build relationships.
¥ Pray that God would bring blessing and growth to the church in Myanmar. Pray that believers would be willing to share their faith and bring others to the Lord. Pray for receptive hearts and for God to add daily to those who are being saved.
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Wednesday April 25, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 13:17-18; 1 Tim 2
Is it possible, I ask myself, that a sinful object can bring sin and consequence into someone’s house? Is it possible that even if I don’t sin but hang onto something used in sin that I can bring discipline and punishment onto myself and my household? The Bible seems to answer a hearty ‘Yes’ to such a question. Quickly glance over Deuteronomy 7 and read the last verse of that chapter. It’s saying the same thing as chapter 13 is saying - namely that we are not to bring detestable things (things that God has marked out for destruction) into our households. Achan (in Joshua 7) stole some such detestable things, hid them in his household, and suffered greatly for his sin. Even his wider family suffered for his sinfulness.
As New Testament believing men we are called to be men of prayer who lift up holy hands together. Far too often we lift up hands stained with the blood of anger and revenge. We lift up hands covered in gossip and slander. We lift up
hands that opened sinful books and computer sites the night before. Brothers, this should not be. God exhorts us to lift up holy hands in prayer.
We are called to have pure homes free from the things that Lord detests yet our TVs are filled with violence, hatred, jealousy and perversion. Our reading material follows suit. Our DVDs are no different.
If we were to take a radical stance on such detestable things and remove them as far as possible from our houses what would happen? If we were to lift up our hands in prayer, having worked hard at making our hands holy, what would happen? Would we see God work in powerful and affirmative ways? Would we see God answering our prayers en masse? Would see God healing and revealing His will to us like never before? Would we see hundreds, if not thousands, being challenged and coming to Christ in repentance and faith? Would we see God in all His glory and majesty as we stand in His presence? Would our churches overflow and reap such generosity that our giving and sharing could be used to support many poor and needy families? Would we experience such blessing from the Lord that the non believers would come to check out our God? Would our joy be uncontainable that we just have to let it out?
I suspect that the answer would be a resounding ‘YES’ from the Lord. Be a radical disciple. Be serious. As 1 Cor 16:113 says, ‘...Be men of courage’. Lead by example. Be at the head of the pack, the alpha dog that shows others what serious Christianity is like.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that your congregation would be filled with men of courage, men who are lifting up holy hands in prayer and leading by example. Pray that single guys would be protected from the temptations of the world and that they would be holy and pure. Pray that married men would be able to stand against the temptation to commit adultery (in head/heart and with hands), to be like the worldly men and to be hiding away behind the scenes.
¥ Pray that the Lord would be protecting our families and children. Ask God to give each parent wisdom and strength to raise their children in the love and fear of the Lord. Pray for each parent to be given the courage to live by example and to model a love of Jesus that children will want to emulate. Pray that our children grow strong in their faith and shine the light of Jesus among their peers.
Is it possible, I ask myself, that a sinful object can bring sin and consequence into someone’s house? Is it possible that even if I don’t sin but hang onto something used in sin that I can bring discipline and punishment onto myself and my household? The Bible seems to answer a hearty ‘Yes’ to such a question. Quickly glance over Deuteronomy 7 and read the last verse of that chapter. It’s saying the same thing as chapter 13 is saying - namely that we are not to bring detestable things (things that God has marked out for destruction) into our households. Achan (in Joshua 7) stole some such detestable things, hid them in his household, and suffered greatly for his sin. Even his wider family suffered for his sinfulness.
As New Testament believing men we are called to be men of prayer who lift up holy hands together. Far too often we lift up hands stained with the blood of anger and revenge. We lift up hands covered in gossip and slander. We lift up
hands that opened sinful books and computer sites the night before. Brothers, this should not be. God exhorts us to lift up holy hands in prayer.
We are called to have pure homes free from the things that Lord detests yet our TVs are filled with violence, hatred, jealousy and perversion. Our reading material follows suit. Our DVDs are no different.
If we were to take a radical stance on such detestable things and remove them as far as possible from our houses what would happen? If we were to lift up our hands in prayer, having worked hard at making our hands holy, what would happen? Would we see God work in powerful and affirmative ways? Would we see God answering our prayers en masse? Would see God healing and revealing His will to us like never before? Would we see hundreds, if not thousands, being challenged and coming to Christ in repentance and faith? Would we see God in all His glory and majesty as we stand in His presence? Would our churches overflow and reap such generosity that our giving and sharing could be used to support many poor and needy families? Would we experience such blessing from the Lord that the non believers would come to check out our God? Would our joy be uncontainable that we just have to let it out?
I suspect that the answer would be a resounding ‘YES’ from the Lord. Be a radical disciple. Be serious. As 1 Cor 16:113 says, ‘...Be men of courage’. Lead by example. Be at the head of the pack, the alpha dog that shows others what serious Christianity is like.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that your congregation would be filled with men of courage, men who are lifting up holy hands in prayer and leading by example. Pray that single guys would be protected from the temptations of the world and that they would be holy and pure. Pray that married men would be able to stand against the temptation to commit adultery (in head/heart and with hands), to be like the worldly men and to be hiding away behind the scenes.
¥ Pray that the Lord would be protecting our families and children. Ask God to give each parent wisdom and strength to raise their children in the love and fear of the Lord. Pray for each parent to be given the courage to live by example and to model a love of Jesus that children will want to emulate. Pray that our children grow strong in their faith and shine the light of Jesus among their peers.
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Tuesday April 24, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 13:12-16
Picture yourself in Old Testament Israel. You hear a rumour that a distant Israelite town has succumbed to temptation and has begun to worship other gods and statues. Apparently they’ve taken up the ways of the nations around them and have prostituted themselves to foreign gods. What should you do?
God, being a God of justice, commands you to investigate the accusation or rumour very carefully. No rash decisions are to be entered into. If the case is found to be false, the matter is left. Fellowship is continued. But if the matter is found to be true, drastic action is to be taken. The entire town is to be killed and all the things of the town are to be burned in the centre of the town. That town itself is to remain a ruin, never to be rebuilt as a living reminder of the holiness and majesty of God. The ruined town reminds all passers by that God, our God, is deadly serious about holiness. To understand the immense and absolute holiness of God, you only have to read Deuteronomy 13:12-16.
Such commands serve to build up a positive atmosphere as well. Each member of a town or village would contribute to the health of the town by being holy and by encouraging each other to be holy. Any movement away from holiness would be jumped upon by various members of the town. The result is a corporate push for holiness. This is clearly illustrated in a school classroom. I’ve often seen teachers tell the class that any talking or misbehaviour would immediately result in detention for the entre class. Immediately the class starts to encourage each other in positive behaviour. You simply would not stand back and remain uninvolved if your neighbour’s sin would certainly lead to the destruction of the entire town, would you?
God doesn’t want us as His children to be uninvolved in each other’s lives. He wants us to care enough and to love enough to get involved. He wants us to step in when our brother or sister needs help and support or rebuke and admonishment. He wants us to be actively, even proactively, involved in each other’s holiness. God wants us to push each other on and to spur one another to greater heights of love and good deeds.
Prayer:
¥ Uganda. In the main secular news, the focus is on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who have wreaked havoc in Northern Uganda. The Ugandans who have moved back to their homes are still along way from fully re building their lives. While Uganda did not make into the World Watch List this year, Open Doors is working there and are reporting numerous instances of persecution.
¥ Pray the Open Door workers, for the displaced Christians and for the people in the LRA, that God would become the centre of their lives.
Picture yourself in Old Testament Israel. You hear a rumour that a distant Israelite town has succumbed to temptation and has begun to worship other gods and statues. Apparently they’ve taken up the ways of the nations around them and have prostituted themselves to foreign gods. What should you do?
God, being a God of justice, commands you to investigate the accusation or rumour very carefully. No rash decisions are to be entered into. If the case is found to be false, the matter is left. Fellowship is continued. But if the matter is found to be true, drastic action is to be taken. The entire town is to be killed and all the things of the town are to be burned in the centre of the town. That town itself is to remain a ruin, never to be rebuilt as a living reminder of the holiness and majesty of God. The ruined town reminds all passers by that God, our God, is deadly serious about holiness. To understand the immense and absolute holiness of God, you only have to read Deuteronomy 13:12-16.
Such commands serve to build up a positive atmosphere as well. Each member of a town or village would contribute to the health of the town by being holy and by encouraging each other to be holy. Any movement away from holiness would be jumped upon by various members of the town. The result is a corporate push for holiness. This is clearly illustrated in a school classroom. I’ve often seen teachers tell the class that any talking or misbehaviour would immediately result in detention for the entre class. Immediately the class starts to encourage each other in positive behaviour. You simply would not stand back and remain uninvolved if your neighbour’s sin would certainly lead to the destruction of the entire town, would you?
God doesn’t want us as His children to be uninvolved in each other’s lives. He wants us to care enough and to love enough to get involved. He wants us to step in when our brother or sister needs help and support or rebuke and admonishment. He wants us to be actively, even proactively, involved in each other’s holiness. God wants us to push each other on and to spur one another to greater heights of love and good deeds.
Prayer:
¥ Uganda. In the main secular news, the focus is on the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who have wreaked havoc in Northern Uganda. The Ugandans who have moved back to their homes are still along way from fully re building their lives. While Uganda did not make into the World Watch List this year, Open Doors is working there and are reporting numerous instances of persecution.
¥ Pray the Open Door workers, for the displaced Christians and for the people in the LRA, that God would become the centre of their lives.
Monday 23 April 2012
Monday April 23, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 13:1-11
To be set apart or to ‘be holy’ basically means to be dedicated to something. Different groups and different things could be set apart for almost anything. The Bible speaks about being holy or set apart to or for something or someone. That which something is set apart to or for, determines the character of that which is set apart.
Since Israel was set apart to the Lord, ie holy to the Lord by virtue of her election and God-ordained choosing, she was to be holy as God is holy. She was to reflect the image of her God.
The basic rule of thumb for Israel was that anything or anyone that pulled the people away from worshipping the Lord was to be removed. People who encouraged false worship and idolatry were to be killed. What we’re seeing is the incredible and indescribable holiness of God who refuses to play second fiddle to statues and icons and false gods.
Imagine if you and I had the same rule of thumb in our own lives and in the life of our churches - that anyone or anything that lessened our worship of God and devotion to God, would be immediately removed. We don’t advocate killing but removal. I wonder for how long we would have our TVs, our smart phones and our computers? How many preachers would be asked to leave our churches? How many buildings would be torn down? How many cars would be sent to the scrap heap and how many bank accounts would be emptied?
It’s not a hard principle to understand. A mother nursing a new baby makes sure there are no stinging or biting insects near her baby. False prophets bring a sting and bite to the nation of Israel. A car enthusiast cleans his garage to make sure that nothing scratches his car as he pulls in and reverses out of the garage. The false prophets would greatly damage Israel and had to be removed. A careful father makes sure there are no poisons in reach of his children. The false prophets were poisonous and deadly to the nation of Israel.
Can we together make that rule of thumb a rule in our own lives? If
something pulls you away from God, seek to get rid of it. If something lessens your love of God, take drastic measures to remove that threat and danger. If something causes you to walk away from God, even if only for a brief moment, remove that threat as soon as possible.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that God’s people would reflect the character of our God and be holy as He is holy. Pray that this would occur at a personal level for all the Christians you know and at a church level, at a denominational level and as a nation. Pray that the holiness of Christians across Australia would speak volumes to a lost and desperate world.
¥ Pray for the Cranes as they work with PIM. Pray that God would continue to grant them travelling mercies and that they would have an effective outreach as they build relationships on stations, among outback towns and across the various regions they travel. Pray for encouragement and perseverance.
To be set apart or to ‘be holy’ basically means to be dedicated to something. Different groups and different things could be set apart for almost anything. The Bible speaks about being holy or set apart to or for something or someone. That which something is set apart to or for, determines the character of that which is set apart.
Since Israel was set apart to the Lord, ie holy to the Lord by virtue of her election and God-ordained choosing, she was to be holy as God is holy. She was to reflect the image of her God.
The basic rule of thumb for Israel was that anything or anyone that pulled the people away from worshipping the Lord was to be removed. People who encouraged false worship and idolatry were to be killed. What we’re seeing is the incredible and indescribable holiness of God who refuses to play second fiddle to statues and icons and false gods.
Imagine if you and I had the same rule of thumb in our own lives and in the life of our churches - that anyone or anything that lessened our worship of God and devotion to God, would be immediately removed. We don’t advocate killing but removal. I wonder for how long we would have our TVs, our smart phones and our computers? How many preachers would be asked to leave our churches? How many buildings would be torn down? How many cars would be sent to the scrap heap and how many bank accounts would be emptied?
It’s not a hard principle to understand. A mother nursing a new baby makes sure there are no stinging or biting insects near her baby. False prophets bring a sting and bite to the nation of Israel. A car enthusiast cleans his garage to make sure that nothing scratches his car as he pulls in and reverses out of the garage. The false prophets would greatly damage Israel and had to be removed. A careful father makes sure there are no poisons in reach of his children. The false prophets were poisonous and deadly to the nation of Israel.
Can we together make that rule of thumb a rule in our own lives? If
something pulls you away from God, seek to get rid of it. If something lessens your love of God, take drastic measures to remove that threat and danger. If something causes you to walk away from God, even if only for a brief moment, remove that threat as soon as possible.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that God’s people would reflect the character of our God and be holy as He is holy. Pray that this would occur at a personal level for all the Christians you know and at a church level, at a denominational level and as a nation. Pray that the holiness of Christians across Australia would speak volumes to a lost and desperate world.
¥ Pray for the Cranes as they work with PIM. Pray that God would continue to grant them travelling mercies and that they would have an effective outreach as they build relationships on stations, among outback towns and across the various regions they travel. Pray for encouragement and perseverance.
Saturday 21 April 2012
Saturday April 21, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 12:19-32
As Jesus stood in the temple He watched the people putting their money into the treasury. Some rich people put in huge amounts. Others put in average amounts. The disciples, watching with Jesus, may have stood in awe at some of the large amounts put in by a few individuals. But Jesus ignored them. He drew the disciples’ attention to a woman - a poor old women, dressed in rags that people had ignored for decades. She had become a part of the Temple furniture. This woman put in two small copper coins into the treasury. The amount was so small that we would be embarrassed to give it to our kids as pocket money. And yet Jesus commended this woman, not the rich givers, because she had put in all she had to live on. This woman modelled generosity that flows out of a heart in love for God.
As we read today’s verses we may be tempted to adopt a spirit of liberalism or a ‘do as you please’ mentality. But that is not the point. God is showing the Israelites that there is freedom in giving and offering sacrifices. There are freedoms we can utilise but they are not a license to do as we please. God’s generosity and grace should never be taken as a license to do as we please.
The passage focuses around and draws attention to command not to eat blood. Interestingly, the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 upheld this command. But looking beyond that issue, it shows us that even with God given freedoms, some things are still black and white. We must never presume to add to or take away from the commands that God has given us, whether about worship or some other aspect of our lives. God sets the boundaries, we do not!
Worship and giving is a matter of the heart, not of the wallet. We give out of our wallets but we really give with our heart. God is far more pleased with joyful giving than giving with a begrudging heart. Before you give this weekend at church, recapture the love and passion of the Lord. Fall in love with God all over again. Rediscover the wonder of dwelling in His grace and mercy. Stand in awe of God once again and then, only then, open your wallet and give to the Lord.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that you and your congregation would be an exceedingly generous congregation. Pray that God’s love and grace and mercy would fill our hearts and flow out into our giving, our singing, our praises and our prayers and even our relationships.
¥ Pray that the churches in the financially blessed West would be so generous that we might be able to support the churches in poorer nations that have so little yet need pastors and trained staff to deal with the thousands coming to faith each month. Pray that a redistribution of funds would willingly and joyously occur.
As Jesus stood in the temple He watched the people putting their money into the treasury. Some rich people put in huge amounts. Others put in average amounts. The disciples, watching with Jesus, may have stood in awe at some of the large amounts put in by a few individuals. But Jesus ignored them. He drew the disciples’ attention to a woman - a poor old women, dressed in rags that people had ignored for decades. She had become a part of the Temple furniture. This woman put in two small copper coins into the treasury. The amount was so small that we would be embarrassed to give it to our kids as pocket money. And yet Jesus commended this woman, not the rich givers, because she had put in all she had to live on. This woman modelled generosity that flows out of a heart in love for God.
As we read today’s verses we may be tempted to adopt a spirit of liberalism or a ‘do as you please’ mentality. But that is not the point. God is showing the Israelites that there is freedom in giving and offering sacrifices. There are freedoms we can utilise but they are not a license to do as we please. God’s generosity and grace should never be taken as a license to do as we please.
The passage focuses around and draws attention to command not to eat blood. Interestingly, the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 upheld this command. But looking beyond that issue, it shows us that even with God given freedoms, some things are still black and white. We must never presume to add to or take away from the commands that God has given us, whether about worship or some other aspect of our lives. God sets the boundaries, we do not!
Worship and giving is a matter of the heart, not of the wallet. We give out of our wallets but we really give with our heart. God is far more pleased with joyful giving than giving with a begrudging heart. Before you give this weekend at church, recapture the love and passion of the Lord. Fall in love with God all over again. Rediscover the wonder of dwelling in His grace and mercy. Stand in awe of God once again and then, only then, open your wallet and give to the Lord.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that you and your congregation would be an exceedingly generous congregation. Pray that God’s love and grace and mercy would fill our hearts and flow out into our giving, our singing, our praises and our prayers and even our relationships.
¥ Pray that the churches in the financially blessed West would be so generous that we might be able to support the churches in poorer nations that have so little yet need pastors and trained staff to deal with the thousands coming to faith each month. Pray that a redistribution of funds would willingly and joyously occur.
Friday 20 April 2012
Friday April 20, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 12:13-18
The sacrifices of Israel perhaps best parallel our free-will offering and tithes. While we do not offer sin offerings and so on because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for sin, we are still called to give to God.
In the Old Testament giving was far more demanding and rigorous than our giving today. Put yourself in a typical farmer’s sandals. As you stand before the flock you intend picking a lamb to take to the temple to offer to God as a sacrifice. Over in the corner of the paddock you see a weak lamb, one that probably won’t make it through the winter. You could take it and give it to God and everyone will be happy. There’s only one problem! God demands the best, not the worst. You look at your prize lamb. He could sire up to 50 or 60 well bred stock this year and give you a great return. Do you take it to God? Do you pretend not to see that lamb? Do you take the weaker lamb and hope for the best?
In our churches, financial giving to the Lord causes much angst and consternation among believers. People have told me that talking about giving is not acceptable. Christians have left some churches because the minister dared to talk about giving. Be assured of this, even though we do not give according to rules and regulations, God still wants us to give our best, not our worst, to Him.
Here’s how you can tithe sacrificially to the Lord, without falling into legalism. Prayerfully consider your total income (work income + interest + investments + allowances +...). From this, prayerfully set aside an amount that will go directly to the Lord. Start with a tithe (ie 10%) and pray upwards from there. You and God need to set this amount. Each week (or fortnight or month) set that amount aside to God. Give it to Him completely, with no strings attached. Again I’ve seen many believers give to God only while the church does what they think it should be doing and spending its money on. You and I do not have the right to be so arrogant and sinful. When we give to God, we give to Him with no strings attached.
Now in the life of any church there will be times when it requires more funds - building projects, mission endeavours, urgent relief and so on. Having set aside our weekly amount to the Lord, we should not dip into these funds. Rather, our free will offerings should be on top of our regular committed giving. So if, for example, I am giving God $200 per week as my regular offering and the church asks for funds to send a team to India, I should give to that fund (assume $50) without reducing my $200 weekly contribution to $150. The extra I give to the India mission team is my free-will offering.
In 2 Corinthians we read these encouraging and blessed words.
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
God loves a cheerful and joyous giver. God loves generous souls. God loves it when we are giving as much as he has given us. Go forth and be generous this weekend.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that your church would be a generous church that gives to God sacrificially. While there are many people in churches unhappy to talk about giving and finances, pray that God would break down this barrier and bring people to the point of being generous.
¥ Pray that our hearts would be set on Jesus and His Word rather than on the mighty dollar bill. Pray that our trust would be in Christ not in our bank account. Pray that we would not fall into the temptation to love money because it is a root of all kinds of evil.
The sacrifices of Israel perhaps best parallel our free-will offering and tithes. While we do not offer sin offerings and so on because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for sin, we are still called to give to God.
In the Old Testament giving was far more demanding and rigorous than our giving today. Put yourself in a typical farmer’s sandals. As you stand before the flock you intend picking a lamb to take to the temple to offer to God as a sacrifice. Over in the corner of the paddock you see a weak lamb, one that probably won’t make it through the winter. You could take it and give it to God and everyone will be happy. There’s only one problem! God demands the best, not the worst. You look at your prize lamb. He could sire up to 50 or 60 well bred stock this year and give you a great return. Do you take it to God? Do you pretend not to see that lamb? Do you take the weaker lamb and hope for the best?
In our churches, financial giving to the Lord causes much angst and consternation among believers. People have told me that talking about giving is not acceptable. Christians have left some churches because the minister dared to talk about giving. Be assured of this, even though we do not give according to rules and regulations, God still wants us to give our best, not our worst, to Him.
Here’s how you can tithe sacrificially to the Lord, without falling into legalism. Prayerfully consider your total income (work income + interest + investments + allowances +...). From this, prayerfully set aside an amount that will go directly to the Lord. Start with a tithe (ie 10%) and pray upwards from there. You and God need to set this amount. Each week (or fortnight or month) set that amount aside to God. Give it to Him completely, with no strings attached. Again I’ve seen many believers give to God only while the church does what they think it should be doing and spending its money on. You and I do not have the right to be so arrogant and sinful. When we give to God, we give to Him with no strings attached.
Now in the life of any church there will be times when it requires more funds - building projects, mission endeavours, urgent relief and so on. Having set aside our weekly amount to the Lord, we should not dip into these funds. Rather, our free will offerings should be on top of our regular committed giving. So if, for example, I am giving God $200 per week as my regular offering and the church asks for funds to send a team to India, I should give to that fund (assume $50) without reducing my $200 weekly contribution to $150. The extra I give to the India mission team is my free-will offering.
In 2 Corinthians we read these encouraging and blessed words.
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
God loves a cheerful and joyous giver. God loves generous souls. God loves it when we are giving as much as he has given us. Go forth and be generous this weekend.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that your church would be a generous church that gives to God sacrificially. While there are many people in churches unhappy to talk about giving and finances, pray that God would break down this barrier and bring people to the point of being generous.
¥ Pray that our hearts would be set on Jesus and His Word rather than on the mighty dollar bill. Pray that our trust would be in Christ not in our bank account. Pray that we would not fall into the temptation to love money because it is a root of all kinds of evil.
Thursday 19 April 2012
Thursday April 19, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 12:12
Verse 12 really slapped me in the face as I read for the first time in many months earlier this week. I wonder what effect vs 12 had on you as you read it.
Here’s why it slapped me in the face. As a pastor of a church, Sonday mornings are generally busy and hectic with much thought and concern about what’s happening, the service and the sermon and how it will be received. There’s a plethora of things that need to happen and even though they are shared out, someone has to make sure they happen. Often there’s a million thoughts racing through my head simultaneously. Unfortunately, joy is not one of those thoughts or emotions in my head/heart on Sonday mornings.
How often do you and I come to church anticipating and looking forward to a morning of JOY in the Lord’s presence? How often do we get excited on Saturday or earlier as we anticipate the joy of meeting God and worshipping with His children? How often do we salivate in anticipation of the sheer joy of church?
When we come together in the Lord’s presence it is meant to be a joyous gathering. We have so much to rejoice in. Israel had much to rejoice about but we have more. If nothing else, think of church as an opportunity to recall that Jesus, the Son of God, entered our world and became a man for our sakes. Though he was God, he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made Himself nothing. He came as a man and as a man lived a perfect life. Even so, He was executed upon a cross. He was cursed by both man and God so that you and I can be totally forgiven. We have been adopted as children of God because of the work of Jesus on our behalf. That should fill us with joy.
Jesus rose to life on the third day and, as the first fruits, guarantees our resurrection. We have an eternal hope that nothing in this world will or can
take away. We have a certain future with Christ in the new heaven/earth and God marches with us along the way, preparing us for our heavenly abode. That too, should fill us with joy.
Even more than that, God has blessed us with an extended family - brothers and sisters who also love the Lord and are headed to heaven with us. We walk together towards our heavenly home. That should fill us with joy.
As I finish this passage, I am rebuked and corrected but also filled with joy and anticipation that next Sonday will be a joyous Lord’s day where we gather together in the throne room of the King and refocus our lives on Him.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that we as a congregation will rejoice in the Lord as we gather on Sonday. Pray that joy will flow out from us all week as we anticipate that gathering. Pray that our joy will be contagious and spread to many more people, even non believers and so bring them to Christ.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted in North Korea will be filled with the joy of the Lord, even in their terrible conditions. Pray that this joy will also bring many to the Lord in repentance and faith.
Verse 12 really slapped me in the face as I read for the first time in many months earlier this week. I wonder what effect vs 12 had on you as you read it.
Here’s why it slapped me in the face. As a pastor of a church, Sonday mornings are generally busy and hectic with much thought and concern about what’s happening, the service and the sermon and how it will be received. There’s a plethora of things that need to happen and even though they are shared out, someone has to make sure they happen. Often there’s a million thoughts racing through my head simultaneously. Unfortunately, joy is not one of those thoughts or emotions in my head/heart on Sonday mornings.
How often do you and I come to church anticipating and looking forward to a morning of JOY in the Lord’s presence? How often do we get excited on Saturday or earlier as we anticipate the joy of meeting God and worshipping with His children? How often do we salivate in anticipation of the sheer joy of church?
When we come together in the Lord’s presence it is meant to be a joyous gathering. We have so much to rejoice in. Israel had much to rejoice about but we have more. If nothing else, think of church as an opportunity to recall that Jesus, the Son of God, entered our world and became a man for our sakes. Though he was God, he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made Himself nothing. He came as a man and as a man lived a perfect life. Even so, He was executed upon a cross. He was cursed by both man and God so that you and I can be totally forgiven. We have been adopted as children of God because of the work of Jesus on our behalf. That should fill us with joy.
Jesus rose to life on the third day and, as the first fruits, guarantees our resurrection. We have an eternal hope that nothing in this world will or can
take away. We have a certain future with Christ in the new heaven/earth and God marches with us along the way, preparing us for our heavenly abode. That too, should fill us with joy.
Even more than that, God has blessed us with an extended family - brothers and sisters who also love the Lord and are headed to heaven with us. We walk together towards our heavenly home. That should fill us with joy.
As I finish this passage, I am rebuked and corrected but also filled with joy and anticipation that next Sonday will be a joyous Lord’s day where we gather together in the throne room of the King and refocus our lives on Him.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that we as a congregation will rejoice in the Lord as we gather on Sonday. Pray that joy will flow out from us all week as we anticipate that gathering. Pray that our joy will be contagious and spread to many more people, even non believers and so bring them to Christ.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted in North Korea will be filled with the joy of the Lord, even in their terrible conditions. Pray that this joy will also bring many to the Lord in repentance and faith.
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Wednesday April 18, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 12:8-11; Colossians 3:15-17
Yesterday I asked a confronting question. Can you remember the question? That question, to help jog your memory, was ‘When you walk into church, what attitude do you bring with you?’
Deuteronomy 12:8 is one attitude that we should NEVER bring into church - that I will do as I see fit. What’s wrong with such an attitude? Apart from ‘EVERYTHING!!’, let me spell out a few things. Firstly, to put me at the centre of my universe contradicts the greatest commandment to love God wholeheartedly. Secondly, it dismisses the second greatest commandment to love thy neighbour as thyself. Thirdly, it contravenes a host of commands in the New Testament that exhort us to be other centred and working for their benefit. Thirdly, as we do church with me at the centre we drain the life out of church much like a parasite drains the life out of its host.
In the word “church” there is no ‘me’ but “u r” there. You are there to serve others, to give, to edify, to bless and to be other centred. In the church ‘me’ disappears and the body of Christ emerges triumphant and glorious. Church is not and never should be about me. It should be about Jesus and each other. What needs to disappear from our services is that consumerist ‘me-ism’ that the world has adopted and that Christians have started to imitate in all areas of life, even church.
Here’s a challenge for each one of us. This week be determined to go to church without a consumerist attitude. Be challenged to go to church to serve, to give and to look out for others. What will that look like? That depends largely on you. But here are some guidelines. In being other centred, ask after each person you see. Spend 3-5 minutes genuinely asking about each person’s welfare. If someone asks you to help or to give them something, say “Yes”. Even more so, offer your services in any area that you can. Offer to pray with at least 5 other people over morning tea or supper.
Are you up for the challenge of returning the church to its God given glory? Are you up to the challenge of putting yourself and your needs below everyone else’s? Let’s pray that we all are!
Prayer:
¥ Pray for each and every single person in your congregation. Pray that no one will have a me me me attitude any longer. Pray that those who do, will be convicted by the Spirit of God and brought to repentance by faith and God’s grace. Ask God to restore the glory of your church service by changing people from the inside out.
¥ Pray that the work of Student Life would continue to grow and expand. Pray that they would have financial and leadership resources to continue growing spiritual movements across campuses. Pray for the increase in opportunities to share the faith and to make disciples.
Yesterday I asked a confronting question. Can you remember the question? That question, to help jog your memory, was ‘When you walk into church, what attitude do you bring with you?’
Deuteronomy 12:8 is one attitude that we should NEVER bring into church - that I will do as I see fit. What’s wrong with such an attitude? Apart from ‘EVERYTHING!!’, let me spell out a few things. Firstly, to put me at the centre of my universe contradicts the greatest commandment to love God wholeheartedly. Secondly, it dismisses the second greatest commandment to love thy neighbour as thyself. Thirdly, it contravenes a host of commands in the New Testament that exhort us to be other centred and working for their benefit. Thirdly, as we do church with me at the centre we drain the life out of church much like a parasite drains the life out of its host.
In the word “church” there is no ‘me’ but “u r” there. You are there to serve others, to give, to edify, to bless and to be other centred. In the church ‘me’ disappears and the body of Christ emerges triumphant and glorious. Church is not and never should be about me. It should be about Jesus and each other. What needs to disappear from our services is that consumerist ‘me-ism’ that the world has adopted and that Christians have started to imitate in all areas of life, even church.
Here’s a challenge for each one of us. This week be determined to go to church without a consumerist attitude. Be challenged to go to church to serve, to give and to look out for others. What will that look like? That depends largely on you. But here are some guidelines. In being other centred, ask after each person you see. Spend 3-5 minutes genuinely asking about each person’s welfare. If someone asks you to help or to give them something, say “Yes”. Even more so, offer your services in any area that you can. Offer to pray with at least 5 other people over morning tea or supper.
Are you up for the challenge of returning the church to its God given glory? Are you up to the challenge of putting yourself and your needs below everyone else’s? Let’s pray that we all are!
Prayer:
¥ Pray for each and every single person in your congregation. Pray that no one will have a me me me attitude any longer. Pray that those who do, will be convicted by the Spirit of God and brought to repentance by faith and God’s grace. Ask God to restore the glory of your church service by changing people from the inside out.
¥ Pray that the work of Student Life would continue to grow and expand. Pray that they would have financial and leadership resources to continue growing spiritual movements across campuses. Pray for the increase in opportunities to share the faith and to make disciples.
Tuesday 17 April 2012
Tuesday April 17, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 12:5-7. Isaiah 55:1-6
When you walk into church each and every Sonday, what attitude do you bring with you? Do you walk into church not thinking about anything? Do you turn off and simply go through the motions? Do you see this as an hour or two to rest, to sleep and to catch your thoughts? Is it a chance to catch up with friends? Is it an opportunity to be refuelled and refilled, ready for the week ahead?
When Israel gathered together, she was told to seek the Lord. Hear that very carefully! She was told to seek the Lord. We often think of seeking God as an activity only for non believers or ‘seekers’ that may frequent churches looking for or checking out God. But even Isaiah calls God’s people to seek the Lord in the context of rich blessing, overflowing abundance and reaching out to the nations.
Perhaps you and I could learn to seek the Lord and come to church with that humble attitude of wanting to find the Lord. Rather than being a consumer at church, maybe we could be contributors who help seek the Lord. But how can I seek the Lord? How can I contribute to finding the Lord each and every Lord’s Day? Here’s a few ideas I came up with: (your cell group could brainstorm a few more ideas)
à Include in your quiet times a prayer for the Sonday service, namely that we would meet with God and enjoy His presence.
à Prepare yourself by pre-reading the set passage and thinking about how it applies to you.
à Ask people at church how their walk with the Lord is and how its been through the week.
à Pray with people on Sonday either one on one or corporately throughout the service.
à Use your gifts and abilities to serve and edify others.
Prayer:
¥ Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to your church this coming Sonday as you gather together. Pray that each and every individual would be touched by the Lord, strengthened and challenged by His Word and drawn closer to Him through prayer.
¥ In many countries around the world (Russia, India, China, South America etc) thousands upon thousands on non believers are looking for God. Pray that God would reveal Himself and by grace, bring many people into His kingdom.
When you walk into church each and every Sonday, what attitude do you bring with you? Do you walk into church not thinking about anything? Do you turn off and simply go through the motions? Do you see this as an hour or two to rest, to sleep and to catch your thoughts? Is it a chance to catch up with friends? Is it an opportunity to be refuelled and refilled, ready for the week ahead?
When Israel gathered together, she was told to seek the Lord. Hear that very carefully! She was told to seek the Lord. We often think of seeking God as an activity only for non believers or ‘seekers’ that may frequent churches looking for or checking out God. But even Isaiah calls God’s people to seek the Lord in the context of rich blessing, overflowing abundance and reaching out to the nations.
Perhaps you and I could learn to seek the Lord and come to church with that humble attitude of wanting to find the Lord. Rather than being a consumer at church, maybe we could be contributors who help seek the Lord. But how can I seek the Lord? How can I contribute to finding the Lord each and every Lord’s Day? Here’s a few ideas I came up with: (your cell group could brainstorm a few more ideas)
à Include in your quiet times a prayer for the Sonday service, namely that we would meet with God and enjoy His presence.
à Prepare yourself by pre-reading the set passage and thinking about how it applies to you.
à Ask people at church how their walk with the Lord is and how its been through the week.
à Pray with people on Sonday either one on one or corporately throughout the service.
à Use your gifts and abilities to serve and edify others.
Prayer:
¥ Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to your church this coming Sonday as you gather together. Pray that each and every individual would be touched by the Lord, strengthened and challenged by His Word and drawn closer to Him through prayer.
¥ In many countries around the world (Russia, India, China, South America etc) thousands upon thousands on non believers are looking for God. Pray that God would reveal Himself and by grace, bring many people into His kingdom.
Monday 16 April 2012
Monday April 16, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 12:1-4
Do you know the peril of the pendulum? Basically it describes human reaction, or more correctly, over reaction, to some issue. As humans we tend to react and go to the other end of the extreme. As an example, the word ‘worship’ was correctly adjusted in Christian circles to refer to all of life, rather than to just Sonday services. However, beware the peril of the pendulum! Many believers now get annoyed when the word ‘worship’ is used for our Sonday gathering. Be assured! By referring to Sonday services as ‘worship’ no one is advocating that we forget God throughout the week. No one is advocating salvation by works. No such
annoyance is needed because Deuteronomy 12 refers to worship as the gathered body in the temple, the forerunner of our church!
Throughout the Old Testament and throughout the New Testament God tells us what He does and does NOT like in our worship services. Again, because of the perilous pendulum we have formed extreme camps. The regulative principle campers argue that God has communicated to us everything He desires to be in our worship services and everything else should be carefully avoided. The normative principle argues that anything not expressly prohibited is allowable as long as it keeps the unity and peace of the church. Can you see the extreme error on both sides? The Word of God does not tell us that we should have Sonday school classes during the service time but we should not for that reason rule it out as a possibility. At the other extreme the Word of God does not expressly prohibit the baptism of animals but that should not, logically and theologically, be encouraged!!!
What we need to do is find a middle ground that brings honour and glory to God. Certain things are obviously negated by Scripture. One church, I visited on the web, is based around screaming one’s desired blessing to the Lord. Louder screams attract more blessing. Another is based around yelling obscenities at God. Neither are glorifying to the Lord Jesus Christ. Another church I visited expected my young, energetic children to sit still and quiet for over an hour and to listen to a long liturgy that made no sense to them.
Worship on a Sonday is primarily about God, about relationship and about each other. While there are guidelines, rules and regulations, it’s meant to bless us, to edify us and to draw us nearer to God and to each other. Let’s make sure that happens this week.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that your church service this week will be a blessing and edification to all who attend. Pray that everyone in your church would be there this week. Pray that each and every single person in your church would see the need and the benefit and the blessing of being at church each and every Lord’s Day.
¥ Pray that God would excite Christians about His services and His Body, the church. Pray that we would see a ground swell of excitement rising up and pouring out into our communities.
Do you know the peril of the pendulum? Basically it describes human reaction, or more correctly, over reaction, to some issue. As humans we tend to react and go to the other end of the extreme. As an example, the word ‘worship’ was correctly adjusted in Christian circles to refer to all of life, rather than to just Sonday services. However, beware the peril of the pendulum! Many believers now get annoyed when the word ‘worship’ is used for our Sonday gathering. Be assured! By referring to Sonday services as ‘worship’ no one is advocating that we forget God throughout the week. No one is advocating salvation by works. No such
annoyance is needed because Deuteronomy 12 refers to worship as the gathered body in the temple, the forerunner of our church!
Throughout the Old Testament and throughout the New Testament God tells us what He does and does NOT like in our worship services. Again, because of the perilous pendulum we have formed extreme camps. The regulative principle campers argue that God has communicated to us everything He desires to be in our worship services and everything else should be carefully avoided. The normative principle argues that anything not expressly prohibited is allowable as long as it keeps the unity and peace of the church. Can you see the extreme error on both sides? The Word of God does not tell us that we should have Sonday school classes during the service time but we should not for that reason rule it out as a possibility. At the other extreme the Word of God does not expressly prohibit the baptism of animals but that should not, logically and theologically, be encouraged!!!
What we need to do is find a middle ground that brings honour and glory to God. Certain things are obviously negated by Scripture. One church, I visited on the web, is based around screaming one’s desired blessing to the Lord. Louder screams attract more blessing. Another is based around yelling obscenities at God. Neither are glorifying to the Lord Jesus Christ. Another church I visited expected my young, energetic children to sit still and quiet for over an hour and to listen to a long liturgy that made no sense to them.
Worship on a Sonday is primarily about God, about relationship and about each other. While there are guidelines, rules and regulations, it’s meant to bless us, to edify us and to draw us nearer to God and to each other. Let’s make sure that happens this week.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that your church service this week will be a blessing and edification to all who attend. Pray that everyone in your church would be there this week. Pray that each and every single person in your church would see the need and the benefit and the blessing of being at church each and every Lord’s Day.
¥ Pray that God would excite Christians about His services and His Body, the church. Pray that we would see a ground swell of excitement rising up and pouring out into our communities.
Saturday 14 April 2012
Saturday April 14, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 11:26-32
What we’ve talked about all week is expressly laid out before us at the end of chapter 11.
Verses 26 and 27 starkly outline that choice.
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
To really understand the implications before us, think of yourself standing before God watching a video of your entire life. As you watch that video, what will it reveal about the choices you have made throughout your life? Will that video show that you sought the glory of the Lord and laboured for His kingdom or will it show that God’s agenda was subordinate to your own pleasures and desires? Will it show that God came first in your life or that your desires and own pleasures came first?
When you put it like that, it’s a very clear choice isn’t it? Unfortunately, our lives are unnecessarily complicated and messy because we continue to make choices that feed our sinful nature. God will allow the consequences of such choices and our relationship with God will continue to stagnate and possibly even decline as we make such choices. A 300kg man appeared on the internet recently, pleading for help in losing weight. What he had to do, among other things, was to exercise, stop eating junk food and start eating good food. Spiritually, things are no different. If you want to change, start feeding yourself good spiritual food - namely the Word of God. Take radical steps to remove the bad food you are feeding yourself. Start exercising spiritually. Put your faith into action, slowly at first but increasing as your faith muscles grow.
As we’ve said all week, God has given you a choice. God has given you a mind to make a choice. It can be a good choice or a bad choice. You choose.
Prayer:
¥ Our brothers and sisters in China and Vietnam continue to face daily choices that lead to economic deprivation, arrest and fines and/or imprisonment. These choices are based around whether or not to share Jesus with family and friends. Pray that they would make wise choices in the strength of the Lord and that they would be courageous to make choices that please God and grow His kingdom.
¥ Pray for the believers in Iraq and Iran. Intense persecution is making life extremely difficult for them. Pray that God would bring peace to their hearts, stability to their lives and the ability to walk onward in Christ day by day. Pray that God would comfort greatly those who have lost loved ones because of their stance in Christ.
What we’ve talked about all week is expressly laid out before us at the end of chapter 11.
Verses 26 and 27 starkly outline that choice.
See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
To really understand the implications before us, think of yourself standing before God watching a video of your entire life. As you watch that video, what will it reveal about the choices you have made throughout your life? Will that video show that you sought the glory of the Lord and laboured for His kingdom or will it show that God’s agenda was subordinate to your own pleasures and desires? Will it show that God came first in your life or that your desires and own pleasures came first?
When you put it like that, it’s a very clear choice isn’t it? Unfortunately, our lives are unnecessarily complicated and messy because we continue to make choices that feed our sinful nature. God will allow the consequences of such choices and our relationship with God will continue to stagnate and possibly even decline as we make such choices. A 300kg man appeared on the internet recently, pleading for help in losing weight. What he had to do, among other things, was to exercise, stop eating junk food and start eating good food. Spiritually, things are no different. If you want to change, start feeding yourself good spiritual food - namely the Word of God. Take radical steps to remove the bad food you are feeding yourself. Start exercising spiritually. Put your faith into action, slowly at first but increasing as your faith muscles grow.
As we’ve said all week, God has given you a choice. God has given you a mind to make a choice. It can be a good choice or a bad choice. You choose.
Prayer:
¥ Our brothers and sisters in China and Vietnam continue to face daily choices that lead to economic deprivation, arrest and fines and/or imprisonment. These choices are based around whether or not to share Jesus with family and friends. Pray that they would make wise choices in the strength of the Lord and that they would be courageous to make choices that please God and grow His kingdom.
¥ Pray for the believers in Iraq and Iran. Intense persecution is making life extremely difficult for them. Pray that God would bring peace to their hearts, stability to their lives and the ability to walk onward in Christ day by day. Pray that God would comfort greatly those who have lost loved ones because of their stance in Christ.
Friday 13 April 2012
Friday April 13, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 11:18-25
;
Jeremy struggled with doing the Lord’s will. By outward appearances he was a healthy Christian man who had little if any struggles. But behind closed doors he would hit the bottle and watch inappropriate dvds. When he went out with his mates the situation would escalate and intensify. It seems that his mates only egged him on. On Sonday Jeremy would turn up to church, smile and greet people and act as though nothing had happened. No one suspected Jeremy had a struggle.
;
Sin really is insatiable. When we feed the sinful desires in our bodies and hearts and minds, it simply wants more. What was enjoyable as a ’buzz’ last week, will, not satisfy this week. It’s like trying to fit a Holden Engine part into a Ford. It may do for a short period of time but very soon, you’ll realise you need something more. Sin will always ask for something more.
;
Jeremy has to make some difficult decisions and take some drastic action in his life. He can, of course, continue on with the charade and keep pretending. If he chooses this path, his walk with the Lord will slowly shrivel like a tulip planted in the desert. I predict that if Jeremy stays on this course, he will slowly but surely move further away from God until he gives God the flick completely.
;
But he can also choose to fight this sin. He can decide that he does not want to
sin any more. Having made that choice, Jeremy can then surround himself with the Word of the Lord. We are encouraged to fix the Word of God in our heart and mind. That means we are to dwell on it, to memorise it and to have it in our head and heart where sin once had free reign.
;
Added to that we are encouraged to speak the Word of God to each other as we go about our daily lives. Parents are to talk to their children about the Word of God. Jeremy can find a Christian friend to speak to daily, if need be, about the Word of God. We are to study it, indulge in it and give it as much reign as sin had previously.
;
In short, we choose which nature we feed on a moment by moment basis. Will you make wise and godly choices today?
;
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the work of the Christian colleges in Myanmar. Ask God to fill the lecturers with wisdom and insight and the ability to teach well. Pray that the students learn and grow and start making disciples in their weekend churches.
¥ Pray for the Mustard Seed orphanage. Pray that God would provide it with the resources it needs to continue serving and ministering and shining the Jesus light in an oppressive land.
;
;
;
Jeremy struggled with doing the Lord’s will. By outward appearances he was a healthy Christian man who had little if any struggles. But behind closed doors he would hit the bottle and watch inappropriate dvds. When he went out with his mates the situation would escalate and intensify. It seems that his mates only egged him on. On Sonday Jeremy would turn up to church, smile and greet people and act as though nothing had happened. No one suspected Jeremy had a struggle.
;
Sin really is insatiable. When we feed the sinful desires in our bodies and hearts and minds, it simply wants more. What was enjoyable as a ’buzz’ last week, will, not satisfy this week. It’s like trying to fit a Holden Engine part into a Ford. It may do for a short period of time but very soon, you’ll realise you need something more. Sin will always ask for something more.
;
Jeremy has to make some difficult decisions and take some drastic action in his life. He can, of course, continue on with the charade and keep pretending. If he chooses this path, his walk with the Lord will slowly shrivel like a tulip planted in the desert. I predict that if Jeremy stays on this course, he will slowly but surely move further away from God until he gives God the flick completely.
;
But he can also choose to fight this sin. He can decide that he does not want to
sin any more. Having made that choice, Jeremy can then surround himself with the Word of the Lord. We are encouraged to fix the Word of God in our heart and mind. That means we are to dwell on it, to memorise it and to have it in our head and heart where sin once had free reign.
;
Added to that we are encouraged to speak the Word of God to each other as we go about our daily lives. Parents are to talk to their children about the Word of God. Jeremy can find a Christian friend to speak to daily, if need be, about the Word of God. We are to study it, indulge in it and give it as much reign as sin had previously.
;
In short, we choose which nature we feed on a moment by moment basis. Will you make wise and godly choices today?
;
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the work of the Christian colleges in Myanmar. Ask God to fill the lecturers with wisdom and insight and the ability to teach well. Pray that the students learn and grow and start making disciples in their weekend churches.
¥ Pray for the Mustard Seed orphanage. Pray that God would provide it with the resources it needs to continue serving and ministering and shining the Jesus light in an oppressive land.
;
;
Thursday 12 April 2012
Thursday April 12, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 11:13-17
It’s hard to wrap our puny minds around but God gives us, for some reason, free will. We have a choice. Even when we are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we have a choice.
Every time we are tempted by the evil one, by the world or by our own lusts and desires, we exercise that same choice. Israel had that same choice before her in the Promised Land. Life in Israel was every bit as tempting as life in our world. They had to choose daily to worship the one true living God, to pray to Him and to take oaths and vows in His name only. They would choose daily NOT to pray to statues and false gods, the starry host or other images. They would choose daily to follow the laws and commands that the Lord had given them. Don’t we have such choices on a daily basis? We may not be tempted to serve statues and gods but we are tempted to read the daily stars and see into our future. We are tempted to put the dollar bill above God. We are tempted to forgo worship and attend the sacrifice of work to earn the blessed dollar. We are tempted to watch inappropriate things on TV, on our computers and on our phones as well. We are tempted to flirt with the world and to love the world rather than God.
Just like Israel, we need to learn that the choices we make bring consequences. For Israel choosing to walk in obedience would bring long life in the land and God’s abundant blessing upon both the land and the people. That blessing would be so abundant that it would flow to the nations around her. Choosing disobedience would bring the anger of God and the ground would no longer yield its crop. The herds would be less productive and life would be miserable. Eventually, they would be kicked out of the Promised Land.
For us disobedience and obedience also have consequences. Obedience brings a rich closeness to God, a confident walk and security that nothing else can imitate. It brings joy and perseverance and an abundance that wells over to others around us. Disobedience brings shallowness with God and shallowness with others. It brings discipline and hardship into our lives. It negates our witness for Christ and makes us dull lights for Jesus. Disobedience brings negativity and hurt and a lifestyle that pushes others away from Christ rather than drawing them to Christ.
Even as Christians we still have a choice. How will you exercise that choice today?
Prayer:
¥ Pray that you would personally be making wise and godly choices today. Pray that your brothers and sisters would be making wise choices as well at work, at play and in family situations.
¥ Pray for the India Mission team as they plan and prepare for their 2 week mission. Over the last few weeks that many many people have come to the Lord in faith. Pray that the mission team would continue to see people come to faith in Christ as they preach the good news.
It’s hard to wrap our puny minds around but God gives us, for some reason, free will. We have a choice. Even when we are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we have a choice.
Every time we are tempted by the evil one, by the world or by our own lusts and desires, we exercise that same choice. Israel had that same choice before her in the Promised Land. Life in Israel was every bit as tempting as life in our world. They had to choose daily to worship the one true living God, to pray to Him and to take oaths and vows in His name only. They would choose daily NOT to pray to statues and false gods, the starry host or other images. They would choose daily to follow the laws and commands that the Lord had given them. Don’t we have such choices on a daily basis? We may not be tempted to serve statues and gods but we are tempted to read the daily stars and see into our future. We are tempted to put the dollar bill above God. We are tempted to forgo worship and attend the sacrifice of work to earn the blessed dollar. We are tempted to watch inappropriate things on TV, on our computers and on our phones as well. We are tempted to flirt with the world and to love the world rather than God.
Just like Israel, we need to learn that the choices we make bring consequences. For Israel choosing to walk in obedience would bring long life in the land and God’s abundant blessing upon both the land and the people. That blessing would be so abundant that it would flow to the nations around her. Choosing disobedience would bring the anger of God and the ground would no longer yield its crop. The herds would be less productive and life would be miserable. Eventually, they would be kicked out of the Promised Land.
For us disobedience and obedience also have consequences. Obedience brings a rich closeness to God, a confident walk and security that nothing else can imitate. It brings joy and perseverance and an abundance that wells over to others around us. Disobedience brings shallowness with God and shallowness with others. It brings discipline and hardship into our lives. It negates our witness for Christ and makes us dull lights for Jesus. Disobedience brings negativity and hurt and a lifestyle that pushes others away from Christ rather than drawing them to Christ.
Even as Christians we still have a choice. How will you exercise that choice today?
Prayer:
¥ Pray that you would personally be making wise and godly choices today. Pray that your brothers and sisters would be making wise choices as well at work, at play and in family situations.
¥ Pray for the India Mission team as they plan and prepare for their 2 week mission. Over the last few weeks that many many people have come to the Lord in faith. Pray that the mission team would continue to see people come to faith in Christ as they preach the good news.
Wednesday 11 April 2012
Wednesday April 11, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 11:10-12; Rev 21-22
I love fishing, not just because I love to eat fish but more so, because it gives me an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. It gives me an opportunity to experience something of that Edenic paradise that Adam and Eve were kicked out of (not that they would have experienced the thrill of fishing). But as I fish lakes and streams in valleys and mountains remote from all people and cities, I wonder what Eden must have looked like. I wonder what it would have been like to walk with God in the cool of the evening.
The Israelites had the opportunity to re-enter an Eden-like paradise. They had the extreme privilege of entering a land that God Himself watched over. God Himself would water the land and care for it and tend to it. God would watch over the land and bring rain in its season. He would make the crops and the herds thrive. He would bring in the harvest abundantly. It was a God blessed, not a God forsaken, land.
Of course with such privilege comes immense responsibility. Israel, as she lived in the land, was to be obedient and such obedience was meant to communicate God’s love and blessing to the world around her. Israel was a living parable to the nations of what living in a God blessed paradise looked like. She was a light to the nations, drawing them in and bringing them to God.
Being blessed by God and close to God communicates volumes to a lost and desperate world. The world needs to see believers, God’s people, close to Him and being abundantly blessed by Him (please don’t hear health, wealth and prosperity here). The world needs to see Christians deeply in love with God and refusing to compromise on His blessings. The world today, as in Israel’s day, needs to see God’s people being abundantly blessed by God and this will draw them to faith in Christ Jesus. Of course they need to hear the gospel message from our lips but they need to see it as well.
Prayer:
Pray for a Spirit of obedience to sweep across your church and across all the churches in your region, in your state and in your
¥ nation. Pray that God would confront and rebuke all Christians who are wilfully walking in disobedience.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in China, Vietnam, North Korea, the Arab regions and in Iran and Iraq would be obedient to Christ as they face persecution for the name of Jesus. Pray that their obedience would bring glory and honour to Jesus and that it would lead many to find salvation in Christ.
I love fishing, not just because I love to eat fish but more so, because it gives me an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. It gives me an opportunity to experience something of that Edenic paradise that Adam and Eve were kicked out of (not that they would have experienced the thrill of fishing). But as I fish lakes and streams in valleys and mountains remote from all people and cities, I wonder what Eden must have looked like. I wonder what it would have been like to walk with God in the cool of the evening.
The Israelites had the opportunity to re-enter an Eden-like paradise. They had the extreme privilege of entering a land that God Himself watched over. God Himself would water the land and care for it and tend to it. God would watch over the land and bring rain in its season. He would make the crops and the herds thrive. He would bring in the harvest abundantly. It was a God blessed, not a God forsaken, land.
Of course with such privilege comes immense responsibility. Israel, as she lived in the land, was to be obedient and such obedience was meant to communicate God’s love and blessing to the world around her. Israel was a living parable to the nations of what living in a God blessed paradise looked like. She was a light to the nations, drawing them in and bringing them to God.
Being blessed by God and close to God communicates volumes to a lost and desperate world. The world needs to see believers, God’s people, close to Him and being abundantly blessed by Him (please don’t hear health, wealth and prosperity here). The world needs to see Christians deeply in love with God and refusing to compromise on His blessings. The world today, as in Israel’s day, needs to see God’s people being abundantly blessed by God and this will draw them to faith in Christ Jesus. Of course they need to hear the gospel message from our lips but they need to see it as well.
Prayer:
Pray for a Spirit of obedience to sweep across your church and across all the churches in your region, in your state and in your
¥ nation. Pray that God would confront and rebuke all Christians who are wilfully walking in disobedience.
¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in China, Vietnam, North Korea, the Arab regions and in Iran and Iraq would be obedient to Christ as they face persecution for the name of Jesus. Pray that their obedience would bring glory and honour to Jesus and that it would lead many to find salvation in Christ.
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Tuesday April 10, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 11: 8-9. 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Work with me on this one. Do this little exercise. Read Deuteronomy 11 (the whole chapter) again and count how many times the command to obey is expressly stated and how many times it’s inferred. How many did you get?
Of course we have to ask, ‘Why?’? ‘Why did God call His people to obedience
time and time again?’. Have you ever thought that if all God wanted was obedience then He could have created robots? Instead He created mankind with free will - freedom indeed to obey and also to disobey. Unfortunately mankind has been using his freedom to disobey since Genesis 3.
But God’s plan has always been to create a perfect world and to fill that world with people that willingly choose to love Him and obey Him. Adam and Eve were put into a perfect world and were told to subdue it and fill it with people. In that world, they could have raised a world of offspring that loved God and willingly obeyed God. But they chose to disobey God. They chose to walk away from God.
Abram was called to be the people of God and would lead the charge to love God and willingly obey God. His would become a nation set apart to God, living for God in an Eden life paradise.
Israel was that nation. As she sat on the banks of the Jordan River her task was outlined. She was to willingly and heartily obey God in that Eden like paradise. She was to model what the people of God were to be like. But as we know, Israel too, decided to walk away from God. She too decided to use her freedom to disobey God.
When Jesus came into our world, He was the true people of God. He embodied all that the people of God should embody. He succeeded where the people of God had failed. He came into our world from that perfect paradise and He was perfectly obedient. He never disobeyed God. He never rebelled. He never went His way as opposed to God’s way. He kept the will of God perfectly. But He died on the cross. He was executed. He was accursed by God. He was under the wrath of God.
Again, we have to ask ‘Why?’? The answer is simple. Jesus died so that we might live for God. He suffered and died so that we might walk in obedience and give glory and honour to God. He died so that the world might once again be filled with people who love God and willingly and heartily obey Him. Jesus died so that God’s creation plans will come to fruition.
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the work of Student Life and Uni-Impact in NZ (David and Kirsty Richards). Ask God to bless these workers with great strategy, plans and ability as they take the gospel to students. Pray that many would be confronted with the gospel and would turn in repentance and faith to Jesus. Pray that we would see a great harvest coming in among the university students.
¥ Pray for the Mustard Seed Orphanage in Myanmar as they care for and nurture widows, orphans and disabled people. Pray that the love and compassion of Christ would bring many to Jesus in repentance and faith and that they would have all the resources they need to continue serving Jesus in this land.
Work with me on this one. Do this little exercise. Read Deuteronomy 11 (the whole chapter) again and count how many times the command to obey is expressly stated and how many times it’s inferred. How many did you get?
Of course we have to ask, ‘Why?’? ‘Why did God call His people to obedience
time and time again?’. Have you ever thought that if all God wanted was obedience then He could have created robots? Instead He created mankind with free will - freedom indeed to obey and also to disobey. Unfortunately mankind has been using his freedom to disobey since Genesis 3.
But God’s plan has always been to create a perfect world and to fill that world with people that willingly choose to love Him and obey Him. Adam and Eve were put into a perfect world and were told to subdue it and fill it with people. In that world, they could have raised a world of offspring that loved God and willingly obeyed God. But they chose to disobey God. They chose to walk away from God.
Abram was called to be the people of God and would lead the charge to love God and willingly obey God. His would become a nation set apart to God, living for God in an Eden life paradise.
Israel was that nation. As she sat on the banks of the Jordan River her task was outlined. She was to willingly and heartily obey God in that Eden like paradise. She was to model what the people of God were to be like. But as we know, Israel too, decided to walk away from God. She too decided to use her freedom to disobey God.
When Jesus came into our world, He was the true people of God. He embodied all that the people of God should embody. He succeeded where the people of God had failed. He came into our world from that perfect paradise and He was perfectly obedient. He never disobeyed God. He never rebelled. He never went His way as opposed to God’s way. He kept the will of God perfectly. But He died on the cross. He was executed. He was accursed by God. He was under the wrath of God.
Again, we have to ask ‘Why?’? The answer is simple. Jesus died so that we might live for God. He suffered and died so that we might walk in obedience and give glory and honour to God. He died so that the world might once again be filled with people who love God and willingly and heartily obey Him. Jesus died so that God’s creation plans will come to fruition.
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the work of Student Life and Uni-Impact in NZ (David and Kirsty Richards). Ask God to bless these workers with great strategy, plans and ability as they take the gospel to students. Pray that many would be confronted with the gospel and would turn in repentance and faith to Jesus. Pray that we would see a great harvest coming in among the university students.
¥ Pray for the Mustard Seed Orphanage in Myanmar as they care for and nurture widows, orphans and disabled people. Pray that the love and compassion of Christ would bring many to Jesus in repentance and faith and that they would have all the resources they need to continue serving Jesus in this land.
Monday 9 April 2012
Monday April 9, 2012
Read Deuteronomy 11:1-7; Luke 12:48; James 2:14-26
Our society today talks more about rights than responsibilities. In fact we have almost completely removed all sense of responsibility by blame shifting and focussing on our rights. A man willingly gets drunk, drives his car and kills a young girl is deemed not responsible for his actions. People argue that he has a right to live a free life. A gunman kills 13 people in his former office and people argue for his rights, not the rights of the families who lost a loved one that tragic day.
Israel was in a privileged position and had the extreme privilege of experiencing God. While the command to obey again rings out loudly from this chapter of Deuteronomy we must remember that it’s written to a people who saw and experienced the tender heart of God the Father. They experienced the coming out of Egypt. They held the guiding hand of God through the desert - the cloud by day and the fire by night. They felt the discipline and provision of the Lord at each and every step. They knew God’s provision in times of hunger and thirst. The communed with God through Moses their mediator. With such privilege came a great responsibility.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, do we sense our great responsibility? Haven’t we experienced God? Haven’t we benefited from the death of Christ Jesus on the cross? Haven’t we felt the provision of God as He stamped, ‘Not Guilty’ on our eternal record? Haven’t we walked in the glorious freedom of the children of God? Haven’t we felt the intimacy of being able to cry out, ‘Dad, Abba Father’ through Christ Jesus? Haven’t we been spurred on and guided by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us? With such privilege comes great responsibility.
Far too many Christians have taken for granted these immense privileges that came at the cost of the death of God’s one and only Son, Christ Jesus. Far too many Christians have been “saved” through mental assent to Jesus and feel the burden to give only mental assent to God once a week in church services across the land. Far too many Christians are ignoring God throughout the week and acknowledging Him as they enter the church doors for Sonday worship. They serve God with their hymn-singing lips but deny Him with their lives.
Much has been given to us through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus and from us much will be demanded. God will not tolerate for ever the easy lifestyle that we’ve allowed ourselves to fall into. He will not put up with our cruising through Christianity attitude for much longer.
Let us all rise to the challenge and live as God has created us to live. Let each one of us stand up and call on the Holy Spirit to revive ourselves and to motivate ourselves to be bond slaves to Jesus, to work for Him and to do the good works that God has already created for us to do. Let us strive to be all that God has created us to be. Let us live in Christ and for Christ whether that means life or death. Let us stand up and be counted for His glory.
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the Holy Spirit to motivate and equip you to be passionate about Jesus. Spend time confessing your sins to Christ and asking for a new heart. Pray this for everyone in your congregation.
¥ Pray that God would continue to bring lost souls to repentance and faith through Shiloh Church ministries in India. Pray that we would see many there being baptised into the faith. Pray the same for our country and even more personally, for our own witness. Pray that each and every single person in your church would lead someone to the Lord this week.
Our society today talks more about rights than responsibilities. In fact we have almost completely removed all sense of responsibility by blame shifting and focussing on our rights. A man willingly gets drunk, drives his car and kills a young girl is deemed not responsible for his actions. People argue that he has a right to live a free life. A gunman kills 13 people in his former office and people argue for his rights, not the rights of the families who lost a loved one that tragic day.
Israel was in a privileged position and had the extreme privilege of experiencing God. While the command to obey again rings out loudly from this chapter of Deuteronomy we must remember that it’s written to a people who saw and experienced the tender heart of God the Father. They experienced the coming out of Egypt. They held the guiding hand of God through the desert - the cloud by day and the fire by night. They felt the discipline and provision of the Lord at each and every step. They knew God’s provision in times of hunger and thirst. The communed with God through Moses their mediator. With such privilege came a great responsibility.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, do we sense our great responsibility? Haven’t we experienced God? Haven’t we benefited from the death of Christ Jesus on the cross? Haven’t we felt the provision of God as He stamped, ‘Not Guilty’ on our eternal record? Haven’t we walked in the glorious freedom of the children of God? Haven’t we felt the intimacy of being able to cry out, ‘Dad, Abba Father’ through Christ Jesus? Haven’t we been spurred on and guided by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us? With such privilege comes great responsibility.
Far too many Christians have taken for granted these immense privileges that came at the cost of the death of God’s one and only Son, Christ Jesus. Far too many Christians have been “saved” through mental assent to Jesus and feel the burden to give only mental assent to God once a week in church services across the land. Far too many Christians are ignoring God throughout the week and acknowledging Him as they enter the church doors for Sonday worship. They serve God with their hymn-singing lips but deny Him with their lives.
Much has been given to us through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus and from us much will be demanded. God will not tolerate for ever the easy lifestyle that we’ve allowed ourselves to fall into. He will not put up with our cruising through Christianity attitude for much longer.
Let us all rise to the challenge and live as God has created us to live. Let each one of us stand up and call on the Holy Spirit to revive ourselves and to motivate ourselves to be bond slaves to Jesus, to work for Him and to do the good works that God has already created for us to do. Let us strive to be all that God has created us to be. Let us live in Christ and for Christ whether that means life or death. Let us stand up and be counted for His glory.
Prayer:
¥ Pray for the Holy Spirit to motivate and equip you to be passionate about Jesus. Spend time confessing your sins to Christ and asking for a new heart. Pray this for everyone in your congregation.
¥ Pray that God would continue to bring lost souls to repentance and faith through Shiloh Church ministries in India. Pray that we would see many there being baptised into the faith. Pray the same for our country and even more personally, for our own witness. Pray that each and every single person in your church would lead someone to the Lord this week.
Saturday 7 April 2012
Saturday April 7, 2012
Read Mark 15:40-47; Luke 23:48-56
Jesus has died on the cross and His body has been hastily laid in a tomb in honour of encroaching Sabbath. As we read the various accounts of the death of Jesus and what immediately occurred, notice that the male disciples, the twelve, are noticeably absent. They are not there!
Is there simply a silence from the writers because they want to focus on the women? Or is there something else occurring? I would suggest, with others, that the disciples, having seen Jesus arrested, crucified and dead, fled the scene to go into hiding. The Chief Priests had engineered the death of their Lord and it would be nothing for these leaders to come after them! I suspect they were hiding in fear of their lives. The women, being out of that current danger, stayed at the cross to witness all that happened.
But from the Sabbath on Friday evening to the end of Sabbath Day, the disciples would have sat impatiently wondering what would come of all of this. It would have been the longest and most excruciating time of their lives. They, if nothing else, wanted to give Jesus a proper burial and to finish preparing His body for the final resting. They wanted, at the very least, to honour Jesus by preparing and burying His body.
But having heard many times from Jesus’ own lips that He would rise from the dead, they must have been curious. They must have been wondering what would come of all this. They must have tried to figure out what Jesus meant by those words of eternal life spoken what seemed now like ages ago.
But as the women disciples went to do their duty and to honour Jesus’ body they were greeted with the greatest surprise. On Sonday morning they began to see Jesus alive and well! Jesus had walked out of that tomb just as He said He would. For the next forty days they continued to see Him, some even poked and prodded Him to make sure He wasn’t a ghost or an apparition.
And having witnessed the resurrected Jesus and having been filled with the Holy Spirit these disciples were radically transformed. What follows are historical accounts of what the disciples did and how they died.
Andrew
According to Hippolytus:
Andrew preached to the Scythians [modern day Georgia] and Thracians [modern day Bulgaria], and was crucified, suspended on an olive tree, at Patrae, a town of Achaia [Greece]; and there too he was buried.
Bartholomew
According to Hippolytus,
Bartholomew, again, preached to the Indians, to whom he also gave the Gospel according to Matthew, and was crucified with his head downward, and was buried in Allanum, a town of the great Armenia [modern day southern Georgia].
James, Son of Alphaeus
According to Hippolytus
And James the son of Alphaeus, when preaching in Jerusalem, was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried there beside the temple.
James, Son of Zebedee
James was the brother of John, the disciple "that Jesus loved".
Act 12:1 And at that time Herod the king threw on his hands to oppress some of those of the church.
Act 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
John, brother of James and son of Zebedee
According to Hippolytus,
John was banished by Domitian to the Isle of Patmos, and later died in Ephesus:
Matthew/Levi
According to Hippolytus:
Matthew wrote the Gospel in the Hebrew tongue, and published it at Jerusalem, and fell asleep at Hierees, a town of Parthia. Pg 224 [Parthia is near modern day Tehran]
Simon/Peter
According to Eusebius
It is, therefore, recorded that Paul was beheaded in Rome itself, and that Peter likewise was crucified under Nero. This account of Peter and Paul is substantiated by the fact that their names are preserved in the cemeteries of that place even to the present day. ---- (Book 2, Chapter 25)
(Paul was a Roman citizen so could not be crucified but got an "easier" death sentence)
According to Hippolytus
Peter preached the Gospel in Pontus, and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Betania, and Italy, and Asia, and was afterwards crucified by Nero in Rome with his head downward, as he had himself desired to suffer in that manner.
Philip
According to Hippolytus,
Philip preached in Phrygia, and was crucified in Hierapolis (eastern Turkey, today) with his head downward in the time of Domitian, and was buried there.
Simon the Zealot
According to Hippolytus,
Simon the Zealot, the son of Clopas, who is also called Jude, became bishop of Jerusalem after James the Just, and fell asleep and was buried there at the age of 120 years.
Thaddaeus/Judas son of James
According to Hippolytus,
Jude, who is also called Lebbaeus, (hence Thaddeaus) preached to the people of Edessa, and to all Mesopotamia, and fell asleep at Berytus, and was buried there.
Thomas
According to Hippolytus
And Thomas preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Margians, and was thrust through in the four members of his body with a pine spear at Calamene, the city of India, and was buried there.
The Resurrection changed these men powerfully from the inside out. Has it changed you?
Prayer:
¥ As we gather to celebrate the resurrection of Christ Jesus tomorrow pray that God’s Spirit would be powerfully at work among us. Pray that we, like the disciples, would be changed from the inside out. Pray that we would be transformed into courageous men and women who stop at nothing to share the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
¥ Pray that each one of your fellow brothers and sisters in your congregation would take every opportunity to share their faith, to speak of Jesus and to serve and do good deeds in His love and His power.
Jesus has died on the cross and His body has been hastily laid in a tomb in honour of encroaching Sabbath. As we read the various accounts of the death of Jesus and what immediately occurred, notice that the male disciples, the twelve, are noticeably absent. They are not there!
Is there simply a silence from the writers because they want to focus on the women? Or is there something else occurring? I would suggest, with others, that the disciples, having seen Jesus arrested, crucified and dead, fled the scene to go into hiding. The Chief Priests had engineered the death of their Lord and it would be nothing for these leaders to come after them! I suspect they were hiding in fear of their lives. The women, being out of that current danger, stayed at the cross to witness all that happened.
But from the Sabbath on Friday evening to the end of Sabbath Day, the disciples would have sat impatiently wondering what would come of all of this. It would have been the longest and most excruciating time of their lives. They, if nothing else, wanted to give Jesus a proper burial and to finish preparing His body for the final resting. They wanted, at the very least, to honour Jesus by preparing and burying His body.
But having heard many times from Jesus’ own lips that He would rise from the dead, they must have been curious. They must have been wondering what would come of all this. They must have tried to figure out what Jesus meant by those words of eternal life spoken what seemed now like ages ago.
But as the women disciples went to do their duty and to honour Jesus’ body they were greeted with the greatest surprise. On Sonday morning they began to see Jesus alive and well! Jesus had walked out of that tomb just as He said He would. For the next forty days they continued to see Him, some even poked and prodded Him to make sure He wasn’t a ghost or an apparition.
And having witnessed the resurrected Jesus and having been filled with the Holy Spirit these disciples were radically transformed. What follows are historical accounts of what the disciples did and how they died.
Andrew
According to Hippolytus:
Andrew preached to the Scythians [modern day Georgia] and Thracians [modern day Bulgaria], and was crucified, suspended on an olive tree, at Patrae, a town of Achaia [Greece]; and there too he was buried.
Bartholomew
According to Hippolytus,
Bartholomew, again, preached to the Indians, to whom he also gave the Gospel according to Matthew, and was crucified with his head downward, and was buried in Allanum, a town of the great Armenia [modern day southern Georgia].
James, Son of Alphaeus
According to Hippolytus
And James the son of Alphaeus, when preaching in Jerusalem, was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried there beside the temple.
James, Son of Zebedee
James was the brother of John, the disciple "that Jesus loved".
Act 12:1 And at that time Herod the king threw on his hands to oppress some of those of the church.
Act 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
John, brother of James and son of Zebedee
According to Hippolytus,
John was banished by Domitian to the Isle of Patmos, and later died in Ephesus:
Matthew/Levi
According to Hippolytus:
Matthew wrote the Gospel in the Hebrew tongue, and published it at Jerusalem, and fell asleep at Hierees, a town of Parthia. Pg 224 [Parthia is near modern day Tehran]
Simon/Peter
According to Eusebius
It is, therefore, recorded that Paul was beheaded in Rome itself, and that Peter likewise was crucified under Nero. This account of Peter and Paul is substantiated by the fact that their names are preserved in the cemeteries of that place even to the present day. ---- (Book 2, Chapter 25)
(Paul was a Roman citizen so could not be crucified but got an "easier" death sentence)
According to Hippolytus
Peter preached the Gospel in Pontus, and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Betania, and Italy, and Asia, and was afterwards crucified by Nero in Rome with his head downward, as he had himself desired to suffer in that manner.
Philip
According to Hippolytus,
Philip preached in Phrygia, and was crucified in Hierapolis (eastern Turkey, today) with his head downward in the time of Domitian, and was buried there.
Simon the Zealot
According to Hippolytus,
Simon the Zealot, the son of Clopas, who is also called Jude, became bishop of Jerusalem after James the Just, and fell asleep and was buried there at the age of 120 years.
Thaddaeus/Judas son of James
According to Hippolytus,
Jude, who is also called Lebbaeus, (hence Thaddeaus) preached to the people of Edessa, and to all Mesopotamia, and fell asleep at Berytus, and was buried there.
Thomas
According to Hippolytus
And Thomas preached to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Margians, and was thrust through in the four members of his body with a pine spear at Calamene, the city of India, and was buried there.
The Resurrection changed these men powerfully from the inside out. Has it changed you?
Prayer:
¥ As we gather to celebrate the resurrection of Christ Jesus tomorrow pray that God’s Spirit would be powerfully at work among us. Pray that we, like the disciples, would be changed from the inside out. Pray that we would be transformed into courageous men and women who stop at nothing to share the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
¥ Pray that each one of your fellow brothers and sisters in your congregation would take every opportunity to share their faith, to speak of Jesus and to serve and do good deeds in His love and His power.
Friday 6 April 2012
Friday April 6, 2012
Read Mark 15:16-39
I don’t know that we can really imagine what happened to Jesus on that first Good Friday. We have sanitised the Jesus of history and we have been barraged with images of glowing, perfect-haired, smiling Jesus that radiates in every situation. Such was not the case on that first Good Friday.
Jesus was flogged. Flogging was done with a many corded whip that had lead balls or jagged bone on the tips. These would either pound the flesh or rip it to shreds. There are historical accounts of people dying at this pre-execution flogging because their entrails simply dropped out.
Jesus was beaten and mocked and ridiculed by the Roman soldiers. To them, this was simply another criminal they had to dispose of. They made fun of Him. They spat on Him. They bashed Him with the staff they had mocked Him with. They pounded His head where the crown of thorns sat. His skull would surely have been pierced, if not broken.
They led Jesus out to be crucified. He was so bloodied and so weak that He could not carry the cross beam. Simon of Cyrene was ordered to carry the cross for Jesus.
They nailed Jesus to the cross and left Him to die. But as He died many strange things happened. As this “man” died darkness was upon the land, the rocks split open and the ground shook violently. Angels appeared. The curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Jewish lore has it that it would take two teams of oxen pulling at either ends of the curtain to tear it, it was that thick. Yet now as this “man” died, the curtain tore in two from top to bottom.
The Roman soldier who saw all this bowed the knee and confessed that, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’ An eyewitness who was used to seeing people die, even on the cross confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. An eyewitness who was as tough as nails fell on bended knee and made the good confession.
On the very first Good Friday the Son of God died among such wondrous signs
that even a Roman Centurion was compelled to bow down and confess Him the Son of God. Have you made that good confession? Have you bowed the knee and humbly confessed that Jesus is the Son of God? This is exactly what God desires for each of us - to see and accept His Son Jesus in our lives.
Prayer:
¥ Ask God to use His Word to continue to bring conviction upon all who were at church today. Pray for believers and non believers alike. Pray for Christ’s name to be glorified.
¥ Pray that those who preach on Sonday would be filled with God’s Spirit and able to clearly and powerfully proclaim the resurrection.
I don’t know that we can really imagine what happened to Jesus on that first Good Friday. We have sanitised the Jesus of history and we have been barraged with images of glowing, perfect-haired, smiling Jesus that radiates in every situation. Such was not the case on that first Good Friday.
Jesus was flogged. Flogging was done with a many corded whip that had lead balls or jagged bone on the tips. These would either pound the flesh or rip it to shreds. There are historical accounts of people dying at this pre-execution flogging because their entrails simply dropped out.
Jesus was beaten and mocked and ridiculed by the Roman soldiers. To them, this was simply another criminal they had to dispose of. They made fun of Him. They spat on Him. They bashed Him with the staff they had mocked Him with. They pounded His head where the crown of thorns sat. His skull would surely have been pierced, if not broken.
They led Jesus out to be crucified. He was so bloodied and so weak that He could not carry the cross beam. Simon of Cyrene was ordered to carry the cross for Jesus.
They nailed Jesus to the cross and left Him to die. But as He died many strange things happened. As this “man” died darkness was upon the land, the rocks split open and the ground shook violently. Angels appeared. The curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Jewish lore has it that it would take two teams of oxen pulling at either ends of the curtain to tear it, it was that thick. Yet now as this “man” died, the curtain tore in two from top to bottom.
The Roman soldier who saw all this bowed the knee and confessed that, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’ An eyewitness who was used to seeing people die, even on the cross confessed that Jesus was the Son of God. An eyewitness who was as tough as nails fell on bended knee and made the good confession.
On the very first Good Friday the Son of God died among such wondrous signs
that even a Roman Centurion was compelled to bow down and confess Him the Son of God. Have you made that good confession? Have you bowed the knee and humbly confessed that Jesus is the Son of God? This is exactly what God desires for each of us - to see and accept His Son Jesus in our lives.
Prayer:
¥ Ask God to use His Word to continue to bring conviction upon all who were at church today. Pray for believers and non believers alike. Pray for Christ’s name to be glorified.
¥ Pray that those who preach on Sonday would be filled with God’s Spirit and able to clearly and powerfully proclaim the resurrection.
Thursday 5 April 2012
Thursday April 5, 2012
Read Mark 15:6-15
The intrigue continues. Jesus has been arrested and has been interrogated by Pilate. Immediately a crowd comes to Pilate and asks for the usual good will gesture of releasing a chosen prisoner for them. How did they know to come at that time? Did the leaders stir up a crowd? Did they gather the mob that arrested Jesus in the Garden? Where did this crowd come from?
Pilate was by no means a dope! He knew it was out of envy that Jesus was arrested and delivered to them. Maybe this realisation caused him not to offer the death penalty immediately as Jesus was first presented to him. Pilate was no dope but he was ruled by the mob. Though he tried to state Jesus’ innocence and pleaded with the crowd to release Him, he was swayed by their insistence. They wanted Barabbas, a criminal who was jailed for insurrection and murder. Again we must ask, How did the crowd come to asking for Barabbas? Did the leaders start a mass chanting? Did the leaders put his name forth to many different people? One finds it fascinating that a crowd would chant for the release of a man imprisoned for murder and insurrection. Verse 11 tells us plainly that the Chief Priests stirred up the crowd.
And what of Jesus? The mass hysteria of the crowd, whipped into a frenzy by the religious leaders, demanded in unison that Jesus be crucified. Most of the crowd would have had no idea why Jesus was there and what crime He was accused of. Mob mentality took over. Pilate gave in! Jesus was flogged and was handed over to be crucified. It appears that the enemy had won.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that tomorrow’s service will bring great glory to Christ and conviction upon all who are present. Pray that the believers would love God more and recommit their lives to Christ. Pray that non believers or nominal believers would be granted repentance and faith and that we’d see many come to Christ for salvation.
¥ Pray that God would reveal the glory of Jesus to many this Easter. Pray that throughout Australia we would see the gospel faithfully proclaimed and that many would convert to Christ. Pray for God’s Spirit to be poured out upon this land.
The intrigue continues. Jesus has been arrested and has been interrogated by Pilate. Immediately a crowd comes to Pilate and asks for the usual good will gesture of releasing a chosen prisoner for them. How did they know to come at that time? Did the leaders stir up a crowd? Did they gather the mob that arrested Jesus in the Garden? Where did this crowd come from?
Pilate was by no means a dope! He knew it was out of envy that Jesus was arrested and delivered to them. Maybe this realisation caused him not to offer the death penalty immediately as Jesus was first presented to him. Pilate was no dope but he was ruled by the mob. Though he tried to state Jesus’ innocence and pleaded with the crowd to release Him, he was swayed by their insistence. They wanted Barabbas, a criminal who was jailed for insurrection and murder. Again we must ask, How did the crowd come to asking for Barabbas? Did the leaders start a mass chanting? Did the leaders put his name forth to many different people? One finds it fascinating that a crowd would chant for the release of a man imprisoned for murder and insurrection. Verse 11 tells us plainly that the Chief Priests stirred up the crowd.
And what of Jesus? The mass hysteria of the crowd, whipped into a frenzy by the religious leaders, demanded in unison that Jesus be crucified. Most of the crowd would have had no idea why Jesus was there and what crime He was accused of. Mob mentality took over. Pilate gave in! Jesus was flogged and was handed over to be crucified. It appears that the enemy had won.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that tomorrow’s service will bring great glory to Christ and conviction upon all who are present. Pray that the believers would love God more and recommit their lives to Christ. Pray that non believers or nominal believers would be granted repentance and faith and that we’d see many come to Christ for salvation.
¥ Pray that God would reveal the glory of Jesus to many this Easter. Pray that throughout Australia we would see the gospel faithfully proclaimed and that many would convert to Christ. Pray for God’s Spirit to be poured out upon this land.
Wednesday 4 April 2012
Wednesday April 4, 2012
Read Mark 15:1-5; John 18:28-32
There’s much happening behind the scenes in the gospels than we realise or care to admit. Think about what transpires in these few short verses. To help you, think about courts of law in today’s setting and see how strange the events really are.
We read initially that the whole counsel of Elders and Leaders, the Sanhedrin, had reached a decision to put Jesus to death. But they met very early in the morning. We are not talking about the usual start of business at 9:00am but very early, possibly as early as 5:00am. No formal court sits at 5:00am! No formal court gathers before that to hear evidence, to sift the pros and cons of a major decision, especially one where the desired penalty is execution. We know that Judas had earlier met with the Chief Priests and had agreed to look for an opportune time to hand Him over to them. As the Feast drew near the anxiety and desire of the Chief Priests to get rid of this rabble-rouser would have spiked dramatically. They couldn't do it during the feast for multitudes would be in the city. It was now or never.
As Judas went out at night to betray Jesus (John 13:30) he would have gone straight to the High Priest’s house. This would have precipitated an urgent late night or early morning meeting with at least some of the Sanhedrin and possibly Pilate as well. During this meeting, one would assume that it was agreed that the death penalty would be metered out.
When Pilate finally came out to see the Chief Priests at the palace with the bloodied Jesus, Pilate asks a very natural and understandable question. He is following protocol. For him to have handed down the death penalty without hearing the alleged crime(s) would be tantamount to gross injustice. Now read John 18:30 very carefully. It reeks of anger and disapproval. One wonders why the Jews would be so vehemently angry at Pilate for simply asking about Jesus’ crimes. Again, we can only surmise that they expected the death penalty to be metered out. And they could only expect that had assurance already been granted by the one in authority to grant the death penalty.
Pilate though, is wavering in his commitment. He tells the Jews to take Jesus and to punish Him by their own law. Again, read their response in vs 31 and think about what it suggests. Why would the Chief Priests snap back immediately that they have no power to execute anyone unless they had all agreed that Jesus was to be executed? If a trial had been done legally and in a fitting order, they would not have already come to the final judgement of execution.
What is clear is that behind the scenes, plans had already been made to do away with Jesus. That much is clear, even if we’ll never know what actually transpired in the hallowed corridors of power.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that our Easter services will be powerful testimony to the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and the love that God has for the world. Pray that God would move ahead of us bringing people to Church and preparing them to hear about the message of the cross. Pray for many conversions to Christ throughout this special weekend.
¥ Pray for the people/families you are inviting to Church this weekend. Pray that we would see them come along and that God would grant them faith and repentance.
¥ Easter time is a dangerous time for many believers around the world. Pray that God would give them courage and perseverance. Pray that churches throughout the persecuted lands would grow and see conversions as the love of Christ is clearly and fearlessly proclaimed.
There’s much happening behind the scenes in the gospels than we realise or care to admit. Think about what transpires in these few short verses. To help you, think about courts of law in today’s setting and see how strange the events really are.
We read initially that the whole counsel of Elders and Leaders, the Sanhedrin, had reached a decision to put Jesus to death. But they met very early in the morning. We are not talking about the usual start of business at 9:00am but very early, possibly as early as 5:00am. No formal court sits at 5:00am! No formal court gathers before that to hear evidence, to sift the pros and cons of a major decision, especially one where the desired penalty is execution. We know that Judas had earlier met with the Chief Priests and had agreed to look for an opportune time to hand Him over to them. As the Feast drew near the anxiety and desire of the Chief Priests to get rid of this rabble-rouser would have spiked dramatically. They couldn't do it during the feast for multitudes would be in the city. It was now or never.
As Judas went out at night to betray Jesus (John 13:30) he would have gone straight to the High Priest’s house. This would have precipitated an urgent late night or early morning meeting with at least some of the Sanhedrin and possibly Pilate as well. During this meeting, one would assume that it was agreed that the death penalty would be metered out.
When Pilate finally came out to see the Chief Priests at the palace with the bloodied Jesus, Pilate asks a very natural and understandable question. He is following protocol. For him to have handed down the death penalty without hearing the alleged crime(s) would be tantamount to gross injustice. Now read John 18:30 very carefully. It reeks of anger and disapproval. One wonders why the Jews would be so vehemently angry at Pilate for simply asking about Jesus’ crimes. Again, we can only surmise that they expected the death penalty to be metered out. And they could only expect that had assurance already been granted by the one in authority to grant the death penalty.
Pilate though, is wavering in his commitment. He tells the Jews to take Jesus and to punish Him by their own law. Again, read their response in vs 31 and think about what it suggests. Why would the Chief Priests snap back immediately that they have no power to execute anyone unless they had all agreed that Jesus was to be executed? If a trial had been done legally and in a fitting order, they would not have already come to the final judgement of execution.
What is clear is that behind the scenes, plans had already been made to do away with Jesus. That much is clear, even if we’ll never know what actually transpired in the hallowed corridors of power.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that our Easter services will be powerful testimony to the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus and the love that God has for the world. Pray that God would move ahead of us bringing people to Church and preparing them to hear about the message of the cross. Pray for many conversions to Christ throughout this special weekend.
¥ Pray for the people/families you are inviting to Church this weekend. Pray that we would see them come along and that God would grant them faith and repentance.
¥ Easter time is a dangerous time for many believers around the world. Pray that God would give them courage and perseverance. Pray that churches throughout the persecuted lands would grow and see conversions as the love of Christ is clearly and fearlessly proclaimed.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Tuesday April 3, 2012
Read Mark 14:26-31, 53-54, 66-72
Have you ever done something you’re ashamed of? Of course you have. So have I! Unfortunately I can think of too many such things. What a relief to think that even the Apostle Peter is in our company.
Though the reading for today is broken up, it helps us to follow what transpired for Peter. After hearing Jesus, his Lord and Saviour speak of His impending death, Peter valiantly declares that he will die with Jesus if he has to. Peter is being realistic, if not overly zealous. From his character portrayed in the gospels, he probably would have fought bravely and courageously to keep Jesus safe. Remember that one of the disciples in the Garden drew a sword and cut off the servant’s ear while trying to defend Jesus. It was probably Peter!
Even so, as Peter followed closely behind Jesus he found himself in the courtyard of the High Priest. There he was accused several times by different people, mostly women. Interestingly, many historians have commented that a women’s testimony would not have stood up in a court of law. Legally, Peter had nothing to fear. But within minutes the rooster crows and Peter weeps bitterly, knowing that Jesus’ had again spoken words of truth. Peter had denied Jesus just as Jesus had said.
Now at this point we have two people that have betrayed Jesus - Judas and Peter. Judas was rejected but Peter was reinstated in John 21. Why the difference? It’s not that one sin was worse than the other. It has to do with the heart of the sinner. Peter was remorseful and wept bitterly. He was genuinely sorry for what he did.
The message of Easter is all the more powerful when it is proclaimed, not by the self righteous, but by those who have personally experienced the grace, the love, the forgiveness of Easter. The message is all the more powerful as we stand up as forgiven sinners telling of a love that has washed us clean and made us whole. This Easter pray that you would have such opportunities.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that you and everyone in your congregation would have ample opportunity to proclaim the message of Easter as they have experienced it. Pray that our testimony to Jesus will bring many to salvation.
¥ Pray that the Word of God through the preaching and teaching on Good Friday and Sonday would be powerful and active. Pray that God’s Word would bring conviction of sin, righteousness and judgement. Pray for the Holy Spirit to apply the Word and to bring or grant repentance and faith in Jesus.
Have you ever done something you’re ashamed of? Of course you have. So have I! Unfortunately I can think of too many such things. What a relief to think that even the Apostle Peter is in our company.
Though the reading for today is broken up, it helps us to follow what transpired for Peter. After hearing Jesus, his Lord and Saviour speak of His impending death, Peter valiantly declares that he will die with Jesus if he has to. Peter is being realistic, if not overly zealous. From his character portrayed in the gospels, he probably would have fought bravely and courageously to keep Jesus safe. Remember that one of the disciples in the Garden drew a sword and cut off the servant’s ear while trying to defend Jesus. It was probably Peter!
Even so, as Peter followed closely behind Jesus he found himself in the courtyard of the High Priest. There he was accused several times by different people, mostly women. Interestingly, many historians have commented that a women’s testimony would not have stood up in a court of law. Legally, Peter had nothing to fear. But within minutes the rooster crows and Peter weeps bitterly, knowing that Jesus’ had again spoken words of truth. Peter had denied Jesus just as Jesus had said.
Now at this point we have two people that have betrayed Jesus - Judas and Peter. Judas was rejected but Peter was reinstated in John 21. Why the difference? It’s not that one sin was worse than the other. It has to do with the heart of the sinner. Peter was remorseful and wept bitterly. He was genuinely sorry for what he did.
The message of Easter is all the more powerful when it is proclaimed, not by the self righteous, but by those who have personally experienced the grace, the love, the forgiveness of Easter. The message is all the more powerful as we stand up as forgiven sinners telling of a love that has washed us clean and made us whole. This Easter pray that you would have such opportunities.
Prayer:
¥ Pray that you and everyone in your congregation would have ample opportunity to proclaim the message of Easter as they have experienced it. Pray that our testimony to Jesus will bring many to salvation.
¥ Pray that the Word of God through the preaching and teaching on Good Friday and Sonday would be powerful and active. Pray that God’s Word would bring conviction of sin, righteousness and judgement. Pray for the Holy Spirit to apply the Word and to bring or grant repentance and faith in Jesus.
Monday 2 April 2012
Monday April 2, 2012
Read Matthew 26:1-16; Mark 14:1-11
As we draw near to Easter our reading notes will turn to the Easter narrative because no where in all Scripture (and no where else in the world) will you see more clearly and plainly the Fatherly compassion and tenderness and love of God than at Calvary.
The narratives of Easter often focus on the Passion of Messiah but here we see that Judas had already agreed to betray Jesus and went to the Chief Priests. He was unsolicited and must have known that they were after Jesus. Very early in the gospels we read that these officials wanted Jesus to be put to death. Judas willingly obliged and opened the door for them. They couldn’t have been happier - they now had a mole within the inner circle.
We don’t know what went through Judas’ mind as he raced off to the Chief Priests. Yet, we do know that he was a thief and helped himself to the corporate money bag that the disciples kept (John 12:6). Perhaps the wasted perfume that could have been sold for a small fortune tipped Judas over the edge. Perhaps he thought that being with Jesus would bring wealth and fame and fortune. Unfortunately, we’ll never know. Yet we do know that Judas was the catalyst that allowed our Lord and Saviour to die at the cross, rejected by man and rejected by God.
While we may never think of it as such, every sin, every blasphemy, every lustful thought and every vengeful thought is a betrayal of the Son of God. In a sense, our sin is worse than Judas’ sin because when we sin, we are choosing to reject the Lord God Almighty who has taken up residence within us. We should and do know better. There is no single scrap of evidence that Judas was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was simply acting in accord with his sinful nature.
Prayer:
¥ As we draw near to Easter ask the Lord to show you 3 people/families you can invite to church to hear the saving message of Christ Jesus. Ask the Lord to give you the courage to invite them and to prepare them to accept. Pray that everyone in your congregation will have the same mindset.
¥ Pray that the message of Easter will flow loudly and clearly across this nation that is seeking to bury the truth in Easter bunnies and chocolate and outdoor camping/fishing adventures. Pray that Jesus’ love will shine through all this rubbish.
As we draw near to Easter our reading notes will turn to the Easter narrative because no where in all Scripture (and no where else in the world) will you see more clearly and plainly the Fatherly compassion and tenderness and love of God than at Calvary.
The narratives of Easter often focus on the Passion of Messiah but here we see that Judas had already agreed to betray Jesus and went to the Chief Priests. He was unsolicited and must have known that they were after Jesus. Very early in the gospels we read that these officials wanted Jesus to be put to death. Judas willingly obliged and opened the door for them. They couldn’t have been happier - they now had a mole within the inner circle.
We don’t know what went through Judas’ mind as he raced off to the Chief Priests. Yet, we do know that he was a thief and helped himself to the corporate money bag that the disciples kept (John 12:6). Perhaps the wasted perfume that could have been sold for a small fortune tipped Judas over the edge. Perhaps he thought that being with Jesus would bring wealth and fame and fortune. Unfortunately, we’ll never know. Yet we do know that Judas was the catalyst that allowed our Lord and Saviour to die at the cross, rejected by man and rejected by God.
While we may never think of it as such, every sin, every blasphemy, every lustful thought and every vengeful thought is a betrayal of the Son of God. In a sense, our sin is worse than Judas’ sin because when we sin, we are choosing to reject the Lord God Almighty who has taken up residence within us. We should and do know better. There is no single scrap of evidence that Judas was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was simply acting in accord with his sinful nature.
Prayer:
¥ As we draw near to Easter ask the Lord to show you 3 people/families you can invite to church to hear the saving message of Christ Jesus. Ask the Lord to give you the courage to invite them and to prepare them to accept. Pray that everyone in your congregation will have the same mindset.
¥ Pray that the message of Easter will flow loudly and clearly across this nation that is seeking to bury the truth in Easter bunnies and chocolate and outdoor camping/fishing adventures. Pray that Jesus’ love will shine through all this rubbish.
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