Politics, Prime Ministers, and Peter

As you may have noticed, I haven't been writing much on this blog. One of the reasons is that I have been busy writing Bible Study lessons and a few sermons. But the bear has come out of hibernation; at least for a short time. There has been something weighing on my mind, that I feel is important to address.

    If you love truth, justice and righteousness, it is likely you are not pleased with the current political situation in Canada, especially with the last federal election. And that displeasure is understandable. I understand it too. Our leaders often act foolish and unjust. Unfortunately this decline in the moral condition of our politicians will most likely continue. As this decline continues, we more and more need to be reminded of how we as Christians ought to conduct our actions and attitudes toward our government. So Peter's words in 1 Peter 2 are very needed.

    Peter is writing his letter to Christians who are scattered abroad and in the midst of persecution. In chapter 2:12, Peter tells them to "keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the days of visitation."

Peter then goes from exhorting them to have excellent behavior, to explaining his readers how they were to have excellent behavior as they related to the authorities. 

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 

Why should they submit to the government?

15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.


 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

Consider this last verse. 
We know we need to submit to the authorities. We are to obey them so long as they don't tell us to do something that is in opposition to God's law. It is clear we can't lead rebellions to overthrow the government. At least I hope that is clear from the text. But Peter goes further than that. Peter commands us to honor the king. 

This word to honor is found at the first and last part of the verse. It has the meaning of treating someone with respect, to treat graciously, to give proper recognition. So, Peter tells us to show respect to all people. Then at the end of the verse, he tells us to show respect especially to the king or emperor. Think how hard this command was for those Christians. The emperor and those in government were persecuting them. Those in government were pagan to the core and morally corrupt. And yet Peter still tells them to show respect for those in authority. 

Why were they to show this honor? 
First, because like all men, they were made in the image of God and therefore were to be treated with respect. 
Second, those in government were put in that position by God, therefore they were to be respected.  

The question this text asks of you is this; 'do I show respect to those in government? It is not enough to submit to them, but do I honor them?' 

So much of what I see on Facebook as it relates to politics, falls far short of this command. People use insults and derogatory slurs toward the Prime Minister, President or some other member of government. Then, there are the political cartoons that demean politicians. It seems to me that for some people, because some politician is godless, it gives them the freedom to insult them as if that is their duty.

But for the Christian, these things should not be. You may say that is how things are in the world. But we are called to a higher standard. God calls us to live according to His standard not the low standard of unregenerate people. 

We can disagree with the government. We can point out when they are wrong. We can use lawful means to bring good change. But as we do this, our text "honor the king", should be in our mind. We need to do this with respect, kindness, civility and grace. 

Brad

Fire From Heaven?

   It was time. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to make His way to Jerusalem, where He would be betrayed, tortured and die on the the cross. The cup of the wrath of God would soon be poured out on Him. Yet He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem because of His love to do the Father's will and His love for His people whom He came to die for.

    Luke 9:51-56 starts a new section in the book. Jesus' ministry is coming to an end. He starts His journey to Jerusalem. As He heads into Samaritan territory, Jesus sends messengers ahead of Him into the next town to make arrangements for Him. Maybe they were to find a place of lodgings and some food for the evening meal. However, Jesus' messengers don't receive a warm welcome in town. The Samaritans refused to allow them to enter the town since they were on their way to Jerusalem. The Samaritan and the Jews didn't exactly get along. They had a long history of conflicts and differences in theology. Both group detested each other. Simply because Jesus was going to Jerusalem, the center of Jewish worship, and not Mount Gerizim, the center of Samaritan worship, the Samaritan wanted nothing to do with Jesus and His disciples.

    This was a great insult against Jesus and His disciples. Now they would have to travel farther to find a welcoming town. Feelings of outrage were felt among the disciples. James and John were so indignant that they asked Jesus if they could command fire from heaven to fall down on these miserable Samaritans. Evidently, they remembered the story of Elijah who commanded fire to consume the fifty soldiers who came to bring him back to the king of Israel. See 2 Kings 1:9-16 for the full account.There, the king and his soldiers had not respected the authority of the Elijah as a prophet who was to call kings to obedience to God's word. Surely since Jesus was insulted, they should be allowed to wipe that village off the map. But they didn't have their Master's compassion and grace.

   Jesus forbids them to carry out their plans. In fact, He rebuked them for their suggestion. Wasn't He now walking toward the cross so sinners could be saved, even these Samaritans? Here again is another example of  how Jesus is so different than His disciples. We, along with them, are quick to condemn others. We quickly write off people as hopeless because they reject the gospel when they hear it. We see wicked men and women in the world living in rebellion toward God and often our first reaction is a prayer for God to smite them down. Instead of being quick to show and pray for mercy and grace, we are quick to pray for judgement. Often we see the ungodly of this world as the enemy to be opposed instead of seeing them as doomed sinners on the brink of hell. Jesus is, however, very patient. He bears with the insults of people for often a very long time. He extend grace to them in the gospel. Jesus gives them time to repent. He delights in showing mercy. Although judgement will come from God on those who live in rebellion against Him, He first extends grace in this life on earth.

 After Jesus had ascended to heaven and the Spirit had come, the gospel came to these very same people who had rejected Jesus. Philip came first preaching the gospel to the Samaritans after the death of Stephen. Acts 8:5-6. When the apostles heard how the Samaritans had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. Acts 8:14. Remember this is the very same John who had wanted to smite the Samaritans with fire in Luke 9:54. Instead, this time John and Peter came preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. Acts 8:25. Maybe even in the same village that had rejected Jesus and His disciples earlier. They had learn the lesson well from their Master. And may we learn that lesson well too.

Brad

 

The Dread of Demons

    When it comes to demons, people often fall into two extremes. On one hand, some people overemphasize them by constantly seeing the work of demons behind every event and sin. For them, spiritual warfare is fighting demons in various ways. On the other hand, others ignore demons. They don't consider that they are real and active. Perhaps they think that demonic activity belongs to the past or to some far off country. The truth is that demons are active in our world, and likely more than we think even in our so-called civilized Western culture. Demons are incredibly powerful and wicked. But an awesome and comforting truth is that the Lord Jesus is infinitely greater than the demons. To show this, I will look at Luke 8:26-27, Mark 5:1-17, Mathew 8:28-34.


The incredible power of demons

   The Lord Jesus has just shown that He rules over wind and wave by calming the sea of Galilee during a violent storm. He and His disciples landed at the shore of the region of the Gadarenes. There they are met by two demon-possessed men. One of them seems to be the most prominent of the two and is the focus of Luke and Mark. We are told that these men were extremely violent, so much so that no one could pass in that area due to their violence. It seems that the people in that area had at times tried to capture these men and bind them with shackles and chains. But incredibly, the demons had given such strength to the men that the chains and shackles were broken. No one was able to subdue the demon-possessed man. Nor was this man indwelt by just one demon. The name of the demon-possessed man was Legion because he had many demons in him. A legion was a military unit of 6000 men. So this man had many demons, although maybe not 6000. Legion and his lesser companion must have been a great terror to the people in that area, causing fear and worry. This account shows us the great power of demons. On our own, we could do nothing against them. They could, if God allowed, utterly overwhelm us by their might. It is foolish to toy with the occult and is extremely dangerous.

The incredible wickedness of demons

   The demons are very powerful and they use that power for evil purposes. The demons in Legion tormented him. They caused him to live among the tombs, where he lived without clothes on. He was always screaming and cutting himself with rocks. At other times, the demons drove this man into the desert. All this had gone on for a long time. Poor man! Consider as well, the case of the demon-possessed boy whom Jesus healed, in which the demon cruelly tried to destroy this boy. These demons used their cruelty to bring pain and suffering on these people. There is no goodness in a demon. There is not one drop of kindness or goodwill. There is only a black evil heart that delights in doing wickedness.

   Such power! Such wickedness! The demons are a dangerous and terrifying enemy. If that is where it ends then we have no hope against such beings. But there is hope for those who love and know the Lord Jesus.

The Dread of Demons

   Perhaps as the demon-possessed man saw the boat approach, they ran out as usual to drive off these invaders. but as they got closer, they realized Who was in the boat. Even from a long distance away they knew it was Jesus. And when Jesus got on shore the demon-possessed man ran up and bowed down before Jesus. The demons begged Jesus not to torment them. Throughout the interaction between Jesus and the demons, Jesus shows He is in total control of these powerful beings. They are afraid of Him. They know He has the power to torment them and judge them. He asks the questions and they give the answers. They can't demand anything and can only beg before him like a dog before its master. He commands they leave, and leave they must. The demon must even ask permission just to enter some pigs, which they drown in the lake, showing again their wickedness. There is no good versus evil struggle. God doesn't need to struggle against His foes. The infinite power of the Almighty is not even close to a match for the demons. Jesus is Master over all, even over the demons.

  This is a great comfort for us. This is a world filled with demonic activity. They are much more powerful than us and very wicked. And yet for those who have been forgiven by Jesus and follow Him, they are no longer objects of dread. The power and presence of Jesus protects us from them.With Him at our right hand, we will never be shaken even with demons all around us for they must bow before The Dread of Demons, Our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Brad

The Compassion of A Tired Messiah

    As I study the scriptures and see glorious truths, I often want to write about it. However the problem I have in regard to this blog is that, when I start working on a blog post in my head about the text, I tend to develop a sermon rather than a blog post. The text deserves more than just a few paragraphs. I don't have the time or space to be writing sermons. But I decided to try to write a post about a text I had considered.

    The text I want to consider is Luke 9:10-11 and related verses in Mark 6:30-34 and Matt 14:13-14.

     Jesus needed a break. His disciples needed a break. Mark says that they hadn't even had time to eat because the crowds were swarming around them desperate for Jesus' help. The disciples had just returned from a tour of ministry as they preached, healed and cast out demons in the Jewish countryside and villages. Also around this time, Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist. All these events prompted  Jesus to wisely take a rest for Him and His disciples. They were worn out mentally, emotionally, and physically. So Jesus took His twelve disciples on a boat across the lake of Galilee to a deserted place. I am sure that they were all looking forward to some rest and relaxation.

   But look! As they reach the shore, there was a small crowd of people waiting for them, and perhaps as they looked in the distance they could see more people streaming to the spot. It is not hard to imagine what they were thinking as they saw these crowd which meant the end to all their plans to relax and refresh. Some perhaps groaned at this change in plans. Others may have complained and grumbled about the crowds. Still others may have shot an angry look at those miserable people that never seemed to leave them alone. I know if I was in their place, I would have had something of the same feelings. But what did Jesus think and feel when He saw the crowds?

  Luke tells us He welcomed them. Mark explains that He had compassion on the people. Why? Because they were like sheep without a shepherd. The leaders of Israel were to be the spiritual shepherds of God's people. They were to teach them faithfully and accurately God's word. But they failed to do that. In fact they used God's people for their own selfish purposes. They taught lies instead of truth. They led them into error instead of wisdom. They gave them a bad example. The leaders of Israel cared nothing for the people. So when Jesus saw the crowds, He saw a people who were spiritually hopeless and lost and it moved Him to compassion. His first response is not the expressions of a selfish heart, but of an unselfish heart that cared deeply about the welfare of others.

    The spiritual needs of the crowd moved Him to compassion which resulted in Him laboring to meet those needs even though He must have been tired and weary. Jesus met their needs by teaching them about the kingdom of God. He didn't only seek to meet their spiritual needs as the Good Shepherd, but He also sought to meet their physical needs. He healed their sick and later, created enough food to feed all of them with some left over. Notice that Jesus doesn't just say, 'well, I'll teach them for an hour and then shoo them away.' No, He spends all afternoon and some of the evening ministering to the crowds. Consider also that many in this crowd didn't care about Jesus at all. Many were there only to get healed or to see some excitement. Yet Jesus still feels compassion for them. How amazing is Jesus! How unlike us! What a Savior! What a God!

Brad

The Greatest Prophet Who Was Too Bad To Be A Slave

    Okay, Pop Quiz! Who was the greatest Old Testament saint? If you answered Abraham, Moses, or David, you would be wrong. Those would usually be our first choices for the greatest person, but these people are not the greatest. According to Jesus, who should know since He determines what greatness is, John the Baptist is the greatest person in the Old Testament. (Matt 11:11) As I was studying Luke 3, I was struck by the character and message of John the Baptist. I want to share that with you in this blog post.

    John the Baptist had a most unique and exalted position. The angel told his father Zacharias that his son would go as a forerunner before the Lord and would turn many people back to the Lord their God. (Luke 1:16-17) In fact, hundreds of years before, in the prophecies of Malachi and Isaiah, it was foretold about John and his ministry. (Luke 1:17, Luke 3:4-6) For hundreds of years people had waited and wondered about the coming of the Messiah. Now John was given the task of announcing His coming and preparing people to receive Him.

    How were people to prepare for the coming of the Messiah? John told the people to prepare by repenting. They needed to turn from their sins and turn towards God and righteousness. And when the people were convinced that they needed God's forgiveness, they were baptized by John in the Jordan to show to all that they were guilty sinners who needed to be cleansed by God.( Luke 3:3) John warned the crowds to stop trusting in their relationship to Abraham for salvation. Being part of God's covenant people didn't save anyone. (Luke 3:8)  It is repentance and the fruits that follow that saves a person. John emphasized that repentance is revealed by holy lives. He called people to show compassion to others, to not be greedy and steal, and to avoid oppressing others.(Luke 3:8-14) It was this message that John preached and exhorted to the people with urgency because judgment was near at hand. The Judge was coming and they needed to avoid His justice by repenting of their sins now. (Luke 3:9, 17)

    Few men have had the courage of John the Baptist. He called the hypocrites that came out to him a "brood of vipers". Not exactly a term of affection, but it was true.(Luke 3:7) He preached boldly a hard message to the Jews that cut at their national pride and put them in the same boat as Gentiles. (Luke 3:8) He talked of sin and judgment to these people who trusted their own righteousness. He confronted Herod the tetrarch about his sins.(Luke 3:19-20) The result of that confrontation was John's arrest and later death. John was a man of courage who feared no one.
   
     Even though John was a strange man, eating locusts and honey and wearing rough clothes, and even though his ministry was outside of Jerusalem in the desert; John was a popular preacher in his day. The people were so struck by him that they thought he might be the Messiah. This expectation had the potential to puff up John's pride. What they were thinking was quite remarkable. John the Messiah! The One promised so often through out Israel's history. The One who would come to save and redeem His people. The One who would reign over Israel and bring in a time of peace and greatness for Israel. But no, he was John the Baptist, not John the Messiah. John shot down their expectations very quickly.(Luke 3:16)

      In fact John, who was the greatest of the Old Testament saints, said he was not the Messiah and that he was not even worthy to untie the sandals of the Messiah who was coming. (Luke 3:16) This One was mightier than John. So much so that even John could not do the menial task of taking off His shoes. It was reserved for slaves to take off their master's shoes. John was saying that he was not even worthy of being a slave to the Messiah. Think about that for a moment. John was a great man and yet when he saw who the Messiah was, he saw what a low and unworthy creature he was. He may have never feared a man, but he sure feared God. John was very little in his own eyes. He understood what a guilty, vile sinner he was. He saw his weakness. He saw the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ. Here was God in human flesh. And so John wouldn't even dare to touch the Christ's sandals. John knew all to well how bad he was.

      In John the Baptist's character and message, we see an example for us to follow. We are heralds who are to prepare people for the Lord's second coming by preaching and teaching a message of repentance and righteousness, by confronting people with their sin and their need to be washed from their sins. Such a message requires us to be bold and courageous as we teach the truth and live it out in a corrupt world. The only way we can have such a boldness is to see by faith the glory, power, and greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ. When our eyes are filled with His glory, we will see who we really are; weak sinful, guilty people who desperately need a Savior. Armed with these truths, we can boldly go out into the world to fulfill the commission the Lord had given us.

Brad

When The Devil Goes Fishing

     The Devil likes to fish. Except, he doesn't fish for fish but for the souls of men. The devil likes to catch people with sin. He is a good fisher, maybe the best. Many souls have been ruined to hell by taking his bait. Many Christians have been rendered fruitless and ineffective by swallowing his hook. Certainly this is no laughing matter when one considers the devil's large catch. In order to help us not take the devil's bait and hook, I want to consider how the the devil goes fishing.

The Bait

     When the devil goes fishing, he uses some pretty desirous bait. He uses the pleasures of sin to bait us. He knows that our hearts are corrupt with sin.We have sinful desires that he plays on. "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust." James 1:14. The devil knows this and baits his hook accordingly. He always portrays sin as good, beneficial and pleasurable. "Stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant." Proverbs 9:17. Consider how the adulteress tempts men to sin with her. "For the lips of an adulteress drips honey and smoother than oil is her speech." Proverbs 5:3. Another proverb that shows the bait of the devil is Proverbs 20:17 "Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel." Remember when Satan first tempted Eve. He promised that by taking and eating the forbidden fruit she would "be like God, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:5. Eve believed Satan's lie, and took his bait because she thought that by sinning she could become wise. However they became fools. And ever since that day, people continue to take the devil's bait and choose to sin.

     Just as an aside, consider how sin is portrayed in the entertainment industry. There are lots of songs that glorify drunkenness, sexually immorality, and violence. Movies and video games  often do the same. Almost all of the time, sin is portrayed as good in movies. And it is not just "big" sins, but even sins like pride, lying, stealing, or laziness are made to look good. When we constantly expose ourselves to the world's entertainment, it will begin to affect how we look at sin. Sin will begin to not look like a hook but like something worth pursuing.

The Plate

     If a fish should take the bait on the hook, he will eventually end up on someone's plate. What started out as a delicious treat for the fish, turned into delicious meal for the fisherman. The same result is in store for those who take the devil's bait. God warns us in His word that the end result of taking the devil's bait is death. The Lord promised to Adam and Eve that if they would eat the forbidden fruit, "you will surely die." Gen 2:17. James writes that "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." James 1:15. Women Folly would invite you to eat stolen water and food because it is sweet, but those who accept such an invitation would find that "her guests are in the depths of Sheol." Proverbs 9:18. Proverbs often warns those tempted to commit adultery that while all manner of pleasure is promised, the end result is death and bitterness.

     When we chose to sin, we begin to walk down a path that leads to death. Along that path there is the chance of physical death due to sin and its consequences. But more serious is the spiritual death that happens. Giving into sin and taking Satan's bait, destroys us spiritually and will bring us into the second death; the fires of hell. Sin also kills relationships. Sin kills reputations. Sin kills one's purity and honor. Sin kills!! So be warned, when you see the bait of sin, remember the plate. Consider the consequences of taking that bait. Don't start down the path of sin for it leads to death.

    The only way off the path of sin and death is repentance; that is, to turn to God and righteousness and to forsake and confess your sin, begging for forgiveness because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. "The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23.  

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
 For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
 She is more precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.

Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
 Her ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are peace.
 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast. 

Proverbs 3: 13-18

Brad

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary!

"And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her." Luke 1:38  

     This verse comes at the end of Mary's conversation with the angel Gabriel. Gabriel had just announced to Mary that she was going to conceive a son by the Holy Spirit. This son was to be named Jesus and would be great. He would be the Son of the Most High and would reign on the throne of David over the house of Jacob forever and ever. God had chosen Mary to have an unique and important part to play in His plan of salvation. After years of waiting, finally the Messiah was coming. And of all people, Mary was going to carry this Child who would be the Savior of all God's people and would be the long awaited king. This was an immense privilege given to her by God. But, with this privilege, there was also going to be trial and suffering. 

     The majority of people would think that Mary had gotten pregnant before her marriage to Joseph. How would she be able to explain how she had gotten pregnant, when no one before or since, has ever conceived in this manner? For the rest of her life she would have the stigma and reproach of being an unfaithful and immoral women. Few would ever understand in her lifetime. Who knows what shame and shunning she faced? And what about Joseph? He would think she was unfaithful to him. It was only through a dream from God that Joseph would be convinced that Mary wasn't unfaithful. (Matthew 1:19-21) In fact Mary could face death, for the law decreed death by stoning for those who committed adultery. (Deut 22:13-21) So while she would have an immense privilege in carrying the Savior, there was also a great trial for her to go through. But consider how she responds.

      Mary calls herself the bondslave of the Lord. In her eyes, she is God's slave, which is very contrary to how the Roman Catholic church views her. In their view, Mary is worthy of veneration and a mediator between God and man. But Mary understands that the Lord is her master and she is his slave. Whatever the Master says she will do. She submitted to God's purposes and will for her without murmuring or questioning. She trusted that her Master knew what was best and was willing to go where He called her, even if it would bring her pain and sorrow. Here is a worthy example for us.

     The Christian has the honor and privilege of being adopted into the family of God. He is an heir of the glory to come. His sins are completely forgiven. God is His friend and Lord. These honors and privileges are mostly unknown by those around him and many of these privileges will only be had in the life to come. This life is for the Christian the time for suffering. "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Tim 3:12. This life is a life of war for the Christian as he must wage constant war against sin. Obedience is hard work. This Christian is the special object of Satan's temptations. The cross must come before the crown. 

And what should be our reaction when we are called to suffer and labor for God? It should be the same as Mary's reaction to the angel's announcement. We are God's slaves and will  do as He wills. 

"Let us be willing to go anywhere, and do anything, and be anything, whatever be the present and immediate inconvenience, so long as God's will is clear and the path of duty is plain." 
J.C. Ryle from his expository thoughts on Luke.(page 30)

Brad

On The Hill of Difficulty Part Two

This is Part Two of lessons learned during the trial that I went through over the last few months.

5) We need the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12. We were never meant to be lone rangers. God made us to need others. The help we received was magnificent. I often stood amazed at the care, kindness and sacrifice of  people. Without the help of many people we would have crashed and burned. Some people changed their schedules or denied themselves so they could help us.We are a very individualistic society. But that is not God's design. Lone rangers are dead rangers. We need God's people. This trial gave us a very vivid example of this truth.

6) I learned to be more compassionate and understanding to others in trials. I also saw how often I failed in the past to show compassion to others in trials. Through the variety of experiences over the last few months I can better sympathize with others. I can understand better the trials of my wife at home or of single dads and moms. I can better understand the sorrows and challenges of widows and those who lose a child. This trial made me more aware of the trials of others. I hope then that what I have learned can help me to be better at comforting and caring for others in their trials. "...God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3b-4

7) I learned to drive in the city. I hate cities and I hate driving in them. But I learned to drive better in traffic. I can't say I like cities or driving there, but it isn't so scary as it was.

8) Giving words of encouragement is a skill that takes effort and time to learn. "A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word." Proverbs 15:23   "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." Proverbs 25:11   Especially early in this trial, I often thought about what we ought to say to someone going through a tough time. Often I would get very worldly encouragement. One time a person's 'encouragement' seemed more like a discouragement to me in how and what was said. People can ask how you are doing but they seem to expect a short answer and don't really wait for you to explain. It is hard to know what to say to someone going through a hard trial. One needs great wisdom to say the right word at the right time. A couple things I have learned is this: If you ask someone how they are doing, say it tenderly and listen for an answer. Sympathizing with someone is important. If you don't know what to say, the best thing you can say is 'How can I help you" or 'I will pray for you' or better yet pray with the person. Often people don't need a theology lecture when they are suffering but giving a hug would be just fine. It would be good if we took time to think about what we should say to a suffering Christian or unbeliever before the time comes around.

9) Just because God promises to strengthen us in our trials doesn't mean we won't be almost crushed under the load. There were times in my trial that I felt strong in the Lord's strength. And there were times I felt crushed under the pressure of the trial. I believe God does this for two reasons. One, to show us that we need Him because we are so weak without His help. Second, to develop our spiritual muscles. By going through difficult trials we will find that we are able to handle more and more in God's strength and even that lesser trials do not crush as they used to.

10) I am more thankful for technology like cell phones, even through I find such things frustrating. I bought a cell phone soon after Fenna went into the hospital so I could keep in touch. It was a blessing to us to be able to text, phone or video chat. It made the distance between us smaller.

11) I appreciate my wife more. I have learned how important she is to our family. I knew that before this all began but now we know it in a whole other way.

12) In the beginning of this trial, many people came up to me to ask how my wife was or how things were going in the trial. I appreciated that. But I got tired of talking about our difficulties and just wanted to talk about normal things. Our trial was the subject of every conversation on Sundays. Often I didn't want to talk about how things were. And even if I wanted to, it would take too long to tell someone how things really were. I liked the attention and hated it. Maybe what I learned from this is that trials are complicated and it can be hard to help someone in need.

13) I learned more about my kids. I enjoyed getting to know my kids more, especially the youngest. It wasn't easy taking care of them, but there were some really good moments with them.

14)  I learned again that as hard as our trials are, we always deserve worse. We are guilty sinners who deserve nothing good and only horrors. But God is a God of grace. He can turn our sufferings for our good because of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His grace. I am thankful for what I have learned and continue to learn. I can't complain at all for all that God has brought me through. He was there with me in the storm. Even when I sinned during the trial, He was gracious to me and forgave me when I repented. All glory be to God.

15) Lastly, I learned that I still have to learn much about suffering and trials. This trial was hard but there are much greater trials. I still have a lot to learn and there is still much room to grow.

 Brad

On The Hill of Difficulty

       In the book 'Pilgrim's Progress', Christian has to go up the hill of difficulty which he finds to be hard work indeed. This is the experience of every Christian. Each Christians must go through times of hardship. For the last 4 months, we have as a family walked the steep slopes of the hill of difficulty. This trial rates in the top three of all the trials that I have experienced in my life. For a month and a half my wife was on a semi bed rest due to complications in her pregnancy. Then she had to be admitted into the hospital for the remainder of her pregnancy while I took care of the kids and the farm. After 12 weeks in the hospital, we had a baby boy born by c-section. The trial isn't completely over, but hopefully the most difficult part is.

   God has a good purpose for the Christian in all trials and difficulty. There are many lessons to be learned in the storm. The fire of the trial burns off much of the dross of sin. I have learned many things on the hill of difficulty. These lessons I don't want to forget. So I hope to write down what I have learned while on the hill of difficulty. I do this mainly for myself but also in the hope that others would benefit from what I have learned.

1) Having a Biblical perspective on trials is so important.  "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God." Rom 8:28  "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:2-3 These were texts that I clung to and often repeated to help in my trials. It fortifies the believer when he can look on trials as the bitter medicines of a wise and good God who wants to heal our souls from sin and sanctify us.With this perspective, you really can rejoice in trials and worship God in the storms you go through. Without this Biblical perspective, you will be much weaker and more susceptible to doubts and depression. A lack of clarity of trials will make you fight against God rather than work with him during your trial. This makes the trial hurt more and even can make it last longer. Perhaps some of the problem for us is that we love comfort and ease more than we delight in holiness. If we have a greater desire for godliness than for personal comfort, we will find trials to be less difficult.

2) No one can fully understand the difficulty of your trial. "The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy." Proverbs 14:10 Some may be able to understand what you are going through better than others. But no one can completely feel the weight of your trial. This is because each trial is unique and each person is unique. And this is good. Because while people will not completely understand your trial, God does. In fact He knows you better than you know yourself. So we should turn to God first of all to pour out our hearts to the One who knows us completely. Thus trials will cause us to draw closer with God.

3) In this trial I have learned again that faith without works is dead. Or to put it another way talk is cheap. "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself." James 2:15-17 It is easier for people to say they care than for them to show that they care with real acts of service. Now, not everyone is able to help someone going through a trial in a practical way. Maybe the best they can do is pray for you. An old lady that we know who is plagued by arthritis, phoned me every couple of weeks to see how I was. That is faith at work. But people often will say that they are praying for you and then do nothing to practically help you even though they could. Perhaps they should consider that maybe God could answer their prayers if they would get off their knees and serve the one they are praying for. It is an easy thing to say you are praying for someone, but it is a much harder thing to sacrifice and serve someone. it means so much more when practical help is given not just words. Then you really know someone cares. "Little children, let us not love with words or tongue, but in deed and truth." 1 John 3:18

4) People will disappoint us. This is a given. Sometimes people disappointed me greatly, sometimes it was a lesser disappointment. Either way we should learn not to expect too much from people. Even the best of us is but dust and ashes and quickly prone to sin. Knowing this should cause us to more fully seek our help and comfort in the unchanging Lord of heaven and earth.

5) God will never disappoint us. God is faithful to His promises. I can say by experience that even though I was sad and disappointed in people, never once could I say that God failed me. He provided what was needed time and time again. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change." Psalm 46:1-2 
 "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, so that we confidently say, The LORD is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:5-6

To be continued......

Brad

Laying Still Under God's Scalpel

     I suppose with all that has gone on in our lives in the last few weeks, the topic of trials and difficulties has been on my mind. It is easy to teach on trials, when life is pretty good. But it is in the fire of trials when the soundness of our faith is tested. Some of what I learned I want to share with you so that one day it may help you as well. I have not learned this lesson perfectly, but I am growing bit by bit.

     'No pain no gain' is a common expression which is often true. This is true in the world of healing and medicine. When we are sick or have some problem in our body, the path to a cure is lined with pain. Doctors prescribe medicines that are bitter to fight disease. They take their scalpels and forceps to cut us open so that they may fix our health problems. They can cause serious pain and discomfort in order to obtain a cure. Yet why do people continue to go to doctors and hospitals? Why do they take treatment or medicine that is bitter and painful? People want to be healthy. They want to enjoy this life. And so, they are willing to bear with the pain of treatment in order that they may defeat the disease and return to health and the life they want to live.

     What is true of the diseases of the body and how they are cured, is also true of the diseases of the soul and how they are treated. Sin is the black plague of the soul. It destroys, rots, corrupts, and ruins people. No disease of the body can compare with the deadly nature of sin in the soul of man. However Jesus is the great Divine Physician. "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick: I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17  It is He who gives new life to the dead sinner through changing his heart of stone into a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26) But the Christian still has sin in his life. The flesh is still there. God is working like a doctor in our lives to  cure us of this sin disease that still runs in our veins. He mixes together the bitter medicines of the trials of our lives with His word to treat our sin. He knows the right time for the trial in each person's life. He knows which is the right trial for the right person to cure their particular sin. He understands how to mix trials together to produce a healing effect. This God does every day in our lives. Through little trials, like a flat tire or big trials like the death of a friend or painful cancer, God is slowly but surely attacking our sin disease and causing us to grow healthy and strong in holiness.

    Our recovery to healthy godliness, depends in some degree on how we react to trials. If you try to fight the doctor as he tries to give you a shot, it will take longer to get a cure and you may have to be held down so the medicine can be administered. If you don't lay still as God takes His scalpel to remove your sin, it will hurt more. Grumbling, complaining, and disobeying God during  a trial will lead to a slower recovery. However if we lie still under God's scalpel by trusting His wisdom, goodness and love, the healing will be quicker and more complete. When every nerve of our body wants to lash out or run, our faith should cling even more tightly to God's promises and truth.  We should rejoice and be thankful even in the greatest pain and suffering, not because pain and suffering is good, but because God has promised to use these painful medicines to do us good and to glorify Himself. We should rejoice to see God curing us of our poisonous sin and causing us to produce greater fruit. We should worship even in the tears, even if it is through our groans. God is good and always does good. We can depend on that.

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

 Lord, help our weak faith so that it can lay hold of who you are and what you have promised.

Brad

Reverse The Curse In Your Marriage

There are thousands of books on marriage. There are many radio programs and ministries that are dedicated to fixing your marriage. I spent a lot of time when I was growing up on tractors listening to Christian radio. I heard many programs explaining how to make your marriage better. Now all this information is helpful. But it was on my honeymoon when I heard something that really clarified why we have marriage problems and what the solution is to our marriage problems.

   We were driving into Oregon listening to John Macarthur's teaching on the fulfilled family, a sermon series on Ephesians 5:22-6:4. He said something that I won't forget. Here are two quotes from that sermon series.


   "People will ask me what’s the key to your marriage or what’s the key to your family, how is it that your family is so close or you are close to your wife and you have such a wonderful relationship and I can just go back to this.  There is no magic, there is no formula, there is no gimmicks.  It’s not a  question of how many times did we do this or how many times did we do that or who was in charge of this or what kind of processes or methods did we use.  It’s simply a question and it has to start in my heart, am I committed to obedience to the Spirit of God, am I committed to the controlling influences of the Word of God, am I going to live out a Christian life?"  

"Because of fallenness there will be conflict.  You have to go back to the spiritual dimension to end it and that’s what’s so wonderful about this passage that we are looking at and you can go back to Ephesians now, that the solution to the conflict in marriage is spiritual and it starts with allowing the Holy Spirit to control your life, letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, obeying the Spirit of God as he reveals his will through the will of God.  Only the power of the Holy Spirit can reverse the curse in a home.  Where you have a Spirit filled person in the home, you have hope.  You ever try to pick a fight with a Spirit controlled person? Ever try to pick a fight with a totally joyful person that just has rising joy in their heart? Ever try to pick a fight with somebody who is thankful for everything, even the conflict?  Ever try to pick a fight with somebody who is totally submissive.  Very difficult.  Where that exists there is hope.  It’s a spiritual issue.  Conflict goes where the Holy Spirit dominates."  

     I thought these quotes were so good, that I should leave it at that. But perhaps a word or two is in order. Why does your marriage suck? Why do you have problems in your marriages? The answer is that you have two sinners who got married to each other that have some sanctification issues. "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask" James 4:1-2 

    How do you fix your marriage conflicts? In almost every case, the solution is more heart and life holiness. If we pursue holiness and fellowship with God, then there will be some improvement in our marriages. Now you might be married to an unbeliever, even though they may profess to be a Christian, which in that case may mean that the more godly you are, the more they will despise you. Unregenerate people hate the light. John 3:19-20. But even unbelievers may willingly live with a godly Christian. 

   With all the marriage advice books out there, you would think that the Bible is full of marriage tips and helps. But there is very little said on marriage. This is because if you follow the commands in Scripture to walk in holy living, then your marriage will not suffer. But don't try to live a godly life for the sole purpose of improving your marriage. Live to please and know the Lord, and when you do so, the other areas of your life, including marriage, will be affected for the better.
     
   So if your marriage is in trouble, go to God in repentance and ask Him to help you to love your spouse. Use the means of grace that God has given; prayer, Bible reading, preaching...etc. Don't worry about trying to change your spouse. You can't change them anyways. You have the responsibility before God to love your spouse, even if you think they are your enemy. God even calls you to love your enemies. Does love rule your home life?


"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3 
   

Brad

    

The Perfect Wisdom of Our God

God is wise. This can be defined in this way; 'His choice of the highest end and the best means to that end.' Simple, right? Easy to understand--God is wise. He does what is best to achieve the highest end, which is His glory and the good of His people. But, how does this apply in every day life? How can we live this out? How can we turn our knowledge of God's wisdom into wisdom on our end--that is applying our knowledge?

We were studying the wisdom of God in one of our last Bible Studies. God is wise so we can be comforted when trials come, knowing it is for the highest end. All the trials that occur are for the good of those that love Him and for His glory. He is constantly at work in our lives for our spiritual good and for His glory.

As we were learning this, I was dealing with a baby who refused to sleep. When I finally got him to sleep, a short time later another child started crying and then woke the baby up. Usually our baby is asleep almost immediately--we never hear him in the evenings. But he was up all evening. I was tired. When the Bible study members left I felt like I was ready to cry--what was I going to do with this crying baby? Why was he crying? I was already so tired, how could I handle a late night? Frustration oozed out of every pore.

My husband graciously took the baby, told me to go to sleep and I headed to bed. But, I could not sleep. I could still hear him crying whenever my husband stopped walking. So I started to pray, 'Lord, please let him sleep, let us sleep...' and then I stopped as a thought came to mind. God is wise. He knows why the baby is crying. He knows that it is what is best right now, even though I don't understand it. He is in control of this situation.

Now, instead of praying that the baby would stop crying, and that we could get sleep, I hopped out of bed, ready to take over for my husband. I was now armed with the knowledge and the joy that God is wise--that in His wisdom, this was the best means for the highest end. I realized that this crying baby was the means that God had chosen to fulfill His purposes. I didn't (and still don't fully) understand what those purposes were, but I found such joy in knowing this and in resting in this truth.

Knowing that God is wise we can find joy in each situation we find ourselves in. We ought to put aside all grumbling and complaining, as no situation is out of His control. He has wisely brought about each and every trial for His glory and our good. All praise and glory to Him!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

~Fenna

Don't Play The Goat

    As some of you know, we have a few goats on our farm. Some month ago we bought a sheep. We hoped that the sheep and the goats would get along together. But the sheep was not accepted by the goats. The sheep has been here for a number of months, and she is still isolated from the goats. A couple of weeks ago we bought a male goat for breeding purposes. Right away, the goat was accepted into the small goat herd. Meanwhile the sheep is still ostracized. There is a good lesson here about spiritual things.

  Jesus told His disciples "If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out it, the world hates you." John 15:18-19.  Jesus  compared believers to sheep and unbelievers to goats. Matthew 25:31-33. So hopefully you can see where this is going.

  Goats and sheep don't mix. Neither do Christians and the world. We are different by nature. The Christian is born of God with the Spirit living within him. They are a new creation in Christ and so they love different things. Christians have different goals, ambitions, and purposes. We belong to a different family, kingdom and country.

   The world loves darkness and sin. They belong to the kingdom of darkness. Since they love darkness, they hate the light. They have no love for the true God. Men and women of all religions and beliefs can find some common ground. They all belong to the same family and kingdom. But there can't be fellowship between the sons of darkness and the children of light.

     A Christian must expect to be excluded from the world, like my sheep was excluded by the goats. We may be friendly with them and even enjoy their friendliness. But there is a world of difference between us.We don't mix well like oil and water or sheep and goats. If you can have deep friendships with unbelievers, if you can have no problems being partners together in some enterprise, if you are comfortable at the parties of the world, if you don't feel out of place in worldly discussions, then you have a problem.

    Christians that can feel at home among the people of this world have a problem. They may be weak spiritually and have an unhealthy appetite for the things of this world. These sheep act too much like goats to be an offence. But they are in great danger. For in this case the Christian is like a sheep among wolves who will tear them to pieces. These kind of sheep may not even be sheep. They may be goats that only pretend to be sheep at times.

   A Christian who lives a godly life, will be despised by the world. A healthy sheep is one who evangelizes the lost, who stands fast on truth in life and doctrine, and who lives for a heavenly purpose and kingdom. If you do this, you will shine in the darkness, and the darkness will run from you or try to snuff you out. When this happens, it is a good sign. Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward. So don't act like a goat, be a good sheep.

And by the way, we sold our sheep recently. Since it would not eat with the goats and it had to dig through the snow to find grass, we felt that it was time for it to go. Thankfully we found a good home for the sheep, with some other sheep friends. But I don't think there is any spiritual lesson to this part of the story.

Brad

The Chocolate Sprinkles Incident

At our home we like to have chocolate sprinkles on our bread for lunch. You know, the dutch chocolate sprinkles. Maybe we like them too much. Which is why we have some rules about how much is put on the bread. So there was an incident at lunch. My wife was putting some of the sprinkles on our daughter's bread. Another child felt that mom was putting too much on the bread and so he told his mom that she was overdoing the chocolate sprinkles. When I heard this I was taken aback. Here was the child telling the mother what to do. This incident needed to be addressed. After a rebuke and an apology, all was made right.

   But as I was thinking this over later, I saw how we often act like my son did. Except we don't act this way to mere humans, but to God. How many times don't we try to tell God what to do. We often complain and grumble against God when we don't like how He is ruling the universe. Maybe we are unhappy because the fairy tale life we envisioned for ourselves has not come true. Prince Charming or Princess True Love has not come into our lives. We live with constant sickness or pain. Our job is boring and the boss man is mean. Our church is not what we hoped it would be. Life is hard and it just don't seem fair.

     We complain about it to ourselves and to others. But we are really complaining to God. When the people of Israel complained to Moses about the lack of food in the wilderness. Moses told them "Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD." Ex 16:8. When we grumble, we are actually saying that we don't think God is perfect in wisdom and goodness. We act as though God should have consulted us before He brought trouble and trials into our lives. Little, finite, imperfect creatures are rebuking the Almighty Creator who is perfect in power and wisdom. Remember how Peter did this when he rebuked Jesus for saying that He was going to suffer and die? Matt 16:21-23. Aren't you glad Jesus didn't listen to Peter?

  This thought should cause two things in your mind. First, you should see how great your sin is before God. All of us have done this at one time or another. Some of us do this all the time. This realization of our guilt should make us cry out, "God, have mercy upon me, the sinner." Second, We should be amazed at the grace and patience of the Lord. God bears with us so much. Every day we provoke Him to anger by our sins. Yet He is patient and compassionate. He rebukes and disciplines His children. He forgives them when they sin. He is so unlike sinners. We would blow up in anger every time if we had to deal with what God deals with on a daily basis.

 When we again behold the glorious grace of God toward us, then we can in His power give that grace to others. The glory of Christ is what transforms and empowers us to act with grace, patience and humility when we deal with others. We need to spend more time reminding ourselves that God is good and wise and in control. He knows what is best and He will bring into our lives whatever He knows is best for us. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Rom 8:28.  Do we really believe that? Can we trust our Father like little children, even in the pain, sorrow and disappointment of life? How we need greater faith!

Brad

Spiders And Sin

  Imagine for just a moment a scenario. As you walk into one of the rooms of your house to pick up your baby, you see a spider between you and your child. As you look closer, you realize in horror that it is a black widow spider. This poisonous spider is now moving closer to your child. What do you do? Hopefully you won't run away screaming or freeze in terror. You wouldn't want to scoop up the spider and let it play with your child. The best thing to do is to stomp on the spider and crush it to death. No mercy, no kindness, just a swift and gruesome death. You don't take chances with deadly spiders.

   While it is considered wise not to make pets of poisonous creatures like black widow spiders, yet when it comes to something more dangerous in the spiritual realm, people are very foolish. Sin is a poison. It is destructive, deadly and life threatening. Consider what is the destructive force of sin. Pornography devastates marriages, your spiritual health and countless lives. It is a black poison. Anger can destroy families, friends, and businesses. Gossip can destroy a whole church. Pride ruins souls and leads them into hell. I could list many other examples like drunkenness, gambling, slander, and laziness, but I think you get the point. Sin is destructive like a hurricane or a deadly poisonous spider. So don't take chances with deadly sin, kill it quickly.

  The truth is people by nature like sin. They make it their pet and invite it into their homes. People cuddle and feed their pet sins. Even when it bites them, people will often return back to their poisonous pet. Yet in the end their pet sins will destroy them. Even as Christians we can make a pet of our sins. Instead of seeing sin as some poisonous spider, we see it as if it was some harmless puppy or kitty cat. We may play with sin and dabble in it a little. We know it is dangerous, but our sinful flesh is strong and still wants us to hold on to the sin. We need to look at sin not as a nice puppy but a poisonous spider. We should become sin-crushers.

     This is what God calls us to do. In Colossians 3:5, we are told to "Put to death what belongs to your worldly nature."  How do we deal with sin? Put it to death! Don't have mercy on it. Killing sin is painful, difficult and dirty work. It isn't easy to kill what your flesh loves. But why would you want to keep something more dangerous than a black widow spider in your life?

  Killing sin is hard but thankfully God has given us some weapons to help us finish the job. We don't kill sin in our own strength. The Spirit of God lives in His people to give them the power to stomp on their sin. So we should pray about specific sins, calling on God to help us kill them. The Spirit uses His word to renew us and help in the fight. It is not enough to kill sin, but we must "put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another." Col 3:12-13. And even when we fail, there is forgiveness and grace through Jesus Christ.

 There is not enough space here to get into all the details of putting to death sin. But I hope you will see sin for what it is, a poisonous and deadly thing, and deal with it ruthlessly in God's power by stomping on your sins.

Brad

Attack In Formation

This post is related to the one I did on the sword of the Spirit. When I taught that lesson, I included some brief thoughts on the subject which I want to consider in this post. I want to develop that idea more fully here.

  Our spiritual warfare is not an individual effort alone. We are not to be lone rangers or commandos alone behind enemy lines. By nature we tend to be self absorbed. Sin keeps us from fighting together in the church and it causes us to fight each other. But God knows we are stronger together. We weren't made to live alone.

  The best armies of this world are those that fight in formation and in a unified strategy. The Roman army's success was due in part to its discipline and ability to fight in formation. The phalanx of Alexander's army helped lead him to his many conquests. The British squares gave Napoleon his waterloo at the battle of Waterloo. Armies like these were able to work together for victory. They could use the different kinds of units in the army to their greatest advantage. These principles of warfare are also true in the Christian's war.

How wonderful it would be if the church would fight together in battle formation. While I would like to see this among all churches around the world, the focus of this blog will be on the local church. Each local church should learn to have an army mentality. Lone ranger Christians are dead Christians or at least a hindrance to themselves and to others.We need to look at each Christian in our church as a fellow soldier fighting a common enemy. Think of what a church could do if they would only learn to fight together.

 The devil understands the importance of unity and cooperation in the local church. He spends much of his time trying to divide churches. His tactics can vary, but there is one sinister purpose in all of them: divide and conquer. The devil will try to keep us focused on ourselves, never opening up about our struggles, never trusting others. Getting Christians into different groups and cliques is another way to divide and conquer. When Christians fight and argue about petty differences, then the devil has us where he wants us. He will try to keep us from being at church or from using our gifts in the church. Sadly while the devil is committed to total warfare with God's people, the church is often distracted and fighting among themselves.

 In an army there are different roles and different kinds of soldiers. This diversity when used together for a single purpose will often achieve victory. The same is true for the church.While we have different gifts and personalities, we have a common salvation, a common king, a common battle plan and a common destination. Now we need to act on these truths. We are stronger together. Attack in formation!

-Brad

P.S. This is the 100th blog post we have done. So, to celebrate we are giving away two books. Both are by John MacArthur. The first is called, "Hard To Believe" and the other is called, "The Truth War." If you want the books, leave a comment on Facebook or on this blog's comment section. We will randomly pick two winners in a weeks time. Thanks for reading. Our prayer is that God would bless this blog for the sanctification of His people.

Please Bless Me, God.

When we pray we often ask God to bless our food, or dear old uncle Frank or our friends. We pray for blessings for our selves. We want God to bless us. But have you ever considered why God should bless you? Or how can God bless us. There is a theme that runs through the Bible concerning blessings and curses. This theme was the subject of some of my thoughts one morning as I was milking the cows. I want to share this with you.

 What does it mean to be blessed? The Webster"s dictionary of 1828 defines it as such, "Happy; prosperous in worldly affairs; enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God." To be blessed is to live under the smile of God and to enjoy real joy.  On the other hand to be cursed is to have a "sentence of divine vengeance" as the Webster's dictionary defines it. God's curse brings sorrow, pain and judgement. It is to live under the frown of God.

 When God made the world, it was blessed. Everything was created good. When God made the fish and birds, He blessed them. Gen 1:21. After He made the man and woman, God blessed them as well. Gen 1:28. All was well in the world in the beginning. All was peace, joy and harmony between God and man. It was perfect bliss.

 But all that changed when Adam and Eve fell into sin. By sinning they brought God's curse on the world. God's curse is found in Gen 3:14-19. In this passage God curses all the animals, especially the serpents. God added pain to every child birth. God cursed the ground with thorns and thistles. Until this world is made new at the end of time, creation groans under this curse. See Romans 8:20-23. Man also became cursed for his sin. Unless a man observes the law of God perfectly, he is cursed for his sin. "For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them."" Galatians 3:10. However God was merciful to Adam and Eve in spite of their sins. We know this from later passages. Even though all things became cursed, God showed and continues to show grace. He promised that One would come who would crush the head of the serpent. God didn't pour out His full wrath.There is still much good in the world in spite of the curse and sinful people.

  Later God curses Cain for murdering his brother. God cursed this world with a flood because of the wickedness of men. God through Noah cursed Ham and his descendants because he mocked and dishonored his father. But we learn in Gen 9:26 that Shem and his descendants would be blessed. Then later in Gen 12, God tells Abraham that through his offspring all the world will be blessed. This theme of blessings and curses continues throughout the whole Old Testament and into the New Testament. It really is the story of how God will bring about blessing for people who are cursed by sin.

  Blessing can only come through Jesus Christ. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us- for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."- in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:13-14.  You see how costly it is for God to bless you. Jesus had to be cursed by God so that we could enjoy blessings we didn't earn or deserve. When we ask God to bless us, remember the only way He can do that is if you have been justified by faith in Christ, who was under a sentence of divine vengeance because of our sin. This request is no light and trivial request. The granting of this request was very costly; beyond the value of anything on this earth. Every good thing is indeed a reason to praise God for His grace.

Brad

Peter De Bruys: The Forgotten Reformer

  Since it is the 500th year anniversary of the Reformation, I want to bring to your attention someone who lived far before the Reformation and yet was one who tried to bring reformation to the church. Even in the dark ages, there were men who preached the gospel. Real revivals happened. But often the church was an underground church; persecuted by the Roman Catholics. The story of Peter de Bruys is an example of this.

  The only way we know about Peter de Bruys is through his enemies. We have no books written by Peter. No admirers ever wrote his history. All we have are Catholic writers who wrote against him since he challenged the Roman Catholic church. One such source is Peter the Venerable--the abbot of Cluny.  The abbot of Cluny wrote a book that was directly against the teaching and followers of Peter de Bruys. This book is the main source of our information about this preacher.

 We know he was a priest for a time. He came on the scene in southern France around the year 1105. Although we are not certain even of the date. He  preached for some 20 years in the south of France, bringing about a revival and the emptying of Catholic churches of worshippers. Then around the year 1126, a mob laid hands on Peter and he was burned to death.

  Later on a man named Henry of Lausanne joined in the work that Peter had started. His preaching against sin lead many people to repentance and it also stirred up the clergy whose sins he denounced. Henry was arrested and then imprisoned. We don't know what happened to him there. Those who held to the teachings of Henry and Peter de Bruys were called Petrobrusians. At the synod of Toulouse in 1119, the Petrobrusians were formally condemned as heretics. This group eventually scattered and disappeared; perhaps due to persecution.

  We know more about what these men preached and taught because this is what their enemies wrote against. First, we know that they rejected infant baptism and practiced believers' baptism only. As you can see, believer's baptism only didn't start with the Anabaptist. Many others realized that infant baptism was unscriptural years before the reformation.  Second, they didn't believe that church buildings, altars or crosses were holy or sacred. God could be worshiped wherever a person was. These people understood that God is to be primarily worshiped by our hearts rather than by outward traditions and mere form. Third, they rejected the catholic mass as unbiblical. Fourth, they taught that we can't do anything on behalf of the dead.They rejected purgatory as false. Fifth, they believed that "piety is essential to a legitimate priesthood." Serious sin in a leader of the church disqualified them for that position, as is taught in 1 Timothy 3.Sixth, they taught that priests were allowed to marry.  Lastly, they believed that the church is made up of those who have been redeemed and born again by God. This was opposed to the Catholic church which taught the church was all those who are in a given locality, that is a parish system. This is what we know they taught from what their enemies wrote against them.

   When you examine the teachings of Peter de Bruys, you should see that there is not much difference between them and what you see in many solid biblical churches today. 400 years before the Reformation, we read of a man who stood for the truth of God's word. He was evidently a man who knew and studied his Bible well. He must have been a man of courage to preach against the mighty Roman Catholic church. In the end he gave his life for his Lord. Our record of this man is incomplete. I would love to know more. But much remains unknown to us. However, God knows all about Peter de Bruys. He remembers what he did even if many or all forget him. This is true for us. History will likely forget us. But the Lord Jesus never forgets His people or their service for Him. He will reward us in His good time. Knowing this let us press on to holiness and serve our King.

Sources

Phillip Schaff's History of the Christian Church Vol 5 pages 482-485

http://baptisthistoryhomepage.com/hisel.bapt.hst.ntbk.chp12.html 

Brad