Just a Thought! - 29 October 2012

"For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

I do not know of anyone personally who has been cut by a two-edged sword, but I certainly do know people who have been cut by a simple knife. I count myself as one of them. If you have ever cut yourself with a knife, I want you to think back to that experience for a moment. Remember the pain, the blood, and maybe even some serious treatment with stitches. With that thought in mind, read the verse above again.

Copied or Inspired

There is a trend in society today to soften and even romanticise the Word of God, the Bible. Many try to pass it off as being a book of wise sayings and good moral stories. There are many in the world who do not believe the events that are written about, and even try to point out contradictions in the Bible in order to prove their point and discredit it in some way. Just watch a few documentaries about the Bible and see how they try to pass off that the events written about in the Bible are in some way copies of other events that happened in the world.

Unfortunately, this trend has even come into the church. There are pastors who believe that the events in the Bible are only there to teach us spiritual lessons. That they are not founded in fact. Again, with regard to documentaries, there are even some Biblical scholars who tell us the same thing as the world, that the Bible writers copied the stories from other nations in order to teach lessons.

However, if we believe the Bible is fully inspired by God, as discussed last time, then the Bible has to serve a greater purpose that just presenting moral or spiritual lessons. One such purpose is shown in our verse above.

Cutting to the Heart of the Matter

When one reads the Bible, and I mean seriously reads it and not just a quick five-minutes before leaving for work in the morning or when going to bed, but serious Bible reading where you study what it says and absorb its message, one is presented with a message that cuts our souls.

We should not, and can not, read stories like the Fall in Genesis 3 and say "Ag shame!" Nor can we read about the crucifixion of Jesus and why He died for us, and turn around and say that it does not apply to us. Both events are pivotal events in the history of the world and they should cut us to the heart and convict us of our own sin.

The Bible confronts us where we are and in the condition that we are in. We must not only read it order to gain some inspiration or upliftment during a bad situation, though this is a part of the function of Scripture. Nor should we read it only to prepare for a sermon or Bible lesson or to show others where they are wrong. Rather, we are to read it seriously and allow the Word to do what it is meant to do, to show us our hearts. To enlighten our bad attitudes. To judge our intentions and thoughts.

And, just as being cut by a knife or a two-edged sword causes pain, discomfort and bleeding, so should serious reading and study of the Bible hurt us, cause us discomfort and cause us to bleed.

If your reading of the Bible to date has not cut you and brought you conviction, then make a commitment today to begin reading the Bible seriously. If you do not know where to begin, buy a good study Bible or a book on how to study the Bible, and systematically work through it.

It will hurt at times, but remember this, God allows it to hurt because He is shaping us into the people He desires us to be.

Just a Thought!

© 2012

Just a Thought! - 22 October 2012

"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

As Christians we believe that the Bible is the Word of God. However, do you know why? And if so, what are the implications of such a fact? Over the coming weeks we will look at the Word of God and see how this belief impacts our lives.

Fully Inspired

Paul, in his letter to the young pastor Timothy, makes a declaration that "All Scripture is inspired by God." In Paul's day, he would only have been referring to the Old Testament, as the New Testament was not yet finished. However, when the last book of the New Testament was written, the Canon of Scripture was considered complete, therefore, by implication the New Testament writings are included.

This means that when it comes to what we as Christians should be studying and applying to our lives is the entire Bible. All sixty-six books. Not just to parts of it we like or think are relevant for today. All is relevant.

"Inspired" is an interesting word. In fact, I prefer the ESV rendering here as it is closer to the Greek meaning of the word "breathed out by God." The Bible that we have is not just inspired by God as we tend to use the word today as merely implying that a person has been moved or roused to do something. The writers of the Bible were not merely moved to record the things of God. In terms of the modern definition, we could therefore include all writing concerning God to be inspired. No matter how good or bad the theology.

But the Bible is different. The words that we read in modern Bibles, are translations and interpretations of the very words of God breathed out by Him to the many writers of the original texts. That is why when you study the Bible from cover to cover there is a common thread that is woven throughout, there are no contradictions, and a clear message of redemption is seen from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21. No human could ever have done this if he was merely motivated to write. Just a cursory look at the many books on the market today shows thousands of variations in message and meaning. But not with the Bible.

All Aspects of Life

Paul also makes sure that there is no misunderstanding as to what areas of life the Bible applies to. Take a look at these areas of our lives it profitable for:

- Teaching: The Bible teaches us our doctrine. It is not something that we can learn from a person or from other books. The Bible is the ultimate source of all valuable knowledge. It contains scientific and historical facts, but more importantly, it gives us all the facts we need about God and how to relate to Him.

- Reproof: This is rebuking. This is a tough area for some, but when a person comes to you using God's Word to point out an error in your life, whether it be in doctrine or action, take heed, for it is God speaking to you through the Word through a person. And if you rebuke someone, make sure it is from God's Word and not your own desires or ego.

- Correction: This applies to how the Bible deals with us personally. When we read a passage that speaks directly to our heart, convicting us of sin.

- Training in Righteousness: The Bible serves as a guide to making us into the holy people God desires us to be.

Finally Paul tells us that the ultimate goal of God's Word is so that we will be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Clearly, no area of our lives are exempt from God's Word. It applies to everything, all the time.

How Do You View God's Word?

Is the Bible your guide for all areas of life or is it just something to lift your spirits? A book you read only when feeling down or at church? Does it determine your theology, thoughts, words and deeds? And do you allow it to mould you into the person God intends you to be? According to Paul, it should.

Just a Thought!

© 2012

Just a Thought! - 15 October 2012

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."" (Revelation 21:1-4)

There are many books on the market of people who have supposedly visited Heaven. From tales by children to those in hospital due to an accident or terminal illnesses, it seems as though people are visiting Heaven daily.

Though many of these books try in one way or another to give us hope of the afterlife, they can be misleading, over romanticised, and often times contradictory to each other and to Scripture. After all, they are merely man's attempts to describe God's home. However, the best place to find out what Heaven will be like is to see how the designer, namely God Himself, describes it in His book, the Bible. Let us get a glimpse of this great place.

"I Can Only Imagine"

Imagine, if you can, being the disciple John, exiled on the island of Patmos, having only seen the sights of the Middle East, Macedonia and parts of ancient Europe, and then being shown by God, all the wondrous sights of Heaven. Imagine trying to put those sights, of things that you have never seen in your life before, nor probably ever have imagined, into words. How would you describe them? Even with modern technology and the many advancements of the twenty-first century, we would be hard-pressed to do so.

It is difficult to imagine how beautiful Heaven is. When we get there, we will see a place that will be nothing like we have ever seen, heard, or conceived of here on earth. We will see first hand the things of God's glory that He has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). Take a look at some of John's descriptions:

- A city made of pure gold with walls made of jasper, whose foundations are decorated with every kind of precious stone (Revelation 21:18-19),

- The streets that we will walk on made of pure gold (Revelation 21:21),

- No darkness or night, no sun or moon, because the glory of God Himself will give heaven its light (Revelation 22:5 and 21:23).

Familiar, But Perfect

Although unimaginable, there are certain aspects to Heaven that will be a little familiar to us, but perfect:

- We will have bodies, though different and glorified (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

- We will have eyes to see and ears to hear (Isaiah 65:19, Revelation 21:4).

- We will be able to eat and drink (Luke 22:29-30).

But there will be other things that are impossible here on earth. Perfection like nothing ever experienced:

- There will be no mourning, crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).

- There will be no sin and nothing impure (Revelation 21:27).

- There will be fullness of joy and pleasure (Psalm 16:11).

- There will be no more unanswered questions, confusion, or ignorance, and no need to walk by faith rather than by sight (1 Corinthians 13:12).

But more importantly, we will be with Jesus Himself (Revelation 21:3 and 22:3-4).

What a wonderful and awesome place Heaven is. And rest assured, if you have lost a loved one who was in Christ here on earth, they are now experiencing the above with their Saviour, and one day we will joy them. Oh what a glorious day that will be.

Just a Thought!

© 2012

Just a Thought! - 8 October 2012

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)

Death and funerals are often heartbreaking experiences. Especially when it is the death of a loved one or if it comes unexpectedly. We go through the often negative stages of mourning; anger, depression, bargaining, guilt, for what seems like a lifetime before we come the final stage of acceptance. For some the journey is short, but for others it can take years.

But Paul gives us hope in the verses above.

The Thessalonian Believers

The first thing to realise is that the believers in Thessalonica to who Paul wrote this letter, were still very young believers. They had probably only been saved a few months earlier. It also appears that they were people who deeply cared for their loved ones and were worried about what would happen to them when Jesus returned.

It is also important to remember, that despite what is often taught from this passage, it is not meant to be a theological treatise about what will happen when believers die, but rather it is a passage that is meant to give hope to the upset, confused, worried, and fearful Thessalonian believers.

Paul does indeed indicate what will happen to the believers who had died - that they would rise first when Jesus returns - but we must not lose sight of the hope that is contained in these verses.

True Hope

In this life we so often tend to think of death being absolutely final. As if there is nothing beyond it. Many philosophies and religions have tried in one way or another to give answers as to what happens after we die. From reincarnation to heaven, all religions have some sort of response to this question. But none of them, except for Biblical Christianity, give us any real hope. In fact, even the verses above give little hope when the person who has died is not a believer. After all, none of us wants to go into eternity without the possibility of seeing our loved ones again.

However, when we and our loved ones have both accepted the gift of God's forgiveness through Christ's death and resurrection, and received eternal life, we can experience the true and incomparable hope of that eternal life, today. Though we may not fully understand why things happen, why our loved ones are taken away so early, or why we are left behind without them, but if we have faith in the person of Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that the person who has been taken from us is safe in His arms. That they will be with Jesus before we are, and that we will join them upon Christ's return.

God's promises will always come to pass. The Bible is full of evidence for that. Though His timing is different to ours, we can rest assured that this promise in 1 Thessalonians will also come to pass according to His perfect plan. For at the end of the day, it is not about how much we know, how much we own, or what we have accomplished in terms of how the world defines accomplishment, but rather it is about who we trust, and if we truly trust Jesus and believe that He is the "resurrection and the life" (John 11:25) then we can and will have true hope that is unlike any hope the world can offer us.

The promise to us then is this: God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will do the same for those who love Him when Christ returns.

Have you lost a loved one recently? Then rest assured in this promise.

Just a Thought!

© 2012

Just a Thought! - 1 October 2012

"When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"" (Luke 14:15)

These words are found between two parables told by Jesus while He was dining at the home of a Pharisee. Let us look at what these parables can teach us two thousand years later.

Humble Conduct

In the first parable Jesus addresses our conduct when we attend a feast in terms of where we "sit." Jesus warns us that we should not seek to exalt ourselves, but rather to humble ourselves, for if we exalt ourselves, we will be humbled.

But this humility extends also to the host of the feast. Jesus encourages hosts to not invite people that can repay the hospitality, but rather those that cannot. He encourages us to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. In a nutshell, those less fortunate than ourselves. In doing so, we will receive a reward in the future that is far greater than what we would receive today if we invited those who could repay us.

The Great Banquet

Following the words of the man in our verse above, Jesus goes on to tell the parable about a man throwing a great banquet, and He uses it as an illustration of salvation.

In the parable, the servant of the house is sent out to invite guests to the banquet, but each invited guest has an excuse not to attend. The first declines on the basis that he has purchased a field and wants to inspect it (14:18). The second declines because he wanted to test drive the five yolks of oxen he had just purchased (14:19). And the third declines due to the fact that he had recently married and wanted to be with his spouse (14:20). All of these seem to be legitimate reasons not to attend, but in terms of God's offer of Himself, He expects us to put Him first. Business, possessions and family come later.

Since the invited guests turned down their invites, the host sends out the servant to invite the poor, crippled, blind and lame (14:21). This group of people are more than willing to attend. But even after they had all come in, there was still room for more. Therefore the host sends out the servant again, this time to bring in anyone he finds so that there will be no room for any of the original people invited to suddenly change their minds.

Our Response

In both parables, we see the effects of man putting himself first. By exalting ourselves, we will be humbled, and by only doing things for those who can repay us, we end up losing out on the most important reward of all - eternal life. We also see that the effect of putting ourselves first by rejecting God's invitation to follow Him is that there will be no more room for us should we want to change our minds.

Truth be told, none of us deserve to attend the feast at all. We are all sinners who have fallen way short of God's standard (Romans 3:23) and as a result, we all deserve death. Yet God in His mercy and grace has offered us the gift of Salvation (Romans 6:23). He has invited all to be part of His Great Banquet.

The question that you need to ask is, what is your response to the invitation? Are you willing to drop everything in your life; work, possessions, family, in order to attend the Great Banquet? It does not matter whether you are currently a believer or not, we all have the same responsibility and need to answer this question honestly, for even as believers we can still put things before God.

Make today the day that you put everything in the world behind you, fix your eyes on Jesus, and enter His feast wholeheartedly. We have been given an awesome invitation. Let us not ignore it.

Just a Thought!

© 2012