Hard hat area.

 Vance Havner, in his typically pithy style, famously said, "Salvation is a helmet, not a nightcap!" As both a preacher and brother in Christ, He knew how to "get under the hide" of others, and God used him to wake up many Christians from apathy.  One of his consistent themes was that Christians look to take it easy and give their souls an easy ride, but that will be the last thing you will want to have done when eternity comes. 

An old hymn says this...

My soul, be on your guard;

Ten thou­sand foes arise;

The hosts of sin are press­ing hard

To draw you from the skies.

O watch, and fight, and pray;

The bat­tle ne’er give o’er;

Renew it bold­ly ev­ery day,

And help di­vine im­plore.

Ne’er think the vic­to­ry won,

Nor lay your ar­mor down;

The work of faith will not be done,

Till you ob­tain the crown.

Fight on, my soul, till death

Shall bring thee to your God;

He’ll take you, at your part­ing breath,

To His di­vine ab­ode.

The Christian is saved for a purpose. Not to enjoy the view here and now, but to prepare ourselves and others for the certainty to come. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-18 reminds us not to find ourselves in our spiritual pyjamas when the reality of eternity arrives, not to be complacent as if we have already arrived in heaven ("fallen asleep"), but to make the most of the days with industry for the gospel whilst we can.  Far too many Christians live in the contentment of their forgiven sin and the solidity of God's grace, without computing the implications of that for our daily routines and practices. Cheap grace is when we rest on his forgiving sacrifice as an insurance policy for the afterlife without it being the foundation of each moment of our lives. In short, the Christian should not live as if our lives and God's sanctifying work, missional work, and sovereign work in us for us are already completed, nor live synchronistically to those around us who seek comfort and hedonism as if this world is all that there is. 

The world is not in a good place, and we are not in a good place when we synchronise to it. 

I'm so glad this world is not all there is. How depressing that would be. Technological "advances" talk about AI getting ahead of us, but whilst AI runs ahead, we are morally disintegrating as societies and running well behind the moral curve and character of God.  Whilst mankind sets up a technological framework to look to the future, it still struggles to work in the relational one we have in place now.  The fruit we produce from full lives is stinky and rotten; it does not satisfy but makes us feel sick. This can also be true of God's people (Isaiah 5), when we as a corporate entity live for the comfort of a church ghetto in a broken world. We are here to work for eternity. We are to do it together for His glory. The reality of His Holiness, character and sacrificial redemption wakes us up to what real life is all about. We are here to demonstrate the character of God and his transformation of us through countercultural love, informed living as we prepare for the awesome reality of time being wrapped up. (1 Thess 4:16-18). True living is being in Christ,  and with Christ.  

Whoever has the Son has life; 

Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:12

Wake up in the here and now.  Prepare for our eternal time with Christ. 

It doesn't matter what technological advances we can make; we can never stop the clock from ticking. One in one will still die, and God will appoint a time for each of us to meet Him. At that second, nothing artificial, whether "intelligent" or not, will change our reality from standing before our Maker and giving account for our lives. 

As I look at my life, the busyness, the compactness of those families around me trying to cram as much life into one day as they can, I ask myself, am I truly living in accordance with God's purposes now?  Part of living in God's plans is resting in his presence, and meditating on him, spending time with him now.  

• We do not "live" more simply by entertaining ourselves with this world more. Christians should be marked by demonstrating that we don't need to do that. God gives us good things to enjoy, but they do not constitute what life is all about, define for us the essence of living, or be our constant focus, appetite and priority.
• We do not "live" by being consumed by our own desires and introspection. No one will be introduced to Christ and find life in him if all believers live for themselves and as if this world is all that there is.  True living in Christ introduces others to the same life in him. There is no greater joy in life. 
• We do not find true living in a self-contained bubble of individualism. Taking my wife out yesterday, I met a man on the adjacent table who routinely walks with his dog to the same coffee shop/restaurant every Saturday morning and buys for himself the biggest breakfast they offer. He eats about 20% of it. The sausages, bacon, and hash browns go to his golden cocker spaniel, who sits expectantly for the whole duration with him. He opened up about the futility of it all. He was wealthy, intelligent, but lonely,  feeling the pointlessness of it, and observing the ever-increasing size of his beloved (and still very cute) pet. His dog was full, he was very evidently empty. There must be more to life than "a full English".  The dog may feel he is living "life to the full", but for humans, Jesus has a much greater answer. (John 10:10)

 JESUS SAYS “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Give thanks because he is always able.

Give thanks (Part 3).

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

I've heard many Christians articulate something like this under pressure as they offload on me. "I just don't know if I will still be a Christian in a year; it seems so hard". This sense of inability and the magnitude of the task is actually a sign of health, not failure. The reality of the Christian life is that it only ever starts, grows, and comes to conclusion in our acknowledgement of our own weakness: that we need Christ and that we are hopeless and helpless in and of ourselves. To this, Christ reminds us that He is able. Each new season of testing and sanctification in his purposes rests never on our ability, but solely on our trust in His.

The great news is that at every juncture of testing and growth, God is always and unchangeably able. The Holy Spirit has the dual role of ministering the presence of Christ to us. (John 14: 15-31)

1) He is the comforter, reminding us of the unchanging reality of Christ, our unchanging and unconquerable Saviour who intercedes for us. The critical and pivotal growth move is dependent not on our understanding to articulate how the testing may ultimately prove faithful, but on his interceding on our behalf. The one who has won articulates for us to win. He understands, and the Spirit assures us of this as we cry out to God. (Eph 1:14, Romans 8:15)

2) He, the (Parakeletos), helper, attests to God (and the evil and broken world around us) that we are his children whom our Father is committed to, advocating that we are safe in Christ, freed to win over sin and every form of evil. Because of Christ, we have become the recipients of help and children of his powerful, gracious, tender grip of protection. He is our counsellor who hears our hearts and proclaims our "Abba" for us as we cry out to God for help at the darkest times. He is our teacher who helps us see more of Christ and apply His character to our lives as we surrender in obedience to the fruitful promises and purposes of God. He leads us to the man of wisdom (1 Cor 1:26-30).

So we give thanks, not because we feel strong, wise, together, or in any way able, but because we come into a greater reality and knowledge of His ability every time our lives face a season of testing. Each new struggle for the Christian and follower of Jesus builds more accrual in the bank marked "saved". Each new inability we experience focuses us more on what God is doing despite us. 

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

What then shall we say to these things? 

If God is for us, who can be against us?

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8

 

Closeness to God in an evil world

 Continuing our meditation on 1 Thess 5 and thankfulness to God. 

Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil.

23Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

This passage is focusing our minds, hearts and lives on all the benefits of living close to the heart and character of God. The context is pervading evil, encircling our lives and circumstances. Maybe you and I can lose sight of the intense reality of our world so hostile to God. When life is comfortable, our hearts can be tempted to think that life is "good". We ask people how they are, and the response is "I'm good, thanks!"

In countercultural closeness to God, however, the follower of Jesus sees that badness is exposed in the radiance and reality of God. Think of John 3:19-21. The evil of our hearts must be exposed for redemption to take place. The motive of God in exposing evil is love and holiness. So for the one who lives close to God. We look in our hearts and see that we are more sinful than we ever understood, but more loved than we ever dreamed, that in himself, God has taken it upon himself to pay for the evil we are yet to even recognise in its reality, extremity and infiltration. When the bible says our hearts are wicked beyond our understanding and deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), it is reminding us that without God no good thing exists, no redemption, no comprehension of rescue, no loving remedy for the things we can't even see which cause us eternal danger and devastation (never mind fix.) Part of our sin is that we don't want to see bad in ourselves or others. We are bent on wanting to believe a reality which is better than it really is. 

In the church and society, Christians then may be tempted to not attend to reality, in order to be seen as more palatable, "normal" or acceptable. Those closest to God, however, have an inbuilt antenna to such (post-new-birth) that says this is not what we are made for; this is not as the world should be; we long for an eternal place where these issues are dealt with without exception or escape. 

Is it a comfortable place to live close to God? The more we see His holiness, the more we see our sin. The more we see the mess of our world, the more we realise our inability to solve it. Brothers and sisters we dearly love in the new community occasionally show they are not quite as like Jesus as we hoped. No, it is not a comfortable place to live close to God, but it is a good place. 

This is why, when circumstances surround us and everything can feel dark, we can still give thanks. In the 3 days after the death of Christ, it felt like evil had won over the disciples and for them, Christ had been engulfed by the powers of the enemy and his strategic evil. But God's perspective was so different. Those close to God see the reality of his unchanging promises by faith: that he never lies, he never breaks from GOODNESS, that all his plans and promises are Yes and Amen. He will remain faithful when we are not; he will demonstrate his wisdom over all things, his sovereignty over all circumstances for his ultimate purposes. So, we can give thanks. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He alone understands our hearts. He alone provides the solution, and it is himself. He remains the only hope for you and me, our local church, international church, the church of all generations and all peoples. 

Give thanks in an evil world that the Lamb reigns. 

There is a place of alienation from God (Romans 1:21). It is evidence of our alienation from God that we are unable to see him, his purposes and unable to thank Him. When the Lord Jesus was rejected (Matthew 11:20-24), because evil pervaded him,  he was able to give thanks that it happened within the purposes of God (Matt 11:25), that closeness to God made sense of a senseless world. "I thank you, Father, ..."

Give thanks in a sad world that His grace brings Joy beyond our understanding. 

We live in a world of sorrow. The Lord Jesus was about to break bread. He stood with the closest to him, yet even they seemed in the dark and ready to jump ship. He was predicting his suffering and death; he was trying to help them understand, but they were struggling. He was demonstrating the wisdom of God, but they had foolish eyes and struggled to see. Yet as he took the bread and saw overwhelming suffering and trauma on the horizon... He GAVE THANKS. Brokenness showed grace. Like us, the disciples couldn't see the magnitude of joy, peace, and cosmic redemption that was being played out in apparent weakness, total surrender and humility. So it is for us as we go through a sorrow-filled world in the redemptive plans of Christ if we respond in faith and closeness to him. 

Give thanks, for this is the will of God. 

The Holy Spirit is the joy-giver. In all circumstances, as we surrender to God's Macro plan and prioritise the building of his kingdom, we have the joy of knowing His provision in all circumstances. As we seek his kingdom alone, we see that we do not need to worry about the micro contingencies he is taking care of (Matt 6:8, 25ff). God's design is a plan of grace. He reveals himself by giving us faith to see (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 11:3) and eyes to see. By His grace we see His goodness and grace, which outshines our dark world. He delights to show us His goodness in the context of our world and circumstances. (Phil 2:13, Eph 5:17) to illuminate our hearts to respond with joy (Eph 6:6), to serve in the reality and power of His presence and the closeness of his help (PS 46, Isaiah 59:1)

He wants for us this intimacy (Matthew 12:50). He wants for us this unshakable awareness that He is with us, his family of faith, that HE is in control and we move and live and have our being in Him. This is who we are in His plans, the people He is with. We are here by His plan and presence, and we are one day further into abiding with him forever 1 John 2:17).

I pray that whatever circumstances you are reading this in, whatever the extent of darkness you feel and see the reality of today, your eyes are lifted to see His greater reality, who He is. However lonely you may feel, may Christ minister to you the peace which passes all understanding, that He is with you as you surrender in faith to the one who is the eternal friend, closer than any human relationship (Proverbs 18:24), more aware of you and your struggle than any human companion. His commitment to you is indestructible. This world will pass. To all evil we can say, "this too shall pass" (because of Christ).  What will remain is Him and His love for us, so we give thanks with every fibre of our being. Hallelujah, what a saviour. 

Keep giving thanks

 In the context of a volatile world, where daily circumstances and struggles bring our spirits down with the certainty of gravity, we hear what Paul wrote (1 Thess 5:16-19): "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit." 

I'm challenged again by so many believers living in a context right now where giving thanks for them seems innordinately harder than it is for me. So why do I find it so hard, and why does Paul prioritise it as a sign of my spiritual health, God's living work in my life?

I had the privilege of spending quality time with a creative, cultured entrepreneur who had given employment to many people as he'd built a market-leading business under "Booming Britain".  When he started, positive risk was rewarded, and now he had some of those rewards coming out of his ears, including the accolades of others, the house which featured in the period magazine, the cars and toys which got to be written off as business expenses/tax benefits. But times were changing. Banks, once generous, now clamped down on leverage. Workers, once grateful for the career he gave, jumped for higher pay with close competitors. Once he awoke early with a spring in his step to serve a family business. He wanted to leave it to the next generation, but now all he saw were spiralling overheads, the liability and pressure of survival; providing jobs for others, the dependency of many families on his solutions to a growing issue. His health, own family relationships and sleep were under great strain and pressure. Those closest wondered if he would ever recover. He was a follower of Jesus Christ. 

I asked him what he would've told a younger version of himself. His answer: "Remain positive in the hardest of times. There are things of much greater value than money, much more treasurable than reputation, more desirable than a dream achieved. These we must keep thankful for." He did survive; the business did not. His family were more grateful for him at home than a business for him to go to. The future days were more spiritually productive than the ones previously, family life happier, more honest, committed, and loving. 

We live in an age where currency exchanges are skewed and what is to be truly valued is not in focus. I've said many times on here that the attitude of gratitude marks many a Christian who remains increasingly fruitful. This is especially true as we get older. This broken world and our broken bodies mean that the reality of our struggles is often mounting and cumulative as we head towards being with Christ. Paul sees the simple Macro picture with Spirit-given clarity: all of life is lived in the context of being with Christ, forever. He is not simplistic (12-15); in fact, he is hyper-realistic and diagnostic about the mounting struggles of life, especially of churches under opposition, persecution and oppression, the reality of church life. For many of us, Western comfort makes this a hard reality to understand. I hazard a guess, though, that if you are waking up in Northern Nepal today, Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Iran,  Israel... and many, many other locations, you are finding things to thank God for. 

6 things, good and healthy to thank God for today. 

1) He is unchangeable; His faithfulness remains even when we are not. 

2) His mercy is new every morning; His heart is towards us. 

3) His cross and resurrection preach the certainty of our future to us. Nothing happens outside of his sovereignty; nothing can defeat his purposes. 

4) If we have Christian friends who speak the truth in love, we are privileged people. We may have no family; the church may be meeting in secret, but we are not alone. He is with us, and he has provided encouragement. 

5) If our bodies are moving at all and able to exercise, we are privileged. Yes, some parts don't work as they should; some give us concern; some have irreversibly failed, but any exercise is healthy/ good for us, no? 

A walk in creation, a stroke of the pet, a conversation with another human created by God, a working dietary system, a tear duct that works, a mouth that can smile and laugh, eyes that can see and maybe even read, ears which listen to birdsong, music, life, are all reminders that we are fearfully and wonderfully made even in our fallen, pre-glorification state. 

• Fuel is expensive, but maybe you have some. 
• Water has become a thing you are charged for, but do you have access to some to drink today?
• Your home has become expensive to keep; your residential care is taking all you built up in life, but do you have a warm and dry place to sleep? Do you have someone who is caring for your well-being?

6) If we can open God's word and meditate on it, we see increasing riches that surpass the list above, not only in what He says, but in who He is, and who we will be with for eternity. For many with terminal illness or cognitive illness, reading is the thing they miss most. However, my own testimony and that of many others is that when times are hard, and reading is impossible, THE LORD knows and finds ways of reminding your mind (and heart) of truth once learned, to a deeper degree of reality and with greater love. If you are able today, open His word and invest/ store up the truth banks for later thankfulness. 

Make your own list of thankfulness. Out of it, pray the same for others. As you become more aware of your privileges in Christ, walk in what the Spirit has for you, a heart in tune with His, and a passion for purposes greater than the temporary and seen. 

The ongoing work of those in Nepal.

 Very helpful article here on the prayer needs and present situation in Nepal. 

(Click on the photo, and it will take you to the article )  

This is an overwhelming time for the church in Nepal. I have long admired Nepalese church leaders for their industry and faithfulness to the task in hard times and with limited resources. They have much to teach us in our cosy Western ghetto. 

Three things hit home to me as I pray for the church in Nepal at this time.  

1) A challenging climate, a brutal reality: The country (and church) is not unused to tragedy, trauma and challenge in Nepal.  The article recalls 2015. Sadly the nature of the terrain and situation in Nepal means that geological challenges come relatively often and severely. This side of a broken world, this will not change. Pray for wisdom in the rebuilding, all those who steward the future. 

2)  Fruitful multiplication: The church has grown significantly and very fruitfully in recent years. "According to Pudasaini, the work of sharing the Gospel began in Nuwakot in 1971 (B.S. 2028). The district currently has approximately 180 churches and 13,000 church members, he said."

In 50 years, this region in Nepal has seen the gospel reach an unreached district, the gospel spread and multiply, despite all the challenges. Even at this time of extraordinary tragedy, we can thank God for his extraordinary, supernatural work in people's lives, which is so profound. Nothing happens outside of the sovereignty of God. Whilst we grieve the many lives lost, we also thank Him for those whose lives are safely and eternally hidden in Christ, those who continue to proclaim his eternal safekeeping. His church continues. Nothing stops the purposes of God. 

3) Ongoing prayer needs,  showing the love of Christ.  

Whilst it is so difficult to stand back, away from the immediate sorrow, distress, need, urgent call for food and care, profound human devastation and trauma, we also need to see that God remains with His people. Groups like football teams and civil leaders like those mentioned who work with young people, will be the key leaders of the next generation into the next season. A new generation will be born out of this tragedy. Time is not a healer. Those who have now a line in their lives (before and after the loss of loved ones) will never be the same. Their history, character and ongoing needs have been irrevocably formed by tragedy and trauma. Children who have no parents will grow to be youth and adults without their birth parents. There are those who minister to them get this, and profoundly, some of them remarkably share this exact or other similarly traumatic experience. 

In such a season of acute need and sensitivity, we pray for those who show love and speak truth for life through their own transformed life. Those who rebuild on the foundation of Christ will see his plan for sorrow unfold in their lives. Those who rebuild on the foundation of the cross will see that even overwhelming trauma can have a purpose. Those who rebuild in the company of Christlike people will know something of shafts of radiant light, goodness and mercy even in the darkest of time. This is what we pray for. We pray that those who have received comfort in a previous season of distress will now be able to speak of the comfort they received. (2 Cor 1:4&5). This is the God who is with us, Immanuel in a broken world, a very present help in our time of need, whether seasonal or eternal. 

Continue to pray for the team.

 Thank you again for upholding the team on their journey and showing love in the name of Christ in Nepal. I was encouraged to hear of one church in the UK praying in dependence on God's sovereign protection. A desire for miraculous recoveries of those who had incredulously survived these last few days might seem an unrealistic prayer. The morning after such a prayer meeting, came the news of rescue. Our God is a rescuing God. He does it against all human circumstances and failures. 

 

The team have asked for prayer on the following:

1) Continue to pray for remarkable keeping and rescue. Thousands remain missing.

2) Pray for those impacted by those who are not rescued. Over a thousand women will be single mothers; over a thousand children will be parentless. 

3) Pray for the government and authorities that their rescue and recovery efforts will be successful and that they will achieve what they have set out to do/said they will do.

3) Pray for those who go in the name of Christ. Pray that their practical help will help people make it through the next few days. The team have been heartbroken by those mothers, living in shelter, who have some food but certainly not enough. Pray also that the relational and spiritual encouragement from the team will deepen trust in the one who holds all eternity in His hands. 

4) Pray for the families of team members. Some are struggling with serious health issues, bereavement, and their own practical and financial struggles. Pray for the sustaining of the team and their loved ones back home. 

5) Pray for wisdom in how the future will be planned. On a corporate level, the rebuilding of the new communities. On a more personal level, so much need and so many conflcting / legitimate priorities. GOD, give wisdom to be in just the right place at just the right time to forward his purposes. 

6) Pray for protection on every level. For protection and physical safety, protection against further disaster, and spiritual protection as they engage on the frontline in faith. Those who trust in one way may blame bad Karma on those who trust in Christ. Those who walk by faith have an opportunity to explain the hope that they have. (1 Pet 3:15). Those who grieve have an opportunity to explain how it is possible to grieve with hope. (1 Thess 4:13-18). 

With God, nothing is impossible. He is building his new community. Not in buildings made by man, but an eternal community which will never be destroyed. (2 Cor 5:1) 

A place of simple rest and dependence. Psalm 116

 I had the privilege of sharing deeply real, open fellowship with 3 friends in the new community this week. Each seemed disconnected; we spoke 1:1, but the conclusion was the same each time. Our confidence is in God, and in this we are full of joy and settled. The first was grieving the loss of a loved one after a tragedy. The second was grieving the loneliness of grief after losing a family member. The third was grieving age and the care of someone who will not recover; this side of being with Christ. 

Psalm 116:7

Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

The theme of the psalmist appears to be (v. 1) whether the LORD has heard us or seen our trial, but the greater reality is us hearing or seeing the reality of his presence and salvation. 

Each of us who grieves is lonely, goes through dark seasons, and feels our isolation and the depth of our struggle as we process. The question remains: do you see, hear and know my experience, LORD? We need human company; regardless of all we have in the LORD, it is a human condition to want company. It is not good for us to be alone. The best of new communities understands this. We don't treat the grieving as a project or process; we are brothers and sisters who cry together. (Romans 12:15) However, it is ultimately God alone who can restore us to rest. We can share with others, and they understand somewhat. We can receive love from others, and they can, to an extent, show love. The understanding of God and the love he shows us, the listening comprehension he displays, is on a different level. The cross of Christ, the salvation of God, encompasses all our brokenness, overwhelmedness, trauma, grief, suffering, social distancing, incomprehension of brokenness, fallenness, and decay. Our God is good and never anything else. All of our experiences, however bad, are resolved ultimately in his redemption. He chose to take such on himself, alone. This is love. We didn't love him, or listen to him. He loved us first, and listened to our cry on the cross as he cried out in our place. This is love, not that we had an ear to him, but that his heart, plan, and invitation were unreservedly open to us. 

All thanks be to God. Rest in him whatever restlessness you are challenged with. Trust in his eternal, faithful, unchanging character, plan and listening ear, however long your season of illness, care, loss, or darkness. He is the bright morning sun that will never cease to shine (Rev 22:5). His death and resurrection assure us that his heart is with us, his way is for us. One day we will sing the same song of Joy in the presence of all his people (18) and comprehend how big and how open his heart and ear have always been and will always be.