June 2024

Realistic Daily Grace

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

While expectations can build excitement and anticipation, they have the potential to morph into unrealistic demands and disappointment. Understanding this can help Christians deal with the rate at which they move from the pre-Christian life to the new life. For some, the transition from old to new life is quick and comfortable. For others it’s difficult, taking time, requiring patience and determination as Jesus’ grace enables them to navigate the realities of repentance.

The apostle John alludes to this transition in 1 John 2:8, where he explains the new and old commands of love being true in Jesus and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Here, John refers to the progressive diminishing of pre-Christian darkness until it’s so obscure that all you celebrate is the light of Christ.

The apostle Paul also uses the darkness and light metaphor in Ephesians 5:8, to describe the life changing shift that salvation brings. He writes, at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)… Paul is not suggesting they launch a legalistic or militant attack on everything and everyone in life. No. He’s wanting the Ephesians to understand that faith in Jesus is a huge shift in worldview and personal identity, just as light and darkness are vastly different. Paul knew that some of the practical, real-world changes happen quickly, while others will take time.

Paul, like John, exhorted believers to take responsibility for application of the changes that come with knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour. The apostles knew better than most, that the pervasive and growing nature of God’s truth takes place as believers grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). This growth includes perseverance in Bible reading, in prayer, in fellowship with other believers, in worship, in service, in telling others about Christ, and in abandoning sinful activities. There is no one-shot formula that brings instant and total transformation of every facet of emotional, spiritual, and physical life and health of a Christian.

Lifelong ways of thinking, old values, old patterns of behaviour, old habits, and old desires influenced by spiritual darkness need to be unlearned. And I suggest unlearning is far more difficult than learning. It takes faith, and patient commitment, to replace spiritually darkened thinking with the truth of God’s Word. Each area of pre-salvation and darkened living needs to be touched by Jesus’ grace, then replaced with the light of Jesus’ truth. This not only requires grace, but time, humility, thoughtful reading of God’s Word, and gracious support from other believers.

Peter implies this when he first instructed, grow in grace. A growing knowledge of our Lord requires grace first. It’s realistic and supportive in its expectations of self, of others, and of God. It’s that softhearted attitude that stands with the believer on the difficult days as on the good ones. Grace has stickability that’s not demanding or critical, but its directionally sympathetic, pointing to Jesus while navigating the daily hurdles of a life wanting to obediently follow Jesus as Lord.

Therefore, walking with the Lord needs to be realistic in its daily application of tenacious grace. Whether applying this to yourself, or to others, grace and truth should be loving as it gives expression to Jesus Christ, regardless of the difficulty involved. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you (1 Corinthians 16:23).

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Our Best Advocate Ever

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

At some point in our lives, most of us will have needed someone to speak on our behalf. Be it as a defenceless child, an unwell adult, an accident victim, or being accused of something, we need an advocate. In those times of vulnerability, being unable to say or do what’s needed to assist or release ourselves, an advocate who intercedes on our behalf becomes our saviour.

Advocates can be drawn from family, friends, work colleagues, or legal representatives. Regardless of who it is, there is one thing they all have in common; they speak and act in our defense. They set about achieving a beneficial result we cannot accomplish for ourselves. Consequently, they often become our heroes.

We read in 1 Samuel 14, of the time when Jonathan unwittingly violated his father’s vow not to eat food until the enemy was conquered. Consequently, King Saul, being full of self-righteous indignation, was determined to kill his son Jonathan to satisfy his vow. But Saul was confronted by an unexpected advocate in defense of Jonathan, when the people of Israel interceded for Jonathan’s life (1 Samuel 14:43-45). The people proved to be more honourable than the king by saying, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day. So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die (1Sa 14:45).

But the greatest advocate by far, is the Lord Jesus Christ. He stood in our place at the cross, paying the full penalty demanded by God for the guilt of our sin. Then, throughout the believer’s life, Jesus continues to advocate with the Father on our behalf. And even when a believer stumbles in sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).

However, Jesus is no ordinary advocate, as the authority He intercedes with, is based on His satisfaction of God’s justice. He is the propitiation for our sins… (1 John 2:2). As the Lamb of God (John 1:29), Jesus is the only sinless sacrifice for sin ever made, who was provided by God, and has successfully and permanently appeased the wrath of God. Jesus alone has atoned for our sin, transitioning God’s wrath against our sin to a state of calm and peace. Now, with His unique credentials, Jesus continues to speak in heaven on our behalf, maintaining our justification (our declared innocence) and security of salvation.

In Romans 3:25, Paul emphasises that it was Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. Again, it is God’s intention for people to believe these truths, to attach their faith to Jesus who accomplished God’s appeasement on their behalf on the cross. It is personal faith in Jesus substitutional death and resurrection which activates the benefits of Jesus’ advocacy within the individual before God. This begins with the heavenly declaration that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

As believers, we will experience condemnation from others in this world, and from our arch enemy Satan, but NEVER from God! While worldly condemnation comes packaged with rejection, our heavenly advocate secures our acceptance with God. This is the very heart of the gospel, and Paul gives us real-world gospel application in Romans 15:7; Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Our heavenly advocate works for us, and within us, enabling His loving grace to defend us, to protect us, to secure us, and to flow through us to others. As always, this is for God’s glory and believer’s blessing. May this be true in our lives today.

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Grace that Grows

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

In the apostle Peter’s closing doxology of his second letter, he reminds us of a necessary pattern of Christian life that is easily forgotten. Peter personally knew the power of Jesus’ saving grace that patiently persevered through his life. For Peter, grace was never a ‘one shot for life’ deal. No, he knew that just as Jesus continuously applied grace in his life, so he needed to ensure the growth of that grace which would provide ongoing assurance of his faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

For the believer, God’s grace has no ‘expiry’ or ‘use by’ dates. Peter, like us, could never say he’d changed enough, and the Holy Spirit could stop His transforming work of sanctification for greater Christlikeness. Similarly, I’m sure Peter would never say there’s no more ways to be explored for God’s grace to flow through him into others. Grace can never be left alone if we wish to be the channel through which it pours into other’s lives.

Therefore, Peter signs off with the exhortation to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (2 Peter 3:18). The continuous flow of Jesus’ sourced grace is recognised and experienced as the believer continues to grow and mature in their knowledge of Him. More specifically, Peter implies that we should never give up developing our understanding of Jesus as our Lord, as our Saviour from sin, and as our Christ (Messiah King).

There is an inescapable connection between Jesus’ grace and our knowledge of Him. They are inseparable. One cannot be neglected without the other suffering equal loss. Peter is not referring to an intellectual accumulation of facts about Jesus, as if we were writing an encyclopaedia. He is speaking of knowledge that is more thoroughly understood and equally more thoroughly experienced in the expressions of grace in our appreciation and outward giving of it. Jesus’ grace in an ongoing way is intrinsically intertwined with our daily exploration of the knowledge of Him. 

Peter doesn’t leave us hanging in an endless cycle of pursuit here. No, he points to the God intended destination of grace and knowledge, which is the day of eternity. Our earthly walk has purpose, it has a goal, and that goal is fixed in a future location called heaven, in the eternal presence of God. The child of God cannot grow in grace without growing in real world knowledge of Christ. The combined result will be increasing joyful anticipation of reaching God’s destination.

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write a similar exhortation in Colossians 3:16-17. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

All this goes to say; to him be the glory. Although we often pray for Jesus to be glorified, I suspect we pray this with little thought to how God would answer it. Here, Peter provides a condensed explanation of how God glorifies Christ. It’s through intentional growth for the open declaration of Jesus’ grace, of Jesus’ truth, and hope for Jesus’ heavenly destination. As Paul says, these realities can only be mined from the written Word of God and fertilised by the controlling presence of the Holy Spirt. By God’s grace, may this be true in each of our lives.

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Suffering – an instrument of God

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Two thirds of the way through his letter to the church of Galatia, the apostle Paul reminds the believers of the circumstances through which he first met them. Now, years later, Paul writes; I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel (Galatians 1:6). Sadly, a major shift in the beliefs of the church had occurred because of false brothers secretly brought in to the assembly of Christians with infectious error (Galatians 2:4).

Consequently, Paul’s letter to the Galatians is serious, it’s bluntly to the point as he addresses real compromise and error. Mixed into all the distorted issues that Paul addressed, was the matter of his validity as an apostle, as the messenger of the gospel to Galatia. Because Paul did not come up to the superficial standards of the erroneous ‘super apostles’ (2Co 11:5; 12:11), some were calling everything about Paul into question. So, Paul reminds the Galatians of the God ordained circumstances that brought him into their lives initially, and how they responded to him. It was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first (Galatians 4:13).

Paul had become so sick on his first missionary journey that he diverted to Galatia for a period of recovery. For God to bring the gospel to that area, there was to be no miracle of healing for Paul. Seriously sick with an illness that we are uncertain of, Paul admits that his condition was a trial to them (Gal 4:14a). Yet, overcoming any possible prejudice against him, Paul says they did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus (Gal 4:14b). So compassionate were they, that Paul says if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me (Gal 4:15b). Whatever the illness, it must have severely dimmed Paul’s eyesight, which, for a scholarly man like Paul, would have been debilitating.

Despite violent public rejection, persecutions, and serious physical illness, Paul continued to preach the gospel of Jesus, and a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed (Acts 14:1). Had there been no persecution, no debilitating sickness, and no prolonged suffering for Paul, the church would never have been birthed in that area. Through the inscrutable grace of God, which defies the sensibility of sinful mankind, salvation was enabled in many lives, carried by the gospel enabled vehicle of Paul’s suffering.

At another time, Paul explained to the Corinthians, having asked God three times to remove the thorn in his flesh; God replied No! “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” was the Lord’s response (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul was not a masochist, and yes, he would have preferred suffering to be removed, as do we. But Paul quickly realised the wisdom of God in using His people through the small to great struggles of life to deliver His life giving grace to others.

Our lives, like those in biblical history, are often empowered through suffering to glorify God in ways we never imagined possible. Unsought opportunities for sharing the gospel, living the love of Christ before others, speaking encouragement into struggling believers, or for teaching the truth of God’s Word, are usually provided throughout our suffering. As always, we need to recognise these opportunities for what they are, a grace gift from God waiting to be explored for His glory, and for the blessing of others and ourselves.

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What does it mean to be “born again?”

By / FBC Documents / 3 minutes of reading

What does it mean to be “born again?”

In John 3:3, Jesus explained to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Being “born again” speaks of an invisible spiritual new birth, it’s a spiritual renewal or regeneration.

The need to be born again comes from mankind’s natural state of separation from God as hostile sinners (Romans 3:23; 5:12; Colossians 1:21; 2:13). There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46), and there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

This means, from birth, we are all sinners who are dead in our sin (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1), considered enemies by God and under His wrath (Romans 5:9-10), waiting final judgement. In humanity’s natural state, we are separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12). Therefore, as sinners, we all need God’s forgiveness and cleansing.

But God, motivated by mercy, and without any assistance from the believing sinner, performs a spiritual washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). God refers to this as being “born again,” which is His act of cleansing forgiveness, renewal/regeneration, and gifting of eternal life to those who receive Jesus and believe in His name. Here, believing sinners are given the right to become children of God… because they have now been born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).

To believe in Jesus, you agree with God (confess) that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, fully God while also being fully human. The Bible says, in Christ all the fullness of the Deity (Godliness) lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). Next, is to believe Jesus will forgive you of the sin that separates you from God. Belief in Jesus  Christ means depending upon the fact that Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). Believe that Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18).

Therefore, it is through being “born again” that God delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13-14). This means believers are children of God through spiritual adoption because we have received the Holy Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters (Romans 8:15). In Him (Jesus), you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13).

The “born again” person is now forgiven, renewed, gifted with eternal life, indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit, adopted into God’s family, and transferred into God’s Kingdom.

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