Words of eternal life

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

As we approach Christmas, we obviously think more of the truths relating to Jesus leaving His place of glory and coming to earth. Today I wish to conclude The Pastor’s Pen for the year 2024 by thinking of Jesus’ life essence, and His word’s which communicate life to mankind.

In John 6:48 and following, Jesus explained in detail that “I am the bread of life.” Many of his hearers grumbled about how difficult this was to accept. While they were stewing in offence over Jesus’ teaching, He added  in verse 65, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” This was just too much for this group of would-be followers, so “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (Jn 6:66).

Immediately following this mass exodus, Jesus turned His attention to the 12 remaining disciples, asking them, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:67-69).

The contrast between these two groups of listeners is huge. On one hand, the larger crowd could not accept  Jesus’ bold teaching about who He is, and God the Father’s active role in bringing people to belief in Jesus. You see, this group wanted a God who conformed to their design, their expectations, and their way of thinking. But Jesus didn’t deliver the god of their choice, so they quickly abandoned Him.

On the other hand, we have this small group of 12 men, the disciples. Make no mistake, not all 12 were  equally convinced of Jesus’ authoritative teaching here, but at least they stayed. Buried amongst the 12 was calculating Judas Iscariot, who would later jettison all Jesus’ teaching for 30 pieces of silver. However, risking losing His remaining 12 followers, Jesus challenges them to consider His teaching and the crowd’s response, “Do you want to go away as well?” What a tense moment.

Peter, presuming to speak on behalf of all 12 men, answers Jesus with the most amazing confession any human could make. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed…” Peter recognised that Jesus alone spoke God’s truth, which could lead to eternal life, should a person believe them, and act upon them.

Peter knew that no words on planet earth were more powerful that Jesus’ words, as they revealed the truth of God, and Jesus divine nature. Not only so, but His words revealed the true condition of sinful human hearts and Jesus’ ability to infuse His regenerating life into those hearts. Jesus was not presenting a new twist on religion. He was not presenting a message that was designed to please the crowds and make it easy to repent and receive forgiveness from God. But Jesus’ words were words that communicated eternal life. Like Peter, all who believe Jesus’ words in effect believe in Jesus and receive Him.

On that day, both the crowd and the 12 disciples understood the seriousness of Jesus’ words, causing  them all to decide. The crowd took offense and grumbled, while the 12 listened and accepted. The crowd rejected, while the 12 believed. The crowd walked away, while the 12 remained. As we transition from one year to another, may the truth and grace of Jesus impact us so powerfully that we listen, believe, and remain in Jesus’ words of eternal life.

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Words of faithfulness

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

In Judges chapter 2 we read of a rare occasion when the angel of the Lord visited earth, publically addressing Joshua and the nation Israel. Speaking as the Lord, He reminded Israel that it was He who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt; assuring them, I will never break my covenant with you (Judges 2:1). Powerful words of gracious faithfulness considering how unfaithful Israel had been, repeatedly disobeying God’s law and breaking His covenant with them.

To Israel’s credit on this occasion, their equally rare and immediate response was the people lifted up their voices and wept (2:4). Their tears were more than emotion, they committed to turning from sin, from complaining against the Lord, from disobedience, and from their apathy towards God. Under Joshua’s leadership of that generation, the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel (2:7). What a wonderful revival that was!

However, as is so typical of mankind, when the repentant generation had passed, the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals (Judges 2:11). Sadly, the younger generation failed to learn the importance of faithfulness to Yahweh from their parents and grandparents. While this tragic response by Israel has been repeated worldwide by all cultures down through the ages, it amplifies the Lord’s tireless grace as He continues calling sinners to repentance.

In hindsight, we see that visits by the angel of the Lord pointed forward to God’s greatest visitation to mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ. In these last days he (God) has spoken to us by his Son… (Hebrews 1:2); and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20).

All previous Old Testament visitations paled by comparison to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature… (Hebrews 1:3). As impressive as God’s grace and faithfulness was in the Old Testament, the arrival of Jesus proved to be the ultimate expression of divine mercy. Mankind had done nothing to deserve such spectacular grace. Humanity’s murderous response to Jesus proved the world’s blind depravity towards such grace. Well, here we are 2000 years later, and the world’s attitude to Jesus has not changed. But neither has God’s determined grace and faithfulness changed. 

You see, for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, although once far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace with God (Ephesians 2:13). The sin which once  separated us from God has been washed away through belief that Jesus took our judgement, as our substitute on the cross. Jesus got our sin, while God gifts us with Jesus’ righteousness.

Christians have the privilege of living in the goodness of God, of knowing forgiveness, of a clear conscience from God, of eternal life, and of obedience to Jesus. Believers speak from personal experience of God’s gracious faithfulness through Jesus. Theirs is a life of gratitude, of worship, of walking with the Holy Spirit, of active life in Jesus’ church, and of using their energies for helping others to follow Jesus as they do. I pray this is true in all of our lives today.

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Simple yet powerful words

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

Most people know what it’s like to explain a matter, only to be told by their hearers that they don’t understand what you are talking about. Its frustrating for all involved. That said, I am often impressed by the apostle Paul’s writings, with both his ingenious mind and yet his ability to explain matters simply, most of the time. Paul’s ability to adjust an explanation for complexity or simplicity according to who he knows will be reading is worthy of our attention. What’s more, Paul was able to masterfully do the same when speaking to people in person.

When writing to the Corinthian church about his earlier visit, Paul explains that when I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

The most striking quality that I notice is Paul’s humility. Although he had the highest credentials, Paul didn’t speak with eloquence which I’m sure he could have if he wanted. Speaking instead in words that would be easy to receive, Paul communicated the testimony about God in a way that could not only be understood, but believed in. Key to Paul’s introduction of the gospel was that He disciplined his explanation to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He resisted any tendency to explain more than only what was needed for the purpose of the gospel.

Recognising Corinth’s Gentile culture, there was no need to unpack Old Testament Jewish teaching. Rather, Paul wisely spoke in a manner that the average citizen would understand. His desire to be effective at communicating the truth of Jesus Christ motivated determination at presenting the essentials relevant to his listeners for the occasion. In other words, the core gospel truth is what Paul focused on, which was the Corinthian’s greatest need at the time. More complex teaching would come later in the life of the future Corinthian church.

Knowing Paul as we do, it’s hard to imagine he felt weakness with great fear and trembling in those early days of evangelism in Corinth. Yet his nervousness was motivated by humility and a correct desire for gospel effectiveness. Obviously Paul was not trying to impress people with his personality, knowledge, or speaking skills. The truth is, his lack of personal charisma could have easily been a deterrent to his audience. But it wasn’t. As is always the case when the gospel is proclaimed, it is the operation of the Holy Spirit who invisibly infuses the necessary power to change people’s lives.

The same remains true today, with the Holy Spirit working through simple and clear explanations of Jesus’ gospel, so that faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. Be encouraged to learn the biblical gospel essentials well, so that as the Lord provides opportunities you will be able to explain it simply, clearly, and in an understandable way for your hearer. We don’t need to be an apostle, or to have higher education for this, but we do need humility with willingness. May the Lord enable each of us to prepare ourselves for the times when we can speak of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

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Why a Christian’s words matter

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

Words matter! It’s a fact, even if we try to shrug them off, words exchanged between people sink deep within, and they either build up or crush. The Bible has much to say about people’s speech, especially what comes out of the mouths of believers in Jesus Christ.

When Jesus’ brother James says, no human being can tame the tongue (James 3:8), I think he knew what he was talking about. It’s such an out of Christlike character thing, when Christians use their tongues to bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God (James 3:9). Obviously, this is not a product of the Holy Spirit, it’s not God’s will for us, and it’s not Christlike behaviour. Yet, most of us struggle with the tongue, at least some of the time.

I think Solomon’s comment is fitting, some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing (Proverbs 12:18). Just as we would prefer to receive wise words that instill healing within our hearts, so it is honouring to the Lord that we speak wise and healing words to others for their blessing. A little later Solomon expands his wise words by adding, gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body (Proverbs 16:24). He new that words can be either sweetly tasteful or bitter and hurtful. But words communicating grace, with a gracious tone can not only rest softly in our hearts but enable physical wellbeing.

It stands to reason then, that Paul carries Solomon’s wisdom through in his New Testament writings. Encouraging the believers in Colossae, Paul writes, let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:6). I suggest that if every Christian patterned their speech like this, unity would be much easier to attain, friendships would be sweeter and longer lasting, and families would stick together in love forever.

Here’s the attractive application which is often overlooked. Paul’s exhortation applies to everyone, no buts, and no exceptions. Christian speech is to have the “always” quality of grace. That is, grace is to be the normal, the default format for all believer’s interactions with others. I have yet to meet a person who does not appreciate being spoken to graciously. It’s that softness that carries kindness and lands comfortably in the ears of the recipient. Gracious words are easy to hear words. Grace even filters out possible harshness when having to talk about difficult subjects. Why, because behind grace is a nonjudgemental heart beating with love. It’s as simple as that.

Whether the church in Colossae had a problem with dishonourable speech, I don’t know. But Paul seems to address this speech and language issue directly, which is certainly applicable today in our society where blasphemy, swearing, lying, and harshness is commonplace. Whatever the case, Paul unashamedly connects a believer’s speech to their salvation. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, depravity, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:8-10).

I encourage you to apply Solomon’s and Paul’s speech filters. Make gracious speech your default. Ensure Christ and the fruit of the Holy Spirit can be easily sensed in your verbal mannerisms. Others will be encouraged, you will be blessed, and Christ will be glorified.

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Epaphras – The prayer wrestler

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

Its ironic, how many of the significant people in our lives, and in biblical history, are often overlooked and go unnoticed. Epaphras, whose name means “lovely,” was one such character, who played an important role in the lives of many early church believers. Although his name only appears 3 times in the New Testament, and all by the apostle Paul, Epaphras was a Christlike character who had an impact.

Paul indicates that Epaphras was from the city of Colossae. It was he who had introduced the gospel of grace and truth to that city, which lead to the salvation of some, and the initiation of the church (Colossians 1:7; 4:12). While first contact evangelism in any community takes faith and courage, Epaphras continued to prove these two qualities were the pattern of his life.

While we know very little of his life’s circumstances, Epaphras somehow ended up sharing prison time with the apostle Paul in Rome. When Paul wrote his passionate letter to Philemon, who was a leader in the Colossae church, he included a greeting from their brother Epaphras, who was presently a fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus with him (Philemon 1:23).

Obviously, Paul and Epaphras had spent time talking, providing Paul with the information of the background and condition of the church in Colossae. Paul spoke highly of Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit (Colossians 1:7-8). Faithfulness and service to others, and on behalf of others, is a refreshing expression of Christlike humility which is desperately needed in all places by all Christians.

Paul’s exhortation in Galatians 6:9-10 rang true in Epaphras. Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Paul notes that Epaphras worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13).

And it was Epaphras’ servant attitude that shone through his prayer life. Paul records that Epaphras is always struggling (wrestling) on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God (Colossians 4:12-13). Prayer is not for the selfish or lazy people. Rather, effective prayer perseveres, investing time and energy, navigating the various issues needing to be discussed with the Lord. It’s communion with God, sharing the deepest thoughts and feelings with the intention of watching for God’s response. At times it’s a labour that can be painful, unpacking the unpleasant realities of living in a sinfully hostile environment. Other times prayer rides on the high waves of joy and praise for the stunning character and works of Yahweh. This was the prayer life of Epaphras.

However, two themes dominated Epaphras’ prayers for his Christian family; (1) that you may stand mature and, (2) fully assured in all the will of God (Colossians 4:12). Growing towards spiritual maturity, which is Christlike character, is one thing. But to stand long-term maintaining your Christlike character takes unnatural spiritual resolve, and Epaphras new this. Likewise, living a Spirit filled life where you are inwardly assured of God’s will in your life is an incredible manifestation of the Lord’s Jesus. Both these qualities require our best efforts synchronized with the working of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, these are worthy of our prayer attention for both self and others.

May we follow the example of Epaphras, for the glory of Christ and other’s blessing.

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