Families of blessing

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

Two thirds through his first letter, having just given instructions for healthy marriages, the apostle Peter writes a relationship summary packed with helpful values and ideas for families of all types. Regardless of who the body of people are, these principles will benefit those who practice them. But the greatest potential for blessing rests with God’s people who apply these to attitudes and behaviour.

Peter writes, Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-9).

Regardless of whether it’s your biological family, or the family of God in your local church, Peter’s words form the foundation of sweet family life. Here, every believer in the family of God is treated with equality. There are no special or favoured groups, and no one is excluded or overlooked. Both the instructions and the expected degree of compliance are the same for each and every believer of all ages.

Peter presents 7 qualities that should undergird the entire Christian life, but especially, they are to be focused on our family relationships. At home and in the assembly of believers, these 7 virtues serve as the vehicle for transporting all other truths spoken by Peter into our relationships. These 7 become the toolbox for Christians wishing to invest in the lives of their fellow believers. These are the tools of relational engagement that will bear fruit for Jesus Christ and blessing for God’s children. Here are the 7: unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, a humble mind, do not repay evil, bless those who hurt you.

Individually, these may sound alien by worldly thinking, but collectively, they form a relational structure that will grow the most wonderful friendships. And friendships are necessary for discipleship, for church and biblical maturity, and for evangelistic growth. All 7 are inward operations of the Holy Spirit, who desires to govern the unseen part of us for the purpose of manifesting outwardly in the visible world.

Neglect these 7, and fractured relationships soon develop. Apart from every area of our lives becoming easier as we grow in these qualities, these are necessary for us to be imitators of God as beloved children (Ephesians 5:1). Peter calls us to take up the responsibility of thinking and behaving as authentic believers in Jesus Christ as Lord. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:2). This is who we are to be because this is who Christ is!

While this sounds nice, reality tells us that these Christlike attitudes are not easy or comfortable to develop. We will meet resistance from our fleshly hearts and from God’s enemies who reject His Word. Therefore, we lean into God’s Spirit for enablement through the sufficiency of God’s Word, believing that the necessary grace for advancement will be provided. We persevere by putting to death both the sins of our hearts and flesh. Similarly, we intentionally put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive (Colossians 3:12-13).

This is how families become healthy, and stay healthy. By this, genuine love that reflects Jesus Christ engages relationally with others and grow for His glory and our blessing.

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Will the dust praise God?

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

In Psalm 30:8-12, David writes of a short-term privilege belonging to God’s people. It’s not thought of often and spoken of even less. A privilege, that once passed, will never occur again. I speak of praising God while in this sin-cursed world. David writes:
To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy. What profit is there in my death, If I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper! You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

David, who had lived through the extremities of life; he knew personal failure, poverty, fame and wealth, he knew what it was like to be hated and loved. He had experienced the pain of betrayal by those who had promised faithfulness. He knew the deep anxieties of suffering the loss of those people and things most precious to him, just as he also knew the sweetness of receiving wonderful things in life. And he knew the loving comfort of truly loyal and compassionate friends. Yet, through all of life’s diversities, David recognised the uniqueness that each of life’s circumstances provide for us to praise God.

As David considered the infinite goodness of God, compared to the sour complexities of his own life, he concluded that the Lord is worthy of his affection. Here, David respectfully debates the virtues of God mercifully providing him with the capacity and desire to speak well of God through all of life. As David frames his words, he reminds the Lord that only humans living within this mortal and time-trapped world can tell of His faithfulness from within this harsh environment. The elements of this earth, like the animal kingdom, cannot intelligently verbalize the worthy qualities of God, but people can.

Only during this chapter of our lives on earth, do we have the possibility and capacity to call out for God’s mercy to change us, to transform us into gratefully outspoken recipients of God’s goodness. Therefore, like David, we need Yahweh to be our helper in this matter. Far too many go through life incessantly complaining, trapped by ingratitude, unforgiveness, and bitterness. While investing considerable energy to grumbling, they fail to remember and speak of the kindnesses, the provisions, and the hope provided by God through his Son Jesus Christ. While demanding more and more of this life, such people blind themselves to the many answered prayers and expressions of divine grace in their lives.

As David acknowledged, it was the Lord who had loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. It is to God’s glory and David’s merit, that he not only recognised the purpose for this, but he shared it with others. The purpose of transformed lives by God, is for those transformed to sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

The apostle Paul emphasised this to the Ephesian church. Believers in Jesus Christ are to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). This is God’s purposeful will for our lives as Christians (Ephesians 1:5). May we explore the many opportunities given to us to speak of the excellencies of Jesus Christ through all of life’s twists and turns, highs and lows, sour and sweet times.

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Grace for those with faults

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

Part of everyday life, is rubbing shoulders with people who have faults. Obviously, this includes all of us. Faults can range from inconsequential irritations to sinful actions that damage. Ironically, far too often we respond to other’s faults in a back-to-front manner, where irritations receive a beating and sin is overlooked. Conversely, there’s the legalistic people who show no grace to those tripped up by sin, pursuing them to make a spectacle, while giving no thought to those who are habitually irritating.

Whether people have faults which they cannot identify within themselves, or they are trapped by serious sin, they all need gracious assistance by Christians conveying greater Christlike character. Paul speaks of this during his instructions in Galatians 6:1, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. The King James Version, more clearly words this verse by saying, if anyone is “overtaken in a fault”. We should always guard against either understating the seriousness of a matter, or, overstating a matter which could cause unwarranted damage to everyone involved.

This requires humility, a gracious demeanor, and prayerful patience. There is no room for unhealthy bias, or even the slightest attitude of superiority. Loving grace coupled with truth is the vehicle used  by the Lord in transitioning a faltering believer into greater alignment with the Lord. A gracious attitude with a correct purpose is paramount. James puts it this way, the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere (James 3:17). These are the essential qualities required to be effective in aiding weaker believers.

John chapter 8 records an occasion when the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees brought a lady guilty of adultery to Jesus, who was teaching the public in the temple. They wanted to catch Jesus out in His response to her sin, as they openly humiliated her while trying to justify the death penalty upon her. Jesus, knowing the hearts of everyone present, responded, let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her (John 8:7). Jesus didn’t deny the lady’s guilt, nor did He argue against the Mosaic law, rather, He exposed the self-righteous and harsh attitudes of those condemning the lady. That day, Jesus delivered a message to everyone present, one none of them expected, and one the scribes and Pharisees did not want to receive. Grace and truth must operate together!

I suspect that lady gained a whole new perspective of what it meant to be the recipient of grace that day. However, Jesus didn’t completely let her off the hook. He instructed her to go, and from now on sin no more (John 8:11). She would have understood that Jesus was not demanding sinless perfection, but for her to stop the adulterous behaviour in her life. Although the word “grace” is not used in John’s account of this event, grace is undeniably stamped all over Jesus’ response.

You see, when grace dominates the hearts of God’s people, it dramatically changes how they engage with others. Grace bypasses calling for public shaming, grace seeks reconciliation more than justice, although justice is not ignored. Grace softens, it defuses heated situations, it refuses to lash out, and grace  humbles both the approach and the strategy used. This is because restoration with God and people is the goal. Grace is mercy in action, sinners helping sinners, helping those with faults, and restoring those caught in sin.

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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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