Jesus is the Question

God speaks today. He speaks in various ways including; through the Bible, His anointed vessels, and even through the heavens which declare his glory and speaks of his handiwork (Ps 19:1). The way that God speaks is also varied; often in a still small voice but also we find that God speaks in the form of a question.

When we ask questions, it is usually with the intention of obtaining information. When God asks questions however, it is not to inform Him of something He already knows but rather to help His people. From the outset of the story of man, when he sinned, though God already knew what had happened, He asks Adam the question; “Where are you?” followed by two more questions. Then another to Eve; “What is this that you have done?” The Gospels record over 300 questions that Jesus asked and which, in His divinity, He already knew the answers to. Meanwhile, He is asked only 183 questions.

Since God already knew the answers to these questions, we are left wondering why God would ask them. Of course it is for their benefit; in that they would begin to think about their behaviour. Upon consideration of their actions, they would confess which is the prerequisite for salvation and they would take responsibility for their actions/lives, which again is the primary component of repentance. Underpinning all of these reasons is the glaringly obvious principle of free will. Could it be that God asks the questions, not only because of His gentle approach to man, but so that man in exercising free will would not be coerced, intimidated or manipulated into choosing God? His questions are more like invitations to us personally to consider our lives in relationship to God. His love invites and asks questions and it’s love that responds.

Growing up, we may have been reprimanded with the statement; ‘Don’t answer the question with a question.”I am convinced however that so often the answer to thequestions in our lives are found in the questions that God asks of us. Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Matt 16:15. They had to answer this question for themselves and the outcome of which would determine the trajectory of their faith.

I am convinced that God is speaking to us all everyday. The question is what question is He asking you today?Questions that would have you consider and furnish a response.

One

The Bible is clear and emphatic; God is one. Jesus declared that the first and great commandment is; “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” Mark 12:29-31. Scripture after scripture declares the oneness of God, the Bible is replete with this proclamation and it is important that we don’t add our own non-Biblical ideas to the truth of God’s Word.

It is important also to understand that the concept of the oneness or indivisibility of God may also be reflected in other major themes of Biblical doctrine as outline by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:4-6.

There is one body - Referring to the Church, there’s only one. There may be innumerable local assemblies that gather regularly but we are all part of the one universal body of believers.

There is one Spirit - God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and God is Holy (Psalm 99:9) therefore the Holy Spirit is God and not another Spirit, there’s only one.

There is one faith - one belief system as opposed to what many in the world would espouse today that there are many roads that lead to heaven. This is a lie, there is only one way to heaven and that’s through the Gospel of Jesus Christ as preached and administered by His Apostles.

There is only one baptism - referring to the single act of being born again and realised in the dual aspects of being baptised in the Holy Spirit and baptised in water by full immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (John 3:5, Acts 2:38). There are not many modes of water baptism; where some would erroneously argue that it can be done by sprinkling water over someone’s head, by using the formula of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The disciples clearly baptised one way and that’s how we should all be baptised for salvation (Acts 10:48, 19:5, 22:16).

Finally, the absolute indivisibility of God, though not needed, yet intuitively we all recognise that it may also be reflected in the idea that we as human beings, although billions of us on this planet, are one indivisible beings. We may have different parts to us such as spirits, souls and physical bodies. We may have different relationships and sometimes we may look and act alike, yet we are indivisible creatures with individuality and autonomy. We are not part of another person but we all posses uniqueness and the knowledge of ‘self’. Why is this? Because we were created in the image of God, and there is no one else like him. Glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, He is One!

Isaiah 45:5 - I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

IFaith

The new year was welcomed by most with great hopes of a very different year to the history making one we experienced last year, for the better at least. While we looked forward with optimism to 2021, unfortunately the first few Sundays still saw us limited with our numbers of church attendance. Our hopes is that the ebb and flow of restrictions would soon begin to cease and settle to a more consistent normal.

However, the fact of the matter is that what we have learned from the pandemic is that there are some things that are beyond our individual power to influence and beyond the church’s capacity to control. We are truly finite creatures at the mercy of the elements, our physical restraints and to the will of God. 

What we do have and what is our responsibility is to have faith in God and His Word. Our theme for this year as a Church is IF. Such a small word that carries a hefty and profound implication. So much of what we are promised through God’s Word and the gift of His grace can only be unlocked and accessed by faith. Thus the blessings and provisions of God, though immense and ready to be poured out, are contingent, and conditional, to our participation in faith and works. I like to see the word IF as a simple acronym for ‘I Faith’. 

This year I want to challenge us to focus on our responsibilities; to believe, to pray, to fast, to act on our faith and unlock God’s promises to bless us, help and empower us. We’re believing God for revival and growth but they will not happen by God alone. No, He calls us into partnership with Him and to; preach the Gospel, make disciples of all nations, sacrifice, give, love others and all that is required of us. Then, I believe we will see the glory of God in our midst. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. 

IF My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chr 7:14

King

Well we made it! To the end of the year at least, after a life changing and history making year, and with the major disruptions to our lives and our Church. We can do nothing less than to give thanks to our our good Lord and Saviour for seeing us through, not only as a Church but as a nation, in comparison to the rest of the world.

This time of year we are reminded of the miraculous nature of the birth of Christ. The very idea itself of God becoming man is one shrouded in mystery and wonder. The Apostle Paul tells us that “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh….” 1 Tim 3:16. The mystery is in the ‘how’ of God manifesting in flesh. We don’t know how God did it, it’s supernatural, it’s miraculous but He did it.

While the world was oblivious to the fact that God had come into the realm of humanity as a baby on that Christmas day, the nativity story tells us that there were wise men from the east who had knowledge that a great King was born. Having finally located him in Bethlehem, they presented gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. The significance of these gifts may get lost in the other details of the narrative but perhaps they reveal aspects of profound importance in the life of this child. The Gold represents his Kingship, the frankincense his priesthood and the myrrh speaks to his suffering as the Messiah.

As King and Priest he carried out his calling, revealing his deity and absolute authority but ultimately his purpose was to go to the cross and as King and Messiah, pay the penalty for man’s sin. This is why today, we are victorious because our King has fought the battle against the tyranny and burden of our iniquities. He won by dying on the cross and being raise again the third day and our conquering King reigns and rules supreme forever. Glory to God in the highest!

Simply Jesus

As the year hurries to a close, for many it signals relief and a break from what may have been a tough and tiring year. It is the festive season that so many of us enjoy since it’s a time of food, gifts and in this part of the world, summer holidays. People love Christmas for these reasons because they bring happiness. Who doesn’t love honey leg ham, prawns and trifle? And who doesn’t love gifts and reconnecting with family and friends?

We know that this season is more than just these physical and material enjoyments that bring us happiness, it is the knowledge of God coming into this world to bring us into his saving grace. It is about the Christ in Christmas! As I say that however, we can be easily misunderstood as being ‘Over-saved’ or super spiritual. Others may say that we are being spiritual ‘Scrooges’.

On the contrary. I think that God wants us to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is at the heart of our existence and it is the motivating factor to what we do, even responding to the Gospel, is driven by a desire to discover enduring happiness. Blaise Pascal said, "All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.”

Thus it is perfectly acceptable to pursue happiness in your life but the most profound of differences is in the object of happiness. If you look for joy only in food, fun and festivities, it may give you some temporary semblance of enjoyment but it doesn’t last. It is fleeting. I am convinced, lasting and true happiness is not found in the ‘what’ but in the ‘who’. We were created first and foremost to have a relationship with God. To know Him and to have Him is to have joy. That regardless of our material situation if we have Jesus and He has us, then happiness will persist because our joy is not based on fleeting pleasures of this world but on our eternal connection with a loving Saviour. It is SIMPLY JESUS! Praise God and Joy to the World!

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke 2:10

He is Risen!

He is risen! This is the proclamation of the disciples and the early Church. Whilst this may seem like a peripheral issue to some, where they may argue that even if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead he still taught many good lessons when he was alive. Thus his life still held value even if he wasn’t resurrected. Yet the great Apostle emphatically claims that; “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Cor 15:17-19

Our faith is futile, according to Paul, if Jesus did not rise from the dead simply because if he did not rise, then his words and teachings could not be trusted as truth, since he prophesied and proclaimed his own resurrection. And if his words are not true, then we have no hope of life with Christ after death, thereby making life futile and meaningless.

The prevailing atheistic perspective seems to be that when our life is over, we simply cease to exist. What a miserable prospect indeed. That all we have to look forward to is non-existence. What’s the point of living if that were the case? It is little wonder that people are stricken with depression and hopelessness to the point where they take their own lives because they perceive a bleak future of nothingness.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not only offer hope of a glorious future for his faithful followers but he affirmed, and verified, this promise of eternal life by rising from the tomb of death after three days. “Did the resurrection really happen?” is the cynical question voiced by unbelievers. I don’t have time to unpack all of the evidences but for further research, explore these basic tenets of the veracity of the resurrection of Jesus: living eye witness accounts such as the New Testament writers who were never refuted, the empty tomb where Jesus was buried and lastly, the most logical explanation for the willingness of Jesus’ disciples to lay down their own lives in martyrdom and the spread of Christianity in the face of extreme persecution.

There are many more but those three tenets are sufficiently compelling to speak to the truth of the resurrection of Jesus. We can find joy and hope knowing that what awaits us, when our life on earth is through, is the glory of his Holy presence forever! Hallelujah!

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1 Cor 15:20

March of Miracles

One of the first questions that a new Christian sometimes asks is; ‘Do miracles still happen today?’ This question is often borne out of a prevailing perspective in our world that anything that is not scientifically explainable, or part of the natural process of the material world, does not exist or can not happen, such as miracles.

That in itself is a misnomer because by very definition, miracles are occurrences that supersede the natural order of the physical world. That’s why they are called miracles. Let me add that there are many things that can not be explained by scientific means, including; morality, aesthetics, affection, the belief and evidence that humans have an immaterial component to them called the soul or spirit and other phenomena such as healings of the sick extraneous of medical treatment.

We are surrounded by miracles all the time. What about the miracle of a person becoming born again, having their sins washed away at baptism in Jesus name and the infilling of the Holy Spirit speaking in tongues? These things cannot be accounted for on a naturalist worldview and as such may be classified as a miracle.

The question then for the Believer is not whether miracles still happen today but rather ‘Why don’t more miracles happen today?’ The former question has already been addressed but the later question I believe can be answered by the Church. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father,” (John 14:12) and that miraculous signs shall follow the Believers (Mark 16:17-18). James tells us that we have not because we ask not... (James 4:3)

We can expect signs and wonders to take place more and more. This month as we continue to walk ‘In His Steps’, let us pursue after what God has promised us through Christ Jesus our Lord, to see more miracles by praying, believing, working and doing what God has called us to do for his glory and Kingdom!

In His Steps... 2019

1 Peter 2:21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

The theme of POS this year is ‘In His Steps’, with the emphasis on following closely in the steps, or example, of Christ Jesus our Lord. Whilst we are not moving away from the purpose of the Church in making disciples of all nations, this year we are focusing on connecting with the lost, emulating the way that Jesus did and in the principles, attitude and methods by which he made disciples.

It is imperative that we focus on our relationship with Jesus, particularly when we can become so distracted with the busy-ness of life and even in ministry we can become so preoccupied with our ‘doing’ that we forsake our ‘being’ in Christ. As we walk in His steps, we walk with him in a relationship of faith and it is that grounding by which our identity, our attitudes and behaviours flow out from.

Jesus was called a friend of sinners, yet he himself never sinned. In like manner, we shall pursue a life of sanctification and spiritual growth while at same time making friendships with those who don’t know him. Jesus spoke the truth in love at the same time showed mercy to the penitent. We too must demonstrate love to this world but not be afraid to speak the truth with all grace. Jesus made disciples as he opened up his life to involve others, similarly our goal should be to open up our lives in order to disciple others to the ways of God.

As we engage in daily disciplines of meditation of God’s Word, prayer and fellowship with the Holy Spirit, fellowship with his Church and reaching the lost, the more Jesus Christ is formed in us or as Paul puts it that we mature to “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13).

Let’s make every effort and set up our lives so that we are walking In His Steps!

The Godhead

Perhaps one of the most profound passages of scripture that affirms the indivisibility of God is found in Hebrews 1:3 - Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; KJV

The inspired writer asserts very clearly that Jesus is the express image of His person. Whilst the incarnation of Christ is a mystery in that it is supernatural and miraculous in nature, yet the identity of the mighty God in Christ is clearly proclaimed. 

Obviously, it is impossible to exhaust the knowledge of God or have a complete comprehension of the Infinite Creator through our finite minds. However, the understanding that there is only one God, or being, in the Godhead is fundamental to not only our beliefs but to what the Bible emphatically claims.

It is well documented that the majority of the Church prior to the Council of Nicea in the 4th Century believed that there was only one in the Godhead who was revealed in three roles of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The Athanasian teaching of a triune God though rejected by many believers at the time was accepted as dogma under the Roman Emperor Constantine along with other fallacious teachings that still endure in the Roman Church today.

Caution must be taken in using human terms or attributes to describe our limitless God, yet the King James translators clearly utilises the terminology in Hebrews 1:3 that the person of God is perceived through the image of Jesus Christ. There is only one person and one image of that person, just as we, as individual beings are one person and have one image. Though our existence may consist of a tripartite component of; spirit, soul and body, yet we don’t say that there are three of us. If someone claims to be more than one person, we would suggest checking them into a mental health service. Neither do we endorse any absurd ideas that though we are married or part of a community that somehow, we consider our combined relationship as one individual self-conscious being together with our spouse or others in our close relationships. At the very core of our existence is the fundamental idea of our indivisibility and oneness as autonomous creatures.

There’s no one else exactly like us. Despite someone who may look so similar to another, like an identical twin who shares strikingly similar features, down to their DNA, yet it would be totally absurd to believe they are one being or person. Genesis 1:27 tells us that man was created in the image of God. I propose that one of our main attributes that is based on God’s image is his uniqueness and absolute oneness as unequivocally stated in God’s Holy Word.

Pastor Stan’s teaching series on ‘The Godhead’

Pursuing Holiness

The Incarnation of Christ did not only affect our salvation through his death on the Cross but it brought every child of God directly to a relatable and accessible God who manifested himself in flesh. Jesus promised: “No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.” John 14:18 NLT

He will come to us as our heavenly Father as he fills us with the Spirit of adoption. What an amazing revelation and experience that we are not walking in religiosity but in a relationship of faith with our invisible Father! However, for the Christian this understanding is merely the launching pad for us into our journey of sanctification. This is what the great Apostle Paul was admonishing;

2 Corinthians 7:1  “Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.;” NLT

After we have been converted and are born again, we don’t remain in a state of spiritual inertia where there is no change or growth but quite the contrary, when we are saved, we then go on onto perfection, toward complete holiness. 

That means change and maturity has to be implemented and incorporated into our lives, to where we put away sinful habits, actions, words and lifestyle that is displeasing to the Lord. It is a process of removal and addition; we remove the behaviours and attitudes of iniquity, like lying, cursing, lusting, etc and we take on the godly habits of prayer, worship, serving and generosity.

This of course does not happen in one fell swoop of a singular event but it is the ongoing process of a day to day experience that is borne firstly; out of a relationship with God. We pursue holiness because we love Jesus and want to do what he commands us.  It is an outflow of his Spirit and his Word working in us that leads us to a pure life. Walking with other Believers is also of immense importance because we see in others who have been walking a little longer, the possibility of living right.

I don’t want to discourage anyone with this message because you may feel such a huge disparity between where your life is at today and the idea of holiness. On the contrary, I simply want to remind you that you have journey and destiny to pursue which is Christ. And the closer you get to him, the more we must become like him; righteous, pure and holy. In fact, let me conclude these thoughts by saying that if we are not on the road to holiness and becoming more like him, we are likely on the road that leads further away from God. 

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: