December, 2008.
Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulders……..
With the birth of Jesus, God made good on his promise made to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. A promise that he reminded his people of throughout the history of the Old Testament.
The birth of Jesus meant the the reality of the fulfilment of all those promises made in days of old.
It meant the demonstration of God’s absolute faithfulness concerning his people.
Jesus Christ, by whom all things were created.
Who became as one of us, so much so that he was not recognized as being supernatural, even by his peers.
And yet he is Almighty God.
He is an everlasting Father.
He is the Prince of Peace.
In him all the promises of God find their fulfillment.
He is the sufficient One, for both time and eternity.
Of his kingdom and dominion there shall be no end.
He saves his people from their sins.
He saves his people from themselves.
He saves his people from slavery to the law of sin and death.
He is the comforter to those who mourn.
He heals the broken hearted.
He gives sight to the blind.
And makes the lame to walk.
He makes the deaf hear the sound of birds.
He is able to bind the strong man of false beliefs who would keep us captive slaves.
He is our breastplate of righteousness.
He is the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the girdle of truth.
HE IS THE WORD OF GOD.
In him our sin, not in part, but the whole,
Was nailed to his cross and we bear it no more…..
We have been made free, for the Son became sin for us.
We have freedom for the asking and he will not turn away…..
Freedom from powers and principalities……
Freedom from the stranglehold of rejection.
Freedom from the torment of un-forgiveness.
Freedom from the bondage of addiction.
Freedom from the hell of having been abused, whatever the form of it.
Freedom from the pit of guilt.
Freedom from the chains of depression.
Freedom from the mental torment of any of these powers of this dark world.
Powers that would possess our life and thoughts, often all day and all night.
Christmas is the dawn of a new day.
He came so that we might have new life, not an improved version of the old life,
A new Life, and that we might have that new life in abundance.
…….For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end…….(Isaiah 9:6, 7.)
On a personal note, may you all enjoy a Blessed Christmas 2008 and may the year 2009 be a year of prosperity in all respects, especially a year in which you may experience the reality of the Life that is to be found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.
St. Thomas, Dec./’08.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
HIS FAITHFULNESS REACHES TO THE SKY……
November, 2008
Someone sent me this message:
The light of God surrounds us.
The love of God enfolds us.
The power of God protects us.
The presence of God watches over us.
Wherever we are, God is and all is well.
_______________
This is our Reflection for this month, purposely as short as this to enhance its impact.
Can we really believe these few, short sentences, not just mental assent, but as a moment by moment reality? When we are able to answer that question in the affirmative, it will affect the way we live, the way we respond to circumstances, the way we pray.
If, for whatever reason, we have difficulty believing this, we have a Father who delights in giving his children the things they desire. It is something we cannot achieve in any way at all, it can only be received from his Fatherhand when we ask him.
We would no longer be praying anxiously that God would be with us, praying anxiously that God would help us overcome some sin in our life, praying anxiously that God would bless the activities that we are engaged in for him, or praying anxiously that God would protect our wealth in these uncertain times.
And here we might add our own particular anxieties.
In short, our Father would eliminate all our anxieties and allow us to rest in the truths expressed in these few, short sentences.
This kind of Christianity would be much more than just something we believe, it would be Life to us, the very Life of the Lord Jesus Christ, expressed through us , his children.
The love of God, being shown to the world around us.
Great is your faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with you,
You change not, your compassions, they fail not,
As you have been, you forever will be.
St.Thomas, Nov./’08.
Someone sent me this message:
The light of God surrounds us.
The love of God enfolds us.
The power of God protects us.
The presence of God watches over us.
Wherever we are, God is and all is well.
_______________
This is our Reflection for this month, purposely as short as this to enhance its impact.
Can we really believe these few, short sentences, not just mental assent, but as a moment by moment reality? When we are able to answer that question in the affirmative, it will affect the way we live, the way we respond to circumstances, the way we pray.
If, for whatever reason, we have difficulty believing this, we have a Father who delights in giving his children the things they desire. It is something we cannot achieve in any way at all, it can only be received from his Fatherhand when we ask him.
We would no longer be praying anxiously that God would be with us, praying anxiously that God would help us overcome some sin in our life, praying anxiously that God would bless the activities that we are engaged in for him, or praying anxiously that God would protect our wealth in these uncertain times.
And here we might add our own particular anxieties.
In short, our Father would eliminate all our anxieties and allow us to rest in the truths expressed in these few, short sentences.
This kind of Christianity would be much more than just something we believe, it would be Life to us, the very Life of the Lord Jesus Christ, expressed through us , his children.
The love of God, being shown to the world around us.
Great is your faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with you,
You change not, your compassions, they fail not,
As you have been, you forever will be.
St.Thomas, Nov./’08.
THE RETURN OF THE REDEEMED.
May, 2007
……….I will lay down my life for your sake…….John 13 : 37.
I will…….., I pledge………, You can count on me……..
I shall be true to you till death do us part…….
How many pledges have been made with the best of intentions?
And how many pledges have been lived up to?
Peter must have meant it sincerely, when he pledged to lay down his life for Jesus. That’s the kind of man he was, impulsive, but true.
Jesus quickly pricked that balloon of self-confidence.
Jesus must have loved his loyalty and idealism, but he also knew it was rooted in the wrong soil. The soil of confidence in self, the soil of flesh.
What is born of the flesh is flesh, what is born of the Spirit is spirit, John 3:6.
Jesus said something like: “Peter I love you, but you know what? Before this very night turns into day, you will have denied your association with me three times”.
Peter was to find out that night the unreliability of what the Bible calls flesh.
Intentions, plans and decisions that have their origin in the human brain, rather than the counsel of the Spirit of God.
Yes, it is in Him (God) that believers live and move and have their being, Acts 17:28.
But God allows his people the choice to live after the Spirit or after the flesh,
Rom.8:5, 6 (KJV).
Being transformed by the renewing of the mind, seeks to end living after the flesh and more and more live after the Spirit, Rom.12:2.
Many a well intentioned church program is born of the flesh, rather than Spirit. Usually there is dissention, strife and frustration in such programs. And those programs have a way of petering out.
Any decision or program that calls for haste is always suspect as being not of God.
In the night of denial Peter came face to face with himself. The Bible says that after the deed was done, Jesus turned and looked at Peter and instantly Peter knew what a dismal failure he really was.
When he realized what he had done, he went outside and wept bitterly. Everything had come to an inglorious end. Judas betrayed Jesus into the hands of the authorities and worst of all he himself had proven to be a most unreliable friend.
There was nothing left but to take up his former profession, he returned to the fishing boats, John 21:3.
Did any of the other disciples go through a similar experience? We do not know.
Except we do know that the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus was forcefully confronted with the fact that his zeal for his God was born of the flesh.
The younger son in Luke 15:12 came face to face with being a failure when he was tending the pigs and decided to return to his father.
There is always a way back to the Father, for the younger son, for Peter and also for Paul.
Blessed are the believers who are so confronted with their being a failure. Not so much as having failed in a certain endeavor, but being a failure.
And for today’s believer there is also always a way back to the Father.
As a matter of fact, the Father was in all of whatever befell us from the beginning with the purpose to form in us the character of Jesus.
It is the Father himself who allows us, His children to wander far from Him into the realm of the flesh, with the inheritance of His life, eternal life in our possession.
Only those believers who by God’s grace are confronted with their failure to live the Christian life, decide to return to the Father and cast themselves on his mercy.
The majority are so busy struggling on in that mess, that confronting themselves does not even occur to them.
Any effort of service we do for God in expectation of reward is born of flesh.
Any effort of obedience to gain God’s favor is born of flesh.
Any effort at self-improvement is born of flesh.
Any effort of obedience for the sake of obedience is born of flesh.
Any effort that requires God’s help is born of the flesh.
A harsh diagnosis? Absolutely, but just the same, no less true.
So, where do we begin when we conclude: “There must be a better way?”
A good beginning would be to pray Ps. 139: 23, 24.
“Search me O God and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked (fleshly) way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”.
Tell God that we give Him liberty to do with us whatever it takes to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
It also means that all the accumulated knowledge about living the Christian life is up for serious review, except the very foundation doctrines, such as who God is, who Jesus is and who the Holy Spirit is.
Those of us who come face to face with our own total failure to live the Christian life and cast themselves upon God’s mercy will find a Father waiting with open arms to receive us. He will not even mention to remind us of the futility of our former wanderings in a far away country. He will only rejoice because of a sheep that was lost and now is found.
And how do we go from here? Don’t worry, rest in Him, He will guide, He will direct and bring to pass what is needed.
When all this happens, then this prophesy will come to pass:
“Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
I, even I am He that comforts you”. Is.51:11, 12.
St.Thomas. May/2007.
CHRIST OUR LIFE.
September, 2008
Excerpt from the book “The normal Christian life”, by Watchman Nee.
The Cross has been given to procure salvation for us.
The Spirit has been given to produce salvation in us.
Christ risen and ascended is the basis of our salvation.
Christ in our hearts by the Spirit is its power.
“I thank God through Jesus Christ!” That exclamation of the Apostle Paul is fundamentally the same in its import as his other words in Gal. 2:20 which we have taken as the key to our study: “I live; and yet no longer I, but Christ”.
We saw how prominent is the word “I” throughout Romans 7, culminating in the agonized cry: “O wretched man that I am…….”
Then follows the shout of deliverance “Thank God……JESUS CHRIST’! and it is clear that the discovery Paul has made is this, that the life we live is the life of Christ alone.
We think of the Christian life as a “changed life”, but it is not that.
What God offers is an “exchanged life”, a substituted life, and Christ is our substitute within.
“I live; and yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me”.
This life is not something which we ourselves have to produce. It is Christ’s own life reproduced in us.
…………God will not give me humility or patience or holiness or love as separate gifts of his grace. He is not a retailer dispensing grace to us in packets, measuring out some patience to the impatient, some love to the unloving, some meekness to the proud, in quantities that we can take and work on as a kind of capital.
He has given only one gift to meet all our need: “His Son Jesus Christ”.
As I look to Him to live out His life in me, He will be humble and patient and loving and everything else I need -- in my stead.
Remember the word in the first epistle of John: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is IN His Son. He that has the Son has the life, and he that has not the Son of God has not the life”. (I John 5:11, 12).
The life of God is not given us as a separate item; the life of God is given us in the Son.
It is “eternal life IN Christ Jesus our Lord, (Rom.6:23).
Our relationship to the Son is our relationship to the life.
It is a blessed thing to discover the difference between Christian graces and Christ; to know the difference between meekness and Christ, between patience and Christ, between love and Christ.
Remember again what is said in I Cor. 1:30:”Christ Jesus …….was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption”.
The common conception of sanctification is that every item of the life should be holy; but that is not holiness, it is the fruit of holiness. “Holiness IS Christ.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ being made over to us to be that.
So you can put anything there: love, humility, power, self-control. Today there is a call for patience: He is our patience! Tomorrow there may be a call for purity: He is our purity! He is the answer to every need.
That is why Paul speaks of the ”fruit of the Spirit” as one (Gal 5:22) and not of “fruits” as separate items.
God has given us His Holy Spirit, and when love is needed the fruit of the Spirit is love; when joy is needed the fruit of the Spirit is joy.
It is always true.
It does not matter what your personal deficiency, or whether it be a hundred and one different things, God has always one sufficient answer, His Son Jesus Christ, and He is the answer to every human need.
How can we know more of Christ in this way? Only by way of an increasing awareness of need. Some are afraid to discover deficiency in themselves, and so they never grow.
Growth “in grace” is the only sense in which we can grow, and grace, we have said, is God doing something for us.
We all have the same Christ dwelling within, but revelation of some need will lead us spontaneously to trust Him to live out His life in us in that particular circumstance.
Greater capacity means greater enjoyment of God’s supply.
Another letting go, a fresh trusting in Christ, and another stretch of land is conquered.
“Christ my life” is the secret of enlargement.
We have spoken of trying and trusting, and the difference between the two. Believe me, it is the difference between heaven and hell. It is not something to be talked about as a satisfying thought; it is stark reality.
“Lord, I cannot do it, therefore, I will no longer try to do it.”
This is the point most of us fall short of. “Lord, I cannot”; therefore I will take my hands off; from now on I will trust You for that.
We refuse to act; we depend on him to do so, and then we enter fully and joyfully into the action that He initiates.
It is not passivity, it is a most active life, trusting the Lord like that; drawing from Him, taking Him to be our very life, letting Him live his life in us as we go forth in His Name.
The Normal Christian Life.
By Watchman Nee.
Pages 125 – 128.
Reflections, Sept./’08.
Excerpt from the book “The normal Christian life”, by Watchman Nee.
The Cross has been given to procure salvation for us.
The Spirit has been given to produce salvation in us.
Christ risen and ascended is the basis of our salvation.
Christ in our hearts by the Spirit is its power.
“I thank God through Jesus Christ!” That exclamation of the Apostle Paul is fundamentally the same in its import as his other words in Gal. 2:20 which we have taken as the key to our study: “I live; and yet no longer I, but Christ”.
We saw how prominent is the word “I” throughout Romans 7, culminating in the agonized cry: “O wretched man that I am…….”
Then follows the shout of deliverance “Thank God……JESUS CHRIST’! and it is clear that the discovery Paul has made is this, that the life we live is the life of Christ alone.
We think of the Christian life as a “changed life”, but it is not that.
What God offers is an “exchanged life”, a substituted life, and Christ is our substitute within.
“I live; and yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me”.
This life is not something which we ourselves have to produce. It is Christ’s own life reproduced in us.
…………God will not give me humility or patience or holiness or love as separate gifts of his grace. He is not a retailer dispensing grace to us in packets, measuring out some patience to the impatient, some love to the unloving, some meekness to the proud, in quantities that we can take and work on as a kind of capital.
He has given only one gift to meet all our need: “His Son Jesus Christ”.
As I look to Him to live out His life in me, He will be humble and patient and loving and everything else I need -- in my stead.
Remember the word in the first epistle of John: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is IN His Son. He that has the Son has the life, and he that has not the Son of God has not the life”. (I John 5:11, 12).
The life of God is not given us as a separate item; the life of God is given us in the Son.
It is “eternal life IN Christ Jesus our Lord, (Rom.6:23).
Our relationship to the Son is our relationship to the life.
It is a blessed thing to discover the difference between Christian graces and Christ; to know the difference between meekness and Christ, between patience and Christ, between love and Christ.
Remember again what is said in I Cor. 1:30:”Christ Jesus …….was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption”.
The common conception of sanctification is that every item of the life should be holy; but that is not holiness, it is the fruit of holiness. “Holiness IS Christ.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ being made over to us to be that.
So you can put anything there: love, humility, power, self-control. Today there is a call for patience: He is our patience! Tomorrow there may be a call for purity: He is our purity! He is the answer to every need.
That is why Paul speaks of the ”fruit of the Spirit” as one (Gal 5:22) and not of “fruits” as separate items.
God has given us His Holy Spirit, and when love is needed the fruit of the Spirit is love; when joy is needed the fruit of the Spirit is joy.
It is always true.
It does not matter what your personal deficiency, or whether it be a hundred and one different things, God has always one sufficient answer, His Son Jesus Christ, and He is the answer to every human need.
How can we know more of Christ in this way? Only by way of an increasing awareness of need. Some are afraid to discover deficiency in themselves, and so they never grow.
Growth “in grace” is the only sense in which we can grow, and grace, we have said, is God doing something for us.
We all have the same Christ dwelling within, but revelation of some need will lead us spontaneously to trust Him to live out His life in us in that particular circumstance.
Greater capacity means greater enjoyment of God’s supply.
Another letting go, a fresh trusting in Christ, and another stretch of land is conquered.
“Christ my life” is the secret of enlargement.
We have spoken of trying and trusting, and the difference between the two. Believe me, it is the difference between heaven and hell. It is not something to be talked about as a satisfying thought; it is stark reality.
“Lord, I cannot do it, therefore, I will no longer try to do it.”
This is the point most of us fall short of. “Lord, I cannot”; therefore I will take my hands off; from now on I will trust You for that.
We refuse to act; we depend on him to do so, and then we enter fully and joyfully into the action that He initiates.
It is not passivity, it is a most active life, trusting the Lord like that; drawing from Him, taking Him to be our very life, letting Him live his life in us as we go forth in His Name.
The Normal Christian Life.
By Watchman Nee.
Pages 125 – 128.
Reflections, Sept./’08.
MARY’S AND MARTHA’S.
May, 2008
……..But one thing is needful: for Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her ……..Luke 10:42.
The Bible tells us that Mary was the one who sat at Jesus’ feet.
In our imagination we can see Jesus entering the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus in the village of Bethany.
The Bible does not at all relate to us how their house could accommodate 13 guests all at once, but apparently that was possible.
Martha sees all these (welcome) guests and just knows that suddenly, there is a lot of work to be done to make everyone comfortable. Water for foot washing, water for drinking, lunch to be prepared, etc.
Mary too, sees all these welcome guests, but what she really “sees” is Jesus, she has eyes for nothing or no one else but Jesus. She loves Him, that explains all.
Rabbi, she might have said, what is it wonderful for you to come, it makes my day.
And please, tell me more about yourself and your Kingdom, you told me so much the last time you were here and I long to hear more about it.
And it is as if we can hear Jesus say to her: “ O.K., sit down here and let’s talk.”
And Jesus begins to give her more of that living water, the same as what He gave the woman at the well of Sychar some time ago. Water that will spring up in her as a well into eternal life, John 4:14. Words that resonate in her and become Life in her, for the soil of her heart has been well prepared by the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus is imparting His Life into Mary, His Life, which is eternal Life. This eternal Life is to intimately know the Father and the Son whom He has sent, John 17;3.
And for Mary and Jesus nothing else matters, food and guests, everything can wait.
Martha, in contrast, is happy also to see Jesus and all these guests. She too, has good memories of past visits. But for her duty goes before pleasure and she sets about to serve her guests. And she fully expects the same from Mary, her sister.
There is water to be fetched, a fire has to be started, food has to be prepared, the floor should have been swept this morning, too bad, it is too late now to do that.
And where is Mary hanging out, she should know what is expected of her without the need to spell it out. Martha makes herself busy with all these necessary things and all the while her blood pressure slowly rises: “Where is this girl, what has gotten in to her?”
Martha’s service is characterized by a sense of duty, this is what others expect me to do.
She in effect offers her service to Jesus and his disciples, that what she can do.
There is no doubt of her sincerity in what she is offering. In all her sincerity she is offering the best she knows how.
When Mary starts serving (and that time will certainly come), it will not be from a sense of duty, or what she believes is expected of her, it will be the natural outflow of her nature, the new nature that is synonymous to the new Life that Jesus gives to all who love His appearing.
Her actions are not called “service”, because “service” always depicts a master/servant relationship.
Mary’s actions will be known as “ministry”, for those actions are not the products of her brain, they are born in the heart of God, communicated to her by the Holy Spirit.
She knows that like Jesus, she is an instrument in her Father’s hands.
The thought of duty or what is expected of her will not even occur to her, because she knows that her acceptance by her Lord is not based on what she might do for Him.
She rests in the knowledge that Jesus loves and accepts her just the way she is.
And when the time comes that someone else is sitting at the feet of Jesus while she is doing all the serving, that will not be offensive to her.
For she will know by experience what it is like to sit at the feet of Jesus and she will have joy in seeing someone else having that same deeply satisfying experience.
And, says Jesus, Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.
Note well, Jesus does not reprimand Martha for what she is doing or not doing, but He does indicate that Mary has made the better choice.
It is as if Jesus is saying: “Martha, I love what you are doing for me, but I am not primarily interested in your service, I am more than anything interested in having you.
Allow me to have you, all of you and I will mold you and shape your character, your being, in what I have purposed for you.
For that is the good part that Mary has already chosen, the part that shall not be taken away from her.
The tragedy of the past and even more of our present time is that the Church has chosen to follow Martha’s example and is instilling Martha’s mentality into it’s people right from children’s Sunday school on up.
The church is always focussing on how it might find new and better ways to enhance the Kingdom of God in this world.
And that is a dangerous road to travel, a road that is focussed on our selves and what we might do for God. It will turn the Church into a social agency eventually.
Something we see happening already all around us.
Often the Church offers a message of forgiveness for sins of the past. It offers heaven for the future and in between a life of service to advance the Kingdom of God in this world.
And all the while the Church has little to offer hurting people than the words:”We will pray for you”, or otherwise often refers such people to counselors who in many cases do not know the Lord.
There used to be a time when the different denominations were very focussed on “purity” of their various doctrines. Now, in today’s world, when these distinctions that separate us from other Christians are losing much of their former importance, many churches are now emphasizing service as the all important thing with special emphasis on what we know as the “Great Commission”of Matt. 28:19 and 20.
The reasons why advertising slogans and so-called “seeker friendly services” are not working very well could be the subject of a small book.
If we missed the essence of our calling when we focussed on purity of doctrine, we are missing it again by emphasizing service, even if it is service (in our estimation) to the glory of God.
Service is always born in the heart of man, that which seems to be a good thing to do in the present circumstances and we then commence to pray that God would bless our plans.
It nearly always leads to conflict, disappointment, dissatisfaction with self and/or others.
Prov.14 vs. 12: There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it are the ways of death.
Service in itself is highly commendable, the problem is that God’s people are being motivated to serve as an act of obedience, Christian duty, something God expects from His people once they join His “army” of believers, many are told. Obedience as a response to many Biblical commandments, ranging from loving God to witnessing to environmental stewardship.
The result of that is that church services nearly always have a motivational character in these churches.
(It would be interesting to find out when and for what reason we started calling these Sunday morning gatherings “services”.)
In these churches people seem to be asked to believe that the more things they do for God, the more pleased He will be with them and the better they will feel about ourselves.
But no matter how it is dressed up, it remains a “Martha mentality”.
In Luke chapter 15 Jesus tells the parable of a father and two sons.
When the older son emphasized to his father all the good and faithful service that he had performed for him, he didn’t even get a “Thank you, but……”.
And when the younger son offered to be a servant in his father’s house, the man ignored that request altogether and pressed the dirty slob to his heart.
The older son had offered his service to his father, faithful, diligent service.
All his efforts were made for his father.
And as the parable indicates, that will often lead to bitterness.
Because the “younger brother” will one day come home in the life of any of God’s children who nurture an “older son” mentality, it is only a matter of time.
The faithful service of the older son, when all was said and done, was not recognized.
That truth will be frightening for many of us who believe that by faithful service we can gather treasures in heaven.
And the determination that we will be different, we won’t be bitter when brother comes home and gets all the attention, that is a pipe dream.
The younger son, in contrast, had nothing to offer but his dirty, ragged self.
That is all he had.
And he threw himself at his father’s mercy.
Do with me whatever you want, but let me be in your house.
Let me be a “Mary”, let me sit at your feet, teach me the way of Life, for you are the way of Life. He now understands that life in the Father’s bosom is greatly to be preferred than anything else. And he now knows that his Father prefers it that way.
…….But Mary has chosen that good part…….
That was in the end also the choice of the younger son.
And when the younger son begins service to others (and he too, like Mary will get to that place), it will not be from a sense of duty or obedience, it will flow from his nature, the nature of the Father. And that shall not be called service, it shall be called ministry.
For service is the response to duty and obedience.
But ministry is the reponse to love and compassion.
It shall be a reflection of the love and compassion of the Father, expressed and made known to us in the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is the good part that the Holy Spirit revealed to Mary, as recorded for us in Luke 10:42.
St.Thomas, May ’08.
……..But one thing is needful: for Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her ……..Luke 10:42.
The Bible tells us that Mary was the one who sat at Jesus’ feet.
In our imagination we can see Jesus entering the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus in the village of Bethany.
The Bible does not at all relate to us how their house could accommodate 13 guests all at once, but apparently that was possible.
Martha sees all these (welcome) guests and just knows that suddenly, there is a lot of work to be done to make everyone comfortable. Water for foot washing, water for drinking, lunch to be prepared, etc.
Mary too, sees all these welcome guests, but what she really “sees” is Jesus, she has eyes for nothing or no one else but Jesus. She loves Him, that explains all.
Rabbi, she might have said, what is it wonderful for you to come, it makes my day.
And please, tell me more about yourself and your Kingdom, you told me so much the last time you were here and I long to hear more about it.
And it is as if we can hear Jesus say to her: “ O.K., sit down here and let’s talk.”
And Jesus begins to give her more of that living water, the same as what He gave the woman at the well of Sychar some time ago. Water that will spring up in her as a well into eternal life, John 4:14. Words that resonate in her and become Life in her, for the soil of her heart has been well prepared by the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus is imparting His Life into Mary, His Life, which is eternal Life. This eternal Life is to intimately know the Father and the Son whom He has sent, John 17;3.
And for Mary and Jesus nothing else matters, food and guests, everything can wait.
Martha, in contrast, is happy also to see Jesus and all these guests. She too, has good memories of past visits. But for her duty goes before pleasure and she sets about to serve her guests. And she fully expects the same from Mary, her sister.
There is water to be fetched, a fire has to be started, food has to be prepared, the floor should have been swept this morning, too bad, it is too late now to do that.
And where is Mary hanging out, she should know what is expected of her without the need to spell it out. Martha makes herself busy with all these necessary things and all the while her blood pressure slowly rises: “Where is this girl, what has gotten in to her?”
Martha’s service is characterized by a sense of duty, this is what others expect me to do.
She in effect offers her service to Jesus and his disciples, that what she can do.
There is no doubt of her sincerity in what she is offering. In all her sincerity she is offering the best she knows how.
When Mary starts serving (and that time will certainly come), it will not be from a sense of duty, or what she believes is expected of her, it will be the natural outflow of her nature, the new nature that is synonymous to the new Life that Jesus gives to all who love His appearing.
Her actions are not called “service”, because “service” always depicts a master/servant relationship.
Mary’s actions will be known as “ministry”, for those actions are not the products of her brain, they are born in the heart of God, communicated to her by the Holy Spirit.
She knows that like Jesus, she is an instrument in her Father’s hands.
The thought of duty or what is expected of her will not even occur to her, because she knows that her acceptance by her Lord is not based on what she might do for Him.
She rests in the knowledge that Jesus loves and accepts her just the way she is.
And when the time comes that someone else is sitting at the feet of Jesus while she is doing all the serving, that will not be offensive to her.
For she will know by experience what it is like to sit at the feet of Jesus and she will have joy in seeing someone else having that same deeply satisfying experience.
And, says Jesus, Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.
Note well, Jesus does not reprimand Martha for what she is doing or not doing, but He does indicate that Mary has made the better choice.
It is as if Jesus is saying: “Martha, I love what you are doing for me, but I am not primarily interested in your service, I am more than anything interested in having you.
Allow me to have you, all of you and I will mold you and shape your character, your being, in what I have purposed for you.
For that is the good part that Mary has already chosen, the part that shall not be taken away from her.
The tragedy of the past and even more of our present time is that the Church has chosen to follow Martha’s example and is instilling Martha’s mentality into it’s people right from children’s Sunday school on up.
The church is always focussing on how it might find new and better ways to enhance the Kingdom of God in this world.
And that is a dangerous road to travel, a road that is focussed on our selves and what we might do for God. It will turn the Church into a social agency eventually.
Something we see happening already all around us.
Often the Church offers a message of forgiveness for sins of the past. It offers heaven for the future and in between a life of service to advance the Kingdom of God in this world.
And all the while the Church has little to offer hurting people than the words:”We will pray for you”, or otherwise often refers such people to counselors who in many cases do not know the Lord.
There used to be a time when the different denominations were very focussed on “purity” of their various doctrines. Now, in today’s world, when these distinctions that separate us from other Christians are losing much of their former importance, many churches are now emphasizing service as the all important thing with special emphasis on what we know as the “Great Commission”of Matt. 28:19 and 20.
The reasons why advertising slogans and so-called “seeker friendly services” are not working very well could be the subject of a small book.
If we missed the essence of our calling when we focussed on purity of doctrine, we are missing it again by emphasizing service, even if it is service (in our estimation) to the glory of God.
Service is always born in the heart of man, that which seems to be a good thing to do in the present circumstances and we then commence to pray that God would bless our plans.
It nearly always leads to conflict, disappointment, dissatisfaction with self and/or others.
Prov.14 vs. 12: There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it are the ways of death.
Service in itself is highly commendable, the problem is that God’s people are being motivated to serve as an act of obedience, Christian duty, something God expects from His people once they join His “army” of believers, many are told. Obedience as a response to many Biblical commandments, ranging from loving God to witnessing to environmental stewardship.
The result of that is that church services nearly always have a motivational character in these churches.
(It would be interesting to find out when and for what reason we started calling these Sunday morning gatherings “services”.)
In these churches people seem to be asked to believe that the more things they do for God, the more pleased He will be with them and the better they will feel about ourselves.
But no matter how it is dressed up, it remains a “Martha mentality”.
In Luke chapter 15 Jesus tells the parable of a father and two sons.
When the older son emphasized to his father all the good and faithful service that he had performed for him, he didn’t even get a “Thank you, but……”.
And when the younger son offered to be a servant in his father’s house, the man ignored that request altogether and pressed the dirty slob to his heart.
The older son had offered his service to his father, faithful, diligent service.
All his efforts were made for his father.
And as the parable indicates, that will often lead to bitterness.
Because the “younger brother” will one day come home in the life of any of God’s children who nurture an “older son” mentality, it is only a matter of time.
The faithful service of the older son, when all was said and done, was not recognized.
That truth will be frightening for many of us who believe that by faithful service we can gather treasures in heaven.
And the determination that we will be different, we won’t be bitter when brother comes home and gets all the attention, that is a pipe dream.
The younger son, in contrast, had nothing to offer but his dirty, ragged self.
That is all he had.
And he threw himself at his father’s mercy.
Do with me whatever you want, but let me be in your house.
Let me be a “Mary”, let me sit at your feet, teach me the way of Life, for you are the way of Life. He now understands that life in the Father’s bosom is greatly to be preferred than anything else. And he now knows that his Father prefers it that way.
…….But Mary has chosen that good part…….
That was in the end also the choice of the younger son.
And when the younger son begins service to others (and he too, like Mary will get to that place), it will not be from a sense of duty or obedience, it will flow from his nature, the nature of the Father. And that shall not be called service, it shall be called ministry.
For service is the response to duty and obedience.
But ministry is the reponse to love and compassion.
It shall be a reflection of the love and compassion of the Father, expressed and made known to us in the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is the good part that the Holy Spirit revealed to Mary, as recorded for us in Luke 10:42.
St.Thomas, May ’08.
COME UNTO ME ………..
July, 2008
Come unto me, all of you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light, Matt. 11 : 28 – 30.
Rest for our souls……
How many of us are looking for just that, rest for our weary burdened souls.
Rest from our battle with persistent sins.
Rest from attempting to get our balance sheet of sins and good works to show a positive balance.
Rest from trying to emulate the life Jesus lived, after all He said to learn from Him.
Rest from praying for God to help us to overcome a bad habit and then continually falling again and again for the same old temptation.
Rest from the burden of believing that God will only work in our life and the lives of others in response to our prayers.
Often the logical conclusion is then that “it “ does not work. Maybe for others, but not for me. And the load of guilt has just become a little heavier.
O yes, the desire is there alright, but how to do it?? (Rom. 7:18.)
When we find the yoke of Jesus hard and the burden heavy, then maybe, just maybe we need to learn something from Jesus that we have missed before.
When we accept that God’s Word is truth, bedrock truth, then it is up to us to ask the Holy Spirit what we are missing.Because obviously, we have missed something.
When Jesus promises to give us rest, then it would be obvious that he is also able to give that rest from his abundance.
So, how does Jesus obtain that rest?
Well, let us read the passage again.
……For I am meek and lowly in heart…….
There is the key…..meek and lowly in heart. Teachable, able to accept direction and being humble which makes one teachable and able to accept direction.
We already know by experience that trying to be consistently as loving and forgiving as Jesus is just plain hard work with unsatisfactory results.
Therefore we must look for something else.
That “something else” is that Jesus does not help us to find that rest, for He is that rest.
Jesus was never in a hurry, He was never anxious, He was always at peace, He always showed patience with people, even when these people showed anxiety and lack of faith.
Why? When we look for the answer in the right places we find some remarkable facts.
We find for example in John 5:19 that Jesus says that He, the Son can do nothing of himself, (of His own accord), but only what He sees the Father doing.
Or in John 8:28……that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself…..
John 10:30 ……I and my Father are one…..
Jonh 14:10 ……The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father who dwells in me, He it is that does the works.
Acts 2:22 …..Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.
From all this we may know that Jesus did nothing on His own initiative, He was an instrument in His Father’s hands, no more, no less.
He acted in submission to His Father’s will at all times.
His inseparable union with His Father also gave Him His peace and rest, because He knew that His Father would accomplish everything that needed to happen through Him.
Nothing would be left undone that needed doing, Jesus rested in that assurance.
Now when Jesus says “learn of me”, that is what we need to learn, to completely rely on our Father to accomplish in us what needs to be accomplished.
To completely rely on our Father to protect our children when they grow up and are no longer under our control.
To make God responsible for the victory over our persistent sins.
Yes, that is right, He wants to be responsible! He is patiently waiting for us to throw in the towel. Until we do, He cannot work.
He is a jealous God who will not share His glory (credit) with anyone.
A young mother asked me one time if I would pray for her to have more patience with her two little children. I replied : how about if you prayed yourself?
She said; I have been praying and trying for months, it does not work.
I suggested to her to stop trying and to begin relying. Relying on God to make the patience of Jesus a reality in her daily life. Ask for it and rely, believe that our Father, who loves us so much will gladly do as we ask.
Only those dear children of God who have experienced having been made free by the power of God know the overwhelming reality of rest and freedom God wishes to give to all His children who are burdened by sin and unbelief.
And the same is true for any other burden we might carry.
Jesus is our Peace.
Jesus is our Rest.
But only if we ourselves get outside of the equasion. That is what we need to learn from Jesus.
For it is God who works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure, Phil.2:13.
When we stop trying and begin relying then we also learn that His yoke is easy and that His burden is light.
Relying on God to do all the work is not a copout, it is an act of faith and trust.
St. Thomas, July/’08.
NOTES AND QUOTES.
May, 2008
This time, in order to provide some variety to Reflections, may I copy for you some notes, quotes and studynotes which I collected from speeches, seminars and study courses from a variety of authors in no particular order.
These quotes are mainly from the following authors: Dr. Edwin Louis Cole of The Chr. Men’s Network, Rev. Kelly Varner of N.Carolina, Dr. James Stone of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Mr. Don E. Higgins of Kitchener, ON.
#. Truth about oneself is always unacceptable,
Except by devine revelation.
# God puts no limitation on faith,
Faith puts no limitation on God.
# Facing reality is the first step towards change in a person’s life.
# Human nature will oppose anything that is not properly understood.
# Repentance is the pivotal point between ruin and reconcilliation.
# Humility precedes blessing, pride goes before a fall.
# The heart of men is corrupt beyond measure, there is no cure, Jer.17:9.
It is like a tree that produces corrupt fruit, it must be cut down.
In the death of Jesus, God provided for the death of that tree, the tree being me.
# Everything in the Kingdom of God is positive.
# The spirit of the Kingdom is peace.
# All the principles of the Bible are the keys of the Kingdom.
# All the characteristics of the Kingdom emanate from the character of the King.
# The Kingdom of God is the purpose of God.
# The Kingdom of God is a present reality.
# The Kingdom of God is present wherever He is recognized as Lord and
# The glory of the King are the citizens of His Kingdom.
# Man enters the Kingdom by way of repentance.
# “Crown of Life”, Jas.1 vs.12:
It’s the life that is a crown,
It is the overcoming, reigning life,
It is Christ’s life,
A life that follows death, death to self,
It is resurrection Life,
This life is not “my” life – it is “His” Life,
And forever remains “His” Life.
Through His grace He has made me a partaker of His Life,
Which in truth is eternal Life.
# God judged us worthy of salvation and proved it in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
# The Christian’s inheritance: The fullness of God in him/her.
# The life of the Spirit is always beyond what we are capable of.
# The purpose of divine reconcilliation is to restore agreement with God.
# Sin always promises to serve and to please,
But its desire is to enslave and dominate.
# Behind every excuse hides a lack of desire.
# Pride is the backbone of hostility.
# Doubt breeds fear, fear causes failure.
# Rejection leads to un-forgiveness, bitterness, anger, hatred, rebellion, depression and ultimately, suicide.
# When we loose sight of Jesus, it is usually because all we see are our circumstances and we listen to people.
# Christians are pre-destined to be conformed to the glorious image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
# God’s blessings are not a sign of His favor,
They are a sign of His mercy.
Difficulties in the life of believers are not a sign of God’s dis-favor,
Those too, are a sign of His mercy.
For He would use our embrace of these troubles in His process to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
# The fruit of one’s lips determines the work God has done on one’s behalf.
# A man will not call on God untill his need is greater than himself.
# What a Christian believes about himself will determine how he experiences life.
When he believes he is a sinner, he will act like a sinner.
For a Christian to believe he is a sinner is to effectively deny the all-sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And that is sin!
When a Christian believes he is a saint, he will live like a saint.
He will rejoice in the fact that resurrection life is a present reality.
# Faith is an attitude of the heart, not an exercise of the mind.
# Victorious living requires self-discipline.
# Prevention is easier than rehabilitation.
# Little love translates into much law.
Much love translates into little law.
# The inheritance of the saints is to reign with Christ in this life and the life hereafter. Delivered from the power of darkness and having been translated into the Kingdom of Light, Col. 1:12.
# The love of the truth is the criteria of spirituality.
# The hatred of evil is proportional to the quality of our love for God.
# Some paradoxes of the Christian life:
Life comes out of death.
Victory is the result of surrender.
Receiving is the result of giving.
Strength follows the admission of weakness.
Wholeness comes after brokeness.
Joy comes after sorrow.
# G.R.A.C.E. = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
St. Thomas, May ’08.
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