It's dangerous in the Temple.

Who said Jesus was meek and mild? Meek yes, in its true meaning! Mild, not a good word to use about Him. He was and remains passionate for that which is pleasing to the Father and beneficial to His disciples. People also like to major on Christ’s love and bandy it around as a panacea for everything – even a cover for personal misbehaviour. It is more convenient to ignore the fact that Jesus is also our Judge.

The Lord Jesus created a unique Fellowship when He was crucified and resurrected. The Holy Spirit gave it breath on the day of Pentecost. This body of people comprises the Church –the Body of Christ on earth. For Jesus, we who belong to Him through faith in Him and a transformed life by the Holy Spirit are precious. In fact, the New Testament describes us, individually and corporately as ‘His Temple.’ The term actually means ‘the Shrine’ – the inner sanctum of the temple, the Holy of Holies. This is exciting, beautiful to the mind and at the same time, dangerous.

‘If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy (defile); for the Temple of God is holy, which Temple you are.’ 1 Corinthians 3:17. Jesus is very passionate about the Temple – both the literal historical one and His spiritual one. Remember what He did to those traders who abused the courts of the temple by their making it a den of thieves. In righteous anger, and for the honour of His Father’s name Jesus overturned their tables, fashioned a whip and drove them out. Do you think He will do anything less to any who abuse His spiritual temple?

History records depressing illustrations of the desecration of Christ’s Body! Not all of it from opponents of Christ. Too often ego driven, self-opinionated, ambitious and self-righteous individuals have defiled what Christ holds as precious. Their salvation status may not be in question, but they will be ashamed in Christ’s presence. As they stand before His judgement set – the Bema – His presence will consume what they imagine is worthy of a good report. Read 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.

In the New Testament are written instructions, advice and warnings to prevent us, any of us, from defiling Christ’s Temple. This applies both to the individual as to the local congregation. Such instructions are a chilling warning to all, but especially to those in leadership. The Lord Judge of all the earth isn’t interested in what wealth, fame or materialism you have accumulated. He searches the heart. He weights your deeds in the light of His Word, His character, His calling and the health and treatment you, I, have given to His Temple.

To lacerate, fracture or poison the spiritual Body of Christ on earth, or any of its members brings ‘defilement’ upon self. That is the spirit of Diotrephes’ (3 John 9-11). If there is a dispute that cannot be resolved it is better to weep, walk away and but pray for those by whom you have been hurt, and undoubtedly hurt them also. The account of Ananias and Sapphira is another troublesome story. Acts 5 details this as a warning not to play fast and loose with the truth, stewardship and ministry. I wonder how many funerals would be performed each week if the Lord still did this. Maybe on occasions He does, but only He will know that. Better not to take the gamble for you will lose if not now, when you and the Lord are face to face.

There are so many blatant and insidious ways to defile that which Christ loves or has designed. None of us will be one hundred percent innocent. However, we can be one hundred percent repentant and make restitution where possible. Read 1 Corinthians at least and read how they defiled their worship, relationships and Scripture. From envying, strife and division to Communion disorder and ungodly lifestyle the ‘whip of the Lord’ must have been itching to crack! Those in leadership are under a heavy burden to set the tone as well as honour, cherish and protect the ‘Body of Christ.’ Hebrews 13:17 is a good summary. If they are not worthy of this trust, pray for them as you seek out one who is (1 Peter 5:1-6).

Paul’s advice to Timothy to ‘guard that which has been committed to you’, is still relevant for us. Guard our mind, guard our tongue, guard our relationships, guard our worship, guard our faith and guard the honour of our Lord and His Temple. Guard it graciously, mercifully and biblically.

© Ray Hawkins June 25^th 2017.
[Next week the spirit of Diotrephes - read 3 John. 'What's in a Name)

Judas in the pulpit.

The after shocks of Judas’ betrayal must have been immense. Strange how we are not told the way the eleven disciples coped with it. The anger, the self recriminations for not being alert to him and personal disappointment at being duped must have caused turmoil. Were they realising how difficult it would be to ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?’ Did the teachings of Jesus seem so much harder? 

When you meet the disciples during the time Jesus was in the tomb they’re huddled together in the upper room. Fear held sway. Such fear would be compounded with uneasiness because of Judas’ betrayal and suicide by hanging. The thought of being seen in public didn’t have much appeal. In the letters of John and Peter we can read and thereby understand how they ultimately won the inner wrestle. Doing what the Lord commanded. The power of knowing, showing, expressing and receiving from fellow disciples Christ’s love! 

The traitor’s spiritual descendants of darkness still breed. When a spiritual descendent of Judas infiltrates a congregation he or she is often undetected. Being cunning thieves of various hues it is sometime before they are unmasked. Chaos and hurt then bursts upon the Church and gossip runs rampant in the Community. The urge to find an ‘upper room’ and hide far from the accusations, innuendoes or shattered dreams of people is strong. The soul’s urge is to lash out on behalf of self and for others thus betrayed. Its force can be overwhelming. Wrath and revenge surge even as the Holy Spirit reminds about loving the enemy and leaving God to be the avenger.

Jesus over the period of His teaching warned His disciples about infiltrators. Men would appear to be the ‘goods’ yet be either self– obsessed or Satan possessed. In Matthew 7:15 is the description of false prophets being ‘ferocious wolves in sheep’s clothing.’ In John 10 the Lord again highlights the sad truth that His flock will suffer thieves, robbers and wolves. What is our defence against such intruders especially when they have the outward appearance of a sheep or shepherd? You must protect your people with the rod and staff of God’s Word. There can be no smoothing over of the mauling mayhem inflicted. Pious words about forgiveness don’t solve the problem either.  Dealing with the aftermath of scattered, torn, frightened, disillusioned believers requires more than that. The wolves must be confronted and removed. The healing of the wounded and mauled requires grace and patience. The ointment of God’s word must be skilfully and tenderly applied. Worship must take on a distinct therapeutic nature under the Sovereignty of Christ. The biggest battle will take place in the Pastor’s and Elders' hearts. They would have suffered personally whilst having empathy with his people. They also carry the weight of the grieving flock before an inquisitive community. Fortunate the  minister and Elders who stand with and surround each other with prayer, wisdom, a listening ear and grace.

The emotional and spiritual conflict can only be won on the knees. It will require many kneeling times as the leadership struggles with the wounded, the grieving and the inquisitive. The congregation must come together around the Lord’s Table: share their hurts and struggles: find God’s healing and hope. Only through this enabling will the members take Communion without bitterness. The healing of the wounds takes place as pastor, Elders and people share honestly with the Lord. There must be a candid yet merciful openness before the Lord. A willingness to apply His specific word to their situation will guard them from revenge. Love for the Lord Jesus will empower them to pray that the Judas will find repentance lest he spent eternity in the outer darkness.

What made the difference with the ‘Eleven’ so they could go and face the world? When the risen Lord Jesus came into the upper room and said ‘Peace’ victory was happening. As leaders and members there are times when you need Jesus to come into your ‘upper room’ and breath ‘Peace.’ There He breathed upon them the Holy Spirit. Oh how vital it is to be refreshed, renewed, empowered and enveloped by Him. Only then will we move from the 'upper-room' into a sceptical world with the reality of the cross and the grace of Christ Jesus.

 Ray Hawkins June 18 2017.

Life's Hills and Valley's

Cradle Mt. Tasmania.

The Nation of Israel was on the verge of entering the land promised to Abraham 470 years approximately before. In the book of Deuteronomy Moses gives some snapshots of it. Listening to it must have stirred the hearts of the people. The land was in sharp contrast to that from which they had come, the furnace of Egypt. Canaan was a good land, flowing with streams and with springs and underground water. The land had hills and valleys and fruit trees, pasture and minerals.

There were, however, certain obstacles and conditions to be faced before they could successfully possessed their promised possession. The land was occupied by godless and depraved Nations intent on keeping Israel out. Wandering throughout the land were also wild animals as we read about from David’s encounter with a lion and a bear. The Lord through Moses gave the people a strategy for victory. In one word is was ‘Obedience!’ By being faithful to the Lord’s commands, judgements and statutes the nation would prevail. Disobedience meant failure.

The historical experiences of the Nation can be transferred to the international and spiritual identity called the Church. We are called out of the ungodly world scene to live a lifestyle in sharp contrast to that of the World. When a person hears then heeds the call of Christ to take up their cross and follow Him it sounds idyllic. Sins forgiven, heaven beyond death’s horizon, a transformed life with purpose, hope and fellowship excite and bless. Then we face opposition, often from family and friends. Then from out of our soul the equivalent of the wild beast emerge to terrorise and make us doubt. There wouldn’t be a disciple of Christ who hasn’t felt the tread of sins past or the breath of guilt and shame producing a sense of unworthiness. How are these slain or chained? Through the grace of God, knowledge of His word, deliberately sharing them with the Saviour so that He can deal with such ‘creatures of the soul!’

The intent of the opposition is to turn our attention away from worship and fellowship with the Lord to the uncomplicated but ungodly life before salvation. Psalm 73 is a record of this temptation. It also offers the steps to refocus.

The mention of hills and valleys associated with the land is instructive. Once again they have their spiritual counterparts within the Christian life. For us the important hill is that of Calvary. There our redemption was secured. Included in what the Lord Jesus achieved for us was our own death. We have died to our old life and destiny. We have died to the impossibility of keeping the Mosaic Law. (Romans 6. Romans 7:1-6. And Galatians 2:19-20). Within our walk with the Lord He will bring us to experience the Mount of Transfiguration where we discover new dimensions to our Lord. These two lead us to a mountain where He has a challenge for us. Matthew 28:16-20 expresses the challenge by the word “GO!” We are not told the how. We are simply given the command. It is out of our circumstances, personality, training, abilities, and maturity that we are to seize opportunity to share our faith in Christ.

Mountains and hills mean that valley’s also exist. Reading the Old Testament reveals quite a number of them. Each has its spiritual and moral relation in our walk of faith. It is in the valleys the reality of our trust in the Lord becomes evident. The valley of Achor was where Israel failed (Joshua 7 is the account and its aftermath). However, when dealt with God is able to turn failure into testimony through repentance according to Hosea 2:15. As disciples of the Lord we will fall over and the ungodly will laugh at the ‘mud’ which covers us. There isn’t any value in denying it or ignoring it. When we apologise to the Lord and accept His discipline, He washes us though His poured out life and intercession. Then He lifts us up and gets us on the narrow way again. Our testimony is not of being perfect but of being forgiven. We boast not of our goodness but of Christ’s grace. Other valleys we will walk through. The Lord wants to turn them from tears to triumph, from conflict to conquest. The final valley we will face is of course recorded in Psalm 23. For a Christian it is a valley to pass through but not alone. The Good Shepherd walked it first and has promised to walk it again with His people, His ‘sheep.’

In closing, the wonder associated with the physical land and its spiritual foreshadowing is this promise. ‘The land that you are crossing over to occupy is a land…that the Lord your God looks after. The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.’ Deuteronomy 11:11-12.

Demolishing the Devil's game-plan

In the Garden Satan commenced his ‘game plan.’ Distort God’s word plain and straightforward word. Cause a person to doubt that God means what He says. Destroy the relationship between the person and his or her Lord through unbelief leading to disobedience and into despair. That’s all wrapped up in a three letter word – sin!

The 39 books of the Old Testament record time after time how successful this approach has been. Fortunately, there were those who stood true to the revealed word of God, although they messed up in their personal lives. Then came Jesus! As the Second Adam He faced the full force of the Devil’s master plan. How did Jesus as the Second Adam prevail? By correctly interpreting, quoting and applying Scripture. “It is written” was the Son of Man’s sword which sent the Devil sulking to ‘lick’ his wounds.

Yahweh has spelt out His masterplan. The Devil doesn’t want you to read it, believe it or share it. He uses everything in his arsenal to deafen a person to God’s word. As soon as the early Church began its outreach with “It is written” the Devil tried to deface the message and offer either alternatives or adversaries to crush it. The book of Acts is an account of the conflict. Perhaps the most succinct book in the New Testament revealing his infiltration and perverting is Jude. Revelation 2 and 3 also tells a similar story. What promises victory? Summed up in the phrase “that which has been delivered once and for all (time). That is, the message of the cross and the person and victory of Jesus! Righty dividing and applying God’s word confronts the half-truths, misquoting and outright lies of the deceiver.

However, those who belong to the Lord have a personal responsibility necessary to ensure victory. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ‘Though we walk in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical, but they are mighty before God for the overthrown and destruction pf strongholds. [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (Amplified version).

What Eve, then Adam failed to do in Eden continues to be a challenge for their descendants who follow Christ Jesus as Saviour and Lord. That is, lead every thought and purpose captive by obedience to Christ and His word. I find this a constant challenge. Whether it is pride, pleasure, ignorance or indifference I will sometimes be led on a detour from doing what God’s word says. I then find that my spiritual ‘arm’ is lead’ and my stamina as the Lord’s soldier had evaporated. Getting off the detour, taking refuge in the grace of the Lord and accepting His discipline is the only way to tackling the Devil’s strategies. We are only overcomers by being faithful to the Overcomer, Jesus! We can only be faithful through knowing His word and growing in His grace. We will ever only thwart the Devil’s game place when we are people of sincerity and pure motives and speak the word of God in Christ and in the sight and presence of God. (check 2 Corinthians 2:17)

Remember as servants, we are accountable to the Master. As soldiers, the Lord of Hosts will inspect. As saints, our relationship to the Redeemer will be scrutinized. As witnesses to the game plan of the Lord our defence and promotion of it will be evaluated.

Our prayer must include “Lord, teach me your word. Lord keep me faithful. Lord, stand with me so that I will stand true to you!”