Romans 11: 33- 36
Doxology
(or Song of Praise to glorify God)
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
We need to change - part 3 - last part
We believe that we have to change to be happy. The Bible, specifically in Rom 12: 1 and 2, urges us to change our minds in order to become what God desires us to be.
There is a process by which we are changed to become more like Christ. It is the process of being transformed. What we are taught in Rom 12, is a change of our minds that changes our nature. It is much more than an outward change. It is so radical that people would not be able to tell that we actually are the same people we used to be.
As my mind is renewed, my inner self changes. It is the person inside me that becomes more like Christ, because our thinking is trained to think along the lines of God’s ideas. We are told in Philippians: 4 to think about such things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
These we can only do by studying and contemplating the Word of God. We must seek out every opportunity to read and hear God’s Word. As we read and hear it taught, we are to respond to the challenge of being changed to the ways God thinks about life and by being obedient to that Word.
Rom 12: 1 & 2 says that the test whether we are changed by God Word, is that we come to a place where we not only know the will of God, but begin to live according to it. Paul says: “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom12: 2c)
A renewed person delights in knowing and doing the Word of God. Only a transformed mind can test the will of God, to prove that it is good, pleasing, and perfect.
The will of God is good. God only asks us to do that which is good for us.
The will of God is pleasing. It pleases God and will in the end please us. This is because it will result in a relationship with God which secures his blessing of us.
The will of God is perfect. God wants the best for us. His will is completely what we need in order walk with the Lord, work for the Lord and make a difference in the world for the Lord.
If you are a Christian, are you completely his? Have you surrendered to his will and Word?
Someone wrote that we must be careful not to develop the kind of Church we are the home of the 1% tithe and the thirty minute service with sermonettes for Christianettes. Or where our commitment is that instead of "Standing on the Promises" we are merely “sitting on the premises”.
This is not what God has in mind for me and you.
God wants everything. He wants our lives, our time, our abilities and resources, our jobs, our leisure, our families and marriages, our homes and our hobbies! Because God wants to change our minds and transforms us till we think like him and live for him in imitation of him in every aspect of life.
Do not be conformed — be transformed.
Come to Christ for a change.
There is a process by which we are changed to become more like Christ. It is the process of being transformed. What we are taught in Rom 12, is a change of our minds that changes our nature. It is much more than an outward change. It is so radical that people would not be able to tell that we actually are the same people we used to be.
As my mind is renewed, my inner self changes. It is the person inside me that becomes more like Christ, because our thinking is trained to think along the lines of God’s ideas. We are told in Philippians: 4 to think about such things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
These we can only do by studying and contemplating the Word of God. We must seek out every opportunity to read and hear God’s Word. As we read and hear it taught, we are to respond to the challenge of being changed to the ways God thinks about life and by being obedient to that Word.
Rom 12: 1 & 2 says that the test whether we are changed by God Word, is that we come to a place where we not only know the will of God, but begin to live according to it. Paul says: “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom12: 2c)
A renewed person delights in knowing and doing the Word of God. Only a transformed mind can test the will of God, to prove that it is good, pleasing, and perfect.
The will of God is good. God only asks us to do that which is good for us.
The will of God is pleasing. It pleases God and will in the end please us. This is because it will result in a relationship with God which secures his blessing of us.
The will of God is perfect. God wants the best for us. His will is completely what we need in order walk with the Lord, work for the Lord and make a difference in the world for the Lord.
If you are a Christian, are you completely his? Have you surrendered to his will and Word?
Someone wrote that we must be careful not to develop the kind of Church we are the home of the 1% tithe and the thirty minute service with sermonettes for Christianettes. Or where our commitment is that instead of "Standing on the Promises" we are merely “sitting on the premises”.
This is not what God has in mind for me and you.
God wants everything. He wants our lives, our time, our abilities and resources, our jobs, our leisure, our families and marriages, our homes and our hobbies! Because God wants to change our minds and transforms us till we think like him and live for him in imitation of him in every aspect of life.
Do not be conformed — be transformed.
Come to Christ for a change.
Monday, October 24, 2011
What if you were as small as an insect?
If you were as small as an insect, it would give you a different view of everything in the world. A field of grass would turn into an extraordinarily tall forest and a stone or brick would be a soaring steeple. It would certainly be your reality, but, and this is important, only a reality from your perspective as being one of the smallest creatures around. The lion would have a totally different view of the grass and the brick! Your reality is not always real – it is not always the true reality.
Our perception of reality changes, because it is based on our subjective perspective. Our reality often is nothing more than our personal view. But it may not be the whole truth. There is a difference between wat is true for me, and what is The Truth!
It is, for example, my perspective that I am a sinner. But The Truth is that I am a sinner saved by grace. I know that my best works are nothing but filthy rags before God. But The Truth is that I am clothed in Christ's righteousness. Christ is my righteousness, and I stand complete in Him.
It know that I am defeated from time to time and I know that I fall short of a victorious life. But, although this is true, The Truth is that I overcome in Christ and am able to do everything in and through Christ who gives me strength.
It is true that at times I do not feel saved. But The Truth is that my salvation is not dependent on my feelings. While it is true that I do not feel saved, The Truth is that I am saved in and through Christ Jesus.
Our perception of reality changes, because it is based on our subjective perspective. Our reality often is nothing more than our personal view. But it may not be the whole truth. There is a difference between wat is true for me, and what is The Truth!
It is, for example, my perspective that I am a sinner. But The Truth is that I am a sinner saved by grace. I know that my best works are nothing but filthy rags before God. But The Truth is that I am clothed in Christ's righteousness. Christ is my righteousness, and I stand complete in Him.
It know that I am defeated from time to time and I know that I fall short of a victorious life. But, although this is true, The Truth is that I overcome in Christ and am able to do everything in and through Christ who gives me strength.
It is true that at times I do not feel saved. But The Truth is that my salvation is not dependent on my feelings. While it is true that I do not feel saved, The Truth is that I am saved in and through Christ Jesus.
Friday, October 21, 2011
A special Christian friend is a God-given treasure
Christian friends are closely supportive of one another on a spiritual, emotional and practical level. Both giving and receiving in a fair and balanced way, between genuine Christian friends, makes it a most special and even godly relationship.
Christian friendships between equals are quite different from friendships where one of the friends is a mentor of a brand new or young Christian. It is a mutually beneficent relationship within Christ’s community on earth.
Christian friendship between equals do not come about in an instant or happen overnight. They develop over a long period of time as trust grows, sensitive matters are shared and prayed about together. It develops while both friends progress in knowledge of Christ and in spiritual understanding. A strong Christian friendship flourishes of course when two friends grow together in faith, goodness, knowledge, and other saintly gifts and experiences.
A good Christian friend is a treasure to be grateful for, one could even say, it is a special gift from the Lord. Care for your Christian friend, pray for him/her, and most of all, in being a saintly friend, you cultivate and secure lifelong support and joy!
Christian friendships between equals are quite different from friendships where one of the friends is a mentor of a brand new or young Christian. It is a mutually beneficent relationship within Christ’s community on earth.
Christian friendship between equals do not come about in an instant or happen overnight. They develop over a long period of time as trust grows, sensitive matters are shared and prayed about together. It develops while both friends progress in knowledge of Christ and in spiritual understanding. A strong Christian friendship flourishes of course when two friends grow together in faith, goodness, knowledge, and other saintly gifts and experiences.
A good Christian friend is a treasure to be grateful for, one could even say, it is a special gift from the Lord. Care for your Christian friend, pray for him/her, and most of all, in being a saintly friend, you cultivate and secure lifelong support and joy!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
We need to change - part 2
We believe that we have to change to be happy. But then we are afraid of change, because it brings uncertainty. The Bible, specifically in Rom 12, urges us to change our minds in order to become what God desires us to be.
Rom 12: 1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy… We are sinners both by nature and choice. In spite of this God loves us and sent Jesus to die for us to set us free from sin and its consequences. By great mercy the Lord saved us through the gift of faith. So we cannot take God’s mercy and saving grace for granted. We must allow God’s work in us to change us according to God’s will. The awesome mercy we received in salvation should urge us to remember our real priorities in life.
Rom 12: 1 –“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” We are urged to present the lives lived in this body not to the desires within us, which wage war against the life of the Spirit. No, we need to offer our regular daily lives to God as sacrifices of thanksgiving for his mercy. In doing so, we commit our bodies to God and yield them into his control.
God wants our lives. He has said that it is pleasing to him if we live our lives in his honour. God calls it a holy sacrifice to him.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "When Christ calls someone, he bids him/her to come and die." You cannot experience resurrection life until you experienced the death of having your own mind about everything. We cannot cultivate the Christian life before we sanctified our thinking and living. This is called our spiritual act of worship. It is true worship. It implies radical change that impacts on everything we do! It changes our minds not only about the priorities in daily living, but also about the very things we choose to do.
According to our nature, you may not know or want to study the Bible. And knowing truth does not always change our minds to godly thinking and doing! Thoughts of Jesus and his sacrifice may bring tears to your eyes, or you may be brought to tears by Christian songs. Yet, tears do not change our minds or lives. God’s Word does! The Spirit does.
To sacrifice your life to God, you have to let go of control of your life to the Holy Spirit. And the only way we can tell if we do this, is to be examined in the light of the Word of God. Our challenge is to yield to God and allow him to live in and through us and to change our minds and in this manner, to change our lives to living sacrifices that brings glory and honour to God.
May God bless, protect and preserve us until his Kingdom comes in perfect glory.
Rom 12: 1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy… We are sinners both by nature and choice. In spite of this God loves us and sent Jesus to die for us to set us free from sin and its consequences. By great mercy the Lord saved us through the gift of faith. So we cannot take God’s mercy and saving grace for granted. We must allow God’s work in us to change us according to God’s will. The awesome mercy we received in salvation should urge us to remember our real priorities in life.
Rom 12: 1 –“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” We are urged to present the lives lived in this body not to the desires within us, which wage war against the life of the Spirit. No, we need to offer our regular daily lives to God as sacrifices of thanksgiving for his mercy. In doing so, we commit our bodies to God and yield them into his control.
God wants our lives. He has said that it is pleasing to him if we live our lives in his honour. God calls it a holy sacrifice to him.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "When Christ calls someone, he bids him/her to come and die." You cannot experience resurrection life until you experienced the death of having your own mind about everything. We cannot cultivate the Christian life before we sanctified our thinking and living. This is called our spiritual act of worship. It is true worship. It implies radical change that impacts on everything we do! It changes our minds not only about the priorities in daily living, but also about the very things we choose to do.
According to our nature, you may not know or want to study the Bible. And knowing truth does not always change our minds to godly thinking and doing! Thoughts of Jesus and his sacrifice may bring tears to your eyes, or you may be brought to tears by Christian songs. Yet, tears do not change our minds or lives. God’s Word does! The Spirit does.
To sacrifice your life to God, you have to let go of control of your life to the Holy Spirit. And the only way we can tell if we do this, is to be examined in the light of the Word of God. Our challenge is to yield to God and allow him to live in and through us and to change our minds and in this manner, to change our lives to living sacrifices that brings glory and honour to God.
May God bless, protect and preserve us until his Kingdom comes in perfect glory.
Monday, October 17, 2011
True, lasting friendship
John 15: 13 "Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends”, Jesus said.
A true friend is someone with whom we enjoy mutual affection, interests and respect. The best friends are those who help when we are in trouble and who are our advocates when we need that someone gives more than expected and does not insist on receiving.
Jesus said: "Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” Christ’s friendship is based on his sacrificial love on the cross and giving holy direction through the complete revelation of his will for our lives.
All important love relationships find their model and standard from the friendship Jesus offers us. Joyful marriages, healthy families and successful congregations are founded on the love that friends share with each other. This love is expressed in noble sacrificial giving and helpfulness that overcomes adversary. Such a friendship leads to open communication, complete truthfulness and faithfulness, kind and unselfish counsel without a hidden agenda, and a great union of minds, ideas, dreams and goals of which brave men and women are capable.
Jesus knew that the best kind of friendships would evolve between friends who share the gift of friendship with him, as Jesus shares a divine friendship with his Father. Nothing is more exciting than when we share the satisfaction that I and my friend both are in close communication with the Lord Jesus. Friendship is enhanced when we share mutual activities that contribute to the expansion of the kingdom of God and the revelation of his holiness and love. Without Jesus at the centre of friendship, it either will fail, or cause us to put people above our devotion to God which both lead to hurt and emotional pain.
A friend is someone who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is sacred. It is one who understands our silences and gives lot of sympathy and empathy without giving judgment - and whose closeness provides true joy.
Your real friend is the one who comes to you, when the rest of the world leaves you.
Such a Friend Jesus is to those who love and follow him.
A true friend is someone with whom we enjoy mutual affection, interests and respect. The best friends are those who help when we are in trouble and who are our advocates when we need that someone gives more than expected and does not insist on receiving.
Jesus said: "Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” Christ’s friendship is based on his sacrificial love on the cross and giving holy direction through the complete revelation of his will for our lives.
All important love relationships find their model and standard from the friendship Jesus offers us. Joyful marriages, healthy families and successful congregations are founded on the love that friends share with each other. This love is expressed in noble sacrificial giving and helpfulness that overcomes adversary. Such a friendship leads to open communication, complete truthfulness and faithfulness, kind and unselfish counsel without a hidden agenda, and a great union of minds, ideas, dreams and goals of which brave men and women are capable.
Jesus knew that the best kind of friendships would evolve between friends who share the gift of friendship with him, as Jesus shares a divine friendship with his Father. Nothing is more exciting than when we share the satisfaction that I and my friend both are in close communication with the Lord Jesus. Friendship is enhanced when we share mutual activities that contribute to the expansion of the kingdom of God and the revelation of his holiness and love. Without Jesus at the centre of friendship, it either will fail, or cause us to put people above our devotion to God which both lead to hurt and emotional pain.
A friend is someone who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is sacred. It is one who understands our silences and gives lot of sympathy and empathy without giving judgment - and whose closeness provides true joy.
Your real friend is the one who comes to you, when the rest of the world leaves you.
Such a Friend Jesus is to those who love and follow him.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
We need to change
We need to change.
The media put a message out that if we do not change, we will not be happy and will miss out on lots of fun and happiness. So we desire to change, because we are told that if we are slimmer, tanner, fashionably dressed, stylish, better looking, go to a different bank, have more debt, support another chain store or are better perfumed, we will be happier and more satisfied. The propaganda is put out, and we often believe it. To change our situation for the better is a desire we all have. So we desire change that will satisfy our needs.
But then we are also afraid of change. The uncertainties that change may bring, let us hold onto the status quo, not because it gives us what we desire, but because it makes us feel safe and secure. Perhaps we fear that change will make us even more unhappy than the status quo.
But we live in a dynamic world which requires us to change in order to survive and keep up with the demands made to us. We cannot keep making the same mistakes and we cannot continue with behaviour that causes us and others to suffer or be hurt.
The Gospel is all about our need to change. But the change God requires is much more than a miracle cream or perfect product or a new car or lifestyle. The Bible gives us a recipe for change that will surprise us, because it tells us that only if the very way we think and the way we are willing to sacrifice our own ideas and desires, will bring us to a place where we will be able to test what the will of God is, and that having our minds thus changed about life, and death, will bring us to a good and pleasing place.
Carefully read what Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (changed) by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Over the next 2 or three weeks we will consider this teaching in Romans 12.
But lets say it upfront: The most important change we need is to stop conforming to the ideas and propaganda of the world, to change our mind, and seek to have a mind that thinks like God thinks about our lives.
The media put a message out that if we do not change, we will not be happy and will miss out on lots of fun and happiness. So we desire to change, because we are told that if we are slimmer, tanner, fashionably dressed, stylish, better looking, go to a different bank, have more debt, support another chain store or are better perfumed, we will be happier and more satisfied. The propaganda is put out, and we often believe it. To change our situation for the better is a desire we all have. So we desire change that will satisfy our needs.
But then we are also afraid of change. The uncertainties that change may bring, let us hold onto the status quo, not because it gives us what we desire, but because it makes us feel safe and secure. Perhaps we fear that change will make us even more unhappy than the status quo.
But we live in a dynamic world which requires us to change in order to survive and keep up with the demands made to us. We cannot keep making the same mistakes and we cannot continue with behaviour that causes us and others to suffer or be hurt.
The Gospel is all about our need to change. But the change God requires is much more than a miracle cream or perfect product or a new car or lifestyle. The Bible gives us a recipe for change that will surprise us, because it tells us that only if the very way we think and the way we are willing to sacrifice our own ideas and desires, will bring us to a place where we will be able to test what the will of God is, and that having our minds thus changed about life, and death, will bring us to a good and pleasing place.
Carefully read what Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (changed) by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Over the next 2 or three weeks we will consider this teaching in Romans 12.
But lets say it upfront: The most important change we need is to stop conforming to the ideas and propaganda of the world, to change our mind, and seek to have a mind that thinks like God thinks about our lives.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
What’s in a name, Christian?
And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26c).
So, what’s in a name?
We are Christians because we belong to Christ and therefore we are named after him. We are members of his party. We are his followers. We love the Lord Jesus Christ. So, we are called Christians. We are called Christians because we are called to take after Christ, to show his character and to make him known by the words we speak and the lives we live.
Who is Christ? He has many names in Scripture. And all these names reflect his character, his nature and his calling.
In Isaiah 9: 6 it says of the Messiah (Hebrew for Christ) that "His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." The names of our Lord, the Christ of God, abound in Scripture.
He is called the Second Adam, the Alpha and Omega, the Ancient of Days, the Amen, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, the Blessed and Only Emperor, the Captain of our Salvation, the Chief Shepherd, the Cornerstone. He is the Dayspring, the Desire of the Nations, the Faithful Witness, the First and the Last. He is our Great High Priest, the Holy One of God. He is the Great I Am, the Judge of Israel, the King of the Jews, the King of Saints, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Lord of Glory and he is the Light of the World. He is the Messiah, the Mediator between God and Man, the Man of sorrows, yet, the Mighty God. He is the Prince of Peace, the Resurrection and the Life, the Rock of our Salvation, the Root of David, the Saviour of the World. He is the Great Shepherd, the Son of Righteousness, the Son of man, and the Son of God. He is the True Vine, the Truth, the Witness, and the Word of God. He is the Lamb of God, and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
This is who Christ is. What’s in a name? There is much in a name. These names in the Scriptures were symbolic. It spoke about the character, nature and calling of Christ.
And the name “Christian” speaks of the character and calling of his followers!
Might the Lord by revealing all of this, be saying to us, "Christian, change your life or change your name?"
So, what’s in a name?
We are Christians because we belong to Christ and therefore we are named after him. We are members of his party. We are his followers. We love the Lord Jesus Christ. So, we are called Christians. We are called Christians because we are called to take after Christ, to show his character and to make him known by the words we speak and the lives we live.
Who is Christ? He has many names in Scripture. And all these names reflect his character, his nature and his calling.
In Isaiah 9: 6 it says of the Messiah (Hebrew for Christ) that "His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." The names of our Lord, the Christ of God, abound in Scripture.
He is called the Second Adam, the Alpha and Omega, the Ancient of Days, the Amen, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, the Blessed and Only Emperor, the Captain of our Salvation, the Chief Shepherd, the Cornerstone. He is the Dayspring, the Desire of the Nations, the Faithful Witness, the First and the Last. He is our Great High Priest, the Holy One of God. He is the Great I Am, the Judge of Israel, the King of the Jews, the King of Saints, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Lord of Glory and he is the Light of the World. He is the Messiah, the Mediator between God and Man, the Man of sorrows, yet, the Mighty God. He is the Prince of Peace, the Resurrection and the Life, the Rock of our Salvation, the Root of David, the Saviour of the World. He is the Great Shepherd, the Son of Righteousness, the Son of man, and the Son of God. He is the True Vine, the Truth, the Witness, and the Word of God. He is the Lamb of God, and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
This is who Christ is. What’s in a name? There is much in a name. These names in the Scriptures were symbolic. It spoke about the character, nature and calling of Christ.
And the name “Christian” speaks of the character and calling of his followers!
Might the Lord by revealing all of this, be saying to us, "Christian, change your life or change your name?"
Friday, October 7, 2011
TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST
TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST
or, do not decide to fast, too fast…
Do we or do we not have to fast? Jesus never commanded fasting, but he did speak of it as an existing custom. He approved of it, although his disciples did not fast during his stay on earth. But they fasted after he left them to go to heaven. Fasting usually is combined with prayer.
What is Fasting?
To put it simply, fasting is abstinence from anything legitimate for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. Normally, fasting is an abstinence from food, but it could be any other useful activity. Remember what young Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar? Daniel and his three friends abstained from the royal food and wine and limited themselves to vegetables and water (Dan 1:8-14).
Jesus never commanded fasting, but he did approve of it. Jesus fasted for 40 days before he entered his ministry. He found it important in order to prepare for God’s work he would do. Should we then not benefit from it as well?
But if we do it, we never do it out of a sense of duty or obligation. It is not something we do because someone tells us to do it. It is something we want to do, freely, of our own will. It should be spontaneous, something that arises from our heart.
An example of fasting.
I have to mention Nineveh. A reluctant Jonah announced that Nineveh had forty days to repent or it would be destroyed. Remember what happened? The result was nothing short of amazing:
(Jonah 3:5-9) The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (6) When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. (7) Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. (8) But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. (9) Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."
I am having an awfully hard time trying to imagine this kind of response in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban. But we most probably need it as desperately as Nineveh did.
Purpose of Fasting
Fasting comes under the general heading of discipline. Are we able to discipline ourselves to the point where we can say "No" to bodily appetites and desires? Is our stomach our God? Or, is our God the Lord almighty? That's the question. Are we able to control our cravings or do they control us? Remember what Jesus said: (Mt 16:24) "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Fasting in the Bible was always combined with prayer. What it comes down to is that fasting aids or helps or assists our prayer life. It seems that when the stomach is full, the body and mind are less able to concentrate on spiritual things. Fasting actually expresses a hunger for God. We abstain from food and other things so we can better concentrate on God and the things of God.
Fasting is also an expression of sorrow for sin. That was certainly the case with Nineveh, David, and others. Those who sin want to fast as a sign of their repentance. They want to show outwardly the inner sorrow and grief that they feel.
Fasting is also a sign of our unworthiness. It is a sign that we deserve nothing, not even the food we eat, the water we drink, or the air we breathe. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us! It suits us then to humble ourselves before God to confess our national sins, and to pray for mercy and forgiveness.
Fasting may sometimes be the vehicle to express our emotional pain to God. (Think of Job – for example chapter 42) It is to wrestle with God, because we have unanswered questions about our life and the pain that is part of it.
The Manner of Fasting
The Pharisees boasted that they fasted twice a week. And, so that all would know they were fasting, they would wear old clothes and wouldn't wash their face or anoint themselves with oil or perfume. Jesus advised: Don't be like the Pharisees when you fast. Act natural. It is a very personal matter between you and God and should come from your heart, your soul, your spirit. It must be personal, sincere and authentic.
Fasting is about something between you and God. He who sees the heart will bless you and answer you!!
or, do not decide to fast, too fast…
Do we or do we not have to fast? Jesus never commanded fasting, but he did speak of it as an existing custom. He approved of it, although his disciples did not fast during his stay on earth. But they fasted after he left them to go to heaven. Fasting usually is combined with prayer.
What is Fasting?
To put it simply, fasting is abstinence from anything legitimate for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. Normally, fasting is an abstinence from food, but it could be any other useful activity. Remember what young Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar? Daniel and his three friends abstained from the royal food and wine and limited themselves to vegetables and water (Dan 1:8-14).
Jesus never commanded fasting, but he did approve of it. Jesus fasted for 40 days before he entered his ministry. He found it important in order to prepare for God’s work he would do. Should we then not benefit from it as well?
But if we do it, we never do it out of a sense of duty or obligation. It is not something we do because someone tells us to do it. It is something we want to do, freely, of our own will. It should be spontaneous, something that arises from our heart.
An example of fasting.
I have to mention Nineveh. A reluctant Jonah announced that Nineveh had forty days to repent or it would be destroyed. Remember what happened? The result was nothing short of amazing:
(Jonah 3:5-9) The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (6) When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. (7) Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. (8) But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. (9) Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."
I am having an awfully hard time trying to imagine this kind of response in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban. But we most probably need it as desperately as Nineveh did.
Purpose of Fasting
Fasting comes under the general heading of discipline. Are we able to discipline ourselves to the point where we can say "No" to bodily appetites and desires? Is our stomach our God? Or, is our God the Lord almighty? That's the question. Are we able to control our cravings or do they control us? Remember what Jesus said: (Mt 16:24) "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Fasting in the Bible was always combined with prayer. What it comes down to is that fasting aids or helps or assists our prayer life. It seems that when the stomach is full, the body and mind are less able to concentrate on spiritual things. Fasting actually expresses a hunger for God. We abstain from food and other things so we can better concentrate on God and the things of God.
Fasting is also an expression of sorrow for sin. That was certainly the case with Nineveh, David, and others. Those who sin want to fast as a sign of their repentance. They want to show outwardly the inner sorrow and grief that they feel.
Fasting is also a sign of our unworthiness. It is a sign that we deserve nothing, not even the food we eat, the water we drink, or the air we breathe. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us! It suits us then to humble ourselves before God to confess our national sins, and to pray for mercy and forgiveness.
Fasting may sometimes be the vehicle to express our emotional pain to God. (Think of Job – for example chapter 42) It is to wrestle with God, because we have unanswered questions about our life and the pain that is part of it.
The Manner of Fasting
The Pharisees boasted that they fasted twice a week. And, so that all would know they were fasting, they would wear old clothes and wouldn't wash their face or anoint themselves with oil or perfume. Jesus advised: Don't be like the Pharisees when you fast. Act natural. It is a very personal matter between you and God and should come from your heart, your soul, your spirit. It must be personal, sincere and authentic.
Fasting is about something between you and God. He who sees the heart will bless you and answer you!!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Living in the Body of Christ – part 5 - Our goal
Living in the Body of Christ – part 5 - Our goal
...causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephes. 4:16c)
The common goal in the Body of Christ is the growth of the body. As each one does his individual part, it causes the growth of the body as a whole. The Body is responsible for the building up of itself in love as it ministers to each member.
God has decided that this growth occurs as a result of living in community. He put us together in a spiritual body of believers where we learn to be more like him every day. He has given leaders, servants of the Head, to equip us for ministry. He has called us to be one in the faith and to mature to be like Christ. He has called us to work together in community in order to be his Body.
Do you understand the implication of being in the Body? We are a community of God's people who have been brought into a living union with God and with one another. We need one another in order to grow and to help the Body to grow.
Watchman Nee said, “Yet just what kind of a man is he who perceives the Body? He is a person who seeks for fellowship, who fears that he himself may be wrong, and who dare not work independently. Such is the person who has discerned the Body.”
We work together, to grow together, to love Jesus and bear the fruit of the Spirit for every one’s benefit. That is what Body Life is all about. Have you started to live the Body Life yet?
Prayer: O Lord, through your grace and mercy I see not only the Body – but that I am part of this glorious plan to do your work. Make me diligent, loving and serving as I experience the Body Life, depending only on you. Amen.
...causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephes. 4:16c)
The common goal in the Body of Christ is the growth of the body. As each one does his individual part, it causes the growth of the body as a whole. The Body is responsible for the building up of itself in love as it ministers to each member.
God has decided that this growth occurs as a result of living in community. He put us together in a spiritual body of believers where we learn to be more like him every day. He has given leaders, servants of the Head, to equip us for ministry. He has called us to be one in the faith and to mature to be like Christ. He has called us to work together in community in order to be his Body.
Do you understand the implication of being in the Body? We are a community of God's people who have been brought into a living union with God and with one another. We need one another in order to grow and to help the Body to grow.
Watchman Nee said, “Yet just what kind of a man is he who perceives the Body? He is a person who seeks for fellowship, who fears that he himself may be wrong, and who dare not work independently. Such is the person who has discerned the Body.”
We work together, to grow together, to love Jesus and bear the fruit of the Spirit for every one’s benefit. That is what Body Life is all about. Have you started to live the Body Life yet?
Prayer: O Lord, through your grace and mercy I see not only the Body – but that I am part of this glorious plan to do your work. Make me diligent, loving and serving as I experience the Body Life, depending only on you. Amen.
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