Discipline yourself of be disciplined

I had not seen him for a while. We used to talk about life, and about Salvation. He would listen , perhaps even with interest, but generally he was lukewarm to the idea. Then I saw him again last week and this time the story was quite different. He shared a horrifying experience of having being held up by gunmen and faced, in his mind, certain death. To the point where he wished they would just " do it" and get over with it. But God was merciful, and he was thankful and would now consider living the Christian life. But he was scared out of his mind. And so are many others who have had similar experiences in my country. And so as I thanked God for His mercy, I recalled that many others had not been so fortunate, and they had been faithful.

The lesson is that life often changes suddenly and dramatically. Both for the believer and for the non-believer. None is exempt. It all depends on God's mercy. For some it may be the news of a life threatening illness, and for others, like my friend, "your worse nightmare come true". For some it may disaster of one sort or another in the family, for others disaster in the community.

Then I went to the wedding of a young lady who is one of my many " daughters", having

" grown up in my hands" and experienced the joy of seeing two young people commit their future together in the hands of the Lord. What a joy indeed. Especially when it happens to someone you love dearly.

In the midst of these reflections about life, and its many and ever changing scenes, the Lord led me through a series of meditations and a focus on His Word, to remember that life is all about worshipping Him and praising Him first, and doing everything else after. Quite often, we forget this profound truth, as we seek to cope with life's many problems, in economically, politically and socially challenging times. Or lose our focus when caught up with the enjoyment of our sucesses and good fortune. And none of the messages was more clear than this hymn, which I

" happened upon", whilst searching for another.



Fill thou my life, O Lord my God,

In every part with praise,

That my whole being may proclaim

Thy being and thy ways.



Not for the lip of praise alone,

Nor e'en the praising heart,

I ask, but for a life made up

Of praise in every part:



Praise in the common things of life,

Its going out and in;

Praise in each duty and each deed,

However small and mean.



Fill every part of me with praise:

Let all my being speak

Of thee and of thy love, O Lord,

Poor though I may be and weak



So shalt thou, Lord, receive from me

The praise and glory due;

And so shall I begin on earth

The song for ever new.



So shall each fear, each fret, each care,

Be tuned into song;

And every winding of the way

The echo shall prolong.



So shall no part of day or night

Unblest or commmon be;

But all my life, in very step,

Be fellowship with thee.



The key thing here, is that no matter what life has to offer, and no matter what God decides, if we have a mind which is geared towards praising God, at all times, then then we will find " God's peace" at work in our souls in all situations. It is a sobering thought as we seek to make sense out of a world, where there are no guarantees about life anymore - if there ever was.
But there is more. We are called not just to praise God in all situtations, as a way of life, but to work for His Kingdom, first, before looking about our own affairs.

MAY 21 DIVINE REASONING OF FAITH OSWALD CHAMBERS

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

Immediately we look at these words of Jesus, we find them the most revolutionary statement humans ears ever listened to. " Seek ye first the kingdom of God." We argue the opposite way ---" I must live; I must make money; I must be clothed; I must be fed". The great concern of our lives is not the kingdom of God, but how we are to fit ourselves to live. Jesus reverses the order: get rightly related to God first, maintain that as the great care of your life, and never put the concern of your care on the other things.
" Take no thought for your life....." Our Lord points out the utter unreasonableness from His standpoint of being anxious over the means of living. Jesus is not saying that the man who takes thought for nothing is blessed -- that man is a fool. Jesus taught that a disciple has to make his relationship to God the dominanting concentration of his life, and be carefully careless about everything else in comparison to that. Jesus is saying " Don't make the ruling factor of your life what you shall eat and what you shall drink, but be concentrated absolutely on God."
Some people are careless over what they eat and drink, and they suffer for it; they are careless about what they wear and they suffer for it; they look like they have no business to look; they are careless about their earthly affairs, and God holds them responsible. Jesus is saying that the greatest care of life is to put the relationship to God first, and everything else second.
It is one of the severest disciplines of the Christian life to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us into harmony with the teaching of Jesus in these verses.

Finally I was very impressed with the passage of Scripture which is part of the reading for the Epistle in the Anglican church this week:
" He who has the Son has life; he who does not have he Son of God has no life".
John 5:12. NIV

Increasingly, with the fall out in global economic system, - with the attendant loss of jobs - the worlwide increase in violent crimes, the constant threat of some kind of virus, whether H1N1 or HIV, and the reality of the hurricane season or the threat of earthquakes, it is very easy and understandable for human beings, even believers, to concentrate on survival. And forget that we serve a mighty God, whose purposes are beyond our abilities to reason. Whose purpose for humankind is to bring them into a deeper and more fruitful relationship with Him in and through Jesus Christ.
Sometimes, it takes disaster or near disaster for us to come to our senses - believers or Christians. We all need this kind of reminder, according to God's own plans and assessment of our hearts - the secrets of which are known by Him alone. Not even ourselves.
These last two passages, in this context, are very instructive. Pray God that we will all take heed.

" Endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined ( and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. how much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live. Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our own good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the same time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been tained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Hebrews. 12: 7-12 NIV

" We do not want you to uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
2 Cor. 1:8-9 NIV

Will that gentleman rely on God, now that he been through his baptism of fire, and God was merciful? Further, and more importantly, how much more will God have to " discipline us" so that we might " share in His holiness"? Only we can answer that question by disciplining ourselves to seek the kingdom of God first.

Murder, Personal Holiness and Trust in God

It's difficult to recover when your week starts with the news of the death, the brutal killing of someone whom you have known for over twenty five years. Someone whom you have touched, held conversation with, and someone whose entire family you have come to know and to love. Someone who has become yet another victim of the senseless violence which is now so pervasive in my country. A business man, owned a thriving bakery in the heart a rural area, and on coming home one night, he was robbed, and shot several times. Yet he managed to walk away, waited on help to come, assuming that the killers had left. But they returned and without mercy pumped more bullets into a vital area. This was a good man, a helpful man, a family man whose only 'crime' was that he was successful. So we offered comfort to the family and prayed and prayed.
A couple of weeks ago another incident left me feeling numb. This time the ending was not tragic, but nonetheless highly disturbing. Another person I knew, found himself looking down a gun, held by a young man who had commandeered his car, and the memories of two of his brothers who had been captured and whose bodies had never been found, flooded into his consciousness. Understandably, though his life was spared, he plans to leave this place very soon.
Finally in my mind this week is the memory of a lady, a big woman, who did something very " out of order", in public, at her work place, and was very embarrassed to have to tell me about it. When pushed for an explanation she could only reply that " the devil made her do it".
In the midst of all this madness the Lord spoke very clearly through His Word, meditations from old Saints, and through an experience at the funeral of my friend today at a Pentecostal church. In addition I have been constantly reflecting on an Anglican ( gleaned from a discussion with an someone in high office) approach to differences of opinions on important issues within the church which states that: " On issues where people of faith differ after deep reflection and searching the Scriptures, even though there is disagreement, we should, with humility, hold the view that the Lord may have revealed something to the " other side" about which we may not yet have a full understanding".

The Word from the Lord began with some words the Psalm for the Anglican community for last week. Psalm 66: 18-19 NIV

" If I had cherished sin in my heart
the Lord would not have listened
but God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer".

and some from this week's Psalm

" No king is saved by the size of his army ( sounds like Gideon's experience doesn't it?)
no warrior escapes by his great strength
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance
despite all its great strength it cannot save
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love
to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine"
Psalm 33: 16-19 NIV

The next passage that struck me was the one from the book of Acts for today:

" Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
Acts 11: 19-21.

Finally some word from a meditation on John 15:5 " Apart from me you can do nothing".
By Chris Tiegen and which passage I read on May 14, comes just before the Gospel appointed for today John 15:9-17. NIV

.....Only Jesus can live the Christian life; we can't. We can only have Him live that life in us.

And which triggered a text message to a number of persons in my cell phonebook:

" Apart from me you can do nothing". John. Only Jesus can live the Christian life. Tiegen.
So let us not try so hard and end up despondent. But rather sing and pray expectantly: Come into my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee."

Finally today I went to the funeral in a Pentecostal church to " mourn with those who mourn".
And heard the following:
That God was going to avenge the death of the man who was murdered. " Murderer, blood is on your shoulder".
That mothers, whose children were involved in wrong doing, should repent of the sins of children.
That the church, not just the local Pentecostal church, but the whole body of Christ, needs to be in agreement and pray for the healing of the nation and protection from these wicked gunmen.
That personal holiness was pre-requisite to move God into action against evil. That all people should repent of their sins now. And that failure to heed the call to repentance and forgiveness will lead to destruction.
That who God decides to protect no man can touch. That the angels of the Lord encampeth around those that fear Him. And that when God decides to take vengeance, then people are going to perish.
Therefore all who had not yet repented of their sins, should hold up their hand and ask for prayer. Many did and a loving prayer of God's love in Christ Jesus was shared.
All of this shared with the kind of confidence about the knowledge of God's will for individuals, the body of Christ - the church - and nation, in some cases direct revelation from God, in other cases discernment from Scriptures, all of which is one of the hallmarks of the Pentecostal experience when compared to my own Anglican church.
So what did I learn from the Lord in all of this.

First and foremost, that personal holiness is the most critical issue facing Christians today in a Jamaica which is rapidly being overrun by evil. No "wishy washy" Christian can call upon the power of God, with confidence, for mercy in times of trouble. For the church to be effective in its witness in all times, and especially in times of great tribulation, we need to be determined to live a holy life, in big things and in small things. Individually and collectively. No Christian who is troubled by the state of the nation can afford to allow even " a hint of sin" in their life.
" If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened".
Therefore we all need to be constant and immediate in living a repentant life - for the sake of the church , the nation and for our own personal situation. Sin is not to be " hugged up", left for tomorrow, or be the subject of a great debate. But rather, to be recognized, be the subject of repentance, placed at the foot of the Cross, and accept God's forgiveness.

Secondly, the battle is not ours but the Lord's. Not only in terms of " Vengeance is mine says the Lord", but that only Jesus can live the Christian life. Only He, living in us, has the power to confront evil, forgive our enemies and those that persecute us, understand the Scriptures, live a Holy life, love one other, love those that hate us. So, it is when the Spirit of God abides in us, enabling us to live a Holy life, empowering us to be obedient to, and discerning of ,the Spirit of God, that ; " The Lord's hand will be with us and a great number of people will believe and turn to God". For my country to be rescued from evil, not only will the God's vengeance take place, but our people will need to turn to the Lord again. " Lord will you not turn and quicken us, so that thy people may rejoice in thee" - a prayer which we say at church, every Sunday, in preparation for the service.

Thirdly, we need to trust God, once we are determined to live a Holy life, and be confident in his promises - in public and in private. I was very sensitive to the fact that, this evening, here was a community under siege from gunmen - the area is rampant with gunmen and people are afraid. Not many have grills. None of them would have King Alarm or Hawkeye or any security firm to respond to a break in. Very few, if any would have a licensed firearm to protect them.
Yet there was a deep trust and faith in a Mighty God, who would be with them in the war against the gunmen. " No weapon will prosper against them" the Evangelist declared. Perhaps the greatest issue we face as Christians, is a lack of faith in a mighty God. A lack of trust. A kind of Christianity which is comfortable when it has " back up". Alarm systems. A personal forearm. Quick access to good medical care. Social safety nets - at worst. And even better a healthy bank account. As a result, for too many of us, our prayers are " anemic" and general. Lacking in the conviction that God can and has promised to do " abundantly more that we can ask or imagine". Yes there is the constant reminder that we serve a suffering Christ, and that, " not mine, but thy will be done". But I sometimes wonder if we do not use those things as an excuse for not placing our whole trust in a Mighty God, in all things. It's like we have an " exit clause", as a back up, if our prayers do not work.
In recent times the Spirit of the Lord has moved me to be in prayer for the whole body of Christ daily. The Roman Catholic Church, the SDA's, the Church of God, the Pentecostals, the United Church, the Methodists, the Baptists, the Moravian church, the Anglican church, and all the Evangelical churches. I believe we can all learn from one another. I believe that the power that will be unleashed in Jamaica from a repentant church and from a church in agreement about the remedy for the state of our nation, will cause evil to flee from this country. I believe that our very existence is dependent on the faith of the church, as the situation is entirely out of hand, as far as the security forces are concerned. They cannot manage the kind of evil which is spread abroad in my nation.
But " Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind....' says the Psalmist.
Amen

No man is an Island: No Christian lives alone

Like many other countries across the world, Jamaica is struggling to keep afloat during in this period of economic recession. But we have bigger problems than most others in that we are one of the most indebted countries in the world - owing over one trillion Ja. dollars. We are also counted among the most violent nations in the world running in excess of 1200 deaths/year for some time now - we heard from a Northern Ireland representative to the Anglican Consultative Committee that they had suffered 4000 deaths in a decade of war.
These are very challenging problems for a small nation of 2.5m people and limited natural resources. So most sensible people, including the Prime Minister, are calling for the entire nation to pull together in order for us to " weather the Storm". "All hands must be on deck" is the mantra now! Will this clarion call for unity work? Others have issued similar challenges before. I can well recall reading how Sir Winston Churchill, in the darkest moment of British history, when the German army threatened menacingly, quoting from a Jamaican poet Claude McKay to inspire his people to defend their island home against the " axis of evil":

" If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs.
Making their mock at our accursed lot..........

So can this call for national unity by our political leader, in the face of one of the greatest challenges we have faced as a nation, really bear fruit? Only time will tell.

This week, in the spiritual realm, the Lord led me through situations, meditations and passages of Scripture, to point out the absolute need for Christians to work together in unity if His power is to flow through us to build His Kingdom. A Kingdom where Christ is not only acknowledged as Lord and Saviour (" Not everyone who says Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of God") but of equal importance, where His life is followed, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in true discipleship. A life which ensures that the good news is preached to the poor, the "blind" are given sight, the "oppressed" are given respite, the " captives" set free, and the year of the Lord's favor is announced. And further, that one of the great imperatives is a church praying constantly and in unity and with deep conviction that God will act, in big things and in small things, for His Glory and honor. So there is in fact no such thing as an individual Christian out there working tirelessly to do God's work. In the secular world, people of means and those possessed of a certain intellect may, mistakenly, believe that they can survive, regardless of what happens, around them. Christians, however, have no such option.

The Meditations

YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME

Mozarabic Sacramentary ( 3rd century) From the third through the eleventh century this liturgy was used by believers inhabiting parts of the Iberian peninsula - Spain and Portugal

Jeremiah 29:10-14
FOR HOPE

Lord when we think of our own wants and desires, we are impatient to have them satisfied, yet in our hearts we know that such satisfaction will crumble to dust. Give us that spirit of hope which can enable us to want what you want, and to wait patiently on your time, in the knowledge that in you alone comes true and lasting pleasure.

FOR LOVE

O Lord, you have brought all your faithful people into a single universal family stretching across heaven and earth. Bind us together with a spiritual love which is stronger than any human love, that in serving one another we may neither count the cost nor seek reward, but think only of the common good.
( This prayer in particular spoke to our encounter, as a church family today, with members of the Anglican Consultative Council - a Primate ( the Archbishop from Australia), a professor and theologian from Madagascar, a lay member trained in dispute resolution in Northern Ireland, and a representative to the World Council of Churches in Geneva. And our discussions about Mission to the poor and needy.


FOR PEACE

O God, through the death of your Son you reconciled us one to another, drawing us together in the bond of peace. In times of trouble and adversity, may your peace sustain us, calming our fretful and anxious hearts, and saving us from all hateful and violent activities.

( This is the prayer which touched my heart in respect of the need for unity. In fact the Jeremiah passage was sent by a dear friend in response to a discussion on " troubled times", and having read it in my " Classics Devotional Bible" I found these prayers. As the peace which sustains us in times of trouble, or any other time, comes from both our reconciliation to God and to each other. So we need each other. To live together in unity as " the body of Christ", and to pray together and for each other, as the " body of Christ". Individual prayers are important, but much more so are the collective prayers of the church. And not just the prayers of the Anglican church to which I belong, but to the wider church - the Pentecostals, the Church of God, the Seventh day Adventists, the Baptists, the Methodists, the United church, the Moravian Church and the Salvation Army and all the other evangelical churches)

FOR PURITY

Make us O Lord flourish like pure, white lilies in the courts of your house, giving forth the sweet fragrance of your love to all who pass.

FOR MERCY

O God, in revealing to us the perfect spiritual beauty of your Son, you have shown the grotesque ugliness of our depravity and so filled us with remorse. We beg you, Lord to reach down to us in your mercy, re-creating us in the image of of your Son, that we may be fit to live with him in your heavenly kingdom.

THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE

After spending time on Isaiah 43: 1-4, again sent to me for reflections, I kept on reading and came across this verse which I had underlined many yeas before:

" Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob
You have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel"
Isaiah 43: 22 NIV

One of things the the Lord accused His people of, was their superficial and unsustained prayers. A problem which afflicts the " New Testament" people in today's world. We too are guilty of not " wearing out" ourselves in prayer before and for God. We have not spent long hours in diligent search for God and for the things of God. Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, when He was going through His hour of greatest need, and His disciples had fallen asleep, exhorted them to
" pray without ceasing lest you fall into temptation". As a church, as the body of Christ, we have not together, in unity, prayed without ceasing, for the release of our country from the hands of wicked men, and from the economic challenges which confront us. Private prayers, yes. But the collective prayers of the body of Christ in Jamaica - not sufficiently.

This reflection then led to the Roman chapters on the fate of the people of Israel and God's mercy. And finally:

"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 confirm any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12: 1-2 NIV


Finally the God who is always ahead of us provided this meditation today:

CHRIST TIEGEN

PUBLIC PRAYERS
"I know you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me".
John 11:42

THE WORD Too often our prayers are the private matter of our own hearts. That is, of course, where to begin. That is where God deals with us and speaks to us. But not all prayers are to be left there. The glory of God is a public matter, and nowhere on earth is God more glorified than when He is clearly at work. Miracles occur every day, but they often go unnoticed by or are considered " coincidental" because no one heard the specific prayer of someone's heart that God answered in His mercy and power. When mercy and power come, the prayer needs to have already been on the record. God is glorified as He responds to public requests.
Jesus spells this out for us. As He approaches the tomb of Lazarus, He is grateful for the public forum. He could have done this miracle with a minimum of of onlookers and in the privacy of the tomb. He could have lifted up a silent prayer, leaving people to wonder whose prayers were answered. Was Lazarus raised because of Mary and Martha's goodness? Because of Lazarus' faithfulness? Because of a huge medical misunderstanding? No, it was a divine response to Jesus' prayer. it was, in essence, yet another sign from heaven saying, " This is my Son". It was validation that God was at work in Jesus and that Jesus was doing God's work. How do we know? Because before Lazarus got us, Jesus prayed. Out loud.

IN DEED We're afraid to pray such risky prayers. That's understandable; we should only pray them after we've arrived at a position of faith and confidence in God's will and with sensitivity to his timing. But once we're there, we need to let God show His glory publicly. His demonstration of power is usually not a private, personal matter. It is more often a showcase for His mercy. When our prayers are witnessed by others and then God answers, He receives honor, and the faith of others is strengthened.

What does all of this mean for me, and for the church? This Internet ministry had been under girded by the prayer my church used for " the decade of evangelism" many years ago:

" Lord renew thy church beginning with me. Lord renew thy church that the church may renew the nation(s)"

I am convinced that a major part of the renewal of the church is the need for the renewal of its prayer life. We need to pray together. We need to pray with conviction and with power. We need to pray "big" prayers for the nation, so that the nations of the world may be renewed. We need to " offer ourselves as living sacrifices......by the renewing of our minds so that we will be able to test and know God's will". And then pray accordingly for mercy and for his honor and glory. But for our minds to be renewed, we must pray without ceasing lest we fall into temptation and not " weary ourselves before and for God". Amen

Is it well with your Soul?

How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured out on the head,
running down the beard,
running down Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessings,
even life for evermore.
Psalm 133 NIV

This Psalm very aptly describes how I felt today at the special service held at our National Arena in Jamaica, where all, or many Anglicans, gathered together in celebration of the visit of the worldwide Anglican Consultative Council's visit to our island. This 150 strong group, representing Anglicans from all over the world, carries out the work of the Anglican Communion in between the synod of Bishops which meets in Lambeth UK every ten years. The Archbishop of Canterbury, and the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, delivered the sermon , while the Lord Bishop of Jamaica officiated.
The Governor General was in attendance. So too the leader of the parliamentary Opposition. Note was made of representatives of other traditions and they were warmly welcomed. The music, apologetically Caribbean featuring Bob Marley and others, sang by a mass choir and Olive Lewin's group was of an extremely high quality. our own David Aarons with a Steel Pan ensemble also featured.
This was, without any doubt, the highlight of my week, during which the Lord spoke in various ways. I am intrigued by the fact that, the very same passage ( an extended version ) which featured in this week's early morning ( always special) 4: am message, was used by the Archbishop in his very practical and "easy to understand and apply to one's life", sermon.

"On their release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this they raised their voices together in prayer to God. " Sovereign Lord", they said, " you made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David:'

Why do nations rage and the people plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.

'Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch our hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. there was no needy person among them........
Acts 4: 23-36

The Most Reverend Dr Rowan Williams made the point that the lesson to be gained from reflecting on this passage of Scripture, which is very similar in nature to the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples, is that the role of the church today is to ensure that people's needs are met. Both material and spiritual. That this is the ultimate manifestation of God's Spirit. Justice is carried out. Poverty is attacked. Health care needs are met. But even more importantly, forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope, the deepest needs of the human spirit are met. And all of this is the effective working of the Holy Spirit, who comes to us in and through the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ - the Good Shepherd. A basic uncluttered message, which the entire world needs to hear, again and again through the actions of us, the disciples of Christ, that one would expect from a man of God and a leader of men, as the Archbishop clearly is. Pray God that all of us there, and all Christians would do well to remember and carry out this mandate - to meet the needs of people both inside and outside the church. As people in Jamaica are hurting. Inside and outside the church. In the Adventist church, the Baptist; the United ; the Pentecostal; the Moravian; the Church of God; the Roman Catholic; the all the Evangelical and traditional Churches. People in Politics are hurting and filled with needs - despite our often cavalier and uncaring attitude towards them. So too the captains of Industry and commerce - they and their families are hurting and filled with unmet needs, more so spiritual than material. Even our celebrated sportsmen and women, the "high and mighty" journalists who expose everybody else's "business", and perhaps especially our highly influential entertainers. People are hurting in the ghettos, in the uptown houses, in the Bishop's Palaces, in the White House, in Palaces of Kings and Queens. People are hurting in the country areas and in the urban areas. And they are all around us -waiting or a message of hope.

No doubt these thoughts are consistent with those expressed by Martin Luther ( 1483-1546) whose meditation on " Quickening grace " I read and was moved by, this week.

Vs. Zechariah 12: 10

When a Christian begins to know Christ as his Lord and Savior, through whom he is redeemed from death and brought into his kingdom and inheritance, his heart is aglow with a flaming love of God, and he would gladly help everyone to the same experience. For he knows no greater joy than that he possesses this treasure, that he knows Christ. Therefore he goes out and teaches and exhorts other people, praising and testifying to it before all men, praying and yearning that they too might attend to such grace. That is a restless spirit enjoying the highest rest in the grace and peace of God, for it cannot be silent or idle, but is always striving with all its power to spread the honor and glory of God among the people, that others too may receive this Spirit of peace and grace and may then help with the work of prayer. For where the Spirit of grace is, he quickens our hearts, so that we can, and may, begin to pray.

The question is therefore , " how restless is our spirit" to proclaim Christ? How determined are we to live a life as disciples of Christ. How restless is our spirit to tell our friends, our children, our partners, our colleagues at work, our fellow human beings in the " war torn " areas of the city, our "sisters' who are prostitutes, our " brothers" who are gay, the next door neighbour whose dog is constantly digging up our beautifully manicured lawn or the one who plays loud and even lewd music thus disturbing our space - yes call the police, but when last have we prayed for his soul as well. Yes we must yearn for the day when in our church " the place will shake with the power of the Holy Spirit", but then what? .....For where the Spirit of grace is he quickens our hearts, so that we can, and may, begin to pray...... To pray for those in need both materially and spiritually and then become " poured out wine and broken bread" to fill their needs.
This is why the people turned up today. One lady even in bare feet - perhaps took them off to feel more comfortable. Not only to hear the Archbishop. Not only to support our Lord Bishop. Not only to share in the wonderful fellowship which is like " precious oil running down Aaron's beard". No, they, most of them poor working class people, left their homes in the dark and traveled far and wide, made many sacrifices, sat on hard benches, endured hunger, to reach early because they have a " restless spirit" in them to celebrate and proclaim Christ. "O how good and pleasant it is ( most of them there today were women) when sisters and brothers dwell together in unity".
Finally, and ultimately the question is, now and forevermore, " Is it well with your soul"?
The Lord led me to dwell on this hymn this week and inspired a text message which was sent out to many of my cell phone contacts. Is it well with your souls? My soul! Do we have a restless sprit to " tell, and be, the good news" to someone in need.
That's the final question that will matter on the day when Christ returns on the day, not of Pentecost, but of judgement. When it will not be the church that will shake, but the very stars and the heavens. And then will come the end of this world. No more Bishops. No more Kings and Queens. No more Politicians and Journalists.
No more discussions on whether or not Jesus is God or if He is the only way to God.
No more needy and suffering - for those in Christ Jesus. As one of our leaders famously declared " Argument done". So, is it well with your soul? Is it well with my soul?

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.


Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.


Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.


Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!


Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine,
for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper
Thy peace to my soul.


Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel!
Oh voice of the Lord!Blessed hope,
blessèd rest of my soul!


Refrain
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain
Amen

To obey is better than sacrifice

4 am messages are always special and sufficient, without to0 much comment.
It began, and ended with the Word of God. And as I write, I recall a passage that I was led to read earlier this week:

All men are like grass
And all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord stands forever.
1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV

Tonight as the Lord woke me up at 4 am, I remembered Samuel's response to another call, and on my way the that book in the Bible, I came across a verse ( and story) from the book of Judges:

" The Lord said to Gideon, " you have too many men for me to deliver Median into your hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her announce now to the people............"
Judges 7:3-3 NIV

And this one too:

" Then Eli said, " He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes".
1 Samuel 3:18. NIV

Then the Lord led me to read the second lesson appointed to be read all Anglican churches this Sunday:

"On their release Peter and john went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this they raised their voices together in prayer to God. " Sovereign Lord", they said, " you made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David:

' Why do nations rage
and the people plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.'

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch our hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
Acts 4:23-31 NIV

O Holy One of Israel we pray that you may enable your people to speak your Word with great boldness in this city where they have conspired against the Body of Christ - the church - to make her seem irrelevant, and of little importance in the life of the nation,; O Lord where they have conspired to temp her take her eyes from the Cross of her Saviour; O God where they have conspired to temp her to forget that she has been given a Spirit, not of timidity, but of power, of love and of self-discipline. O God stretch out your hand over this city to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
Amen

There is power, power, wonder working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb

This past week was a most difficult for me, as I listened to, and empathized with, people in deep pain. A young woman mourning her husband killed recently in a motor vehicle crash. A young couple grieving over the death of their only child, a two years old, and a recent victim of a hit and run motor vehicle crash. A pastor all broken up by both the loss of a colleague's daughter, sixteen years old, through illness, and the murder of another colleague's son, twenty four years old. Add to that people suffering from the pain of relationship issues, job losses and an uncertain future in a country where the dollar continues to be devalued almost daily and the murder rate goes on unabated. In fact we awoke this morning to the horrible news, that four people had been shot and killed at a wake in the Western part of the island.

So what good news did the Lord send in midst of all this suffering? Preach Christ and Him crucified, as all power to effect change, to stand by and provide help for a suffering, and a sinful people, comes from our placing a focus and priority on the great act of Redemption wrought on the cross of Calvary.

No doubt the seed was sown by my Pastor who, in a most profound statement, reminded us in the midst of the Easter Sunday celebrations, that Christians move from Good Friday to Easter Sunday and then back to Good Friday. It is an issue worth pondering, as if accepted, would make a mockery of some of the superficial " denials" that we engage in during the Lenten period. And therefore the most important lesson to be gained from the Lenten experience is that the denial of self, and our own ambitions and agendas, and suffering with Christ, is the way of the cross, and the only way by which Christians can be endued with power " from on high " to help suffering and sinful mankind.

Then the Lord validated all of this by leading me to reflect of St. Paul's great teaching experience on suffering which is found in 2. Corinthians.

" To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, " My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness". Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That's why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2. cor. 12:7-10 NIV

This is really counterculture stuff!. Can you imagine, and do we believe, that we are called not just to endure suffering, for Christ's sake, and complain and lament and pray for deliverance. But rather to find peace in the midst of the suffering, as the joy of being strong for the Lord far outweighs any difficulties. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can assist us to believe first of all, and then actually look forward to suffering with Christ, in order that suffering humanity may benefit from the power, the " streams of living waters" that will then flow through us. Is this what our children are learning about the faith? Is this our adult understanding about being a disciple of Christ?
There is more. And also in 2. Cor. It's one of the most wonderful books in the Bible. At least for me. This time St Paul reflecting on the fact that, we who are the body of Christ, and children of God, have been given the message and ministry of reconciliation, and that we are " being transformed into his likeness, with ever increasing glory", makes two statements which again the Lord led me to reflect on this week - in fact the latter I have been meditating on for some time now.

" But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed"
2. Cor. 4:7-12. NIV

Again the promise of suffering, but always " not abandoned", is made for us who have this great power. It is the same power which suffering Peter and John possessed which helped them to say to the beggar at the church gate, " Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Acts 3:6

Would to God that our suffering with Christ, our faith in Him, and His grace and mercy would all result in this kind of power flowing through the church to suffering and sinful mankind.
But for me the final example about suffering in this message, and they are many others in the Bible, is one about which I have been praying for some time now.

" We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body........so than death is at work in us, but life is at work in you".
2. Cor 4: 10-12 NIV

I pray God that He will answer this kind of prayer from all of us, so that " life may be at work" in suffering and sinful humanity with whom we come in contact daily or weekly or yearly. And that "times of refreshing" may come upon our people.

Finally in this context, the words of an old song which again carried the same message. The power of the great act of redemption on the cross.


I am Thine O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee


Refrain

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To the cross where Thou hast died,
Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord
To Thy precious bleeding side

Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord,
By the power of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine

Refrain

O the pure delight of a single hour
that before Thy throne I spend;
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune with as friend with friend.

Refrain

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord
To Thy precious bleeding side

Amen.

A Blessed Easter: Jesus Christ is Risen indeed

I spent the first part of Lent reading Bonhoeffer's Ethics, and during the vigil from Holy Thursday through Holy Saturday, his " Meditations on the Cross" replaced Ethics as my reading material. So now that Easter is here once again, what has the Lord revealed to me following my observance and celebration of this, the most critical, period in the history of mankind.

First of all, as you will notice, my joy, though very much present is not a triumphalist emotion that has taken over my very soul. Yes we sang the Easter anthems and celebrated the fact that on this day, we like the disciples, on that very first Easter Sunday can exult that " The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed". Yes I am very mindful ( and thankful ) of the observations of my mentor and former Bishop of Kingston, the late Herman Spence that " you cannot really celebrate the joy of Easter unless you have been through the the pain and angst of Lent and Good Friday". But my joy is tempered by two things. One is that my readings and reflections have led me to appreciate very deeply that, as Christians our understanding of what Christ calls us to do, is often very superficial , and at worst we are guilty of holding on to very erroneous doctrines. The other is that the consequences of this lack of understanding is very profound in its implication for humankind. And so though my soul is rejoicing, I am also quite burdened.
Why? Many reasons, and I will deal with them point by point without necessarily placing them in the order of priority.

Let me start with the most recent. " You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot". You are the light of the world........... Matthew 5:13-16

From this very well known passage Bonhoeffer draws ( reminds us) the following conclusions.

"The addressees here are those whom the Beatitudes called into the grace of discipleship of the Crucified ( Christ) Those who were called blessed in the Beatitudes, while being considered worthy of the kingdom of heaven, obviously nevertheless appeared to be utterly unworthy of life on this earth, or to be superfluous. Here now they are designated by the symbol of a substance which is indispensable for life on earth. They are the salt of the earth. They are the earth's most noble possession, its most precious asset. Without them, the earth cannot continue to live. the earth is kept alive by salt. For the sake of precisely these poor ignoble, weak, whom the world rejects, the earth itself lives. It destroys its own life by expelling the disciples, and ---a miracle! --- precisely for the sake of these outcasts the earth is permitted to live on......Only insofar as that salt remains salt , and maintains its purifying seasoning powers can it maintain and preserve the earth..............They are that salt whether they want to be or not, in the power of the call they have encountered.
The other possibility, however, is that the salt loses its taste, and ceases to be salt. Its activity ceases. And then indeed it is good for nothing except to be thrown away. That is the other side. That is the threatening judgement hovering over the community of disciples......The call of Jesus means being the salt of the earth or being destroyed".

Now you can appreciate the enormity of what concerns me, about my own actions, the church and the world. This Christian life, this call to follow a risen Lord is a very, very, very, serious matter. There is nothing else more important in the entire existence and agenda of any Christian. And so too for unbelievers, whether they know it or not. Because, the existence and future of all mankind depends very heavily on our understanding, " knowing the faith", and then being obedient. May God have mercy on those who have led His children into falsehood and a superficial understanding of Easter. Yes, Jesus declared that " It is finished", on the Cross. In the sense that His Atonement for the sins of all mankind was completed. His mission was accomplished. But we, His disciples, who have been given the, " Message and Ministry of reconciliation", are required by word and deed to spread this good news to the uttermost ends of the earth. And if we fail to remain salt we will be " thrown away". Judgement will be pronounced. In the same way that Mordecai's warned a seemingly reluctant and afraid , Queen Esther:
" Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish."

In the face of the enormity and reality of human sin, we who have been Baptised, died in Christ, and raised to a new life in Him, called to be His disciples, have as our main responsibility, the sharing of the good news. We cannot afford to " keep our light under a bushel", for God's plan for mankind cannot be thwarted by our inaction, and the spread of the good news will arise from someone else, but we will be judged.
No wonder my pastor declared, again today, that we need to remember that as disciples of Christ, we move from Good Friday to Easter and back to Good Friday again. No wonder our young Curate ( assistant Priest) declared that yes, we should sing " God is good, God is good....how can I let Him down. As He is so good to me. But let us rejoice, not so much for the material gifts of a good God, but more importantly, for the great spiritual gifts provided for all mankind on the Cross; Eternal Life and being the " salt " of the earth. Compared with the car and the house, the deliverance from sickness, the new job, the husband and the children.
Which therefore means that this issue of being a Missionary - whether played out in evangelism in its various forms, or in doing good works - is not an option, but a command from Jesus, to all individuals and churches who celebrate Easter. The privilege of being a disciple carries awesome responsibilities, for which God will always provide the power, the Holy Spirit, the ministering angel, for all who are obedient. Regardless of the odds, as the battle is not ours but the Lords.

Another related issue:

" Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access by faith to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces patience, and patience produces experience, and experience produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Romans 5:1-5.

Bonhoeffer's take on this is as follows:

" We have peace with God. Peace is found beneath the cross. Here one surrenders to God's will, here our own will comes to an end, here one finds repose and quiet in God, here one finds peace of conscience in the forgiveness of all our sins. Here, beneath the cross, one finds" access to this grace in which we stand", daily access to peace with God. Here is the only path in the world to peace with God. In Jesus Christ alone is God's wrath stilled and we ourselves are overcome and drawn into God's will. This is why the cross of Jesus Christ is for His congregation the eternal ground of joy and hope for God's coming glory....Here in the cross God's justice and victory on earth have commenced. Here He will someday be revealed to all the world. The peace we reveal here will become an eternal and glorious peace in the kingdom of God.
And yet though we would prefer to stop here,,,,Scripture here will not let us go. "And not only that .... we now read. So not everything has been said so far...that's why we now read...' And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings'. Whether we really have found God's peace will be shown how we deal with the sufferings that will come on us. There are many Christians who do indeed kneel before the cross of Jesus Christ, and yet reject and struggle against every tribulation in their lives......They have basically merely sought peace with the world, believing that possibly that by means of the cross of Jesus Christ they might best come to terms with themselves and with all their questions, and thus find inner peace of the soul. They have used the cross, but not loved it. They have sought peace for their own sake. But when tribulation comes, that peace quickly flees them......
Thus those who merely hate tribulations, renunciation, distress, defamation, imprisonment in their own lives, no matter how grandiosely they may speak about the cross, these people in reality hate the cross of Jesus and have not found peace with God. But those who love the cross of Jesus Christ, those who have genuinely found peace in it, now begin tot love even the tribulations in their lives, and ultimately will be able to cay with scripture, ' we also boast in our suffering."

One of the great temptations that Satan provides is an idea that Christians ought not to suffer or go through hard times. That it is only on account of a lack of faith why some do not receive their " deliverance". It is a 'culture' which has become very pervasive in my country, and one that is undermining the effective witness of the church. As such false doctrine does not have any power to " set the captives free". And which freedom from immorality, greed, pride, ignorance, arrogance, lust and countless others, is a constant feature associated with the spread of the authentic good news. No, the Spirit of God working in and through His Saints from the time of Calvary, reveals to us the critical importance of accepting, and more so even "boasting in the suffering" associated with our discipleship.

Bonhoeffer offers still yet other perspectives on suffering:

" The cross in never simply a matter of suffering, but a matter of suffering and rejection, and strictly speaking, rejection for the sake of Jesus Christ, not for the sake of some other arbitrary behaviour or confession....each of us is to bear the measure of suffering and rejection specifically appointed for us. And the measure is is different for each of us. God deems some worthy of great suffering, and to them he grants the blessing of martyrdom. Others he does not allow to be tempted beyond their strength. But still it is the one cross.......
But there is yet another suffering and yet another another disgrace that no Christian escapes. Only Christ's own suffering is the suffering of reconciliation. Yet because Christ did suffer for the sake of the world's sins, because the entire burden of sin fell upon him, and because Christ bequeaths to the disciples the fruit of of his suffering --because of all of this, temptation and sin also fall upon the disciples. It covers them with pure shame, and expels them from the gates of the city like the scapegoat. Thus does the Christian come to bear the sin and guilt for others. Individual Christians would collapse under the wight of this, were they not themselves borne by him who bore all sins. In this they can, in the power of Christ's own suffering, overcome all the sins that fall upon them by forgiving them. Thus do Christians become bearer of burdens. " Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ". ( Gal. 6:2)

Gossiping about people, especially our own, talking idly or judgementally about their " sins", therefore has no place in the life of a disciple of Christ. Rather we are to bear one another's burdens with forgiveness and with prayers for mercy. If we are ever true to this liberating feature of the call to discipleship, made possibly by our Easter celebrations, our congregations would change overnight, and become more loving, caring and a better collective witness to the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Finally a perspective on the big difference between Christians and Pagans.
Bonhoeffer begins with a poem:

1. People go to God in their need,
for help, happiness and bread they plead
for deliverance from sickness, guilt and death.
Thus do they all, Christians and pagans.

2. People go to God in God's need,
find God poor, reviled, with neither shelter nor bread,
see God entangled in sin, weakness, and death.
Christians stand by God in God's suffering.

3. God comes to all human beings in need,
sates them body and soul with His bread,
dies the death of the cross for Christians and pagans,
and forgives them both.

" Christians stand by God in God's suffering", and that distinguishes Christians from pagans. " Could you not keep awake with me one hour?" Jesus asks in Gethsemane. This is the reversal of everything a religious person expects from God. Human beings are called to suffer with God's own suffering caused by a godless world. That is, they must genuinely live in the godless world, and are not permitted to conceal or transfigure its godlessness in some religious fashion........It is not some religious act that makes one a Christian, but taking part in God's own suffering amid worldly life."

My understanding here, is that disciples of Christ do not have the privilege of " being tired of the sinful life on earth and wanting to die and go to heaven". We do not have the luxury of being tired of " fighting valiantly against evil". No, even in the face of the deeply stressful continuation of the high rate of murder and other acts of violence in our country, Christ's disciples are called to suffer with God's suffering in a godless world. The same principle applies to the nadir to which our moral life in Jamaica has descended, as manifested in the music, public behaviour, our language, and our " dress code". We are called to be " salt" right in the middle of the madness, and not grow weary. So too in the case of the corruption in the security forces, in politics and in the business sector, as it is only the Christian church working out its faith effectually which can make a difference.

Words from an old hymn helped to placed this whole Easter celebrations, and Lenten reflections, in true perspective for me.

New every morning is the love
Our wakening and uprising prove........

New mercies each returning day,
Hover around us while we pray;
New perils past, new sins forgiveness
New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven....


In the sense that if we truly commend our spirit into the Lord's hands, each night, as Jesus did on the cross before He died, by the way we follow Christ each day, then every morning we will awake and experience " new thoughts of God and new hopes of heaven". Then and only then will we be able to follow the instructions from St. Paul, truly celebrate Easter, and be effective witnesses to Christ's love amidst the godlessness of this earth and be protected from false doctrines

" Since then you have been raised with Christ, Set your minds on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above and not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."
Colossians 3:1-3

Christ is risen indeed. Halleluiah. And so are we to a new life in Christ Jesus. So let us then leave behind the old life which is focused on earthly things. As God is so good, how can we, therefore let Him down. Amen