350. Because Jesus Rose, Our Hopes Can Rise As Well. Easter Day And Its Rich Meaning For Those Who Grieve Loved Ones. [John 13:1-6 And Other Verses on Jesus’ Resurrection and Second Coming.]

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

Easter! Death and resurrection! Sadness and happiness! Sorrow and joy! Every Easter season is a time for sharing greetings with loved ones, and where possible, spending quality time together. We can all look back over many years with happy memories of the occasions when this took place.  Unfortunately, there comes a time in all families when some family members are longer present. We experience a deep sense of loss for them. But praise God, a death took place that was followed by a resurrection to life, [the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord.]  Because of that death and resurrection, we can have a sure hope of the resurrection of our loved ones. Not only that but we can have a deep assurance of our reunion with them, for eternity, when Jesus returns.

The following are some of the verses that mean a great deal to me as one of those, who like many of my friends, lost a loved one since last Easter. Many of us admit that though we believe that our loved ones are safe and secure in the arms of the Lord, there still remains a deep sense of loss in our hearts. How precious then are these verses that remind us of our Christian hope.

Jesus Promise To All His Followers. Jn 14:1-6.

A promise that they would live with Him forever. During His ministry on earth, He had told His disciples that He would soon leave them. Seeing their distress He promised the following, which applies to all His disciples throughout human history.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jn 14:21-6.

A PLACE FOR YOU! WHERE I AM, YOU MAY BE ALSO!

Jesus’ Promise To A Sinner Nearing Death.  Luke 23:42-43. 

Someone, who with another rebel, initially mocked Jesus, Mat 27:38 “Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.” AND “In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.” Mat 27:44.

But one of the rebels changed his mind about Jesus, and rebuked the other rebel. “But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Lk 23:40-43. 

TODAY!  WITH ME!  IN PARADISE! 

A Promise To Jesus’ Followers Who Die And To Their Loved Ones Who Die In The Lord. 

To be absent from the body and present with the Lord was Paul’s deep desire. It is the desire and the certain hope of every believer.

“We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” 2Cor 5:8. 

What a joy to know that just 2 hours after I left my beloved wife Carole in the Palliative Care ward to drive home, she was indeed absent from the body and already at home with the Lord. What a blessed assurance that was, and remains for me every day.

ABSENT FROM THE BODY! AT HOME! WITH THE LORD!

The Promise Of Reunion With Our Loved Ones When Jesus Returns. [As He Certainly Will.] 

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18. “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. 

DEATH IS SLEEP, NOT THE END! NO NEED FOR ONGOING GRIEF! HAVE HOPE! TO CATCH UP WITH DECEASED LOVED ONES! IN THE CLOUDS! TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR! TOGETHER TO BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER!

The Promise Of Sharing Eternity With Loved Ones When Jesus Returns 

1 Corinthians 15: 50-58. “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”

THE DEAD ARE RAISED IMPERISHABLE! DEATH HAS BEEN SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY! THANKS BE TO GOD! OUR LABOUR WILL BE REWARDED! THANKS BE TO GOD!

At a time this year when all our movements world-wide have been severely restricted it is good to reflect on the Lord’s goodness to us and to our loved ones over perhaps many decades. Having to undergo some restrictions on our liberty and having to go through some form of suffering during this year should make us appreciate even more the sacrifices that many have made on our behalf.  But in this Easter season our minds go to the greatest sacrifice that was ever made, and the benefits that are available to those who yield their lives to the One who made it on their behalf. As I was typing this the following words filled my mind, which are from a song “Amazing Love” by Graham Kendrick.

And so they watched Him die

Despised, rejected

But oh, the blood He shed

Flowed for me

Amazing love, o what sacrifice

The Son of God given for me

My debt He pays and my death He dies

That I might live

That I might live.

JESUS! SON OF GOD! CREATOR! SAVIOUR! LORD! Sacrificed His life on the cross so that we might live. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD to give us victory over sin, over death and over the devil, so that we might live in victory and pass through death into glory to be with Him, and with our loved ones, who beat us into His presence!

I pray that your heart may be filled with love for Him and for all He accomplished on the cross and made available to us in His resurrection. We love, because He first loved us, as John wrote in 1 John 4:10, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 

The implications of His love for us become evident in the next verse, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.“ 1Jn 4:11.

This is a time for loving, and as I pointed out in my previous article, love is the best defence against the horrible threat of the Coronavirus.

Love for God enables us to be more healed in body, mind and spirit.

Love for our neighbours means that we will support them and protect them by living lives that pose no risk to them because of our own self-imposed restrictions during this Coronavirus threat.

Praying that you have a very blessed Easter and for those who miss loved ones, that you [and I] will know the Lord’s comfort and strength in His presence and in the experience of His love [as our departed loved ones already are experiencing, in His perfection.]

Blog No.350 posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on [Maundy] Thursday 9th April 2020.

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349. Responding To The Coronavirus Threat. Faith Can Overcome Fear. The Better Way Of Love! A Personal Note.

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

There have been many helpful articles published over the last few weeks which have suggested that it is much better to have faith than to have fear. Especially in relation to the threat of the Coronavirus. Most of the articles have included very good reasons for thinking that way. Faith in God means trusting God as a person and trusting in His promises as promises of a truthful person who can fulfil His promises. Particularly it means trusting in Jesus His beloved Son whom He sent into the world to die on a cross so that sinners [all of us] could be forgiven and be graced with eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. I have often taught on the promises of God in answer to prayer, because such promises are based on His love and faithfulness.

It is a bit surprising, even to me, that I should now be suggesting that the best answer to overcoming the fear that the coronavirus presents to all of us, is love. But I do so for two reasons.

The first reason is that I have seen many folk with a possible over-emphasis on faith in their thinking. I once removed a book from our Healing Ministry Centre bookshelf with a title similar to “Have faith in Faith” because I thought the title gave a wrong message. It is never a matter of having faith in faith, whether it is faith in MY faith, or faith in a particular Bible Teacher’s faith, or faith in the faith of OUR ministry or faith in the faith of our particular church. It is ALWAYS a matter of having faith in God Himself.  I would often bellow out at seminars, “It is not having GREAT FAITH in God that matters. Rather it is having a mustard seed-sized faith in a GREAT GOD that makes all the difference.”  Our faith should not depend on the Quantity Of The Faith we think we possess. Rather it should depend on the QUALITY OF THE PERSON in whom we have faith, the incomparable Lord Jesus.

Having exercised some form of healing ministry since my ordination over 51 years ago [including being Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew’s Anglican Cathedral in Sydney for 18 years] I have been involved with many other believers in praying in faith for the healing of the physically, mentally and spiritually ill. Together we have seen some remarkable if not miraculous [suggested by some medical folk] answers to prayer.  I have taught that we should aim to develop our faith by soaking ourselves in the word of God, knowing that faith could increase. Paul wrote about faith, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Rom 10:17. He looked forward to His friends in Corinth growing in faith, “We do not boast beyond limit in the labours of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged.“ 2 Cor 10:15. He wanted their faith to grow and he believed it could.

 We need to note however, that faith is not a person. I sometimes described faith like this, “Faith is a key that opens the door to the power of the kingdom of God being released into our human situations.” I would illustrate that by taking out my set of keys and holding up one insignificant key and saying “This little key is the master-key to the resources of this whole Cathedral. A small key opens great resources. A mustard seed-sized faith can move mountains. Let’s pray that our faith may grow and grow and grow until it reaches the size ….. of a grain of mustard seed, and then we will really begin to see things happen.” The resources lie in God Himself, not in the faith through which it may be released, sometimes through the most unlikely people.

The Second Reason Is Much More Personal. [And Deeply personal to me!]

I have been thinking recently about this verse, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”  1 John 4:18. It had impacted me the more I meditated on it. I think I know why.

My late wife Carole had faith in the Lord for the healing of our children from serious health issues in their infancy and childhood.

She had faith for healing for herself for serious thyroid cancer many years ago.

She had faith for healing for breast cancer during 2 operations and many bouts of radiotherapy.

The biggest challenge to her faith came just a few years ago when her GP looked at her recent tests and said, “Carole, you have advanced uterine cancer.” When she didn’t react as he supposed she should, he replied with, “Carole, you might have only two weeks or two months, or two years at the most to live. You could die anytime.”  After a few moments she replied, “Doctor, I’m in a win-win situation. If I keep on living, I have a wonderful Christian and church family here to love and support me. If I am to die, I have a lovely Christian family to go to, in heaven.” He was taken aback. Perhaps as an avowed professed atheist, he had never come across someone who had taken such horrible news so peacefully and calmly.

It meant of course that Carole then placed herself in the hands of dedicated, knowledgeable medical specialists for surgery, radiation [with some success] and later, of necessity, chemotherapy.  But all the time she had faith to believe she could be healed. Even when the treatments were not bringing the results we had hoped and prayed for.

Together we would affirm that God is in control of all things and that nothing was impossible for Him, even healing her cancer. We would pray that God’s will might be done in her life and perhaps on my part, a little naughtily suggesting to the Lord that news of her spectacular divine healing might lead to a powerful move of the Holy Spirit in our city, which would bring glory to His name.  I knew of course that He could not be spiritually blackmailed, nor does He ever need any prompting to be loving and compassionate.

Carole launched herself even more deeply into the Lord by obeying to the best of her ability, the Two Great Commandments [to love God with every fibre of her being and to seek to allow God’s love to be poured out through her to neighbours and friends.] She began to read aloud whole passages of the Bible every day and to pray in, the truths that she had read. She also began to phone people the Lord had placed in her heart and mind as she meditated on the Lord, following her Bible readings. People throughout Australia and overseas began to get cheery phone calls from her on a regular basis. Many of the calls which had begun on a very serious note ended with peals of laughter. She maintained a deep sense of love, joy and peace even as the cancer appeared to be increasing, but her faith in the power of God to heal, never diminished.

[A bit more personal.] Just a couple of days before I took Carole on what was to be her last trip in our car from home to Emergency at the Hospital, I was helping her walk towards her favourite chair at the far end of the lounge. Suddenly she stopped, looked up into my face and said with great emotion, “Thank you for loving me. Thank you for caring for me.” The words impacted me greatly. I was undone. I think I replied, “It’s because I love you.” There was something special about that moment. It was like a mutual recognition that the Lord who had brought us together and had been with us throughout our whole marriage would be there with us to the end of our days. It was like a mutual surrender into the depths of His love and a mutual surrender into His purpose for us. All would be well, no matter what the future might hold.

As I thought about that incident that day I realised that we had both come to a growing conviction over the years, that God Himself had brought us together in marriage almost 54 years before, and that we had tried to fulfil to the utmost, the vows we made to each other before Him on that day. When I was asked by the priest on our wedding day, “WILT thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?” I had replied that I would, and I meant it with all my heart. Similarly, Carole had replied with a similar understanding of the deep import of those words as she said, “I will” to the similar set of questions.  From that moment on we had committed ourselves to love and care for each other for as long as we both should live.

As we grew closer to the Lord and to each other as our marriage progressed, we realised that God had indeed brought us together and had been with us in the many wonderful and not-so-wonderful experiences we had shared together in ministry. [It was amazing and comforting that so many friends have remarked over the years that we were “made for each other.” We certainly thought so!]  If it was a marriage planned in heaven then it should be lived out on earth for His purposes and to His glory. We both continued to enthrone Jesus as Lord, on the throne of our lives and of our marriage. Our preference was that we would be alive to rise hand in hand to meet the Lord in the air when Jesus returns again. Now it seemed as though that was not going to happen unless the Lord worked a mighty miracle [which we still believed He could.]

After 2 difficult nights in hospital in a noisy crowded mixed ward, Carole was admitted to a restful Palliative Care ward in an adjacent town. On the second day there, the specialist doctor came with a group of young doctors. She told Carole their aim was to try to get her home as soon as possible and have Palliative care nurses call on her at home. However, just a week later she came with a different group of young doctors and said, “Carole, you won’t be going home. You will die in a few days.” Carole nodded. They all looked at me. I nodded. Carole and I knew that the Lord would have the final say!

Just two days later Carole was totally unresponsive, just lying curled up and having some difficulty breathing. As I left before it got dark [as she had previously ordered me to] I kissed her and said quietly into her ear, “Carole if you want to go home to Jesus and to your Mum and Dad, I will miss you terribly, but I will be Ok. I love you!” As I left her room, I paused and looked back to see if the Lord had already done a miracle. There was no change. It was about two hours later the phone rang and it was a nurse from the Palliative Care ward. Would the news be miracle or death? She told me that they had attended to Carole and had left the room for a few minutes and when they returned she had passed away peacefully. Our prayers had been answered. But not exactly the way I hoped they would be. The Lord had taken her home, to be with Him. The phrase flashed into my mind, as they told me the news, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”

 Why have I bothered to write all this and in such a personal way? It is probably good therapy for me to do so. But there is a far more important reason.  When Carole and I first became involved with some people involved in healing, they said that if people had enough faith they could be healed of anything. Some of them explained that there were 2 main reasons why people didn’t get healed. One was because they didn’t have enough faith. The second was because there must have been some secret sin in their lives. I thought they were playing at being God and lacked humility and compassion. Life is much more complicated than that, and so are people. Only God knows the answer to why some are not healed, and when their death will take place. His word teaches in Psalm 139,  “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. “Ps 139:16-17. God alone knows the number of days we will live. Of course, throughout my ministry, I taught that our faith could and should grow. Of course I taught that we must let God reveal to us every sin in our lives so that we might confess them, receive His forgiveness and thus become more open to His healing power. But faith is not a person. Jesus is! Our trust is meant to be in Him and not in the amount of faith we imagine we possess.

 So as we face any threat in life and there are many, I believe we are meant to be encouraging everyone to enter into a love relationship with Jesus and not just to have more faith.  As Neil Anderson wrote in one of his daily devotions about a young man who was having trouble with his faith, “This young man was trying to live by faith in faith. But faith itself is not a valid object. The only valid object for faith is God and the revelation we have of Him in His Word. Faith is the operating principle of life. The only difference between Christian and non-Christian faith is the object. God must be the object of our faith.” [NOTE 1]

St Paul had described love in strikingly beautiful language in 1 Corinthians 13. He also stressed the primacy of love in the same  passage when he wrote in these verses,   1Cor 13:2  “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” and  1Cor 13:13  “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

 In this article, I am not trying to hold up my beloved Carole as some hero of extraordinary faith or the exemplar of the most deeply committed love. I am saying that she is another example [albeit my closest and dearest example] of those who totally commit themselves to Jesus in a love relationship and trust Him with their whole future, come what may! It is certainly true that in spite of the faith she had in Him, to bring answers to her prayers, she continued to trust Him, even when it appeared as though her prayers were being answered in a different way to what we expected. There was never any fear [or any other negative emotion] on her part as her condition deteriorated. Natural apprehension sometimes, but always a secure love relationship with the Lord whose love she had experienced over many years and whom she sought to love with her whole being, even unto death. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1jn 4:18. What motivates those who love God and who love and trust Jesus His Son? John gives us the answer in the very next verse, “We love because he first loved us.” 1 Jn 4:19. Responding to love with love!

Still feeling fearful? Of the Coronavirus? Of many things? Wondering if you could ever build up enough faith to get you through difficult and threatening times? Why not try the better way of entering into a deep relationship of love with the Lord Jesus Himself and learn to experience the peace of God that does pass human understanding, even in the face of present and future threats?

Here is a suggested prayer you might like to pray to enter into that relationship of love.

“Dear Lord, I confess that I have sinned against You in my thought life, and in what I have said and done during my life. I haven’t loved You with all my heart. I haven’t loved my neighbours as myself as You commanded me to do. In Your love and mercy, please forgive me of all my sins. I invite You to come into my heart and life to be my Saviour from sin and to be the Lord and Master of every part of my life.

Please heal the past, strengthen me for the present and equip me for the future by filling me with Your Holy Spirit. By Your grace, enable me to the person You want me to be, doing and saying the things You want me to do and say, and praying the prayers You want me to pray. I long to experience Your kingdom love and power being poured into my life, and also being expressed through me, to a needy, fearful world. Please accept the love of my heart as I offer myself completely to You in Jesus’ name. AMEN!”

                                   ……………………………………….

NOTE 1.  From the reading for March 31 in “Daily in Christ.”

Blog No.349 posted on http://www.jimholbeck.blog on Friday 3rd April 2020

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Coping With Personal Grief, Creation, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Glorification, Healing, Justification, Mental Health, Prayer, Real Life Stories, Salvation, Sanctification, Second coming of Jesus, Tributes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

348. Some Biblical Material To Read And Listen To During The Coronavirus Lockdown

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

It is very seldom in life that we find we are actually forced to take time off work or from our normal activities. The coronavirus has made it compulsory. So we may as well make the most of it.

Because the Bible Study I lead has been suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus threat, I decided to pass on to its members some links to material we could read or listen to privately until we can once again join in face to face sharing and discussion. I started by suggesting my own material which can be found as blogs on WordPress and as audio recordings on YouTube. I decided then to make the material more widely available.

I had a choice. I could put up a single post on a single topic from time to time. Or, I could put up a post with many links to a larger number of suggested posts that people could read or listen to at their leisure. I chose the latter. So what you have here is a depository of documents and audio recordings that can be turned to, time after time. Hopefully, this blog No 348 will be sitting there on the web, well after the Coronavirus threat has ended and into the months and years ahead. It is yours to peruse freely and to recommend to others if you find them helpful.

YouTube can be accessed by a computer connected to the internet or seen on a Smart television set also linked to the internet.

In this enforced change to our usual way of living I hope you will take advantage of this compilation of resources here and be richly blessed as you do so.

Sincerely,

Jim Holbeck

THE COMPILATION

A].       BLOGS  [Documents to be read]

I have written over 340 articles as blogs to be found on my Blogsite www.jimholbeck.blog

These are mainly on Healing but include other topics as well, including examining many Biblical texts. There is an excellent Index on the side and a Search space where you can type topics or Bible passages etc and it will display those topics or texts.

This is one example to click on so you can see what the blogsite is like and some of the contents of the whole site.   https://wordpress.com/view/jimholbeck.blog

 ON YouTube

B].       SERMON.  [Audio only.]

Sermon on Romans 12:1-2.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTo4zY15qtE&amp=&t=25s

C].        SEMINAR TALKS ON THE PERSON OF JESUS. (Audio)

  1. Jesus the Creator.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GYb8fv2otc&t=199s
  2. Jesus the Saviour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQnTxCguw9c&t=605s
  3. Jesus the Lord. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYTFg4FDT3s&t=13s
  4. Jesus the Judge.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYzs2G9CG_Q&t=7s

D].       SEMINAR TALKS ON OVERCOMING DEPRESSION. (Audio)

  1. Overcoming Stress.  Christian Enemy No1. The World. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDz30pTjn7k&t=472s
  2. Overcoming Stress. Christian Enemy No 2. The Flesh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiiDmeKAXtU
  3. Overcoming Stress. Christian Enemy No 3. The Devil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRh1YulH8kY&t=1s

Blog No.348. Posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on Wednesday 25th March 2020.

 

 

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Creation, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Healing, Judgement, Justification, Mental Health, Prayer, Salvation, Sanctification, Sermons on John's Gospel, spiritual warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

347. TRIBUTES TO SOME GODLY WOMEN ON ST VALENTINE’S DAY. [Giving Thanks Where It Is Due!]

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

What do you do on Valentine’s day when your loved one has entered into glory to be with the Lord? One thing you can do is to pay tribute to some remarkable women who contributed greatly to her life on earth but who are now present with her in glory. It is quite amazing when you reflect on it, that these women who had been her close friends for over 40 years have all passed away in the space of just 5 months.

September 2019 saw the death of Maree Anker whom we first met when we moved from Brisbane to Armidale when I was appointed the Dean of St Peter’s Cathedral, Armidale NSW in 1978. Maree was highly intelligent as a graduate of Melbourne Uni and a very keen believer. In later years she helped foreign students prepare their theses for submitting to the University of New England in Armidale for higher degrees. Her love for languages also meant that she studied online to understand more of the depth of the scriptures by studying their Hebrew and Jewish backgrounds. Being multi-talented she was a gracious hostess and could have excelled at all sorts of artistic pursuits. She encouraged me as Dean of the Cathedral to allow her to introduce Christian dance in the Cathedral. I was a bit hesitant, but when I saw how the dancing she introduced was a good and faithful expression of the scriptures, it became a greatly valued part of our worship in the Cathedral. When Maree was diagnosed with cancer in latter years, she did a lot of research and would often ring Carole to pass on valuable insights she had discovered.

October 2019 brought another sadness. Our dear friend Lettie Watson went to be with the Lord. She and Carole would ring each other often several times a week to encourage each other. Lettie came into our lives when she came into our church at Mt Gravatt for a morning service. She and her husband Jeff and their good friends John and Merle had been to an agricultural show in Northern NSW and had come on to Mt Gravatt to check out the Bishop’s suggestion for me to be the next Dean of Armidale. [Parishioners later good-naturedly said that if they had known they were there to pinch their Rector they wouldn’t have greeted them so warmly.] From that moment in 1977 Lettie became a close friend of Carole. Jeff, even though he was the Shire President was willing to become my Dean’s Warden and together Jeff and Lettie contributed so much to Cathedral life and to our lives personally. Gifts of food and milk from their farm would often arrive at the Deanery to our delight. Our friendship continued when they retired to Dorrigo and we would always go to Brisbane via Dorrigo mountain to meet up with them. After Jeff’s death, Carole decided to increase her phone contact with Lettie and so there would be several calls back and forth each week until Lettie was unable to call or receive calls. That was a very sad time for Carole, losing contact with a beloved friend.

At the end of October it was my beloved Carole’s time to go to be with the Lord. Even when she was put into Palliative Care and growing weaker day by day, she continued to ring her friends. I have written before in previous articles about what a beautiful, caring wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend Carole was, and you can read in those articles about this amazing woman, whom all of us who knew her, miss so much today.

Another of Carole’s close friends came down from Brisbane to her Thanksgiving Service in Port Macquarie in November. Beverley Littler and her husband Roley and family, came to our Mt Gravatt parish in the early 1970’s. They both grew quickly as new believers and we became very close friends. I will always remember Bev giving her testimony at a morning service and a friend who had been absent overseas for several months remarking on what a remarkable depth had come to Bev’s faith in such a short time. She loved people and it was not surprising that we remained in close contact when we moved to Armidale.  She and Rol would come to stay with us in Armidale and we would stay with them whenever we went to Brisbane. Bev had lots of friends and loved ringing them. She became known as “Have A Chat Bev,” a title she loved. The friendship didn’t lessen even when we moved to Sydney for 18 years and then retired to Port Macquarie in 2006.

We had a wonderful touring holiday together some years ago as we traversed through much of NSW, and to Kangaroo Island in South Australia and then back home through Victoria.  A highlight for us was seeing the sheer delight on Bev’s face as an accomplished painter herself, as she stood in exactly the same spot in his studio at Hahndorf, as the famous Australian artist Hans Heysen had stood, as he painted some of his famous paintings. She was deeply appreciative of God’s universe and of the God of this universe. She was sensitive to the Lord. I well remember one Monday morning sitting at my desk in the Deanery in Armidale and praying, “Lord please guide me today as I read your word.” I had come under attack by some of the hierarchy because the Spirit of God was moving powerfully in the parish and some did not understand what was happening and felt threatened. As I finished praying and opened my Bible, the phone rang. Initially, I hesitated because I had asked the Lord to speak to me through His word and was about to read the Bible. But I decided to answer the phone. It was Bev who said that she had been praying in the kitchen that very morning and a passage of scripture had come into her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she should share it with me, not knowing that I was waiting to hear from the Lord.  When I asked her to share it with me, I was amazed because it spoke directly to my situation. He had indeed spoken to me through His word—through Bev.

She and Rol came all the way from Brisbane by coach to attend Carole’s Thanksgiving Service in November last year in spite of all the road closures and the smoke because of the bush fires. Then they left at 2am by coach to travel home a few days later. We all appreciated the effort they made in coming to farewell Carole. Sadly it was only a few weeks later that Bev tripped at home and fractured her sternum. She was healing well until complications set in and she too passed on to be with the Lord. Just over a week ago I attended her Thanksgiving service in Brisbane where a massive congregation gave thanks to God for the impact she had had on their lives as one of God’s godly women.

Godly women. United in Christ on earth for over 40 years. Now united with Him and with each other in heaven, all in the space of just 5 months.

So what do you do on Valentine’s Day when you no longer have a Valentine into whose ears you can express your love? Do something that she would have approved of wholeheartedly. And that is, thank the Lord for the friendships she enjoyed which He planned on earth and now fulfilled in His presence in heaven. So I “dips me lid” in tribute to these remarkable women who blessed Carole and me by their friendships and whom Carole was privileged to bless in His love. None of them may have been featured in Australia Day Honours or in Nobel Peace prize listings, but their life stories are written forever in heaven and many of us on earth relish such wonderful memories of them. I am sure that as they all entered into heaven in these last 5 months, there was a great cry to welcome each one of them, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

A Grateful Tribute to Godly Women! Maree. Lettie. Carole. Beverley.  The earth was richer for your presence and remains blessed in your absence, because of your faithfulness to the Lord and to one another [and to others] for those 40 plus years!! To God be the glory! Great things He has done! And through you all! For us!

Blog No.347. Posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on Friday 14th Feb 2020. (Valentine’s Day)

 

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346. An Overview of an ABCD View of Christianity, Section D. Doing Something About It [About Putting Belief Into Action.] Part 5 of 5.

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

D].       DOING something about it. [Not just believing but acting on that belief.] [NOTE 4]

It is 9pm on New Year’s Eve 1958. I am sitting reading a booklet in a rented flat on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, on a street named appropriately, Boundary Street. I am thinking of stepping over a border. Not a border fence, though there is a low timber and wire one about 30 metres away. No, this was a much more significant border; the border between unbelief and belief; the border between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light; the border between my rule over my life and Christ’s rule over my life. It appears at this moment, to be the biggest decision of my life.

The noise level outside is getting louder and louder as tens of thousands gather in the Tweed Heads [NSW] and Coolangatta [QLD] area. I make a decision. To walk among normal folk gathering in the streets to see out the old year and to welcome the New Year of 1959. For about 2 hours I walk among the happy revellers caught up in their joy and excitement, but feeling alone [not lonely] but as though I am an individual in the sight of God. There is nowhere to hide, even among thousands of people.  I return to the less noisy flat and read again the prayer at the end of the John Stott booklet I have been reading. It had a simple Prayer of Commitment based on the letters ABCD. It suggests that if I want to commit my life to the Lord, I have to A= Admit I am a sinner in the sight of God; B= Believe that Christ had come and died for the sins of the world; C= Consider the cost of becoming a Christian. But it was D that makes me think more deeply about the ramifications of undergoing a drastic change in my life at only 23 years of age. I actually have to Do something if I want to cross all those borders and enter into God’s family and Kingdom. There is no going back once the decision is made. I have obviously done what is suggested in A, B and C. But D?

So what do I have to D = do?

  • Inviting Christ to come into our lives as our Saviour from sin. Rev 3:20

The booklet suggests asking Christ into my life through prayer. I read the verse from Revelation 3:20 to realise that the risen Christ is standing at the door of my life and asking me to open the door to let Him in. Am I ready for that? It is now 11.45pm and the New Year is about to arrive. Another decision is made! I kneel down beside my bed and begin to pray the ABCD prayer. I tell God that I Admit I am a sinner in His sight; that I now Believe that Christ had come from heaven to die on the cross for sinners like me; that I had Considered the cost of becoming a Christian and that I was now Doing something, in opening the door of my life to the Risen Christ.

As I finished the prayer, the noise outside erupted as bells tolled, car horns honked and people screamed out in joy. I realised that it wasn’t for me, but the New Year was being welcomed in. Only later did I read that, at that moment, the angels in heaven were rejoicing that a lost sinner had come home. That was the beginning of a new life for me as a Christian believer.

From that night some 61 years ago I have been grateful for the simplicity of the ABCD approach to Christianity.  It works! I know personally that it does! And so do dozens of others whom I have led in the same prayer of commitment over all those years!

However commitment needs to become a TOTAL commitment.

  • Inviting Christ to come into every area of our lives to be our Lord and Master.

I knew what it meant to allow Christ into every area of my life, so that He could deal with the past and bring healing, correct my beliefs and behaviours in the present and guide me in establishing my plans for the future in living for Him.

Later I came across a very helpful booklet written by Robert Munger, with the title “My Heart. Christ’s Home.” I was able to point others to it as a means of helping them to become more open to God. Its basic theme is that when we invite Christ into our hearts, we can treat him as an honoured guest. But He is meant to be the Lord of every person’s heart. So we respond to His presence in us, by opening all the doors in our hearts to Him, so He can enter every room of our lives and exercise His control in each room. The booklet ends with the home-owner handing over the title deeds of the home to Christ so that He becomes the Master of the home enabling His will can be done in and through the totally committed person.

  • Inviting Him to fill us with His Spirit so that we can know His will and do it.

It is sad that in many evangelical churches there is a resistance to the term “being filled the Spirit” or the term “Spirit filled.” One can understand that, when one comes across some extremes of Pentecostal teaching. But God commands us to “keep on being filled with the Spirit“ which is a true translation of Eph 5:18. It may be helpful to see what the consequences of being filled with the Holy Spirit look like, as you look at one of my previous articles, No. 340.

Another term is ‘full of the Spirit” which is used of Jesus in Luke 4:1, and as a requirement for the 7 deacons to be chosen in Acts 6. “Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” Acts 6:3. Luke the writer goes on to show that one of those men was Stephen, whom he described as being “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” It is the same Stephen who was later martyred for his faith, but as he was being stoned to death, he was still full of the Spirit, “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55. Barnabas was also described as being full of the Spirit, “for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”  Acts 11:24. It would seem that those who are  “full of the Spirit” are those who habitually allowed themselves to keep on being filled with the Spirit.

The term then, “Spirit-filled” should be the default position of every believer, because we are all commanded to “keep on being filled the Spirit.” It is not just a term to be used of so-called “high-flyers”, the supposed elite, in the church, but of every individual. Jesus taught His followers to ask Him for what they needed, and made a promise to those who did so, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13. I believe it delights the heart of God when His children ask Him to fill them with His Holy Spirit.

That brings to a close this short series of an ABCD approach to Christianity. It is a simple approach but profound. As I mentioned in a previous article, it can become the basis on which you can build your own testimony.  The great advantage is that you don’t have to start by memorizing huge numbers of Bible passages or fairly complicated diagrams. You begin by memorizing just 4 letters ABCD and the 4 words  Admitting, Believing, Considering and Doing. They are the building blocks on which you can build your own Bible verses to help explain what Christianity is all about, AND on which you can formulate your own personal testimony for sharing with others, to the glory of God.

Blog No.346 posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on Friday 17th January 2020.

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Forgiveness, Justification, Prayer, Praying our way through Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Salvation, Sanctification | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

345. An Overview of an ABCD View of Christianity. Section C. Counting the Cost.  [Part 4 of 5.]

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

In previous articles, I have mentioned that my desire to find some quick and simple method of equipping people to be able to share the main features of Christianity led to suggesting an ABCD view of Christianity.  As the material below shows it is about remembering initially only 4 words, Admitting, Believing, Considering and Doing. It is a method [among others] that I have been using for over 60 years with individuals or in large groups.

In this article, I will be looking at Section C on Considering the cost of becoming a Christian. As the outline under C below suggests, salvation is a free gift to us, but in another sense, it costs us everything. It was costly for Jesus who laid down His life for His friends. It comes to us as a free gift in Him. However there needs to be a response from us, expressing gratitude to Him for all Jesus accomplished on the cross for us. In NOTE 3 below we will see what that response might be. [Sections A and B are minimized as I have written on the in the previous 2 articles, but still are retained here to give the overall outline. So move now to Section C.]

A].       ADMITTING WE ARE SINNERS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. WE ALL NEED GOD’S FORGIVENESS. [NOTE 1 below shows the Bible verses and other quotes.]
  • What the OT says. Ps 14:2-3, 51:5, Jer 17:5,9, Eccles 9:3 are some examples.
  • What Jesus said. Jn 3:16, 17, 36. Mat 15:19, Mk 7:21-23. Jn 8:12. 
  • What the Apostles said. Paul, Rom 3:23, 6:23, 2Cor 5:15, Eph 2:8-9. John in 1 Jn 5:11-13. Peter in 1 Pet :18-19, 2:24.
  • What the Church says. 39 Articles. Westminster Confession.
 
B].        BELIEVING that Christ came to die for sinners. [ NOTE 2]
We obtain forgiveness in Him and only in Him!
  • It had been prophesied.
  • It was fulfilled. “It is finished!” exclaimed Jesus.
  • It is available in Him alone.

C].        CONSIDERING the cost of becoming a Christian. [NOTE 3]

Salvation is a free gift to us, but it costs us everything.

  • Salvation is a free gift in Christ. Eph 2:8-10
  • He died for all, so that we might live for Him. 2 Cor 5:15.

 D].       DOING something about it. [Not just believing but acting on that belief.] [NOTE 4]

  • Inviting Christ to come into our lives as our Saviour from sin. Rev 3:20
  • Inviting Christ to come into every area of our lives to be our Lord and Master.
  • Inviting Him to fill us with His Spirit so that we can know His will and do it.

NOTES:-  

[Notes 1 and 2 are to be found at the end of the articles dealing with Sections A and B.]

NOTE 3. on C].  CONSIDERING the cost of becoming a Christian.

1].        Salvation Is A Free Gift In Christ. BUT!   Eph 2:8-10

One of the most well-known passages about God’s grace in sending Jesus to die for us, is found in these verses. Eph 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Our salvation is a gift from God. It is an act of grace towards us.  It is a gift in Christ we can choose to accept or reject. Faith accepts the gift, recognising this is because of what Christ has done and not because of any good work we have done. That is why is our salvation is never something we can boast about. We have been saved and now we belong to the family of God. There was no ‘good work’ we could ever do that would gain any merit for us to enter into heaven. But He wants His children to do good works.

In fact, Paul says that He has “prepared beforehand” what works God wants His children to do. Not only were the works prepared beforehand, but He had to prepare His children to be motivated and to be able to do them. They were His “workmanship,” His handiwork, being created and being prepared to do the works He had already prepared for them to do. Some translations are seemingly extravagant in their translation of the Greek word for ‘workmanship’ [poiēma; ποίημα] which simply means something that is made, when they render the word as ‘masterpiece.’ [Which of course we are as created unique beings with our own unique fingerprints and all.] However the point is that God Himself created His people for good works which He had already prepared for them to do. They do them, not to gain any merit in doing so, but because this is God’s purpose for them as new creatures in Christ.

Phil 2:12-13, has similar concepts. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Salvation is a free gift, but believers are to “work out” in practice, the implications of their salvation.  “Work out” is [katergazomai; κατεργάζομαι meaning to work and accomplish, or to achieve] and it is possible for them to do so because, as Paul states, God is actually at work in them, giving them the motivation and the ability to know and do His will. “At work” is energeō; ἐνεργέω, the basis of our English word ‘energy.’]  To “work” for His good pleasure, also has the same [energeō; ἐνεργέω] word.

In other words, the believer is to work out in practice what God is inwardly working in them.

So the cost of becoming a Christian is nothing, but the responsibility of being a Christian means becoming God’s agent in accomplishing the work He has prepared for us to do.

2}.        He Died For All, So That We Might Live For Him. 2 Cor 5:15. This is often called the “Divine Exchange.” “and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” 5:15.  It means that instead of living life as we want to live it, we now begin to live life as God wants us to live it. We hand the ownership of our lives over to Him, rather than being the Lord and Master of our own lives. We enthrone Him as Lord on the throne of our lives and seek to know and to do His will, rather than our own.

Living for Him means being committed to Him as one’s supreme responsibility and hanging on faithfully doing what He wants us to do. Jesus taught on that in Luke chapter 9 when someone said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus’ answer showed that commitment to Him, had the highest priority for His followers, “No one who puts his hand to the plow [plough] and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Lk 9:62. We can rightly rejoice in past accomplishments done with the Lord’s guidance and help, but we are not meant to relax in our efforts to serve Him in love at the present and in the future. St Paul wrote of his own philosophy of life and his future objectives in Php 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” There IS a time for healthy reflection on past accomplishments and on life in general, provided that it doesn’t distract us from present and future responsibilities and opportunities to work for “His good pleasure” as Phil 2:13 says.

Counting the cost means committing oneself ‘boots and all” as they say in some circles, or “being totally committed” in other circles.

What a wonderful privilege it is to become a child of God by having faith in what Christ has done, but there is the great responsibility in living the way He wants us to live, from that point onwards! Working out in daily life, what He is working in us, day by day!

[The next article will be on Section D, Doing Something about it.]

Blog No.345. Posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on Friday 17th January 2020.

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344 An Overview Of An ABCD View Of Christianity.  Section B] Believing That Christ Came To Die For Sinners.[Part 3 of 5.]

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

In Part 1 of this series, I mentioned that I was thinking about how we can learn to share what Christianity is all about [and what is involved in our own personal faith] in a quick and simple way.  I came up with an approach I had used personally over the years and which stemmed from my own conversion experience over 61 years ago. It was based on the simple ABCD approach I used in a prayer of commitment to the Lord way back then. The sections ABCD below give an outline of what is involved in this approach.

In the previous article we looked at A] Admitting we are all sinners in the sight of God and Note 1 at the end of that article gave some of the suggested verses to consider in relation to that.

In this article we are going to look at B}  BELIEVING that Christ came to die for sinners, and at the end of the article will be NOTE 2 giving suggested verses to consider when sharing this truth.  What I hope to provide is a smorgasbord of biblical passages and verses so that you can take what will suit your palate best as you seek to share the good news of the gospel.  It may be wise to start off by memorising just simply one verse for each section, and then to add others verses as you become more proficient in sharing your faith with others. The large collation of verses below is not to impress you, but to save you time from having to do the research yourself.  We now move to section B and its Note 2. [Section A is minimised below, as we have previously dealt with it in the previous article. However it is retained here to give the overall view of the ABCD approach.]

A].       ADMITTING WE ARE SINNERS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. WE ALL NEED GOD’S FORGIVENESS. [NOTE 1 is to be found on previous article No 343.] 
  1. What the OT says. Ps 14:2-3, 51:5, Jer 17:5,9, Eccles 9:3 are some examples.
  2. What Jesus said. Jn 3:16, 17, 36. Mat 15:19, Mk 7:21-23. Jn 8:12. 
  3. What the Apostles said. Paul, Rom 3:23, 6:23, 2Cor 5:15, Eph 2:8-9. John in 1 Jn 5:11-13. Peter in 1 Pet :18-19, 2:24.
  4. What the Church says. 39 Articles. Westminster Confession.

B].        BELIEVING that Christ came to die for sinners. [ NOTE 2 is to be found below.]

We obtain forgiveness in Jesus and only in Him!

  1. It had been prophesied. 

  2. It was fulfilled. “It is finished!” exclaimed Jesus.

  3. It is available in Him alone.

C].        CONSIDERING the cost of becoming a Christian. [NOTE 3 will be found in the next article]

Salvation is a free gift to us, but it costs us everything. 

  1. Salvation is a free gift in Christ. Eph 2:8-10
  2. He died for all, so that we might live for Him. 2 Cor 5:15.

 D].       DOING something about it. [Not just believing but acting on that belief.] [NOTE 4 will be found in a forthcoming article]

  1. Inviting Christ to come into our lives as our Saviour from sin. Rev 3:20
  2. Inviting Christ to come into every area of our lives to be our Lord and Master.
  3. Inviting Him to fill us with His Spirit so that we can know His will and do it.

……………………………………………………………………….…………………………………

NOTES:- (Note 1 is to be found at the end of the previous article No.343.]

 NOTE 2. This is on B].  BELIEVING THAT CHRIST CAME TO DIE FOR SINNERS.

We obtain forgiveness in Jesus and only in Him!

  1. IT HAD BEEN PROPHESIED.

    The number of prophesies about the coming Messiah or Christ [the Anointed One] varies amongst scholars. However one organisation has given a list of the 40 most helpful passages, on this linked site,

https://jewsforjesus.org/answers/top-40-most-helpful-messianic-prophecies/

Among those passages are some which are more well-known than others. For example,

  • Ps 16:8-11. “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10  For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11  You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” [see Acts 23:22-23 and 13:35-37.]
  • Ps 22 has many detailed prophecies about the Messiah including the crucifixion scene. 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 22:7-8, “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 ‘He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!’” 22:16-18, “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17  I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. [See Mat 27 and Mk 15.]
  • Jer31:31,  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah”, [see Mk 14:24, 1 Cor 11:25, Heb 9:15, 12:24]
  • Isa 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn”[See Lk 4:17-21 where Jesus said this about Himself.]
  • Isa 52:4 to 53:12 “ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” {See Mat 8:16-17, “That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Mt 27:40, “and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
  • Zech 11:12-13, re the 30 pieces of silver, [See Mat 26:14, “Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 25 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.”
  • A forerunner to Jesus was prophesied, Isa 40:3-5 “A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” And Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.” John the Baptist proclaimed as the forerunner to Jesus, Mk 1:12-2, The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
  • Isa 35:5-6. The Messiah would heal people. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.“ [See Mat 11:4, And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”]
  • Isa 42:1-7, the Messiah to be a light to the nations. [See Jn 8;12, “again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”]

2}.     IT WAS FULFILLED. “IT IS FINISHED!” EXCLAIMED JESUS.[ Jesus’ Death Was For Sinners.]

Jesus said so.

Mk 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luk 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jn 3:16-17,“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

 Jn 19:30, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” The long-promised work of redemption by Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, had been accomplished! [The title of one of my favorite books by John Murray is,  “Redemption Accomplished and Applied.” Redemption was accomplished on the cross by Jesus’ sacrificial death. It was made available to His followers by His resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of God as He poured out His Spirit on His followers on the Day of Pentecost.

Paul described His death as being for sinners.

Rom 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Rom 8:34 “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

2Cor 5:14 “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died”

1Thess 5:10 “who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

Hebrews. The writer saw Jesus’ death as being sufficient to bring forgiveness of all sins,

Heb 2:17 “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

Heb 9:12  “he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption…. 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

Heb 10:14’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” AND Heb 10:18 ‘Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

Peter

1Pet 1:18 “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

1Pet 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

1Pet 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”


John in Revelation writing about Jesus’ death for sinners

Rev 1:5  “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”

Rev 5:9 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

Rev 7:13-14, “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

 3].    FORGIVENESS IS AVAILABLE IN JESUS ALONE

Jesus. Some examples

  • He said He was THE light of the world. Jn 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
  • He said He was THE way and THE truth and THE life. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
  • He said He was THE only way to the Father. Jn 14:6, “…No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts.

  • Act 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
  • Act 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
  • Act 5:31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
  • Act 10:43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
  • Act 13:38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
  • Act 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

 Paul. [Salvation and forgiveness are to be found only in Jesus.]

  • Paul put it simply and clearly in Eph 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Forgiveness for sin is to be found in Him and in Him alone. There is no other source to obtain forgiveness. He is THE Redeemer and THE only Saviour from sin.
  • Col 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
  • 1 Tim 2:5, For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
  • Heb 9:22,  for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
  • Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
  • Heb 10:13-14, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Peter.

1 Pet 1:18-19, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

John.

  • 1Jn 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
  • 1 Jn 3:16, By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
  • 1 Jn 4:10, In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
  • 1 Jn 4:14, And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.
  • 1 Jn 5:11-12, And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

 This has been an exhausting but not exhaustive search. As I remarked above, you can read all the verses in their contexts if you wish, but then take your fork and try to sample and memorise only what suits you best in your efforts to share your faith with others.

[ In the next article we will look at Section [C] on counting the cost of becoming a Christian, and the accompanying NOTE 3 will provide biblical texts related to this.]

Blog No.344 posted on www.jimholbeck.blog  on Thursday 16th January 2020.

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343 An Overview Of An ABCD View Of Christianity. [Part 2 of 5.]

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

In my previous article [No342] I suggested that one way of explaining Christianity to someone who was interested, would be to use the letters ABCD as a simple method of explanation. It means initially having to remember only 4 words, Admitting, Believing, Considering and Doing. Sometimes just being able to quote one or two verses connected with these 4 words can lead to fruitful discussions and as I have discovered, to personal commitment to Christ by those who were hungry for reality in their lives.

In this article I want to give an overview for this suggested concept. It looks at the 4 sections involved in the ABCD approach and what we will discuss under each heading. Then we have NOTE 1 at the end of the article which will deal with the letter [A], which is “[A]DMITTING WE ARE SINNERS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. WE ALL NEED GOD’S FORGIVENESS.” While it is true that it is only the Holy Spirit who can bring conviction of sin to a person’s life, He often highlights verses that we have been acquainted with, to bring such conviction. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” [John 16:8}

[As noted above, the Notes at the bottom of this article give only some suggested references for Section A, dealing with the topic, “Admitting we are sinners in the sight of God.” There are myriads more verses we could suggest, but these are suggested, not to be memorised in full, but to read in their context. Then you would be able to choose those you wish to memorise to help you in explaining or sharing your faith with others. I will use the same outline in future articles but will add Notes for the other sections B, C and D in those future articles.]

A].       ADMITTING WE ARE SINNERS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. WE ALL NEED GOD’S FORGIVENESS. [NOTE 1 below shows the Bible verses and other quotes.]

  1. What the OT says. Ps 14:2-3, 51:5, Jer 17:5,9, Eccles 9:3 are some examples.
  2. What Jesus said. Jn 3:16, 17, 36. Mat 15:19, Mk 7:21-23. Jn 8:12. 
  3. What the Apostles said. Paul, Rom 3:23, 6:23, 2Cor 5:15, Eph 2:8-9. John in 1 Jn 5:11-13. Peter in 1 Pet :18-19, 2:24.
  4. What the Church says. 39 Articles. Westminster Confession.

B].        BELIEVING that Christ came to die for sinners. [ NOTE 2]

We obtain forgiveness in Him and only in Him!

  1. It had been prophesied.
  2. It was fulfilled. “It is finished!” exclaimed Jesus.
  3. It is available in Him alone.

C].        CONSIDERING the cost of becoming a Christian. [NOTE 3]

Salvation is a free gift to us, but it costs us everything.

  1. Salvation is a free gift in Christ. Eph 2:8-10
  2. He died for all, so that we might live for Him. 2 Cor 5:15.

 D].       DOING something about it. [Not just believing but acting on that belief.] [NOTE 4]

  1. Inviting Christ to come into our lives as our Saviour from sin. Rev 3:20
  2. Inviting Christ to come into every area of our lives to be our Lord and Master.
  3. Inviting Him to fill us with His Spirit so that we can know His will and do it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

NOTES:- [In this article the Notes deal only with section A.]

NOTE 1. on A]. ADMITTING we are sinners in the sight of God. All people Need God’s Forgiveness.

1].           What the Old Testament says.

Ps 14:2-3, The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Ps 51:5, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Jer 17:5, Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.

Jer 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Eccles 9:3,  This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that, they go to the dead.

2].          What Jesus said. (Words attributed to Him.)

Jn 3:16,17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jn 3:36, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Mat 15:19, For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Mat 7:21-23, For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Jn 8:12, Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

3].         What the Apostles said.

PAUL.  

Rom 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Rom 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Cor 5:15, and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Eph 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

JOHN.

1 Jn 5:11-13, And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

PETER

1 Peter 1:18-19, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

1 Peter 2:24, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

4].        WHAT THE CHURCH SAYS. The 39 Articles. Westminster Shorter Catechism.

39 Articles Of Religion. (Church of England. Anglican.)

Article IX. Of Original or Birth-Sin. Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God’s wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea in them that are regenerated; 

Westminster Shorter Catechism. (Presbyterian).

Question and answer No 18.

Quest. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell?
Ans. 18. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.) Rom. 5:12, 19; 5:10-20; Eph. 2:1-3; James 1:14-15; Matt. 15:19.

Blog No.343posted on http://www.jimholbeck.blog on Tuesday 14th January 2020

Posted in BIBLE PASSAGE OUTLINES, Bible verses. Comments, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Judgement, Justification, Prayer, Salvation, spiritual warfare, TOPICS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

342. Sharing Our Faith Using A Simple ABCD Formula!  Explaining THE Faith. Testifying To OUR Faith! (Part 1 of 5]

Posted on January 11, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

What do you do when someone suddenly says something like “Hey, what’s this Christianity stuff all about?” Probably most of us would be shocked to be asked such questions out of the blue. But we do need to have a reason for the hope that is in us as it says in 1Peter 3:15, “but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15.

It was very helpful for me after my conversion to Christ on New Year’s Eve 1958 to be able to get help in this area by attending the Counselling courses provided by churches before the Billy Graham Crusade in Australia in 1959. Later I received help by learning to use the “Four Spiritual Laws” approach by Bill Bright of Campus Crusade. Another helpful input was a course on Evangelism Explosion begun by Dr. DJ Kennedy. Later on, I found the “Two Ways To Live” booklet authored by Philip Jensen and Tony Payne a very good tool to use in sharing one’s faith. However, it may be that some of us haven’t been acquainted with these tools. So what follows is an attempt on my part to help folk learn to share their faith quickly and simply.

What if someone TOMORROW were to ask you a question about your faith! As I thought about that, I came up with a suggestion that is easy to learn and to remember. It could be used easily in a non-confronting way with anyone who expressed some interest in Christ or Christianity or even the church. I realised in retrospect that I had used this approach hundreds of time over the years in prayer ministry situations with individuals, and even in groups numbering in the hundreds.  It comes naturally to me because it formed part of my own conversion experience in 1958. This was the background. I had been reading some of the late John Stott’s booklets. [He was a former Chaplain to the Queen and Rector of All Souls Langham Place, London.] I came across a suggested prayer of Commitment to Christ in one of the booklets. It formed the basis to the prayer I prayed as I asked Christ into my life that night in 1958.

It was based on the simple formula ABCD. I obviously still remember it almost 62 years later.

  1. Admit you are a sinner in the sight of God.
  2. Believe Christ died on the cross for you.
  3. Consider the cost of becoming a Christian.
  4. Do something about it. Open the door of your heart and invite Christ in, by accepting His invitation in Rev 3:20.

1].        TELLING OTHERS ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN FAITH using the ABCD formula

So here is my simple suggestion for learning in very quick time, to share our faith.

If we were asked the question, “What is Christianity all about?” Or “What do you believe as a Christian? We could reply,

“Christianity could be summed up under four letters, ABCD. It’s about:-

A].       Admitting we are all sinners in the sight of God.

B.]       Believing Christ came and died on the cross to take away the sin of the world.

C].        Considering the cost of becoming a Christian.

D].       Doing something about it. Asking Christ [who is knocking at the door of our lives] into our hearts to be our Saviour and Lord.”

 It is far less confronting than telling people they must A= Admit their sin. B= Believe Christ died on the cross for their sins. C=Consider the cost of becoming a Christian. And D = Do something about it and invite Christ into your life.

Some people may be ready for such a direct approach but most will not be.

 The simplicity is that initially, in my suggestion, we need to remember just 4 words beginning with the letters ABCD; Admitting, Believing, Considering and Doing.  We can build on those ABCD building blocks as time goes on so that we can have a more comprehensive answer to give those who are interested in learning more.

2.]        TELLING OTHERS ABOUT OUR OWN FAITH IN CHRIST using the ABCD formula.

Sharing our faith or giving our testimony can be based on the same ABCD formula. As we share with others, we can share with them, the following:-

  1. How we came to recognise and Admit that we were sinners in God’s sight and needed Him and especially His forgiveness.
  2. How we came to learn about Christ and came to Believe that He died on the cross for us personally.
  3. How we had to Consider the cost of becoming a Christian and the challenges that faced us as the time for a decision drew nearer.
  4. How we eventually decided to Do something about it by asking Christ into our lives or by handing the control of our lives over to Him.

Naturally, we don’t have to say the letters ABCD in our sharing, but they can be a useful way of framing our testimony so that it covers the main facets of our commitment to Christ.

3.]        SUGGESTED HOMEWORK

What would be a helpful thing to do would be to practise telling ‘others’ what Christianity is all about using the ABCD formula above, in section 1]. The ‘other’ could be a spouse or partner, or another member of a Bible Study Group, a prayer partner or a friend. The more it is practised, the more easily it becomes to share about Christianity or about our personal faith in Christ, in a natural and relaxed way.

My homework will be, in future articles, to add more material in the form of biblical teaching, to these ABCD building blocks so that we can give more comprehensive and deeper answers to those who ask us about Christianity or about our faith. Opportunities to share sometimes come at unexpected times and from unexpected people. We would do well to be prepared. [Please look for future articles on this topic in coming weeks.]

Blog No.342 posted on http://www.jimholbeck.blog on Saturday 11th January 2020.

 

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341. PRAYING THROUGH EPHESIANS.  Winning The War In Spiritual Warfare. Eph 6:10-24. A Suggested Prayer

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Jim Holbeck

Some years ago I wrote an article giving an outline of this passage. It was No 047 on this link. https://jimholbeck.blog/2011/11/23/047-outline-of-ephesians-69-24-spiritual-warfare/

Because this passage was discussed there at length, I will do a shorter treatment of these verses in this article. What Paul is doing in this passage is encouraging his readers to be strong in the Lord’s strength as they live in a hostile world.

COMMAND 1. TO BE STRONG IN THE LORD.

It is the Lord’s strength that is needed in Spiritual warfare! 6:10. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

Paul uses here 3 of the most common words for strength or power in the New Testament.

  • “Be strong” is [endynamoō; ἐνδυναμοῦσθε,  a derivative of dunamis =strength]
  • “Strength” is [kratos; κράτε= dominion or power]. It is the basis of our English words theocracy [the rule of God] and democracy [the rule of the demos, the people.]
  • “Might” is [ischys; ἰσχύος] and here refers to mighty strength, God’s strength or power.

Paul is urging his readers to rely only on the Lord’s strength and not just on their own strength which he saw as being inadequate for spiritual warfare.

COMMAND 2.  TO PUT ON THE LORD’S PROTECTION.

It is the Lord’s Protection that is needed in Spiritual Warfare!

“Put on the whole armour of God.” ”Put on” is  ἐνδύω; endúō and can also mean “to clothe oneself with.” That is appropriate here for the putting on, or clothing oneself with, armour which God is able to supply. Armour is [panoplia; πανοπλία] meaning the total armour, both offensive and defensive. Paul was showing that it needed the whole armour of God to be strong in the Lord’s strength. Each and every part was necessary to win the battle.

The Reasons For The Command To Put On God’s Armour.

Paul wants them to understand the nature of the battle believers face. It is a spiritual battle against evil powers and personalities.

i]. The devil has strategies that have to be recognised and overcome. “that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” “Schemes” is [methodeia; μεθοδεία] which is the root of our English word “method”. It probably comes from a combination of “meta” meaning with or after, and hodos = a way. It refers to guile or trickery or evil strategies.

ii]. The real enemy has to be recognised.  Paul is warning that behind the human attitudes and actions, there are spiritual forces at work for evil, Eph 6:11, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood”  but

  • against the rulers, [from archē; ἀρχή meaning first, for example, in power]
  • against the authorities, [exousia; ἐξουσία] meaning delegated power or authority.
  • against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, [‘cosmic powers’ is derived from one word, [κοσμοκράτωρ; kosmokratōr], where cosmos is the world and kratos means power.
  • against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 6:12. [‘spiritual forces’ is one word pneumatika; πνευματικὰ. ] There are spiritual forces for good but there are also spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies or in the spiritual realm.

Paul was encouraging his readers to be cognisant of the nature of the spiritual warfare they were engaged in and to look beyond evil people to the evil powers that were at work in or through them. Human strength and wisdom would be insufficient in such a battle.

COMMAND 3. TO TAKE UP THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.

Eph 6:13 “Therefore take up the whole armour of God “

The REASON FOR THE COMMAND. “that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” It is as though Paul was indicating that evil was inescapable in an evil world, but could be overcome by trusting in the power of God. It was a matter of standing, having first made provision for the battle.

  • Eph 6:14 “Stand therefore,” [and the preparation required by the believer.] Paul’s words here show that prior preparation has to be made to engage successfully in spiritual warfare. In other words, he is saying “Stand therefore” having made the following preparation. He outlines that preparation in terms of armour,
    • having fastened on the belt of truth, and
    • having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
    • Eph 6:15 and having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace, as shoes for your feet.”

Spiritual warfare can only be won by taking hold of all the armour God Himself provides.

COMMAND 4. TO TAKE UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH.

Eph 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Faith shields against all the attacks of the enemy. Paul doesn’t specify here what form those darts take. But included among them would be the accusations hurled at believers by diabolos, the devil, the accuser.

COMMAND 5. TO TAKE UP THE HELMET OF SALVATION AND THE WORD OF GOD.

 Eph 6:17 “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The writer of the letter to the Hebrews also described the word of God as a sword, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Heb 4:12. God’s word wielded as a sword is powerful and vitally necessary in spiritual warfare. So also is prayer. Believers are to have a prayerful, watchful attitude at all times, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Eph 6:18.

Paul wrote about being watchful in 1Cor 16:13 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” Peter also stressed the need for watchfulness and gave a reason, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1Peter 5:8.

No one is above the need for prayer. Paul knew he needed prayer support and was humble enough to admit it. He requested that they pray that he might be given the right words to speak and  also the boldness to speak them, “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Eph 6:19-20. If the great apostle knew he needed prayer support, then how much more do we in today’s world. The situations may be different but the spiritual forces of evil at work then, are also at work in our world today and need to be overcome in the ways Paul commands in this epistle.

[Comments on the final greetings section of the epistle may be seen in article No 047 on this blogsite, mentioned above.]

A SUGGESTED PRAYER BASED ON EPHESIANS 6:10-24.

“Dear Lord, I need Your help to live for You. I want to be strong in the strength that only You can provide.  

I put on the armour You have provided for me, so that I can have victory over everything that is opposed to You and to Your presence in me.

By faith, I put on the belt of truth around my waist.

I put on the breastplate of righteousness.

I put on the shoes of readiness to share the gospel.

I take up the shield of faith to extinguish everything the enemy hurls at me.

I place on my head the helmet of salvation

and I take up the sword of the Spirit, Your word to guide and strengthen me.

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that He may guide and lead me as I pray for all Your people.  

Strengthen me to become the person You want me to be, that I might be doing Your will to Your glory, for the rest of my life.

I ask these things in Jesus’ name. AMEN!”

Blog No.341 posted on www.jimholbeck.blog on Friday 10th January 2020.

 

 

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