death of JP

A lovely Godly lady went to be with the lord at 12.30pm yesterday.  As they say in the salvation army, "Promoted to Glory"

She was home, she saw her new born grand daughter and the family are together.  Grieving is a family affair. I went through it with the deaths of my parents, so I can understand something of what they are going through

My second (different) christmas address

Leviticus 12

Luke 2. 21-40

The jewish Law required that a boy be circumcised on the eighth day thus entering into a covenant relationship.  This was the old covenant.  We therefore see in Jesus the old covenant ending and the new beginning with his death and resurrection.

Luke was a gentile and in his gospel he explains to the reader that  that a pair of doves or pigeons was required.  ( Jews would not need to be told this)

When we look at the old testament we find that these were to be presented if that was all the couple could afford and in the case of Joseph and Mary, not being wealthy, then this was a pleasing offering to the lord, but they were really offering Jesus.

Mary and joseph were obeying the law as written in Leviticus 12.( read this)

Leviticus 12 specifies what a woman is to do after she gives birth to a son:

• She is religiously unclean or impure for seven days after childbirth.

• On the eighth day, the boy is to be circumcised.

• The woman must wait thirty three days to be purified from her bleeding.

• After this purification period, she is to bring a lamb to the priest to sacrifice, and a young pigeon or dove for a sin offering.

Every aspect of life, had to be holy.

In order to be acceptable to God, all these things in Leviticus 12 had to be done

We are told very little about Simeon, except that he was a Godly man, and the holy spirit had come upon him and shown him that he would not die until he had seen christ.

On the day that Jesus was to be circumcised, it was the holy spirit who prompted him that this child was the Christ, and his words have been recorded and Joseph and Marys reaction is recorded.

Although they were aware of who Jesus was, even they marvelled at what Simeon had to say.  It was also a warning of the grief that Mary in particular would suffer when he was crucified.

We do not know how God revealed to Simeon that he would have a role in this drama before he

died. We don’t know how many long years he might have waited in faith and expectation. We

don’t know if he wavered in doubt or if he persevered with unwavering faith. What really

matters is that when the critical time came to trust and obey God he did.

Note also that Simeon revealed that he would be a light for revelation to the Gentiles.  This would have been difficult for the Jews to comprehend. Is it any wonder that Mary and Joseph marvelled?  He would also be for the glory of Israel. This he revealed to all, however he also had a word that was only for Mary.

“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Isreal, and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce your owns soul to”.

We see in these words a warning.  Jesus would cause MANY to FALL.  At this time when people are thinking of “Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild”, let us not lose sight of the fact that Jesus is the Son the second person of the trinity and that one day he will Judge the earth and those who have rejected him will fall.  They will suffer his wrath.

Indeed jesus does know the true thoughts of our hearts and reveals them, but there was a to be a very personal heartache that would belong only to Mary.  I wonder if she fully comprehended it at the time.  Somehow I doubt that, but when he was crucified, perhaps she remembered what Simeon told her that day.

Anna was an old woman, the daughter of  Phanuel. (His name meant, THE FACE OF GOD)

We are not told what Anna had to say, but I presume that it built upon what Simeon had said. She spoke to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel.  Whatever she had to say would have been of great benefit to their understanding.

Can you imagine what that was like?  Here was an old woman who worshipped the lord, and she was telling them that the very thing they were praying for and looking forward to was happening before their very eyes that day.

In a day when people had largely turned their backs upon God, God carried out his promise of sending the messiah and Simeon and Anna had remained faithful.

In our own day, when we see all the things around us that are going on that we know are not pleasing to God, we need to be faithful as Simeon and Anna were.

What I have been expecting

yesterday, I saw an email, sent out by C concerning his terminally ill wife.  This is the first time all the team have been told that she is terminal.  This morning K told all of us and at lunchtime, I saw the Macmillan nurses.

They had a dream of living on a barge and eventually sailing to France. Indeed there was an article about it in the local news paper.

Things are going to be very very different.

Was it Gods providence

I wonder if it was in Gods providence that as Business manager for the theatre production I found enough stewards for the Auditorium, so could not put myself in there as steward and consequently went to the dress rehearsal to see it which I had never done before, and spotted that one character had a red bible, something that did not exist in the reign of Charles the second, and in a pub the woman playing the part told me she had planned to ask her cousin who has old books if she could borrow from her a black bible, but she forgot to ask, hence she used a copy of Gullivers Travels, I spotted the mistake and supplied a black bible which then introduced me to the new face, and in the pub and in the resturant I sat beside the new face, all of which was not planned by me.  Was it planned by God?  Will it bear fruit?  I await to see.

Oswestry live

Oswestry live took place last night.  For the first time I thought it failed.  the Crowd were not there for the bands, and for at least one band they were inviting people to another venue they were playing at and there were few people there to invite.

The publicity said that it went on until 10pm, but some of the fairground attractions started packing up at 9.30.

That said, a meal with the theatre at the Simla was just lovely

God is Holy leviticus chapter 10

I read leviticus 10 last night. It is about how Aarons sons offered the grain offering in an unholy way and Gods wrath came upon them in that they were burned to death.

This morning at devotions our guest who was MVan took a passage from Malici on Holiness, but he also brought up Leviticus 10.  The very same passage I read last night that I felt was one of many passages in the book of leviticus calling me to greater holiness.  It was as though this mornings message was a confirmation of this

Merry Christmas Doctor Luke

Luke chapter 1: 1-45

Luke wrote his gospel to Theophilis.  His name means “THE ONE WHO LOVES GOD”

We do not know who he was.  It is likely that he was a roman, thou some think that he was not an individual but a number of people who loved God.

Luke  was the only gentile to write a gospel. 

He was a physician.  If he were an OM er and had a personality assessment.  We would call him a detailer.  We see that he gives details of dates,

He has in these verses carried out research

He gives details about illnesses that we only find in LUKE

The purpose of his gospel is that having done the research, Theophilis may be certain of the things that he has been taught.  Luke had interviewed eye witnesses.

Contrary to what some people may think, our faith is not blind.  God has given us the evidence that we need, he has provided accounts of those who were actually there.

He then set the scene. He details that it was during Herods reign in Judea that Zechariah and Elizabeth lived.  He was a priest of the Abijah division and they were both well on in years and were childless. 

Note that God regarded them as upright.  I doubt if society would have thought Elizabeth upright as she was childless.  I also expect this was something that both of them had done a great deal of praying for.  Perhaps by now, they thought it would never happen. I certainly think Zechariah thought that.  He could not believe what he was told.

One day he was chosen by lot to go into the temple of the lord and burn insense. When the time came, everyone else was outside praying. 

To be chosen at all was a great honor.  It is likely that many priests never had the honour going into that inner part of the temple and even if they did, it was likely to be only once in their lives.

We see that when Zacheriah was in there, he saw an angel standing by the alter, and was gripped with fear.

Picture the scene. Zachariah would have been pleased that the lot had fallen upon him do go in and burn the insense, and that feeling of honour gave way to the grip of fear.

God is merciful. We see that the angel knows that Zacheriah was afraid, so he says, “Do not be afraid Zachariah, your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.

Is it surprising that after all the years of praying that Zacheriah has difficulty believing this?

Have you every prayed for something for a long time, year after year after year, and there is no sign of it being answered?  It does not follow that it will never be answered. Perhaps it will be answered when you do not expect it.

If you were praying as they did, you would pray that your child would be godly and Zachariah is told that his child will be great in the eyes of God. So that would be an even bigger answer to prayer.

I think that Zacheriah and Elizabeth would have prayed for years that their people would return to the lord, and here Zacheriah is told that his son will draw many of the people of Israel back to God. Another answer to prayer.

I think we can also assume that Zachariah and Elizabeth would also have spent years praying for the messiah who was yet to come.

He was told to call him John.  The name means the grace or favour of Jehovah

Zacheriah was told that his son will have the spirit and power of Elijah ( this had been prophecied in the old testament.) and that he will prepare the way of the lord.  Yet another answer to prayer.

If his son was to prepare the way of the lord, then that meant that the messiah would also appear very soon.

It was a lot to take in

He asks the question, “How can I be sure of this?  I am an old man and my wife is well along in years?”

Gabriel says that he is Gabriel and he stands in the presence of God and has been sent to tell him this good news, but because he did not believe it, he would be silent until it happened.

V26, notice Lukes attention to detail, it was in the 6^th month that Gabriel was sent to deliver another message.  This time to a young woman called Mary who was betrothed to a man called Joseph, a descendent of David.

Mary, like Zacheriah, was afraid, and once again Gabriel says, “Do not be afraid, You have found favour with God and will give birth to a child and you will name him Jesus  He will be called the son of the most high, the lord God will give him the throne of his father david and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.  His Kingdom will never end.

Mary asks how will this be as I am a virgin?  Note the contrast with Zacheriah in asking the question.   I do not think Mary did not believe, she just wanted to know how it would be done.

She is told that the holy spirit will come upon her to do this impossible thing and to support this she is told that the holy spirit has come upon her elderly relative and made her pregnant as well.  If an elderly woman can be pregnant then she as a young woman should believe that she will have an immaculate conception.

I wonder if Mary could see the full implication of what she was told about her son.  He would be the son of the most high and his Kingdom would never end.  Perhaps she could see that these were attributes of the messiah, or perhaps not.  Perhaps she just believed with less understanding than we have with hindsight.

Elizabeth could see it, for when Mary went to visit her, “Elizabeth was pleased to see her. She was filled with the holy spirit and said in a loud voice”Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear, but why am I so favoured that the mother of my lord should come to me?”

The Holy spirit showed both of them what was to come and at the sound of Marys greeting the child in Elizabeth leapt.

Now ladies, I do not expect to ever be pregnant, but I understand that you feel the child moving. In this case the movement was significant.

Blessed is she who has believed that what the lord has said to her will be accomplished.  Although Elizabeth believed, God had not spoken to her, he had spoken to Zachariah, and he had not believed.  The blessing was to Mary for the lord spoke to her and she did believe.

This is what we need. We need to believe the things that God has revealed, and as for the things yet to come, they may come at time and fashion we cannot imagine, but they will come.

Her reaction is different to Zachariahs.  He did not believe.  Mary says, “I am the lords servant, may it be to me, as you have said”.

The lord dealt with them differently, but in both cases he was merciful.  In both cases he reassured them in their fear, and in both cases, he carried out what he said he would do.

This marks the start of the Christmas story, and I expect that throughout December we will be told again and again the rest of the story, so I am not going to go into it here, except to say that it is not likely Jesus was born on the 25^th of December,

but we do know he was born,

 we do know that he sits on the throne of David now,

and we know that his kingdom will never end. 

Just as Mary was told all those centuries ago.

Hallelujah.

The prayer of a righteous man.

the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  I found that quote in Daily bread K quoted it in devotions this morning.  I myself used it this week to encourage someone else.

Gifts from God

It is interesting to see how God said to Moses that there were men filled with the Holy spirit and he had given them gifts.  These gifts were the craft skills that were necessary to make the tent of meeting.  We tend to think in very different terms now.  We do not think of practical skills as gifts from God to be used for his glory, but that is in fact what they are.

Amazing Grace.

On saturday night, I heard "Amazing Grace" coming from the conferernce centre.  On Sunday morning I heard it again.  As I got out of bed I found myself joining in with it. It was wonderful.

I have been reading about the Golden Calf and how Moses was angry and ground it down, put it in water and made the people drink it and then called the levites to kill friends and family and finally the lord put many to death and said that he would not go before them as he may destroy them.  Like all humans, I am tempted.  There are times when I sin, and in  West, I think we treat it too lightly.  We think, "God will forgive me".  We use it as an excuse to sin.  In this passage we see the gravity of sin.  We need to take sin very seriously indeed and not treat it as a minor problem.  We need to search ourselves and have it rooted out.

Yes, Gods Grace is amazing, but we only realise how amazing it is when we know the depth of our sin, and how we have offended God and he has not poured out his wrath upon us as we deserve.

ahead of the game

PE day was rather interesting yesterday. It seems that it is recommended that you do the things I do anyway that I have added on over the years.  Things that were in their infancy or did not exist when I started, such as what I am doing now, BLOGGING, and social media, such as facebook of which I am a prolific user.

John 7 and Leviticus 23:33-44

John Chapter 7

Leviticus 23:33-44 the feast of tabernacles

MY OPINION

I think that when we read the gospels, we are so far removed from the society of the time, that we have lost something of the understanding that the original readers would have had.  This is set during the festival of tabernacles and the original readers would have a lot of experience of what that meant and of actually being present at it.

The Feast of Tabernacles

The events of chapter 7 take place in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. It would be good for us to understand the meaning and significance of this feast, and some of the elements of the ceremony. William Hendriksen summarizes these things for us very well:

On this feast see Lev. 23:33-44 and Numbers 29. It was celebrated from the fifteenth to the twenty-first or twenty-second day of the seventh month, which approximates our October. It was a feast of thanksgiving for the vintage. But besides being a harvest-festival it was also a joyful commemoration of the divine guidance granted to the Atonement, the idea of joy after redemption was naturally very prominent. In a decreased daily scale a special sacrifice of seventy bullocks was made. The temple-trumpets were blown on each day. There was the ceremony of the outpouring of water, drawn from Siloam, in commemoration of the refreshing stream which had come forth miraculously out of the rock at Meribah (Ex. 17:1-7), and in anticipation of blessings both for Israel and for the world. There was the illumination of the inner court of the temple, where the light of the grand candelabra reminded one of the pillar of fire by night which had served as a guide through the desert (Num. 14:14). There was a torch-parade. And above all, everywhere in and around Jerusalem, in the street, the square, and even on the roofs of the houses booths were erected. These leafy dwellings provided shelter for the pilgrims who came from every direction to attend this feast. But most of all they too were reminders of the wilderness-life of the ancestors (Lev. 23:43)

The feast reminded them of Gods goodness in the past. How he had led their ancestors through the wilderness to the Promised Land.

There was a division of opinion about Jesus, and he did not go to the feast immediately. Instead he went to the temple courts halfway through the feast and began to teach.

We are not told what he taught, but whatever it was, it was far better than the rabbis because the Jews were amazed and said “How did this man get such learning without having studied?”

Verses 16-19.  Jesus takes them on and says that his teaching comes from him who sent him.  If anyone chooses to Gods will he will whether the teaching comes from  God or if Jesus speaks on his own. 

Is that our experience?  Gods word promises to deliver from sin?

It promises we will have life in abundance.

It makes a lot of promises. Is this our experience?

One would not think looking at this chapter that the feast of tabernacles was a joyous occasion. However it was.  It was while all the merriment was going on that these arguments about who Jesus was, where he came from and putting him to death arose. 

I presume that he would be fulfilling what was commanded in Leviticus that he would be making merry, but there was something in his teaching that they had never heard. 

They wondered if he would be there.

I presume that like other people he would also be dwelling in a booth.

V6 Jesus is aware that there were people who wanted to Kill him for performing a miracle on the Sabbath.  He chose his moment.  His brothers who were not believers at the times said that he should to Judea so that people could see his miracles during the feast of tabernacles.  Presumably they knew the threats to his life, so why would they suggest such a thing?

Jesus did not go at first, not because he was afraid, but for him the right time had not yet come.  He was prudent.  We see from this verse that in spite of all the plotting, the conspirators were not really in control.  Indeed when he did appear at the festival they did nothing for they were afraid.  It seems to me that if Jesus had gone at the start they would have seized and killed him, but in the middle of it, with the festivities and the crowd around him, their evil intent was restrained and it was Jesus who controlled events, not them as they probably thought.

Jesus had cured the man during a Jewish festival, and here he was in the middle of another one, and there were people there who remembered the previous one and would be wondering if he would be there at this one and do more miracles and there were those who had been at the first festival and were out to kill him at this one

Festivals given by God for his glory were to be used to capture and kill Jesus in their minds.  They had completely lost sight of what these festivals were for.  They were supposed to be reminders of Gods goodness.

Verse 24, JUDGING

Jesus expects us to judge. Some people say that it is not up to us to judge but they take it out of context.  We are to judge ourselves and we are also to exercise wisdom and in doing so we will judge.  In this case Jesus is saying that they must judge him rightly and if they do they will see the truth about him.

People believed that when the messiah came, no one would know where he came from and as they knew where Jesus came from then he could not be the messiah.  They failed to recognise that they did not know where he came from.  They could not see that he had come from the father, and that he was going back to the father.

They thought they understood the prophecy about the coming messiah, but they never imagined Jesus, and when he was standing there in front of them, teaching them, some of them failed to recognise him for who he was because the clung to their pre conceived ideas.  They thought they knew his parents. They had no idea that he had come from the father.

Some said that he was demon possessed; such was the hardness of their hearts

The messiah had been prophesied, but we see in this passage that the way he appeared on the scene is not what they imagined and consequently some did not accept him and failed to see the fulfilment of it.

I think that stands as a warning.  We know that there are prophecies yet to be fulfilled, but if they were to be fulfilled, would we recognise it when it does not conform to what we imagine?  We only recognise Jesus because we have the benefit of hindsight.  However we do know that one day, all that we see now, will be wrapped up, and the judgement will come and there will be a new heaven and a new earth.  Will we be ready?  I think the Key to that, is not getting caught up in the details of prophecy that we cannot see, but being faithful.

Amen

Gig

Yesterday, I led devotions for Gig. I got some positive feedback.  I pointed out that Abraham was called of God to Go and Paul was called to go t the Gentiles but even Paul had difficulties.  He did not get on well with John Mark and he and Barnabus disagreed sharply about him.  They went their seperate ways, yet later he said "Bring John Mark to me, for he is useful.  Sometimes John Mark is just the person we need.

Going on Mission

In what way are you called?

We are certainly all called into Gods service if we are believers. However we may be called in different ways, but we are all called.

Genesis 12:1-5

Abraham was specifically called to leave his country and go to a land he had never seen. He was promised that he would be a blessing to the nations.

Abraham was in this respect the first missionary

Perhaps you feel a specific call as Abraham did

One of my experiences happened before my OM days ( tell the story of my first summer mission)

Perhaps you are more like the apostle Paul he was called to a very wide people group.  The gentiles.  He travelled to countries planting churches.  He went out with Barnabus and John Mark

Acts 9 13-15

Saul/Paul had set out to persecute Christians, but God redeemed him.  He was not told that he was to go to the gentiles but he saw the need to go, yet this was just as valid a calling as Abrahams for we see in this passage that this was always Gods plan for him.

Ananias had to obey the lord, he to, had to go to Saul and you will note that God was speaking to Ananias while Saul was praying. 

God does things when, and sometimes while we pray.

Ananias was told that the lord would show Paul as he was to become what he would suffer.

I wonder if you have considered suffering.  You may have to suffer for the lord

Problems/Forgiveness

We work in team, and humans being sinful creatures there are times when getting along is not smooth.  It is in these times we need Grace

You will recall that Peter asked the lord how often he should forgive his brother, Mathew 18:21-35  Parable of the unmerciful servant.)   would seven times be enough and Jesus said seventy times seven.  He did not mean this as a mathematical formula, he meant that we need to be a forgiving people, and in OM teams that is what we must be.

You may find yourself with a  John Mark.  Paul set out on his first missionary journey with him and barnabus.  Paul disagreed sharply with Barnabus about him, and they parted company,

Acts 15:36-44

Some time later, Paul said to Barnabus, let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the lord and see how they are doing. Barnabus wanted to take John also called Mark with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company.  Barnabus took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

HOWEVER WE ALSO READ THE FOLLOWING

 but we read in  2^nd timothy 4:11 “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me in my ministry

I can think of someone whom I sharply disagreed with.  Nowadays I am glad he is on my support team

You see that just as Paul could say of John Mark, Once I WOULD NOT HAVE HIM, then later say he is useful in my ministry, so I can say that the man I am thinking of is useful to me.

When God says Go, we must be willing to go at any cost for indeed there will be a cost.  Abraham was human, he could not have left his land lightly, and you to must have thoughts and feelings about going. 

I urge you that if you have questions, ask them of someone, and if you have difficulties on the field talk to someone. We have all been where you are now, and the people you talk to may be Gods instrument to encourage you

Amen