'The church is not' ( Acts 2 v 42 )

It was Pastor Bonhoeffer  whom the Nazis  murdered spoke of religious Christianity, what did he mean by that?.I just read an interesting article as regards those people who do not meet with God's people in the church building.Most of you will realize that the building that Christians meet in is not the church,it is a building in which the church  meets.People say,' I do not have to go to church to pray',they have a mind set that if one examines  does not make sense,it is based on unintentional ignorance. As Christians most of us do our praying outside that building were the church meets.During the times of the Soviet Union when Christians were persecuted they often met in the open air,likewise in some countries the church meets in peoples homes likewise Christians would meet in the catacombs in ancient Rome.The church of  Christ should not be seen as  a building ,but as a people who know Christ as their Saviour. But of course fellowship for the church is important for many good reasons,mutual support,public worship in singing to God's praise,and also hearing the word of God ministered,and many other things.To neglect meeting with Christians in that way is not helpful for your spiritual well- being, of course it is just part of what helps us spiritually, but  it is a very important part,and we neglect it to our cost. Bonhoeffer when he was in prison said  that one the  of things he missed most  was having fellowship with God's people.

                                                           Hebrews 10 v 25 

                                    ' And let us not neglect our meeting together as

                                     some people do'

                                            

A Burden. (Psalm 37 )

 I have been blessed with 5 sons,I spoke  to a  minister  recently,he spoke about his son,and that children our a burden that parents carry with them,so true. So we pray for them before they are born, and every day of their lives, first and foremost for their salvation,and if they should go astray for their restoration.We pray for them as they attend school,and when they leave school,for their employment,for their future wives,and so it goes on.There are times like all of us they have problems,financially struggling, needing work. Recently one of my sons  shared with me the difficulties he was having,I assured him of my prayers, so I have been praying. Now in my own personal life when I have problems, I pray,but I also look for  assurance from God's word. so I was looking for a word from God, and as I was reading a daily reading,I read this word from Psalm37 v 25,which reads,'I have  been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,nor his descendants begging bread'.I have been following the Lord for nearly 60 years ,and can testify to Gods care and provision.But what encouraged me was  the testimony how God had cared and provided for Davids children.This gave me the assurance that God will care and provide for my children,and indeed for your children. Yes our children are a burden that we carry with us all the days of our lives,and it is a burden we can cast upon the Lord,to care and to provide for them.

Other remedies. ( 1 John 4 v 1 )

 'In these days of deteriorate Church doctrine, when other remedies  than that of the gospel are applied to the wounded spirit,'so wrote a 19th century preacher.As we look back we see that nothing has changed as in our present times,many are applying other remedies to wounded spirits, likewise the charge against so called prophets ,who were false prophets prophesying lies, at the time of  Jeremiah ,God  declared,'They have healed the heart of my people slightly,saying ,'Peace,Peace', when there is no peace.' The people needed to hear the truth,because the nation had turned away from God,and judgement was coming,and eventually did  come  when the Babylonians came and devastated the nation,most of the population would die,and those who were spared went into captivity. Alas as I have pointed out there are many false prophets today, who are betraying their calling, refusing to warn people that judgement  is coming.The gospel is the only remedy for sinful humanity. it is God's remedy, and if people do not hear it they will not be saved from the wrath to come. If they continue in their sin there is no hope, all  that awaits them is   judgement,from which there will be no escape.

                                                      'O God ,in wrath ,remember mercy'

The end of the beginning ( 2 Corinthians 4 v 13 -18 )

Every year I have to take my car in for its yearly MOT,that is a compulsory check to see if my car is roadworthy .We are all growing old, most of us have to have regular tests for our eyes,test for blood pressure,diabetes,and so many things, I think I'm fighting a losing battle,in a sense we all are.I'm in no way saying we should give up on life for it is a gift from God and it is precious,so we well take the pills, watch our diet,and keep getting those regular MOT's. It is the apostle Paul who writes,'Therefore we do not loose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,'  (2 Corinthians 4 v16)  It is so easy to loose heart yes even as Christians,say what's the point?, well the context in which Paul wrote those words is very positive, that there is a work of the Spirit going on within us renewing  us everyday,one writer puts it like this,'Even though on the outside, it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside,where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace'.Yes outwardly we are perishing, Denny writes,' The decay of the outward msn in the Godless is a melancholy spectacle, for it is the decay of everything'.Paul encourages us to not focus on that which is temporal,he especially emphasises troubles,whatever they are , their is a better day coming for every child of God.a new body,a new eternal home,a new eternal existence

                                'Bruce Milne writes,'What is life?Where is it going?What about death?

                                 and the beyond ? The sun of conviction breaks through our chronic

                                 unbelief , and in that instant we know that we are more than dust, that

                                  life is larger than the boundaries of this terrestrial, and that our death

                                  will not be the end of us,but merely the end of the beginning.'

                                 

The whole Truth. (Ephesians 2 v 19- 20)

 John Stott wrote the following,' The well-being of the church, depends on our listening to Jesus Christ and obeying Him  as His word comes to us through  His apostles in the New Testament'. I agree with that, but I would go further,for it seems that he is excluding  the Old Testament.There is a book called ,'Christ in all the scriptures',consider what Jesus said to the  religious leaders of his day in John 5 v 39 ,'You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them  you have eternal life.These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me'. It is only in the Old testament we have foretold of His birth,life teaching that we get the full picture .Without the Old Testament we would struggle to  understanding  the person of Christ,His birth, death , resurrection ,and his teaching.   J C.Ryle  writes ,' Christ is not merely in the Gospels and Epistles,Christ is to be found directly and indirectly in the Law,the Psalms,and the Prophets...... Jesus , the Messiah,is everywhere to be found in the Old Testament'. Let us remember that our well -being,depends on our listening to Jesus Christ and obeying Him,as His word comes to us through all the Word of God,in the Old and New Testament.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Eating humble pie. ( Matthew 6 v 9 -15 )

 A person shared with me that his wife never say's sorry, it is a fact  that some people find it hard to say sorry or to ask forgiveness.Recently I was faced with a dilemma, I had opened my mouth and put my foot in ,in other words I had said something I shouldn't,it disturbed my peace and more than likely disturbed the person I had spoken to.The question was,what could I do to redeem the situation? I had spoken to God about what had happened,so the next morn I phoned the person and said I was sorry,and it was all my fault,she was gracious enough to accept what I said, and after that I felt a great relief.  To ask forgiveness means, we have to show a degree of humility, in other words we have to eat humble pie.Also to have a  unforgiving spirit,is like having a festering sore. And of course God is not pleased, for He expects us to  forgive those who sin against us.if we don't ,our Father will not forgive us our sins.( Matthew6 v 15 ), and that is serious.

                                                         'Confession is good for the soul

                                                          and so is forgiving others'

The eye of faith. ( Hebrews 11 )

 In his little commentary on Hebrews  Charles F. Pfeiffer commenting  on chap 11 v 27 writes ,'The faith of Moses was based on a spiritual principle;''He endured, as seeing Him who is invisible''. This is, of course, a paradox. How can one see the invisible? The answer ,'with the eye of faith,'' Peter addressed suffering saints, reminding them of the coming  of the Lord Jesus'' Whom, having not seen, ye love; in whom, though ye see Him not, yet believing ye rejoice with a joy unspeakable and full of glory''.The evolutionist  look for an answer horizontally , the Christian ,by the  eye of faith, (v3)declares,'The the  universe was formed by God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible' The eye of faith  is not an escape  from realities , no,it is looking on a greater reality,God.People look at  death with despair, the believer looks beyond death to one who said,'I am the resurrection and the life,The one who believes in me will live, even though they die' ( John 11 v25 ) The non Christian looks on in despair as the problems become greater,by the eye of faith the Christian declares, 'with God all things are possible'. (Matthew 20 v 26).The eye of faith is the  eye  in which the cataract of unbelief has been removed,it declares I once was blind but now I see.

                                                         ' The eye of faith gives us supernatural

                                                           vision, and so gives us hope in our 

                                                           darkest hour'