Faithfulness.(Acts 4 v 19-20)

 Ezekiel the prophet was with the Jews in Babylon,Judah  still survived,but not for long,eventually they would be overthrown,by the Babylonians.In chapter 2 of Ezekiel ,he received a call from God .No he wasn't going to be a missionary like Jonah who was called to a heathen nation.God speaks to him,he calls him 'Son of man', here it indicates his humanity,nothing more,Let us remember we should honour those called to be prophets, and leaders of God's people,but also remember that they are mere men.God declares ,I am sending you to the Israelites,oh that was wonderful,he wouldn't have to learn another language,but it was going to be a difficult assignment,for here is what God says about His people ,They are rebellious, obstinate,and stubborn,yet they are known as the children of God.As one reads the history of the Christian church ,how they burned people to death and opposed the gospel,it is not a happy picture.It was not going to be easy to say the least for Ezekiel ,God is telling Ezekiel how it was.Ezekiel is told not to be afraid or terrified. When God  calls you to be preacher,pastor or an evangelist .we must show neither fear or favour. God tells him 'You must speak my words to them , whether they listen or fail to listen'He had to be faithful to his God given calling. More than ever we need faithful servants of Christ one day we will  have to give an account to our Saviour, will we hear Him say?,'Well done good and faithful servant'.

The blood of the Martyrs ( Philippians 1 v 29)

In ancient Galatia,the 'Galatian League',met in solemn  convocation in memory of Caesar ....they wanted to honour him as their Saviour  and Lord'. People believed that he was an actual god,yes they really believed that,of course they had many gods,so imagined  that when Christianity came into being,they would have been none to pleased.As time went on they showed their displeasure ,by executing untold thousands of people,who refused to say Caesar was Lord,Peter and Paul paid the price by being martyred .We read of the account of the Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp who was martyred, h,e was 86,they pleaded with him to say Caesar was lord but he refused,this is what he said,'Eighty six years I have served Him(Jesus)and He has done me no wrong',with that they burned him at the stake.Times have not changed,many countless thousands of people are still being martyred,we need to pray for them,that's the least we can do.Tertullian spoke of the,'Blood of the martyrs', as I said ,this still goes on ,they will die either by the machete, bullet, beheading,and even by been burned alive.

God revealed ( 2 Timothy 3 v 16)

 I am reading a book called Dominion by Tom Holland I find it an interesting book,but there are things that he writes I would take issue with him,one, being that Greek philosophy influenced our theology in relation to the being of God. Some philosophers like Plato or Aristotle  may have believed in one god,whatever they believed it would have not been the God of the scriptures, their concept of God would have come through their own flawed understanding.Our concept of God came  through divine revelation,in other words God revealed himself to us.The apostle Paul  declares that through wisdom mankind did not Know God (1 Corinthians 1 v 21) Likewise the gospel it is all foolishness to them (1 Corinthians1 v23) I Cor 2 v 14 we read,'But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit.It all sounds foolish to them,and they can't understand it.' One commentator writes the following,'No non Christians cannot understand spiritual truths' ,it is as simple as that, So where did we get our revelation from? 2 Peter 1 v 20- 21 reads ,'Above all,you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative.No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit,and they spoke from God'

                                                'The main thing to keep in mind here is

                                                 that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter

                                                 of private opinion. And why? because it's

                                                 not something concocted in the human 

                                                 heart.'

                                                 

                                            

Jesus saves (Luke 18 v 9 -14 )

 The apostle Paul  wrote to Titus who led the church,and in chap 3 he points out a number of  things,I will touch on two of them ,v3 'their past',v4 ,'the kindness and love of God '.Paul includes himself in what he  writes.let us look at their past,and we can also add our past ,because we are all sinners,and manifests that reality in different ways.Here is the list he mentions ,'At one time we to were foolish,disobedient,deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.We lived in malice and envy,being hated and hating one another.'I'm sure we could all add other things to that list,let's consider are dark and sinfull pass.Let us consider that we were foolish,or as one translation puts it, we were senseless,like the prodigal son .in Luke 15v 11ff.Next we were disobedient in so many ways ignoring God's moral laws,next we were deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures,do you remember those days,or are you still in those days?Next ,'We lived in Malice and envy,being hated and hating one another.'The hymn writer  wrote,'I  once was a stranger to grace and to God,I  knew not my danger,and felt not my load'.What does he mean by that,what danger? every unsaved person is a breath away from going to hell. Verse 4-5, tells us,'But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour ,appeared,he saved us',if you are saved ,offer up a praise of thanksgiving,if you are not saved,get down on your knees and ask Him to save you.

                                    

Trust is the key. ( Psalm 91)

 It is believed that Moses wrote Psalm 91,it is to the whosoever who dwells under the shelter of the Most High,who rests in the shadow of the Almighty. When they do that they will come under a blanket of security. Israel throughout their history often failed to do that,  and God was not pleased,if only they had,they would have been delivered from so many things. As children of God we are faced with the same choice,if we do ,God promises us deliverance,if we don't  we will suffer the consequence of our unbelief. There are many dangers many difficulties mentioned in this Psalm ,I mention a few, pestilence, plagues, and  physical harm.Yes there are a multitude of things that can harm the child of God whatever they may be,but God is watching over  his Children,v7 reads,'A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.' v 10 reads,'no harm will come near you no disaster will come near your tent'.(This is what they lived in during their wilderness journey) In  verses 11-13 we are told that God will use His angels to preserve His children.In verses 14-16,God speaks, 'Because he loves me,'says the Lord ,'I will rescue him;I will be with him in trouble,I will deliver him and honour him.With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.'

                                                      I am the Lord,the God of all 

                                                     mankind.Is anything to hard

                                                    for me'

                                                             Jeremiah 32 v 27

                                       

Now you will see what I will do. ( Ephesians 3 v 20)

Many years ago I did voluntary work in a Christian bookshop,it was owned by a married couple.I myself had managed  a Christian bookshop,but in the end we had to close it,it wasn't making enough to survive,the shop was in Belfast,and there were no shortage of Christian bookshops,we just could not compete.It seems a nice idea to open a Christian bookshop ,but there are very few bookshops now,simple because of the internet .Now getting back to the shop I  did voluntary work ,it was not making enough trade to survive,there were overheads,and things financial was getting worst.They even opened a cafe to support it but that didn't work out,they had  a lease that they couldn't get out of.I got a scripture from Exodus 6v1,which read,'Then the Lord said to Moses,'Now you will see what I will do'. I shared this with the owner of the shop,and it was shortly after this,that the local council purchased the premises,praise God.It got that couple out of a very difficult situation. Sometimes we are like that couple we find ourselves in very difficult situations,we are boxed in,the roof it seems is going to cave in on us,but  dear child of God,you are not forsaken,you have come to the end of your human resources,but that's not the end of the story,your prayers have not gone unheeded,God is saying to you ,'Now you will see what I will do'.

You give ( Matthew 14 v16)

 I have many weaknesses,one is English scones ,for lunch I had an English scone plus Greek  yoghurt with mandarin segments, they tasted lovely.I thanked God for them ,and I thought how many people  have never had the pleasure of eating such things. Many people in this world are just about existing at starvation level,they have neither in them or on them.The water they have to drink is polluted,they have no medicine,live in a one room hut .When Christ was on earth  He had compassion on the hungry and He fed them, (Matthew14 )Before He did that,He said to the disciples,'You give them something  to eat'. These words are a challenge ,it is our blessed Saviour saying to all us,you help the hungry , poor, homeless, widows ,orphans and the sick. Let us not be judgemental,let us remember our Saviour  wasn't He fed everybody that day His giving was not conditional,He gave freely to them all.