Service

  The word 'servant' appears to have become unfashionable over the years. The reason may be that it has been used as a way to insult people, as in, 'you're just a servant!' This is extremely problematic for Christians because the Bible contains a very strong ideology of service that we need to understand and apply in our lives. I should say up front that I believe true service comes from the heart and is the work of the Holy Spirit, but a little reflection on the matter will hopefully be beneficial.

  One of the counter-intuitive aspects of service is that it means authority. When the master asks his servant to do something, he has given that servant the authority to carry out the task (assuming the content of the order is within the master's own authority). For example, if my master asks me to clean his fireplace and another servant or member of the household comes in and asks me by what right or authority I am doing this, I may legitimately say, 'by my master's authority', and any objection may thus be referred to the master.

  The consequence of this is that service also means protection for the servant so long as he acts within framework outlined by his master and the law. This is a very important point to remember: it means that the master is responsible for his servants and that the two parties are bound together. Furthermore, under the Mosaic Law and in the New Testament, believers are exhorted to treat their slaves/servants well, while servants are exhorted to treat their masters with respect, carrying out their duties as if they were done for Christ. (See Leviticus 25:39-46; Deuteronomy 15:12-18; Ephesians 6:5-9; Philemon.)

  Thirdly, service is not to be denigrated. It is a humble station. Christ himself said, 'And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”' (Luke 17:7-10, NKJV.) But if Christ had not taken on the nature of a servant and died on the Cross, we would all be destined for Hell. Christ has made holy and glorious the office of servant - when we truly put the will of God before our own, He values that. 

  To some extent this is an idealizing account that doesn't always work out this way in practice. Nor is it intended as a defense of slavery: it is right that slavery was abolished in so many parts of the world, and I hope that it is fully stamped out in the near future. Paul himself said that if it is possible for a slave to obtain his freedom, let him do so (1 Corinthians 7:21). But it is good to think about service and authority from a Biblical point of view because it affects so much of the Christian life, from caring for others to how one carries out one's job to exorcism, healing, and the other miracles of the Kingdom of Heaven. I'd like to end with this quotation from Philippians 2:4-11 (KJV):

'Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'

God bless.

Kingdoms

  Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.' (John 18:36, NIV.) Challenged by the recent developments in Egypt, many have been asking whether democracy is the best form of government. Furthermore, in Christian circles the role and nature of the Church in connection with government has long been discussed. It's not my intention here to present analysis of current events in the Middle East or to persuade the reader as to what form of government is best - I am still reflecting on these issues. Rather, I would like to highlight a number of factors that affect our assessment of government - be it within the Church or outside it.

  1) The psychology of individuals and groups affects the governmental decisions they make. People often remark that 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' and assert that on this basis absolute power should never be entrusted to an individual. But what if the individual were free of sin? Should Jesus be denied His rightful kingship? Clearly in His case absolute power can be entrusted to a single man. A king or a parliament will make good or wicked decisions not simply because they can but because they want to.

  2) History furnishes us with examples of kings and democracies and oligarchies functioning both well and badly.  People cite Hitler as an example of someone wielding autocratic power with terrible results. Undoubtedly that was true, but we shouldn't forget the advisers who surrounded him or the people who voted for the Nazi party. Admittedly they were never a majority - but they were a significant part of the population. What about Henry VII? When he died he left Britain in an excellent position financially. It was democratic Athens that put Socrates to death.

  3) The Bible provides a mixed picture of government for both Israel and the Church. On the one hand, monarchical power was wielded by the Kings; on the other hand, they were advised by elders and priests, whose advice they were free to accept or ignore. In the Church councils were held to decide certain matters (e.g. Acts 15), and it is clear from the Epistles that the Apostles expected their addressees to consider themselves brothers and to work together for each other's good. Christ's words concerning authority are eye-opening, and counter-intuitive from an earthly perspective. 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.' (Matthew 20:25-28, NKJV.)

  I think sometimes we make too much fuss about the precise form of government. I am prone to this myself. I can understand why people feel there should be a legal mechanism to prevent rulers from abusing their power. But the danger here is that we overlook the spirit or character of man - law is an external thing, but the heart is what really determines choices.

  Below is a list of questions I think it may be more appropriate to ask as an alternative to concerns about 'democracy' and 'freedom' in relation to government and justice. 

-Is the government protecting the vulnerable members of society?

-Is the government making sure that the courts are functioning properly?

-Is the government meeting the country's emergency needs (e.g. natural disasters)?

-Are the government's relations with foreign governments healthy? (E.g. avoiding relations with known troublemakers.)

-Are the government's relations with business healthy (e.g. no bribes for granting contracts)?

  May God grant you peace where you are in both the state and your heart. God bless.

Justice

  Today I thought I'd make a comment about justice. I have recently been re-watching Batman: The Animated Series, an old childhood favourite of mine. As I was watching it, a thought occurred to me. Why do people find such stories attractive? There are many reasons, of course. Mark Hamill's superb acting as the Joker is one excellent reason for watching the show, but the thought that immediately struck me was Batman's connection with justice. Justice is a complex issue, as anyone who has read Plato's Republic can affirm. What I am getting at here is a basic desire to see wrongdoing punished, to see the victims vindicated, to see damage repaired, and protection guaranteed for the future. Batman is built on the basic assumption that something is wrong with the world: the hero would have no villains to fight, no raison d'être, unless there already existed some uncontrollable urge in humanity to do what is evil.

  But it doesn't stop with the hero: what makes Batman and other similar comics so interesting is the ability to empathize with the villains also. They too are often trying to correct some injustice. Revenge is often their motive, and more than once they ask Batman what the difference is between him and them. It's not my intention to argue the rights and wrongs of vigilantism here; rather, I wish to highlight the close connection between psychology and justice as a motif in art and literature. In the West, Christians often talk about Christ's Crucifixion in a legal framework, following the Apostle Paul. We talk of sin, and that is understood to mean 'crime'; the sin/crime deserves to be punished and Christ takes the punishment that we deserve. Thus Christ's sacrifice is presented as meeting the requirements of justice, with God as the Judge and injured party, and humanity as the wrongdoers. This is not the only way of talking about the Crucifixion and what it means, but I would like to suggest that it is an important and powerful one because of the place justice occupies in the human condition and psyche, as seen in our artistic expression.

  I do not mean that our psychology creates this interpretation of the Cross. It is objectively true that Christ died for the sins of humanity, whether we see it this way or not. What I am saying is that God built into us a sense of justice, a remembrance of the way things were and should be - there is no getting away from Eden. Fallen as we are, we still have a conscience, something that bears witness against the evil we do, against the current state of the world. It fills us with a longing for Paradise and points us back towards God.

Do you cry out for justice? Turn to Christ.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6, NIV)

God bless.

Things In Common

  One of the many blessings and challenges I have received during my time at university is meeting Christians from other denominations. I would describe myself as a 'non-denominational' Christian, but I do fall roughly within a Protestant framework. Often when  talking with someone about a doctrinal matter, one easily forgets the things both people have in common. While I am skeptical of the Ecumenical Movement, and don't believe one can cover up major differences between the denominations, I do believe it is important for all Christians to remember the things we have in common, especially at this time when there are so many religious, philosophical, and moral challenges to our faith.

Below is a list of things I believe my Catholic and Orthodox friends would share in common with me, a Protestant:

-Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man - fully human and fully God - He was crucified to reconcile us to God and He was raised from the dead three days later as a sign of His victory and His promise to give everlasting life to all who believe in Him (John 3:16)

-the importance of the Bible in discovering who God is, what He has done in history, and what His will for our lives is

-the importance of confession to God when our conscience and the Holy Spirit prompts us concerning sin

-the need to exercise our free will in our relationship with God; He won't make our choices for us

-the sanctity of the Eucharist

-the love of God for all people and the desire of God for all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)

-the need for a Christian to frequently meet with other Christians for prayer, encouragement and correction, and worship (Hebrews 10:24-25)

-Christ has promised to come again and will - at that time the dead will be raised to life, and He will judge the nations (Matthew 24-25)

-the importance of prayer in the life of the Christian

-the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit in the personal and corporate lives of Christians (John 3, 15-17; 1 Corinthians 12-14)

-the need to share the Gospel of Jesus' Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension with all people, regardless of background

-the need to avoid and expose syncretism and compromise in the presentation of the Gospel

-the need to show love to others and respect their free will

  More could be said here, but I hope I have shown that the Holy Spirit's work in all true believers has not fallen by the wayside - he is bringing us to the 'unity of the Faith' longed for by the Apostle Paul - but what that unity looks like does not always conform to our expectations.

God bless.

The Whole Counsel of God

   'For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God..' (Acts 20:27, NKJV)

   These words were spoken by the Apostle Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus when he was returning to Jerusalem, where it was prophesied he would be taken prisoner. This speech was a final address of sorts. He said to them, 'And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more' (Acts 20:25, NKJV). Paul was concerned that the Ephesian church must be prepared to weather all the trials and challenges of the future, and so it needed to be established in all of God's truth and have the courage and endurance to remain true to it.

  Some time ago I was asked to lead a Bible-study at my home-church. At the time I was reading Acts and I came across this passage. I use a study-Bible for my daily readings and there was a passage written by one of the editors regarding this point. It emphasized the need for pastors to cover in time a wide array of topics from the Bible. This really struck me and I decided to make the point that it is also incumbent on all believers to address our blind-spots. For example, in Britain talking about money is often awkward, so we mind not tackle it so often in our private study.

 Below is a non-exhaustive list of topics for study. This is offered merely as a way of drawing attention to things one might have overlooked and is not suggested as a stringent programme to be slavishly followed.

-God's character
-the Trinity
-salvation
-the work of the Holy Spirit
-the gifts of the Holy Spirit
-the fruit of the Holy Spirit
-prophecy
-the Second Coming
-money
-Biblical history
-Old Testament types of Christ
-the Church
-the Kingdom of Heaven
-parables
-prayer
-legalism
-deliverance & demons
-healing
-repentance and confession
-marriage & family
-sexual ethics
-evangelism & outreach
-idolatry
-other religions

  I would like to end by saying we should all seek God's will and prompting in this. If He puts it on your heart to explore some part of His Word, follow Him.

God bless. 

Studying the Bible

  In my last post I emphasized the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who helps us to understand the Bible. In this post I would like to give some practical advice to help readers really engage with the Bible.

  One of the first things I would recommend is getting a Bible with good cross references and marginal notes. The New Testament is built upon the Old Testament, and a lot of it won't make sense unless the reader is familiar with the relevant Old Testament passages. Here's an example to demonstrate my point: in Luke 4 Jesus reads from the Book of Isaiah, specifically a passage prophesying the healing ministry of the Messiah, and He applies it to Himself, telling the synagogue that the passage is fulfilled in their hearing (i.e. at that very time). But if one consults the passage in Isaiah, one finds that Jesus stopped half-way through a sentence, the rest of which reads: 

'And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.' (Isaiah 61:2-3, NKJV)

  The implication is that Jesus would fulfill the rest of the passage, but not at that time. In other words, Jesus will at some point in the future execute the vengeance of God upon the enemies of God's people. Only by consulting the passage in Isaiah would one pick this up. The Bible is meant to be read holistically: it is meant to be searched and its various parts brought together.

  It follows from this that one needs to read the whole Bible, and not just parts. When I became a Christian and got my own Bible, I came across the common practice of reading the whole Bible in a year and I did so. This can be an extremely useful thing to do as it reveals different aspects of God's plan and His dealings with mankind and the angels, and it gives the reader a better grasp of the overall sequence of Biblical history. I would suggest that someone who has just become a Christian start in the New Testament; but once a certain amount of familiarity with it has been attained, it makes sense to have a look at the Old Testament. One doesn't need to read the Bible in the space of a year: it's good to meditate on God's Word. But a specific reading plan is very helpful for making sure one reads the whole Bible.

  Having a good grasp of grammar is essential for studying the Bible. If one finds a tough passage, it's better to take one's time and go through it step-by-step, rather than rushing on to read the rest of the chapter. People can go too far with this, and I confess I have often done so because my education has trained me for close-reading of texts. Nevertheless, I am glad that I have been trained as a classicist because my knowledge of Greek has helped me engage a great deal more with the New Testament and Septuagint translation of the Old Testament. I realize of course that we don't all have the time and opportunity to learn Greek, but consulting a good concordance or textbook concerning key vocabulary and concepts will help in grasping some of the finer points of Scripture.

  Concordances, commentaries, timelines, and interlinear Bibles are all helpful, but they are not a substitute for prayer. Perspective is important.

I highly recommend this website: http://biblehub.com/

There's a great deal on here and it's easy to get lost, but it's worth exploring, and is very useful for people who have a solid foundation in the Scriptures and want to build on it.

'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.' (Proverbs 1:7, NKJV)

God bless.

Introduction to the Bible

  The Bible plays a central role in the life of Christians. We believe that it is a gift of God to us: it tells us about who He is and who we are; it gives us comfort and guidance in times of need; it proclaims the Truth of Jesus Christ as a witness in the world. We believe that the Bible is without error, was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and contains the guidance we need for knowing God and living a life pleasing to Him.

  However, understanding the Bible requires the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says of the holy Spirit, 'I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority,but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.' (John 16:12-15, NKJV.) 

  Earlier Jesus had said, 'If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.' (John 14:15-18, NKJV.) A couple of points need to be drawn from this: the world - that is, non-believers - cannot receive the Spirit of truth. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit is not at work around non-believers; I believe it is His ministry that softens people's hearts to help them become believers (see Jesus' words about being 'born again' at John 3:1-21). But it does mean that the Holy Spirit is the one who leads people to the truth. Only by becoming a believer and receiving the promised Holy Spirit will you be able to truly understand the Bible. The Apostle Paul says, 'But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.' (1 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV.)

 When Jesus stood before the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, Pilate asked Jesus, 'What is truth?' (John 18:38, NKJV.) The answer was standing right in front of him. Jesus had said to His disciples earlier, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' (John 14:6, NKJV.) Jesus is the truth; if truth is what you really seek, then you will find Jesus. How the Lord speaks to someone is of course up to Him; but the Bible is one of the ways He uses. If you seek the truth, if you seek God, search for Him diligently. 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.' (Matthew 7:7-8, NKJV.)

  Lastly, I would like to say a few words about the structure of the Bible to help anyone who is new to it to find their way around. The first five books, known as the Pentateuch or Torah contain the history of God's relationship with Man and His people Israel from the time of Man's creation to the time of Moses. A number of passages, and all of Leviticus, are laws that God gave to the Israelites to live by, which is why these five books are known as the Law. The books of Joshua to Esther contain the history of Israel from the time of Joshua, who succeeded Moses to the return of Israel to their land after their captivity in the Babylonian Empire. Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are books about life and wisdom, while the Psalms are songs (poetry) in praise of God and reflecting on life and relationships with Him. The Song of Solomon/Song of Songs is a love song. Isaiah to Malachi are prophetic books: these are contain a variety of messages and predictions, some already fulfilled, others awaiting fulfillment  They deal with God's relationship with Israel and mankind, and they reflect the promise of a time when God will be reconciled with Man and all things will be restored. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (the Gospels) are accounts of Jesus' life: they contain many of His teachings, records of how He fulfilled the promises of God predicted by the Prophets, and stories that show His life - the life of God and Man - how he wept, became angry, and rejoiced. The Epistles or letters (Romans to Jude) are letters written by early Christian leaders to the Church. Revelation is about the Second Coming of Jesus and the establishment of His Kingdom in glory - the book ends on the high note of God's desire fulfilled, that he should live among mankind and that the two would know and love each other perfectly.

Search for Jesus in the Scriptures.
God bless.