As I reflected on this conversation later, I began to recall the many conversations and emails I have received in recent years from people who have developed their biblical, doctrinal and theological understanding from “Pastor YouTube” – who can never really be held to account. And when you ask questions…READ MORE
When things like these appear to converge, often Christians long for Jesus to return and fix everything. I get that. I do. I often find myself wanting the same.
But in the midst of these end-times focus cycles all manner of new end time theories emerge and are promoted. It’s almost an industry at the moment…
I remember a few years ago when we were out four wheel driving in the mountains and in some pretty rough terrain. The GPS system had all the latest map upgrades and were showing several tracks that were not on any printed maps we had. We saw one bush track on the GPS leading to the right of where we were and decided to explore it. But as we approached where the intersection was supposed to be, we couldn’t see any entry point…
I arrived home late tonight, had a late dinner with Anne, and then headed out the veggie gardens to inspect the tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, snow peas, herbs and, of course, my beehives. I didn’t really want to go outside, preferring to get back to my desk and finish the things I couldn’t get to today. Anne encouraged me. I got the garden hose fired up and…
My eyes were suddenly glued to that one line … I clearly remember an urgent quickening in my spirit … and I remember asking the Lord about it. As I prayed I receive the most wonderful insight. In that moment God showed me (just a kid), in that verse, how everything Jesus ever did was repeatable – excepting the work of the cross and resurrection – everything else was repeatable.
What a week it has been! There have been many opportunities – that is, many challenges! It all depends on your focus, doesn’t it? When we view life and earthly realities from God’s perspective and decide to accept and go with God’s agenda, or God’s leading, that’s living by faith, and challenges become opportunities. For the believer, that is the proper, preferred and exciting way to live. What have been your “challenge opportunities” this week?
God is doing a new thing. Many of you have heard that Isaiah 43 scripture before, perhaps many times, and have even used it as a promise of God to look forward to a new season. And, in a sense, it is kind of like that – but it’s not a promise of God as such. It was a prophetic encouragement to Israel to look to the new future God was preparing for them.
The rising crescendo of voices has become a screaming match and all sorts of accusations and claims are being made by both sides of politics in the USA. Cries, of “without evidence” for some statements, and other cries of “censorship” at the hands of Facebook and Twitter by the other side are rife, too. Before that there was “fake news” and so on.
But, as I have kept saying these last few months, the church has a great responsibility in modelling to the rest of the community the kind of dignified poise and calm that would cause others to enquire as to the faith we have in an all-powerful God. We have an obligation, as citizens, to respect the laws of the day, and a crucial responsibility as citizens of the Kingdom of God to do so in a way that honours the Lord, a doesn’t bring the gospel or the church into disrepute.
In the middle of all this is the Christian music industry around the world. Christian worship music is proliferating with many artists and churches emerging at the moment. This proliferation has been astonishing – more than tripling in the last 12 years. And, of course, churches have accessed a lot of new music and songs for use in worship services, as has any Christian with a mobile phone, tablet or laptop computer. Our churches have done the same, too.
As I sat thinking about this incremental improvement on Sunday afternoon before writing this, I felt Holy Spirit alert me to the importance of the incremental improvement in our new lives as believers – as ones born again. The incremental renewal and transformation that takes place in the believer as we walk with God allowing Holy Spirit to sanctify us, is a really important thing.
So, what do I mean when I suggest that Gospel power is about to be let loose? For many years now I have been deeply concerned that the church, in general, is so willing to settle for a soft Gospel, or an easy Gospel – a “PC” Gospel – that doesn’t offend people with too much truth; a Gospel that doesn’t demand much of us.
In more recent times another phrase has arisen in our everyday language that just wasn’t there 15 years ago … “Yeah, no.” Yeah, no? What on earth is that supposed to mean? “Yeah, no.” This phrase is everywhere now. Recently, listening to a talk back radio program (on “Our ABC”) both radio announcer and interviewee used “Yeah, no”, 17 times in the space of barely 15 minutes – and these are educated people.
Hello everyone!
I saw a dove the other day – not a pigeon (I know what they look like). No, this was a dove, a white dove. You don’t often see them in our neighbourhood. I heard the unmistakable sound of its fluttering wings breaking its descent as it gently landed on the spouting of my shed. Then it just stared at me as I was unlocking the door, as if curious. It stayed quite still and I suddenly became aware that any sudden, or threatening movement from me and it would immediately fly off. So, I stayed still and stared back in what I hoped was a non-threatening demeanour.
The dove occasionally moved its head from side to side giving me a really good look over from both eyes separately … and after a while, with curiosity apparently satisfied, it launched into the air and disappeared over the wattle tree near the back fence.
I unlocked the shed, turned on the light and set up the tripod to take a video of the weekly pastor’s update, then sat for a bit with my steaming cup of coffee … and thought about the dove. How carefully it had watched me, assessing things, scanning for any sign of hostility. I reflected that it had probably sat there staring for a good five minutes, probably more.
I thought of one of the New Testament descriptors for Holy Spirit - the dove. The dove describes the gentleness of Holy Spirit, the sensitivity of Holy Spirit to environment and so on. I realised that any inappropriate action from me would end the encounter with the dove on my shed roof … and I realised, too, that any inappropriate movement or behaviour from me would disturb Holy Spirit, and probably end a hosting encounter ...
Holy Spirit is extremely sensitive to environment – not fragile, just sensitive; not intimidated, but very sensitive to the environment of my heart …
Awareness of the presence of Holy Spirit is awareness and experience of the manifest presence of God – a magnificent thing! The presence of God is what changes things … everything. It dramatically changes the fellowship I have with God. So much closer and real and so very much deeper. In His presence sickness bows its knee, demons run in terror, darkness flees … peace and safety become very, very real. The love of the Father becomes overpowering reality. Security.
If I want to ‘host’ the presence of God in my life, my home, or my ministry, I need to become very aware of any environment that would cause Holy Spirit distress, to grieve … and even writing this, I want to be so careful so as not to disturb the environment for him such that he would want to depart. This doesn’t mean I have to walk on eggshells in some silly, religiously superstitious way – Holy Spirit is not frightened of anything, or anyone. But He is very sensitive to environment and will not linger in a manifest way if the environment is unclean, defiled or soulish, or hostile because of sin … Of course, we don’t ever lose the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit as ones born again, but conducive, sweet environment is crucial if we want to host His manifest presence – his tangible, presence – and hear His voice clearly …
And so, this morning I made a decision … I clearly articulated it and wrote it down in my SOAP journal. Here it is …
“Everything I do, I now do with the dove in mind … because I want Him to linger long with me. I will prepare a table for Him, an environment for Him, in the presence of my busyness and learn to host the presence of the Lord each day. Welcome Holy Spirit!”
Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
You are dearly, dearly loved.
Ps Milton
Hello everyone!
Over the weekend, as I was preparing the message for Sunday, I experienced a very personal spiritual attack. It took me a few hours to figure out that it was, in fact, a spiritual attack and not something else. I was a bit late to the battle and had to gird up pretty quickly. So, in the midst of preparing for Sunday, I found myself doing battle in prayer, and putting on the armour of God.
It was hard work. The attack was quite strong, and nasty.
Doing battle when under this kind of attack is wearing, energy sapping and it is hard to focus on the task at hand at the same time. The battle continued all day Sunday, into Sunday night and then into the night hours of Monday morning – sleep was not good. I kept drawing near to the Father, dealing with any sinful attitudes, praying for protection, binding the enemy … and, of course, praising the Lord. That wasn’t easy, either … The attack was full on. I could feel it on my body.
Psalms 24:7-10 “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is He, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— He is the King of glory.”
In praise we start declaring truth about God and in the spiritual realm supernatural, awesome power is released and, as I was saying in last week’s Pastor Update video, we get our heads up above the circumstances, and get the gates open for the Lord. The Lord is looking for gates.
Just this afternoon today (Monday), an encouraging word came to me in the snail mail from a special friend who shares my love of a hot meat pie. A friend who is no stranger to spiritual attack. It was out of the blue (not really – it had God’s fingerprints on it – and it was postmarked 28.08.2020). I read the simple card from my sister in the Lord, and I thanked the Lord for the blessing it released to me in the moment ...
The attack was broken right there and then – I felt this weight lift off ... and the usual lightness of spirit return.
God did battle for me in the spiritual realm as I put on His armour and took my stand, and interceded. He then deployed another listening servant of His to send me a message of encouragement – 10 days before I needed it! - the timing was all His. The sheer power of that simple message and the encouragement it imparted to my spirit was a direct statement by God that the battle was done. I read it over and over hungry for the blessing.
As soon as I accepted the message, I was done, too. Peace …
God is good!
I had the sad duty of conducting the funeral of a Victoria Police officer three years ago next week on RUOK Day. This man was in the prime of his life, but injury whilst making an arrest had sidelined him for nearly a year and he faced many setbacks getting back to proper fitness levels. He struggled with depression over it all and, tragically in the end when he had become fragile, he took his own life. At the memorial service at Eltham Community Centre that day the sadness and grief and sense of apparently inexplicable loss was so overwhelming.
That hall was filled with family and several hundred police from the Chief Commissioner down to local stations.
In part of my message to those assembled, I said this …
“Life is precious. It is so incredibly sacred – and so, so fleeting. And we feel it so deeply when a loved one is wrenched away in death through circumstances that have overwhelmed them, and which took us all by surprise. It is devastating. ...
… I say to you all here today, and especially to the Victoria Police members present, to you who daily face extraordinary challenges and pressures for the sake of our community, you are so appreciated and enormously respected, and esteemed by us all. Before God, I honour you all today. But, as much as we all want you to be invincible for us, deep down we know that you’re not. You’re humans like the rest of us. … You are not unbreakable, invincible machines. You are human beings loved by others, held dear by others ... and none of us can afford to lose any one of you before your time.”
Your pastors aren’t invincible, either, though sometimes the church family tends to think we are or maybe want us to be with every loving and honouring intention ... We’re not unbreakable machines … we have feet of clay, hearts of flesh … just like you. We feel the pressures of life like anyone else, we have our moments of struggle and pain … and wonder at times how we’re going to do all that God is asking of us … because, sometimes, we just don’t know. We go on faith alone at times, trusting our heavenly Father, who holds us steady and keeps us focused in the eye of the storm and the heat of spiritual battle raging over our churches sometimes … He guides us. He makes us brave … He does battle for us. But there are yet moments of deep struggle and self-doubt in it all … we battle that, too.
And so, we pastors with feet of clay are incredibly, wonderfully touched, blessed and encouraged when even a small expression of encouragement is given us by another brother or sister in the Lord who was moved to do the Lord’s bidding in the moment. What may seem a simple small gesture has its blessing exponentially amplified by Holy Spirit.
Mark 9:41 [Jesus] “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.”
God so values the ministry of generous encouragement.
Thank you, Dawn. The next pie is on me.
You are deeply, richly loved.
Ps Milton
