Three Wise Men

Why has the story of the wise men who travelled far and brought gifts to Jesus come to represent real wisdom throughout the ages? It’s unlikely these wise men were university graduates with Ph.D.’s. We have no record of their academic pedigree, yet we know they were wise men. Their wisdom is not necessarily reflected by the enormity of their intellect or accumulative knowledge, but by their simple act of seeking to know and worship Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

So it is today. Many in our world are seeking many things. Some seek riches, and upon accumulating them, find the need to accumulate more an all consuming passion. They finally conclude that there are not enough riches in the whole universe to satisfy man’s desire for more affluence.

Inevitably, at the end of life’s way, they find the acquisition of riches has no eternal value or significance.  The words of our Saviour about the temporal nature of riches are all too apt. No matter how much a man may accumulate, when he leaves this world he leaves it all behind. As someone said,  “Have you ever seen a hearse pulling a trailer?” Those seeking fortune always find it cannot buy the simplest joy or real happiness.

Some seek fame, and upon achieving it, find the fleeting fragility of fame and fortune. Just a surface survey of the tragic stories of some recent and contemporary politicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, will easily confirm the illusory nature of imagined fulfilment through fame and fortune.

How many spend their last days amid the ashes of decaying memories of fleeting moments spent in the fading spotlight of public adulation and popularity? It is sometimes sad to see how the mighty have fallen as a result of man’s cruel propensity to cut down the tall poppies.  Some seek power as the ultimate high of human experience. Only those who have experienced power over the lives of others can really know how seducing this temptress can be. As it is said, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts, absolutely.” But one only has to consider the end of some of the most powerful men of history to realise the futility of such seeking. Nebuchadnezzar, the Ceasers, Hitler and more recently, the tyrants of the totalitarian communist world, vividly demonstrate the vanity of the quest for ultimate power.  But others, real wise men such as these, seek Christ. Real wise men seek Him as the eternal God of eternal spiritual salvation. After all, it was the Christmas angel that said, “They shall call His name, Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sin.” When real wise men bow their knee before Him in true repentance and faith, they discover eternal and abundant life in all its fullness and eternal significance. Why not be wise and seek Him with all your heart during this Christmas Season?

Have A Good Christmas!

"Have a good Christmas," the shop keeper said. I responded in kind as I turned away with my first Christmas purchase safely in hand. But I could not help wondering, "How many people using that expression this season really know what makes a good Christmas?"

Just what is involved in a good Christmas? Store aisles crowded with eager shoppers making the registers ring with the shrill sounds of shopping success? Bank accounts and credit card limits stretched to the breaking point? Post offices overflowing with those anxious to send that late card or package to family or friends in faraway lands? Bus and train stations, airports and highways congested with record crowds? Christmas parties resounding with ribald humour and reeking with fumes of an alcoholic revelry? A table groaning with a load of culinary delights and Christmas goodies guaranteed to break any diet or exhaust any medicinal remedy? An annual visit to a Christmas pageant or carol sing?

A good Christmas must mean much more than any of this. It must be a Christmas centred upon Jesus Christ, the person whose birth is being celebrated. A Christmas focused upon the greatest of all gifts; God's gift of His Son to a lost and dying world. A Christmas magnifying the meaning of the mission of God incarnate to planet earth. A mission made crystal clear by the angel's announcement to Joseph, "They shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." And later clearly defined by Christ when he said, "The Son of man has come to seek and to save those who are lost."

A good Christmas must be one that has room for Jesus. The pathos involved in the paradox of a simple inn keeper turning away the Eternal Son of God has ever intrigued those who read the Christmas story. But how sad that our sophisticated contemporary culture still seems to have no room for Jesus in the homes or affairs of a nation.

A good Christmas must be one bringing real joy and peace to the world. Not the pseudo-peace or jocular joy that so often characterises earthly relationships and celebrations. But the spiritual joy expressed by the angels on the night of a Saviour's birth and the spiritual peace personally experienced by those who have been justified by faith in Christ.

A good Christmas finds its fruition in the human heart. The Saviour that was born into the world some two thousand years ago stands outside the heart's door during this season graciously seeking admittance. The Father said, "But as many as receive Him, to them He gives to power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on His name. "Those who would have a good Christmas are those who would receive the Christ of Christmas into their hearts and homes the whole year through - and eternally. My sincere wish for you is that you will have a blessed and holy Christmas.

- Pastor John White

God Became Flesh

Our study of the Biblical account of the birth of our Savior should not be seasonal. Our thankfulness for His unspeakable gift should permeate our life throughout the entire year. We should live our entire life in the light of the glorious truths that normally only momentarily illuminate a few days of the Christian calendar each year. The story of the incarnation of God into the flesh of man is a vital foundation stone of the very gospel of Jesus Christ and should under-gird our faith year round.  Two great philosophers who predate the birth of Jesus had this to say about the necessity of the incarnation, "God will never be known unless He reveals Himself in human form." "Oh, that someone would arise, man or god, to show us God."(Socrates)

You do not have to be an intellectual to recognise the logic of the philosophers' argument. The proof is always in the pudding. The ultimate illustration is in the reality. When God chose to become man He paid the long awaited proposition prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. The concept that Isaiah posited when he said, "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name, Emmanuel (God with us)"

When God chose to come in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ to flesh out His eternal purpose of redemption for those who would be eternal sons of God, He not only personified an absolute selfless love, but He demonstrated the ultimate in communicating such love to those who were to be the objects of it. Can you imagine the infinite God of a limitless universe, condescending to imprison His infinite being in the finite flesh of man, on a tiny ball of mud, in a far off corner of a very mundane sort of solar system, in a less than spectacular galaxy that man calls the Milky Way?

And why would He do such an unlikely deed? Evidently, in order to say to His rebellious and ungrateful creature, man, "I love you with an infinite love and will make it possible for you to love me with such a love in return! In order to give you the privilege and capacity to do so, I am not only willing to live in your dirty, stinking, sinful and rebellious environment, but to do die unjustly at your hands that you might, in turn, mercifully live forever in an environment fit for a Child of the King!"

If Jesus had not been born of the virgin Mary, God incarnate in the flesh, there would be no gospel, salvation, forgiveness or life eternal. We would be yet without  God, without Christ, and eternally lost in a dark and sin cursed earth. Is it any wonder the apostle Paul was moved to exclaim, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!" (II Cor. 9:15) "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  (Matthew 1:21) 

-50 Wonderful Years- Click on image to view a larger image

Click on image to view a larger image

Some Reasons To Thank God

In Australia we do not have a national Thanksgiving Day. We do not have a day set aside especially for giving thanks and praise to God for His blessings upon our nation. Of course, this does not mean that the people of God in our land do not have as much to be thankful for as others who have a national day of thanksgiving. Nor does it mean we should not pause at every opportunity and especially give thanks to our great God for His bounteous blessings upon our great land.

We should thank God for His gracious protection. Sometimes we are like Elisha’s servant and are blinded to the reality and dimensions of the great blessing of His gracious protection. In order to really see it we need to understand the vindictive war Satan’s wishes to wage against us. He would like to see the terrorists succeed in their quest to obtain and explode WMD’s in large cities and population centres of our world. He would like to see epidemics of aids, bubonic plaque, small pox, anthrax and other more deadly exotic diseases, sweep planet earth and especially hurt and destroy the people of God. Since he is the god of this world and we wrestle against his principalities and powers and rulers of darkness in high places, why does this not happen?

When we consider Job’s experience we could ask in a more personal and practical sense, “Why didn’t Satan destroy you, your loved ones and your home last night, since he would obviously like to do so?The psalmist gives us the only viable and believable answer, “Bless the Lord O my soul who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth the life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies . .” (Psalm 103:3-4) And again, “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” (Psalm 34:7)

Just think for a moment about the times injury or death has perhaps brushed you by. Most of us can remember times when a split second made the difference between destruction and survival. I can name a few, but I am sure there are many more that only God knows about. Perhaps when we get to heaven we will be blessed to have a “video replay” of the times the Lord’s hand has been upon us, protecting us from disaster and giving us a new lease on life on earth. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:14)

When we thank God for His gracious protection we should always remember the blessings of good health. Why are we not overcome with disease and illness every day of our life? It is because He neutralises and negates the effect of sin upon our environment and our body and graciously gives us good health. “He heals all our diseases.” Do we have to meet a man with a white cane and seeing eye dog before we can truly thank God for our eyes and good sight? Do we need to see a paralytic in a wheel chair before we can thank God for the use of our lower limbs?  Even when old age may afflict our  body we still have much for which to thank Him.

Do we need to hear the awful wail of an ambulance before we can thank God for daily giving us travelling grace? Do we need to visit the intensive care ward in a hospital before we can thank God for the health to live an abundant life? Do we need to see a hearse go rolling by before we can thank God for sparing our loved ones that we might enjoy their companionship for one more day? I have been asked a number of times, “Do you believe in divine healing?” I always reply, “Yes, all healing is divine!”

We should thank God for His gracious providence. This means we should daily gratefully recognise and acknowledge the operation of the central truth of Christian existence in our lives, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” (Ro. 8:28)   - Pastor John White

His Eye Is On The Sparrow......

Our young granddaughter  had come up from New South Wales to spend holidays with us. She had gotten her first small watch for her birthday. One afternoon I took her to the beach. On the way down the long winding path through the sand and sea grass she somehow dropped her small watch without being aware of the loss. After her swim, she missed her watch and we spent a good while searching the sand all around  the beach where we had placed our towels. But to no avail.  On our way back to the car, with the innocence of a child, she asked me to stop along the path and pray with her that someone might find her watch or that her mother, who had given her the watch, might not be hurt because she had lost it.

As we knelt together to pray, she placed her hand in the tall grass growing along side the path. We had only been praying a minute or so when she felt something underneath her hand and I heard her cry, "I've found it! God has answered my prayer. He's given me back my watch!" I believe the so-called "odds" against this happening in an accidental way would been mind boggling. So did my granddaughter. We should have Thanksgiving to praise and thank God for even His smallest mercies!

So As By Fire

I believe it was in the Summer of 1966 while we were planting Avalon Avenue Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Alabama that I was invited by Pastor Ben Powers and Zion Baptist Church in Winfield, Alabama to participate in a revival in that Church.  I can still remember the blessings of that experience.  But there was one incident that was not altogether a happy occasion.   As was the custom, Pastor Powers and myself spent a few hours each day of the week knocking on doors and sharing the gospel with the lost and encouraging Christians to support the services.  As was and I assume still is the normal practice of Pastors there,  we also made daily visits to the local hospital to visit members and friends and relatives in particular who were ill.  One such visit was a real blessing but also placed a heavy burden on our hearts.

The patient was terminally ill and obviously had very little time left on the earth.   Brother Powers gave me his background.  His wife was a faithful member of the Church.  She and the members had been praying for her husband for a number of years.  A number of Pastors had tried to lead him to the Lord but to no avail.  His attitude had been stubborn and defiant,  But Pastor Powers was not ready to give up and ask me to challenge him to be saved if the man would allow me to do so.

The Lord was gracious and loving and the Holy Spirit was present in all His power and the man was gloriously saved on his death bed. Jesus said there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels when one soul is saved and  we Pastors were rejoicing as well.  But after a few moments the newly born Christian began to weep bitterly.  Puzzled, we asked him why he was doing so.  He responded something like this:  "My wife and her friends and a number of Pastors have shared the gospel with me and begged me to be saved.  But I have stubbornly refused God's love.   Now I know for sure I am saved and will stand before Jesus at the Judgement Seat.   Here I am in this bed and cannot even be baptised now and will really soon go to see Jesus but I will have nothing in serving him.   I will be empty handed there."   Even though he was happy that he was on his way to heaven he was sad that he would be ashamed before Jesus at the Judgement Seat.  (See I John 2:28, II Cor. 5:10, I Cor. 3:1-5)

This from a Mission Report Shared With

Supporting Churches In 1975

".....But the highlight of the month had to be the service held at the Kilbride Nursing Home. About 60 people from our group went bearing gifts and the gospel to the lonely old people there. For weeks the people had planned and saved and made and bought enough gifts that we were able to give at least two gifts to every person there. In addition each one was presented with a gospel of John. The children's choir sang for them. Scripture readings and testimonies were interspersed and God really blessed us with a spiritual blessing. At the end the ladies of the church served all of them with "Christmas Cake" and punch and the very warm response of these so very lonely people was touching. In spite of their obvious longing for us to stay, we finally had to leave.

Five of us remained behind and were able to share out testimony of Christ with a few who could not leave their rooms for our service. Of all we met that day we only had two to tell us they were born again Christians.  I will never forget the testimony of one of them, an eighty year old man. As we talked to him about Jesus he began to cry. We tried to comfort and reassure him  but he would have no part of it. Here is exactly what he said, "I was a young man, and once thought I was called to be a missionary, but I would not go. I have lived a checkered life. I have done nothing for my Saviour and now I will never leave this bed. It's too late to serve Him now. I am ashamed to meet Him face to face." And this man, who according to his wife  had been a hero of Gallipoli, and had been severely wounded in two World Wars, cried like a babe. May we all read again I John 2:28 and dedicate ourselves anew to His service.

A Glimpse Of Heaven

It is tremendous that in the midst of the unveiling and revelation of all the apocalyptic events of the great tribulation and all the terrible judgements to be poured out upon the earth, God allows us a glimpse of heaven and what it will be like. What a contrast and what tremendous words of comfort and assurance He provides in His Word.

Until I had the privilege of staving a few weeks with a pastor friend and preaching in a number of rural churches in the pristine and beautiful mountains of West Virginia, I could not appreciate the words of John Denver's beautiful song, "Almost heaven, West Virginia..." Until my daughter and her family moved to North Carolina, the history, geography and contemporary nature of the place were of little interest to me. But now I find the place has a strange attraction and fascination for me. Perhaps it's because I have loved ones there.

Until I was sure God was calling me to plant churches in the great land down under, I knew very little about it, nor did I have any particular desire to make the long and exhausting plane trip to see it. But now, since I have so many loved ones in Australia, both in the physical and spiritual sense, the Lord has given me a deep love and affinity for the country.

Of course, although there are many beautiful spots on God's green earth, none could compare to the marvellous wonder and beauty of heaven. Even so, the main attraction of heaven for the Christian is not the place but the people. And the main Person Who draws us heavenward is Jesus Christ. In heaven, we shall see Him face to face. Just as our roots sometimes tug at us, drawing us back to the places and people of our origins, so does our heart draw us heavenward and homeward.

But even if the most important aspect of heaven is the presence of God and His people, we should not minimise the awesomeness of heaven itself. Imagine the amazement of our rural forefathers if they could have seen the wonders of our modern cities. I am sure the wonder and awe of heaven will amaze us even more. Heaven is a place designed and built by the architect of this vast universe. "For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (I Cor. 5:1)

Just imagine a place that multiples infinitely the beauty of this earth. Imagine a place without sin or all the sorrows and sadness of earth. Imagine a place of absolute unity and harmony. Imagine a place where all will be equal. Equally rich, equally happy and equally contented. Imagine a place where all will be busy, yet blissfully at peace and rest.  We could go on imagining, but we could never really get more than a glimpse of the wonder of it all!

The Call To Preach

God's calling me to preach was a very special experience.   As I have shared in giving my testimony in times past, the calling was so clear and conclusive that it seemed at the moment I recognised and surrendered to it that He laid a clear life path before me that left me no doubt nor choice but to obey His will!  

It was a dark night after a service and I was sitting with the evangelist who had preached a revival at New Friendship Baptist Church in Benton, Arkansas.  We were sitting on the back-steps of the church overlooking the cemetery.  He was trying to help me determine what had been convicting me all week during the services.  Since I was saved and I knew it and had confidence in my security in Jesus Christ, he was exploring possibilities.  In doing so he just casually said,  "Do you think the Lord might be calling you to preach."   The next thing I knew it was just as if a light flooded my soul and I was sprawled on my face on the ground thanking the Lord for calling me to preach!   Until that moment I had not even entertained such a possibility;  especially since I could not see how a shy country boy like me could be called into the ministry.  After this,  we immediately sought out my Pastor, Gilbert Heflin,  who had been waiting on us on the front steps of the church.  We had a great time of rejoicing and praising God.  

Mom had not attended the services that night.  She was home with the children. Although it was  getting close to midnight the two preachers followed me home to share the good news with Mom,  When she opened the door to let us in Pastor Heflin said,  "Do you know what happened tonight?"  She replied without hesitation:  "My husband surrendered to preach!"  She then said that she had felt this was happening for quite sometime but did not want to mention it to me for fear of influencing me one way or the other.

But this was what might be termed a general calling.  Each step along the way since has been a specific calling to go to a particular place and do a particular work:  the calling to Australia being the greatest challenge.   As far as being called as a missionary is concerned, this has been a matter of specific and special guidance along the way.  I believe we have a permissive will of God as well as a directive will of God for our lives.   I do believe I have always been blessed to be in the directive will of God  but that if I had taken different steps God still could have allowed me to serve Him in a different place.   For instance,  I was tempted to stay at the church we successfully planted in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Avalon Baptist Church,  and try to build a larger soul winning church for the Lord there.  I believe He would have blessed such an effort.  But He called me specifically to Australia.   For instance,  I served at Sherwood Hills Baptist Church in Campbelltown as a Missionary Pastor,  and then got off the mission field and stopped my support from overseas and was an Australian Pastor and Christian School Principal from 1980 to 1989.  Then I felt God's specific leadership to come to the Gold Coast and plant our fourth church for the Lord. Which we successfully did, establishing Hinterland Baptist Church.   My testimony is that the centre of God's will is the safest, most blessed and productive place for any child of God.  God called preachers especially!

The Reason Why

I think it was in 1962. I was in my early thirties. We had four very young children. I was taken to the hospital with a very severe bleeding stomach ulcer. The loss of blood was tremendous and I was given transfusion after transfusion. It was touch and go for a few days. They could not easily stop the bleeding and I well remember one night when the night nurse checked me. It seems my blood pressure was dangerously low and my pulse was scarcely detectable. I faintly remember her cry for emergency assistance. Then the doctor standing over me, surrounded by other medical staff, and my wife standing behind them. The doctor giving me an injection and saying something to effect, "If he doesn't respond in ninety seconds, he is gone".  I also remember the peace I had with God. But I recall as well my concern for my lovely wife and children. I did not want to leave them. Although I was ready to meet the Lord, I asked Him to spare me if it was His will. Praise Him, He did.

A couple of nights later a purpose for it all became crystal clear. God blessed my witnessing to the young nurse. I recall as if it were yesterday that beautiful young night nurse kneeling by my bedside in the wee hours of the night and pouring her heart out to the Lord in true repentance and faith, then rising to her feet, with her face shining and a new song in her heart. I have often wondered about her life since then. I do expect to see her over there and we can rejoice together and fully understand the reason why! - John White

Happiness Is To Know Christ

Many in our world are hungering for many things. Some hunger for riches, and upon accumulating them, find the need to accumulate more an all consuming passion. They finally conclude that there are not enough riches in the whole universe to satisfy man’s overwhelming desire for more affluence. At the end of the way they inevitably find the acquisition of riches is a vanity of all vanities. They find the words of our Savior about the temporal nature of riches all too apt. No matter how much a man may accumulate, when he leaves this world he leaves it all behind. Those seeking fortune always find it cannot buy the simplest joy or real happiness.

Some hunger for fame, and upon achieving it, find the fleeting fragility of fame and fortune. Just a surface survey of the recent history of popular politicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, easily confirms the illusory nature of imagined fulfilment through fame. How many spend their last days amid the ashes of decaying memories of fleeting moments spent in the fading spotlight of public popularity?

Some hunger for power as the ultimate high of human experience. Only those who have experienced power over the lives of others can really know how seducing this temptress can be. As it is said, "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts, absolutely." But one only has to consider the end of some of the most powerful men of history to realise the futility of such hungering.

Jesus said that only those who hunger for and find His righteousness will find happiness.  Only those who realize the vanity and emptiness of a life without Christ, can be happy in this world and the world to come. The basis of eternal happiness is the forgiveness of sin, the removal of guilt, the restoration of a right relationship with the Creator and the appropriation of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith in Him. The only truly happy place in this world is at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for our sins and paid the price that we might wear the eternal robes of His perfect righteousness forever. Only when we stand upon this sure foundation can we have a real hunger for the holiness and happiness God has for us.- Pastor John White

Building Up or Tearing Down?

None of us can deny the importance of our Christian service and influence upon the world around us. Someone has said, "The best defence of Christianity is a dedicated Christian. A Christian is either a blight or blessing, but never a blank." Influence is like our shadow on a sunny day. It's always with us. We can't escape it. It follows us wherever we go. Much like the old song, "Me and My Shadow," implies, our influence is always there, affecting those around us for better or worse.

Sometimes when you walk into a crowded room notice the people around you. Each one in the room will be doing two things. Each heart will be beating, faithfully pumping life-giving blood, laden with essential oxygen and nutrients, through the miles of arteries, veins and capillaries of the circulatory system. And returning waste that would soon form deadly toxins and poisons, back through the veins to the organs that process and dispose of it. Each pair of lungs will also be faithfully performing their vital function of oxygen acquisition and carbon dioxide disposal as a basis of the oxidation processes that are the foundation of continuing life. These functions are controlled at a subconscious level of the brain. No one really sits around all the time and thinks and commands, "Beat heart!" "Breathe lungs!" It just happens naturally and automatically.  This is all part of what is called the autonomic functions of our body

It's the same with our influence. It is somewhat reflexive as well. It goes on naturally and automatically. But, unlike our heartbeat and breathing, it is not always a positive function. It is not always for the best. We can either have a good or bad influence. But we will have an influence, an effect on those around us. We will either build them up or tear them down. We will either help or hinder them on their way through life. We will either heal or hurt, encourage or discourage those we contact from day to day.

Even though our heart beat and breathing are both, to a great degree, autonomic brain functions, we do have a certain degree of control. We can breath faster to the point of hyperventilation or hold our breath for a deep dive under water. We can increase or decrease our heart rate by exercise. Some studies indicate we might even be able to consciously slow or speed up our heart through practising certain thought patterns.

By God's power we can control the positive or negative effect of our ever present influence and cast a shadow of good influence on those around us. The shadow of our influence will one day be cast all the way to the Judgement Seat of Christ. Will we then hear Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant...?"?    - Pastor John White

God’s Kind Of Love

What is the strongest power in this universe? Is it nuclear fission or fusion? It is said that if man could unlock the power of controlled nuclear fusion; the power of the sun, he would have unlimited power to probe the uttermost reaches of the galaxy in which we live. Couple this with a viable superconductor and an industrial and technological revolution of unimaginable dimensions might be possible.

But what is really the greatest power in the universe? Paul defined it when he penned his famous love poem. The power of love. What is the most powerful force that could be brought to bear in this time of economic turmoil, political upheaval, cultural dissolution and societal breakdown? The old song said it all, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”

Not the mushy, sentimental sort, written about in the romantic ballads of days gone by. Not the erotic, sexual exploitative emotions, permeating so much of today’s so-called entertainment. An emotion that could be more accurately characterised as lust rather than love.

But the sort that has its source and power in God. An agape love. A Godlike love. The word love (agape) is essentially a Christian word. It has been defined by a selfless act and haloed with a glory that only God could provide. He used it to express His attitude toward all men and women.

The overwhelming thing about this love is that God has made it freely available to all mankind. But He has especially given it as a gift to His children. Paul said this love is shed abroad in a Christian’s heart by the Spirit of the Living God. He also characterised this love as the constraining and motive force that under-girds and lifts up the Christian as he lovingly serves His Lord by serving those around him.

Love finds its highest example in the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. His love was unconditional. A love freely given to and for the unlovely and unlovable; without any strings attached or the requirement or expectation of reciprocation or reward. As Paul also said, “But He commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This is a love that is so foreign to the flesh and so strange to the situation of human kind, that it is hard to even conceive it, much less express it in its purest form.

God’s kind of love is not characterised in the life of a Christian by seeking or expressing some sort of constant emotional high. Rather, it is the ongoing totality of one’s utter dedication to serving the Lord and those around him; without an expectation, condition or anticipation of recognition, reciprocation or reward. A presenting of one’s self as a living sacrifice. A pouring out of one’s self upon the altar of selfless service. A giving that continues, come weal or come woe, in  the lean or rich times of life’s experiences. No matter which side of the bed one might arise from in the mornings or what headaches, physical or mental, might afflict one’s day, the constancy of agape love should always prevail. - John White

You'll Know Where To Find Me!

I shared the following old story a few years back at the funeral of an very elderly saint of God whom I had known and loved in the Lord for some twenty-five years.  It is also included in one of my messages in my book of sermons entitled, "What Jesus Said And Did.'

You'll Know Where To Find Me!

"An elderly pastor lay critically ill. In the opinion of his doctor he could live only a few more days. His wife put through a long-distance call to their son, who was also a pastor and who served a congregation in a small town three hundred miles away. Within a few hours the son was at the father's bedside, and the two men prayed together. Saturday came, and there was no change to the elderly man's condition. Calling his son to his bedside, he spoke in a weak and faltering voice: 'Go back to your congregation, son, and preach tomorrow. If I should slip away while you are gone, you'll know where to find me.”

What a wonderful thing, when a father can speak thus to his children. What a wonderful thing at the sunset of life, to know just where we will be at eternity's dawn - in our Father's house, in the company of our Saviour who has gone ahead to prepare a place for us. And what a wonderful thing for a father who is taking leave of his children to know where he is going; and that they, too, by God's grace, will share a mansion in the Father's house above. You'll know where to find me!' Let those of us who are fathers and mothers ask ourselves; have we arrived at that spiritual certainty which enables us to say: 'I know where I am going'? And have we passed on this knowledge and this faith to our children so that we can say confidently them: "You'll know where to find me!' We can do both if, by God's grace, we root our faith - our own and that of our children - firmly in Him who died for us and who even now is awaiting our arrival in His Father's house above." - Pastor John White

Amazing Grace

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of ourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath\ before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Just what is the grace of God? It has been simply defined as the unmerited love and favour of God. This is true. But I like say it this way: “The unmerited love and favour of God acting on our behalf now and forever..” The grace of God not only saves us through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, but it also enables and empowers us to love and serve Him in every aspect of the Christian life. The testimony of the writer of these verses is a tremendous tribute to the grace of God. His story is a story of a classic and complete conversion. His simple statement, “ . . because I persecuted the church of God...” says it all.

What happened to him on the road to Damascus is a clear and undeniable example of the most radical change and spiritual metamorphosis one could ever imagine. The violent hatred, hostility, and horrible slaughter perpetrated by Saul, the powerful persecutor, is beyond our capacity to conceive. Is it not significant that he did it all with great and sincere devotion and dedication to his religion; just as the religious terrorists of our day purport to do? I am sure he had in mind the white hot religious fervour that drove his terrible Jerusalem campaign of persecution when he later penned these words about his great burden for his earlier zealous companions in violence: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. . . “ Is it any wonder the diminutive Paul would later exclaim, “But by the grace of God I am what I am!” Who among us can not make the same assertion?   Amazing Grace!

The Importance Of Mothers

The vital importance of motherhood needs no confirmation because the very existence of each of us and any progress we may have made toward physical or emotional maturity is a living testimony to the essential nature of motherhood. Most of us could personally attest to and endorse old sayings such as, "God couldn't be everywhere, so he gave us mothers". Or, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." Or again, "Behind every great man stands a great woman." Down through the ages responsible Godly mothers have served mankind and have fulfilled God's eternal purpose for man as well.  Since all good is a gift that comes down to man from the Father in heaven, these qualities could also be described as divine qualities; especially those particular characteristics that obviously emulate the divine attributes of God.

It would seem significant that God's plan involves responsible mothers who have a primary responsibly in bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The importance and influence of a mother's role as a primary care giver and loving guide of the children God entrusts to the home cannot be overstated. Many studies have confirmed that mothers  who take this responsibility seriously are by far the primary influence that can determine the direction of a child's life. The same studies reveal that a large percentage of this influence is exerted before the child is six years old. The mother often creates the environment and teaches the standards and values that ultimately determine a child's personality, character traits and future value judgements.

Of course, this is not recent news. Someone said long ago, "Virtues are learned at mother's knee - vices at some other joint." God inspired the wise man to say, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." History confirms the importance of responsible mothers in the formative years of a child. Sir Walter Scott's mother was well educated and a lover or poetry. George Washington's mother was a pure and good woman. The mother of Patrick Henry was very eloquent of speech. John and Charles Wesley's mother was intelligent, pious and full of organisational ability. Napoleon Bonaparte's mother was energetic and full of ambition. When asked what France needed most, Napoleon replied, "Godly mothers." Lord Bryon, the great infidel and agnostic poet, had a mother who was ill-tempered, proud and violent.

A mother's ministry of help includes a baby's first steps, first words, the mystery of shoe strings, and the magical world of pretend. There is a story told of a mother asking a pastor when she should begin teach her five year old about God. He replied, "Hurry home, you've lost five years already!"  

-Pastor John White

Anzac Day

Anzac Day, April 25th, is a very special day in the life and culture of the nation of Australia.   It is a day Aussies and Kiwis pause and honour those Returned Service Men and Women who have paid a price to procure and maintain the precious freedoms we all enjoy. It is also a day we are called to stop for a moment and take stock and remember the sacrifices of those who purchased such freedoms for us by making the ultimate sacrifice of their blood. It is a time we should ask ourselves, “What price are we willing to pay to maintain the liberties we hold so dear as free men and women in a free nation?”

On Anzac Day,  the younger generations will stand and watch the faltering steps in the slow parades of those honoured men who have served the country in six conflicts of the last and present centuries. They will see the tears fall freely upon the cheeks of stooped and greying men, as they weep openly for their fallen comrades in arms.

They will hear again and again the poignant words, “Lest we forget,” issue from the lips of those who hold the memory of the fallen so dear. They may stand trembling in the half-light of dawn services and hear the mournful notes of the last post; played in remembrance of those who lie in graves on such faraway fields as Gallipoli and in the Owen Stanley ranges.

In previous years  large crowds have  carried signs and placards in support of our men and women who are serving today in harms way. They have wanted to counter the misguided voices of the peace at any price pacifists who seem to feel they occupy the moral high ground. They wish to counter their illogical philosophy that freedom is cheap and it is better live on your knees as slaves to tyrants and despots than to die on your feet for freedom’s cause. This is the least we of the often silent majority feel we can do in this critical hour.

As we once again count the blessings of our freedom, it would be good to also ask for God’s blessings upon our nation. We should surely say and pray today, “God Bless Australia.” But in order to sincerely do so, we must first ask ourselves if we are willing to do our part to build or rebuild a nation that God would view as a fit recipient of His continuing blessings?

I believe principles enunciated in God’s statement to Israel on the matter still hold true today, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14)

It should be clear to any discerning Christian that our nation and our world is on the very verge of a moral and cultural collapse. As we await His return, we should continue as watchmen of the walls of freedom. As one great man once said, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”

Why Easter?

The Easter Season is here again. Once again the world's focus upon symbols rather than substance continues to distract many from the real meaning of the Season. In a day of terrible tragedy and bad news, it is good to have a time we can be reminded of some really good news. A time we can remember the death He died and the sacrifice He made for our sins during that first Easter Season. A time we can recall that the good news of the resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is still the very essence of the Christian gospel.

Easter is also a time to remember God's answer to the riddle of man's mortality. A time to reaffirm that a true and spiritually satisfying answer to man's perpetual quest for immortality can only be found at that empty tomb.

It is a time to again assert that the resurrection story is the most well documented fact of history. More than five hundred eye witnesses saw Christ alive during the forty day period following His resurrection. They were surely thrilled to have their eternal hope confirmed by His resurrection. But by faith the contemporary true believer finds the same joy in the real Easter Story - the gospel record of Christ's victory over death, hell and the grave.

He understands that through true repentance and faith he can also have eternal life. The risen Christ is the Christian's blessed hope. When we face death, the common denominator of all mortals, what other hope would suffice? Our quest for immortality joyfully ends at that empty tomb where an angel once cried, "He is not here, He is risen!"

Easter serves to remind all of us who are saved by His grace that He is our personal Living Saviour. We are once again eternally assured that because He lives we will live with Him eternally.

Easter also offers a special opportunity for anyone who has not yet truly repented of their sins and placed their absolute and utter trust in the resurrected Christ, to do so. What better time to discover the.-real joy of knowing you have eternal life in the Christ of Easter?

Pastor John White

Are Mortals Immortal?

The proposition for this strange paradox is stated by Job in the fourteenth chapter of his book. The rhetorical question Job actually asked was, "If a man die shall he live again?" Of course, Job's inferred affirmative answer is obvious in the context.

Job in desperation, when all earthly hope collapsed and lay shattered in fragments at his feet, was speaking for all of us. He was speaking for those who in one moment of time have had their world turned upside down to come crashing down around them. He was speaking for those who have personally come face to face with the stark reality of that common denominator of all men, death. Who have realised that the eyes that once smiled have closed, the lips that once spoke have fallen into cold silence and the warm loving grasp of a vibrant hand has forever relaxed.

He was speaking for all men who, no matter how lightly they may treat the matter or how desperately they may try to circumvent or delay the issue, must someday stand on common ground as their heart ponders the same age-old questions, "Is there life after death? If a man dies, shall he really live again?"  The stark reality of man's mortality is made evident in the life of even the most sceptical. He cannot avert his eyes from the spectre of death that stalks his every step.' He cannot silence the voice that shatters his self-imposed naivete. The timeless question breaks loudly into the false sanctity of his consciousness with all the force of a wailing siren. "If a man dies, shall he live again'?

Job was willing to break out of the shell of self-deception. He was anxious to face the issue squarely. He dared to come to grips with the implications of man's mortal existence; no matter how painful an encounter with reality might be. He was ready to admit the hopelessness of man's dilemma unless an answer was supplied by some higher authority.  He could find no comfort in the evident fact that man is the dominant creature of creation. He was compelled to confess that man, with the ability to reason, to make order out of disorder, to accumulate and perpetuate physical and intellectual stores, was, on the surface of mortal existence, in no better state than the lower orders of creation. He said, "Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down".

Yet Job in his desperation sought a solution for the insoluble, His is not a scornful cry flung into the face of an inflexible fate. Nor is it the cry of a man who has slipped to the end of his rope of time, to grasp with trembling hands the knot of uncertainty at the end, as he swings suspended over the chasm of a dark unknown. But rather, in the context of his book, it is framed as an intelligent appeal, conceived in the heart of a Godly man of wisdom. A man who recognises the eternal being of God, the life-giver. His is a cry that recognises that the answer to life's central question can only come from the one from whom life issued.

Was Job, or are we, justified in holding that in spite of death we have a valid hope of immortality?

Some scoff at such a proposition as a ridiculous paradox. Some shudder at it as a dreadful possibility.

Some, not as wise as Job, turn to history outside God's word, and are lead only to the grave and left there. Because such history is mute concerning the matter. It neither confirms nor denies the prospect of an after-life.  Some turn to science but find no laboratory, no apparatus or no technique for analysing life or death or discovering the fate of a soul.  Some turn to philosophy and find themselves free to speculate, postulate, formulate and advance theories, but in the end find their hypotheses unreliable, for philosophy has no reliable means of testing its conclusions.

Some of us, as Job, turn to the Word of God to find there the only authoritative and satisfying answer. And we cherish this answer as an established hope. Our hearts vibrate within us as we echo his cry, "I know my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ... and though my body be destroyed ... yet in my flesh shall I see God"!

The Greatest Fishing Trip

Having been reared close by the shores of the beautiful lakes in the hill country of the Tennessee River Valley, my earliest and most pleasant memories focus on fishing the sparkling streams and tranquil lakes of that region. In my experience there is nothing that can compare with the excitement and fulfilment of a successful fishing trip. 

  

I well remember those who taught me the rudiments of fishing. There were many valuable lessons to be learned; the importance of knowing the habits and habitat of the species being sought, the wisdom of knowing where and when to fish and the best bait to use, the motivation and commitment required to rise early or stay late and the need for patience and perseverance, were just a few of the vital elements necessary in the making of a fisherman. But perhaps above all else was a certain vision and sense involved in fishing. You had to believe-the fish were really there and would respond to the proper and diligent efforts of a dedicated fisherman.

I'm glad Jesus used the simply analogy of fishing to teach and illustrate the principles of soul winning, or fishing farmers. If there is one thing that is more exciting and fulfilling than fishing for fish, it is fishing for the souls of men. The first principle is the necessity to go fishing. It is not an Endeavour that can be successfully carried on by proxy or in theory. You can faithfully read all the books you wish on the subject and regularly monitor the travels of television fishermen, but you'll never catch a fish until you personally go fishing. Jesus did not say, "Sit and I will sit with you," but, "Go and I will go with you." Go is the operative word He used when urging His followers to personally become His witnesses and fishers of men.

It is true that Christians are sometimes more theoretical than practical in this matter of fishing for men. Many attend conferences and study the meaning and methodology of soul winning, but never seem to place their theory into practice. This would remind one of the story of the bait casting champion who had never caught a fish, but could accurately cast his bait into a small bucket from a great distance nearly every time!  But, of course, he never caught a fish there!

When Jesus said His disciples should launch out into the deep and cast their nets on the other side, He made the need for personal practical participation abundantly clear. If you are going to successfully fish for men you must go where the fish are. In this age of the so-called "couch potato," it is vital we realise that we cannot just dangle a bait in our lounge room, but must go out into the highways and byways of a world teeming with the souls of lost men and women. We must acquaint ourselves with the habits and habitats of those we seek. We must be  ready to rise early and stay late when required. We must equip ourselves to the best of our ability for the important task we face.

But, again, when all is said and done, we must get up and go fishing! Only then will we know the personal joy that faithful obedience to our Savior's. primary command can bring.  Only then can we experience the inexpressible thrill and overwhelming satisfaction of catch and preserving souls for all eternity!

My greatest personal fishing trip?  It was not the occasion when at the age of 15 I was involved in landing an eighty-five pound catfish in the turbulent waters below Wheeler Dam.  It was any one of the many times the Lord blessed me with souls as I went from door to door sharing the glorious message of His gospel during over 50 years of such labour!

There Are No Cheap Crosses

One of the most memorable experiences in my early life was the opportunity to travel to Old Mexico as part of a Missions Survey Class, under the leadership and tutelage of a great man of God and teacher, Dr. Paul Goodwin. Among those things that made a indelible impression was the stark contrast of the poverty of the people of that overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, and the extreme opulence of the established church. Great ornate cathedrals, richly bedecked and bejewelled with gold and silver and precious stones, graced even the poorest and humblest of villages. Further travels and the accounts of other travellers have confirmed that this is not an unusual phenomenon in such countries.

Set in the midst of all this pretentious opulence, was a plethora of crosses. They seemed to stare at you from shops, steeples, street corners and to be strung around the neck or wrist of every person you met. Crosses constructed of wood, plastic, metal or jewels were to be encountered among the most unlikely items in markets, street stalls and souvenir shops. If such is a measure of Christianity, one would be compelled to say missionaries were wasting their time there. But obviously such was, and is not, the case.

But when you really think about it, such misleading representations of true Christianity can be seen in some strange places and worn by equally unlikely people in our country today. Have you ever thought that some people who like to wear such crosses seem to personify everything else except real Christian committal? Notice if you will, the number of drug promoting rock stars, promiscuous Hollywood personalities, alcohol consuming sports heroes and pretentious politicians, who seem to have an curious affinity for such sad secular symbolism.

But what about crosses? Are we who know the Christ of the Cross supposed to wear them or bear them? Jesus commanded His followers to, "Take up the cross and follow me." And how many of us who profess to possess His salvation really do this? Perhaps we could consider what someone once had to say about the matter, "Have you seen the advertisement in a Christian Bookstore, 'Special, Crosses, Fifty Percent Off'? Too often we Christians shop for a discounted cross rather than take up His cross of self-denial. Some want a vinyl-padded cross that's not too heavy. Others look for a small, flat cross which can be put out of sight when they wish to practice secret discipleship. Still others look for a jewelled cross which can make them part of the fashionable in-crowd. But the cross of authentic discipleship is a plain, rough wooden cross that takes a lot of effort to carry. The type on which our Saviour was crucified. And this is the cross of discipleship which we as His followers are called to carry. But one important difference is that Jesus Himself has promised to stand with us and help us bear the load. He who said, 'Take up your cross,' also declared, 'My yoke is easy, and my burden is light'."

God's Special Creation

The cuddly Koala Bear, which is not a bear at all, in spite of some superficial resemblances, is one of God's unique creatures.  It is a marsupial, as are the many different kinds of kangaroos. The fully grown Koala is about thirty inches long from nose to tail. It really has no tail. Instead it has a callused pad which enables it to sit, mainly sleep, in the fork of a tree for hours on end; evidently without too much discomfort.

The Koala is basically a nocturnal animal; usually sleeping until late afternoons. On occasion, on very rainy and dark days, we have seen a few Koalas high up in tall eucalyptus (gum) trees in the rain forest behind our home. At night we sometimes hear the peculiar bark or cry of the Koala in the same forest. It is said the aborigines rarely bothered the Koala because many believed it the reincarnation of lost children. Perhaps this is because when it is wounded or in pain its pitiful cries are almost childlike.

The aborigines named it "Koala," meaning "I don't drink." This is very appropriate since the Koala does not drink. It gets all the moisture and nutrition it needs from about a dozen of the five hundred known species of gum (eucalyptus) trees growing in Australia. Its survival depends upon an ample supply of these leaves. Its existence in zoos overseas depend upon these particular leaves as well. Vast quantities of these gum tips must be eaten in order to provide the water, carbohydrates, protein and fat necessary for its good health. God, in creating the Koala, also provided an appendix about six to eight feet in length to help deal with this unusual diet.

At birth, the Koala baby is about an inch long. It stays in the pouch until it is weaned at six months.. After weaning, it rides upon its mother's back or clings to her chest. At times, the mother can be seen protecting her little grey bundle with a motherly embrace; sometimes stroking and fondling it in an almost human like manner.

As one considers the greatness of our Great God, and the immensity of His universe and the vastness of His creation, one cannot help but think as well of the variety of His flora and fauna upon His green earth and how it is all inter-linked  and interdependent. The provision our Creator made for the growth, welfare and special dietary needs of the cuddly Koala bear speaks volumes about His concern for even the humblest of His creatures. But why should we be surprised? Did not our Saviour Himself say that the Father who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies in the field cared for even the sparrow who falls to the earth? What wonder that this same Father has numbered the very hairs upon our head!

God Gave His Son

As we approach the Easter Season it is good to consider the eternal implications of the sacrifice our Saviour made when He died for our sins as well as the sacrifice the Father made as He turned His back upon His Son as the Son cried out,  "My God, My God why hast Thou forsaken Me?...."

The following excerpt from my devotional book, "Gleaning Gospel, Gold" will perhaps give us just an inkling of the enormity of that eternal transaction of love:

"As the early morning sun peeped over the hill, silhouetting the drawbridge spanning the river in the valley below, a father and his young son made their way down the hillside. For months he had promised the lad he would take him to work with him one day. As he watched the young boy scampering up and down with his little lunch box in hand, he could sense his overwhelming excitement. A smile played across his face as he thought of the planned highlight of their day; a picnic lunch on the river bank. Perhaps he could set a line and, if they were lucky, they might catch a good fish. The little fellow could proudly show his Mom as he gave her a glowing report of their day together. 

His was no ordinary job. He operated a railroad drawbridge. He had the grave responsibility of raising and lowering the bridge on exact schedule; allowing the rail and river traffic to pass safely to and fro. His task allowed little or no margin of error. He soon settled into his daily routine, glancing occasionally at his young son happily exploring the wonders of nature along the bank of the river below. 

It was nearly time for their lunch and the bridge had just been raised to allow a barge tow to pass up river. As he prepared to push the levers that would lower it again in time to allow a special express holiday train to pass over safely, he heard his son’s first terrified cry. Glancing down quickly, his heart skipped a beat and it seemed his legs turned to jelly. "Oh no," he thought. "I told him to stay away from there!" The little lad’s leg was caught in large cluster of levers and gears in the midst of the moving machinery that raised and lowered the bridge. The cries of his son for help rose to a heart-rending crescendo. From high up he watched his only beloved son struggle and thrash frantically about and his heart sank with the sudden realisation that his little boy could not free himself.

What could he do now? No time to signal the train. No time to rush down and try to free his son. He must lower the bridge now or the train with its hundreds of passengers would plunge headlong into the cold river depths below. There could be no survivors. But if he hit the lever his son would be cruelly crushed. In a flash of precognition he visualised his son suffering a slow and agonising death, all the time crying out for his help. 

With a convulsive sob and a great cry of terrible agony, he leapt back to the control board and his hand fell heavily upon the lever. The train rushed safely across the bridge. As the holiday train sped on its merry way, the partying passengers never knew the agony of a father who sacrificed his only son that they might live!"

Did the above incident really occur? I don’t know. It’s my version of a story that goes so far back in my memory I am not sure I did not make it up to begin with. But one thing I do know. My Father did so much more for me and for all those who would trust in Him, as He heard from heaven the agonising cries and watched the cruel crushing of His only begotten Son in an agonising death on the cross of Calvary that I might be free from sin’s eternal condemnation and be freely given the gift of everlasting life in Him. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!" 

Like Him

In our century it has become increasingly clear that man's desire to be free of the surly bonds of earth and soar into the heavens has brought him to the very brink of new era. He has reached for the stars and seems to have taken a first feeble step into near space. Armstrong's historical statement, "One small step for man, one giant step for mankind," seems to summarise man's eternal quest for the heavens.

In spite of all the fantasising of science fiction, man is quickly becoming acutely aware of the many practical scientific problems posed in his penetration of outer space. It would seem that man is just too inhibited by the continuum of time, matter, energy and space to ever conceivably achieve his dream. The time required for man to travel safely at the speed required, using any propulsion and environmental survival systems that can be envisioned today, far exceeds man's survival capacity. The fragility of man's frame and the sensitivity of his biological systems mitigate against successful extended space travel.

Man's only real hope of breaking away from the forces of gravity and truly leaving the restrictive confines of this earth, lie in another direction entirely. Man  has the answer he seeks and the freedom he desires, but he does not seem to be willing to understand it or accept it. Man is truly designed for the stars, but he does not seem willing to fully come to grips with or grasp his eternal destiny.  A simple statement in the Word of God clearly settles the issue. John, in speaking of eternal sons of God said, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.." If we are to know the fantastic future our Creator God has in store for those eternal sons He has chosen as the eternal objects of His love in Christ Jesus, we only need to know what He is like. What He is like, physically, intellectually and spiritually is the key to our eternal existence. To really explore our future we must examine what He is like in His resurrected body. Because, as even Job understood two thousand years before the event, eternal sons and daughters of God will be given a completely new resurrected body - like Him.

Paul made sure we understood that this new body entailed an entirely different and glorious sphere of existence. Physically, that automatically entails transcending the continuum's of time, space and matter. Jesus clearly set aside the limitations of time, space and distance after His resurrection. Evidently he travelled from earth to paradise, to heaven and back to earth in an instantaneous manner. We can only speculate about the vast stellar distances involved. In doing so laws relating to energy and propulsion would of necessity be negated. Because our finite minds cannot comprehend such fantastic we are hesitant to fully accept it or speculate upon its full implications.

Perhaps it is enough to rejoice in being the eternal sons of God who will see some day Him as He is and be like Him in eternity!

Keeping On Keeping On

Luke 9:62

 'And Jesus said unto him, no man, having placed his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

As a young lad I had the special experience of following a horse drawn plough as the land was being carefully prepared for planting and cultivation. There is hardly a thing that is more pleasant to my mind than those memories of long ago. In my mind's eye I can feel once more the pleasant coolness of the rich damp soil against my bare feet on a hot and humid afternoon. The earthy and pungent odor of new turned soil again fills the air around me.

In the quietness of my memory I can still hear the sound of the breaking plough ripping its way through the fallow ground, leaving in its wake a squirming trail of worms, grubs and insects, and the occasional nest of field mice struggling for survival. The sights and sounds of spring overwhelm me with a nostalgic yearning to set my hand firmly to the plough once more and yell out, "Giddap," to the team for just one more turn around the field!

But the memory of row upon row of shiny sod cleaved by the sharp plough also reminds me of sweating from sun to sun under the glare of a blazing hot sun. I can also feel the pain of muscles strained wrestling with a heavy turning plough. As the long afternoon of struggle wears on, I can feel once again a bone-weariness, giving way to an almost irresistible desire to lay aside my assigned task and make my way to the old swimming hole to frolic in its cold depths with the neighbourhood boys.

It was in such a rural setting that I learned my first lessons of discipline. The discipline imposed by my desire to hear my parents say, "Well done!". The discipline required if I were ever to know the self-satisfying sight of a field well ploughed, planted, cultivated and harvested. What a great blessing parents impart to their children when they give them such a gift of a disciplined work ethic!

Jesus implies discipleship may be viewed as an expression of such discipline in the spiritual realm. The need for a serious and disciplined attitude and approach to the work of God has never been more apparent. It seems increasingly difficult to find people of God who are willing to carry His work on to an ultimate productive and fruitful conclusion. It seems many would much rather be frolicking with friends of the world in the cool pool of the pleasures of this world, than toiling as yoke fellows with Christ and fellow-labourers in the hot sun of the field of spiritual endeavour.

There is no doubt about the nature of our field of spiritual labour. Jesus commanded us to pray that the Lord would send labourers into the field of lost souls. We know what is involved in preparing the ground to plant the good seed. We know it is necessary to break up our fallow spiritual ground. We know a bit about the cultivation and watering often necessary to bring forth the harvest. We know we need to go forth with weeping, bearing the precious seed of the Word of God. We know the promise of the harvest to those who will really lift up their eyes to the possibilities involved in witnessing and soul winning. We know the law of sowing and reaping applies to the spiritual as well as the physical world and that our Lord has promised that we will joyfully reap in due season, if we faint not.  If we would be His disciple, we but need to keep on keeping on for the glory of God!

 - Pastor John White

An Upward Look

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have lived in the first century and been one of those disciples who walked with Jesus? One of those who heard His stories as they fell from His lips and personally witnessed His marvelous miracles? One of those who walked with the resurrected Saviour on the road to Emmaus? One of those who stood and watched Him as He slowly ascended into the heavens in the presence of two angelic beings in white apparel? Or, what would it have been like to have been caught up into the third heaven, as Paul, into the very presence of the Lord?

Is it any wonder those who had been with Jesus, were said to have turned the world upside down? Surely Paul’s special insight into the sights and sounds of that other world, had a profound effect upon Him and radically changed His outlook upon this mundane world in which he lived.

Yes a glimpse of other places can sometimes change our outlook or up-look. Until I had the privilege of staying a few weeks with a pastor friend and preaching in a number of rural churches in the pristine and beautiful mountains of West Virginia, I could not truly appreciate the words of John Denver’s beautiful song, Almost heaven, West Virginia...”

Until my daughter and her family moved to North Carolina, the history, geography and contemporary nature of the state were of little special interest to me. But now I find the place has a special attraction and fascination for me. Perhaps it’s because I have loved ones there.

Until I was sure God was calling me to plant churches in the great land down under, I knew very little of the place; nor did I have any particular desire to make a twenty-four hour plane trip to see it and find out more about it. But now, since I have so many loved ones in Australia, both in the physical and spiritual sense, the Lord has given me a deep love and affinity for the country.

Although there are many beautiful spots on God’s green earth, none could compare to the marvellous wonder and beauty of heaven. Even so, the main attraction of heaven for the Christian is not the place but the people. The main Person Who draws us heavenward is Jesus. In heaven we shall see Him face to face. Just as our roots sometimes tug at us, drawing us back to the places and people of our origins, so does our heart draw us heavenward and homeward.

The presence there of loved ones who have gone before add to this upward pull. It is said that the  homing instinct of certain Arctic birds placed in zoos always compel them to look northward or homeward. We, who are temporary colonisers of planet earth, have a strange, other-worldly attraction as well. We are focused on another place. Our affections are set there. Our mind-set is in tune with our Master who resides there. We are looking for that city whose builder and maker is God. Through Christ, we as Paul, have been given a peep into that eternal city that is our eternal destiny, and it draws us ever onward and upward.

But is heaven a real place or, as some say, just a figment of a fertile imagination? Is it pie in the sky by and by, or the ultimate dwelling place of God with His people? I am convinced that heaven is a real special place. Heaven is not a figment of an overworked imagination. Nor is it just pie in the sky by and by. It’s not merely a grown up version of a big rock candy mountain.

Although heaven is a real place populated with real people, it is still beyond the keen of the mind of mortal mind to begin to comprehend its magnificence. Paul could not utter the sense of awe he felt about it, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Can you imagine the amazement of our rural forefathers would experience if they could see the wonders of modern cities and civilisation today? Heaven is a place designed and built for the people of God by the Architect of this vast universe. Look at the beauty of this world and multiply that beauty by infinity and we might have an inkling of the beauty of  that other land. Imagine a place without any of the terrible effects of sin and the fall of man. Imagine paradise restored in all its perfection and completion. Such is unimaginable! - John White

New Year Messages

To mark the beginning of a New Year we have posted four New Year's Sermons in our Sermons section.  You are invited to have a look and enjoy or use any of the material for the glory of God.

Click here:  Messages