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 neighborhood 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-laborers in the hot sun of the field of spiritual endeavor.

There is no doubt about the nature of our field of spiritual labor. Jesus commanded us to pray that the Lord would send laborers 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!

The The Greatest Honors List

Yesterday we celebrated the Queen's birthday as a national holiday in Australia.  On this day each year another group of leaders in Australian national and community life are named on the Queen's Honor List.   Of course, my name is always omitted. Very few names of we ordinary people will ever appear there, but have you ever thought about the greatest honor you have ever been given or could conceivably receive?
For the athlete it might be to be selected to represent his country at the Olympic Games. For the doctor it might be to be named to the College of Surgeons. For the barrister it might be selection to sit on the High Court. For the parent it might be to be named Father or Mother of the year. For simple folk it might be more mundane or simple things. I'll never forget the thrill I felt the first time my name was called to leave the end of the bench I was warming, and play football for my High School team.
But just what is the greatest honor possible for man? We Christians should have little doubt about the matter. The honor of being chosen in Christ Jesus as the eternal sons of the Eternal God far outweighs any attempt by mortal man to give recognition or honor to his fellow man. Accompanying this honor is the additional blessing of being chosen to serve the Sovereign King of the universe.
Did you ever think of just what it really means to be chosen to be a servant of God? The Word of God tells us we have been chosen to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ on planet earth. (II Cor. 5:17-21) This means we are chosen, in Christ's stead, to fully represent the eternal Kingdom of our God on earth.  What an honor!

God also tells us we have been chosen to be living love letters of God's love for man. (II Cor. 3:2-3) What an honor! Jesus Himself said He has chosen us to be his very special and personal witnesses. To give witness to His resurrection and saving power. (Acts 1:8-11) What an honor!
Isn't it wonderful that God has chosen such sinful vessels of mortal clay to bear about the glorious gospel of His Son? Perhaps it is the greatest display of God's marvelous and matchless grace that He chose sinners, saved by that grace, to proclaim the good news of the gospel of grace.
But some might say, what other choice did God have? His choice of saved sinners as His instruments of grace was absolutely necessary. Perhaps so, but I dare say those who say that may be limiting the omnipotence and omniscience of an infinite God. Could not the Sovereign Creator have chosen to paint his gospel in every sky or echo it from every hill in the language of every man, if that had been His eternal will? But instead He has chosen our feet to stand in Christ's stead, our hands to handle His Holy Word and our tongues to tell out His glorious good news! What an honor! Praise be unto our great God!  What an Honor!

How Does God Measure Success?

We must never mistake quantity for quality. Neither must we confuse physical prosperity with success and happiness. A wise grandfather once asked his grandson when a man was rich enough. The grandson replied, “When he has a million dollars!” “No “. “Ten million?” “No.” “A hundred million?” “No”. And on and on the little boy raised the ante. When he finally gave up the old gentleman gravely said, “”When he has a little more than he has, and that is never!”

The Bible clearly expands upon the error of the principle of pursuing prosperity, pleasure or popularity as our primary purpose in life. In the Old Testament, God chose the small despised nation of Israel for his special people and special channel of blessing to the world. He then chose the small town of Bethlehem and a manger as the cradle for His Incarnation.  In the New Testament He chose what some would see as a motley collection of common folk as the first witnesses of His glorious gospel. And then a diminutive disciple named Paul was chosen to be the powerful and peerless preacher of His gospel.

God is not always the God of the crowd or the majority. If you recall a unanimous vote called for His crucifixion. God is more often than not interested in the dedicated two or three. He looks on the inward man. He’s a heart-reader, not a head-counter. Success achieved at the cost of compromise is no success at all. Conscripts can scarcely be classed as converts nor draftees as devotees; no matter how many may swell the ranks of popular religion. When the pressure is applied by Satan, they too will turn back in the day of battle.

At the crucial moment of crisis many would be disciples are willing to slide along on the coat tails of those who are prepared to pay the price. They sometimes decide it is just all too much. They turn back in the time of trouble. Evidently their possession  doesn’t measure up to their profession. They put on a good show until the testing time comes. They construct an impressive facade, even to the point of being outwardly indistinguishable from genuine disciples.

They are of the same sort John spoke of in his first letter, “They went our from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” They are of the same caliber and character Jesus spoke of on another occasion when He said, “No  man having placed his hand to the plough; and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” They are of the sort often called, “On again, off again, Fennigan types.”

Gypsy Smith once asked such a man in an after-meeting, “Are you a Christian?” “Yes,” the man replied, “For twenty-eight years, on and off.” “More off than on, I guess,” replied the evangelist.

The Master was fully aware of the inevitable decrease in His popularity with those who were pseudo-disciples. The waning popularity of His heaven sent ministry and message would culminate at the cross. Is it any wonder He once said, “Woe be unto you when all men speak well of you.”? Numbers are not always a correct criterion for claims of spiritual success or is a crowd of people a perfect gauge of powerful preaching. Let us never be caught up into the contemporary pseudo- Christian movements that clearly seem to mistake quantity for quality and size for success!

The Challenge Of A New Year

In Joshua 3:1-11 we are told that as Joshua and the people of Israel stood on the brink of Jordan, they faced a new beginning. The generation of their forefathers who had fallen in the wilderness because of disobedience was now history. Moses, the great leader of the fledgling nation, had been given a private funeral and burial on the mountain by Jehovah. Their new leader, Joshua, was the man of the hour as he stood ready to lead them into the land promised to their forefathers. God’s presence was symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant that would go before them. Joshua challenges them to go in and possess the land. Joshua tells of the wonders God will perform and reminds them of the victory promised to those who would walk faithfully, courageously and obediently into the new land. His statement, "You have not passed this way before," seems to sum up the challenge involved in stepping out by faith into a new and unknown land. There will be vast uncharted waters ahead. There will be many new and unexplored paths to walk. There will be risks be faced, challenges to be confronted and a high price to be paid, if success is to be achieved in the new land.

As we see the old year out and usher the New Year in, we should understand that we stand on the verge of a new spiritual venture; a new calling to serve the Lord in the land of a new year. In a sense, the challenge of a new year is like stepping out on the beautiful, sparkling, trackless surface of new fallen snow. It is like standing on the edge of the fresh sand of a wave swept beach. Or a child contemplating a clean sheet of paper or a clean slate. All are free of the contaminating touch of man. There’s an old bit of verse that speaks of this challenge:

He came to my desk with quivering lip, the lesson was done.

"Have you a new leaf for me, dear Teacher?, I’ve spoiled this one."

I took his leaf all soiled and blotted and gave him a new one, all unspotted.

Then into his tired heart I smiled, Do better now my child."

I went to the throne with trembling heart. The year was done.

"Have you a new year for me, dear Master? I’ve spoiled this one.

He took my heart, all soiled and blotted and gave me a new one, all unspotted.

Then into my tired heart he smiled; "Do better now my child."

Yes, we are like a those who walk in a new land. We have not passed this way before. Our footprints are yet to be made in the sands of time of the New Year. Yet it is a great blessing to know that as we ring out the old and ring in the new, we can immerse the failures of yesteryear in the sea of God’s forgiveness. We can face with a great expectant faith the challenges of a new year. By the grace of God, if He wills it, we can cross over boldly into the land of the new year with an expectant faith based upon the precious promises of God.

Singing The Lord's Song

What sort of singer are you? Could you thrill an audience with the beauty of your voice or are you like so many of us, better off singing your solos within the confines of the walls of your shower? It does not matter how melodic or mediocre our voice may be, we are all called to sing unto the Lord.

Paul told the members of the churches at Ephesus and Colosse that God’s children are to sing hymns, psalms and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in their hearts unto the Lord. Yes, we are all singers and if we are saved we have a special song of salvation to sing. It is a different and beautiful song that the world does not know or understand.

God is both the composer and the lyricist. He gives it to us. Places it right in our heart when we are born again of His Spirit. Our new found joy soon moves us to give expression to it. It is the song of the redeemed. The song of Zion. If we love the Lord we must sing it. The redeemed of the Lord must say so.

What we should sing and why we should sing it is already determined in the Word of God. But when, where and how we sing is another matter. We are responsible for the time, place and manner the song of salvation is sun.

In some places and at some times it is difficult to sing the Lord’s song in the way He wishes it to be sung. David indicates he found it rather difficult to sing the Lord’s song after the Bethsheba affair. It seems he found the Lord’s song stuck in his throat and was sealed within him by his great transgression and offence against God and man. It would seem the sweet harp player of Israel laid his harp aside for a time because no true song of joy and salvation could spontaneously and spiritually spring forth from a sinful and adulterous heart. Only true repentance and forgiveness could enable Him to truly sing the Lord’s song again.

Remember Israel’s lament while in Babylonian captivity? They were also reaping the wages of sin against the Holy One of Israel. They cried out, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord’s son in a strange land?"

Sometimes the world also demands of us, in scorn and derision, that we sing the Lord’s song. It is difficult, no impossible, to do so if we have compromised with that same world. Our lips our sealed by sin from singing our song of salvation and giving expression to true praise unto our God. There is always lacking that note of truth and sincerity that is absolutely necessary for singing spiritual songs and making true spiritual melody in our hearts.

A person who has turned away from God and fallen into a David-like pattern of sin and rebellion, cannot really seek to sing God’s song and worship and glorify Him in His house among His people. Such perverted praise and worship would be blasphemous. No true song of salvation can issue from such a sinful heart or burst forth from such deceitful lips. 

That heart must be purged and cleansed through true repentance and confession of sin. This means a turning away from the practice and pattern of a sinful life and a spiritual about face. A genuine spiritual renewal must first take place before the songs of Zion can be truly sung again.

Change For The Sake Of Change?

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the rapid and ceaseless change going on around you? Does all the new technology constantly bombarding our senses and demanding our attention, ever seem just too much for your comprehension or coping capacity? Does the contemporary emphasis upon the necessity of those who wish to be with it to be hooked up and tuned in, sometimes leave you bewildered and bemused? After all, it seems if you are not on-line and surfing, you are missing the main thing in life these days! To those of us whose lives have spanned the eras of the invention and development of most of the major modern technologies taken for granted by their grandchildren, it can all be more than a bit confusing.  But is change for the sake of change necessarily a good thing? Have all the gadgets and gizmos spelled success and happiness for members of modern day communities? 

As we see the cracking of the moral foundations of our society, the functional breakdown of our traditional institutions and the tearing apart of the very fabric of our culture, we are made to wonder if the much heralded blessings of change have become curses instead.  Many recognize that in the midst of the changes designed to attract the attention and procure the patronage of a materialistic consumer society, it is necessary to test, try and prove new products and procedures to determine if they are really beneficial or worthwhile. This is true simply in the sense of getting value for money. If we are going to spend hard-earned money we do not wish to squander it on inferior products of little reputation or worth. For this reason, many of us usually go for the tried and true, especially after we have suffered a few so-called bargains.  If we are to be cautious about change in our secular life, we should be doubly cautious in spiritual matters. 

In our Christian endeavors we are also surrounded today by what many of us feel is change just for the sake of change. It is not just new methodology we must examine to determine it's efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy, but organizations and movements, obviously based upon principles of compromise, are vying for the attention and support of those who once were known as fundamental, Bible-believing Christians.  I tend to want to stick to the tried and true, especially in matters of eternal significance. As the old saying goes, "Give me that old time religion." If it was good enough for Paul and Silas and our forefathers in the faith, it is good enough for me. If I am going to spend my time and energy contending for a faith, I want it to be the faith of our fathers as it was once delivered to the saints. If I am going to pay the price of real committal, I want to purchase the approval of God, not the praise of men. If I going to preach a gospel, I want to ensure I only proclaim the powerful gospel of Christ.  As we examine this proliferation of what might be termed bargain basement type religions, and listen to the extravagant claims that press in upon us from all sides, we must make a maximum effort to examine the scriptural compatibility of their claims and the Biblical basis of their boastings. But how are we to know? In what crucible can we analyze them? In what test tube can we test them? 

In considering the myriad of claims being made today, just exactly what tests will assure us we have the right stuff?  Just one test will suffice. The very Word of God is the only sufficient rod, rule and measure of faith and practice. Only the sharp and powerful Sword of the Spirit has the capacity to dissect and analyze every claim and counter-claim and ascertain scriptural validity. Our standard must always be the grand old Book of the grand old faith.  When Paul tells young Timothy to rightly divide the Word of truth, he uses an expression that implies the need for exhaustive testing and analysis. An analysis based upon the principle of let God be true and every man a liar. It should be thus saith the Lord before we even entertain it. 

When Paul spoke to the Galatians about the determination of the validity of the gospel, he emphasized that neither he, men nor angels be exempted from a scriptural testing of the truth.  John said we should test every teacher and spirit by the Word of God to determine the origin and connection of their claims. So it should be amidst the clamor for change in our so called modern age. - Pastor John G White