I invite all bloggers to read and make a comment on my blog posts. This includes those who agree with me, those who disagree with me and those who are indifferent. The only thing I ask - no, INSIST UPON - is that responses are courteous and respectful. Failure to observe this will result in post deletion and repeated failure will result in your being banned from my blog altogether. In return I will be courteous and respectful back to you even if I disagree very strongly with what you have said.
I prefer you to make short-ish comments and using your own words to express your own opinions. You will of course wish to quote scripture to back up your opinion, but a post consisting of a long list of scriptures, or one which is "cut and pasted" from elsewhere, is almost certain to be deleted.
If you are trying to sell your house and someone makes you an offer for it that is less than you think it is worth, you will reject the offer because you will think "the value of my house is more than that". But is it? Surely your house is only worth what you value it at if someone is willing to pay that price! It is the fact that someone is willing to pay the price you are asking that invests the house with its value.
If you own a car that is exactly what you have always wanted, and there is a bad accident, your insurance company may decide it is beyond economical repair {"worthless"} and simply offer you in monetary terms what they think it WAS worth. Nevertheless, you may love that car so much that TO YOU it is worth ANY price to have it repaired. If it is mechanically safe to do so it may be possible to buy the wreckage back and lovingly repair and restore it AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE.
The human race was CREATED BY GOD and God also placed within us HIS OWN IMAGE. After we had been created to complete the creation we read:
"God saw all that he had made, and it was VERY GOOD" {Genesis 1 v 31}
After we had given in to Satan's temptation and become sinners and corrupt in our nature with wicked and deceitful hearts, what was God's response? Did he abandon us to our fate as the car owner who didn't really care would have done after the write-off accident? Did he decide the cost of rescuing and restoring us was too much? NOT A BIT OF IT! Read this:
Romans 5 v 8: "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"
The above verse tells us two apparently contradictory things:
1. Christ died for us NOT because our goodness meant we deserved it, but despite the fact that our sinful nature deserved only condemnation.
2. God loved us enough to send his son to make possible our salvation and the restoration to what was originally intended {and beyond}.
So although we have NO PERSONAL VALUE OF OURSELVES, the fact that God decided to pay the required price to 'get us back' INVESTS US WITH VALUE. The reason for his decision is ultimately known only to him but the only clue we have is the statement in Genesis that he placed HIS OWN IMAGE within us and that he regarded the finished creation {including us} as VERY GOOD.
Here are some more Bible verses that add to our understanding of this issue:
John 3 v 16: "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"
Mark 10 v 45: "Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Matthew 10 v 31: "You are WORTH MORE than many sparrows"
Luke 12 v 24: "How much MORE VALUABLE you are than birds"
which gives a fresh perspective on a well known parable. You will see that I myself did not agree with it at first but became convinced that the blogger was correct. This adds the final touch to my comments.
Christians do not agree on exactly what will happen in the 'end times'. There are a wide range of views, but they can be broadly divided into two groups:
1) The first group believes that things in the world will get worse and worse, including severe persecution of the church, and when Jesus comes back he will overturn all of that and set up a 1000 year reign known as 'the millennium'. In this view the second coming is the end of the age but not the end of the world.
2) The second group believes that things in the world will get better and better, and by the time Jesus comes back he will have already established his kingdom through the church to such an extent that there will be almost nothing left for him to do.
There are many variations but these two are the bare bones of it.
When Jesus is asked about the signs of his return, one part of his answer would seem to support the pessimistic view:
'You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death...many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other...the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved' {Matthew 24 v 9, 10, 12, 13}.
However his next words give hope for the optimistic view:
'This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come' {Matthew 24v14}.
Of course he only says the gospel will be 'preached', not 'believed', and it seems only fair that people in every country get to hear the gospel at least. Jesus expressed the belief that this worldwide preaching may not meet with universal success when he asked the disciples: 'When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?' {Luke 18v8}
I believe that there is room for a combination of the optimistic and pessimistic views. The evidence of history clearly favours the notion that persecution actually strengthens the church, whereas a period of revival always fades away, and the church becomes comfortable, lukewarm, wet and wishy-washy. One has only to look at certain parts of the church in Britain today to see the truth of the latter point! But how does persecution strengthen the church? By causing many professing Christians to fall away, then those who remain are more committed and can evangelise more effectively resulting in a stronger and overall more committed church than before.
The church has always known persecution, but Jesus indicates that near the end it will intensify and many will fall away, but this will result in a stronger church that will be able to grow in numbers and maturity. This has certainly been happening in Communist and Islamic countries in the 20th Century, and is on the verge of happening now in the Western countries as well. It looks as if we are in for a really tough time from those who oppose the church, but also a really exciting time as many flock to join us in the last days!
"I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
These are words spoken by God, through the prophet Jeremiah, to "those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon" {see verse 4}. It is a promise to restore the Jews to the Promised Land, which he did and has done again in the 20th Century.
However time after time after time I hear Christians interpret this as a promise to US, NOW, in the CHURCH.
Can anyone explain to me why we are entitled to claim this promise as applying to us?{I've heard all about Replacement Theology and Dispensationalism, but please just give me an explanation backed up by scripture - with references if you can}
Last night I came home late as I had been to an end of term meal out with some former teaching colleagues. When I got home I was not tired enough to go straight to bed so I stayed up for a while looking through the blogs and making one or two comments myself. At about 12:30 I was in the middle of typing a comment when POOF!! the lights went out, my computer switched itself off and I found myself sitting in silence and total darkness!
My first thought was that the safety circuit breaker had operated but when I checked they were all still in place, so that wasn't the problem. Then I wondered if there was a power cut affecting the whole street, so I looked out of my window. Several lights were on, including the street lights, so it obviously wasn't a general power cut. I then remembered that I have a one of these 'key meters' for my electricity, where you buy your electricity in advance at a newsagents shop, they charge up a key, then you put it in the meter to transfer the credit. When I checked my meter last night I found that my meter read ZERO {in fact it read 14p debit} and so I realised that was the reason everything had gone off!
I am normally very good at checking my meters {gas as well as electricity} to see when they need to be 'topped up', but since the arrival of the summer, when my use of gas and electricity is so much less than in the winter, I had become careless and had been caught out by my electricity running out! As you can tell by the fact that I have been able to post another blog, I have been out this morning and charged up my key and topped up my electricity meter!
I have been thinking this morning about Jesus' words in Matthew 24 and 25 telling us to watch out for the signs of his coming. Of course it is not possible to know the exact day or hour, so we cannot keep track of a precise countdown as I could {and should} have been tracking my electricity meter! However the 5 virgins of Matthew 25 who did not keep their lamps topped up with oil were described as foolish. Whatever interpretation we choose to put on the oil in {or NOT in} their lamps, we certainly ought to keep watch for the general signs of Jesus' coming.
A Christian speaker and writer that I admire very much is a local Newcastle guy called David Pawson. I recently watched a series of DVDs he did on this topic. He tells of the time as a boy when he used to stand on the platform at Newcastle railway station watching for the train coming on the main line from Edinburgh {Newcastle is on the major route between Edinburgh and London}. In those days the signals were not lights but physical ones, and there were four signals that he watched for to tell him when the train was coming. The first one told him it was on its way but still some way off, the second meant it was very near, the third meant it was just round the corner, still out of sight, but the fourth it was about to arrive in the next few seconds.
David then goes on to describe Jesus' words in Matthew 24, when the disciples ask him about the signs of his return, and breaks them up into 4 stages which he compares to the four signals he used to watch out for when the train was due to arrive. These four stages were:
1. Signs in the WORLD {verses 4 to 8} 2. Signs in the CHURCH {verses 9 to14} 3. Signs in ISRAEL {verses 15 to 25} 4. Signs in the SKY {verses 26 to 32}
He describes the last of these stages, where the sun, moon and stars are blocked out, as similar to the moment when the lights go down in the theatre {or at a concert} just before the performance is due to start. AWESOME! His opinion - expressed early in 2008 - is that the first stage has already taken place and the second is about half way through. The third and of course the fourth can happen very quickly indeed.
We should watch so that we do not find ourselves caught with insufficient 'oil in our lamps' when he returns, or we may end up suddenly plunged into darkness, silence and inner confusion just as I was last night, but in a much more serious and lasting way!
The 'Big Bang' model accepted by most scientists is incompatible with the Genesis account for the following reasons:
1. In Genesis the sun and stars are made after the earth; in 'Big Bang' the sun and stars form before all the planets.
2. In Genesis plants exist before the sun; in 'Big Bang' plants need sunlight to grow {actually they only need light}
3. In Genesis the whole process only took 6 earth days; in 'Big Bang' it has supposedly taken 20 billion years {ish}
The length of the earth days MUST be approximately 24 hours as now, as they are measured by the rate of rotation of the earth relative to a light source. The Hebrew word 'yom' can mean an unspecified time BUT when it is qualified with 'evening', 'morning', 'night' and a number, as it is throughout Genesis 1, it always means an ordinary day. Also, Exodus 20v11 gives the creation week as the basis for our 7-day weekly cycle. Any interpretation other than 7 normal days makes no sense in this context.
The consequence of accepting a 'long age' interpretation of Genesis, especially one that includes acceptance of an evolutionary process, is to slander the character of God and undermine the gospel, for the following reasons:
1. If God had to take billions of years gradually improving his creation until he finally succeeded in making man, what does this say about his OMNIPOTENCE? Answer: IMPOTENCE would be a better word
2. If God used an evolutionary process involving unspeakable amounts of suffering for uncountable numbers of creatures, what does that say about his LOVING nature? Answer: CRUEL SADIST would be a better description
3. If death was not an intrusion into the creation, and NOT the consequence of sin, what exactly was achieved by Jesus' death on the cross? Answer: NOTHING AT ALL
History is littered with examples of how the Church accepted contemporary scientific views of the world DESPITE the clear teachings of scripture, and looked foolish when science moved on and proved the Bible right {geo-centrism - sun goes round the earth, and flat-earth are the two most obvious examples}. In the last few years the secular scientific world has started to question the validity of the 'Big Bang' model on purely scientific grounds, so it is likely that those who have compromised scripture to accept 'Big Bang', long ages and evolution, will soon find themselves with 'egg on their faces' as the church did when it opposed Galileo {whose views actually SUPPORTED the Bible against the prevailing scientific view of the time that was unquestioningly adopted by the church}.
No, the 'Big bang' model, and ALL long age views {including Gap Theory, Day-Age Hypothesis, the Progressive Creationism of Professor Hugh Ross and also the Framework Hypothesis) must be ditched in favour of accepting the words of the only eye witness to creation, the Creator God himself, who has given us a VERY CLEAR account in the book of Genesis as to how we all got here.
This is the fourth and last of my posts on Holy Spirit power, all adapted from the book I wrote last year: "You Can Believe This - Why Biblical Christianity Makes Sense". The first 3 posts can be found at:
Power to oppose the enemy of Christ One day I was out walking on the coast at Tynemouth near to where I live. It was a fine day but, as is often the case, there was a thick mist actually on the coast. The mist was so thick that I couldn't see the headland on which the ruins of the ancient Tynemouth Priory and coastguard station sit, even though they were less than 100 yards directly in front of me. If I didn't know the area I would have found it difficult to believe they were there at all. The view from out at sea was presumably the same, because I could clearly hear the foghorn sounding, warning approaching ships of the hazards at the mouth of the River Tyne. I found myself thinking that when I got close enough for the headland to become visible, it would make a very scary 'apparition' emerging out of the mist.
Many people find it difficult to believe that there is a spiritual realm for the simple reason that they cannot see it. Interestingly the word 'occult' means 'secret' or 'undetectable by the unaided eye'. However: 'the god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers' (2 Corinthians 4v4). Although in context that refers to blindness to the gospel, it is reasonable to extend it to include blindness to his very presence. C.S. Lewis wrote in his "Screwtape Letters": "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight". But if you are involved in a 'turf war' (which we are, with both God and Satan claiming rights over the 'turf' of human hearts) it is important to know who your enemy is and how he operates. Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, may well say that he prefers to let the opposition worry about his team, but you can be sure one of the reasons for his success over the years is that his staff have always done their homework on the teams they have played against.
Satan's name means 'adversary' so he is well named as the arch enemy of Jesus Christ. Two passages in Isaiah 14v12-15 and Ezekiel 28v2-5 are thought to refer to his fall from grace. A common misconception is that God and Satan are equal enemies on the side of 'Good' and 'Evil', but Satan is an angel created by God, and as such is inferior in every way. Satan cannot go further than God allows (Job 1v12, 2v6), he was decisively defeated at the cross (Colossians 2v15), he will be bound for 1000 years and eventually thrown into the 'lake of burning sulphur' (Revelation 20 v 2, 10). However, in the meantime we have him as an enemy and the Apostle Peter describes him in these terms: 'Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour' {1 Peter 5v8}.
I have often wondered what I would do if I looked out through my window and saw a wild lion wandering around outside. My first reaction would be to stay inside and make sure all the doors and windows were firmly closed! This could only be a short term measure, because I wouldn't want to stay trapped in my house forever. So then I would call for help from the Police or the army in the expectation that they would recapture the lion and take him away, making it safe for me to venture out again. Translating this into spiritual terms, first of all 'he who fears the Lord has a secure fortress' (Proverbs 14 v 26) and Jesus promises his disciples that 'no-one can snatch them out of my hand' {John 10 v 28}. So our safety is first and foremost in God's hands. However we also have a role: 'do not give the devil a foothold' (Ephesians 4 v 27). Any hypocrisy, hidden sin or unresolved grudges can provide the devil with just such a foothold.
I said earlier that we needed to know the sort of strategy our enemy would employ. If we do then we will have a better idea of how to resist him successfully. It turns out that several of his more common approaches can be successfully defended by wearing the 'armour' provided by God as described in Ephesians 6:
First of all Satan is a liar and a deceiver. He is 'the father of lies' (John 8 v 44) and 'masquerades as an angel of light' (2 Corinthians 11v14). He will lie about himself, about God, about us, about others and about almost anything if it serves his purpose. To counter this we must wear the 'belt of truth' (Ephesians 6v14) which holds the rest of the armour together. Jesus is the truth and God's word is the truth, so the better we know both the more effective our protection against the devil's lies. Also, we must 'remove our masks' and live open and honest lives with each other so there is no room for any misunderstandings.
Secondly Satan is 'the accuser of the brothers' (Revelation 12v10). He will waste no opportunity to remind us of our sin and will do his very best to make us feel unworthy. Against this we need the 'breastplate of righteousness' (Ephesians 6v14) which protects the heart. My tactic when Satan reminds me of my sin is often to agree with him! I then remind him that (a) Jesus has died on the cross in order that my sin may be forgiven (b) my salvation is based on his perfect righteousness not mine. That usually does the trick! The presence of unconfessed sin will unfortunately defeat the object of this and bring us under condemnation.
Thirdly, Satan is a tempter. In the film 'Bedazzled' the devil is played by actress Elizabeth Hurley who tempts an unsuspecting young man to hand over his soul in return for promises which are not kept. I must confess that if the devil tried to tempt me looking like Miss Hurley I would probably be in big trouble! Temptation is Satan's oldest trick, going right back to the Garden of Eden. He also famously tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness just before he began his ministry. The similarities and differences are striking. He succeeded in getting Eve to doubt God's word, but failed to get Jesus to doubt who he was. Eve succumbed to the threefold temptation of the world, the flesh and the devil. Jesus resisted three times and each time he began his response by saying 'It is written'. Jesus used 'the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God' (Ephesians 6v17). Once again it is knowledge of the word of God which makes all the difference.
Space does not permit a discussion of the 'shield of faith', the 'helmet of salvation' or the 'shoes of the gospel of peace', but there is one other vital strategy that I need to mention. Any soldier knows that communication is vital in any war situation, particularly contact with the commanding officer. So we are urged to 'pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints' {Ephesians 6v18}. The battle is a spiritual one, and must be fought at the spiritual level. In a modern war the decisive factor is not the number of ground troops, or the number of tanks, or how sophisticated your weapons are. If your enemy has 'air superiority' you simply cannot win, because the side that has control of the skies can see the layout of the battle and knows where the enemy is weakest. Not only are the ground troops better informed so they can target what ammunition they have more effectively, they also have better 'air cover' protection against attack. Praying in the Spirit enables us to receive 'intelligence' from God concerning the true nature of a situation, and also to provide for ourselves and others necessary 'prayer cover' to enable advances to be made.
Remember the prowling lion I mentioned above? I said that we can be safe temporarily by staying in the house, but the only long term answer is for him to be recaptured and taken away. In the spiritual 'turf war' we are involved in, Satan lays claim to people's hearts and lives and uses his 'heavies' (demons who are also fallen angels) to keep them as 'hostages', either by direct possession or by intimidation. But God has a 'no negotiation' policy with hostage takers! Jesus had this to say on the matter: 'How can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house' (Matthew 12v29). We have God's authority to bind demons and to cast them out of people's lives, and this is one major method by which we are to reclaim the territory illegally occupied by Satan and his demons. I would counsel caution in getting involved in this area, however, and my advice would be never to try it alone but always be alongside an experienced practitioner who knows what they are doing. Some Jews in Ephesus saw Paul involved in exorcism and decided they would try it for themselves. 'They would say "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out"...One day, the evil spirit answered them: "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding' (Acts 19 v 13-16). We are dealing with a ruthless enemy who will not hesitate to inflict damage on us if we are not properly prepared for the battle.
In the final analysis the church can stand confidently on Jesus' promise that 'the gates of Hades will not overcome it' {Matthew 16v18}. There is however a principle hidden in this promise that should influence our overall strategy in spiritual warfare. We are often inclined to think in defensive terms, and draw strength from Jesus' assurance that however the devil chooses to attack us he will not be able to overpower us. But hang on - who was ever attacked by gates? Gates are a means of defending against our attacks, not a means of attacking us. Jesus surely means that the initiative is with us, and we should be doing most of the attacking, with the assurance that the gates of Hades are bound to give way. In extending God's kingdom, as in sport or military strategy, 'attack is the best form of defence'!
This post deals with the two aspects of the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives that are most often talked about: FRUIT and GIFTS
1. FRUIT; Power to become like Christ The new birth is not the end of problems, and in one sense it is the cause of a new problem that none of us had before. Our sinful nature is still there, so on becoming a Christian a battle between the 'old' and 'new' us begins which will not end until eternity. The Christian life is a continuous process of unlearning old bad habits and learning new good ones. We need the power of the Spirit to defeat the sinful nature and develop the new life within us. Our minds play a crucial role in this. We need to focus on what the Holy Spirit wants and allow him to lead us and control us. This may sound like a lot of effort on our part but it is simply a decision to co-operate in what he is doing within us and not to resist. Of course it requires an enormous amount of trust to allow anyone this degree of control over our lives. That is why the development of a loving and trusting relationship with Jesus came first.
Jesus told us that: 'I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing' (John 15 v 5). This reinforces the idea that all we need do, in a sense, is rest in him and let him do the job. The 'fruit' we are to bear is a Christ-like character which is described in detail in Galatians 5 v 22: 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control'. Just as actual fruit contains seeds from which new trees can be grown, so these qualities have the potential to cause new life to spring up in the lives of others. Being a Christian on a world mission is no different to any other job. It is always more important to have the right character than it is to have the right skills.
2. GIFTS: Power to build up the Body of Christ Power tools have revolutionised the building trade. It is possible, for example, to dig the foundations of a building using a team of men with spades, but easier to use a mechanical digger. Cutting the wood to make the floorboards is also easier if we switch the power saw on! I have no idea how bricks would be made without a high temperature kiln, and I have never yet seen a building site where men mix cement by hand in preference to using a mechanical cement mixer. Of course human labour is still needed, both skilled (e.g. bricklayers) and unskilled (hod carriers) but the process is much quicker, and less burdensome on those involved, if all possible machinery is used.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the 'power tools' that God has made available for use in building the church. There are nine gifts which are 'given for the common good' (1 Corinthians 12v7). We are told to 'eagerly desire spiritual gifts' (1 Corinthians 14v1) but need to recognise that the Holy Spirit 'gives them to each one, just as he determines' (1 Corinthians 12v11). Astonishingly there are some Christians who believe that the gifts were applicable only to the Apostolic Age (i.e. the time of the early church of Peter and Paul) and are no longer to be used today. The justification for this view is that Paul himself, speaking about the gifts, declared 'when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears' (1 Corinthians 13 v 10). But when does perfection come? Paul answers this just two verses later when he explains it is when 'we shall see face to face' (1 Corinthians 13 v 12). In other words not until we meet God in heaven or Jesus returns in person! It is obvious from the present state of the church that the gifts are still needed, and it is equally obvious from the Bible that they are still available (thank God!)
I believe that Satan has succeeded in tempting many Christians to use the gifts selfishly rather than for the common good. This has led in some cases to pride on the part of the one exercising their gift, as if they have in some way earned it on merit. It has also led to some of those who have not received a particular gift feeling resentful and envious and possibly even rejected by God. One is reminded of children squabbling on Christmas Day over the presents they have received (or not!) It is no coincidence that 1 Corinthians chapter 13, one of the most brilliant passages of the entire Bible, is sandwiched between chapters 12 (describing the gifts of the Spirit) and 14 (describing their harmonious and orderly use in worship). Chapter 13 is of course the great chapter on love that is often read out at weddings, but is more immediately relevant to a church situation. 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres' (v4-7). The fact that Christians have at times not followed the way of love is regrettable but should not prevent us from seeking the gifts God would wish us to have. As has often been said, the answer to abuse is not non-use, but right use.
Since you are all celebrating Canada Day and US Independance Day, I thought I would celebrate the greatness of England by posting the lyrics of William Blake's fanatstic hymn "JERUSALEM". {By the way you should hear the version by Emerson Lake and Palmer which is truly awe inspiring!}
And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's mountains green And was the holy lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen
And did the countenance divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills And was Jerusalem builded here Among those dark Satanic mills
Bring me my bow of burning gold Bring me my arrows of desire Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold Bring me my chariot of fire
I will not cease from mental fight Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand 'Til we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land 'Til we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land
This is the second of a number of posts about the power of the Holy Spirit. If you haven't read HOLY SPIRIT POWER: Part 1 then you might find it helpful to read that before reading this.
I finished that first post by saying that I am aware of 5 ways in which the power of the Holy Spirit can transform our lives. In this post I will deal with the first of the five:
1. Power to know Christ Everything in Christianity begins with our relationship with Jesus. There is a sense in which the whole purpose of our Christian lives is for us to KNOW Jesus Christ. Now what is needed for two people to know each other well? These are my suggestions:
(a) Be available to each other and spend time together. When Jesus was on earth he was able to develop close relationships with the 12 apostles because he spent a lot of time being with them. But since he only had one body, opportunities for many others to spend time with him in the same way were limited. However, when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit he sent him into our hearts and so he is able to be with everybody all of the time! This is the first way in which the Holy Spirit helps us to know Christ.
(b) Communicate with one another. When you don't know someone well, it is often difficult to know what to say. But when we do not know how to pray, we have the Holy Spirit to help us and in fact "the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" {Romans 8v26}.
While typing this blog I have had my TV on in the background and this has given me an idea for an illustration as to how the Holy Spirit works to help us to get to know Jesus. For me to be able to watch a programme on my TV there are two things that need to happen. Firstly a broadcaster such as the BBC needs to send a signal from a transmitter. Secondly I need to have a TV set in my living room in order to receive the signal and convert it into sounds and pictures. Both of these processes involve electrical power to enable them to take place. When Jesus wants to make himself known to me the Holy Spirit is the power at both ends making it happen. Many of the activities of the Spirit are dramatic and spectacular, but just as nowadays we take the technical marvel of TV for granted, so it is with the work of the Holy Spirit in making Jesus known to us. It is as if we had a TV set installed in our spirits at the time we became Christians which the Holy Spirit uses for this purpose.
There is a third part of the communication process. As well as people being together and talking to each other, they also need to PAY ATTENTION to each other. While typing this blog I have been aware of the sound of the TV, but because I have been concentrating on typing I have not really been listening to what has been said. As I have been looking at my computer screen while typing, I haven't been able to see the picture on the TV at all. If we feel that we are NOT getting to know Jesus as we hoped, then maybe it is because we are not listening to what the Spirit is TELLING us, or maybe not looking at what he is SHOWING us. Maybe our attention is elsewhere and not focused on him. I can push this analogy even further. Maybe we have turned down the sound control so we can't hear it at all, or maybe we have changed to a different channel, or even switched the set off altogether. The interpretation of these things is hopefully obvious. But if all is well then Paul's prayer in his letter to the Ephesians (3 v 16-19) should be answered:
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God"
So don't forget to WATCH THE TELLY, and no I don't mean the one in the corner of your living room!
Have you heard the joke about Jack the lumberjack? Jack wasn't very bright, but he was very strong, and he was very good at cutting down trees. One day he was looking for a job and found himself speaking to Norman the foreman.
"We've got a job for you if you want it, Jack", said Norman, "but this company has an unusual salary structure. If you cut down 50 trees or more in a day, you will get paid in full, but if you don't manage the full 50 trees, you'll get paid nothing. Do you understand?" "That's fine Norman", said Jack, "I'm sure I'll be able to cut down at least 50 trees a day. When can I start?" "You can start right now Jack", said Norman, and he handed Jack the chainsaw and off Jack went to cut down trees.
At the end of the day Jack came back looking hot, sweaty and exhausted. "You look like you've had a hard day, Jack", said Norman, "how many trees did you cut down?" "Only 47, I'm afraid", said Jack. "Then I'm sorry", said Norman, "but I can't pay you anything. Come back tomorrow and try again". So Jack came back the next day and this time he did a little better, managing to cut down 48 trees. Unfortunately he had to go away without being paid again, but came back the following day for yet another try.
At the end of the third day Jack came back looking even hotter, sweatier and more exhausted than before. "Did you manage the 50 trees today, Jack?" asked Norman. "Not quite", replied Jack, "49 today, but I'm getting nearer". Norman couldn't understand why Jack couldn't manage the 50 trees. After all, he was keen and seemed like a really strong man, and he had obviously been working very hard all three days. He found himself wondering if there was something wrong with the chain saw. "Let me have a look at the saw, Jack", he said, and Jack handed the saw to Norman so he could examine it.
Norman took the saw, and switched it on. The chain saw roared into life. Jack jumped back, startled, and said "What's that noise?"
One of the reasons for people being reluctant to join the church is that many of its activities seem utterly pointless and irrelevant to 'real life'. They see Christians working faithfully in the hope of making it to heaven but somehow they seem to be doing it more out of duty than pleasure, and with little expectation of making progress in a society that has largely rejected God. It is little wonder that few people are attracted to the church. The impression given is that becoming a Christian means taking on a burden rather than getting rid of one, and becoming a loser rather than a winner.
I hope you got the punchline of the joke about Jack the Lumberjack. Just in case you didn't, let me spell it out for you: he was given a source of power with which to operate his chainsaw, but failed to realise that and used his own strength to make the saw cut down trees. Needless to say he also failed to reach the standard set by the boss and never got paid! We may think that he must have been very stupid, but as Christians many of us (and I was one for a long time) do exactly the same thing! We have also been given a source of power with which to live our Christian lives, but far too often we insist on trying to do it all in our own strength. Guess what? We fail too! The power source God has provided is the Holy Spirit, and with the Holy Spirit comes the necessary power to be and do everything God wants us to be and do.
The Holy Spirit has been described as 'a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance' (Ephesians 1 v 14). To understand what this means, imagine you have a very rich uncle who has died and left you a lot of money but you lost touch with him years ago. You get a letter from the solicitors dealing with his estate. The letter informs you of your uncle's death and that he has left you a lot of money (say Ł10,000,000) in his will. It is likely that it will take some time to finalise an estate of that size, so they are enclosing a cheque for, say, Ł250,000 as a 'deposit' or 'first instalment' pending completion of formalities. You will have to wait a while to receive the full inheritance, but for most people a quarter of a million pounds is a big enough 'chunk' to cause an immediate transformation of lifestyle!
In the same way tapping in to the power of the Holy Spirit will enable our walk with God to be revolutionised. I have identified 5 ways in which the power of the Holy Spirit can enrich our lives, and will describe these in the next few blogs.
} their lamps, we certainly ought to keep watch for the general signs of Jesus' coming.
