LIFTING MY VOICE: THE CREATIVE POWER OF SPOKEN WORDS"Sticks and sto...

LIFTING MY VOICE: THE CREATIVE POWER OF  SPOKEN WORDS"Sticks and sto...: THE CREATIVE POWER  OF  SPOKEN WORDS "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." This is a saying t...

THE CREATIVE POWER 

OF  SPOKEN WORDS

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
This is a saying that I remember my mother quoting to me a number of times as a child, particularly during my primary school years, as I bore the brunt of playground taunts directed at me because of my facial deformity from birth. I was born with right-sided facial paralysis, combined with a deformity to the left side of my face, resulting in an asymmetrical mandible (lower jaw).
Fortunately for me, I cannot remember receiving these same taunts at high school, although I was acutely aware of my appearance, so underwent four plastic surgery procedures during my teenage years.
Back to the quote above, I must say that, although my mother had the best intentions in trying to help me navigate the cruelty of those early years, the statement "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is simply not true, at least not the second part.
Words spoken have the power to create, and to destroy - to build up, or to break down. 
Proverbs 18:21 says Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
The Bible has much to say about the power of words, both to build up and to destroy or to break down.
Ephesians 4:29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
I don't know how many times I have heard about children and teens being told by their parents, teachers or peers that they would never amount to anything. The one person I distinctly remember relating this pronouncement over his life as a child at school by his headmaster, was the director of the Bible College in New Zealand I attended in the 70's. He was told repeatedly: "Houston, you will never amount to anything!" The sad fact was, that he believed that statement throughout his childhood well into his teenage years - until he heard the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and committed his life to Christ, being "born again" by the Spirit of God. He discovered that God loved him, that "in Him [Jesus], we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
that we are accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:7,8,6b.
Because of Jesus' death on the Cross of Calvary for us, shedding His blood as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, Pastor Houston came to realize the reality of Hebrews 4:16, where it says we can come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. As a son of the living God, he now knew that he had throne room rights, because of the High Priestly position Jesus now holds in heaven, representing us to the Father.
That curse word of failure over his life was forever broken off of him, and his life took on new meaning and purpose as he committed his life to doing God's will.
In the third chapter of James in the New Testament, James says of the tongue: With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Verses 9,10. 
Jesus, in speaking of the power of our words says in Luke 6:45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Proverbs 15:4 says The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
1 Peter 3:9 Don't repay evil for evil. Don't snap back at those who say unkind things about you. Instead, pray for God's help for them, for we are to be kind to others, and God will bless us for it.
Our words have the power to impart life and hope and blessing to those we speak with, if they come out of the overflow of hearts filled with the Holy Spirit, and the love of God.
At the commencement of His earthly ministry, Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth says of Himself, in quoting Isaiah 61:1,2 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
Jesus brought salvation, healing, deliverance from demons, hope to the hopeless, impartation of faith to His hearers and more by the words He spoke under the direction and anointing of the Holy Spirit, as He was motivated by great love and compassion for people everywhere He went.
As followers of Christ, born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, we too are to expect God to use our words to minister life and hope and healing and health and wholeness to our hearers. 
When we study the early chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Bible - the book of beginnings, we see clearly the creative power of God's words to create the universe, and in particular the earth on which we live, in all its complexity. 
Looking at chapter one, and the six days of Creation, the Bible records ten statements of God prefaced by "Then God said...." Each time God spoke, His words created tangible physical realities out of nothing. Amazing! Simply amazing!
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and void;
and darkness was on the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, "Let there be light", 
and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good,
and God divided the light from the darkness. (Emphasis mine)
When, in verse 3 it says: Then God said: "Let there be light", the literal Hebrew meaning of this statement is apparently Then God said: "Light be!" providing an added sense of awe at the creative power of the word of the Living God.
Verse 5 of Genesis 1 says: God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. (Emphasis mine). So God spoke a command which brought creation into being in all its various aspects, and after the word of creation followed a calling of the things He had created. Such was the close fellowship the first man, Adam had with the Creator God, that the Lord brought every creature of land animals and birds before him, and he had the honour of naming each one. 
The prophets of the Old Testament were called to speak powerful words to the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, as the Holy Spirit anointed their mouths to speak as God's mouthpieces to the nations - words of correction, judgment, and also words of hope and comfort.
In the New Testament, every believer can be filled with the Holy Spirit's anointing power to be used to proclaim words of life, words of edification, exhortation and comfort to both other Christians, and those who are yet to come to the Lord. In a real sense, we, as Christ's ambassadors, can create life and hope and impart blessing by the words that we speak. What a wonderful privilege to speak, as Peter says in 1 Peter 4:11 as the oracles of God.
It is certainly true, as Kenneth Copeland says: One word from God can change your life forever."
If you have read this blog, and have questions about how to become a Christian, here are a couple of suggested sites to help you:
www.vision.org.au Click on the "Grow your faith" tab, then "Looking for God" , or go to www.livingwaters.com Click on "Resources" then "Save yourself some pain."
GOD BLESS!

THE BIBLE - GOD'S WORD TO MAN

The Christian Bible is, without a doubt, the bestselling and most widely distributed book of all time. It is impossible to know exactly how many copies of the Bible have been sold, but a survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the figure at more than 5 billion. Guiness Book of World Records concurs with a similar figure of around 5 billion. 
In late April of 2015, Gideons distributed their historic two billionth Scripture. The distribution of the first one billion Bibles and New Testaments spanned 93 years (1908-2001). The second billion was attained in less than 14 years (2002-2015).
Gideons International began distributing free Bibles in 1908. Members of Gideons International currently distribute over 800 million Scriptures annually, and the numbers are growing, especially in places such as Brazil, India and Asia.
The Bible consists of sixty six books, divided into sections - the two most obvious being the Old Testament, containing thirty nine books, and the New Testament consisting of twenty seven books.
The Old Testament is divided into further sections:
1. The Pentateuch or the books of Moses, being the first five books,
2. The Historical Books, being Joshua to Esther,
3. The Poetical Books, being Job to Song of Solomon,
4. The Major Prophets, Isaiah to Ezekiel, and 
5. The Minor Prophets, being the twelve last books in the Old Testament,               consisting of Daniel to Malachi.
The New Testament consists of twenty seven books, beginning with:
1. The four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, then
2. The Book of Acts,
3. Paul's epistles to the churches - Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians,
    Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians,
4. Paul's Pastoral Epistles - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus,
5. The letter of Paul to Philemon,
6. The letter to the Hebrews (believed by many to have been written by Paul),
7. James,
8. 1 & 2 Peter,
9. 1,2,& 3 John,
10. The epistle of Jude, and finally, 
11. The Book of Revelation
As with all books, by their very nature, the Bible is made up of thousands - hundreds of thousands of words. 
A piece of Bible trivia is: that there are 8,674 different Hebrew words in the Bible. There are 5,624 different Greek words and 12,143 different English words in the King James Bible.
Although there are many English versions of the Bible, with new ones appearing over time, some as scholarly works produced by a collaboration of many Bible academics, and some as modern paraphrases produced by one person - it could be said that, none of the translations from the Hebrew and Greek are wholly inspired by the Holy Spirit to the last word.
The original texts, however, were wholly inspired by God, word by word.
The apostle Paul, in writing to his son in the faith, Timothy, with instructions for ministry, says: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16,17
The Bible was penned by around 40 different authors, over approximately a 1200 to 1500 year period. The authorship of all the books in the New Testament is clear, apart from the book of Hebrews, which the King James Bible attributed to Paul. He is a strong contender as the author. However, there have been other suggestions, including Apollos, and even the suggestion that the author of Hebrews may have been in fact - wait for it - a woman, namely Priscilla, of Priscilla and Aquila fame mentioned in the Book of Acts in chapter 18, as a married couple, who travelled with the apostle Paul. He described them as his "fellow workers in Christ Jesus." Romans 16:3
Concerning the inspiration by the Holy Spirit of all the writers of the books of the Bible, the writer to the Hebrews says in chapter 1: God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; Hebrews 1:1-3 
As to the authorship of the thirty nine books of the Old Testament, the first five books, referred to as the Pentateuch, were written by Moses. Some of the historical books, from Joshua to Esther have question marks over them as to their human authors, King David penned nearly half of the Psalms, his son, Solomon wrote all the Proverbs, save the last chapter, and most, if not all the major and minor prophets' books were written by the men whose book bears their name.
I find it interesting that there is real conjecture concerning the authorship of some of the Old Testament books and also the book of Hebrews. What it says to me, is that, in some ways, it does not really matter if we know for sure who physically wrote the books. The most important takeaway is that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, provided the inspiration for whoever the writers were, and it is to Him that all the glory goes for providing us with the outstanding revelation we have of our great God - our Saviour and Lord.
It is estimated that about forty writers were responsible for producing the sixty six books of the Bible, the apostle Paul in the New Testament, having written thirteen or fourteen (if he wrote the letter to the Hebrews) of the twenty seven books.
The people involved over a period of some 1500 years came from vastly differing backgrounds and occupations such as traders, shepherds, fishermen, soldiers, preachers, and kings. They served under different governments and lived within contrasting cultures and systems of philosophy - and yet, there is a common thread that binds all the books of the Bible together as a unified whole, with the message of God's great love for humanity, His hatred of sin and rebellion, the remedy for sin and the unspeakable rewards, both in this life and in that to come for those who repent of their sin, and avail themselves of the salvation provided by the substitutionary death on the Cross of Calvary, of the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself willingly in our place, that we might be reconciled to Father God, for time and eternity.
Although the Bible is not set out as a scientific textbook, a large number of now accepted scientific facts, some only formulated in the last two hundred years, are clearly attested to in the Bible.
Some examples, cited by Ray Comfort of livingwaters.com and wayofthemaster.com in his excellent "The Evidence Bible" can be viewed online by googling Bible facts The Evidence Bible. I will not reproduce them all here, but there is a fascinating list of clear evidences given for many now accepted scientific facts and principles in various scientific disciplines, including medicine and cosmology, provided by the all-knowing Creator God, and recorded by men of God, thousands of years ago for our understanding and benefit.
Such facts as the Earth being round, not flat,
the importance of washing hands and infected clothes after contact with sick or diseased persons,
the importance of blood to our bodies - up to 120 odd years ago, people were "bled" to seek to rid them of disease, resulting in many deaths,
clear scriptural support for a revolving earth etc.
As I stated above, it is as simple as Googling bible facts the evidence bible, and you will see Bible references for support of the above scientific facts, and more - provided by Ray Comfort.
In John 1:1, we read, concerning Jesus,"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Verse 14 reads: And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus said of Himself in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
The Bible is not merely a history book, but a treasure chest of revelation of God to man, and a storehouse of life-giving instruction from the heart of the living God, that when received by the spiritually reborn child of God through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has the power to transform the vilest of sinners from darkness to light. THERE IS NO OTHER BOOK THAT COMES ANYWHERE CLOSE TO ITS IMPACT ON MEN AND WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE A CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND, AND A DESIRE TO KNOW THE LIVING GOD.
If you have read this and would like to know more about how you can become a new believer and follower of Christ -a Christian, two online resource sites I would recommend are: billygraham.org and vision.org.au. Click onthe Grow your faith tab, then Looking for God? GOD BLESS!

WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE?

This is the title of a well known hymn written in 1877 by Frances Havergal. Below are the verses and chorus to this wonderful hymn:

Who is on the Lord's side?

Who will serve the King?

Who will be His helpers,

Other lives to bring?

Who will leave the world's side?

Who will face the foe?

Who is on the Lord's side?

Who for Him will go?

By Thy grand redemption,

By Thy grace divine,

We are on the Lord's side,

Saviour, we are thine.

Not for weight of glory,

Not for crown and palm,

Enter we the army,

Raise the warrior psalm;

But for love that claimeth

Lives for who He died;

He whom Jesus nameth

Must be on His side.

Jesus, Thou hast bought us,

Not with gold or gem, 

But with Thine own life-blood,

For Thy diadem;

With Thy blessing filling

Each who comes to Thee,

Thou hast made us willing,

Thou hast made us free.

Fierce may be the conflict,

Strong may be the foe,

But the King's own army

None can overthrow.

Round His standard ranging

Victory is secure,

For His truth unchanging

Makes the triumph sure.

Chosen to be soldiers

In an alien land;

Chosen, called, and faithful,

For our Captain's band;

In the service royal

Let us not grow cold;

Let us be right royal,

Noble, true, and bold.

Who is on the Lord's side? This was a crucial question asked by Moses to the children of Israel, as recorded in Exodus 32:26. Moses had been on Mount Sinai for forty days in the presence of the Lord, receiving instructions from Him concerning various laws and detailed instructions on building and furnishing the Tabernacle. The children of Israel became impatient and restless because of their perceived delay in Moses' return to the camp, so they foolishly pleaded with Aaron to make them an idol to represent God to them.
After instructing the people to bring anything they had, made of gold - earrings, ornaments etc., Aaron fashioned the molten metal into a golden calf.

When Moses challenged Aaron about the idol worship, he sought to justify himself by saying: "Do not let the anger of the people become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.
"For they said to me, 'Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'
"And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let him break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out."
No wonder Moses was angry with the people, because of their unrestrained idolatry. He made a proclamation at the entrance of the camp: "Whoever is on the Lord's side - come to me." And the sons of Levi gathered to him. The children of Israel paid a high price for their idol worship that day, as the sons of Levi went through the camp and put to death around 3,000 at the edge of the sword because of their rebellion against the Lord.
We can look back at the history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament and perhaps wonder at the apparent harsh judgment of God against a people who often were stiff-necked and rebellious.
The history of Israel in the Old Testament is filled with periods of obedience to the Lord's injunctions, followed by periods of disobedience to his decrees, outright rebellion against God with much idol worship, resulting in terrible consequences for the people as the hand of God was removed from the nation. The majority of the kings of Israel and Judah were evil, given to blatant rebellion and idol worship, even though the Lord had warned them of terrible consequences of disobedience to his decrees.
Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings that would follow obedience to the Lord, followed by a much longer list of the curses which would result from disobedience.
Thankfully, we today live under a different dispensation - that of grace, not of law as was the case with the children of Israel under the old covenant.
However, that does not mean that we are free to disobey God's Word to us, which has been given for our benefit, that we might fulfil God's purpose for our lives. Through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to become more Christlike as we allow the Word of God to renew us from within, we, as followers of Christ are being changed, as the Bible says, from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18
When the Lord God made man, He gave him a free will. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 10, Paul reminds the readers that there were serious consequences for the sins and idolatry of the children of Israel. He says in verses 11, 12 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
At the end of the book of Deuteronomy, a recounting by Moses of God's holy laws, Moses lays before the people a clear choice: 
"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,
in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you go to possess.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendents may live." Deut 30:15,16,19
You might be reading this, and be thinking that God must be an egomaniac, a control freak, that we have to obey His laws or else suffer undesirable consequences. The reality is the Creator God is a God of love, whom the Bible says "is not willing that any should perish [in his or her sins], but that they should all come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
The old hymn quoted above "Who Is On The Lord's Side" is a rallying cry for Christians to take a clear stand for the truth of God's Word today. The language of the hymn seems rather outdated now, and archaic, but the call to alms for followers of Christ to be fully committed soldiers of the Cross is as relevant today as when it was written 140 years ago. Persecution of Christians has long been the price one has had to pay for following Jesus in communist and many Islamic nations, but increasingly today in the twenty first century, to be a wholly committed, uncompromising Christian in the Western world is becoming a very unpopular entity with those caught up in the cultural distortions of the age. 
Whether it is in relation to marriage, sanctity of life before birth or approaching death, creation verses evolution, and a number of other social and ethical issues - those holding to a Biblical worldview are having to count the cost of being a true disciple of Jesus Christ in an increasingly hostile world, where they are labelled as homophobes, bigots, and other terms of derision.
"Who Is On The Lord's Side?" is not only the name of an old hymn, but a question each person, including those who claim to be Christians, must answer today. 

VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS

"Comfort, yes, comfort My people!"
 Says your God.
"Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
 That her warfare is ended,
 That her iniquity is pardoned;
 For she has received from the Lord's hand
 Double for all her sins."

 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord;
 Make straight in the desert
 A highway for our God.
 Every valley shall be exalted
 And every mountain and hill brought low;
 The crooked places shall be made straight
 And the rough places smooth;
 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
 And all flesh shall see it together;
 For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The voice said, "Cry out!"
 And he said, "What shall I cry?"

"All flesh is grass,
 And all its loveliness is like the flower
 of the field.
 The grass withers, the flower fades,
 Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
 Surely the people are grass.
 The grass withers, the flower fades,
 but the word of our God stands forever."

O Zion,
 You who bring good tidings,
 Get up into the high mountain;
 O Jerusalem,
 You who bring good tidings,
 Lift up your voice with strength,
 Lift it up, be not afraid;
 Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" Isaiah 40:1-9 NKJV

The prophet Isaiah spoke these words about 700 years BC, foretelling the ministry of John the Baptist, the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord;
 Make straight in the desert
 a highway for our God." John said this of himself when asked by priests and Levites sent by Jews from Jerusalem to ask who he was.

The ministry of John the Baptist was that of a forerunner preparing the way for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. His voice was lifted up calling his listeners to repentance from sin and wickedness, and to be baptized by full immersion in water as an act of surrender to the will of God for their lives. In lifting his voice in preparation for the ministry of Jesus, John said of Jesus: "He must increase, but I must decrease." 

Jesus commenced his earthly ministry following His baptism by John at the Jordan River, in order "to fulfill all righteousness" as it says in Matthew 3:15. The next three years of Jesus' life were attested by healings and outstanding signs and miracles, deliverances from demonic oppression, and most of all by lives transformed by the power of the Good News of Jesus the Messiah, the Savior of the world. As it says in Matthew 4:16 "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned." (a prophecy of Jesus fulfilled - spoken some 700 years BC by Isaiah in chapter 42:7).

Following his death on the Cross at Calvary, and His triumphant resurrection from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. He told the group of disciples who were committed to following His teaching that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit had come upon them; and they would be witnesses to Him in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8.
The first century church grew exponentially as the apostles and their converts moved from Jerusalem literally to the ends of the then known world. The apostles came under quite severe persecution, which became a catalyst for their moving out from Jerusalem to all parts of the then known world. The apostle Paul, writing to his son in the faith, Timothy, warned that: in the last days perilous times will come. He went on to list the characteristics of godlessness which would be seen in men (and women) in the last days, when, to be a Christian would bring much opposition from wicked men. In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul says to Timothy, and to us today:..all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Just as the prophets in the Old Testament, and indeed John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus' ministry, called people to turn from sin and wickedness, and from idol worship, to  follow the living God, more than ever, today there is a need for Godly men and women to lift their voices to declare the Truth of the Word of God - to stand boldly for righteousness and righteous causes. I read recently, where in America, surveys had shown that ninety percent of church leaders were silent on some of the looming social issues of our times, such as sexuality from the Biblical perspective, and associated with that, issues such as same-sex marriage, and homosexuality, abortion, and euthanasia. Bacause of the lack of teaching on these topics, something in the order of forty seven percent of Christian youth and young adults say they support same-sex marriage. 
Today, we live in a world which is becoming increasingly either secularized by the philosophy of secular humanism, where man is the central point of reference for society - or being threatened by the rising tide of Islam's doctrine of world domination, either by violent force, or by stealth. Either way, the voices of anti-Christ sentiment appear to be taking centre-stage in a world gone mad, aided greatly by the foolish and naive spouting of politically correct politicians and media pundits.
Here in Australia, the issue of redefining marriage continues to be pushed by the Australian Labor Party, the Greens, and other minor parties and independent politicians, along with the majority of the Mainstream Media. The  push by radical homosexual activists themselves for redefining marriage, and gender identity has been taken up by large corporate bodies, who somehow must see the promotion of this cause as enhancing their public image, with no regard to the effects this push will have on children caught up in these unholy unions of men with men, and women with women.
Thank God for the voices in the wilderness speaking boldly on some of the issues facing the nation, from a Godly perspective, in order to push back the rising tide of darkness and depravity seeking to engulf society. Voices such as Vision Christian Media, Australian Christian Lobby, some of the smaller political parties, such as Australian Conservatives, Rise Up Australia Party, as well as individual Christian Liberal Party politicians - and other ministries such as Australian Heart Ministries, and social commentator, Bill Muehelenberg. There are others, but many of the churches remain largely silent, perhaps for fear of losing some who might be offended by the Truth.
Now is not the time for those who know the truth to be silent. John the Baptist was called "a voice in the wilderness." He ended up losing his head, because he was not afraid to speak the truth. God never promised that the Christian life would be a bed of roses, but He does expect all who know the truth to proclaim it, without compromise.
Keith Green, a young man who, through his music, and life lived for Jesus in full surrender, and who sadly was taken from us before he reached the age of thirty, wrote a song called "Asleep In The Light", really a wake-up call to the church. Its message written around forty years ago, still is relevant to the church today:
                    God is calling,
                    And you are the one
                    But like Jonah, you run
                    He told you to speak,
                    But you keep holding it in.

                    Oh, can't you see it's such sin?
                    The world is sleeping in the dark,
                     That the church just can't fight,
                     'cause it's asleep in the light.
It is time for you and me who make up the church of the living God to:
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60:1,2

TRUTH IS A PERSON

Over a number of years, the Readers Digest have published lists of the most trusted professions in Australia, as well as compiling a list of the most trusted individuals. When I searched online, I found the list of 45 most trusted professions, published in 2011. I would imagine the list would not have changed very much since then, in the public perception of trustworthiness. 

At the top of the list were paramedics, firefighters, pilots, rescue volunteers and nurses in positions 1 to 5. 

At the other end of the scale of trustworthiness were taxi drivers, real estate agents, car salesmen, politicians and telemarketers. Having been a taxi driver in Hobart, the southernmost capital city in Australia - for over fourteen years (Is it really that long? Time flies when you are having fun - or more to the point, as you get older) - my boss has had me laughing at times, when directing my reverse parking at his yard into awkward spaces, he has called out: "Trust me, Pete! I'm a cab driver". 

Having said that, it is clear that looking at the list of professions, the perceived levels of trustworthiness are generalizations. As a cab driver - I have just recently hung up my keys for the last time, I think - many of the cabbies I have known have been hard-working, decent people just trying hard to make an honest living. Also, our recent experience over the past twelve months as we have had our house on the market, and subsequently sold and bought another house, to which we have moved just recently - dealing with three real estate agents, lower on the list of professions than taxi drivers - has been a very happy one, and we could say without a shadow of a doubt that we trust these three agents implicitly. 

As to the list of most trusted individuals, I personally would question some of the choices at the top of the lists, but that is another story.

The reality is that, in the second decade of the twenty first century, honesty and trustworthiness seem to be character qualities that do not always appear to be in ample supply. It used to be said that a person's word on a matter was their bond. In other words, if a person said he would do something for you, his word could be trusted - at least in the majority of dealings with reputable people and organizations. That, obviously is far from reality in our present times.

With the advent of personal computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones and other readily accessible communication platforms, using the internet to host a myriad of social media sources, the potential for users to fall victim to a host of online scammers and cyber-criminals of varying degree and sophistication is mind-boggling and not just a little bit scary!

Add to the online scammers, the criminal telemarketers preying on the elderly, in particular, who use fear and intimidation techniques to attempt to catch them unawares, and in turn, by deceit and lies, to fleece them of financial assets - all the while, presenting as bona fide representatives of organizations such as the Australian Taxation Office, Centrelink (Department of Human Services), and Telstra. We have had bogus calls from people purporting to be from all of those bodies just mentioned. The "Telstra" one has been almost on a daily basis lately - and usually with voices from overseas call centres. So frustrating! The really upsetting thing is that, no doubt, there would be numbers of people who fall for these scams and suffer financially, physically and mentally in the process - and it would seem they can do nothing about it!

Then there is the "fake news" phenomenon spurned by the Presidential campaign in the USA last year, and since the installation of Donald Trump in the White House - with some of the major US TV networks and newspapers deliberately presenting stories as fact, when in reality, oftentimes they are nothing more than attempts to denigrate him as a person in ways that cannot be substantiated by the truth.

Here in Australia, where I live, the mainstream media also has been guilty of presenting "fake news" and for political advantage, only presenting a one-sided appraisal of individuals and political parties.

Respected American author, philosopher, and pastor, Francis Schaeffer, who is remembered for establishing the L'Abri community in Switzerland, said of truth:Today not only in philosophy but in politics, government, and individual morality, our generation sees solutions in terms of synthesis and not absolutes. When this happens, truth, as people have always thought of truth, has died.

We should not be surprised that truth and personal integrity are dwindling commodities in today's world. The Bible says in 1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. NKJV
Speaking of the rebellion of Satan, when as the angel, Lucifer, he lost his place in the presence of God, Revelation 12:9 tells us: And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan,who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Paul the apostle says in 2 Timothy3:13 But evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Lies and deception entered the human race when Adam fell into sin in the garden of Eden. 
Jesus, in John's gospel, chapter 8, when stating His divinity to a group of Pharisees, who virtually were accusing Jesus of being an illegitimate child, says to them: "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
You are of your father, the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
Which of you convicts me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." John 8:42-47.
In stark contrast to Satan, the father of lies, Jesus Christ said of Himself: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me." John 14:6 He was saying to His disciples, and directly to Thomas, in reply to a question from him, that He Himself was the embodiment of Truth.
Earlier in John 8, the chapter quoted above, Jesus defends his self witness to being the Son of God, as He says in verses 29,30 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
Then Jesus made an astounding claim, which proved to be true for those who put their trust in Him at that time, and still proves to be true today in the lives of those take the Living God at His Word - 
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you continue in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31,32.
I love what the Director of the Bible college I attended in New Zealand said of that verse: You shall continue in My word, and you shall know the truth, AND THE TRUTH SHALL BE IN YOU A LIBERATING FORCE!" 
Jesus re-stated this truth concerning Himself, in verse 36, where He said: "If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
Back in the eighties, I remember hearing the testimony of Barry McGuire, who had a huge hit in 1965 with the protest song "Eve of Destruction". He said he went around to a friend's place one night to "smoke dope". On the coffee table was a copy of "Good News For Modern Man", a popular version of the New Testament of the Bible, with the famous stick drawings. He said in his gravelly voice: "Hey, I'm a modern man. What's this all about!" He took it home and began to read it, and he could not deny it was the Truth. That was the beginning of a transformed life as he encountered the Jesus of the Bible in the twentieth century - the God who still makes people free from the power of sin and its consequences.
As a Christian, I am far from perfect. At times, I have been guilty of not representing the Truth in my life. I say that to my shame, but daily I seek to follow the One who is unwavering in truth and integrity.
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, who is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead, calls to you today: I am STILL the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
Those who all their lifetimes have sat in darkness and the shadow of death have seen a great light - and their lives have forever changed as they have encountered the Person, who is Truth, the Lord Jesus Christ!!

Although this present world has been corrupted by the lies and deception of the evil one, I have read the back of the book and we win! The book of Revelation paints graphic word pictures of the final judgment of Satan and his hordes - to deceive the nations no more. Jesus Christ will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, pictured in Revelation 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True....

Tessa's postscript: When our daughter survived a high bridge plunge, she survived. Unconscious, somehow she could breathe. Although the water was very cold, her body temperature did not go below 30 degrees Celcius. Below that temperature, brain damage could have occurred (so we have been told).
The Truth is her survival was a miracle.

For information on how to become a Christian, here are a couple of suggested websites to help point you in the right direction: livingwaters.com
and vision.org.au
On the vision site, click on the "Grow your faith" tab, then Looking for God?

E N L A R G I N G  YOUR TENT

The year was 1977. I was in my second year of study as a live-in student at Christian Life Bible College in Lower Hutt, near the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. The desire to be in this location to further my knowledge of God's Word, and be more equipped for Christian service was birthed in my spirit a couple of years before when I heard the Director of the college, Frank Houston speaking during a ministry trip to the Gold Coast. He spoke of the Bible college, and his passion to see men and women prepared for Christian service over two years of study, and then to go out on fire for the Lord - not necessarily as pastors, but in whatever ministry, to be prepared and passionate for the Lord.

Frank Houston, originally a Salvation Army officer, had encountered the Holy Spirit and the added dimension of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit through a fiery extrovert evangelist in Auckland, Ray Bloomfield. Ray had mentored Frank in the early years of his Pentecostal experience, and had encouraged him to expect the gifts of the Holy Spirit to operate in his own ministry. By the time I arrived at CLBC in Lower Hutt, Frank Houston had been successfully pastoring Christian Life Centre in that city for some years, and had risen in the "ranks" of the Assemblies of God" (AOG) in New Zealand to become the national General Superintendent of the movement.

In his own words, he said later that "he thought he had it made". As well as his pastoral leadership of his local church, the national leadership of the AOG movement, and his leadership and lecturing input of the Bible college, he had travelled widely overseas conducting evangelistic meetings, seeing many hundreds of people come to salvation through Jesus Christ. Many physical and emotional healings, and deliverance from demonic oppression were also hallmarks of his ministry, as was other gifts of the Spirit, including the word of knowledge and prophecy.

Then in early 1977, something happened which would set him on a new path of adventure and fulfillment in the work of the Lord. His wife, Hazel was away with friends in the South Island of New Zealand. One night, while sleeping, Frank had a dream. He dreamed of Sydney with its familiar sights - the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the beaches. He awoke during this time, and he could still see before his eyes in vision form the same sights of Sydney, Australia.

The Lord then told him to read Isaiah 54 - the whole chapter. In his own words, although he had read this chapter many times before, he could not remember what was in it. He opened his Bible and began to read, and, as he did, the Lord spoke to him from every verse. The Lord spoke to him, and told him He wanted him to go to Sydney and pioneer a church there. Verses 2 and 3 of that chapter spoke to him in particular: "Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants shall inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited." NKJV

 The next day he shared this with his church board and elders. They had a 
witness in their spirits that it was of God, and later that year, Frank and Hazel moved across the Tasman to Sydney to begin a whole new chapter of their lives in ministry in Australia. At the age of 57, he said they were like a couple of kids, having to go out and rent a building for meetings, to buy communion glasses and other necessary items for the infant church.

Eventually, they were able to secure a permanent church building in the inner-city suburb of Waterloo, where the church grew to a congregation of a couple of thousand, which in those days, was huge for Sydney. Frank and Hazel had been joined by a small team of several families from Lower Hutt in establishing the work in Sydney - including their recently wed son, Brian and wife Bobbie Houston.
Brian and Bobbie commenced Hills Christian Life Centre in Baulkham Hills, a north-western suburb of Sydney. The church was to become what is now Hillsong Church, one of Australia's mega-churches with multiple campuses across Australia and around the world. In 1986, the first Hillsong Conference was held, an annual conference drawing thousands from Australia and overseas, featuring high-profile ministries as well as well known Christian worship artists.

One could argue that, if Frank Houston had not obeyed the vision to move to Sydney and answer the call of God at that time to step out by faith into the "unknown", that Hillsong Church with its phenomenal growth and impact over the last thirty years - just may not have been.

Fast forward to 2017, and my wife Tessa and I live in southern Tasmania, and are in fellowship at a vibrant Pentecostal church at Bellerive, on Hobart's eastern shore. Part of the vision for this church this year is based around Isaiah 54:2,3 quoted above - about ENLARGING OUR TENT, and SPREADING THE CURTAINS WIDER IN 2017, so that individually and together, we can grow into all that the Lord has for us.

Our lives, as Christians, do not have to be the "same old, same old" year after year, where we feel that we are just going through the motions. Yes, faithfulness to God will mean we have to persevere at times doing what we know is right in God's sight, as we walk in obedience to His Word. We may go through periods of dryness spiritually, where we find it hard to hear God's voice and sense His direction. It is in these times, that we need to hold on to the promises of God - to walk by faith, regardless of what is going on around us - knowing that, in His time, He will bring us to times of breakthrough and renewed blessing.
"Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43: 18,19
Psalm 138:8 says The Lord will perfect that which concerns us.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me, and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity....Jeremiah 29:11-14a.
God's vision for our lives is far greater than most of us can imagine. That is why most personal prophecies given to Christians are not condemning of our sins and failures - but they most often speak to who the Lord sees us becoming. He sees our potential for growth, and for enlargement of our capacity to host the Holy Spirit's power and fruitfulness in our lives. My wife and I are now in our sixties, but, speaking for myself, I do not want to retire - but to refire in the purposes of God that we be fruitful in life and ministry in this season of life. We want to ENLARGE OUR TENTS as part of the church community corporate vision and purpose where we are planted!

TESSA's Postscript: When I was seven or so, a few girls locked me in a garden shed. I could see mum's head through a tiny window as she searched for me.
Of course, that fear crippled me. 
One day I got a bike for Christmas and found freedom - so don't be locked up small by fear. Let the perfect love of Jesus set you free to reach up tall and touch the stars!

C H A N GE

For I am the Lord, and I do not change... Malachi 3:6
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
God is not a man that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or Has He spoken, and it not come to pass? Numbers 23:19
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights, 
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17
The grass withers, the flower fades, 
but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God. Psalm 90:1,2
If we are faithless, He remains faithful 
- for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13
Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89

The above quoted verses from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and numerous other verses which could be quoted bear testimony to the unchanging character and divine attributes of the Living God. The God of the Bible, expressed as the triune God - Father, Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit - can be fully trusted to be true to His character, and to fulfill His word. 
The Bible further tells us that "God is Love" 1 John 4:8
and also it says that "God is light" in verses such as 1 John 1:5 where it says: This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all.
Unlike some other so-called gods of other religions, the One True God is not capricious, His character has not, or will ever change. He is not vindictive. 
He is both a God of Justice and Mercy.

Although God's nature and His character never change, those who would be His disciples must change. The Bible tells us clearly that man is separated from fellowship with God by his sin, as it says in Romans 3:23. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, came to earth to be born a baby, grow up into manhood, all the time living a sinless life - then die a cruel death on a Roman cross - as the Word of God states in 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Romans 5:8 declares But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Just as a human being starts life as a helpless baby, and in the course of time, grows through various stages of childhood, then into adulthood, all the while maturing physically, mentally, intellectually and socially - with the proper nurturing and tutoring, so too the child of God goes through various stages of growth, of CHANGE.
At the point of salvation, a Christian is born again by the Spirit of God, his or her human spirit being re-created by the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul put it this way: Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Every Christian starts his journey of new life in Jesus as a spiritual "baby", feeding on the "milk" of God's Word. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1 Peter 2:1,2.
The writer to Hebrews, believed by many to be the apostle Paul, talks about those who lack spiritual maturity, who come to still rely on milk, instead of solid food (spiritually speaking) because they have not progressed from the first principles of the faith as expressed in Hebrews 6:1,2. 
Through daily feeding on God's Word, through study and meditation on the Word of God, through prayer, fellowship with other believers, through praise and worship, both alone and in a corporate body - and through sharing by way of bearing testimony to the goodness of God in our lives, we grow through stages into a place of spiritual maturity, all the while remaining teachable that we may continue to grow. 
The goal of the Christian life is not to change for the sake of change, but to be transformed into the image of Christ in us - to become more like Jesus.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17,18.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1,2.
The fact that through the redemptive work of the blood of the Cross of Christ, "we have been accepted in the Beloved" - we are now sons and daughters of the Most High God by God's grace, does not excuse us from the need to change more and more into becoming more Christlike -"But speaking the truth in love [in all things - both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head - Christ." Ephesians 4:15 AMP
Back in the 70's, when the ministry of the Teacher was being restored to the Body of Christ as part of the Charismatic Renewal, I remember one well-known teacher, Bob Mumford saying that one day he was having a conversation with the Lord, in which he said the Lord told him: "Mumford, you and I are incompatible - and I don't change." The inference was that Bob Mumford would have to change. I am sure the Lord was not condemning him in that statement, but making a point that God, in His love and wisdom desires for our benefit that we grow up into spiritual maturity, that we might obtain the full benefits of a life committed to Jesus, that we might in turn be able to nurture others and see them grow into Him as well.