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.

NO LONGER A BABY

We are at the end of yet another year, and on the threshold of the year before us. Christmas celebrations have come and gone. We remembered once again the incredible provision of Almighty God for the redemption of Man from the eternal consequences of sin and rebellion towards Him - by sending His Son in human flesh to be born as a baby in an unlikely setting for a king - a dirty, dusty stable. As Rick Joyner of MorningStar Ministries states in his book "The Harvest": That The Lord Of Glory would choose such a place to make His entry into this world is one of the more profound revelations of his message to man..................Human reasoning would never lead us to a stable to find God. The only way He could be found was by revelation; only those who were led by the Spirit would come. That which is born of God is usually found in a place that is repulsive to the pride and presumptions of carnal men. As the apostle Paul stated it: "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He may nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
Jesus did not remain a baby. That baby grew up to be Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, who after three and a half years of ministry to all who would receive His ministry - words of Life, physical and emotional healing, deliverance from demonic oppression and many other works and miracles, some recorded in the Gospels, many more unrecorded, according to the apostle John in Jn. 20:30,31 and Jn. 21: 25 - was condemned to death on a cruel Roman cross, the sinless Son of God, fulfilling the will of the Father in dying an agonizing death in our place, taking the penalty for our sins, in order that we might be reconciled to God the Father . Romans 5:8 says: God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
If that was not good news for us in itself, the Lord Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, conquered the power of death and hell, rising triumphantly from the grave on that first Resurrection Sunday.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not only recorded as actually taking place, in the Bible. There have been scholars who have set out to disprove the resurrection of Christ, only to conclude, after honest research, that the events recorded in Scripture are historically verifiable. Two such scholars of note are Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853), a law professor at Harvard University, who became one of the forerunners of the discipline known as Christian apologetics - and Frank Morison, who also set out to disprove the "myth" of the resurrection, only to come to the conclusion, like Simon Greenleaf, that the Biblical record of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was true.
For forty days following His bodily resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to multitudes of people, including the eleven remaining original disciples (Judas Iscariot, the twelfth, betrayed Him and took his own life). At one time, he appeared to five hundred at once ( ! Corinthians 15: 6). After commissioning the disciples, and telling them to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father,  the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. On the Day of Pentecost, an annual Jewish feast commemorated fifty days after Passover, while waiting in the Upper Room, the 120 gathered were filled with the Holy Spirit, receiving the gift of speaking in other tongues - a gift which is still available to Christian believers today, along with other gifts of the Holy Spirit as listed in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Jesus said before His ascension to Heaven that"You  shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses" starting from Jerusalem and spreading to the farthest corners of the earth. The power to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, bringing in the hearts of the hearers, a conviction of sin and the need for repentance is part and parcel of the equipping by the Holy Spirit of the believer in Jesus. The ministry of Jesus in the world and in the Church continues unabated today through the lives of Bible-believing Christians who have taken Jesus at His word to "Follow Me, and I will make you disciples of men". He said to his disciples in John 14:12 that the works He did on earth they (and those who followed them down through the Church age) would do and greater works than these they would do, because He was going to the Father.
Down through the Church age over the past 2,000 years, millions upon millions of lives have been transformed, many radically, by the same Resurrection power of the Holy Spirit which raised Christ from the grave. The dead are being raised to life today. Miracles of healing and provision are occurring all over the world, where the name of Jesus is proclaimed as Lord. You won't hear about these happenings in the secular media, but they are happening. JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER!
As we enter a new year, with all its challenges personally, as well as nationally and internationally, while darkness is increasing in this sin-sick rebellious world, let those of us who claim Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord consecrate ourselves afresh to live uncluttered, and fully committed lives to honour and glorify Him.
If you are reading this, and have never made a commitment of your life and will to Jesus Christ, please know that, as you come to Him with a repentant heart for the sin and rebellion in your life towards God, He will cleanse you from sin as you call upon His name, and acknowledge His death on the Cross in your place as the means to your salvation. Just as Jesus rose from the dead after three days, you too can know the power of the Holy Spirit to help you live a new life in Him. It is not an easy life. The true disciple of Jesus will face persecution, but know that God is dwelling in you by His Spirit to enable you to be strong for Him in any and every circumstance of life. For further help in becoming a Christian, may I suggest: www.vision.org.au, the Vision Radio Network in Australia, part of United Christian Broadcasters. Click on the Resources tab at the top of the page, then from the drop down menu, click on Christianity. God Bless you. I pray that 2015 will be a year of you knowing in increasing measure the goodness of God in your life, and one of fruitfulness in His kingdom.

FAITH OR FEAR?

THE CHOICE IS OURS!

It's good news week.
Someone dropped a bomb somewhere contaminating atmosphere
and blackening the sky.
It's good news week.
Someone's found a way to give
the rotting dead a will to live, go on and never die..............

These are the opening words of a one-hit wonder song from 1965 called "It's Good News Week" by British band "Hedgehoppers Anonymous".

Or, who can remember the classic hit from Barry McGuire "Eve Of Destruction" - from 1965
The eastern world it is explodin', violence flarin', bullets loadin', 
You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin'

But you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Don't you understand what I'm trying to say?
Can't you see the fear that I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away
There'll be none to save with the world in a grave
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy

But you tell me over and over and over again my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.........

The 1960's was a tumultuous time with the Vietnam War looming large on the landscape throughout the decade. Early in the 60's the Cuban Missile crisis was a cause for much fear and foreboding. This was the time of the Cold War. 

Fast forward fifty years, almost - to 2014. Guess what? The world news is not only still bad, but it is getting worse. The threat of communism seems largely to have gone, although new tensions have arisen between Russia and the West. In the intervening decades, we have seen numerous wars in Africa, Asia and parts of Europe with untold casualties and misery. We have seen economic crises on a grand scale. There have been catastrophic natural disasters in many parts of the world, again leaving trails of destruction and human misery. There have been disease pandemics or threats of the same.
As of writing this, the Ebola threat is increasing, creating fear in many, not only in the West Africa nations hit most by this deadly virus, but in countries around the world where there is a growing fear that travellers from these affected areas may return to, unwittingly be bearers of this terrible infection, from which those affected have a very high chance of not surviving.
The scourge of the evil ideology of radical Islam has taken prominence as the major protagonist threatening world peace, even though Islam is touted by its followers as a religion of peace. Peace to the Muslim, at least, to the radical Muslim, is submission to Allah, their false God - forced conversion to Islam, or death to the infidel as the alternative. Oh, what peace!?!?!
Perhaps what should be an even greater cause for fear is the god of Political Correctness that the majority (apparently) of our politicians at a federal and state level, as well the bulk of the MSM (Main Stream Media) bow down to, bending over backwards to not offend Muslims, and the other radical main player today, the homosexual activists, who are waging a relentless war against the traditional definition of marriage and the nuclear family unit, headed by a mother and father, as in woman and man. Ultimately this is a Satan-inspired war on Christians and the eternal unchanging Word of the Living God. As the Apostle Paul proclaimed in Romans 1, the sin of homosexuality is "exchanging the truth of God for the lie, and worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. (Homosexual practice). END OF STORY!
Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of the Living God, speaking prophetically of the times in which we are living, said in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24: "Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming,'I am the Messiah'. They will deceive many. and you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. Matthew 24:4-14 New Living Translation.

For the true Christian, a modern day disciple of Christ, who takes the Bible, the wholly Holy Spirit-inspired Word of the Living God as his manual for living - this is not a time for fear, for giving in to dread or terror. This is the time we have been born for, when the world is in the deepest darkness, we as part of the Body of Christ, the Christian Church have been called and equipped to shine like the stars in the universe, to march forth as an army with banners, proclaiming : Jesus Is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
The Christian is not to fear man or circumstance. We are to fear God and Him only - Godly fear being reverent awe of the One who has saved us from Satan's realm of darkness that we might be bearers of Light drawing the lost to our Saviour.

King David boldly proclaimed in Psalm 27: The Lord is my light and my salvation; 
                                                                           Whom shall I fear?
                                                                           The Lord is the strength of my life;
                                                                            Of whom shall I be afraid?

                                                                            Though an army may encamp against me,
                                                                             My heart shall not fear;
                                                                             Though war may rise against me,
                                                                             In this I will be confident.
                                                                             For in the time of trouble,
                                                                             He shall hide me in His pavillion;
                                                                             In the secret place of His tabernacle
                                                                             He shall hide me;
                                                                             He shall set me high upon a rock. (vs.1,3,5)

The prophet Isaiah wrote encouraging the people of God:
                                                                           The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
                                                                            Let Him be your fear, 
                                                                            And let Him be your dread. Isaiah 8:13
Again in Isaiah 35:3,4, the prophet writes: Strengthen the weak hands,
                                                                            And make firm the feeble knees.
                                                                            Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
                                                                            "Be strong, do not fear!
                                                                             Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
                                                                             With the recompense of God;
                                                                             He will come and save you."

God is calling forth an army of worshipping warriors, who are full of faith in the Living God, whose lives have been ransomed from the clutches of Hell by the blood of Jesus who died on the Cross of Calvary and rose triumphant from the grave, and ascended in victory over hell and death to be seated at the right hand of the Father, to ever live to make intercession for the saints - the true followers of the Lord, soldiers of the Cross who walk by faith, knowing that their lives are in His hands. 

I don't know about you, but I want to be a part of that army of believers who runs to the battle, and not away from it in cringing fear - but full of faith in the One who is able to "rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18 NIV.

                                                                             

WHAT IS TRUTH?

(Continued)

As stated at the start of the first blog post on this topic, a simple dictionary definition of  Truth could be said to be: That which conforms to reality, fact or actuality. Sounds simple, doesn't it. 
BUT, in actual fact, Truth has been made such a complicated concept by philosophically-inclined minds, drawing upon human wisdom and knowledge to expound, in some instances, very wordy  theories pertaining to Truth, but which nevertheless conflict with a multitude of other Truth concepts and theories. 
In the previous blog, I mentioned in heading form, some of the various philosophical theories concerning Truth which have been postulated over the years by secular philosophers, the most popular of these theories being what is known as the Correspondence Theory. Ah, yes! The Correspondence Theory of Truth! Sounds great..........but what does it mean? It turns out that there are several aspects to the Correspondence Theory, but basically the theory in general terms states that the truth or falsity of a statement is determined only by how it relates to the world and whether it accurately describes (i.e., corresponds with) the world.It is a traditional model which goes back at least to some of the classical Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. As an example of the Correspondence Theory of Truth, British philosopher, Bertrand Russell theorized that a statement, to be true, must have a structural isomorphism with the state of affairs in the world that makes it true. For example, "A cat is on a mat", is true if, and only if, there is in the world a cat and a mat and the cat is related to the mat by virtue of being on it. Wow! To think, these great minds with doctorate degrees from the elite halls of tertiary learning are able to come up with such profoundly obvious statements as evidence of truth is somewhat underwhelming! Last time I quoted 2 Timothy 3:7 in the" New Testament of the Bible, where the Apostle Paul, speaking of the times in which we live said there would be people who would be "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." As I also previously stated, Truth is to be found in a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in the Gospel of John stated, concerning Himself: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
If the God of the Bible is the one True God, and the Word of God can be fully relied upon to be the expression of God's truth, then we can have full confidence in the Absolute and irrefutable Truth in God's Word absolutely.
There has been much written about Truth being either Absolute truth or Relative truth, and the fact that, for an increasing number of people today, Truth is Relative to the ever-changing cultural norms brought about by societal attitudinal changes. The Ten Commandments of the Bible, which helped form a strong reference point for justice and a framework for mor
ality in Western nations, and in fact, any nation with a Judaeo - Christian heritage, have seemed to become less and less relevant to a world hell-bent on destroying the fabric of society with liberal philosophy espousing the doctrine of relative truth. Relative truth is like a boat adrift in a raging sea, having been ripped from its moorings. It can be stated as: Truth that is only true at one time and at one place. It's true to some people and not to others. It's always subject to change. It is also subject to the perspective of people.
Because of the nature of relative truth, we have seen justification for Biblically abominable lifestyle choices, including the wholesale murder of unborn babies - abortion, in the name of womens' rights. We have seen the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, for life or "until death do us part" vehemently attacked by the gay rights activists (Christian social commentator, Bill Muehlenberg calls them the Gaystapo). (See Culture Watch online for some very challenging and enlightening articles relevant to the world we find ourselves in - written by Bill).
The abandonment of belief in ultimate or Absolute truth in today's culture has led to the "Whatever" philosophy of life. If it feels good, then do it. If it benefits me, even if it goes against long- held moral laws, unless it hurts somebody, then I can justify it. If science and human reason support it, go for it. If popular opinion supports your decisions in life, then it is easy to justify going along with the crowd for personal convenience - when the "Whatevers" fulfill our concepts of truth relative to our worldview and personal interest.
For the person who is prepared to take the living God at His Word, Jesus says in John !6: 13 that the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth."
A generation which does not want to be accountable to anyone for their actions, let alone, to a Holy God whose Word and whose Truth is unchanging, is reaping what they have sown in rebelling against the One in whom is all the Wisdom and knowledge necessary to lead a totally fulfilled and complete life. Truth, ultimate truth is to be found in a person, the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in living according to God's Word, the Bible. I purposely try to keep my blog posts roughly to the same length each time, so will conclude this one now. For further reading on Absolute Truth and all that implies, may I suggest you Google Abslute Truth - Focus On The Family for a very insightful and well written article on this topic.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Christian, there are many ministry websites I could direct you to. I will for now just mention a couple:www.livingwaters.com or www.vision.org.au then click on the Resources button at the top of the page, then click on Christianity from the drop down menu. God Bless. Hope this has given a little food for thought.

WHAT IS TRUTH?

A simple definition of Truth is: that which conforms to reality, fact or actuality. 

It could be stated that there are aspects of truth which are relative to a particular person or place, for example I could say that it is TRUE that I have blue eyes and that I am left-handed. It is also true that I am an Australian citizen by birth, and that I am a resident of the township of Sorell in Tasmania. It is also true that I am married and have two grown children - and two grandchildren. All these facts are true in relation to me, but most of these facts may not be true for you who are reading this.

When I was a student at Bible College in 1980, I remember being struck by the statement made by one of the college lecturers, that ALL TRUTH IS GOD'S TRUTH. Examples of this could be stated as the laws of nature, physics and mathematics which are always true and cannot be changed. Let me clarify this by suggesting that in mathematics 2+2=4 will always be an example of mathematical truth. Sir Isaac Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation is another example of God's truth in the natural world proving reliable one hundred percent of the time. Newton postulated that any two objects in the universe attract each other with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. HUH! The simplified version concerning Gravity is: What goes up must come down!
There are other reliable and consistent laws in nature which were designed by the Creator God of the universe. At this point, anyone reading this who believes the universe just came into being as a result of the Big Bang, and out of that, over time everything evolved over millions or billions of years without any intelligent design, may not like my conclusions - but I make no apologies in believing God is the Prime Mover for everything in this universe, including the complex life forms on our own planet Earth. As evangelist Ray Comfort so rightly says:"Every song has a composer, every book has an author, every car has a maker, every painting has a painter, and every building has a builder. So it isn't irrational to take this simple logic a little further and say that nature must have had a Maker. It would be irrational to believe that it made itself." So, looking at the Big Picture, ALL TRUTH IS GOD'S TRUTH.
As a committed Bible-believing Christian, I believe the Bible to be the written Holy-Spirit inspired Word of God. We are addressing the question: What Is Truth? in this blog.
Truth is personified in the eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in John 14:6 stated concerning Himself: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." What a remarkable statement Jesus made in response to a question from Thomas, one of his disciples. 
Earlier in this same Gospel of John, Jesus addressing some Jews who believed in Him, said: "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
The unmistakable fact of history since the time of Christ's ministry on Earth and His subsequent death on the Cross of Calvary and His triumphant resurrection on that first Resurrection Sunday is that those who have embraced THE TRUTH in the person of Jesus Christ, and who have availed themselves of the reconciliation to God the Father offered by Christ's sacrifice on the Cross in our place, He who knew no sin, dying in our place -  if they give heed to the Word of God, find that Truth to be life-changing, in fact liberating from the bondages of sin and Satan, the Arch-Deceiver, whom the Bible calls the Father of Lies.
As I was contemplating what to write in this blog "What Is Truth?", I Googled this question on the internet. I discovered a lengthy Wikipedia article which outlined some of the philosophical theories concerning Truth, and what it means. These include: What are known as Substantive Theories, including Correspondence Theory
                                -Coherence Theory
                                -Constructivist Theory
                                -Concensus Theory
                                - Pragmatic Theory
Then there are Minimalist or Deflationary Theories. These include:
                                -Performative Theory Of Truth
                                -Redundancy and Related Theories
There are also what are known as Pluralist theories.
I discovered that of the above, the Correspondence Theory seems to have the highest percentage of support in relation to the definition of Truth - in philosophical terms.
I am reminded of the verse in 2 Timothy 3:7 where the apostle Paul speaking of the days in which we are living describes people who would be "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 
If you who are reading are on a quest to know ultimate Truth in all its dimensions, may I suggest you take a look in the Bible at the one who is TRUTH HIMSELF, the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus finished His earthly ministry, He told His disciples that He would send them a Helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:13 that "....when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."
In John 18:36-38, as Jesus stood before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who would decide whether He lived or would be condemned to be crucified, Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."
Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are you a king then?" Jesus answered: "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."
Pilate asked Jesus one of the most important questions He could have asked of the Son of God: "What is truth?" and he didn't bother to wait for the answer. Like Pilate, many today are searching for the meaning of Truth in Philosophy, Religion, Science - even Politics and always coming up short.
The apostle Paul warns in Colossians 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
He goes on to say in verses 9 and 10 For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Does it matter what we believe to be the Truth today? Isn't Truth relative to the circumstances, culture, socio-political setting in which we find ourselves today? Ah.........we shall have to leave the answers to these questions for another time in cyberspace in the not too far off future.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog. If you have any comments, would love to receive feedback. Keep all comments civil. Thanks!

VISION

More Than The Eyes Can See

Part 3

Many examples could be cited from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible of men and women who through their faith and obedience to the commission the Lord had called them to fulfill - were able to accomplish great exploits for God. They were not people who lived life without a clear sense of purpose and direction. They were people of great VISION, some having received literal visions and or dreams from the Lord. Many others knew from the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit the direction in which He was leading them in life, in order that they might fulfill their God-given destinies.
Since the time of Christ and the subsequent twenty centuries of the Christian Church, there have been many outstanding men and women in so many nations of the world who have been people of vision, who in their lifetimes have impacted their families, their local communities, their villages, towns, cities, and nations for the Kingdom of God. 
Probably the vast majority of these have been individual Christians who have devoted themselves wholly to following the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ wherever He would lead them and who have remained largely unknown to the world. They have been faithful servants of the Lord who knew their calling and commission from the Lord and followed that call with simple devotion to the Master. Sadly there have also been many Christians throughout the Christian era who, though having a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, have never pushed through to discover and fulfil the vision that God has or had for their lives - that they might make an impact for the Kingdom of God in their lifetimes.
Many of you who are reading this blog would know that I have been involved in Christian radio broadcasting for some years in the past, in a full time capacity from 1981 to the early 90's, firstly with Radio Rhema in Christchurch, New Zealand, and then from 1988 at Launceston's WAY FM in Tasmania.
In relation to this blog theme of Vision, I would like to highlight one man whose tenacious dedication to follow the vision he received from the Lord resulted in a worldwide media ministry, starting from primitive beginnings in a makeshift studio in his garage at his Christchurch home. The man's name was Richard (Dick) Berry.
In 1961, at the age of 20, he was miraculously healed of a back injury. He was already a Christian, but this healing prompted Richard Berry to an even greater commitment to God and in gratitude to the Lord, he offered himself to serve the Lord in whatever way he could.
It was then that he received a clear direction (vision) from the Lord to establish Christian radio in New Zealand, dedicating his life to that one consuming goal.
In those days, there was no such thing as private radio. On the contrary, there was strict government restriction on any form of private broadcasting with no real possibility of private groups gaining broadcasting licences.
Although very few others were able to share his vision or enthusiasm and excitement for it, he began to seek the Lord for ways he could implement his plans, and that is when the first studio was built in his own garage. A foundation of prayer was laid during these early years, which has characterised the ministry throughout its history. This commitment to prayer carried the vision through many years of struggles,disappointments and heartaches......and was the key to ultimate victory.
In 1968, a church property was purchased in Mairehau, a suburb of Christchurch, from which the first one day broadcast was held on the 23rd November 1974 - a day which Richard Berry looked back on one of the most significant and memorable of his life.
On 11th November, 1978, an even greater event took place, as Radio Rhema began broadcasting on a full-time basis.
This was a milestone, not only for Christchurch and New Zealand, but also throughout the British Commonwealth.
It was a tribute to the extraordinary faith, determination and courage of one man, who dared to take God at His word, and who had fought almost single-handedly against incredible odds to pursue the mission and the vision to which God had called him.
In the 26 years since Radio Rhema commenced broadcasting permanently with the call sign 3XG, Christchurch, not only has the ministry expanded to cover all of New Zealand on three radio networks; the Rhema Broadcasting Group also have a television service called Shine TV, as well as proclaiming the Gospel message and teaching through the internet, smart phone apps and printed publications. Internationally, as the umbrella organisation, UCB (United Christian Broadcasters), they have, in Australia established an ever expanding radio network, called the Vision Radio Network with close to six hundred cities, towns and small communities in every state and territory of Australia being impacted with sound Biblical teaching, and Christian music programming 24/7 every day. AND THE END IS NOT YET! UCB Australia has plans to expand the radio network by as many towns and communities across the nation of Australia as local interest demands, and finances and personnel are provided.
UCB International is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, with broadcasting affiliates in 25 countries. It also publishes and distributes the popular daily devotional, "The Word For Today" with Bob Gass.
All this from one man who dared to believe the vision he had of establishing Christian radio in New Zealand was, against seeming insurmountable odds, with time and patient faith, divinely possible.
Did Richard Berry ever receive a supernatural vision from the Lord played out before his eyes like a video or movie presentation? Not that I know of, but he certainly had a clear vision inspired by the Holy Spirit of fighting the good fight of faith to see Christian media become a reality in New Zealand and beyond. Richard Berry, sadly succumbed to a very aggressive form of cancer at the age of just 47, in 1988 - but the ministry has grown exponentially since then, for many years under the leadership of Hal Short, who was a very close ministry executive associate of Richard Berry.
The above is but one example of many men and women whose lives have impacted many by their faith and unwavering commitment to see birthed fruitful endeavours for the Kingdom of God, touching many lives with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Footnote: Much of the information concerning Richard Berry above was gleaned from a special tribute edition of Radio Rhema's "Frequency" magazine Issue No 153 (October 1988) following the death of Richard Berry.