God's Way
I have felt the Lord drawing me to go to Ipswich to work on my house for quite a few months. One obstacle was the lack of money. Another obstacle was a lack of skills and equipment.
This hesitancy had been going on long enough, so I prayed that the Lord would make Scott Donald call me again to offer to work on my house - and I resolved that I would agree to go to Ipswich on whatever day he nominated. I also declared that God would bring me into favour with people; that people would go out of their way to help me; and that all the equipment I need would be provided.
A few days later Scott rang. Someone had given him the acro-props I needed to do the job! And his plumbing work had become quiet, so he suggested Wednesday to do the work.
(I had previously worked for him for 24 hours. We agreed he would pay me in kind, by working on my house. He said that in return for my 24 hours labour, he owed me seven hours. He was paying me $20 per hour, which means he is charging me $70 per hour. I decided to accept his right to assert that hourly rate, and left it with the Lord to give me favour, so that people will go out of their way to help me).
Tuesday night came, but I still didn't have enough money to drive to Ipswich one-way, or even to buy a one-way train ticket. But there was no way I was going to break my Wednesday appointment now. It seemed impossible, however, to find any money by 6:45 the following morning, the time I would need to leave home to make my 8am appointment in Ipswich - and I was determined not to borrow any money.
During the day, I phoned John Sugar to tell him I wanted to give him a gift of a painting, as my way of saying thank you for all his kindness to me over the years. I also put aside another painting for him to look at, one I felt might be suitable for his clinic. That night John ended-up buying threeof my paintings for $400.
When I arrived in Ipswich, Scott provided a vehicle for me, full of petrol and tools - one vehicle for him and one for me.
We arrived at my house, and Scott had a list written-out of everything that needed to be done.
He collected a laundry-tub from a nearby job, and installed it for free.
Scott also provided a near-new bathroom vanity, which he knew was for me.
He also worked a couple of hours over and above the seven hours he owed me.
He even offered to cut the trees down for me at some future time.
And then another token of God's great love occurred. A sudden storm blew over. The rain was short-lasting but extremely heavy. We saw the flow of water from the street down my driveway towards the house. It showed us the source of the problems I'd been experiencing with the house. It also gave Scott the opportunity to get up on the roof and clear the gutters out.
The next day I was able to respond by digging a channel to direct the flow of the water away from the house. Later I also phoned the Council to discuss a solution to the water-flow problem from the street.
While Scott was on the ladder that day, an incredibly strong gust of wind arose. This showed me that the trees in the front yard are currently safe.
I didn't know where to stay that night, but I trusted the Lord. Then Scott told me I could stay at his mother's. God had it all taken care of.
On the way home after the second day's work I had to catch the Moggill Ferry because the traffic appeared to be blocked on Ipswich Road at Riverview. It was wonderful to see the large houses and properties that exist at Moggill, Bellbowrie and Chapel Hill. The Lord knew I would enjoy it.
Later that week I received my rent payment from the tenant; I also received a gift of $350 from a friend; then I received a contribution of US$200 in the mail. This was on top of the $400 I'd earned by selling those paintings. Then I remembered that when I was at church the previous Sunday, I was inspired to ask the Lord for an income of $1000 the following week - and it happened.
It is amazing that the night before my appointment in Ipswich, I had no cash at all. But by committing myself to act in faith, God gave me the favour I needed and multiplied my resources.
It made me realize that God doesn't want us to think of ways to labour towards financially achieving our goals. He wants us to only do the labour that He is drawing us to do - that, and no more (or no less). If we just do His will (do the work He is asking us to do) - if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (whatever that entails, for us) - then all these things will be added unto us. The blessing of the Lord is something that is added to us - it isn't something we can purchase out of the income produced through our own labour alone. An inheritance isn't earned, it is given. Yet we do have work to do. And the work is to believe.
So instead of devising independent ways of reaching our goals, let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; let's do the work He is asking of us (whatever that is, at the time) - and this may require a step of faith - then we will receive our goals, as a gift, not as something independently achieved.
That appears to be God's way.
Saturday 9 December 2006
God's Way
I have felt the Lord drawing me to go to Ipswich to work on my house for quite a few months. One obstacle was the lack of money. Another obstacle was a lack of skills and equipment.
This hesitancy had been going on long enough, so I prayed that the Lord would make Scott Donald call me again to offer to work on my house - and I resolved that I would agree to go to Ipswich on whatever day he nominated. I also declared that God would bring me into favour with people; that people would go out of their way to help me; and that all the equipment I need would be provided.
A few days later Scott rang. Someone had given him the acro-props I needed to do the job! And his plumbing work had become quiet, so he suggested Wednesday to do the work.
(I had previously worked for him for 24 hours. We agreed he would pay me in kind, by working on my house. He said that in return for my 24 hours labour, he owed me seven hours. He was paying me $20 per hour, which means he is charging me $70 per hour. I decided to accept his right to assert that hourly rate, and left it with the Lord to give me favour, so that people will go out of their way to help me).
Tuesday night came, but I still didn't have enough money to drive to Ipswich one-way, or even to buy a one-way train ticket. But there was no way I was going to break my Wednesday appointment now. It seemed impossible, however, to find any money by 6:45 the following morning, the time I would need to leave home to make my 8am appointment in Ipswich - and I was determined not to borrow any money.
During the day, I phoned John Sugar to tell him I wanted to give him a gift of a painting, as my way of saying thank you for all his kindness to me over the years. I also put aside another painting for him to look at, one I felt might be suitable for his clinic. That night John ended-up buying threeof my paintings for $400.
When I arrived in Ipswich, Scott provided a vehicle for me, full of petrol and tools - one vehicle for him and one for me.
We arrived at my house, and Scott had a list written-out of everything that needed to be done.
He collected a laundry-tub from a nearby job, and installed it for free.
Scott also provided a near-new bathroom vanity, which he knew was for me.
He also worked a couple of hours over and above the seven hours he owed me.
He even offered to cut the trees down for me at some future time.
And then another token of God's great love occurred. A sudden storm blew over. The rain was short-lasting but extremely heavy. We saw the flow of water from the street down my driveway towards the house. It showed us the source of the problems I'd been experiencing with the house. It also gave Scott the opportunity to get up on the roof and clear the gutters out.
The next day I was able to respond by digging a channel to direct the flow of the water away from the house. Later I also phoned the Council to discuss a solution to the water-flow problem from the street.
While Scott was on the ladder that day, an incredibly strong gust of wind arose. This showed me that the trees in the front yard are currently safe.
I didn't know where to stay that night, but I trusted the Lord. Then Scott told me I could stay at his mother's. God had it all taken care of.
On the way home after the second day's work I had to catch the Moggill Ferry because the traffic appeared to be blocked on Ipswich Road at Riverview. It was wonderful to see the large houses and properties that exist at Moggill, Bellbowrie and Chapel Hill. The Lord knew I would enjoy it.
Later that week I received my rent payment from the tenant; I also received a gift of $350 from a friend; then I received a contribution of US$200 in the mail. This was on top of the $400 I'd earned by selling those paintings. Then I remembered that when I was at church the previous Sunday, I was inspired to ask the Lord for an income of $1000 the following week - and it happened.
It is amazing that the night before my appointment in Ipswich, I had no cash at all. But by committing myself to act in faith, God gave me the favour I needed and multiplied my resources.
It made me realize that God doesn't want us to think of ways to labour towards financially achieving our goals. He wants us to only do the labour that He is drawing us to do - that, and no more (or no less). If we just do His will (do the work He is asking us to do) - if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (whatever that entails, for us) - then all these things will be added unto us. The blessing of the Lord is something that is added to us - it isn't something we can purchase out of the income produced through our own labour alone. An inheritance isn't earned, it is given. Yet we do have work to do. And the work is to believe.
So instead of devising independent ways of reaching our goals, let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; let's do the work He is asking of us (whatever that is, at the time) - and this may require a step of faith - then we will receive our goals, as a gift, not as something independently achieved.
That appears to be God's way.
I have felt the Lord drawing me to go to Ipswich to work on my house for quite a few months. One obstacle was the lack of money. Another obstacle was a lack of skills and equipment.
This hesitancy had been going on long enough, so I prayed that the Lord would make Scott Donald call me again to offer to work on my house - and I resolved that I would agree to go to Ipswich on whatever day he nominated. I also declared that God would bring me into favour with people; that people would go out of their way to help me; and that all the equipment I need would be provided.
A few days later Scott rang. Someone had given him the acro-props I needed to do the job! And his plumbing work had become quiet, so he suggested Wednesday to do the work.
(I had previously worked for him for 24 hours. We agreed he would pay me in kind, by working on my house. He said that in return for my 24 hours labour, he owed me seven hours. He was paying me $20 per hour, which means he is charging me $70 per hour. I decided to accept his right to assert that hourly rate, and left it with the Lord to give me favour, so that people will go out of their way to help me).
Tuesday night came, but I still didn't have enough money to drive to Ipswich one-way, or even to buy a one-way train ticket. But there was no way I was going to break my Wednesday appointment now. It seemed impossible, however, to find any money by 6:45 the following morning, the time I would need to leave home to make my 8am appointment in Ipswich - and I was determined not to borrow any money.
During the day, I phoned John Sugar to tell him I wanted to give him a gift of a painting, as my way of saying thank you for all his kindness to me over the years. I also put aside another painting for him to look at, one I felt might be suitable for his clinic. That night John ended-up buying threeof my paintings for $400.
When I arrived in Ipswich, Scott provided a vehicle for me, full of petrol and tools - one vehicle for him and one for me.
We arrived at my house, and Scott had a list written-out of everything that needed to be done.
He collected a laundry-tub from a nearby job, and installed it for free.
Scott also provided a near-new bathroom vanity, which he knew was for me.
He also worked a couple of hours over and above the seven hours he owed me.
He even offered to cut the trees down for me at some future time.
And then another token of God's great love occurred. A sudden storm blew over. The rain was short-lasting but extremely heavy. We saw the flow of water from the street down my driveway towards the house. It showed us the source of the problems I'd been experiencing with the house. It also gave Scott the opportunity to get up on the roof and clear the gutters out.
The next day I was able to respond by digging a channel to direct the flow of the water away from the house. Later I also phoned the Council to discuss a solution to the water-flow problem from the street.
While Scott was on the ladder that day, an incredibly strong gust of wind arose. This showed me that the trees in the front yard are currently safe.
I didn't know where to stay that night, but I trusted the Lord. Then Scott told me I could stay at his mother's. God had it all taken care of.
On the way home after the second day's work I had to catch the Moggill Ferry because the traffic appeared to be blocked on Ipswich Road at Riverview. It was wonderful to see the large houses and properties that exist at Moggill, Bellbowrie and Chapel Hill. The Lord knew I would enjoy it.
Later that week I received my rent payment from the tenant; I also received a gift of $350 from a friend; then I received a contribution of US$200 in the mail. This was on top of the $400 I'd earned by selling those paintings. Then I remembered that when I was at church the previous Sunday, I was inspired to ask the Lord for an income of $1000 the following week - and it happened.
It is amazing that the night before my appointment in Ipswich, I had no cash at all. But by committing myself to act in faith, God gave me the favour I needed and multiplied my resources.
It made me realize that God doesn't want us to think of ways to labour towards financially achieving our goals. He wants us to only do the labour that He is drawing us to do - that, and no more (or no less). If we just do His will (do the work He is asking us to do) - if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (whatever that entails, for us) - then all these things will be added unto us. The blessing of the Lord is something that is added to us - it isn't something we can purchase out of the income produced through our own labour alone. An inheritance isn't earned, it is given. Yet we do have work to do. And the work is to believe.
So instead of devising independent ways of reaching our goals, let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; let's do the work He is asking of us (whatever that is, at the time) - and this may require a step of faith - then we will receive our goals, as a gift, not as something independently achieved.
That appears to be God's way.
God's Way
I have felt the Lord drawing me to go to Ipswich to work on my house for quite a few months. One obstacle was the lack of money. Another obstacle was a lack of skills and equipment.
This hesitancy had been going on long enough, so I prayed that the Lord would make Scott Donald call me again to offer to work on my house - and I resolved that I would agree to go to Ipswich on whatever day he nominated. I also declared that God would bring me into favour with people; that people would go out of their way to help me; and that all the equipment I need would be provided.
A few days later Scott rang. Someone had given him the acro-props I needed to do the job! And his plumbing work had become quiet, so he suggested Wednesday to do the work.
(I had previously worked for him for 24 hours. We agreed he would pay me in kind, by working on my house. He said that in return for my 24 hours labour, he owed me seven hours. He was paying me $20 per hour, which means he is charging me $70 per hour. I decided to accept his right to assert that hourly rate, and left it with the Lord to give me favour, so that people will go out of their way to help me).
Tuesday night came, but I still didn't have enough money to drive to Ipswich one-way, or even to buy a one-way train ticket. But there was no way I was going to break my Wednesday appointment now. It seemed impossible, however, to find any money by 6:45 the following morning, the time I would need to leave home to make my 8am appointment in Ipswich - and I was determined not to borrow any money.
During the day, I phoned John Sugar to tell him I wanted to give him a gift of a painting, as my way of saying thank you for all his kindness to me over the years. I also put aside another painting for him to look at, one I felt might be suitable for his clinic. That night John ended-up buying threeof my paintings for $400.
When I arrived in Ipswich, Scott provided a vehicle for me, full of petrol and tools - one vehicle for him and one for me.
We arrived at my house, and Scott had a list written-out of everything that needed to be done.
He collected a laundry-tub from a nearby job, and installed it for free.
Scott also provided a near-new bathroom vanity, which he knew was for me.
He also worked a couple of hours over and above the seven hours he owed me.
He even offered to cut the trees down for me at some future time.
And then another token of God's great love occurred. A sudden storm blew over. The rain was short-lasting but extremely heavy. We saw the flow of water from the street down my driveway towards the house. It showed us the source of the problems I'd been experiencing with the house. It also gave Scott the opportunity to get up on the roof and clear the gutters out.
The next day I was able to respond by digging a channel to direct the flow of the water away from the house. Later I also phoned the Council to discuss a solution to the water-flow problem from the street.
While Scott was on the ladder that day, an incredibly strong gust of wind arose. This showed me that the trees in the front yard are currently safe.
I didn't know where to stay that night, but I trusted the Lord. Then Scott told me I could stay at his mother's. God had it all taken care of.
On the way home after the second day's work I had to catch the Moggill Ferry because the traffic appeared to be blocked on Ipswich Road at Riverview. It was wonderful to see the large houses and properties that exist at Moggill, Bellbowrie and Chapel Hill. The Lord knew I would enjoy it.
Later that week I received my rent payment from the tenant; I also received a gift of $350 from a friend; then I received a contribution of US$200 in the mail. This was on top of the $400 I'd earned by selling those paintings. Then I remembered that when I was at church the previous Sunday, I was inspired to ask the Lord for an income of $1000 the following week - and it happened.
It is amazing that the night before my appointment in Ipswich, I had no cash at all. But by committing myself to act in faith, God gave me the favour I needed and multiplied my resources.
It made me realize that God doesn't want us to think of ways to labour towards financially achieving our goals. He wants us to only do the labour that He is drawing us to do - that, and no more (or no less). If we just do His will (do the work He is asking us to do) - if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (whatever that entails, for us) - then all these things will be added unto us. The blessing of the Lord is something that is added to us - it isn't something we can purchase out of the income produced through our own labour alone. An inheritance isn't earned, it is given. Yet we do have work to do. And the work is to believe.
So instead of devising independent ways of reaching our goals, let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; let's do the work He is asking of us (whatever that is, at the time) - and this may require a step of faith - then we will receive our goals, as a gift, not as something independently achieved.
That appears to be God's way.
I have felt the Lord drawing me to go to Ipswich to work on my house for quite a few months. One obstacle was the lack of money. Another obstacle was a lack of skills and equipment.
This hesitancy had been going on long enough, so I prayed that the Lord would make Scott Donald call me again to offer to work on my house - and I resolved that I would agree to go to Ipswich on whatever day he nominated. I also declared that God would bring me into favour with people; that people would go out of their way to help me; and that all the equipment I need would be provided.
A few days later Scott rang. Someone had given him the acro-props I needed to do the job! And his plumbing work had become quiet, so he suggested Wednesday to do the work.
(I had previously worked for him for 24 hours. We agreed he would pay me in kind, by working on my house. He said that in return for my 24 hours labour, he owed me seven hours. He was paying me $20 per hour, which means he is charging me $70 per hour. I decided to accept his right to assert that hourly rate, and left it with the Lord to give me favour, so that people will go out of their way to help me).
Tuesday night came, but I still didn't have enough money to drive to Ipswich one-way, or even to buy a one-way train ticket. But there was no way I was going to break my Wednesday appointment now. It seemed impossible, however, to find any money by 6:45 the following morning, the time I would need to leave home to make my 8am appointment in Ipswich - and I was determined not to borrow any money.
During the day, I phoned John Sugar to tell him I wanted to give him a gift of a painting, as my way of saying thank you for all his kindness to me over the years. I also put aside another painting for him to look at, one I felt might be suitable for his clinic. That night John ended-up buying threeof my paintings for $400.
When I arrived in Ipswich, Scott provided a vehicle for me, full of petrol and tools - one vehicle for him and one for me.
We arrived at my house, and Scott had a list written-out of everything that needed to be done.
He collected a laundry-tub from a nearby job, and installed it for free.
Scott also provided a near-new bathroom vanity, which he knew was for me.
He also worked a couple of hours over and above the seven hours he owed me.
He even offered to cut the trees down for me at some future time.
And then another token of God's great love occurred. A sudden storm blew over. The rain was short-lasting but extremely heavy. We saw the flow of water from the street down my driveway towards the house. It showed us the source of the problems I'd been experiencing with the house. It also gave Scott the opportunity to get up on the roof and clear the gutters out.
The next day I was able to respond by digging a channel to direct the flow of the water away from the house. Later I also phoned the Council to discuss a solution to the water-flow problem from the street.
While Scott was on the ladder that day, an incredibly strong gust of wind arose. This showed me that the trees in the front yard are currently safe.
I didn't know where to stay that night, but I trusted the Lord. Then Scott told me I could stay at his mother's. God had it all taken care of.
On the way home after the second day's work I had to catch the Moggill Ferry because the traffic appeared to be blocked on Ipswich Road at Riverview. It was wonderful to see the large houses and properties that exist at Moggill, Bellbowrie and Chapel Hill. The Lord knew I would enjoy it.
Later that week I received my rent payment from the tenant; I also received a gift of $350 from a friend; then I received a contribution of US$200 in the mail. This was on top of the $400 I'd earned by selling those paintings. Then I remembered that when I was at church the previous Sunday, I was inspired to ask the Lord for an income of $1000 the following week - and it happened.
It is amazing that the night before my appointment in Ipswich, I had no cash at all. But by committing myself to act in faith, God gave me the favour I needed and multiplied my resources.
It made me realize that God doesn't want us to think of ways to labour towards financially achieving our goals. He wants us to only do the labour that He is drawing us to do - that, and no more (or no less). If we just do His will (do the work He is asking us to do) - if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (whatever that entails, for us) - then all these things will be added unto us. The blessing of the Lord is something that is added to us - it isn't something we can purchase out of the income produced through our own labour alone. An inheritance isn't earned, it is given. Yet we do have work to do. And the work is to believe.
So instead of devising independent ways of reaching our goals, let us seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; let's do the work He is asking of us (whatever that is, at the time) - and this may require a step of faith - then we will receive our goals, as a gift, not as something independently achieved.
That appears to be God's way.
Monday 27 November 2006
Thursday 23 November 2006
Ipswich
The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Paul Pisasale invited the Ipswich Ministers' Fraternal to hold a Christian celebration in conjunction with the Naturalization Ceremony last night.
The people who became Australian Citizens last night came from countries including the USA, England, Wales, South Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Kazakstan.
A free Bible was presented to each new citizen by the Church of Christ. Last night the 500th Bible was given away since the Church of Christ started doing this.
A free BBQ was provided by the Salvation Army. I spoke with Fred and Christine Muiys, John Hunt, Andrew Wales, Elwyn Denman and John and Lota Coyle; and I also saw Tala and another school friend.
(I remember the day, years ago, when Paul Pisasale responded on an alter call and knelt down - when the Ipswich Assembly of God held a city-wide event with the Power Team.)
There were a few hundred believers gathered for the Citizenship ceremony, singing, worship and prayer for the city.
It was good to see the combination of church and state in action. It is good when the decision to hold a combined churches event was made by the legislators of the city.
The Mayor asked Pastor Mark Edwards to write a prayer for the city (click to enlarge):
The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Paul Pisasale invited the Ipswich Ministers' Fraternal to hold a Christian celebration in conjunction with the Naturalization Ceremony last night.
The people who became Australian Citizens last night came from countries including the USA, England, Wales, South Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Kazakstan.
A free Bible was presented to each new citizen by the Church of Christ. Last night the 500th Bible was given away since the Church of Christ started doing this.
A free BBQ was provided by the Salvation Army. I spoke with Fred and Christine Muiys, John Hunt, Andrew Wales, Elwyn Denman and John and Lota Coyle; and I also saw Tala and another school friend.
(I remember the day, years ago, when Paul Pisasale responded on an alter call and knelt down - when the Ipswich Assembly of God held a city-wide event with the Power Team.)
There were a few hundred believers gathered for the Citizenship ceremony, singing, worship and prayer for the city.
It was good to see the combination of church and state in action. It is good when the decision to hold a combined churches event was made by the legislators of the city.
The Mayor asked Pastor Mark Edwards to write a prayer for the city (click to enlarge):
Ipswich
The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Paul Pisasale invited the Ipswich Ministers' Fraternal to hold a Christian celebration in conjunction with the Naturalization Ceremony last night.
The people who became Australian Citizens last night came from countries including the USA, England, Wales, South Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Kazakstan.
A free Bible was presented to each new citizen by the Church of Christ. Last night the 500th Bible was given away since the Church of Christ started doing this.
A free BBQ was provided by the Salvation Army. I spoke with Fred and Christine Muiys, John Hunt, Andrew Wales, Elwyn Denman and John and Lota Coyle; and I also saw Tala and another school friend.
(I remember the day, years ago, when Paul Pisasale responded on an alter call and knelt down - when the Ipswich Assembly of God held a city-wide event with the Power Team.)
There were a few hundred believers gathered for the Citizenship ceremony, singing, worship and prayer for the city.
It was good to see the combination of church and state in action. It is good when the decision to hold a combined churches event was made by the legislators of the city.
The Mayor asked Pastor Mark Edwards to write a prayer for the city (click to enlarge):
The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Paul Pisasale invited the Ipswich Ministers' Fraternal to hold a Christian celebration in conjunction with the Naturalization Ceremony last night.
The people who became Australian Citizens last night came from countries including the USA, England, Wales, South Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Kazakstan.
A free Bible was presented to each new citizen by the Church of Christ. Last night the 500th Bible was given away since the Church of Christ started doing this.
A free BBQ was provided by the Salvation Army. I spoke with Fred and Christine Muiys, John Hunt, Andrew Wales, Elwyn Denman and John and Lota Coyle; and I also saw Tala and another school friend.
(I remember the day, years ago, when Paul Pisasale responded on an alter call and knelt down - when the Ipswich Assembly of God held a city-wide event with the Power Team.)
There were a few hundred believers gathered for the Citizenship ceremony, singing, worship and prayer for the city.
It was good to see the combination of church and state in action. It is good when the decision to hold a combined churches event was made by the legislators of the city.
The Mayor asked Pastor Mark Edwards to write a prayer for the city (click to enlarge):
Ipswich
The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Paul Pisasale invited the Ipswich Ministers' Fraternal to hold a Christian celebration in conjunction with the Naturalization Ceremony last night.
The people who became Australian Citizens last night came from countries including the USA, England, Wales, South Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Kazakstan.
A free Bible was presented to each new citizen by the Church of Christ. Last night the 500th Bible was given away since the Church of Christ started doing this.
A free BBQ was provided by the Salvation Army. I spoke with Fred and Christine Muiys, John Hunt, Andrew Wales, Elwyn Denman and John and Lota Coyle; and I also saw Tala and another school friend.
(I remember the day, years ago, when Paul Pisasale responded on an alter call and knelt down - when the Ipswich Assembly of God held a city-wide event with the Power Team.)
There were a few hundred believers gathered for the Citizenship ceremony, singing, worship and prayer for the city.
It was good to see the combination of church and state in action. It is good when the decision to hold a combined churches event was made by the legislators of the city.
The Mayor asked Pastor Mark Edwards to write a prayer for the city (click to enlarge):
The Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Paul Pisasale invited the Ipswich Ministers' Fraternal to hold a Christian celebration in conjunction with the Naturalization Ceremony last night.
The people who became Australian Citizens last night came from countries including the USA, England, Wales, South Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Kazakstan.
A free Bible was presented to each new citizen by the Church of Christ. Last night the 500th Bible was given away since the Church of Christ started doing this.
A free BBQ was provided by the Salvation Army. I spoke with Fred and Christine Muiys, John Hunt, Andrew Wales, Elwyn Denman and John and Lota Coyle; and I also saw Tala and another school friend.
(I remember the day, years ago, when Paul Pisasale responded on an alter call and knelt down - when the Ipswich Assembly of God held a city-wide event with the Power Team.)
There were a few hundred believers gathered for the Citizenship ceremony, singing, worship and prayer for the city.
It was good to see the combination of church and state in action. It is good when the decision to hold a combined churches event was made by the legislators of the city.
The Mayor asked Pastor Mark Edwards to write a prayer for the city (click to enlarge):
I Thought It Would Be Nice
A couple of months ago when Pastor Fred Muiys told me about a combined-churches event to take place in Ipswich in November in co-operation with the Ipswich City Council, I said, "I would like to go to that". My spirit had spoken it.
Well that event was last night. In the morning it seemed difficult for me to go because I thought I only had enough money to buy a one-way train ticket, even if I withdrew all available funds from my bank accounts. But I was determined to go, because I knew what my spirit had spoken about going, months before.
I knew if I bought a one-way ticket, God would somehow provide for my return journey. Nevertheless I was thinking how nice it would be to simly be able to buy my return ticket upfront.
Well before going to the train station, I cleared-out my three bank accounts of all the available funds - and lo and behold it amounted to 20c above the price of a return ticket!
A couple of months ago when Pastor Fred Muiys told me about a combined-churches event to take place in Ipswich in November in co-operation with the Ipswich City Council, I said, "I would like to go to that". My spirit had spoken it.
Well that event was last night. In the morning it seemed difficult for me to go because I thought I only had enough money to buy a one-way train ticket, even if I withdrew all available funds from my bank accounts. But I was determined to go, because I knew what my spirit had spoken about going, months before.
I knew if I bought a one-way ticket, God would somehow provide for my return journey. Nevertheless I was thinking how nice it would be to simly be able to buy my return ticket upfront.
Well before going to the train station, I cleared-out my three bank accounts of all the available funds - and lo and behold it amounted to 20c above the price of a return ticket!
I Thought It Would Be Nice
A couple of months ago when Pastor Fred Muiys told me about a combined-churches event to take place in Ipswich in November in co-operation with the Ipswich City Council, I said, "I would like to go to that". My spirit had spoken it.
Well that event was last night. In the morning it seemed difficult for me to go because I thought I only had enough money to buy a one-way train ticket, even if I withdrew all available funds from my bank accounts. But I was determined to go, because I knew what my spirit had spoken about going, months before.
I knew if I bought a one-way ticket, God would somehow provide for my return journey. Nevertheless I was thinking how nice it would be to simly be able to buy my return ticket upfront.
Well before going to the train station, I cleared-out my three bank accounts of all the available funds - and lo and behold it amounted to 20c above the price of a return ticket!
A couple of months ago when Pastor Fred Muiys told me about a combined-churches event to take place in Ipswich in November in co-operation with the Ipswich City Council, I said, "I would like to go to that". My spirit had spoken it.
Well that event was last night. In the morning it seemed difficult for me to go because I thought I only had enough money to buy a one-way train ticket, even if I withdrew all available funds from my bank accounts. But I was determined to go, because I knew what my spirit had spoken about going, months before.
I knew if I bought a one-way ticket, God would somehow provide for my return journey. Nevertheless I was thinking how nice it would be to simly be able to buy my return ticket upfront.
Well before going to the train station, I cleared-out my three bank accounts of all the available funds - and lo and behold it amounted to 20c above the price of a return ticket!
I Thought It Would Be Nice
A couple of months ago when Pastor Fred Muiys told me about a combined-churches event to take place in Ipswich in November in co-operation with the Ipswich City Council, I said, "I would like to go to that". My spirit had spoken it.
Well that event was last night. In the morning it seemed difficult for me to go because I thought I only had enough money to buy a one-way train ticket, even if I withdrew all available funds from my bank accounts. But I was determined to go, because I knew what my spirit had spoken about going, months before.
I knew if I bought a one-way ticket, God would somehow provide for my return journey. Nevertheless I was thinking how nice it would be to simly be able to buy my return ticket upfront.
Well before going to the train station, I cleared-out my three bank accounts of all the available funds - and lo and behold it amounted to 20c above the price of a return ticket!
A couple of months ago when Pastor Fred Muiys told me about a combined-churches event to take place in Ipswich in November in co-operation with the Ipswich City Council, I said, "I would like to go to that". My spirit had spoken it.
Well that event was last night. In the morning it seemed difficult for me to go because I thought I only had enough money to buy a one-way train ticket, even if I withdrew all available funds from my bank accounts. But I was determined to go, because I knew what my spirit had spoken about going, months before.
I knew if I bought a one-way ticket, God would somehow provide for my return journey. Nevertheless I was thinking how nice it would be to simly be able to buy my return ticket upfront.
Well before going to the train station, I cleared-out my three bank accounts of all the available funds - and lo and behold it amounted to 20c above the price of a return ticket!
Thursday 16 November 2006
Wednesday 15 November 2006
To Bless You in Some Way
There was yet another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. I knew it shouldn't normally be difficult for a child of God to get to sleep, for "He giveth His beloved sleep". So I flicked on the light and asked the Lord, "What is it?"
I picked-up my Bible from the bedside table, and it fell open at the verse in Acts where the angel of the Lord instructed Philip to leave Samaria and go down to the desert road called Gaza, where he met the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to Christ.
I said to the Lord, "If you are telling me that you want me to go somewhere, tell me where - first thing in the morning".
Then I was able to go to sleep soundly!
The next morning when I woke up, the first thing that came to me was, "Toowoomba".
I said to the Lord, "If you are saying that you want me to go to Toowoomba, have my mother open my bedroom door and place her hand on my back".
Whilst I was still speaking I heard footsteps at the door. Mum wouldn't normally do this without knocking - but she opened the door and put her hand on my back. This never happened before nor since.
During the morning while I was pondering how to get to Toowoomba, the Lord said to me, "Arturo". Arturo is a friend of mine who I once ran a home-meeting with - but we hadn't done any ministry together for four years.
I also saw a vision of two dark-skinned people, a man and his wife. I could see their beautiful character shining through their faces. I could almost reach out and touch them. I wondered, "Who are these people?" I longed to get to know them.
"Maybe I'll meet them in Toowoomba," I thought.
The phone rang - and would you believe, it was Arturo. He said, "John, I am going to Toowoomba on Saturay. Would you like to come?" He suggested I catch the train to Beenleigh, then he would drive from there. I didn't at the time have any money to buy the train ticket, but I was so sure the Lord wouldn't let me miss His will over something small like that. So we agreed.
Saturday came, and I still didn't have any money for the ticket, but I saw a vision of a fifty dollar note. I decided to ask my brother and sister-in-law to drive me to the train station anyway. I'd heard a story before of someone going to the train station by faith and whilst standing in line, somebody gave him a ticket. So I gathered it was going to happen this way for me too.
But a few minutes before we were due to leave home, I cracked under pressure and asked my sister-in-law if I could borrow ten dollars. She replied, "Don't worry, Peter and I had already decided to give you something." Just before we left the house they ended-up giving me fifty dollars.
When we arrived in Toowoomba, Arturo said to me, "I'll take you to meet my friends". We knocked on the door, and who should greet us at the door but the delightful couple I'd seen in the vision. They were pastors, from Zimbabwe. They gave us a beautiful African dinner, and we stayed overnight then ministered in their Sunday church service the next morning.
Afterwards Arturo returned home, but the Holy Spirit led me to stay in Toowoomba where my work extended for another three months. The Lord opened many doors for me to preach the Gospel - and some of the most lasting friendships and some of the richest provision I've ever received in my life came from that time in Toowoomba.
God had it planned all along. And that's why I wasn't finding it easy to get to sleep that night - He was wanting to arrest my attention about a new direction.
So don't fret if you have trouble getting to sleep one night. Ask the Lord what it is: it could be that He wants to use you, speak to you, commune with you or bless you in some new way.
There was yet another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. I knew it shouldn't normally be difficult for a child of God to get to sleep, for "He giveth His beloved sleep". So I flicked on the light and asked the Lord, "What is it?"
I picked-up my Bible from the bedside table, and it fell open at the verse in Acts where the angel of the Lord instructed Philip to leave Samaria and go down to the desert road called Gaza, where he met the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to Christ.
I said to the Lord, "If you are telling me that you want me to go somewhere, tell me where - first thing in the morning".
Then I was able to go to sleep soundly!
The next morning when I woke up, the first thing that came to me was, "Toowoomba".
I said to the Lord, "If you are saying that you want me to go to Toowoomba, have my mother open my bedroom door and place her hand on my back".
Whilst I was still speaking I heard footsteps at the door. Mum wouldn't normally do this without knocking - but she opened the door and put her hand on my back. This never happened before nor since.
During the morning while I was pondering how to get to Toowoomba, the Lord said to me, "Arturo". Arturo is a friend of mine who I once ran a home-meeting with - but we hadn't done any ministry together for four years.
I also saw a vision of two dark-skinned people, a man and his wife. I could see their beautiful character shining through their faces. I could almost reach out and touch them. I wondered, "Who are these people?" I longed to get to know them.
"Maybe I'll meet them in Toowoomba," I thought.
The phone rang - and would you believe, it was Arturo. He said, "John, I am going to Toowoomba on Saturay. Would you like to come?" He suggested I catch the train to Beenleigh, then he would drive from there. I didn't at the time have any money to buy the train ticket, but I was so sure the Lord wouldn't let me miss His will over something small like that. So we agreed.
Saturday came, and I still didn't have any money for the ticket, but I saw a vision of a fifty dollar note. I decided to ask my brother and sister-in-law to drive me to the train station anyway. I'd heard a story before of someone going to the train station by faith and whilst standing in line, somebody gave him a ticket. So I gathered it was going to happen this way for me too.
But a few minutes before we were due to leave home, I cracked under pressure and asked my sister-in-law if I could borrow ten dollars. She replied, "Don't worry, Peter and I had already decided to give you something." Just before we left the house they ended-up giving me fifty dollars.
When we arrived in Toowoomba, Arturo said to me, "I'll take you to meet my friends". We knocked on the door, and who should greet us at the door but the delightful couple I'd seen in the vision. They were pastors, from Zimbabwe. They gave us a beautiful African dinner, and we stayed overnight then ministered in their Sunday church service the next morning.
Afterwards Arturo returned home, but the Holy Spirit led me to stay in Toowoomba where my work extended for another three months. The Lord opened many doors for me to preach the Gospel - and some of the most lasting friendships and some of the richest provision I've ever received in my life came from that time in Toowoomba.
God had it planned all along. And that's why I wasn't finding it easy to get to sleep that night - He was wanting to arrest my attention about a new direction.
So don't fret if you have trouble getting to sleep one night. Ask the Lord what it is: it could be that He wants to use you, speak to you, commune with you or bless you in some new way.
To Bless You in Some Way
There was yet another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. I knew it shouldn't normally be difficult for a child of God to get to sleep, for "He giveth His beloved sleep". So I flicked on the light and asked the Lord, "What is it?"
I picked-up my Bible from the bedside table, and it fell open at the verse in Acts where the angel of the Lord instructed Philip to leave Samaria and go down to the desert road called Gaza, where he met the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to Christ.
I said to the Lord, "If you are telling me that you want me to go somewhere, tell me where - first thing in the morning".
Then I was able to go to sleep soundly!
The next morning when I woke up, the first thing that came to me was, "Toowoomba".
I said to the Lord, "If you are saying that you want me to go to Toowoomba, have my mother open my bedroom door and place her hand on my back".
Whilst I was still speaking I heard footsteps at the door. Mum wouldn't normally do this without knocking - but she opened the door and put her hand on my back. This never happened before nor since.
During the morning while I was pondering how to get to Toowoomba, the Lord said to me, "Arturo". Arturo is a friend of mine who I once ran a home-meeting with - but we hadn't done any ministry together for four years.
I also saw a vision of two dark-skinned people, a man and his wife. I could see their beautiful character shining through their faces. I could almost reach out and touch them. I wondered, "Who are these people?" I longed to get to know them.
"Maybe I'll meet them in Toowoomba," I thought.
The phone rang - and would you believe, it was Arturo. He said, "John, I am going to Toowoomba on Saturay. Would you like to come?" He suggested I catch the train to Beenleigh, then he would drive from there. I didn't at the time have any money to buy the train ticket, but I was so sure the Lord wouldn't let me miss His will over something small like that. So we agreed.
Saturday came, and I still didn't have any money for the ticket, but I saw a vision of a fifty dollar note. I decided to ask my brother and sister-in-law to drive me to the train station anyway. I'd heard a story before of someone going to the train station by faith and whilst standing in line, somebody gave him a ticket. So I gathered it was going to happen this way for me too.
But a few minutes before we were due to leave home, I cracked under pressure and asked my sister-in-law if I could borrow ten dollars. She replied, "Don't worry, Peter and I had already decided to give you something." Just before we left the house they ended-up giving me fifty dollars.
When we arrived in Toowoomba, Arturo said to me, "I'll take you to meet my friends". We knocked on the door, and who should greet us at the door but the delightful couple I'd seen in the vision. They were pastors, from Zimbabwe. They gave us a beautiful African dinner, and we stayed overnight then ministered in their Sunday church service the next morning.
Afterwards Arturo returned home, but the Holy Spirit led me to stay in Toowoomba where my work extended for another three months. The Lord opened many doors for me to preach the Gospel - and some of the most lasting friendships and some of the richest provision I've ever received in my life came from that time in Toowoomba.
God had it planned all along. And that's why I wasn't finding it easy to get to sleep that night - He was wanting to arrest my attention about a new direction.
So don't fret if you have trouble getting to sleep one night. Ask the Lord what it is: it could be that He wants to use you, speak to you, commune with you or bless you in some new way.
There was yet another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. I knew it shouldn't normally be difficult for a child of God to get to sleep, for "He giveth His beloved sleep". So I flicked on the light and asked the Lord, "What is it?"
I picked-up my Bible from the bedside table, and it fell open at the verse in Acts where the angel of the Lord instructed Philip to leave Samaria and go down to the desert road called Gaza, where he met the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to Christ.
I said to the Lord, "If you are telling me that you want me to go somewhere, tell me where - first thing in the morning".
Then I was able to go to sleep soundly!
The next morning when I woke up, the first thing that came to me was, "Toowoomba".
I said to the Lord, "If you are saying that you want me to go to Toowoomba, have my mother open my bedroom door and place her hand on my back".
Whilst I was still speaking I heard footsteps at the door. Mum wouldn't normally do this without knocking - but she opened the door and put her hand on my back. This never happened before nor since.
During the morning while I was pondering how to get to Toowoomba, the Lord said to me, "Arturo". Arturo is a friend of mine who I once ran a home-meeting with - but we hadn't done any ministry together for four years.
I also saw a vision of two dark-skinned people, a man and his wife. I could see their beautiful character shining through their faces. I could almost reach out and touch them. I wondered, "Who are these people?" I longed to get to know them.
"Maybe I'll meet them in Toowoomba," I thought.
The phone rang - and would you believe, it was Arturo. He said, "John, I am going to Toowoomba on Saturay. Would you like to come?" He suggested I catch the train to Beenleigh, then he would drive from there. I didn't at the time have any money to buy the train ticket, but I was so sure the Lord wouldn't let me miss His will over something small like that. So we agreed.
Saturday came, and I still didn't have any money for the ticket, but I saw a vision of a fifty dollar note. I decided to ask my brother and sister-in-law to drive me to the train station anyway. I'd heard a story before of someone going to the train station by faith and whilst standing in line, somebody gave him a ticket. So I gathered it was going to happen this way for me too.
But a few minutes before we were due to leave home, I cracked under pressure and asked my sister-in-law if I could borrow ten dollars. She replied, "Don't worry, Peter and I had already decided to give you something." Just before we left the house they ended-up giving me fifty dollars.
When we arrived in Toowoomba, Arturo said to me, "I'll take you to meet my friends". We knocked on the door, and who should greet us at the door but the delightful couple I'd seen in the vision. They were pastors, from Zimbabwe. They gave us a beautiful African dinner, and we stayed overnight then ministered in their Sunday church service the next morning.
Afterwards Arturo returned home, but the Holy Spirit led me to stay in Toowoomba where my work extended for another three months. The Lord opened many doors for me to preach the Gospel - and some of the most lasting friendships and some of the richest provision I've ever received in my life came from that time in Toowoomba.
God had it planned all along. And that's why I wasn't finding it easy to get to sleep that night - He was wanting to arrest my attention about a new direction.
So don't fret if you have trouble getting to sleep one night. Ask the Lord what it is: it could be that He wants to use you, speak to you, commune with you or bless you in some new way.
To Bless You in Some Way
There was yet another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. I knew it shouldn't normally be difficult for a child of God to get to sleep, for "He giveth His beloved sleep". So I flicked on the light and asked the Lord, "What is it?"
I picked-up my Bible from the bedside table, and it fell open at the verse in Acts where the angel of the Lord instructed Philip to leave Samaria and go down to the desert road called Gaza, where he met the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to Christ.
I said to the Lord, "If you are telling me that you want me to go somewhere, tell me where - first thing in the morning".
Then I was able to go to sleep soundly!
The next morning when I woke up, the first thing that came to me was, "Toowoomba".
I said to the Lord, "If you are saying that you want me to go to Toowoomba, have my mother open my bedroom door and place her hand on my back".
Whilst I was still speaking I heard footsteps at the door. Mum wouldn't normally do this without knocking - but she opened the door and put her hand on my back. This never happened before nor since.
During the morning while I was pondering how to get to Toowoomba, the Lord said to me, "Arturo". Arturo is a friend of mine who I once ran a home-meeting with - but we hadn't done any ministry together for four years.
I also saw a vision of two dark-skinned people, a man and his wife. I could see their beautiful character shining through their faces. I could almost reach out and touch them. I wondered, "Who are these people?" I longed to get to know them.
"Maybe I'll meet them in Toowoomba," I thought.
The phone rang - and would you believe, it was Arturo. He said, "John, I am going to Toowoomba on Saturay. Would you like to come?" He suggested I catch the train to Beenleigh, then he would drive from there. I didn't at the time have any money to buy the train ticket, but I was so sure the Lord wouldn't let me miss His will over something small like that. So we agreed.
Saturday came, and I still didn't have any money for the ticket, but I saw a vision of a fifty dollar note. I decided to ask my brother and sister-in-law to drive me to the train station anyway. I'd heard a story before of someone going to the train station by faith and whilst standing in line, somebody gave him a ticket. So I gathered it was going to happen this way for me too.
But a few minutes before we were due to leave home, I cracked under pressure and asked my sister-in-law if I could borrow ten dollars. She replied, "Don't worry, Peter and I had already decided to give you something." Just before we left the house they ended-up giving me fifty dollars.
When we arrived in Toowoomba, Arturo said to me, "I'll take you to meet my friends". We knocked on the door, and who should greet us at the door but the delightful couple I'd seen in the vision. They were pastors, from Zimbabwe. They gave us a beautiful African dinner, and we stayed overnight then ministered in their Sunday church service the next morning.
Afterwards Arturo returned home, but the Holy Spirit led me to stay in Toowoomba where my work extended for another three months. The Lord opened many doors for me to preach the Gospel - and some of the most lasting friendships and some of the richest provision I've ever received in my life came from that time in Toowoomba.
God had it planned all along. And that's why I wasn't finding it easy to get to sleep that night - He was wanting to arrest my attention about a new direction.
So don't fret if you have trouble getting to sleep one night. Ask the Lord what it is: it could be that He wants to use you, speak to you, commune with you or bless you in some new way.
There was yet another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. I knew it shouldn't normally be difficult for a child of God to get to sleep, for "He giveth His beloved sleep". So I flicked on the light and asked the Lord, "What is it?"
I picked-up my Bible from the bedside table, and it fell open at the verse in Acts where the angel of the Lord instructed Philip to leave Samaria and go down to the desert road called Gaza, where he met the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to Christ.
I said to the Lord, "If you are telling me that you want me to go somewhere, tell me where - first thing in the morning".
Then I was able to go to sleep soundly!
The next morning when I woke up, the first thing that came to me was, "Toowoomba".
I said to the Lord, "If you are saying that you want me to go to Toowoomba, have my mother open my bedroom door and place her hand on my back".
Whilst I was still speaking I heard footsteps at the door. Mum wouldn't normally do this without knocking - but she opened the door and put her hand on my back. This never happened before nor since.
During the morning while I was pondering how to get to Toowoomba, the Lord said to me, "Arturo". Arturo is a friend of mine who I once ran a home-meeting with - but we hadn't done any ministry together for four years.
I also saw a vision of two dark-skinned people, a man and his wife. I could see their beautiful character shining through their faces. I could almost reach out and touch them. I wondered, "Who are these people?" I longed to get to know them.
"Maybe I'll meet them in Toowoomba," I thought.
The phone rang - and would you believe, it was Arturo. He said, "John, I am going to Toowoomba on Saturay. Would you like to come?" He suggested I catch the train to Beenleigh, then he would drive from there. I didn't at the time have any money to buy the train ticket, but I was so sure the Lord wouldn't let me miss His will over something small like that. So we agreed.
Saturday came, and I still didn't have any money for the ticket, but I saw a vision of a fifty dollar note. I decided to ask my brother and sister-in-law to drive me to the train station anyway. I'd heard a story before of someone going to the train station by faith and whilst standing in line, somebody gave him a ticket. So I gathered it was going to happen this way for me too.
But a few minutes before we were due to leave home, I cracked under pressure and asked my sister-in-law if I could borrow ten dollars. She replied, "Don't worry, Peter and I had already decided to give you something." Just before we left the house they ended-up giving me fifty dollars.
When we arrived in Toowoomba, Arturo said to me, "I'll take you to meet my friends". We knocked on the door, and who should greet us at the door but the delightful couple I'd seen in the vision. They were pastors, from Zimbabwe. They gave us a beautiful African dinner, and we stayed overnight then ministered in their Sunday church service the next morning.
Afterwards Arturo returned home, but the Holy Spirit led me to stay in Toowoomba where my work extended for another three months. The Lord opened many doors for me to preach the Gospel - and some of the most lasting friendships and some of the richest provision I've ever received in my life came from that time in Toowoomba.
God had it planned all along. And that's why I wasn't finding it easy to get to sleep that night - He was wanting to arrest my attention about a new direction.
So don't fret if you have trouble getting to sleep one night. Ask the Lord what it is: it could be that He wants to use you, speak to you, commune with you or bless you in some new way.
He Giveth His Beloved Sleep
There was another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. Then my mobile phone rang. It was my sister - she had locked herself out of her house, so she needed to come and get the spare set which we keep at our house. I gave her the keys, and then I was able to get to sleep easily. Had I been able to sleep earlier I wouldn't have heard my phone. There is always a reason for it because "He giveth his beloved sleep".
There was another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. Then my mobile phone rang. It was my sister - she had locked herself out of her house, so she needed to come and get the spare set which we keep at our house. I gave her the keys, and then I was able to get to sleep easily. Had I been able to sleep earlier I wouldn't have heard my phone. There is always a reason for it because "He giveth his beloved sleep".
He Giveth His Beloved Sleep
There was another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. Then my mobile phone rang. It was my sister - she had locked herself out of her house, so she needed to come and get the spare set which we keep at our house. I gave her the keys, and then I was able to get to sleep easily. Had I been able to sleep earlier I wouldn't have heard my phone. There is always a reason for it because "He giveth his beloved sleep".
There was another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. Then my mobile phone rang. It was my sister - she had locked herself out of her house, so she needed to come and get the spare set which we keep at our house. I gave her the keys, and then I was able to get to sleep easily. Had I been able to sleep earlier I wouldn't have heard my phone. There is always a reason for it because "He giveth his beloved sleep".
He Giveth His Beloved Sleep
There was another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. Then my mobile phone rang. It was my sister - she had locked herself out of her house, so she needed to come and get the spare set which we keep at our house. I gave her the keys, and then I was able to get to sleep easily. Had I been able to sleep earlier I wouldn't have heard my phone. There is always a reason for it because "He giveth his beloved sleep".
There was another occasion when I couldn't easily get to sleep. Then my mobile phone rang. It was my sister - she had locked herself out of her house, so she needed to come and get the spare set which we keep at our house. I gave her the keys, and then I was able to get to sleep easily. Had I been able to sleep earlier I wouldn't have heard my phone. There is always a reason for it because "He giveth his beloved sleep".
Directed into the Love of God
I couldn't sleep last night. So I got up and turned-on the TV. Heidi Baker was on - she was talking about love. When the program was over, I went back to bed - but before turning out the light I opened my bible and it fell open at the verse:
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God..." (II Thessalonians 3:5).
Then I was able to sleep peacefully. I've noticed that there is often a reason for it, whenever I can't easily get to sleep. On this occasion it was because the Lord wanted me to be directed into His love again.
I couldn't sleep last night. So I got up and turned-on the TV. Heidi Baker was on - she was talking about love. When the program was over, I went back to bed - but before turning out the light I opened my bible and it fell open at the verse:
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God..." (II Thessalonians 3:5).
Then I was able to sleep peacefully. I've noticed that there is often a reason for it, whenever I can't easily get to sleep. On this occasion it was because the Lord wanted me to be directed into His love again.
Directed into the Love of God
I couldn't sleep last night. So I got up and turned-on the TV. Heidi Baker was on - she was talking about love. When the program was over, I went back to bed - but before turning out the light I opened my bible and it fell open at the verse:
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God..." (II Thessalonians 3:5).
Then I was able to sleep peacefully. I've noticed that there is often a reason for it, whenever I can't easily get to sleep. On this occasion it was because the Lord wanted me to be directed into His love again.
I couldn't sleep last night. So I got up and turned-on the TV. Heidi Baker was on - she was talking about love. When the program was over, I went back to bed - but before turning out the light I opened my bible and it fell open at the verse:
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God..." (II Thessalonians 3:5).
Then I was able to sleep peacefully. I've noticed that there is often a reason for it, whenever I can't easily get to sleep. On this occasion it was because the Lord wanted me to be directed into His love again.
Directed into the Love of God
I couldn't sleep last night. So I got up and turned-on the TV. Heidi Baker was on - she was talking about love. When the program was over, I went back to bed - but before turning out the light I opened my bible and it fell open at the verse:
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God..." (II Thessalonians 3:5).
Then I was able to sleep peacefully. I've noticed that there is often a reason for it, whenever I can't easily get to sleep. On this occasion it was because the Lord wanted me to be directed into His love again.
I couldn't sleep last night. So I got up and turned-on the TV. Heidi Baker was on - she was talking about love. When the program was over, I went back to bed - but before turning out the light I opened my bible and it fell open at the verse:
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God..." (II Thessalonians 3:5).
Then I was able to sleep peacefully. I've noticed that there is often a reason for it, whenever I can't easily get to sleep. On this occasion it was because the Lord wanted me to be directed into His love again.
Monday 13 November 2006
Sunday 12 November 2006
Prize for Soul-Winning
My beloved nephew David won a year's supply of Coca-Cola (365 cans) as a prize for being the person to bring the most number of friends along to the Metro Church youth group. Yesterday David again took four friends along.
My beloved nephew David won a year's supply of Coca-Cola (365 cans) as a prize for being the person to bring the most number of friends along to the Metro Church youth group. Yesterday David again took four friends along.
Prize for Soul-Winning
My beloved nephew David won a year's supply of Coca-Cola (365 cans) as a prize for being the person to bring the most number of friends along to the Metro Church youth group. Yesterday David again took four friends along.
My beloved nephew David won a year's supply of Coca-Cola (365 cans) as a prize for being the person to bring the most number of friends along to the Metro Church youth group. Yesterday David again took four friends along.
Prize for Soul-Winning
My beloved nephew David won a year's supply of Coca-Cola (365 cans) as a prize for being the person to bring the most number of friends along to the Metro Church youth group. Yesterday David again took four friends along.
My beloved nephew David won a year's supply of Coca-Cola (365 cans) as a prize for being the person to bring the most number of friends along to the Metro Church youth group. Yesterday David again took four friends along.
Saturday 11 November 2006
The Life-style of the Cross Vouchsafes the Blessing
In recent months I've spent considerable time meditating on the subject of the blessing of the Lord.
It maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow.
It includes health, wealth, inheritance, land, primary produce, gold, lots of children, house, and strong nationhood, etc.
I've also had some questions about prosperity:
1. Does the expectation to prosper conflict with the lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul?
In answer, Jesus said to me:
"If more people lived like me, the nation would be more blessed and there would be more blessed nations".
In other words, living the lifestyle of Jesus can result in prosperity, not always the opposite.
And Paul was a follower of Christ, therefore following Paul can also lead to wealth.
Jesus had to suffer the death of the cross - so we don't have to. We don't have to die at age 33. He will satisfy us with long life.
He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Since He didn't destroy the Law, that means He didn't destroy the blessing of the Law either, because the blessing is part of the Law.
Since He came to fulfill the Law, that means He fulfills the blessing of the Law also, because the blessing is part of the Law. He never abolished our Covenant right to expect to prosper. He came to confirm it - to confirm the promises made to the fathers. He came to vouchsafe the blessing to Israel - and we Gentiles are grafted-in.
2. Is there somehow more sacrifice required of disciples under the New Covenant than was expected of Jews under the Old Covenant?
Is the New Covenant somehow a less material covenant than theblessings promised in the Old Covenant?
Persecution was a possibility under the Old Covenant just as much as it is a certainty under the New Covenant. Many Old Testament saints suffered too, despite the covenantal promises.
But neither Covenant deliberately imposes poverty.
We are more free now, because Christ already made the once-for-all sacrifice. All we have to do now is believe.
The Law points to Christ. Therefore if a person believes Moses, he will follow Christ. And if he is persecuted for Christ's sake or if he sufers for Christ, then his sacrifice would be as much a consequence of his former allegiance to the Law as it is a consequence of his allegiance to Christ - because it was the Law that led Him to Christ.
So the blessing under the Law was not intrisically any more material than it will be under the New Covenant. In Paul's Jewish mind, inner spirituality and external social life are inseparable.
Jesus came to deliver from the curse of the Law. Judgment was due to those who broke the Law - how much more to those who neglect so great a salvation. So Jesus didn't come to remove the possibility of blessing, rather, He came to redeem from the certainty of the curse. Jerusalem could have avoided their fall if they'd believed in Jesus.
The Law, the Old Testament, the New Testament and even pre-Law times each preached the coming of the Lord with wrath, judgment and reward.
The Law and the Gospel both focus on God, on faith, on love, on hope. Both admitted that the godly may suffer persecution on behalf of the elect, like Elijah and Paul.
Both testaments admit times of peace, like what David and Solomon experienced; and in the New Testament, Paul said to pray for peace (I Timothy 2:1-8). Notice that Paul states why we should pray for political peace - because God wants all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth. That is quite similar to why God wanted peace for them under the Old Covenant. Paul slotted the fact and the function of his apostleship into this:
(Apostleship + peaceful government = spread of Gospel)
We can expect an answer to such a prayer, or else Paul wouldn't have exhorted us to pray for it!
Therefore we can expect the same and greater national blessings under the New Covenant that they were promised under the Old Covenant - along with persecutions. And as in the Old Covenant, our focus in the New Covenant remains the unseen, heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; we still live for the unseen, we are still motivated by the unseen, in the same way that they were under the Old Covenant. But with greater freedom now!!
Paul still encouraged people to work, that they may have to give. "Be not weary in well doing," he said.
We don't live in a state of diminished expectation; in a state of any less actualization than they did under the Law. We live in more! We live in a better hope, but not in less actualization than they. Without us they were not made perfect. Even we wait for that which is perfect to come. So both they waited, and we wait. Since waiting is not exclusive to the New Covenant, neither is the expectation of being blessed now. The nation can be blessed now. And yet, it's nothing like what we will see at the resurrection and the coming kingdom!
Did Israel have the "kingdom of God" under the Law? In a sense yes (I Chronicles 29:23) "Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord". Well if he sat upon the throne of the Lord, it means he sat in God's kingdom, doesn't it? A throne implies a kingdom. And yet they were still in a sense waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Do we, through the Gospel, now inherit the Kingdom of God? We can experience Christ's rulership in Gentile nations similar to what David and Solomon experienced (Romans 15:12). We can also enter the Kingdom in a real way, unlike in the Old Covenant. And yet in a sense we still wait for the coming Kingdom.
Under both covenants, there was a sense of having the Kingdom already, and also a sense of still waiting for it. We are nearer to it now, we are freer, we have more power, we have a foretaste of glory, and we are real partakers of the Holy Ghost!
Therefore the blessing of the nations now, under the Gospel economy, can be equal to and greater than what was promised under the Old Covenant - with persecutions, and subject to the same qualifiers that applied under the Old Covenant.
Some of the qualifiers:
David had to go to war; Solomon didn't.
Israel spoiled the Egyptians; Elisha said, "Is this a time to receive?..."
David was chased by Saul; Nehemiah said, "Shall such a man as I flee?"
David prospered and caused the nation to prosper; Jeremiah was put in a dungeon and pronounced deportation upon the nation, and he himself became subject to the occupying nation with regard to where he would live.
For everything there is a time.
The lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul does not conflict with prosperity - it procures it. It procures it for God and for the brethren, eternally - even if you have to make sacrifices and die in the process. Some men of faith in the Old Testament had to die too.
Our's is not a lesser contract than the Old. It is a better one, far better, even with regard to prosperity and nationhood. The core values of the New Testament lifestyle are no different to the core values of the Old Testament - which is love (the New Commandment) which fulfills the Law. Therefore since they had the promise of prosperity, wealth and health - this promise is yes, and amen in Christ unto the glory of God by us.
Paul's choices were morally no different, and his priorities came from the same values that they held under the Old Testament. (Remember, Paul was actually an Old Testament young man, originally!)
So don't think the Old Testament promises are annulled or destroyed. They are fulfilled! Since Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfil the Law, then this includes the blessing (of the Law), not only the commandments contained in ordinances!
In each of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant and the period before the Old Covenant, the same values existed: faith, hope and love. None of these three values takes away in any way from the promise of health, healing and prosperity. These three values have the same promise in every dispensation.
God still wishes above all things that you, his beloved, prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.
The prosperity that is due to faith, hope and love in not negatively affected by the introduction of the second covenant. In fact, the likelihood of it is increased under the New, because it is based on better promises. And we still look forward in hope to the coming Kingdom.
Everything in Matthew 10:16-42 is true, but the apostles did appeal to law in their defence (Isaiah 8:20); Paul also demanded his civil rights, and appealed (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:11). Pennsylvania was a 'holy experiment'. Australia was an achievement.
Go and "teach all nations" Jesus commanded. Who knows if the result of teaching the nations would not be the establishment of the Kingdom of God in a political sense? Social life and spiritual life are inseparable in Paul's mind, being the Jew that he is.
To preach the Gospel among the nations, you have to live among them. If you live among them, you have the right to carry on a business among them. The business is not aimed at gaining a monopoly over the people so as to put them down. It is to help you to raise them up! It's ok to expect to receive some profit for your work. Service, at a profit.
Jesus said you may be welcomed, and if not, to leave.
The motive of our work there must be to honour God, to love, to serve, not to be greedy, not to pud down, to introduce Christ's Law, not our own or another man's. Take the Law of Christ to the nations: grace and truth. Take the commandment of love, which is the fulfilling of the Law.
Jesus commanded them to go and preach the Gospel (good news); teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Take the Law - the royal law of love.
In the process of preaching this message, who is to say that new nations won't be the result; or that a new political and legal system won't be adopted; or even that new people could begin to dominate in new lands, regardless of race or status or inheritance? This could be like colonizing, only with the royal law of love.
"God lifts up and puts down".
"The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm 49:14).
Is the "morning" restricted to mean the second coming?
It means the second coming, but the day brightens even before the sun is seen over the horizon. In Psalm 90 "morning" is given the opposite meaning - so its meaning doesn't necessarily need to be restricted to mean the last day. Those who are still living have dominion over the already dead.
Taking the Gospel is taking a Law, a testimony, acting as a witness; it is a teaching, an announcement, a proclamation, a preaching, it is good news, it is heraldic.
The "signs" that follow it, done by the Lord, are additional legal testimonies to the point of Law we are announcing, namely - the remission of sins in His name through the blood of the Cross (Iaiah 8:16,18).
They proved from the Scriptures that Christ is the Saviour.
Not the terms "bind up" and "seal". Jesus used "bind" and "loose". He makes lawyers out of all of us! Lawyers proclaiming emancipation, the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee, the remission of sins, grace and truth - because of the blood.
I wonder if "bind" means to put in writing, so to speak; and if "loose" means to unseal?
It would be good to study:
Paul was a follower of Christ and he told us to follow him. He told us to put on Christ.
It's the way to live!
By adopting Paul's and Jesus' lifestyle, you will lose nothing that you weren't going to keep anyway, had you stayed under the Old economy.
Instead, you will eternally gain everything that the Law promised, and more!
Living the Paul way, the Jesus way - which is the way of love, the way of the cross - you have nothing to lose (in comparison to what was available under the Law) and everything to gain.
In recent months I've spent considerable time meditating on the subject of the blessing of the Lord.
It maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow.
It includes health, wealth, inheritance, land, primary produce, gold, lots of children, house, and strong nationhood, etc.
I've also had some questions about prosperity:
1. Does the expectation to prosper conflict with the lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul?
In answer, Jesus said to me:
"If more people lived like me, the nation would be more blessed and there would be more blessed nations".
In other words, living the lifestyle of Jesus can result in prosperity, not always the opposite.
And Paul was a follower of Christ, therefore following Paul can also lead to wealth.
Jesus had to suffer the death of the cross - so we don't have to. We don't have to die at age 33. He will satisfy us with long life.
He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Since He didn't destroy the Law, that means He didn't destroy the blessing of the Law either, because the blessing is part of the Law.
Since He came to fulfill the Law, that means He fulfills the blessing of the Law also, because the blessing is part of the Law. He never abolished our Covenant right to expect to prosper. He came to confirm it - to confirm the promises made to the fathers. He came to vouchsafe the blessing to Israel - and we Gentiles are grafted-in.
2. Is there somehow more sacrifice required of disciples under the New Covenant than was expected of Jews under the Old Covenant?
Is the New Covenant somehow a less material covenant than theblessings promised in the Old Covenant?
Persecution was a possibility under the Old Covenant just as much as it is a certainty under the New Covenant. Many Old Testament saints suffered too, despite the covenantal promises.
But neither Covenant deliberately imposes poverty.
We are more free now, because Christ already made the once-for-all sacrifice. All we have to do now is believe.
The Law points to Christ. Therefore if a person believes Moses, he will follow Christ. And if he is persecuted for Christ's sake or if he sufers for Christ, then his sacrifice would be as much a consequence of his former allegiance to the Law as it is a consequence of his allegiance to Christ - because it was the Law that led Him to Christ.
So the blessing under the Law was not intrisically any more material than it will be under the New Covenant. In Paul's Jewish mind, inner spirituality and external social life are inseparable.
Jesus came to deliver from the curse of the Law. Judgment was due to those who broke the Law - how much more to those who neglect so great a salvation. So Jesus didn't come to remove the possibility of blessing, rather, He came to redeem from the certainty of the curse. Jerusalem could have avoided their fall if they'd believed in Jesus.
The Law, the Old Testament, the New Testament and even pre-Law times each preached the coming of the Lord with wrath, judgment and reward.
The Law and the Gospel both focus on God, on faith, on love, on hope. Both admitted that the godly may suffer persecution on behalf of the elect, like Elijah and Paul.
Both testaments admit times of peace, like what David and Solomon experienced; and in the New Testament, Paul said to pray for peace (I Timothy 2:1-8). Notice that Paul states why we should pray for political peace - because God wants all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth. That is quite similar to why God wanted peace for them under the Old Covenant. Paul slotted the fact and the function of his apostleship into this:
(Apostleship + peaceful government = spread of Gospel)
We can expect an answer to such a prayer, or else Paul wouldn't have exhorted us to pray for it!
Therefore we can expect the same and greater national blessings under the New Covenant that they were promised under the Old Covenant - along with persecutions. And as in the Old Covenant, our focus in the New Covenant remains the unseen, heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; we still live for the unseen, we are still motivated by the unseen, in the same way that they were under the Old Covenant. But with greater freedom now!!
Paul still encouraged people to work, that they may have to give. "Be not weary in well doing," he said.
We don't live in a state of diminished expectation; in a state of any less actualization than they did under the Law. We live in more! We live in a better hope, but not in less actualization than they. Without us they were not made perfect. Even we wait for that which is perfect to come. So both they waited, and we wait. Since waiting is not exclusive to the New Covenant, neither is the expectation of being blessed now. The nation can be blessed now. And yet, it's nothing like what we will see at the resurrection and the coming kingdom!
Did Israel have the "kingdom of God" under the Law? In a sense yes (I Chronicles 29:23) "Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord". Well if he sat upon the throne of the Lord, it means he sat in God's kingdom, doesn't it? A throne implies a kingdom. And yet they were still in a sense waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Do we, through the Gospel, now inherit the Kingdom of God? We can experience Christ's rulership in Gentile nations similar to what David and Solomon experienced (Romans 15:12). We can also enter the Kingdom in a real way, unlike in the Old Covenant. And yet in a sense we still wait for the coming Kingdom.
Under both covenants, there was a sense of having the Kingdom already, and also a sense of still waiting for it. We are nearer to it now, we are freer, we have more power, we have a foretaste of glory, and we are real partakers of the Holy Ghost!
Therefore the blessing of the nations now, under the Gospel economy, can be equal to and greater than what was promised under the Old Covenant - with persecutions, and subject to the same qualifiers that applied under the Old Covenant.
Some of the qualifiers:
David had to go to war; Solomon didn't.
Israel spoiled the Egyptians; Elisha said, "Is this a time to receive?..."
David was chased by Saul; Nehemiah said, "Shall such a man as I flee?"
David prospered and caused the nation to prosper; Jeremiah was put in a dungeon and pronounced deportation upon the nation, and he himself became subject to the occupying nation with regard to where he would live.
For everything there is a time.
The lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul does not conflict with prosperity - it procures it. It procures it for God and for the brethren, eternally - even if you have to make sacrifices and die in the process. Some men of faith in the Old Testament had to die too.
Our's is not a lesser contract than the Old. It is a better one, far better, even with regard to prosperity and nationhood. The core values of the New Testament lifestyle are no different to the core values of the Old Testament - which is love (the New Commandment) which fulfills the Law. Therefore since they had the promise of prosperity, wealth and health - this promise is yes, and amen in Christ unto the glory of God by us.
Paul's choices were morally no different, and his priorities came from the same values that they held under the Old Testament. (Remember, Paul was actually an Old Testament young man, originally!)
So don't think the Old Testament promises are annulled or destroyed. They are fulfilled! Since Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfil the Law, then this includes the blessing (of the Law), not only the commandments contained in ordinances!
In each of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant and the period before the Old Covenant, the same values existed: faith, hope and love. None of these three values takes away in any way from the promise of health, healing and prosperity. These three values have the same promise in every dispensation.
God still wishes above all things that you, his beloved, prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.
The prosperity that is due to faith, hope and love in not negatively affected by the introduction of the second covenant. In fact, the likelihood of it is increased under the New, because it is based on better promises. And we still look forward in hope to the coming Kingdom.
Everything in Matthew 10:16-42 is true, but the apostles did appeal to law in their defence (Isaiah 8:20); Paul also demanded his civil rights, and appealed (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:11). Pennsylvania was a 'holy experiment'. Australia was an achievement.
Go and "teach all nations" Jesus commanded. Who knows if the result of teaching the nations would not be the establishment of the Kingdom of God in a political sense? Social life and spiritual life are inseparable in Paul's mind, being the Jew that he is.
To preach the Gospel among the nations, you have to live among them. If you live among them, you have the right to carry on a business among them. The business is not aimed at gaining a monopoly over the people so as to put them down. It is to help you to raise them up! It's ok to expect to receive some profit for your work. Service, at a profit.
Jesus said you may be welcomed, and if not, to leave.
The motive of our work there must be to honour God, to love, to serve, not to be greedy, not to pud down, to introduce Christ's Law, not our own or another man's. Take the Law of Christ to the nations: grace and truth. Take the commandment of love, which is the fulfilling of the Law.
Jesus commanded them to go and preach the Gospel (good news); teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Take the Law - the royal law of love.
In the process of preaching this message, who is to say that new nations won't be the result; or that a new political and legal system won't be adopted; or even that new people could begin to dominate in new lands, regardless of race or status or inheritance? This could be like colonizing, only with the royal law of love.
"God lifts up and puts down".
"The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm 49:14).
Is the "morning" restricted to mean the second coming?
It means the second coming, but the day brightens even before the sun is seen over the horizon. In Psalm 90 "morning" is given the opposite meaning - so its meaning doesn't necessarily need to be restricted to mean the last day. Those who are still living have dominion over the already dead.
Taking the Gospel is taking a Law, a testimony, acting as a witness; it is a teaching, an announcement, a proclamation, a preaching, it is good news, it is heraldic.
The "signs" that follow it, done by the Lord, are additional legal testimonies to the point of Law we are announcing, namely - the remission of sins in His name through the blood of the Cross (Iaiah 8:16,18).
They proved from the Scriptures that Christ is the Saviour.
Not the terms "bind up" and "seal". Jesus used "bind" and "loose". He makes lawyers out of all of us! Lawyers proclaiming emancipation, the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee, the remission of sins, grace and truth - because of the blood.
I wonder if "bind" means to put in writing, so to speak; and if "loose" means to unseal?
It would be good to study:
- The values of the Kingdom - righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Ghost
- The Gospel - Jesus saves, heals, baptizes with the Holy Ghost, coming King
- The things Jesus commanded (the new commandment of love)
Paul was a follower of Christ and he told us to follow him. He told us to put on Christ.
It's the way to live!
By adopting Paul's and Jesus' lifestyle, you will lose nothing that you weren't going to keep anyway, had you stayed under the Old economy.
Instead, you will eternally gain everything that the Law promised, and more!
Living the Paul way, the Jesus way - which is the way of love, the way of the cross - you have nothing to lose (in comparison to what was available under the Law) and everything to gain.
The Life-style of the Cross Vouchsafes the Blessing
In recent months I've spent considerable time meditating on the subject of the blessing of the Lord.
It maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow.
It includes health, wealth, inheritance, land, primary produce, gold, lots of children, house, and strong nationhood, etc.
I've also had some questions about prosperity:
1. Does the expectation to prosper conflict with the lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul?
In answer, Jesus said to me:
"If more people lived like me, the nation would be more blessed and there would be more blessed nations".
In other words, living the lifestyle of Jesus can result in prosperity, not always the opposite.
And Paul was a follower of Christ, therefore following Paul can also lead to wealth.
Jesus had to suffer the death of the cross - so we don't have to. We don't have to die at age 33. He will satisfy us with long life.
He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Since He didn't destroy the Law, that means He didn't destroy the blessing of the Law either, because the blessing is part of the Law.
Since He came to fulfill the Law, that means He fulfills the blessing of the Law also, because the blessing is part of the Law. He never abolished our Covenant right to expect to prosper. He came to confirm it - to confirm the promises made to the fathers. He came to vouchsafe the blessing to Israel - and we Gentiles are grafted-in.
2. Is there somehow more sacrifice required of disciples under the New Covenant than was expected of Jews under the Old Covenant?
Is the New Covenant somehow a less material covenant than theblessings promised in the Old Covenant?
Persecution was a possibility under the Old Covenant just as much as it is a certainty under the New Covenant. Many Old Testament saints suffered too, despite the covenantal promises.
But neither Covenant deliberately imposes poverty.
We are more free now, because Christ already made the once-for-all sacrifice. All we have to do now is believe.
The Law points to Christ. Therefore if a person believes Moses, he will follow Christ. And if he is persecuted for Christ's sake or if he sufers for Christ, then his sacrifice would be as much a consequence of his former allegiance to the Law as it is a consequence of his allegiance to Christ - because it was the Law that led Him to Christ.
So the blessing under the Law was not intrisically any more material than it will be under the New Covenant. In Paul's Jewish mind, inner spirituality and external social life are inseparable.
Jesus came to deliver from the curse of the Law. Judgment was due to those who broke the Law - how much more to those who neglect so great a salvation. So Jesus didn't come to remove the possibility of blessing, rather, He came to redeem from the certainty of the curse. Jerusalem could have avoided their fall if they'd believed in Jesus.
The Law, the Old Testament, the New Testament and even pre-Law times each preached the coming of the Lord with wrath, judgment and reward.
The Law and the Gospel both focus on God, on faith, on love, on hope. Both admitted that the godly may suffer persecution on behalf of the elect, like Elijah and Paul.
Both testaments admit times of peace, like what David and Solomon experienced; and in the New Testament, Paul said to pray for peace (I Timothy 2:1-8). Notice that Paul states why we should pray for political peace - because God wants all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth. That is quite similar to why God wanted peace for them under the Old Covenant. Paul slotted the fact and the function of his apostleship into this:
(Apostleship + peaceful government = spread of Gospel)
We can expect an answer to such a prayer, or else Paul wouldn't have exhorted us to pray for it!
Therefore we can expect the same and greater national blessings under the New Covenant that they were promised under the Old Covenant - along with persecutions. And as in the Old Covenant, our focus in the New Covenant remains the unseen, heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; we still live for the unseen, we are still motivated by the unseen, in the same way that they were under the Old Covenant. But with greater freedom now!!
Paul still encouraged people to work, that they may have to give. "Be not weary in well doing," he said.
We don't live in a state of diminished expectation; in a state of any less actualization than they did under the Law. We live in more! We live in a better hope, but not in less actualization than they. Without us they were not made perfect. Even we wait for that which is perfect to come. So both they waited, and we wait. Since waiting is not exclusive to the New Covenant, neither is the expectation of being blessed now. The nation can be blessed now. And yet, it's nothing like what we will see at the resurrection and the coming kingdom!
Did Israel have the "kingdom of God" under the Law? In a sense yes (I Chronicles 29:23) "Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord". Well if he sat upon the throne of the Lord, it means he sat in God's kingdom, doesn't it? A throne implies a kingdom. And yet they were still in a sense waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Do we, through the Gospel, now inherit the Kingdom of God? We can experience Christ's rulership in Gentile nations similar to what David and Solomon experienced (Romans 15:12). We can also enter the Kingdom in a real way, unlike in the Old Covenant. And yet in a sense we still wait for the coming Kingdom.
Under both covenants, there was a sense of having the Kingdom already, and also a sense of still waiting for it. We are nearer to it now, we are freer, we have more power, we have a foretaste of glory, and we are real partakers of the Holy Ghost!
Therefore the blessing of the nations now, under the Gospel economy, can be equal to and greater than what was promised under the Old Covenant - with persecutions, and subject to the same qualifiers that applied under the Old Covenant.
Some of the qualifiers:
David had to go to war; Solomon didn't.
Israel spoiled the Egyptians; Elisha said, "Is this a time to receive?..."
David was chased by Saul; Nehemiah said, "Shall such a man as I flee?"
David prospered and caused the nation to prosper; Jeremiah was put in a dungeon and pronounced deportation upon the nation, and he himself became subject to the occupying nation with regard to where he would live.
For everything there is a time.
The lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul does not conflict with prosperity - it procures it. It procures it for God and for the brethren, eternally - even if you have to make sacrifices and die in the process. Some men of faith in the Old Testament had to die too.
Our's is not a lesser contract than the Old. It is a better one, far better, even with regard to prosperity and nationhood. The core values of the New Testament lifestyle are no different to the core values of the Old Testament - which is love (the New Commandment) which fulfills the Law. Therefore since they had the promise of prosperity, wealth and health - this promise is yes, and amen in Christ unto the glory of God by us.
Paul's choices were morally no different, and his priorities came from the same values that they held under the Old Testament. (Remember, Paul was actually an Old Testament young man, originally!)
So don't think the Old Testament promises are annulled or destroyed. They are fulfilled! Since Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfil the Law, then this includes the blessing (of the Law), not only the commandments contained in ordinances!
In each of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant and the period before the Old Covenant, the same values existed: faith, hope and love. None of these three values takes away in any way from the promise of health, healing and prosperity. These three values have the same promise in every dispensation.
God still wishes above all things that you, his beloved, prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.
The prosperity that is due to faith, hope and love in not negatively affected by the introduction of the second covenant. In fact, the likelihood of it is increased under the New, because it is based on better promises. And we still look forward in hope to the coming Kingdom.
Everything in Matthew 10:16-42 is true, but the apostles did appeal to law in their defence (Isaiah 8:20); Paul also demanded his civil rights, and appealed (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:11). Pennsylvania was a 'holy experiment'. Australia was an achievement.
Go and "teach all nations" Jesus commanded. Who knows if the result of teaching the nations would not be the establishment of the Kingdom of God in a political sense? Social life and spiritual life are inseparable in Paul's mind, being the Jew that he is.
To preach the Gospel among the nations, you have to live among them. If you live among them, you have the right to carry on a business among them. The business is not aimed at gaining a monopoly over the people so as to put them down. It is to help you to raise them up! It's ok to expect to receive some profit for your work. Service, at a profit.
Jesus said you may be welcomed, and if not, to leave.
The motive of our work there must be to honour God, to love, to serve, not to be greedy, not to pud down, to introduce Christ's Law, not our own or another man's. Take the Law of Christ to the nations: grace and truth. Take the commandment of love, which is the fulfilling of the Law.
Jesus commanded them to go and preach the Gospel (good news); teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Take the Law - the royal law of love.
In the process of preaching this message, who is to say that new nations won't be the result; or that a new political and legal system won't be adopted; or even that new people could begin to dominate in new lands, regardless of race or status or inheritance? This could be like colonizing, only with the royal law of love.
"God lifts up and puts down".
"The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm 49:14).
Is the "morning" restricted to mean the second coming?
It means the second coming, but the day brightens even before the sun is seen over the horizon. In Psalm 90 "morning" is given the opposite meaning - so its meaning doesn't necessarily need to be restricted to mean the last day. Those who are still living have dominion over the already dead.
Taking the Gospel is taking a Law, a testimony, acting as a witness; it is a teaching, an announcement, a proclamation, a preaching, it is good news, it is heraldic.
The "signs" that follow it, done by the Lord, are additional legal testimonies to the point of Law we are announcing, namely - the remission of sins in His name through the blood of the Cross (Iaiah 8:16,18).
They proved from the Scriptures that Christ is the Saviour.
Not the terms "bind up" and "seal". Jesus used "bind" and "loose". He makes lawyers out of all of us! Lawyers proclaiming emancipation, the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee, the remission of sins, grace and truth - because of the blood.
I wonder if "bind" means to put in writing, so to speak; and if "loose" means to unseal?
It would be good to study:
Paul was a follower of Christ and he told us to follow him. He told us to put on Christ.
It's the way to live!
By adopting Paul's and Jesus' lifestyle, you will lose nothing that you weren't going to keep anyway, had you stayed under the Old economy.
Instead, you will eternally gain everything that the Law promised, and more!
Living the Paul way, the Jesus way - which is the way of love, the way of the cross - you have nothing to lose (in comparison to what was available under the Law) and everything to gain.
In recent months I've spent considerable time meditating on the subject of the blessing of the Lord.
It maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow.
It includes health, wealth, inheritance, land, primary produce, gold, lots of children, house, and strong nationhood, etc.
I've also had some questions about prosperity:
1. Does the expectation to prosper conflict with the lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul?
In answer, Jesus said to me:
"If more people lived like me, the nation would be more blessed and there would be more blessed nations".
In other words, living the lifestyle of Jesus can result in prosperity, not always the opposite.
And Paul was a follower of Christ, therefore following Paul can also lead to wealth.
Jesus had to suffer the death of the cross - so we don't have to. We don't have to die at age 33. He will satisfy us with long life.
He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Since He didn't destroy the Law, that means He didn't destroy the blessing of the Law either, because the blessing is part of the Law.
Since He came to fulfill the Law, that means He fulfills the blessing of the Law also, because the blessing is part of the Law. He never abolished our Covenant right to expect to prosper. He came to confirm it - to confirm the promises made to the fathers. He came to vouchsafe the blessing to Israel - and we Gentiles are grafted-in.
2. Is there somehow more sacrifice required of disciples under the New Covenant than was expected of Jews under the Old Covenant?
Is the New Covenant somehow a less material covenant than theblessings promised in the Old Covenant?
Persecution was a possibility under the Old Covenant just as much as it is a certainty under the New Covenant. Many Old Testament saints suffered too, despite the covenantal promises.
But neither Covenant deliberately imposes poverty.
We are more free now, because Christ already made the once-for-all sacrifice. All we have to do now is believe.
The Law points to Christ. Therefore if a person believes Moses, he will follow Christ. And if he is persecuted for Christ's sake or if he sufers for Christ, then his sacrifice would be as much a consequence of his former allegiance to the Law as it is a consequence of his allegiance to Christ - because it was the Law that led Him to Christ.
So the blessing under the Law was not intrisically any more material than it will be under the New Covenant. In Paul's Jewish mind, inner spirituality and external social life are inseparable.
Jesus came to deliver from the curse of the Law. Judgment was due to those who broke the Law - how much more to those who neglect so great a salvation. So Jesus didn't come to remove the possibility of blessing, rather, He came to redeem from the certainty of the curse. Jerusalem could have avoided their fall if they'd believed in Jesus.
The Law, the Old Testament, the New Testament and even pre-Law times each preached the coming of the Lord with wrath, judgment and reward.
The Law and the Gospel both focus on God, on faith, on love, on hope. Both admitted that the godly may suffer persecution on behalf of the elect, like Elijah and Paul.
Both testaments admit times of peace, like what David and Solomon experienced; and in the New Testament, Paul said to pray for peace (I Timothy 2:1-8). Notice that Paul states why we should pray for political peace - because God wants all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth. That is quite similar to why God wanted peace for them under the Old Covenant. Paul slotted the fact and the function of his apostleship into this:
(Apostleship + peaceful government = spread of Gospel)
We can expect an answer to such a prayer, or else Paul wouldn't have exhorted us to pray for it!
Therefore we can expect the same and greater national blessings under the New Covenant that they were promised under the Old Covenant - along with persecutions. And as in the Old Covenant, our focus in the New Covenant remains the unseen, heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; we still live for the unseen, we are still motivated by the unseen, in the same way that they were under the Old Covenant. But with greater freedom now!!
Paul still encouraged people to work, that they may have to give. "Be not weary in well doing," he said.
We don't live in a state of diminished expectation; in a state of any less actualization than they did under the Law. We live in more! We live in a better hope, but not in less actualization than they. Without us they were not made perfect. Even we wait for that which is perfect to come. So both they waited, and we wait. Since waiting is not exclusive to the New Covenant, neither is the expectation of being blessed now. The nation can be blessed now. And yet, it's nothing like what we will see at the resurrection and the coming kingdom!
Did Israel have the "kingdom of God" under the Law? In a sense yes (I Chronicles 29:23) "Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord". Well if he sat upon the throne of the Lord, it means he sat in God's kingdom, doesn't it? A throne implies a kingdom. And yet they were still in a sense waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Do we, through the Gospel, now inherit the Kingdom of God? We can experience Christ's rulership in Gentile nations similar to what David and Solomon experienced (Romans 15:12). We can also enter the Kingdom in a real way, unlike in the Old Covenant. And yet in a sense we still wait for the coming Kingdom.
Under both covenants, there was a sense of having the Kingdom already, and also a sense of still waiting for it. We are nearer to it now, we are freer, we have more power, we have a foretaste of glory, and we are real partakers of the Holy Ghost!
Therefore the blessing of the nations now, under the Gospel economy, can be equal to and greater than what was promised under the Old Covenant - with persecutions, and subject to the same qualifiers that applied under the Old Covenant.
Some of the qualifiers:
David had to go to war; Solomon didn't.
Israel spoiled the Egyptians; Elisha said, "Is this a time to receive?..."
David was chased by Saul; Nehemiah said, "Shall such a man as I flee?"
David prospered and caused the nation to prosper; Jeremiah was put in a dungeon and pronounced deportation upon the nation, and he himself became subject to the occupying nation with regard to where he would live.
For everything there is a time.
The lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul does not conflict with prosperity - it procures it. It procures it for God and for the brethren, eternally - even if you have to make sacrifices and die in the process. Some men of faith in the Old Testament had to die too.
Our's is not a lesser contract than the Old. It is a better one, far better, even with regard to prosperity and nationhood. The core values of the New Testament lifestyle are no different to the core values of the Old Testament - which is love (the New Commandment) which fulfills the Law. Therefore since they had the promise of prosperity, wealth and health - this promise is yes, and amen in Christ unto the glory of God by us.
Paul's choices were morally no different, and his priorities came from the same values that they held under the Old Testament. (Remember, Paul was actually an Old Testament young man, originally!)
So don't think the Old Testament promises are annulled or destroyed. They are fulfilled! Since Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfil the Law, then this includes the blessing (of the Law), not only the commandments contained in ordinances!
In each of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant and the period before the Old Covenant, the same values existed: faith, hope and love. None of these three values takes away in any way from the promise of health, healing and prosperity. These three values have the same promise in every dispensation.
God still wishes above all things that you, his beloved, prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.
The prosperity that is due to faith, hope and love in not negatively affected by the introduction of the second covenant. In fact, the likelihood of it is increased under the New, because it is based on better promises. And we still look forward in hope to the coming Kingdom.
Everything in Matthew 10:16-42 is true, but the apostles did appeal to law in their defence (Isaiah 8:20); Paul also demanded his civil rights, and appealed (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:11). Pennsylvania was a 'holy experiment'. Australia was an achievement.
Go and "teach all nations" Jesus commanded. Who knows if the result of teaching the nations would not be the establishment of the Kingdom of God in a political sense? Social life and spiritual life are inseparable in Paul's mind, being the Jew that he is.
To preach the Gospel among the nations, you have to live among them. If you live among them, you have the right to carry on a business among them. The business is not aimed at gaining a monopoly over the people so as to put them down. It is to help you to raise them up! It's ok to expect to receive some profit for your work. Service, at a profit.
Jesus said you may be welcomed, and if not, to leave.
The motive of our work there must be to honour God, to love, to serve, not to be greedy, not to pud down, to introduce Christ's Law, not our own or another man's. Take the Law of Christ to the nations: grace and truth. Take the commandment of love, which is the fulfilling of the Law.
Jesus commanded them to go and preach the Gospel (good news); teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Take the Law - the royal law of love.
In the process of preaching this message, who is to say that new nations won't be the result; or that a new political and legal system won't be adopted; or even that new people could begin to dominate in new lands, regardless of race or status or inheritance? This could be like colonizing, only with the royal law of love.
"God lifts up and puts down".
"The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm 49:14).
Is the "morning" restricted to mean the second coming?
It means the second coming, but the day brightens even before the sun is seen over the horizon. In Psalm 90 "morning" is given the opposite meaning - so its meaning doesn't necessarily need to be restricted to mean the last day. Those who are still living have dominion over the already dead.
Taking the Gospel is taking a Law, a testimony, acting as a witness; it is a teaching, an announcement, a proclamation, a preaching, it is good news, it is heraldic.
The "signs" that follow it, done by the Lord, are additional legal testimonies to the point of Law we are announcing, namely - the remission of sins in His name through the blood of the Cross (Iaiah 8:16,18).
They proved from the Scriptures that Christ is the Saviour.
Not the terms "bind up" and "seal". Jesus used "bind" and "loose". He makes lawyers out of all of us! Lawyers proclaiming emancipation, the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee, the remission of sins, grace and truth - because of the blood.
I wonder if "bind" means to put in writing, so to speak; and if "loose" means to unseal?
It would be good to study:
- The values of the Kingdom - righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Ghost
- The Gospel - Jesus saves, heals, baptizes with the Holy Ghost, coming King
- The things Jesus commanded (the new commandment of love)
Paul was a follower of Christ and he told us to follow him. He told us to put on Christ.
It's the way to live!
By adopting Paul's and Jesus' lifestyle, you will lose nothing that you weren't going to keep anyway, had you stayed under the Old economy.
Instead, you will eternally gain everything that the Law promised, and more!
Living the Paul way, the Jesus way - which is the way of love, the way of the cross - you have nothing to lose (in comparison to what was available under the Law) and everything to gain.
The Life-style of the Cross Vouchsafes the Blessing
In recent months I've spent considerable time meditating on the subject of the blessing of the Lord.
It maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow.
It includes health, wealth, inheritance, land, primary produce, gold, lots of children, house, and strong nationhood, etc.
I've also had some questions about prosperity:
1. Does the expectation to prosper conflict with the lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul?
In answer, Jesus said to me:
"If more people lived like me, the nation would be more blessed and there would be more blessed nations".
In other words, living the lifestyle of Jesus can result in prosperity, not always the opposite.
And Paul was a follower of Christ, therefore following Paul can also lead to wealth.
Jesus had to suffer the death of the cross - so we don't have to. We don't have to die at age 33. He will satisfy us with long life.
He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Since He didn't destroy the Law, that means He didn't destroy the blessing of the Law either, because the blessing is part of the Law.
Since He came to fulfill the Law, that means He fulfills the blessing of the Law also, because the blessing is part of the Law. He never abolished our Covenant right to expect to prosper. He came to confirm it - to confirm the promises made to the fathers. He came to vouchsafe the blessing to Israel - and we Gentiles are grafted-in.
2. Is there somehow more sacrifice required of disciples under the New Covenant than was expected of Jews under the Old Covenant?
Is the New Covenant somehow a less material covenant than theblessings promised in the Old Covenant?
Persecution was a possibility under the Old Covenant just as much as it is a certainty under the New Covenant. Many Old Testament saints suffered too, despite the covenantal promises.
But neither Covenant deliberately imposes poverty.
We are more free now, because Christ already made the once-for-all sacrifice. All we have to do now is believe.
The Law points to Christ. Therefore if a person believes Moses, he will follow Christ. And if he is persecuted for Christ's sake or if he sufers for Christ, then his sacrifice would be as much a consequence of his former allegiance to the Law as it is a consequence of his allegiance to Christ - because it was the Law that led Him to Christ.
So the blessing under the Law was not intrisically any more material than it will be under the New Covenant. In Paul's Jewish mind, inner spirituality and external social life are inseparable.
Jesus came to deliver from the curse of the Law. Judgment was due to those who broke the Law - how much more to those who neglect so great a salvation. So Jesus didn't come to remove the possibility of blessing, rather, He came to redeem from the certainty of the curse. Jerusalem could have avoided their fall if they'd believed in Jesus.
The Law, the Old Testament, the New Testament and even pre-Law times each preached the coming of the Lord with wrath, judgment and reward.
The Law and the Gospel both focus on God, on faith, on love, on hope. Both admitted that the godly may suffer persecution on behalf of the elect, like Elijah and Paul.
Both testaments admit times of peace, like what David and Solomon experienced; and in the New Testament, Paul said to pray for peace (I Timothy 2:1-8). Notice that Paul states why we should pray for political peace - because God wants all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth. That is quite similar to why God wanted peace for them under the Old Covenant. Paul slotted the fact and the function of his apostleship into this:
(Apostleship + peaceful government = spread of Gospel)
We can expect an answer to such a prayer, or else Paul wouldn't have exhorted us to pray for it!
Therefore we can expect the same and greater national blessings under the New Covenant that they were promised under the Old Covenant - along with persecutions. And as in the Old Covenant, our focus in the New Covenant remains the unseen, heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; we still live for the unseen, we are still motivated by the unseen, in the same way that they were under the Old Covenant. But with greater freedom now!!
Paul still encouraged people to work, that they may have to give. "Be not weary in well doing," he said.
We don't live in a state of diminished expectation; in a state of any less actualization than they did under the Law. We live in more! We live in a better hope, but not in less actualization than they. Without us they were not made perfect. Even we wait for that which is perfect to come. So both they waited, and we wait. Since waiting is not exclusive to the New Covenant, neither is the expectation of being blessed now. The nation can be blessed now. And yet, it's nothing like what we will see at the resurrection and the coming kingdom!
Did Israel have the "kingdom of God" under the Law? In a sense yes (I Chronicles 29:23) "Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord". Well if he sat upon the throne of the Lord, it means he sat in God's kingdom, doesn't it? A throne implies a kingdom. And yet they were still in a sense waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Do we, through the Gospel, now inherit the Kingdom of God? We can experience Christ's rulership in Gentile nations similar to what David and Solomon experienced (Romans 15:12). We can also enter the Kingdom in a real way, unlike in the Old Covenant. And yet in a sense we still wait for the coming Kingdom.
Under both covenants, there was a sense of having the Kingdom already, and also a sense of still waiting for it. We are nearer to it now, we are freer, we have more power, we have a foretaste of glory, and we are real partakers of the Holy Ghost!
Therefore the blessing of the nations now, under the Gospel economy, can be equal to and greater than what was promised under the Old Covenant - with persecutions, and subject to the same qualifiers that applied under the Old Covenant.
Some of the qualifiers:
David had to go to war; Solomon didn't.
Israel spoiled the Egyptians; Elisha said, "Is this a time to receive?..."
David was chased by Saul; Nehemiah said, "Shall such a man as I flee?"
David prospered and caused the nation to prosper; Jeremiah was put in a dungeon and pronounced deportation upon the nation, and he himself became subject to the occupying nation with regard to where he would live.
For everything there is a time.
The lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul does not conflict with prosperity - it procures it. It procures it for God and for the brethren, eternally - even if you have to make sacrifices and die in the process. Some men of faith in the Old Testament had to die too.
Our's is not a lesser contract than the Old. It is a better one, far better, even with regard to prosperity and nationhood. The core values of the New Testament lifestyle are no different to the core values of the Old Testament - which is love (the New Commandment) which fulfills the Law. Therefore since they had the promise of prosperity, wealth and health - this promise is yes, and amen in Christ unto the glory of God by us.
Paul's choices were morally no different, and his priorities came from the same values that they held under the Old Testament. (Remember, Paul was actually an Old Testament young man, originally!)
So don't think the Old Testament promises are annulled or destroyed. They are fulfilled! Since Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfil the Law, then this includes the blessing (of the Law), not only the commandments contained in ordinances!
In each of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant and the period before the Old Covenant, the same values existed: faith, hope and love. None of these three values takes away in any way from the promise of health, healing and prosperity. These three values have the same promise in every dispensation.
God still wishes above all things that you, his beloved, prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.
The prosperity that is due to faith, hope and love in not negatively affected by the introduction of the second covenant. In fact, the likelihood of it is increased under the New, because it is based on better promises. And we still look forward in hope to the coming Kingdom.
Everything in Matthew 10:16-42 is true, but the apostles did appeal to law in their defence (Isaiah 8:20); Paul also demanded his civil rights, and appealed (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:11). Pennsylvania was a 'holy experiment'. Australia was an achievement.
Go and "teach all nations" Jesus commanded. Who knows if the result of teaching the nations would not be the establishment of the Kingdom of God in a political sense? Social life and spiritual life are inseparable in Paul's mind, being the Jew that he is.
To preach the Gospel among the nations, you have to live among them. If you live among them, you have the right to carry on a business among them. The business is not aimed at gaining a monopoly over the people so as to put them down. It is to help you to raise them up! It's ok to expect to receive some profit for your work. Service, at a profit.
Jesus said you may be welcomed, and if not, to leave.
The motive of our work there must be to honour God, to love, to serve, not to be greedy, not to pud down, to introduce Christ's Law, not our own or another man's. Take the Law of Christ to the nations: grace and truth. Take the commandment of love, which is the fulfilling of the Law.
Jesus commanded them to go and preach the Gospel (good news); teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Take the Law - the royal law of love.
In the process of preaching this message, who is to say that new nations won't be the result; or that a new political and legal system won't be adopted; or even that new people could begin to dominate in new lands, regardless of race or status or inheritance? This could be like colonizing, only with the royal law of love.
"God lifts up and puts down".
"The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm 49:14).
Is the "morning" restricted to mean the second coming?
It means the second coming, but the day brightens even before the sun is seen over the horizon. In Psalm 90 "morning" is given the opposite meaning - so its meaning doesn't necessarily need to be restricted to mean the last day. Those who are still living have dominion over the already dead.
Taking the Gospel is taking a Law, a testimony, acting as a witness; it is a teaching, an announcement, a proclamation, a preaching, it is good news, it is heraldic.
The "signs" that follow it, done by the Lord, are additional legal testimonies to the point of Law we are announcing, namely - the remission of sins in His name through the blood of the Cross (Iaiah 8:16,18).
They proved from the Scriptures that Christ is the Saviour.
Not the terms "bind up" and "seal". Jesus used "bind" and "loose". He makes lawyers out of all of us! Lawyers proclaiming emancipation, the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee, the remission of sins, grace and truth - because of the blood.
I wonder if "bind" means to put in writing, so to speak; and if "loose" means to unseal?
It would be good to study:
Paul was a follower of Christ and he told us to follow him. He told us to put on Christ.
It's the way to live!
By adopting Paul's and Jesus' lifestyle, you will lose nothing that you weren't going to keep anyway, had you stayed under the Old economy.
Instead, you will eternally gain everything that the Law promised, and more!
Living the Paul way, the Jesus way - which is the way of love, the way of the cross - you have nothing to lose (in comparison to what was available under the Law) and everything to gain.
In recent months I've spent considerable time meditating on the subject of the blessing of the Lord.
It maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow.
It includes health, wealth, inheritance, land, primary produce, gold, lots of children, house, and strong nationhood, etc.
I've also had some questions about prosperity:
1. Does the expectation to prosper conflict with the lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul?
In answer, Jesus said to me:
"If more people lived like me, the nation would be more blessed and there would be more blessed nations".
In other words, living the lifestyle of Jesus can result in prosperity, not always the opposite.
And Paul was a follower of Christ, therefore following Paul can also lead to wealth.
Jesus had to suffer the death of the cross - so we don't have to. We don't have to die at age 33. He will satisfy us with long life.
He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Since He didn't destroy the Law, that means He didn't destroy the blessing of the Law either, because the blessing is part of the Law.
Since He came to fulfill the Law, that means He fulfills the blessing of the Law also, because the blessing is part of the Law. He never abolished our Covenant right to expect to prosper. He came to confirm it - to confirm the promises made to the fathers. He came to vouchsafe the blessing to Israel - and we Gentiles are grafted-in.
2. Is there somehow more sacrifice required of disciples under the New Covenant than was expected of Jews under the Old Covenant?
Is the New Covenant somehow a less material covenant than theblessings promised in the Old Covenant?
Persecution was a possibility under the Old Covenant just as much as it is a certainty under the New Covenant. Many Old Testament saints suffered too, despite the covenantal promises.
But neither Covenant deliberately imposes poverty.
We are more free now, because Christ already made the once-for-all sacrifice. All we have to do now is believe.
The Law points to Christ. Therefore if a person believes Moses, he will follow Christ. And if he is persecuted for Christ's sake or if he sufers for Christ, then his sacrifice would be as much a consequence of his former allegiance to the Law as it is a consequence of his allegiance to Christ - because it was the Law that led Him to Christ.
So the blessing under the Law was not intrisically any more material than it will be under the New Covenant. In Paul's Jewish mind, inner spirituality and external social life are inseparable.
Jesus came to deliver from the curse of the Law. Judgment was due to those who broke the Law - how much more to those who neglect so great a salvation. So Jesus didn't come to remove the possibility of blessing, rather, He came to redeem from the certainty of the curse. Jerusalem could have avoided their fall if they'd believed in Jesus.
The Law, the Old Testament, the New Testament and even pre-Law times each preached the coming of the Lord with wrath, judgment and reward.
The Law and the Gospel both focus on God, on faith, on love, on hope. Both admitted that the godly may suffer persecution on behalf of the elect, like Elijah and Paul.
Both testaments admit times of peace, like what David and Solomon experienced; and in the New Testament, Paul said to pray for peace (I Timothy 2:1-8). Notice that Paul states why we should pray for political peace - because God wants all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth. That is quite similar to why God wanted peace for them under the Old Covenant. Paul slotted the fact and the function of his apostleship into this:
(Apostleship + peaceful government = spread of Gospel)
We can expect an answer to such a prayer, or else Paul wouldn't have exhorted us to pray for it!
Therefore we can expect the same and greater national blessings under the New Covenant that they were promised under the Old Covenant - along with persecutions. And as in the Old Covenant, our focus in the New Covenant remains the unseen, heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; we still live for the unseen, we are still motivated by the unseen, in the same way that they were under the Old Covenant. But with greater freedom now!!
Paul still encouraged people to work, that they may have to give. "Be not weary in well doing," he said.
We don't live in a state of diminished expectation; in a state of any less actualization than they did under the Law. We live in more! We live in a better hope, but not in less actualization than they. Without us they were not made perfect. Even we wait for that which is perfect to come. So both they waited, and we wait. Since waiting is not exclusive to the New Covenant, neither is the expectation of being blessed now. The nation can be blessed now. And yet, it's nothing like what we will see at the resurrection and the coming kingdom!
Did Israel have the "kingdom of God" under the Law? In a sense yes (I Chronicles 29:23) "Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord". Well if he sat upon the throne of the Lord, it means he sat in God's kingdom, doesn't it? A throne implies a kingdom. And yet they were still in a sense waiting for the Kingdom of God.
Do we, through the Gospel, now inherit the Kingdom of God? We can experience Christ's rulership in Gentile nations similar to what David and Solomon experienced (Romans 15:12). We can also enter the Kingdom in a real way, unlike in the Old Covenant. And yet in a sense we still wait for the coming Kingdom.
Under both covenants, there was a sense of having the Kingdom already, and also a sense of still waiting for it. We are nearer to it now, we are freer, we have more power, we have a foretaste of glory, and we are real partakers of the Holy Ghost!
Therefore the blessing of the nations now, under the Gospel economy, can be equal to and greater than what was promised under the Old Covenant - with persecutions, and subject to the same qualifiers that applied under the Old Covenant.
Some of the qualifiers:
David had to go to war; Solomon didn't.
Israel spoiled the Egyptians; Elisha said, "Is this a time to receive?..."
David was chased by Saul; Nehemiah said, "Shall such a man as I flee?"
David prospered and caused the nation to prosper; Jeremiah was put in a dungeon and pronounced deportation upon the nation, and he himself became subject to the occupying nation with regard to where he would live.
For everything there is a time.
The lifestyle of Jesus and of Paul does not conflict with prosperity - it procures it. It procures it for God and for the brethren, eternally - even if you have to make sacrifices and die in the process. Some men of faith in the Old Testament had to die too.
Our's is not a lesser contract than the Old. It is a better one, far better, even with regard to prosperity and nationhood. The core values of the New Testament lifestyle are no different to the core values of the Old Testament - which is love (the New Commandment) which fulfills the Law. Therefore since they had the promise of prosperity, wealth and health - this promise is yes, and amen in Christ unto the glory of God by us.
Paul's choices were morally no different, and his priorities came from the same values that they held under the Old Testament. (Remember, Paul was actually an Old Testament young man, originally!)
So don't think the Old Testament promises are annulled or destroyed. They are fulfilled! Since Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfil the Law, then this includes the blessing (of the Law), not only the commandments contained in ordinances!
In each of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant and the period before the Old Covenant, the same values existed: faith, hope and love. None of these three values takes away in any way from the promise of health, healing and prosperity. These three values have the same promise in every dispensation.
God still wishes above all things that you, his beloved, prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.
The prosperity that is due to faith, hope and love in not negatively affected by the introduction of the second covenant. In fact, the likelihood of it is increased under the New, because it is based on better promises. And we still look forward in hope to the coming Kingdom.
Everything in Matthew 10:16-42 is true, but the apostles did appeal to law in their defence (Isaiah 8:20); Paul also demanded his civil rights, and appealed (Acts 16:37; 22:25; 25:11). Pennsylvania was a 'holy experiment'. Australia was an achievement.
Go and "teach all nations" Jesus commanded. Who knows if the result of teaching the nations would not be the establishment of the Kingdom of God in a political sense? Social life and spiritual life are inseparable in Paul's mind, being the Jew that he is.
To preach the Gospel among the nations, you have to live among them. If you live among them, you have the right to carry on a business among them. The business is not aimed at gaining a monopoly over the people so as to put them down. It is to help you to raise them up! It's ok to expect to receive some profit for your work. Service, at a profit.
Jesus said you may be welcomed, and if not, to leave.
The motive of our work there must be to honour God, to love, to serve, not to be greedy, not to pud down, to introduce Christ's Law, not our own or another man's. Take the Law of Christ to the nations: grace and truth. Take the commandment of love, which is the fulfilling of the Law.
Jesus commanded them to go and preach the Gospel (good news); teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. Take the Law - the royal law of love.
In the process of preaching this message, who is to say that new nations won't be the result; or that a new political and legal system won't be adopted; or even that new people could begin to dominate in new lands, regardless of race or status or inheritance? This could be like colonizing, only with the royal law of love.
"God lifts up and puts down".
"The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm 49:14).
Is the "morning" restricted to mean the second coming?
It means the second coming, but the day brightens even before the sun is seen over the horizon. In Psalm 90 "morning" is given the opposite meaning - so its meaning doesn't necessarily need to be restricted to mean the last day. Those who are still living have dominion over the already dead.
Taking the Gospel is taking a Law, a testimony, acting as a witness; it is a teaching, an announcement, a proclamation, a preaching, it is good news, it is heraldic.
The "signs" that follow it, done by the Lord, are additional legal testimonies to the point of Law we are announcing, namely - the remission of sins in His name through the blood of the Cross (Iaiah 8:16,18).
They proved from the Scriptures that Christ is the Saviour.
Not the terms "bind up" and "seal". Jesus used "bind" and "loose". He makes lawyers out of all of us! Lawyers proclaiming emancipation, the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee, the remission of sins, grace and truth - because of the blood.
I wonder if "bind" means to put in writing, so to speak; and if "loose" means to unseal?
It would be good to study:
- The values of the Kingdom - righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Ghost
- The Gospel - Jesus saves, heals, baptizes with the Holy Ghost, coming King
- The things Jesus commanded (the new commandment of love)
Paul was a follower of Christ and he told us to follow him. He told us to put on Christ.
It's the way to live!
By adopting Paul's and Jesus' lifestyle, you will lose nothing that you weren't going to keep anyway, had you stayed under the Old economy.
Instead, you will eternally gain everything that the Law promised, and more!
Living the Paul way, the Jesus way - which is the way of love, the way of the cross - you have nothing to lose (in comparison to what was available under the Law) and everything to gain.
Jesus is the One for Me
I went to bed last night reading about the voyages of Matthew Flinders. He was the first to circumnavigate Austalia, and it was he who suggested the name Australia.
When I woke up in the morning, I went to the piano and started to sing that song:
As significant as Matthew Flinders' journeys and sacrifices were, it fades in comparison with the riches of knowing Jesus intimately.
There is no-one as beautiful as Jesus.
There is no life worth living like the life lived for Jesus.
As I sat at the piano, moved to tears, I sang this new song unto Him:
I went to bed last night reading about the voyages of Matthew Flinders. He was the first to circumnavigate Austalia, and it was he who suggested the name Australia.
When I woke up in the morning, I went to the piano and started to sing that song:
It is you I pursue with all of my being
It is you I pursue with all of my heart
Things of the earth are of very little worth
When we compare them with the richness of the things you've brought us through
It is you I pursue with all of my heart
Things of the earth are of very little worth
When we compare them with the richness of the things you've brought us through
As significant as Matthew Flinders' journeys and sacrifices were, it fades in comparison with the riches of knowing Jesus intimately.
There is no-one as beautiful as Jesus.
There is no life worth living like the life lived for Jesus.
As I sat at the piano, moved to tears, I sang this new song unto Him:
You make the blind to see
And the deaf to hear
Set the prisoner free
Broken hearts to heal
Cause the lame to walk
Bring good news to the poor
You are the One
You are the One
Jesus You are the One for me
And the deaf to hear
Set the prisoner free
Broken hearts to heal
Cause the lame to walk
Bring good news to the poor
You are the One
You are the One
Jesus You are the One for me
Jesus is the One for Me
I went to bed last night reading about the voyages of Matthew Flinders. He was the first to circumnavigate Austalia, and it was he who suggested the name Australia.
When I woke up in the morning, I went to the piano and started to sing that song:
As significant as Matthew Flinders' journeys and sacrifices were, it fades in comparison with the riches of knowing Jesus intimately.
There is no-one as beautiful as Jesus.
There is no life worth living like the life lived for Jesus.
As I sat at the piano, moved to tears, I sang this new song unto Him:
I went to bed last night reading about the voyages of Matthew Flinders. He was the first to circumnavigate Austalia, and it was he who suggested the name Australia.
When I woke up in the morning, I went to the piano and started to sing that song:
It is you I pursue with all of my being
It is you I pursue with all of my heart
Things of the earth are of very little worth
When we compare them with the richness of the things you've brought us through
It is you I pursue with all of my heart
Things of the earth are of very little worth
When we compare them with the richness of the things you've brought us through
As significant as Matthew Flinders' journeys and sacrifices were, it fades in comparison with the riches of knowing Jesus intimately.
There is no-one as beautiful as Jesus.
There is no life worth living like the life lived for Jesus.
As I sat at the piano, moved to tears, I sang this new song unto Him:
You make the blind to see
And the deaf to hear
Set the prisoner free
Broken hearts to heal
Cause the lame to walk
Bring good news to the poor
You are the One
You are the One
Jesus You are the One for me
And the deaf to hear
Set the prisoner free
Broken hearts to heal
Cause the lame to walk
Bring good news to the poor
You are the One
You are the One
Jesus You are the One for me
Jesus is the One for Me
I went to bed last night reading about the voyages of Matthew Flinders. He was the first to circumnavigate Austalia, and it was he who suggested the name Australia.
When I woke up in the morning, I went to the piano and started to sing that song:
As significant as Matthew Flinders' journeys and sacrifices were, it fades in comparison with the riches of knowing Jesus intimately.
There is no-one as beautiful as Jesus.
There is no life worth living like the life lived for Jesus.
As I sat at the piano, moved to tears, I sang this new song unto Him:
I went to bed last night reading about the voyages of Matthew Flinders. He was the first to circumnavigate Austalia, and it was he who suggested the name Australia.
When I woke up in the morning, I went to the piano and started to sing that song:
It is you I pursue with all of my being
It is you I pursue with all of my heart
Things of the earth are of very little worth
When we compare them with the richness of the things you've brought us through
It is you I pursue with all of my heart
Things of the earth are of very little worth
When we compare them with the richness of the things you've brought us through
As significant as Matthew Flinders' journeys and sacrifices were, it fades in comparison with the riches of knowing Jesus intimately.
There is no-one as beautiful as Jesus.
There is no life worth living like the life lived for Jesus.
As I sat at the piano, moved to tears, I sang this new song unto Him:
You make the blind to see
And the deaf to hear
Set the prisoner free
Broken hearts to heal
Cause the lame to walk
Bring good news to the poor
You are the One
You are the One
Jesus You are the One for me
And the deaf to hear
Set the prisoner free
Broken hearts to heal
Cause the lame to walk
Bring good news to the poor
You are the One
You are the One
Jesus You are the One for me
Tuesday 7 November 2006
The Davidic Foundation
Jesus Christ and the Gospel was played-out on the stage of the nation of Israel.
Then Jesus called the apostles and told them to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel, teaching all nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you".
God first built a nation, gave them a Law, gave them a military mandate, blessed their health, and blessed their economy - and on this political platform, in this civil environment He introduced Jesus Christ.
It is in such a blessed, Davidic nation that the Gospel life can be lived and where the Gospel can flourish. It is difficult to live the Gospel life and to spread the Gospel in a persecuted regime. In a nation with a blessed government, laws, economy, health and prosperity - the church can flourish. The Gospel is the object - but a strong nation is the foundation.
That's why Paul exhorted believers to pray for kings, for all who are in authority, that we may be able to lead a quiet and peaceful life in all honesty and godliness.
The Gospel flourishes on a good civil foundation.
The Gospel also produces such a society.
"Go and teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you".
In the founding of the United States of America, the Davidic role was achieved (David fulfilled all God's will, in a political sense); and in that environment the Gospel was free to flourish.
By the same token, that Davidic role in America was birthed out of the Gospel being preached for centuries.
That's why Christ introduced the new office of apostles: because preaching the Gospel is the most important thing.
Without Christ at our foundation, nothing else has meaning; with everything else in tact (prosperity, good government, etc) the whole reason for it is so we can now live the Gospel freely - and preach it.
Jesus Christ and the Gospel was played-out on the stage of the nation of Israel.
Then Jesus called the apostles and told them to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel, teaching all nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you".
God first built a nation, gave them a Law, gave them a military mandate, blessed their health, and blessed their economy - and on this political platform, in this civil environment He introduced Jesus Christ.
It is in such a blessed, Davidic nation that the Gospel life can be lived and where the Gospel can flourish. It is difficult to live the Gospel life and to spread the Gospel in a persecuted regime. In a nation with a blessed government, laws, economy, health and prosperity - the church can flourish. The Gospel is the object - but a strong nation is the foundation.
That's why Paul exhorted believers to pray for kings, for all who are in authority, that we may be able to lead a quiet and peaceful life in all honesty and godliness.
The Gospel flourishes on a good civil foundation.
The Gospel also produces such a society.
"Go and teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you".
In the founding of the United States of America, the Davidic role was achieved (David fulfilled all God's will, in a political sense); and in that environment the Gospel was free to flourish.
By the same token, that Davidic role in America was birthed out of the Gospel being preached for centuries.
That's why Christ introduced the new office of apostles: because preaching the Gospel is the most important thing.
Without Christ at our foundation, nothing else has meaning; with everything else in tact (prosperity, good government, etc) the whole reason for it is so we can now live the Gospel freely - and preach it.
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