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And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:9-10

As with millions of other Christians, I am so very much aware of the wonderful saving hand of Christ upon my life, and how I was dead in my sins at one moment, and then saved for all eternity the next. I am constantly reminded of how the simplest victory would have been absolutely impossible without His sacrifice, and I am also aware of how fully and completely His sacrifice has redeemed my life.

Obviously I would never wish to be forgetful of these things, yet it has begun to dawn on me recently, and to my deepest shame, how I have been ignorant to something of equal importance, and that is the way in which Christ indwells believers by His Spirit, not purely for their own benefit, but that they may become vessels to continue His mission to seek and save the lost in this world. We are reminded of this in His Word quite clearly:

How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Romans 10:14

For far too long I have allowed myself to be insulated against the shame that accompanies the Gospel message. I can join the throng of professing believers in the West and say to myself that I do not face persecution because I live in a Christian nation, or I can be honest with myself, and say that the reason I do not face persecution for the namesake of Christ is because I fail to live as the witness He commands me to. Yes it’s true that on the ‘net, behind my own little PC monitor I may have quite a loud voice at times, and I thank the Lord each day for the way He has allowed me the privilege to be involved in such ministry. However truth be told, in my personal life, face to face with the hard and Godless of this world, I remain as a dumb and silent bystander, and this truth is splitting me in two!

It is my prayer that the Lord will take me as I am, and use me as a tool for His glory, living to boldly proclaim the Gospel message to all who will listen, and regardless of personal cost. I don’t know what that may mean in practical terms, but I do know deep down in my heart that these are desperate times, calling for desperate measures, and oh how I pray that I may enter the Kingdom of God on that Final Day, bruised and battle scarred, along with the true and faithful saints from through the ages.

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Originally posted 2010-03-13 13:30:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Joshua 3:8-17
8  You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’ ”
9  So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”
10  And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:
11  Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan.
12  Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe.
13  And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”
14  So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
15  and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest),
16  that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
17  Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

As I was reading through this passage of Scripture earlier today, there seemed a clear call to those in Christ today to fulfill their duty as priests of the Living God, and willingly step into death for the glory of Christ alone, and for the salvation of those He has called. We can know from 1 Peter 2:9 that those in Christ now are in the same role that the Levite priests in this passage were in, and that as believers, we now bear the Spirit of the One who has given us a new covenant by His own blood, as the very temple He now resides within 1 Cor 3:16.

In the Old Testament picture above, we see the promised land that awaits the Israelites beyond the Jordan river, swollen and unpassable, as a representation of death itself. However in Christ we have One who goes before us, and stills the rolling waters in an instant, holding them back until we have all passed through safely. The parallel to the account in Joshua that we see for today however, is that it is necessary for those bearing the ark to stand in the Jordan themselves. To enter death for the glory of Christ therefore, is not simply a noble act carried out by a few Christian believers, but it is the very command of God to be obeyed by every Christian believer, for we have been chosen by God to carry the Ark of the New Covenant right through the midst of death, for the glory of Jesus Christ alone, and that those around us may see the path opening up before them, and hear the call of His voice to follow too.

We can jump up and down all we like, sing loudly and joyfully, clap our hands, pray to our hearts content, and shout “Jesus is Lord!” from the rooftops, but the crunch question we need to ask ourselves is this: Am I willing to march into death itself, and risk losing every single solitary thing that is precious to me for His glory? If the answer is anything but a resounding “Yes!”, then we need to repent and cry out to the Lord with all our hearts that it may be so.

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Originally posted 2010-01-28 17:46:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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When I read these words of Paul, they make me long for the same attitude to be manifested in my own life too. I can talk the talk with the best of them, and maybe on the surface at least, it may appear that I walk the walk. But with hand on my heart, I could not confidently and boldly make the statement Paul makes above, and truly mean it from the heart.

I pray that the Holy Spirit does a work in my heart to make that type of belief I long for, to be that which is truly on display in my life. As much as I cherish my family and those dear to me, and the creature comforts that the Lord has graciously bestowed upon me, I long for sincerity of heart to consider those things as nothing before Him. Even my health, and every moment I live and breathe; how I long to truly let go of it for His glory alone.

Yet in all this longing, can I say that I am anywhere near my goal? Unfortunately not. However what I do have in my favour is the life surrendered by my Lord and Saviour, whose redeeming blood has purchased my own redemption before a Holy and Righteous God, who has sworn to judge the sin of this world in His Wrath. In Him my life is hidden, and His righteousness has been astoundingly credited to my own account.

So does this mean I should quit being concerned about my sincerity of heart concerning surrendering to my God? Shame on me if I ever stop doing so in this lifetime, for what else do I have to offer in thanksgiving for all that He has done for me, apart from the wretch that I am? Yet at the same time, I have no need to be anxious and worried about my lack, for the Lord has given me His own life as my own, and taken my sin upon Himself as if it were His own, nailing it to the Cross of Calvary and covering it with His own blood.

When I look at the life of the apostle Paul, from whose lips came the title of this article, and then I look at my own pathetic attempt to live a life holy unto the Lord, I am ashamed of myself. But by the faith that Christ has placed within me as a gift, and because of His magnificent grace and mercy, I am clothed with the same righteous clothing as the apostle Paul Himself, no more and no less. And out of an eternally grateful heart, I will endeavour to follow his example, and others like him, who were completely surrendered to the service of God, and to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and risen again.

What more can I say regarding this life here on earth, or how I should live it for His glory? One thing I do, is remember that I have a sure and confident hope in Christ, that gives me great and glorious promises of that which is to come. And though it is true that the thought of pain, suffering, and mortal death can at times strike me with fear, I have absolutely no doubt at all that when the chips are down, and I am called to take a final stand, even if similarly extreme to that taken by some of the early believers; the Holy Spirit within me will keep me standing until the bitter end, and once again it will have nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Him.

I know full well what it means when Scripture tells us such things as, “it is impossible to please God without faith” and “the righteous shall live by faith”, for it is all about what someone else has done, and has absolutely nothing at all to do with what I have done. For pity’s sake, I was unable to even choose of my own accord to follow Him in the first place! How on earth could I place any hope or expectation in being able to measure up to His righteous standards? Instead I will glory in all that Christ has accomplished on my behalf, patiently and eagerly awaiting the promise of Heaven that is sure to come.

Colossians 3:1-4
1  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

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Originally posted 2009-12-27 01:21:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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This morning after sending the kids off to school, I read through some of the latest articles in my feed reader, only to come across this excellent and uplifting post. As I read it, I couldn’t help but feel conviction as to why at times I feel that my joy in the Lord is robbed, and it is for the very reason that my eager expectation of the return of my Lord has been dulled.

Many times in the past, discussion about the return of the Lord Jesus descends into a sometimes heated debate about the timing of His return, the timing of the Rapture of the Church etc., until we cannot see beyond the end of our own noses. As with other debatable matters of faith, we can get so caught up in our efforts to be right, that we completely miss the point!

My exhortation in this message, which has been kindled in my spirit due to the faithful encouragement of my sister in the article I linked earlier, is to see an eager anticipation of the Lord’s return established in your own heart. I’m not talking about being bolstered by the hearty confession of a man, not even a man on fire for the Lord. Rather I am talking of looking to the Scriptures, hearing the command of God’s Word to look to His return with great anticipation, living godly lives each day as if it were your last.

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Originally posted 2010-04-19 08:20:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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^{Mark 4 36-41( KJV)}

³⁶And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

³⁷And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

³⁸And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

³⁹And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

⁴⁰And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye yet have no faith?

⁴¹And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

This story is in Matthew 8, Mark 4 and Luke 8 and all tell the same story, but from a slightly different viewpoint. The passage in Mark 4 in KJV above, is the most descriptive and gives a little more detail of the seeming direness of their circumstances and the most detail of Jesus’ response and for my purposes here, I chose it for that. I say ’seeming direness’ because that is exactly what it was because of the simple fact that the Son of God was on their boat with them, in the midst of the storm.

So,  Who’s asleep on your boat?

I have heard many sermons about this passage and always I am left with a feeling of kindred spirits with the disciples and a good dose of,  “Oh no, I do that too at times.”  These were well-seasoned fishermen who I am sure had seen their fair share of storms on the Sea of Galilee, so what was the difference now?

If we look at the Greek words describing the great storm mentioned in the passage,  it describes the word great as -

Thayer Definition – G3173  μέγας  megas  -

Big  (+ fear) exceedingly, great (-est), high, large, loud, mighty,   and also used of intensity and its degrees:  of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong.

Strongs Definition G3176 μέγιστος megistos meg’-is-tos
Superlative of G3173; greatest or very great: – exceeding great.

We see very clearly there was something rather different about this storm – it had a definite purpose to it.

The waves are described like this -

Strongs Definition G1911 ἐπιβάλλω  epiballō  ep-ee-bal’-lo

From G1909 and G906; to throw upon  – beat into, cast (up-), on, fall, lay (on),

also taken from

Strongs Definition G4496 ῥίπτω rhiptō̄  hrip’-to

A primary verb (perhaps rather akin to the base of G4474, through the idea of sudden motion); to fling (properly with a quick toss, thus differing from G906, which denotes a deliberate hurl; and from τείνω teinō (see in G1614), which indicates an extended projection); by qualification, to deposit (as if a load); by extension to disperse: – cast (down, out), scatter abroad, throw.

The wind is described as :

G417 ἄνεμος anemos

Thayer Definition:
1) wind, a violent agitation and stream of air
2) a very strong tempestuous wind
3) the four principal or cardinal winds, hence the four corners of heaven

I am sure you clearly get the picture that this could be described as an extraordinarily, violent storm.

And Jesus slept soundly while it was going on around them with all it’s mighty force. Where was He asleep?- the KJV uses an old term – the hinder part of the boat – the helm, the pilot’s place. There is great significance in this too.

Is He at your helm?

How did the disciples, these hardened fishermen react? By calmly sitting down and having a good old natter, perhaps chatting about the weather patterns of their day? No. They did what any person who does not fully understand Who is asleep in their boat, would do. They more than likely took it upon themselves to solve their immediate problem, their own way by reacting as they would have in the past before Jesus came into their lives.  They eventually turn to Jesus when they realise they can of themselves do no more to save the situation, and in utter terror, awaken Him.

Lets look a little closer at their wording again ” Master, carest Thou not that we perish?” Do you see something here? The first thing they do in their panic is turn it on the Lord questioning His care of them – “don’t you care about us?” or, “Lord, why is this happening to us?” , “What  about  ‘me, me, me’.” How many times in our lives have we asked this of the Lord, whilst going through a storm of any size?

I love the fact that they had to waken Him

Jesus knew fully, and lived even before the storm, knowing that there was nothing happening that His Father did not already know about or would possibly overlook or forget. The second thing that Jesus also knew was that His life and the timing in His life was fully in the hands of His Father. He knew that His Father’s will was what His life was all about, and that He came to do the will of His Father, and it is in the confidence of this knowledge and in the confidence of His Father Himself, that He was able to sleep. And when He awoke, He did not panic alongside His disciples, but stood up and rebuked the sea -

Strong’s  Definition G2008   ἐπιτιμάω    epitimaō    ep-ee-tee-mah’-o

From G1909 and G5091; to tax upon, that is, censure or admonish; by implication forbid: – (straitly) charge, rebuke.

to be quiet -

Strong’s Definition G4623 σιωπάω  siōpaō   see-o-pah’-o

From σιωπη siōpē (silence, that is, a hush; properly muteness, that is, involuntary stillness

and still -

Strong’s Definition G5392 φιμόω phimoō  fee-mo’-o

From φιμός phimos  to muzzle

The winds and the waves obeyed Him, not in half-an-hour, but straight away, so there was not a single chance that they could have calmed down ‘naturally’ and the glory gone to anyone else. This now caused an awe and great fear in the disciples.  How might it have affected us had we been there, how do we feel when it happens in our lives now?

He was also telling the disciples to be calm and quiet too. He then goes on to say to them, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye yet have no faith?”  In other words, “Do you not know Who is asleep on the boat with you? Do you not yet know Who I AM?”

Have you heard Him ask you this question too?

Let me ask you another and one that I still have to face many times myself: Is your life all about what you want and your ideas and your agendas  or are you prepared to be taken through absolutely anything that the Lord has ahead of you regardless of the size of the storm, for Him to get you to where He wants you and needs you to be?

I use the words again, “Do you not know Who I AM?”

Is there anything more important in our life here on earth, with Jesus as both Lord and Saviour,  than about us getting to know Him and whatever that might involve, no matter the storms involved? – see Philippians 3

The last sentence in this passage reads, ” ⁴¹And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Even though they had been with Him for some while and had faith in Him, and had watched Him perform many miracles, they still had not been in a situation like this one. And here they failed. Nothing before had tested and tried their faith in Him like this episode. And as a result of His quieting the storm, they greatly feared Him far more than they ever feared the storm itself.

Strongs: G5399 φοβέω phobeō fob-eh’-o
From G5401; to frighten, that is, (passively) to be alarmed; by analogy to be in awe of, that is, revere: – be (+ sore) afraid, fear (exceedingly), reverence

With this experience, they moved into a new understanding and awe of Him through His command of the storm, just as we do too, when coming through and out the other side of a storm in our own life and have seen that He has indeed been there all along and is in control of it too.

‘This Man’  lived and moved and had His being in God, was man as he was originally intended to be with God from the beginning.   Not even Adam, before the fall, was ever such a man.  This man was in reality, God Incarnate, God in the flesh. No wonder they were exceedingly, sore-afraid.

So, Who’s asleep in your boat?

Do we go through the storms that are threatening to overload our boat and sink us, reacting in our common sense that prevails often resulting in a state of panic or are we sure and confident in the One Who is at the helm even though it appears he has no tiller in hand? A time comes when our best is not good enough to resolve things and we have no where else to go, but to throw ourselves upon Him in prayer and allow the Lord to do His divine best and that is when He expects us to have utter confidence in His ability and in His power. Will He be able to rely upon us as His children to have calm and steady ’sea-legs’ when the storm hits?

He may at times appear to be asleep as we sleep, but the Bible makes it very clear in Psalm 121:4 that,  Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. In the Song of Solomon 5:2 it says, ” I sleep, but my heart is awake;  It is the voice of my beloved!.  Jesus is ever before the Father interceding for us, His children.  Hebrews 7:25 tells us that, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Whatever the storm is you are going through, are you prepared to allow the Lord to waken up at His leisure, knowing you can have utter confidence in Him; that He knows already what the outcome is and is already interceding on your behalf before the Throne of Grace and Mercy? Does He not deserve our absolute confidence and trust in Him in each and every situation or circumstance in our lives, as Lord of all?

We need to learn that He Who is asleep on the boat, is more capable than we will ever be, to manage the boat.

I end with some words from Oswald:

Is Jesus Christ a Carpenter, or is He God to me? If He is only man, why let Him take the tiller of the boat? Why pray to Him? But if He be God, then be heroic enough to go to the breaking-point and not break in your confidence in Him.

So, Who’s asleep on your boat?

In His love

All Glory to God

Steph

1. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person, Our Lord Jesus Christ and not to a religious creed.
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Hebrews 13:13-16
13  Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
14  For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.
15  Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
16  But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Contrary to the opinion of many, the Kingdom of God has not been revealed in the earth yet, and it will not until the Son of God returns to establish it. Rather the Kingdom of God came into this world in the vessel of Christ Jesus, and now resides throughout the earth in the vessels He has called out as His own, and filled with His Holy Spirit. All for the purpose of bringing glory unto Himself by manifesting His goodness through the lives of the redeemed.

As the redeemed of God, it is not up to us to go marching through the land boldly as the “Kings Kids”, chasing down the devil brashly and picking a fight with him. It is not ours to expect to live such greatly blessed lives in this earth, filled with every earthly blessing, so that the lost will jealously come into our kingdom. Nor is it even ours to be so nice and friendly to every person, that we can “love them into the kingdom”. Our part in this earthly life, when lived for the glory of Christ, is the complete rejection of all we once held dear, for that which is to come.

In Christ we have a blessed hope, and look forward to His return. We seek that which is to come, not that which is temporal. It is not about our best life now, nor is that the message we should preach. But it is a message that the Creator of the whole earth has given His life to secure a glorious eternity for those who believe. And if that belief is sincere, it will produce a willingness, or even a burning desire, to share in His death, suffering and reproach, that we may also share in His eternal life and glory.

Does that mean that as Christians, we should be ignorant of the world that surrounds us? Absolutely not! For as the slaves of righteousness we have now become in Him, we are called to lay down our lives for friend and foe alike. Blessing those who curse us, giving to those who rob us, and restoring those who deceive us. In the midst of the many tribulations that litter our path leading to eternal life, rather than self pity getting the better of us, rather we shall rejoice and offer praises unto our God. And after being hard pressed from all sides, we shall give to those around us until we have nothing left to give.

This is the life we are called to live, and this is the only life that can be lived by those who shall enter into His Kingdom on that Final Day.

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Originally posted 2009-11-03 15:16:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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