Author: sweetpeacardco

A Faith Like Hannah’s

/ sweetpeacardco

Today our chronological reading plan has brought us to the book of Daniel. What an incredible book about the sovereignty of God and of His people trusting Him exclusively. These are two truths that the church in exile here in England deeply need to know. The latter point also brought my attention to another great figure of faith outside of Daniel who exemplifies a similar unapologetic faith in the Lord, Hannah.

Hannah’s well known story kick starts the book of Samuel. She is childless (both an old-age security worry but also a burden upon any would be mothers’ heart). As a result she comes to the tabernacle (the temple had not yet been built) to cry out to the LORD (and a priest happens to be watching her):

She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. (1 Samuel 1:10-15 ESV)

Hannah was on a mission, she had an appointment to meet with her God. She was troubled in spirit and poured out her soul before the Lord. In the process she was misinterpreted and chastised for being drunk! Oh how genuine faith is often the subject of scorn by the unbelieving and religious, by those whose jealousy for what Hannah has lead them into spiteful action rather than to adopt a similar posture before the Lord

Today, be like Hannah. Do not be afraid to live out your faith. Live it fully, live it boldly.

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

What if…?

/ sweetpeacardco

Put on your imagination hat for a moment and ponder this sad circumstance, imagine if…

Your pastor (or elder[1]):

  • Habitually failed to show up at services he was meant to preach at (leaving the chapel with no back up preacher!);
  • Felt not the need to attend services when he wasn’t preacher or leading;
  • Mis-planned his week so he was out so late on Saturday night he was too tired to come into the Lord’s house on Sunday morning;
  • Approached his duties with half-hearted drudgery rather than with delight and care;
  • Didn’t show the zeal to go above and beyond in ministerial duties;
  • Was negligent in attending weekly Bible study (skipping out even when he was scheduled to lead!);
  • Never read the Bible or prayed outside of church events;
  • Didn’t observe the Lord’s Day on holidays, or visit another church when not preaching at his own;
  • Often skipped prayer meetings or was absent at other important chapel meetings; or
  • Was one person in the pulpit and someone completely different out of it.

I would imagine they would either be rebuked or removed from their position and worse still, have their Christian character called into question. The consequences are not imaginary. This is the scrutiny a pastor is placed under in life by the Church and by the Lord (who sees and knows all things).

But what if…these same principles were applied to your walk with the Lord?

While elders and pastors are called to a higher level of responsibility and accountability, they share with all Christians the calling to conform to Christ’s standard of perfection, obedience and service.

Don’t neglect to meet together as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ~Hebrew 10:25

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

[1] Or you might sub in another position of Christian leadership or service paid or voluntary.

Materialism vs. Christ-centred Contentment

/ sweetpeacardco

In the face of the materialist idols Satan so tempts the world of today with, Proverbs 30:8b–9 provides us with great alternative wisdom to the mainstream of 21st century British culture:

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Jesus says that it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven because their great wealth can blind them to seeing their physical and spiritual need of Him. Sadly, their wealth can corrupt their souls so they boast not in God but their wealth. On the other extreme is the person who is so poor that they sin by taking what is not theirs. They too fail to trust God to provide and take their salvation into their own hands. What is the best state to find oneself in according to this proverb? It is to have one’s daily bread, to have just enough, to be content (cf. Mt 6:11, 31–33; 1 Ti 6:6–8; Heb 13:5), and more so to be content knowing that if one has Christ they have more than enough.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

It is because of the vast spiritual treasury available to the believer in Christ that Paul could say in Philippians 3:8, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all [material] things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

The Gospel of Hezekiah

/ sweetpeacardco

For those who may be wondering at the title—NO— this does not refer to a long lost book from a Dan Brown novel! Even if the fullest manifestation of the Gospel came in Christ we see marvellous foreshadowing’s of the Gospel in the Old Testament. We should expect this as not only predictive of Christ’s coming but also reflective of God’s character and mission, for He reigns over both Testaments and changes not.

When the Passover was celebrated (itself emblematic of Christ) Hezekiah sent “couriers” to the tribes of Israel that had recently been decimated by the Assyrian invasion. While the leaders, craftsmen, etc, were carried into exile many commoners appear to have remained. Having compassion upon them and desiring that they might be restored to the Lord the couriers message to Israel from King Hezekiah of Judah was this:

“O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. (2 Chronicles 30:6-8 ESV)

The first part of the Gospel is to point out and for people to come to acknowledge the bad news. Israel’s sinfulness and faithlessness as that of a whore [c.f. Hosea 5:4] (horrifically recounted elsewhere in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles and the Prophets) had brought judgement upon them.

Having clearly identified the problem, however, Hezekiah then turns to point them to the solution:

For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” (2 Chronicles 30:9 ESV)

IF— the condition of the Gospel. The avenue, the means of salvation is accepting the invitation and remedy for the bad news. For the Israelites it was returning to worship the true God, offering sacrifices for sin and humbly obeying His commands. Today it is no different, we are called to acknowledge the Lord, the one true God, turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins and live under His life giving promises.

But in Israel’s case we see the sad reality, that not all to whom the Gospel is published will repent and believe, some will, some will not:

So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 30:10-11 ESV)

When we preach the Gospel we need to be ready to be laughed at, scorned and mocked, all the while “not being ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16). Such push back also reminds us of the hardness of people’s hearts and that it is only by the Spirit that men can be lead to believe (Jn 6:44). However, we should take heart to persevere in our promotion of the Gospel:

Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Tim 2:10)

Paul’s encouragement to Timothy was that because the elect of God are out there, we labour in preaching the Gospel trusting that the Lord will use us as the means to reach them.

Thanks be to God for the Gospel!

Pastor Chris

Praying for Nice

/ sweetpeacardco

If you began your day like me today, you will have got up and then at some point seen or heard of the news flash that 84 people had been killed by a lorry driver in the French city of Nice during celebrations for Bastille Day.[1]

Heureux les affligés, car ils seront consolés! (Matthew 5:4)

Firstly, let us all stop right now (if you haven’t done so already) and pray for the victims, the citizens of Nice and the French Republic. Let us pray—holding this situation up before the throne of grace—out of our deep compassion and love and because it is our Christian duty (1 Tim 2:1). May we also mourn over this great evil (Ro 12:9).

Most people will be asking two questions: why and what’s going on? Both of those are difficult and yet straightforward to answer, and in my attempt to do just that I therefore proceed with great humility.

WHY?

Many Christians will look at these events through one of two lenses: the sovereignty of God or eschatology (end times belief). Since I am no seer other than some basic things Jesus has told me will happen (He is coming, to live as if His return is imminent, and that we do not know the day or the hour) let me seek to find the answer to WHY? in what the Bible says about the sovereignty of God.

First, if God is not sovereign, the things that happen are either by pure chance or happen because God is not sovereign or almighty or all wise enough to stay the hand of evil. As we will see the Bible clearly tells us this is not who God is.

Secondly, we need to resist the temptation to attribute every evil act to a karma like belief that the 1st century Jews held. That if you sinned you would not prosper, you would be judged. Jesus challenged this belief (Luke 13:1-5 ESV):

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

 But with that tempering truth in view, if God is sovereign then evil is part of his will (at least indirectly). This is a truth we cannot faithfully shy away from, even if we ought to be slow to attribute all evil acts definitively as judgement.

WHAT’S GOING ON?

Every age has its troubles. In every age some Christian has cried “the end of the world.” Like I said earlier I’ll leave that with the Lord. However, that does not mean we cannot look around today and notice that the Lord is shaking the nations. This is but one instance of that.

A verse from our passage this coming Lord’s Day from Isaiah 22:11b helpfully reminds us:

But you did not look to Him who did it, or see Him who planned it long ago.

While God cannot do evil, in accordance with his will evil men and women can do evil things, and that can be used by and accomplish his greater purposes. So while God cannot do evil, we must acknowledge that in accordance with His sovereignty, nothing can come to us by chance but by His fatherly hand. Hard to swallow at times, perplexing to fathom, but encouraging to know we serve an almighty God. These wake up calls ought to cause us to look to the Lord and not to continue a life without Him.

Islamic Movements[2]

It would seem that with the rise of Islamic extremism the Lord has been using this to cause many Muslims to become disenchanted with Islam and consider Christ. Indeed, in the last 15 centuries there have been 88 movements of Muslims to Christ (a movement being 1000 Muslims becoming Christians in an area). 72 of those have been in the last century with most in the last 15 years since 9/11. The Lord is doing something amongst the nations.

Shaking Self-reliance and godlessness

The average person, let alone the average French citizen, devoid of trust in God, is fearful. We live in an increasingly uncertain world. Though major international leaders seek to calm these fears, there words are often a smokescreen. Increasingly, as the Lord is at work shaking the nations we are being forced to trust Him or self, divine government or the ruler(s) of this world.

The French president said they had been “badly hit” but was strong, adding “we need to do everything we can to fight against” such attacks…”All of France is under the threat of Islamic terrorism.” Here is a secular state fighting a deeply religious phenomenon and trying to do so temporally! They are trying to do “all they can” ignoring the one thing that is needed. While there are many causes behind Islamic terrorism the spiritual reasons and solutions are discounted as naïve (are the other explanations and tactics working…?). Instead of viewing these events as from the Lord and issuing a call to repent and seek him, the West continues to discount religion and fail to return to the quarry from which they were dug [Christianity; Jesus!] (Isa 51:1).

If the Church in the UK is very small (estimates ranging from 1–4% of the population) then the Church in France is even smaller. Friends of ours recently vacationed in France. They tried to find a church—any church— to worship in. They searched for “evangelical church,” “Protestant church” and finally “Catholic church.” The nearest Mass was 28 miles away. Nominal Christianity aside, figures for the size of the Church [born again] in France estimate it to be around 0.9% of the population.[3] Much of this represents recent growth and immigration of believers from former colonies.

Pray that the people of France would look not to themselves or their government or to hatred for explanations or solutions to resolve these issues, but to Christ! Pray the Church there would be ready. Pray that the French may “return to the Lord,” “look to Him who did it,” and “repent…lest they perish.”

Pray the Lord will continue to shake all nations, as He sees fit, until His will is accomplished and His glory revealed.

Cherchez-moi, et vous vivrez! (Amos 5:4b)

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

[1] Bastille Day 1789, the beginning of the French Revolution: an age of “liberty” and a quarter century of political turmoil, terror and international conflict (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/french-revolutionaries-storm-bastille).

[2] http://www.30daysprayer.org.uk/

[3] Gospel centred and evangelical, reformed and Lutheran churches and faithful minorities from mainline churches (most studies also . For some introductory reading on Christianity in France see: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/evangelical.churches.in.france.facts.figures.and.home.truths/51674.htm; http://impactfrance.org/evangelical-france/

 

Calling evil good and good evil (a word to Christians about the LGBTI agenda)

/ sweetpeacardco

Woe to those who call evil good

                               and good evil,

               who put darkness for light

                               and light for darkness,

               who put bitter for sweet

                               and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20 ESV)

 This was true of Isaiah’s day and it is certainly true today, where people live sinful lives as if they were the norm (Proverbs 14:12). We live in an age of moral confusion. What was once viewed as evil and unacceptable has witnessed a 180 revolution where evil is touted as being good, and liberating—the epitome of a “liberal” society.[1] Many people begrudgingly go along with the LGBTI[2] agenda or shrug it off by saying things like, “they can do what they’d like” or “so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone or bother me…” The reason behind the shift? Our present state of moral confusion has derived from their ceasing to exist in the minds of the populace a moral authority as to what is right and what is wrong. Even for those who have mild moral bearings standing up for what is right is often hard to do and so if the squeaky wheel gets the grease… “hang on a second shouldn’t we think about this…oh bother with the fuss, I’d rather go watch tennis.” This article attempts to reasonably think through this vast issue of gender confusion in an introductory manner from a Biblical and Christian perspective. While many other helpful arguments that support the Biblical view of gender can be found in natural law, etc, (appealed to by non-Christians of religious and non-religious persuasions alike), this post will limit itself to the Biblical argument believing the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God and therefore sufficient in all matters of morality, faith and practice.

The LGBTI agenda has been the squeaky wheel that has got the grease. It has been a silent and stealthy force creeping through Western civilization, often without any thought or resistance. Recently transgenderism[3] has been the issue in vogue. The US has been debating toilet laws and whether transgendered people could join the army. Canada is moving towards gender neutral statements on government issued ID cards as if we are all androgynous.[4] Suddenly transgenderism and homosexuality are being plastered across the media and film in an attempt to enculturate society into believing that the old evil is the new norm.

Part of the issue in trying to stick one’s neck out and offer an honest plea for common sense is that one’s neck risks being cut off. Opposition is branded as the enemy or as hate speech. Let me stop and be clear. This article is not hate speech, it is being offered calmly and collectively, putting forward the Christian view, one filled with truth and love. This is being done in a traditionally liberal spirit (meaning the view open to broad learning and dialogue) and indeed the LGBTI view represents the illiberal view (close-minded to other views than its own). Funny how words change in meaning when those who used to espouse the liberal arts of listening and dialogue, and have largely come to believe the worldview that there is no grand truth and yet militantly use threats to quell any challenge to the norm that is being imposed. For those who are illiberal I am already the enemy. For those who are open to reason and would like to know more of the teaching of the Bible on the subject, I invite you to continue with me.

Before we turn to the Bible one helpful clarification on gender and sexuality.

The World Health Organization records that, “Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.”

To be fair there have been times in the past where aspects of gender have been stereotypically pinned to one sex or another whilst in reality they could be common to the sexes (i.e. the old saying that girls couldn’t play sports). So in this sense the challenge to aspects of traditional gender association has been liberating (for men and women). However, while there are some gender attributes that may be legitimately shared across the sexes many find their roots not in what “society considers appropriate” but in the sex that God assigned to us. For example, there is something in the biological hardwiring of men that make them providers and women nurturers. What separates men and women is not just our physical anatomy. Men really are men and women truly are women. The differences do not only revolve around reproductive systems, but the totality of our biology and calling as being created in the image of God fashions us as men and women, distinct but equal in God’s sight. Therefore the Biblical view sees gender and sex as being inextricably linked and assigned by God, whereas the contemporary developing view sees gender (and sex via sex changes) as a subjective matter of choice.

The Biblical View of Gender

 Why is it that Deut 22:5 says,

A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 22:5 ESV)

This verse against transvestitism (dressing like the opposite sex) is a prime example of how the Bible places boundaries between male and female because God has fearfully and wonderfully made us and assigned to us our sex which is a gift to be cherish and not denied or confused. To deny your sex is to deny who God has made you to be and to rebel against God.

On the creation of the sexes let’s turn to Genesis 1:27:

 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

(Genesis 1:27 ESV) [emphasis added]

This truth is the fountainhead of all other conversations about human gender and sexuality in the Bible. Every one of them harkens back to this truth. After Gen 1:27 it says God saw that it was “very good” (Gen 1:31). Therefore to deny who we are is to rebel against God’s good design for us. It bespeaks arrogance, pride, revolt, selfishness and self-indulgence whereas accepting and rejoicing in who God made you speaks of humility, celebration, gratitude, submission and worship.

This is why as part of the FIEC we have collectively proposed adopting the following statement on gender:

God created us male and female, and calls us to live according to our gender identity which is inseparable from our biological sex determined at conception. Our gender may not be changed or reassigned.

 *This said we need to acknowledge that there are difficult and very rare cases such as biological “transgenderism” (when a child is born as a hermaphrodite or intersex [having both sets of sexual organs]). As Jesus said, “there are eunuchs who have been so from birth” (Mt 19:21). Physical defects such as this are a general result of the Fall. Being confronted with these parents have an enormous decision to make, one in which I would argue they as parents have the authority to exercise parental judgement in one way or the other. In such cases families require all the care and counsel Christians can offer. However, a rare exception should never be allowed to trump the rule.

 How Christians Should Treat Transgendered People

Have compassion on the lost and confused as Jesus did:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36 ESV)

Because these people are troubled, insecure and often possess deep wounds, they are therefore in great need of healing, teaching and care. We need to do this firmly but with gentleness and respect (1 Pet 3:15) remembering they are our fellow sinners and that the only thing that separates us is grace:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV) [emphasis added]

We must love them while presenting the truth to them with the firm believe that true healing for their gender confusion can only be found in their finding their identity in Christ.

In a generation in which morality sways with the wind may those who follow Christ resolutely place their feet upon the rock trusting He will be the anchor that will keep us in the storm, and may the Lord use such steadfastness to be a light in the moral confusion of our time.

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

[1] “Freedom” however is often pure licentiousness and underneath its cover is the truth that people who think they are free—free from God, authority, moral obligations— are actually slaves to Satan and sin (Ro 6:18). Our inalienable rights are truly only those that God has established in His word.

[2] Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Trans-gendered or Inter-Sex.

[3] To be transgendered refers to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.

[4]Being neither male nor female in sex and gender.

A Letter from a 10 Year Old

/ sweetpeacardco

A young friend of mine recently had to write a “persuasive letter” at his Christian school. This is a boy with whom when he was six I went on an hour long walk to discuss Satan! I share this to encourage us as to how the Lord is at work in some youth, and to challenge us to examine whether our Christian maturity is in step with our years of experience. Do we have this boy’s heart, knowledge and persuasiveness?

Dear Isaac,

Shouldn’t you think about becoming a Christian? It would be a good idea.

First of all, if you don’t you’ll go to Hell. Hell is eternal punishment. Wouldn’t you rather go to Heaven, a perfect and wonderful place?

Secondly, God sent Jesus to save those who believe in him. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Why else would Jesus come?

Lastly, in Heaven you will get a new and perfect body. Your earthly body will not last. 1 Peter 1:24–25 says, “For all flesh is as grass and its glory as the flower of the grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of God remains forever.” All humans will pass but God lives forever.

Don’t you want to be a Christian? Doesn’t it sound great? I am one and I want you to be one too.

From,

William 🙂

 

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

6 Things for UK Christians to Consider Post-Referendum

/ sweetpeacardco

While as a Christian I voted in the referendum through a Christian worldview, other Christians who hold to that same worldview may have voted the opposite to me because they prioritised and weighed things differently to me. May we be generous towards other Christians who voted differently assuming that they worked through the issues in a Christ honouring way because love believes the best of others (1 Cor 13:7). For Christians and non-Christians alike the referendum results proved to be disheartening for some and a cause for rejoicing for others. Regardless the task of exiting the EU and building a non-EU United Kingdom will prove a task that requires great care and diligence and the utmost attention to detail and hard work. We can also be thankful that the decision was made peaceably and not through a violent uprising or coup d’etat. In the midst of all of this what should a Christian response be post-June 23? I offer 6 suggestions and a closing thought:

  1. Remember that we serve a sovereign God. Many Christians have sought the face of a ruler for salvation but we need to remember that justice comes from the Lord (Prov 29:26). Despite what happens we can be confident that in the Lord’s wise providence He works “all things for good” for those who love Him (Ro 8:28). That is good news for us and it can be good news for others. May our uncertainties cause us and the UK to be driven to seek the Lord, lest we in our pride boast in our own accomplishments as Nebuchadnezzar did and end up eating grass (Dan 4:28–33).
  2. Remember that if you are in Christ your citizenship is in heaven: But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:20). As much as it is good and right to be patriotic towards our earthly nation, nationalism has no place in the Christian’s heart as our first priority and allegiance is to Christ and His Church.
  3. Remember to pray for our nation, not only for its salvation, but for its leaders:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:1-5).

  1. The closeness of the vote, being 52% to 48%, shows that our country is divided even if the majority voted to leave. Here we need to hear and apply Jesus words from Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. If we have been reconciled to Christ then we can have a ministry of reconciliation reconciling countrymen and women to one another and ultimately to God through Jesus Christ.
  2. We can busy ourselves with lots of things as believers but may we busy ourselves with the Great Commission (Matt 28:18–20), that is if our desire and prayer to God for our country is truly that they may be saved (c.f. Ro 10:1). What Good News we have that is alone capable of ministering to the needs, concerns and anxieties of our nation at such a time as this! The greatest decision of our lifetime was not the in or out vote but whether our nation will choose Christ. May we seize hold of this opportunity to make Christ known!
  3. Fast for our nation. As fasting is unfamiliar to many Christians these days I’ll likely write a blog post on this subject alone. On national prayer and fasting Joel 2:12 says, “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” We can pray and that is nice, but fasting reveals the inner desire that Paul spoke of above. Throughout history, in our greatest times of need, our leaders used to call the nation to fast and pray. During the Napoleonic Wars there were national fast days and churches held prayer services on these days. Similar things happened during WWI and WWII when our nation’s very survival hung in the balance. Leaving the EU may not be at the same level as this, but for this generation we should not underestimate its perceived and real importance. Even more is the reality that only 1% of the nation is Christian. We ought to pray and fast for the other 99% if our nation is to truly thrive. We cannot expect such a call to be offered by our leaders anymore, and so this means then that we as Christians need to take this upon ourselves for the spiritual welfare of our country.

Never in recent history has the Church in the UK been afforded such an awesome opportunity to share the Gospel with a nation that needs it. In our time of uncertainty it is my personal belief that the nation will become ripe for a Gospel harvest. Will we be ready for what the Lord might do? Will you join me in seeking the Lord to renew us as Christians, our chapel and bring a revival throughout the land?

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

Unfeeling like fat

/ sweetpeacardco

In a recent reading in our Bible plan we came across a verse that may have made you chuckle but when you examine it more closely speaks great truth. Psalm 119:70 says,

Their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.

“Their heart” is referring to the inner disposition of the wicked toward the LORD. Such people are “unfeeling like fat.” Fat by definition is “the naturally oily substance found in animal bodies.” It often protects vital organs and is also used to store unneeded energy for future occasions. If you have ever carved some meat or performed minor surgery you’ll sense the reality behind the saying “unfeeling like fat.” Fat jiggles but that is about it. There are no nerves in fat as there are in other bodily tissues and so fat is without ability to feel. It simply is. Fat is a picture of the heart without God, it is selfish and dead, without any positive spiritual inclination towards God. It is descriptive of every human without a personal knowledge of the LORD and it is a state that cannot be altered unless God graciously intervenes.

BUT! Enter one of the big buts of the Bible, “but I delight in your law.” The verse follows a similar pattern to Eph 2:1-9. Verses 1-3 recall being “unfeeling like fat” and verses 4-9 the gift of grace and faith that enables the dead to be brought to life through Christ so as to “delight in your law.”

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Once the Lord has worked grace in your heart we are enabled to feel, and what we feel is a delight towards the Lord, His word and His ways. One immediately sees the stark contrast between their old life and their new life. Deadness is replaced with life, pride with humility, ugliness with beauty, unfeelingness with delight.

Fat is uncomfortable and the unfeeling hearts of those I know who have not come to know Jesus grieves my heart. They are so cold to the things of the Lord, things that are beautiful, things that give life, things that cause me great personal delight. Chief among the means of grace the Lord has given to the Church is His word. It is a despised piece of dead literature (or at the very best simply a noteworthy piece of human literature to be examined) to those who are as unfeeling as fat, but to those who have been given the gift of faith, the Bible becomes the living word (Heb 4:12). By itself it is just a book but because the Spirit inspired its words He enables those who approach it with fear (Isa 66:2b) and prayer to meet God, know Him, be known, and guided in the way of righteousness. Because the Bible is the word of God, in ever growing degrees, Christians should feel an ardent attachment for all that it contains and represents. We should relish the opportunity to read from it, study it, and hear it proclaimed. It should be to us spiritually what bread is to us physically.

Just the other day as I sat down to read the Bible, and before I had even opened it, the Lord flooded my heart with a passionate delight for His law. I am eternally grateful that the Lord has inclined my heart towards His law, to delight in Him, and that He uses that to shape me to be more like Christ. That degree by degree I am not what I once was but more and more am what I should be.

May you come to delight in the law, and if that is a struggle for you I pray that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes, that you may behold the wondrous things out of His law. (Ps 119:18).

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris

/ sweetpeacardco

An Interesting Question

One of the great joys of being a pastor is that people ask you some interesting questions. Sometimes those questions force you to wrestle and pray, other times they are quite straightforward, and still on other occasions the question is so multi-layered it requires a less straightforward answer. The question I was recently asked was this:

When we are united with loved ones in heaven what age would they be?

Let’s break this question down.

Loved Ones

First we need to affirm that not all dogs go to heaven. If someone is a Christian and goes to heaven there are many loved ones that will not be there. Hell is a reality that should cause us to lament sin and urge our loved ones to believe the Gospel so we might spend eternity with them!

Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone in the New Testament. He said, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt 25:46; for 10 verses on the eternity of hell click here).

The truth is that no human is naturally good in our fallen world and so NONE are therefore deserving of heaven (Ps 14). That God in His mercy pardon’s some is pure amazing grace! Jesus made it clear that He was “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6). That is no one can be counted righteous and able to stand in the presence of God and be counted as His unless Jesus died to pay for that sin. But Jesus did not die for everyone but for those who would believe in Him. When the Lord gives us eyes of faith to behold the light amidst our darkness and we believe in Him, Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to the believer so that when the Father looks upon them He does not see their sin but Christ’s righteousness.

Recalling Jesus famous words from John 3:16-18:

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

If a loved one is a Christian it should be self-evident. The Bible calls us to not be naive in this matter but to look for fruit (proof, evidence)! Here are three things to look for in a Christian (there are more, for some read 1 John). A Christian will believe in Jesus and profess them as their Lord of life and Saviour from sin. This is important. Many people say “Jesus, Jesus” but the Lord will say to them “I never knew you.” Nominal Christians go to hell. Authentic Christians alone are spared God’s wrath. Upon belief the Lord promises the gift of the Holy Spirit whose job it is to restore us into the likeness of Christ. If He is at work you WILL see progressive growth in holiness and the presence of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). But Jesus rarely called people to believe in Him. Usually He called them to follow Him. A third sign that someone is a Christian is that they are seeking to follow and obey Christ. Their choices, actions, associations and involvement will add credence to whether their heart has been made right with God.

Heaven

If you, or your loved one, is a Christian then they are blessed to receive the promises of life eternal, which begins the moment they believe and lasts for eternity. But before we get to what age that individual will be in heaven we must first address the concept of “heaven” for it is often grossly misunderstood.

The central hope of the New Testament, outside the Gospel, is the return of Christ, the Ressurection of the dead and the life everlasting in the New Heavens and New Earth (Isa 65:17, 22; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1-2). This is very different from “heaven” as many people imagine it (i.e. Cloud 9). What people often think of as heaven—while wonderful—falls short of this great hope and is known as “the intermediate state.” This is the presence of the Lord where the soul or spirit (depending on whether you are a dichotomist [human=body+soul] or a trichotomist [human=body+soul (will, mind, emotion)+spirit]. Throughout the New Testament are examples of believer’s souls/spirits that have gone to be with the Lord to await His second coming. To be honest, the Bible tells us very little about what it will be like to exist in this state (though it we could make some inferences). What the Bible is much more interested in telling us about is the final hope. When Jesus returns there will be the Resurrection of the Dead (1 Cor 15), the judgement of the nations and then Christians will join Christ in the New Heavens and the New Earth and the wicked will go away to eternal punishment.

Age

With those points clarified let’s get to the main question about age. What age will our Resurrected, Glorified bodies be (Phil 3:21)? There are many things the Bible tells us (everything we need to know to be saved and to walk in a way that pleases God and have a certain hope). Somethings it only reveals in part and somethings remain a mystery. The closest answer to what age we will be in our resurrected bodies is to consider Jesus’ resurrected body. Jesus is the first fruit of the Resurrection (1 Cor 15:20). His physical and yet glorified body is like what we can expect we will be like after the Resurrection. While the Bible doesn’t say this, many Christians through the centuries have reasoned that because Jesus was 33 when He rose from the dead (He began His three year ministry at 30) then the Christian too will be about that age, but we cannot be certain. C.S Lewis tried to describe it this way in his children’s book entitled the Last Battle (chapter, “Through the stable door.”). The old would look young again while retaining their essential likeness, and so too with the youth, they would appear older and yet full of life and still recognisable:

Seven Kings and Queens stood before him [Tirian]…He stared hard at her face, and then gasped in amazement, for he knew her. It was Jill: but not Jill as he had last seen her, with her face all dirt and tears and an old drill dress half slipping off one shoulder. Now she looked cool and fresh, as fresh as if she had just come from bathing. And at first he thought she looked older, but then didn’t, and he could never make up his mind on that point. And then he saw the youngest of the Kings was Eustace: but he also was changed as Jill was changed.

Tirian suddenly felt awkward about coming among these people with the blood and dust and sweat of a battle still on him. Next moment he realized that he was not in that state at all. He was fresh and cool and clean, and dressed in such clothes as he would have worn for a great feast at Cair Paravel…Then he [High King Peter] led him to the eldest of the Queens- but even she was not old, and there were no grey hairs on her head and no wrinkles on her cheek…

Whatever age the Christian will be, won’t it be wonderful?

The Lord’s Sweetest Blessings,

Pastor Chris