Jezemeg

I personally believe that the times when we are powerless are when we are operating outside of what God has called us to do. I know with myself, when I find myself suffering from exhaustion, and take the time to re-evaluate what I am doing, that more often than not I have been drawn away from the task at hand, still doing 'good works' etc, but not what God really wanted me to do. This happens often among believers who become distracted attending 'extra meetings', running here and there doing 'good works' admittedly, but in so doing they are neglecting their personal time with God, their families and often other responsibilities. It is important that we take time to consider what the impact of our saying 'yes' to fulfill the agenda of another. I believe that the congregations and movements that do produce disciples with miracle-believing faith, are those that rely more on worshipping God, rather than on the demands of individual denominations. I came to this belief after reading 'Heavenly Man' which is the biography of Brother Yun, who was one of the main starters in the Home Church movement in China, and he and his family were persecuted severely for their Christian faith. In his biography, Brother Yun points out that while limited printed Bibles were available to the Home Churches, worship was more spiritually centred and the Home Churches were more united as a Body and more miracles were being witnessed. It wasn't until Western Churches began smuggling in more Bibles, and along with them including booklets to do with individual denominational beliefs and practises, that the Home Churches began to be suspicious and jealous of each other, and eventually it was feared that the Home Church movement would disappear completely. The fractures began appearing when these extra booklets began to be incorporated in individual home churches practises, and some claimed that their beliefs and practises were more correct than the neighbour's. Brother Yun and several other leaders realised the danger of these jealousies, and worked very hard to heal the rifts caused by them. After reading this book I began to realise that it is when man's beliefs are incorporated as truth in Scripture and treated as equal to the unadulterated worship of God's Word, that the believer's power is weakened and at times it disappears completely. This is why I now believe that when Jesus comes again He will firstly remove all the 'extras' man has added, and bring the Body of Christ back to a unity that has not been heard of for quite some time. In fact in Paul's time, he worried about he rifts and divisions that were already appearing in the New Church. It is when the Body is once more united, freed of the manmade divisions, that we will once again witness the revival of the miracles that are so apparent in countries where Bibles are few and Scripture itself is more faithfully spread, without the addition of individual dictates of man.

I don't think I would bother much with the news that I would inherit such a vast sum. After all, only God knows what will happen in the future, if one were to waste too much time making plans etc, it would take away from the time available for you to make actual changes in the lives of others. If it should happen that I did indeed inherit such a vast sum, then I would likely follow the same course as in the past when I've inherited money, I use it to help improve the lives of others, not 'wasting' it as I'm often accused of doing, but certainly not hoarding it in the hopes of getting more and more. What use is earthly wealth when one is called Home? Far better that money be used for the betterment of society. Our expectation of an inheritance in God's presence should have the effect of making us less concerned about salting away money 'just in case'. The reality is that we in the western world are unlikely to find ourselves completely without resources. I do street ministry and I rarely see a case where someone has absolutely nothing, and on the rare occasion when I do, then I find that the street folk band together to help their own. I am constantly astounded at the level of generosity amongst those with the least, while those with adequate wealth are hesitant to share even their unwanted property. There is nothing wrong with Christians being financially well off, the problems arise when they begin to turn their focus from God and place it instead on increasing their financial well being, caring more for adding to their wealth than in using it to assist in the care of others. Just as Christians who are wealthy are not at fault, neither are those Christians who have little; we have all been given gifts by God and the ability to work in different ways within the Body. Money should not become a god, money can and should be used for the benefit of all, without ambition for public recognition and acclaim.

As Christians we have God's eternal presence and protection whilst we are ministring here in this world, when we are called Home we can look forward to a life in God's presence, seated with Jesus, in constant worship and praising of God and with completely new bodies, free of any disease or impediment and without pain. This should motivate us, while we're here in this world, to share this promise with others who may not have fully understood the great news of the Gospel, without worrying ourselves too much about any possible harm coming to our bodies whilst doing this. I know personally, being severely disabled, I am often counselled by others to 'take it easy', 'look after myself' etc and constantly am confronted with the inevitable question 'what would happen if you died whilst you were out ministring'. My answer to this is that God provides me with the ability to carry out that which He has assigned me to complete, and should I die whilst doing it, well I daresay my body would hit the ground, but my soul would be swept to join others who've been called Home before me and I would be able to dance before my Lord with my new body, fully participating in the worship which is constantly happening in eternity. I have found the average non-believer actually dreads the time when he/she will leave this earth. Often they believe that that is the end, there is nothing further. Their ears refuse to hear the message of the Gospel, their hearts refuse to embrace the promise of an eternity in God's presence. I can understand their fear of death, and I feel sorry for them. I am not in a hurry to end my time on this world, but on the other hand I'm not going to hesitate when God does call me Home either.

I believe the reference to 'end of term' is when the Kingdom of God is once more established here on Earth, after Jesus Second Coming. The analogies of the seal and downpayment help explain the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives by: the seal is bestowed on each believer at the moment of salvation, it distinguishes to all that you are now an adopted member of God's family. the downpayment is just as a downpayment in any transaction, provided the transaction is completed (in this case that one remains true and faithful to God, and doesn't turn back to Satan), when God's Kingdom is once more on this earth, we will be welcomed in, fully entitled to share in the glories of the kingdom just as Jesus does.

According to Eph 1:11,12, God's purpose for our lives is to be one of worshipping and praising Him through our very lives and the way we live them, not through any special mangiven qualifications. As I remember being told once by a very learned person, the best preaching is done without using any words. Our own lives are testament enough to God's Grace. This purpose is once more explained in Matt 5:13-16 where Jesus encouraged his disciples to live their lives openly, don't hide away what God has given to them, don't act as if it is a secret only available to a few. But just as a light illumines an entire area, we are to spread the message of what God has done in our lives to everyone, and those who will hear, will turn and discover the Glory of God for themselves

Even in the days of the early Church there were divisions spring up, Paul reveals these in his letters to the Romans, Ephesians and Corinthians, and even he was trying to forestall the deepening of these divisions in those days, now those divisions are more commonly known as denominations. In my opinion the significance of Eph 1:9-10 is that Christ will remove all these divisions (denominations) and the truths and strongholds that have been so long treasured by man will be crushed under Christ's heel, we will return to the pure unadulterated worship of God that Jesus advocated during His first ministry here on earth. Therefore there will no longer be Baptists, Methodists, Salvationists, etc., we will all be united as one under Christ. I believe this verse relates to 1Cor 15:24-28 because after the Body of Christ is reunited, then the Second Coming will begin, where Christ will conquer the prince of this world for the last time and all of His enemies will be cast down. They will be crushed beneath His heal just as is foretold in Gen 3:15. I believe that the Bible relates the timing here, although I don't believe we are being given license to ignore the teaching to not watch for signs, but to continue to be ready and to continue to spread the Gospel.

If I'd not been redeemed, I doubt I would still be here serving God as I am. I was enslaved to pain and trapped by doctor's deciding what lay ahead of me. As a child, I'd experienced rejection and abuse from my family, as a young adult I endured an abusive (Christian) marriage, even my children chose to side with their father. When terminal illness struck me, I had more or less decided to end it all, that was God stepped in...to remind me of what I'd learnt so long ago at the knee of the only adult who'd cared for me, and that was when I first opened the Bible I'd long ago cast aside and learnt that what had been quoted to me during my troubles was incomplete or not there at all. To cut it short, I was redeemed from a life where lies were told as truth, and I learnt to Trust in God my Father and His Son.

I am eternally grateful to God for adopting me as His daughter, because despite knowing all my faults, all my flaws in my character, He chose me as His beloved adopted daughter. The concept of adoption is encouraging because it means that no one is beyond God's redemption, that no one need be frozen from His Kingdom. Even someone who has committed the most obscene of offenses in this world, after there is sincere repentance by that individual and salvation granted by God's grace, becomes equal to everyone else whose an adopted son or daughter of God

To me, being 'holy' has nothing to do with having a 'Jesus complex' or claiming I'm something I'm not and above making mistakes or even sinning. It is a striving to emulate what Jesus did within my human limitations. To stand blameless means to me that yes, while attempting to serve God, I may not 'quite hit the mark', I will make mistakes...but the very fact that allows me to stand blameless is that I didn't ignore His call, I accepted the task He assigned to me, and I am able to repent any mistakes or sin that I committed, forgive others, forgive myself, and move on in service

What is scary about predestination? That God is fully aware that there will be many who will refuse His invitation to join His kingdom, no matter how many times they hear the Good News. The comfort is knowing that I and many of my friends will be together when the time comes for God to call us Home, and be reunited with those who have gone before. While I'm not scared of dying (doctors have assured me for over a decade now that I shouldn't be alive), I'm content to wait til God calls me Home, but at the same time, I'm not going to hang around for a second calling when the time comes either

To be 'in Christ' with me has become a way of life. You see I am severely disabled and yet, despite doctor's promising me I'd either be dead by now, or in a high level care facility unable to move more than my eyes, I still live in my own unit, still do street and online ministry, and am now completing a Bachelor of Church Ministry. Yet I could do none of this if I'd not surrendered all of my life over to Christ, and if God was not in agreement with what I am doing. In fact I've quickly learnt to discern when I am working by my own strength, even though it may seem to be 'good works', it may not be in agreement with what God requires. It is during these times that I experience exhaustion, when suddenly I lose my ability to do even the simplest of tasks. Fortunately these days, I've realised my mistakes of the past and these periods are becoming fewer. To sum up, to me to be 'in Christ' provides me with the ability and stamina to carry out the ministry to which God has called me.

Confession and repentance fall into the concept of self-examination because it is a realistic recognition of one's shortcomings and a resolve to try better. Okay, it's likely we'll never achieve perfection, after all Jesus was divine... we are called to be LIKE Him not to BE Him, but we can strive to attain perfection and this aim is what keeps us focussed. Those who become obsessed by introspection and start developing unrealistic aims and begin to loathe themselves because of imagined failings are not being addressed with this instruction. Jesus never encouraged anyone to have unrealistic ambitions, nor did He encourage obsessive fault finding, regardless whether it is aimed at self or at others. Jesus recognised our humanity, He realised that we would fail, that is why He promised that God (and of course Himself) would be always with believers and that if we remained true to God, then God would remain true in His promises as well.

I don't believe that the modern practice os introspection or navel gazing is what is being referred to by Paul. In these modern times the focus of those who engage in introspection is more focussed on what one can do to improve oneself, God doesn't come into the equation, let alone any Scripture. The oft repeated maxim that one must 'clear one's mind' and chant a meaningless mantra also leaves one open to demonic attack. I believe that if one fills one mind with God's Word and Scripture instead of 'emptying one's mind', that there is less danger of any introspection turning into the harmful practise of the neurotic who ultimately end up full of self-loathing. God offers us redemption and if we accept and hold onto this promise then there is no need for any self-examination to turn into self-destruction. This is the type of self-examination that is called for in the Bible, to recognise where we have fallen short of what God requires and to repent and be cleansed, rather than the unbeliever's way.

God brought judgement on the offending parties at Corinth in an attempt to draw them back into the Body of the Church, just as He brought judgement on those of the Israelites who strayed whilst in the wilderness, and afterwards. Humans unfortunately are slow to learn and loath to remember what happens when they live their lives in disagreement with God. It's not until something catastrophic happens to affect them personally that they actually notice God's displeasure. God's love is exhibited through Hebrews 12:5-7 because if He didn't desire our fellowship He wouldn't bother to try to correct us, He has the power after all to simply wipe us from His earth. Instead God gives us opportunity after opportunity to repent and turn back to His way, even though we so quickly forget what He has done for us and continually try to add our own agenda to His.

I believe that 'not discerning the needs of the Body' was regarded as such a grave sin because it contravened one of the first of Jesus teachings, that to follow Him one had to deny Self and care for the needs of others. To have members of any Church displaying such scant regard for the welfare of others within their community, let alone those yet to be reached, I feel would have been an abomination in God's eyes. As Paul reports it, it sounds as if the Lord's Supper as partaken by the Church in Corinth came close to being an orgy, with people much more interested in their own needs and wants and not caring anything for those who either came late or were unable to provide anything in the way of food or drink. Yes, there were probably many other things that the Church did, and still does, that offends God, but for all members to so blatantly ignore what Jesus taught was much more than a corporate sin I believe. It shows the depths of depravity that a Church has descended to when members universally engage in such actions.

When I mediate on 'seeing His face' I tend to focus on Jesus' Grace, His all-encompassing Love, His Generosity and the way He cared deeply about everyone who came His way, reaching out to those that were hesitant and drawing them into His presence. It is important now for partakers of the Lord's Supper to do this because we are remembering Jesus, by breaking bread and sharing the Cup, that is what He asked us to do for Him until the time came when He would return and establish His kingdom in all its Glory on this earth.

The Lord's Supper points to the past because we do it in Remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, in that we can all receive redemption. It points to the present, by the fact that all believer's can now approach God on their own merit, we no longer need purification by lengthy ritual and we no longer need the services of a priest who has performed these rituals. The veil (the curtain that concealed the Holy of Holies from the gaze of the populace) has been torn, from top to bottom, so now we can all approach Our Father without fear of Death. The Lord's Supper points to the future because of Jesus saying at that Last Supper that He would not drink from that Cup, nor take of the bread until His Kingdom is established on this earth, at the time of His Second Coming, when all true believers will join Him at the Bridal Table, The Great Banquet.

I view the Lord's Supper as my 'invitation' to the Great Banquet, when all true believers will join the Bridegroom at the table. Jesus declared that He would not drink of this cup again, nor eat of the Bread until His Second Coming when His Kingdom would be established on earth, and the Great Banquet will be that time, the completion of the Lord's Supper

Jesus teachings were always pointed towards the future, I believe, because when we were born anew into God's family, we are new creations and our pasts are gone. His kingdom is coming, we don't know the hour when He will come again, but we are to be ever ready to take our places at the Great Banquet. During His earthly ministry, Jesus shared many parables, telling of the joyous times to come at the Great Banquet and all of them urged the hearer of the need to be ready. But the Great Banquet to come is not restricted to mention in the New Testament, Ezekiel, Isaiah and many other Old Testament Books make mention of it, often noting that earthly wealth and position is not what will be deemed essential to being invited. For me, these many parables and tellings of the Great Banquet to come, are a warning that the position of the individual in this world will have no bearing on his/her participation in the Great Banquet. We are urged to be constantly in readiness for the invitation, there will be no time to retrieve a 'forgotten' something. I perceive the 'proper dress' so often mentioned in the parables to be more of being right with God, rather than one's apparel per se. If one has not attained a personal relationship with God before Jesus' second coming; and I'm not meaning a relationship that only gives lip-service or makes an outward show of belief while the heart remains focussed on one's self, then one may well find oneself 'not suitably attired' to enter the Banquet.

Eating the Bread of Life, as per Jesus' metaphor, feeds the Spirit of man, just as consuming normal food feeds our bodies. To keep our spirit life healthy we must keep the Word alive in us, by regular meditation on the Bible, by regular fellowship with other believers and by participating in the Lord's Supper as a memorial to what Christ did for us when He died on the Cross.

I believe that so many of Jesus' follower's turned away after he emphasised it was necessary to 'Eat His Flesh, and drink His Blood' because they wanted the 'show', the miracles etc., but not the responsibilities associated with truly following in His path. Those who turned away wanted to always 'be happy', they weren't interested in more hardship, they wanted all the good things, none of the bad. Jesus never taught that following Him would be an easy venture, in fact He overemphasised the hardships in many cases using words such as 'hate your family' when at the same time He also taught to love and honour one's parents. What He really meant I believe is that where there is a conflict of interest, one must always choose to follow the narrow path, God's Way, even if that meant you went against the accepted norm. Many even now find this narrow path to hard to take. When they experience any hardship, when they're requests for healing are not met in the way they expected, they immediately throw up their hands, turn their anger towards God and then in all likelihood turn their backs on Him as well. What they fail to realise is that God doesn't have to give us reasons for the way He acts, He doesn't have to do what we want Him to do, God alone is in possession of the 'big picture'; Jesus even didn't claim the same knowledge that God has. What's important is to remain in the knowledge that despite our expectations, God will never leave us, we are never alone, even when hardships abound. Our perfect life is promised in eternity, not here in this world.

Paul's teachings on the 'One Loaf' do not ignore the fact that each member of the Body has his own unique traits and gifts. When differences such as this are acknowledged it is unrealistic and unbiblical to expect that there should be universal agreement and no disputes ever. What I believe it means is that no one person's opinion is superior to another's, that there is more than one way to achieve the same aim and each member must be respected for his/her opinion. This of course does not mean that the Body tries to incorporate all opinions into a statement of mission, that would be ludicrous and totally unworkable, but with mutual love, acceptance and respect we discuss and meld our ideals and relationships into a form that is sanctionned by God and where the body as a unit can do the work that we were commissioned to do, that is to go out and spread the Gospel, baptising all nations and sharing Christ's love. To properly prepare for partaking in the Lord's Supper we are each responsible for shedding any hostility, or bitterness towards a fellow member, whether real or imagined, forgiving each other as well as ourselves and leaving it at the foot of the Cross. Only when all members can be united with the aim of achieving their commission can the Body be truly a unit. We must forget differences that do not really matter in God's bigger picture, and abandon trying to find fault with the work of another. I tend to think of what would happen if the crumbs in the centre of the loaf were to suddenly decide that they were tired of their position and desired to be the crust instead. If they were suddenly able to relocate themselves to the outside of the loaf, the original crust would have little support, and the crumbs that aspired to be the crust (and give the same protection to the loaf such as holding its form) would lack the ability to bind themselves together to provide the cohesiveness to keep the loaf together. Neither is more important than the other, but each has its own purpose and place.

To me 'feeding on the Bread of Life' is an indication of the permanency of its availability. Just as God provided manna from Heaven for the Israelites as they wandered the desert, the supply was assured, there was only a single day of the week where any stored did not spoil, that was so that they needn't gather it on the Sabbath. In his letters, Paul warns of the tendency of some believers to misuse the Lord's Supper, by their own selfish greed they prevent others from full participation. Engorging ourselves on the Bread of Life will not replace righteousness with God, if that is lacking in us, no amount of taking in the Bread or Wine will make us any more holy. At the other end of the spectrum are those believers who 'nibble', not allowing themselves to receive the full benefits of partaking in the Lord's Supper. This false belief stems usually from an unwillingness or lack of belief in redemption and God's total forgiveness'; many 'nibblers' are convinced that they are unworthy to be an active part of the Body. Both types of believers are missing out on so much of what Jesus offers.

The breaking of pieces of bread from the one loaf during the Lord's Supper symbolises that we are each part of the one Body, the Body of Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean that we are all alike, except that we are made in the image of God, we maintain our individual differences, we are led to worship in our own ways. As long as we remain firmly connected to the Body of Christ we are lifted above the realm of Satan. For this reason we must not discriminate against those who, while fully believing in the Bible as the Word of God, worship in different ways. Some may choose to clap their hands, lift their hands in praise, kneel, God accepts all forms of worship and it is not for we mere mortals to decide what is acceptable or not acceptable to Him; He alone is equipped to Judge, for He is the One who knows our hearts.

As has already been stated earlier 'There is nothing new under the sun'. Just as the Church in Corinth experienced so do the Churches in this day and age. In our Church we are still healing the divisions that threatened to tear our fellowship to shreds, where people became more interested in their own personal agenda rather than focussing on the Commission handed down to all believers, that of going out to all nations, baptising and spreading the Gospel. I remember during this time when one of the elders, in trying to emphasise that we should be following God, not some man-made document reached down to the shelf where the Bible should have been on the pulpit but found nothing there. His intended illustration was changed in that it emphasised just how far our Church had moved away from God, in more ways than mere conflict among the congregation. Healing is a slow process, those who continue to ignore our true Commission must be weeded out, those who continue to sin must also be cast out but still given the option to repent and return to the fellowship. Repentance must be genuine though, and discipline has to be without preference, nobody no matter how long a member or how wealthy should be excluded from being disciplined if that is what is needed. Our Church is beginning now to show how well the healing is progressing. There is now true communion and acceptance of individual's differences in styles of worship, the important issue being that they recognise God as Our Father and Jesus as His Son and Our Lord and Saviour. Whether an individual feels led to raise his arms in worship, stand, kneel, whatever the Lord lays on his heart, is now accepted and not criticised by others. It's been a long journey but we are getting there as a united fellowship