War on Empathy

 There is a war on empathy. Incredibly rich businessmen and politicians are building empires as democracy trembles. In ancient Rome, constitutional government was trampled by a succession of ruthless emperors. In our time, we are seeing self-centred despots attempting to replicate this process.

In the 1960s and 70s we saw rapid advances in racial and gender equality, but it appears that the old ruling classes and would be emperors have had enough. The empire is striking back.
Of course no empire can endure long without a religion.

Vladimir Putin understands this well. He has abandoned communist atheism and embraced the flagship of the old Czarist Empire, the Russian Orthodox Church.

Capitalist predators in the US and elsewhere have joined forces with conservative authoritarian Church leaders. Imperial rulers must have economic and military power but they also need priests.

Hard line conservatives have always resisted racial integration and gender equality, but the tide of history was against them.

But when the human rights activists shifted their focus to gay rights, same sex marriage and unrestricted abortion, the old conservatives saw their chance to seize the moral high ground and turn back the clock 100 years.

Civil rights, racial desegregation, gender equality, fair wages, and universal health care became the targets for the new rulers. Social justice was supposedly not real justice, if justice mattered at all. Mercy and empathy were redefined as weakness.

A great nation with a strong economy became the only thing that mattered. Even the working classes voted for this. Who wants high inflation and mass unemployment?

If the wealthy become even wealthier, they will naturally create a wealthy country which would be good for everyone. So we are told. It is called trickle down economics, except that the trickle is often a very meagre trickle.

Then Christian preachers come to the aid of the rulers.

Jesus said we must love our neighbour as ourselves, but some preachers tell us Christian love is only a personal matter, and nothing to do with politics or governments.

If we only narrowly focus on the New Testament, we can reach this wrong conclusion. However, Jesus was a Jew in Israel. The Old Testament has a great deal to say about legal justice and the responsibility of government to care for the needy.

Then we are told that God’s laws for the Old Testament theocracy do not apply to modern secular governments. It is true that Christians are not subject to the laws of Moses, but the Old Testament laws express God’s principles of law and justice.

Of course we should not execute adulterers, but the Old Testament prophets strongly condemned financial greed and the neglect of the poor. If we isolate politics entirely from God’s clearly expressed ethical principles, we are not applying Christianity to every part of life.

So should the churches try to take control of governments? The historical examples of this have often been horrible. Think of the worldly hypocrisy in Rome after the Emperor Constantine became nominally Christian. Think of the Spanish Inquisition.

The new rulers are telling us that empathy is weakness. Very prominent church leaders are teaching this as a supposedly Christian doctrine.

Of course empathy can have bad consequences. A prostitute comes to a church looking for help. A naive Christian couple take her into their home and the young woman steals the husband’s affections and he leaves his wife.

A woman in a strong missionary organisation studies prostitution for her PhD. Then she becomes a prostitute herself.

These stories are not made up.

Jesus was known as a friend of sinners, but he did not sin. Not everyone can share the gospel in a bar or a brothel, but some Christians can and do so without sinning themselves.

Is Empathy a Sin? Are Empathy and Compassion different?

 “So what is the problem with empathy today?” he asks. “We are, in fact, told to weep with those who weep, but that assumes those who weep have a reason for weeping that is in line with God’s revelation.” James White. Conservative US Pastor.

So are Christians only allowed to feel empathy for innocent victims of sin or sickness but not for people who are suffering because of their own sin? This sounds like phariseeism to me.
Jesus showed empathy for sinners.

Jesus showed mercy to the woman caught in the act of adultery in John Chapter 8. Was this merely a cold judicial decision? Hardly. Jesus was accused of being a friend of sinners. He did not embrace their sin but neither did he lack feelings of compassion.

John Piper is an enormously influential conservative US pastor. He and his followers go so far as to talk about the “sin of empathy” … So if a promiscuous homosexual or prostitute is dying of aids, should we judge or love? Jesus did not condone sin but he always demonstrated heartfelt empathy with suffering people.

Hard line conservative preachers play clever games with words by trying to distinguish between compassion and empathy.

They play similar word games by saying a man must love his wife but she must respect her husband. As if love respect were quite distinct things. If you love your wife and you do not respect her, your love is not real.

Many Christians latch on to the statement that empathy is a sin, and the theological word games get forgotten. They become coldly judgemental and compassion fades away.

The horrific results are plain to see in culture and politics. Aggressive bible believers enthusiastically support government policies that deny affordable essential health care to poor people in a very rich and powerful country.

An American pastor preached on the Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mt 5:3 NIV

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Mt 5:7 NIV

The conservative culture warriors in the congregation were not impressed, but the pastor reminded them that these were the words of Jesus.

The reply was shocking. “But this doesn't work any more.”

American conservative fundamentalism has become so corrupted by self righteous culture warfare that it is sometimes hard to tell if it is any better than extreme post Christian liberalism.

What did Jesus say?

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Mt 5:13 NIV

Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 

And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. Mt 24:10–12 NRSV

Lawlessness certainly undermines natural as well as Christian love, but harsh self righeous legalism is no less destructive. We can see this illustrated in the way Jesus denounced the pharisees.

If you teach that empathy is a sin, you are teaching doctrines of demons. You are in danger of being condemned as a false prophet.

In Spite of Toxic Religion, God is Still God

Can you imagine that despite the arrogance of some prominent preachers, there is still a good God?

In the Bible, I read about many false prophets, but the few true prophets wrote the Bible with God's inspiration.

In the Bible, we see the sad story of the sins of the Jews, and the history of the Christian church is no better.

Nevertheless, I do not want to focus on the sins of the Jews and Christians, but on the wonderful role models, the heroes of faith and the many believing Jews and Christians in the Bible who have shown us the way to God and still do.

Have you ever thought that despite all the scandals in the churches, Jesus is there and loves you?
Everywhere we look, we see pornography, sexual perversion, abuse and rape. Nevertheless, I know that sex is good.

Despite all the perversions of religion, despite hypocrisy, self-righteousness and
know-it-all attitudes, I still believe in God.

Do you want to invest your money? There are scams everywhere, but do you want to bury your money in the garden or keep banknotes under your bed?

A clever person wants to invest their money in productive projects.

A wise person is not interested in toxic religion, but they are also not satisfied with this world.

Are you disappointed by religion? Don't give up though. Where there is counterfeit money, we can often also find the real thing.

God is real. God is your creator. God loves you.

Jesus said:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Mt 7:7–8 NIV

A young atheist felt the emptiness in his soul. He saw a church and went in, where he observed pious worshippers.

He began to address God in his own way.

God, if you exist, and I don't believe you do, then I don't think it's my duty to believe in you. On the contrary, it is your duty to reveal your existence to me. If you do exist, then let me find you.

In a remote village lived an old man who loved Jesus. He prayed for years that God would help him to bring a Jew to faith.

One day, the young atheist, who was Jewish, was travelling. He sought shelter in the village and the old Christian welcomed him.

He gave him a Bible to read. As the young man read the Testament, he felt the love of God like fire in his heart and he believed.

The young atheist was of Jewish origin, but only when he met Jesus as his Messiah did he find the God of Israel.

Are you Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist? It doesn't matter. Jesus was born a Jew and lived on earth as a Jew, but he died on a cruel cross to suffer the punishment for our sins.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Christians Bullying Christians.

 So many Christians are bullied by other Christians. 

I was once the victim of bullying. Sadly, victims often also become bullies. As a child I bullied my younger brothers and am sorry to say I became a harsh controlling step-father. I am now friends with my brothers and step-sons.

Jesus spoke very harsh words against the sin of Christian bullying.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. Matthew 24:48-49 (NIV)

There are also religious bullies who don't get drunk or indulge in sins of the flesh but is Jesus suggesting that bullying is just as bad as getting drunk and indulging the flesh? or worse?

Religious legalism often leads to bullying.

What is legalism? It is an attempt to prevent or correct sin using human rules and punishments.

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: "'These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" Matthew 15:7-9 (NIV)

Jesus spoke more strongly against bullying and legalism than any other sin.  

I am not against pastors. There are wonderful pastors and I know some as friends. Pastors too can be victims of bullying. I have seen this several times and it is horrible.

The Apostle Paul was also very strong in condemning bullying. In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers. Why? Not for sexual sin. That was in his first letter.
He rebukes them for submitting unconditionally to bullying preachers.

You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face. 2 Cor 11:19-20 (NIV)

Any pastor or preacher who demands unconditional and total submission is a false shepherd.

If a pastor responds to criticism or disagreement with threats or intimidation, why not just leave?

If a leader imposes his will on people to the point that his word is law, he is usurping the lordship of Jesus.

There are many Christians who feel uneasy, resentful or secretly angry towards over confident, controlling leaders but they believe they must not resist because that would be the sin of rebellion.
This is a false understanding of scripture.

When King Saul tried to kill David, David fled for his life.

 If you are bullied in church, you are entitled to leave the church. It may even be your duty to leave.

You cannot serve two masters. 

If you submit to a bully, you are submitting to a false spirit, because the Spirit of Jesus is never cruel, but kind and loving.

Supposing you are imprisoned by religious parents or a ruthlessly controlling husband. If you leave the church, you could become homeless or lose your children.  

You can be like Joseph in prison who cultivated a secret relationship with God.  

He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3 (NIV)

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Isaiah 61:1 (NKJV)

It is good if you can talk back to bullies and it is not a sin but sometimes a soft answer is better.

In extreme cases, the strongest answer is a stubborn, determined silence, especially if you are expected to agree, express submission or apologise when you believe you are not in the wrong.

When Jesus was on trial for his life, He answered many aggressive questions and accusations with silence. His silence was the strongest answer.

 

The Light of the World.

 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 (NKJV)

When you travel through the night, whether by car or by plane, you can see a city far ahead as a blaze of lights.

Jesus says his followers are like a city filled with light. This is a representation on earth of the City of God in the glorious Kingdom of God which is to come.

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Rev 21:10-11

What is a city like? It is a community filled with diversity, different kinds of businesses and trades, different kinds of organisations. There are government offices and private companies, big businesses and small family businesses. In a healthy city the government does not own or control businesses and big businesses do not totally dominate small businesses.

So it is with the people of Jesus. There are big churches and denominations, and there are house churches and informal prayer groups. There are fellowships where believing business people meet to prayer and bring their faith into their work.

In a secular city there are very creative people who are self-employed writers, artists, architects and consultants. No company boss or government official controls their lives. Their free creativity keeps the society open to new ideas.

So it is in the Kingdom of God. CS Lewis was a great Christian writer, but he did not hold a senior position in his church and he did not have a church leader telling him what to write or what not to write. Some of the most influential Christian leaders have not been church leaders.

Bach and Handel wrote worship music that moved the hearts of millions. Bach was a humble church organist and music director in a local church. Handel was a commercial composer who wrote operas and music for public occasions.

For centuries, we have been locked into a narrow, stereotyped idea of church and the Kingdom of God.

God is now saying: LET MY PEOPLE GO!

Following Jesus with Childlike Trust

 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)  

 Moses was the light of his generation. After forty days alone with God, Moses came down from Mount Sinai a changed man. His face shone. 

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light ... Matthew 6:22 (ESV) 

When a woman is in love, her eyes shine. Her whole face lights up. If we love Jesus and we are living in His presence, we are like young people in love and the world can see it. This love is not based on achievement or good work. It comes from the revelation that God loves you with all His heart. 

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (ESV) 

CHILDLIKE TRUST
How does a child grow up? By experiencing his parents´ love and trusting in their guidance. 

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. Mark 10:15

In a healthy family, the parents exercise sacrificial love and the children enjoy that love. It is in enjoying the love of God, that we shine like lights in a dark world. Nothing makes a person’s face like up like the enjoyment of loving because you know you are loved. GOD IS LOVE. 

If we focus on our own striving to keep God’s commandments, we lose the childlike enjoyment of God, which is our source of love, joy and power. 

But isn’t obedience also important? 

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. John 15:10 (NKJV) 

Disobedience is not childlike trust in a good Father. Jesus spoke about good works that draw unbelievers to His light. 

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? Matthew 25:37 (ESV) 

And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Matthew 25:40 (ESV) 

When we heal the sick or carry a shopping basket for an old widow, kindness motivated by the love of Jesus shows the goodness of God to the world. 

The obedience that Jesus loves is not based on an obligation to a ministry. Jesus is not impressed when we strive to win approval, escape criticism or please leaders. 

And he said to them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Luke 22:25 

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Matthew 23:8-9  

Preachers who intimidate and control are trying to make people good but they destroy the childlike love, joy and faith which is the real source of Christian goodness.

Fear is the opposite of faith. The fear of man (including church leaders) actually undermines trust in God.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 (ESV) 

Should preachers always be soft and comforting? Jesus was not. Godly ministers lead, teach and challenge but they do not control people with guilt, duty and intimidation. 

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 

Any ministry which is not leading you into an enjoyment of Matthew 11:28-30 is not for me and I hope not for you.
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Blessings from Bad Things

 I am 76, but not feeble. After 40 years teaching English to adult immigrants, I retired nearly 5 years ago. Retirement has been a great relief after years of stressful wrestling with senseless bureaucracy, but stress can take its toll.

Since I retired, I have nearly lost count of the operations, including six on my eyes. God looked after me wonderfully and I had amazing eye surgeons. My eyesight is close to 20/20 and with good spectacles I can read and write on my laptop with no effort at all.

A few weeks ago I flew from coast to coast to visit cousins and friends in Melbourne, Australia. It was wonderful to see the city where I was born and to visit familiar places.

Two days before my return flight, I was crossing a road when I tripped on a tram line and fell flat on my face. I was bruised and bleeding around my right eye and I looked like the loser in a boxing ring. I was 76 and old people can easily break bones but only the little finger on my right hand was damaged, possibly broken, but two months later, the finger is only very slightly out of shape and not painful.

My right eye was surrounded by bruises and I was bleeding from a cut in my eyebrow, but I can only thank God that my eye was not damaged. I was mostly concerned that my spectacles were badly bent out of shape and there were two small scratches on the right lens.

There was no sign of concussion and I was able to drive back to my friend’s house where I was staying. I am so grateful to God for His protection.

The following day I found an optician who repaired my spectacle frame and I was able to read in spite of the small scratches. The optician also had an identical frame which I bought for only $64. Three weeks later, I had new spectacles. The multi focal lenses were better than my old ones. I found that it was no longer an effort to focus on print in my favourite paperback books.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Rom 8:28 NASB95

Active and Passive Christians

 

Christian Life

Active	Passive
Open to new insights from the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit.	Believes what Christian leaders and authority figures say and refuses to think for himself or seriously ask God for deeper understanding.
Willing to learn new ways of understanding and applying eternal truth.	Holds fast to traditional thinking.
Personally seeks to learn more through personal reading and prayer, listening to other Christians and not only the leaders of his or her church.	Passively accepts what is preached and taught in his own church.
Able to read good Christian writing and learn from it, while not necessarily agreeing with everything.	Some passive Christians are not readers but others read the doctrine they are taught and accept everything without question.
Eager to discover and his or her unique calling and gifts and to use them for God with God’s help and guidance.	Tries to be a good Christian.
Expects and receives great blessings in private prayer, meditation and study.	Heavily dependent on meetings, services and conferences for blessings from God.
NKJ John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Active Christians learn to know and recognise the communication of God to their own hearts.	Cannot distinguish between what preachers or leaders are saying and what God is saying.
Has a close personal relationship with God. Follow Jesus personally, knows Jesus as his or her personal pastor.	Follows Jesus mostly indirectly by following the example and teaching of other Christians, especially teachers and pastors.
Expects guidance from God to know how to pray and expects God to answer his or her own prayers.	Passively depends on the prayers of others for God to help. When a passive Christian prays, he copies the way others pray.

New Heaven New Earth

For over a hundred years, the future of humanity and our planet has been a burning issue.
For the Bolsheviks in Russia, the coming glorious age of communism was the redemption of humanity.

During the Cold War, there was a terrible fear that nuclear war would destroy us all.
In our time, the Greens are desperately fighting to save the planet.

The devoutly religious Muslims believe in a Golden Age, Dar Es Salaam, ‘House of Peace.’ In this fulfilment of their hopes, Islam is supposed to rule the whole world.

In the ‘New Age’ movement, there is song of a wonderful new era.

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation, Aquarius
Aquarius

Thoughts like these have been cropping up more and more frequently for over a hundred years, but as early as 150 years ago, the American poet Walt Whitman wrote a beautiful poem.

I DREAM'D in a dream I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the
         whole of the rest of the earth,
I dream'd that was the new city of Friends,
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love, it led the rest,
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city,
And in all their looks and words.

Where do these far-reaching thoughts come from, which emerge from the depths of our hearts?
 
King Solomon reflected at length on the deep questions of life. He wrote of God:

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ec 3:11 NIV

God did not create us as mere biological machines, as Karl Marx and other 19th- and 20th-century philosophers taught.

In our time, we recognise the emptiness in our hearts to which these lifeless philosophies have led.
About a hundred years ago, German poets sensed the deep loneliness of a life without a relationship with a loving Heavenly Father.

Strange to walk in the fog!
Life is loneliness.
No man knows the other, everyone is alone. (Herman Hesse 1905)

But 2000 years ago, the Son of God came into this world to reconcile us with our dear Father God.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16–17 NIV

Jesus wants to give you a new life with the good Father God.
Why?

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 Jn 4:16 NIV

But God's plans are even more far-reaching.

God wants to save this planet and restore everything, and he will do so irresistibly.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Rev 21,1 NIV

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev 21:5 NIV

Faith and Unbelief in the End Times

 Not only Jesus raised the dead to life again, but also some prophets in the Old Testament and apostles in the New Testament.  

Some today want to believe in Jesus somehow, but they also want to deny the amazing miracles in the Bible as alleged superstition. This is nothing but unbelief mixed with religion and philosophy.

Others want to believe in all the miracles in the Bible, but when they hear reports of totally extraordinary miracles in our time, they react negatively, as if God was only allowed to work dramatic miracles in Bible times, but not today.

This makes no sense at all.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb 13:8 NIV

It is part of his nature to far exceed our limited natural expectations. The Scriptures are infallible, but our theology is always imperfect and limited.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Eph 3:20 NIV

A pastor died in a car accident in Africa. He visited hell because he harboured bitterness against his wife, but his wife did not give up and prayed hard for his recovery. Faithful Christians took the body to a meeting where Reinhard Bonnke preached. There was intense prayer, and the dead pastor came back to life.

“But that can't be real! It's not biblical!“

Yes it is! You can find amazing stories like this in the Bible, too.

”But it can't happen today!"

Why not! Because of the unbelief of conservative Christians who believe in Bible stories but don't want to believe in miracles in our time.

“But Bonnke was a false teacher.“ Why? Because he worked miracles like the apostles in the Bible?

”But you can't work miracles in our time like in the Bible!"
Who made up this rule? Certainly not God!

I know a woman who visited India in a dream and helped Christians with problems by giving them wise advice.

An English missionary in Thailand was caught in an ambush by Islamists. How did she escape? She became invisible. 

Many Christians understand that we are living in the end times. They recognise the prophecies that are being fulfilled through natural disasters and the restoration of Israel.

They attend prophetic conferences where they learn a lot about the alarming signs of the end times, but they don't want to believe that God wants to and is actually working amazing signs and wonders in our time.

This is completely illogical. It also contradicts God's wonderful nature.

Many pray for revival, but when God performs wonderful works that do not conform to their theological thinking, they reject God's answers to their own prayers.

Jesus warned of the unbelief in the last days.

And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?
I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Lk 18:7–8 NRSV

Mutual Submission in Action

 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. NIB Eph 5:21-22

Christian submission means first of all submission to God, to His word and to the promptings and leadings of His Spirit.
Secondly, Christians have to submit to earthly authority. What is the nature of this human submission in the church of Jesus Christ?

Here is a radical idea. The first and most important commandment concerning submission amongst Christians is that Christians should submit to one another in love and reverence for Christ.

That means that a husband must submit to his wife and she to him. after that comes the commandment for a wife to submit to her husband, within the context of a mutually submissive partnership.

What does it mean for a husband to submit to his wife?

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her Eph 5:25 NIV

Paul does not say a husband must lead or direct his wife as Christ leads and directs the church. Jesus is God to the church but a husband is not God to his wife.

Other relationships within the church should follow the same principle and pattern. A pastor must submit to a member in his congregation, and the member should submit also to his pastor. That means obedience to pastors and leaders must be in the context of a mutually submissive partnership between brothers.

The primary connection between a prophet, apostle or pastor and an “ordinary Christian” is one of brotherly equality. The secondary connection is one of leader and member but the authority aspect is secondary and is only valid in the context of brotherly co-membership of a community.

What does this mean in practice?

Firstly, a senior pastor should consult about church policy with fellow church members, those in the official leadership group and especially mature or wise believers outside the official leadership group.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about church policy, he did not address his letter to a senior pastor, an executive committee or an exclusive board of elders but to “the church in Corinth.”

My father was a medical student during WW2. His father and older brothers fought and suffered in the war.

After the war, he became a psychiatrist treating war veterans. He read 70 books about Australian war history.

The siege of Tobruk took place from April to December 1941, during the Western Desert campaign. One Australian division was supplemented by British, Polish, Indian and Czechoslovakian troops, but they were besieged by a far stronger German force with German tanks. 

They withstood the siege for nearly 9 months and delayed the German advance towards Egypt and Israel.
The usually invincible German tanks repeatedly attacked. The Australian foot soldiers took refuge in deep trenches and let the tanks pass over. Then the Australians climbed out and attacked the tanks from behind.

When German tank commanders surrendered, they were amazed, because up till then they had been undefeated.

I told my father the Australian general was amazing to devise such tactics. My father replied at least some Australian generals were open to ideas from men of all ranks. This is mutual submission in action.

Loving all Christians, also in other denominations

 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?  1 Jn 4:20 NKJV

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 Jn 3:18 NKJV

• “You believe that all believers are your brothers, don’t you?” she asks. “What kind of Christian are you?” she continues.

• “Pentecostal,” you say.

• “You Pentecostals talk about love a lot but what are you DOING to love the Uniting Church people around the corner?”

• “We are very worried about the Uniting Church because they support homosexuality.”

• “When you have prayer meetings in your church, do you pray for the Uniting Church Christians around the corner?”

• “We pray against sin and wrong teaching in the traditional churches and we pray for homosexuals to get saved.”

• “Yes, but do you pray for the Uniting Church people in the church around the corner, and the Baptist people in the church down the road?”

• “Sometimes I pray for other churches.”

• “But in your church prayer meetings, do your leaders pray for the believers in different denominations in your area?”

• “I can’t remember. Maybe sometimes.”

• “Maybe when? Maybe how often?”

• “Our pastor used to be a Catholic. Sometimes he prays for Catholics to get saved.”

• “But has your pastor ever prayed for God to bless the Presbyterian church or the Church of Christ down the road?”

• “Not exactly. A few of our members used to be members of dead churches in our area. We invited them to hear a visiting preacher at our church and they got wonderfully saved.”

• “But do you pray for the churches that they came from?”

• “No. They are pretty dead, you know. I think the people would be better off going somewhere where there is spiritual life.”

• “Do you think the people in the local Anglican church are saved?”

• “How can they be saved if they just repeat words from the prayer book and sing the same old hymns? I have even heard the local Anglican priest favours gay marriage.”

• “Didn’t Jesus command us not to judge?”

• “But the Bible is against homosexuality. We have to stand for the truth.”

• “But might there not be some sincere older people in that church who love God in spite of what their priest’s opinions might be?”

• “How can they be sincerely converted if they put up with that anti-Christ teaching? If they are sincere, they will leave and go to a church where there is spiritual life.”

• “So you consider the local Anglican church is dead?”

• “Yes. One of our members came from there and he got saved in our church. She told us the Anglicans are dead and she should know. Her father is the priest.”

• “You are Pentecostal, right?”

• “Yes.”

• “You believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life, right?”

• “Yes.”

• “You believe God can save religious Anglicans who are spiritually dead, right?”

• “Of course.”

• “Do you believe Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead?”

• “Yes, in John chapter 11.”

• “If God can give new life to individuals, can’t he also give life to groups or communities of people?”

• “Yes, I suppose so.”

• “Do you believe God has blessed your church?”

• “Yes, very much.”

• “Why has God blessed your church?”

• “Because we stand by the Word of God.”

• “So you believe you have earned God’s favour?”

• “Not really.”

• “But you just said God blesses you because you are true to the Bible teachings.”

• “Yes.”

• “So that means God blesses you for being good Christians.”

• “The Bible does teach that God blesses faith and obedience.”

• “But what about GRACE? Doesn’t that mean the undeserved favour of God.”

• “Yes.”

• “So why don’t you pray for God to give more grace to the Anglicans?”

• “ We do pray for people to get saved by the grace of Jesus. I guess that includes religious Anglicans.”

We must not hide our faults.

 Jesus demonstrated His humility by being baptised. He was identifying with sinners. When we go under the water in baptism, our sins are symbolically washed away but Jesus had no sins of His own to be washed.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptised by him.
And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptised by You, and are You coming to me?”
But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. Mt 3:13–15 NKJV

When we go under the water in baptism, we are symbolically burying our old life of sin and our sinful nature and rising again with Christ to the new heavenly resurrection life. But Jesus had no old sinful life and no sinful nature to bury. Jesus became one with us in His humble birth, His humble childhood, His humble social status, His humble occupation and His humble baptism.

If I am humble like Jesus, I will identify with people who might be considered beneath me in social standing, education, age, wealth or position in the church. I will not try to elevate myself above the poor, the mentally ill, the ignorant or uneducated people around me. 

If I have more intelligence, education, wealth, rank, power, social standing or any other advantage, I will use that to bless people apparently beneath me, not to make me feel superior or separated from others.

In Hebrews we read that the Old Testament priests had to sacrifice first for their own sins and then for the sins of the congregation. So many preachers subtly behave as if this spiritual truth did not apply to them.  

A preacher who gives the impression of living in superhuman victory above the level of his weaker church members can pay a great price for his subtle deception.

The people can form such a vivid mental picture of their leader as a supernaturally superior person, that all exhortations to pray for their leader do not penetrate their heart. Somehow they do not believe in their heart that this great man of God could really be so weak and vulnerable as to urgently need prayer support.

When a preacher plays at being Moses and then he falls, the people get a great shock but sometimes the gifted preacher brought it on himself. When he tried to persuade people of his great need for prayer support, it contradicted the image he created at the same time of being a virtually infallible man of God to whom everybody owed a debt of constant submission and even in some cases of lifelong allegiance.

The overexposed leader, inadequately supported by prayer, suddenly falls into personal sin or does something else equally mad, damaging to himself and his people. He reaps what he sowed.

Some preachers always talk about their achievements and never about their mistakes. This is a serious mistake.

Knowing God. Taste and See

 I love cappuccino coffee. When I go out, I love to try a different café and taste the coffee. I have found there is good coffee, bad coffee and wonderfully delicious coffee. Sometimes I go to the same café on different days and I find delicious coffee on one day and ordinary coffee on a different day.

I talked about it to a café proprietor I know, and she explained it this way. It depends on who serves you. If a person who does not love coffee serves you, the coffee is not likely to be good. 

What is the message here? If you want to bring people to God, you must learn to love the taste of the Holy Spirit. You cannot be a good cook if you don’t enjoy your own food.

Christian service can become an end in itself. You can work hard at being a good Christian but in fact you are trying to conform to human ideas of being a good Christian. 

So often we can copy church leaders or copy one another, or be ruled by rigid ideas of Christian duty and morality.

In the New Testament, Jesus taught something quite different. He called his disciples to follow him personally, to be with him, to know him, to enjoy his company.

I find that I can also fall into this trap. I get consumed with doing good things for God, but I spend less time enjoying His company. I get spiritually and emotionally dry.

Jesus said:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. Jn 10:27–28 NKJV

I can read my bible and feel the touch of God in my heart or I can just read the Bible. I can pray and tell God what I think or need, or I can tell God what I think he wants to hear, or I can ask God what He wants to tell me and expect Him to answer.

This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Ps 34:6–8 NKJV

Taste and see ….

Dealing with Anger

 When I was 12. A very tall strong Englishman walked into the classroom. He spoke to us in a booming resonant voice like a thunderclap. Many of our teachers had nicknames and we called him Thunderguts. He was not a nasty man. He did not exploit his immense size or his powerful voice unfairly or aggressively.

He taught me for two years. When I was 12, he taught me for only one lesson a week. I felt uncomfortable with him but it was not so bad. The next year, when I was 13, he was my teacher for Geography. The course and the textbook were deadly boring and I hated the subject.

My discomfort with the English giant with the thunderous voice developed into a passionate hatred. He was not unpopular but I detested him. In my eyes he became an English ogre who salivated over the blood of Australian boys, especially a rather small boy like me. 

There was no evidence to support my intuitive judgement of his character. My best friend really liked him.

I was a good student but that year I failed Geography with a mark of 33%. I did it on purpose. It was deliberate rebellion. I refused to make an effort. I was proud of myself at the time.

What was the reason for my reaction? My father was a wonderful friend to me but he also had an anger problem. When he was angry, he sometimes shouted with rage, although he was never violent.

Do you ever dislike people for little reasons, because of something in their personality that makes you feel uncomfortable?

Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. Pr 29:25 NLT

For human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. James 1:20  NET

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19 NET

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Col 3:8  NKJ

WHY DO PEOPLE GET ANGRY?
When people in your family or school get angry, what kinds of things do they say?
Do you know anyone who gets angry a lot?

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH ANGER?
What do you get angry about? Who do you get angry with?
What kinds of things do you do and say when you are angry?
How long do you stay angry?
Is there any connection with anger and fear?
What can you do about anger?

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH FEAR?
What are you scared of? Who are you scared of?
How often do you feel scared?
Can you remember being seriously terrified?
What can you do about fear?

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH RESENTMENT?
Resentment is often a feeling of helpless frustration, indignation and anger. Someone has hurt you and you feel you are a helpless victim. Maybe you feel vulnerable and afraid that you will continue to be a victim. You feel weak and defenceless.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH BITTERNESS?
Bitterness is long term anger. If you resent something or someone for a long time, you feel bitter.

Expect Sudden Turnarounds from God

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Mt 8:1–3 NIV

God can change a man or a woman in an instant. God can change a person’s life in 24 hours. The day that David killed Goliath, he changed from being a shepherd boy to being a national military hero, in one day. More than that, in one day the nation of Israel changed from being terrified victims to being conquerors as God intended, all because one boy became a man in one day.

When the day of Pentecost finally arrived, there was the sound of a mighty rushing wind. 120 disciples of Jesus were baptised in the Holy Spirit. They all spoke languages they had never learned; Peter preached an inspired sermon and 3000 people were born again. The Church was born in a day.

One day a Pharisee named Saul was on his way to Damascus. The purpose of his journey was to arrest and imprison Christians in that city. On the way, Jesus appeared to Saul and the Apostle Paul was born.

On two days towards the end of 1915, a great but defeated army evacuated the coast of Turkey. Not one life was lost. In 2 nights, an unknown Australian colonel became a military hero whose brilliant thinking rewrote the British military textbooks and whose battle plans in 1918 shortened that terrible war by months.

When Jesus returns to Jerusalem to end the Battle of Armageddon, the surviving Jews will see their Messiah and believe, and a nation will be born again in a day.

Prepare for good things and great blessings. Expect sudden turnarounds.

God in Tough Places

If you have had an experience of deep darkness, terror or despair, you may have experienced the miraculous intervention of God. His presence has come into your experience.

It was like you were a child terrified of the dark and then your mother came into the room and turned on the light. Your mother spoke words of comfort and reassurance, and suddenly the darkness was like a distant memory. Let us recall to our minds the times when God turned on the light.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. Gen 1:3-4 (ESV)  

He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Ps 107:20 (ESV)  

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,  
"Lord, my servant is lying paralysed at home, suffering terribly."  

And he said to him, "I will come and heal him."  
But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. Mt 8:5-8 (ESV)  

A pastor’s wife was desperately ill. No prayer for healing made any difference. The pastor read aloud the 91st psalm every hour until she was completely healed.
 
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High  Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
   My God, in Him I will trust." Ps 91:1-2 (NKJV)

Corrie ten Boom spent terrible years in a Nazi concentration camp in WW2. She was released before the end of the war due to a clerical error. This apparently ordinary middle-aged single Dutch woman became one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century.

Her message to the world was simple but profound. There is no dark hole so deep, but that God is deeper still. She wrote a famous book about how God brought her through her terrible experiences. The title of the English edition is “The Hiding Place”.

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble;
   You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Ps 32:7 (NKJV)  

To the Chief Musician. Set to 'Do Not Destroy.' A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!  For my soul trusts in You;    
   And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,            
   Until these calamities have passed by.
 I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.
He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who would swallow me up.

  God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. Ps 57:1-3 (NKJV)  

When my first marriage broke up, I was a part-time single father. I was deeply distressed and intensely concerned for my baby daughter, who was 18 months old when her parents separated. I received powerful reassurance from this Bible text.        
 
He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
Isa 40:11 (NKJV)

Staying Positive in Troubled Times

 As a little boy I loved listening to my father’s classical music recordings. One of my favourite recordings was of a German Jewish men’s choir who sang lovely German folk songs even during the Nazi period.

One of the all-time favourite movies is “The Sound of Music”. It tells of the Austrian von Trapp family, who were strongly anti-Nazi. They had to escape over the mountains to Switzerland to avoid persecution. What is striking in this movie is their love of God and positive human values. They were more for God and people than against the Nazis. It was their faith and love that drove them, rather than hatred of the Nazis.

They were determined to stay positive.

Baron von Trapp sang about his love of beautiful flowers and his love for his homeland.
Maria von Trapp sang about her favourite things. When she was upset, she would think about her favourite things.

When I read the news, I am shocked by what national leaders are doing. I have been crying out for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022. I have seen God work miracles to protect Ukrainians. It is amazing that the Russians have not been able to conquer these people. God must be with Ukraine.
But hating Putin will solve nothing. He is what he is.

Valentin Silvestrov is a Ukrainian musician who fled to Berlin in 2022. In Berlin, he composed music, but not angry nationalistic music. He set the Lord’s Prayer to music. 

In very troubled times, it is so easy to become obsessed with fear and anger, but God is still God.

We can pray:
“Your will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven.”

The Apostle Paul’s life was full of persecution and suffering. He was a brutal persecutor of the Christians and then as a Christian he suffered equally brutal persecution himself.
He wrote:

We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Cor 4:8–9 NIV

And in another letter he wrote:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Php 4:6–8 NIV

Positive thinking was not invented by American writers of self-help books. It comes from the Bible, because God is positive and he loves you.

Humility and Mutual Respect

 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Php 2:3 NKJV

How can we apply this in practice?

• Should Billy Graham have considered other preachers better than himself?

• Should every husband consider his wife better than himself?

• Should every father consider his children better than himself?

• Should every pastor consider the church members better than himself?

This would seem very strange, counterintuitive. So how can I apply this in practice?

If I am a world champion athlete, should I consider every opponent or rival better than myself? Of course not, but if I am the best in the world, I must not admire myself, but rather admire other champions, champions of the past, champions in other sports or events. I should look for things to admire in my rivals, integrity, courage, fair play.

If I am greatly blessed and admired as a preacher, I must not claim the credit, but thank God for the people who pray for my ministry. I must not admire myself but honour other anointed preachers and also faith heroes of the past. I can preach about the heroism of persecuted Christians and esteem them better than myself.

If I am a father, I can look at my children as potentially better than myself and hope and pray that they might be better than myself as they grow up.

If I am a husband, I should be keenly aware of the talents, gifts and virtues of my wife in ways that are better than my own. If I am superior to her in some ways, she will certainly be superior to me in other ways.

What ever your virtues, achievements, gifts and talents might be, you will find talents and achievements to admire in others. God gives different gifts to different people.

Just as stronger Christians or leaders must not consider themselves superior, so also should less prominent people consider themselves inferior.

Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
 
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 1 Co 12:14–17 NIV

It is important to look for things to admire in others, but it is also important to thank God for the unique gifts He has given you.

Grace before Truth. Ministry must be kind.

 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn 8:12 NIV

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples, that if we live in his light, we too will be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, not because of our own goodness, but if we allow Jesus to live in us and work through us.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? …
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Mt 5:13–14 NIV

Jesus appoints and empowers his followers to minister his goodness, but we must do this in the right spirit.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:14 NIV

Grace comes before truth. If we judge, accuse and attack people with truth, we are not ministering grace. We are not living in the love of God. Our ministry is worse than useless.

Warm salt water is an effective antiseptic and medicine, but if a doctor rubs salt into your wounds, it is harmful and cruel.

If you approach a drug addicted prostitute aggressively by preaching judgement, you only add to the torments of a suffering human being.

As a young man in my twenties, I saw a psychiatrist to help with my depression and anxiety. Then I became a converted Christian believer. I joined a church where nearly every sermon was an aggressive lecture pressuring me to repent, obey and submit, over and over again.

I experienced the love of God when I prayed and worshipped but the preaching progressively increased my suffering and anxiety, until I spoke out angrily and I was excommunicated, leading to a severe mental illness.

If a doctor performs major surgery on his patients over and over again, he will kill them. Surgery is sometimes necessary, but if it is a routine medical treatment, it is life destroying

In the same way, an evangelist who confronts people with their sinfulness can save lives but a pastor who preaches this way every week is dangerous monster.

Jesus confronted self righteous religious leaders with the judgement of God for their sins, but He did not minister to other people like this. Jesus was known as the friend of sinners.

Jesus is still calling us to come to Him to receive mercy.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NASB95

Pain, indignation and forgiveness.

 Pain, indignation and forgiveness.

Jesus was very forgiving.

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mk 11:25 NIV

But Jesus was also frequently angry about the way religious leaders bullied weak people. So often preachers give the absurd impression that religious bullying was something that happened 2000 years ago and the Jewish leaders were the villains. Nothing to do with preachers today. Really?

I am fed up with preaching against offence or bitterness because so many preachers trivialise abuse and injustice. I just read a much better message. The preacher actually encourages wounded Christians to talk to God about their pain and indignation just like the psalms of lamentation.

So many super positive preachers ignore the psalms of complaint and lamentation. They have their favourite positive faith scriptures and it almost seems to me that they want to be more spiritual than the Holy Spirit who inspired the psalms of lamentation. Not that they are all arrogant but there is a kind of collective blindness often imparted from one preacher to another.

It is not only women who are bullied and put down by parents, employers or church leaders. Men also bully men. Have you seen male animals fighting for dominance in wildlife documentaries? Jesus said the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and they are applauded as benefactors... Does it sound like some churches to you?

But Jesus said we should be different. Many preachers teach forgiveness while at the same time trivialising trauma and abuse of power. This kind of preaching is very damaging and is often a part of the bullying process. Preaching on unforgiveness often degenerates into blaming the victims.

Jesus is very compassionate towards victims and this is confirmed by the psalms of lamentation and complaint. For many super positive faith preachers, these "negative" psalms are in the book but not a part of their understanding or teaching.

My indignation over bullying probably indicates I still feel the pain. Some people might suggest that continued indignation is a sign of sinful unforgiveness because when you forgive, you forget and the issue no longer exists for you. I think this is a serious misunderstanding of Scripture. 

When I was excommunicated by pastors, I was so traumatised, that I spent a full year in a psychiatric ward. In time I realised I was not condemned by God and I forgave the pastors from my heart. This forgiveness was part of my healing process but I was still broken and requiring strong psychiatric medication.

In time I gradually learned not to condemn myself but I became increasingly indignant about unjust authoritarian church leaders in general. Fifty years later, I am still a militant opponent of authoritarian church leadership. 

I am in good company. Jesus and Paul were also indignant.

Do you think Jesus was unforgiving? Or Paul? But did they no longer feel the pain of rejection and bullying? Did they no longer feel indignation when they saw religious bullies hurting weaker people, particularly vulnerable women?

When I read the sayings of Jesus and the inspired writings of Paul, I see two apparently contradictory tendencies side by side, extreme indignation over injustice, especially injustice by people claiming to represent God.

The other striking feature is the extreme emphasis on love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. It is hard to find Christian writers and preachers who are able to fully embrace both of these aspects of God's character in full measure.

In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul rebukes the Christians for submitting to authoritarian pulpiteers.

In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 2 Cor 11:20 NIV

Be Merciful like Jesus

 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn 8:12 NIV

Being a Christian means following Jesus. In the NT, Jesus had disciples who literally walked around Israel with him. This is no longer possible, so what does it mean to follow Jesus today?

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Jn 8:31–32 NASB95

Jesus is no longer with us as a man of flesh and blood, but he has given us His word, his truth, his teaching and his promises.

You cannot be a Christian unless you seriously try to base your life on the Bible.

But how can we do this? The Bible is a big book with many confusing details. We need guidance and teaching, but the people who persecuted Jesus were the Bible experts of his day.

There are bible experts today who enslave believers with cruel hierarchy and life destroying religion. If we are protestant Christians, we must not deceive ourselves by thinking these bad religious leaders are only Jews or Roman Catholics.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, we see how Jesus applied the Bible.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:14 NIV

There are Christians who aggressively preach truth to attack and shame sinners, and preachers who rule churches with fear. Jesus was full of truth, but He always approached people with grace, mercy and love.

Jesus always applied Bible truth with love and mercy, and so must we.

Yesterday, our pastor reminded us that Jesus appointed us to be the light of the world. If we live in the light of Jesus, we will ourselves shine as a light from God for others.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Mt 5:14 NIV

This is true, but we can use the light of God’s truth to bless people or condemn them. If you turn on the light in a dark place, people can see where they are going, but if you shine a laser in someone’s eyes, it can destroy his eyesight.

There are aggressive preachers and culture warriors who do just that. They attack people with Bible truth and drive people away from the love of God. We must never do this.

Disasters. Mercy or judgement of God?

 So many people want to sit on the judgement-seat of God, declaring that the fires in Los Angeles are God’s punishment for the sins of Hollywood.

God does sometimes punish sins, but not every disaster is directly inflicted by God.
How dare anyone pronounce the judgement of God without directly receiving revelation from the throne in heaven.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Mt 7:1–2 NIV

Supposing you do get a reliable revelation from God, that he is inflicting disaster. Should you self-righteously gloat over the suffering of sinners, as some Christians do, particularly in social media?

Two days before the fires started in Los Angeles, I had a dream from God. I looked up at the dark night sky in my dream. The sky was not black but very dark red. I received a very clear interpretation from the Holy Spirit. The whole world was covered by the blood of Jesus, the blood that flowed from Jesus on the cross 2000 years ago.

This was not a message of judgement but of mercy. The mercy of God is still covering everyone on earth. Of course, the forgiveness of God is not automatically given. Each person must choose to believe and ask for mercy. It is a choice.

A week later, also on a Sunday morning, I heard sad funeral music playing in my head. It would not stop, and I started to realise that God was speaking to me. God mourns and grieves over the suffering of the people in California. He wants us to be praying for mercy for the rich as well as the poor.

If you pronounce judgement over Los Angeles but feel no grief or compassion, you are not speaking for God. You should be ashamed of yourself.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Co 13:2 NIV

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 Jn 4:8 NIV

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 Jn 4:16 NIV

If you have declared judgement on California without feeling sorrow and compassion, please ask God to forgive you. If you have publicly judged the fire victims, please post an apology publicly.

Loving Partnership in Christian Marriage

 How should husbands and wives treat each other?

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. Eph 5:21–22 NIV

Many Christians quote verse 22 alone, but verses 21 and 22 are two parts of one sentence in the Greek New Testament. The word “submit” only occurs in verse 21, not in verse 22.  

 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives,  …  to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. Eph 5:21–22 NIV

This does means husbands and wives should submit to one another. There is no other way to meaningfully understand this single sentence.

There is much debate about what it means for the husband to be the head of the wife but that is a topic for another time.

Paul says husbands must love their wives as Christ loves the church, but he does not say the husband must command, direct or control his wife as Christ rules over the church.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Eph 5:25 NIV

Bible teachers often ignore the fact that a husband and wife are fellow Christians and therefore the rules that govern relationships between all Christians must apply to Christian marriage.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Jn 13:34 NIV

There are some overrated Bible teachers who teach male domination in marriage. They say a man must love his wife and a wife must respect her husband. Then they focus on wives respecting (and obeying) while they merely pay superficial lip service to husbands loving their wives. So much nonsense!

Jesus said the apostles must love each other. Was this only for apostles? Of course not. All Christians must love each other as Jesus loves us, husbands and wives included.

If the husband is the leader, which is sometimes appropriate, he should follow the teaching of Jesus about leadership.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— Mt 20:25–27 NIV

Some leaders demand to be heard and obeyed, but good leaders listen and consider the thinking of others.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, Jas 1:19 NIV

Many, if not most husbands are not good at listening to their wives. We all need to improve in this regard.

But many teach that the husband should always be the leader, ideally a kind Christian leader. Careful observation of men and women should lead us to question this belief.

Some men are natural leaders and many others are born to be faithful followers. Likewise some women are natural leaders and many others are gifted to be followers.

The couple who led me to faith were my uncle and his wife. She was created and gifted to be a natural strong leader, and her husband was an introvert with the qualities of a good partner and a faithful follower.

My aunt loved and respected her husband and he loved and respected her leadership qualities.