God has not Forgotten You

 Are you at the end of yourself? Has God forgotten you?

In the Old Testament, the Jews were desperate. They had gone wrong. They still believed in God to some extent, but they had not taken God seriously.

God had commanded:

“You shall have no other gods before me. Ex 20:3 NIV

God had strictly forbidden the worship of idols.

But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame. Is 42:17 NIV

Apostate kings in Jerusalem had worshipped idols since Solomon's time, and the people copied the sins of their neighbours.

Many believed in the god Baal and the goddess Asherah, Baal's supposed wife. This religion was all about sex and fertility. The priestesses of Asherah were prostitutes. The men worshipped the goddess by visiting these prostitutes.

This also happened in God's temple. This was supposed to make the land fertile so that they would have a good harvest.

It's a bit different here today. Sex is worshipped, but not fertility.
Exactly the opposite. We want to have very few children, and there are no longer enough young people in Western Europe.

The Jews in the Old Testament cruelly slaughtered their children in order to gain the favour of the pagan god Moloch.

Abortion is sometimes needed to save the life of the mother but millions of unborn babies are killed for all kinds of reasons.

God's prophets had warned again and again, but most people did not want to take the warnings seriously.

The people had surrendered to the rule of the cruel false gods. Finally, they had to reap what they had sown.

At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it … 2 Kings 24:10 NIV

Nebuchadnezzar's army conquered God's people and Jerusalem was occupied.

The Jews were deported en masse to Babylon, where many were enslaved.

But what does this ancient history have to do with us? Does slavery exist today?

You can find drug dealers everywhere. If you have an addiction, you are enslaved. Many young women end up in prostitution to buy drugs.

There are boys on the street who spend the night with gays to avoid freezing on the street.

When people are exposed to such terrible alternatives, we can speak of slavery without exaggeration.

How can God allow such suffering? God has given us free will as human beings. We can suffer because of our own flawed choices, or often because of the evil choices of others.

One of the young Jews who was taken away by Nebuchadnezzar was Daniel. He was very intelligent and of noble birth. Even as a teenager, he was enslaved and castrated.

But God loved Daniel and all the deported Jews. In the prophetic book of Isaiah, we see God's heart for the suffering Jews.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Is 49:14–15 NIV

Daniel was determined to remain faithful to God in his miserable circumstances.

God sees your heart and His heart beats for you, as it did for Daniel. Daniel became the administrator of the government under Nebuchadnezzar and one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament.

Are you in a mess where you can't see a way out?

God has not forgotten you. He loves his suffering daughters and sons, just as he loved Daniel.

God's love never gives up.

Ordained Ministers in the New Testament

 Most Christian churches make clear distinctions between ordained ministers and lay Christians. It is difficult to find this in the New Testament.

In the Acts and the letters of Paul, we find many names of Christians with significant ministries, but what were their titles?

The eleven original apostles are named. In Acts chapter 1, Matthias was added to the list.
Later, Paul is identified as an apostle.

In Acts chapter 6, the first seven deacons were appointed. It is clear that they were ordained to be ministers of the Gospel.

They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. Acts 6:6 NIV

These seven men were supposed to “wait on tables” but that meant, in reality, that they were supposed to administer the finances and income redistribution for a rapidly growing mega church with thousands of members.

They were also powerful anointed preachers, but in Acts 6 Luke tells us what they did but does not give them ministry titles. Only in Acts 21, Philip is identified as an evangelist.

Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. Acts 21:8 NIV

What about other prominent ministers?
Luke, Mark, Titus, Priscilla and Aquila? What were their ministry titles, if any?

We see that Titus functioned with much greater responsibility and authority than most pastors of local congregations, yet he is not identified explicitly as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher.

Apollos was also a very prominent preacher, but he is only once referred to as a DIAKONOS, which can mean Deacon or a generic term used by Paul for a minister of the Gospel. Paul used the same word to refer to Phoebe in Romans 16:1.

But we are often told that a woman cannot occupy the office of Pastor or Teacher.

Why? Because no woman in the NT is identified as a Pastor or Teacher. But neither is any man in the NT designated as a Pastor or Teacher.

Yet Priscilla and Lydia functioned as important leaders. But they are not explicitly identified as ordained ministers. Neither are  Luke or Titus.

In the Gospels, the word DIAKONOS is used to refer to household servants, but in Paul’s letters, the same word refers to ministers of the Gospel.

In Romans 16:1-2 Paul refers to Phoebe as a DIAKONOS. Why would Paul use a grammatically masculine word to refer to a woman? The only reasonable explanation is that it was a ministry title, and that she was an ordained minister of the Gospel.

Hearing the Voice of God Today

 God has a way of speaking very precisely. It is like a jigsaw puzzle. When you put the pieces together, they fit perfectly to make a picture, so you know it is God speaking.

It was April in Australia. It was a cool cloudy autumn day. Suddenly a lovely song came to my mind. It was an English Christmas carol. I felt it was from God because I was looking forward to a mission trip to Germany at Christmastime.

I was thinking of Germany, so why would God speak to me through an English Christmas carol?

“Hark the herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn king.”

I could not get the song out of my mind. God was speaking, so when I got home I did some research on the internet.

The words to the song were written in England but the music was written by Felix Mendelssohn in Leipzig. The before the English words were written, it was a German patriotic song!

My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. Jn 10:27 CSB

Vaterland, in deinen Gauen
brach der goldne Tag einst an.
Deutschland, deine Völker sahn
seinen Schimmer niedertauen.
Gutenberg, der deutsche Mann,
zündete die Fackel an.

Fatherland, in your shires
the golden day once dawned.
Germany, your peoples saw
its shimmer bring a thaw.
Gutenberg, the German man,
kindled the torch.

It was Gutenberg who invented the European printing press, which laid the foundation for the publishing of the Bible in modern languages. It was the launching pad for the revival of Biblical Christianity.

Mendelssohn was also a Jew. In our generation, there are so many Jews coming to recognise Jesus as their Messiah.

And what does this message mean to me? My calling is to share the message of Jesus by writing on the internet, another new invention for the publishing of the gospel.

What is your calling? Let God speak to you as He spoke to me.

Women Redeemed from the Curse

 When Jesus died on the cross, the totally innocent Son of God had to suffer the ultimate injustice. Through his unjust death, Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserved for our sins.

The only completely innocent man of all time died an agonising death so that all guilty men and women could be freed from God's judgement.

With his voluntary death, Jesus began to free people from all the curses and injustices that began with original sin.  

The first injustice was foretold by God himself.

To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Gen 3:16 NIV

It was not God's command that men should rule over women. After the original sin, the character of men was corrupted. Men's greater physical strength was used to dominate women, which was never God's intention.

But millions of men have harshly dominated their wives. For thousands of years, women have been treated as second-class human beings.

In the Bible, Jewish women were also victims of harsh discrimination, but in Christian history and also in our time, we see that many Christians still do not understand that God created us for partnership and not for the subordination of women.

In the Bible, new beginnings are of particular importance. As his first act after his resurrection, Jesus restored the equality of women.

Mary Magdalene was chosen by Jesus as the first person to proclaim his resurrection, not Peter or John, and not even Mary, his mother.

Mary Magdalene thought Jesus was the gardener. The first gardener was Adam, and Paul teaches us that Jesus is the last Adam. This means that Jesus is the beginning of the new humanity.

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 1 Cor 15:45 NIV

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Cor 15:22 NIV

Adam was the first man and the father of all men. He was without sin until he succumbed to temptation.

Jesus came as the second man without sin and he resisted all temptations.

Jesus came to give all of us men, women and children the innocence and glory of the original creation. He came to create a wonderful new humanity, a humanity where men and women can fulfil their potential in equality, freedom and partnership.

When Mary Magdalene announced to the apostles that Jesus had risen, they did not believe.

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. Mk 16:14 NIV

What did Jesus want to teach us? From now on, pastors and apostles must also take women seriously. The curse of male domination is over as far as God is concerned. Many Christians are slow to understand this.

What is your true Identity?

 We have forgotten who we are.

I once met a refugee from a cruel dictatorship.

He told me how he was abused as a political prisoner.

He had to stand in a pitch-black tiny cell, not sitting and not lying down, and not just for a few hours.

There came a time when he no longer knew his own name.

So many people struggle with insecurity. They ask questions that no one seems to be able to answer.

Who am I?

Why is this world so senseless?

Why are women and children being abducted and why is there no justice?

We read the newspapers and see that child abuse rings are found in churches that are supposed to care for children, and bishops, instead of being holy church fathers, act like cunning politicians and try to protect perverted criminals among the priests.

We must not delude ourselves with the idea that this abuse is only found in the Catholic Church.

It would also be pointless to think that this undercover abuse does not also take place in other religions because the media only shines the spotlight on Christians.

What is going on?

We humans have lost our identity. We have forgotten who we are.
 
A girl dreams that she could become a wife with children, or a doctor or a teacher.

But her home is ruined by political greed for power and corruption. Her family becomes hopelessly poor. She looks for work in a wealthy country, but she is cheated.

She is enslaved and abused as a captive prostitute. In the beginning, she fights against everything. But her resistance is futile. Her situation is hopeless. She is repeatedly raped and drugged until she cannot live without drugs.

She still dreams of finding her old life. She holds the dreams of her childhood in her heart. But when she clings to her true identity, the dirty sexual labour becomes even more terrible.

The conflict between her true identity and her hideous slavery becomes unbearable and the drug helps her to forget her situation a little, but she also begins to lose her original true identity.

How can we react as sincere Christians. Everything looks hopeless.

The problem is that we sincere Christians have also forgotten who we are.

If you belong to Jesus, you are a son or a daughter of God.

But what does it mean to be a son or daughter of God?
 
We have access to God's immeasurable love. But it is not enough to profess this love as a statement of faith.

We must experience this immeasurable love, savour it, be overwhelmed by it.

Without God's glory, we can only save a few lost people.

We need much more from God to free many slaves. Tens of millions are waiting for God's help.

Many Christians are stuck with little more than dry doctrines.

Genuine faith consists not only of conviction and virtue, but should also include wonderful experiences.

So do you have to have heavenly experiences on earth in order to have eternal life?

No. But without wonderful experiences with God, our effectiveness as disciples is limited.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD shines over you.
For look, darkness will cover the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the LORD will shine over you, and his glory will appear over you. Is 60:1–2 CSB

Never forget who Jesus is

We must never forget who we believe in.

Jesus is the eternal Creator, who was in eternal fellowship with the heavenly Father before the beginning of the world.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Jn 1:1–3 NIV

What Jesus was, he is also today, with boundless power and creative force.

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. Rev 2:8 NIV

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev 1:8 NIV

He is the holy Son of God, without sin and without blemish.

and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Lk 3:22 NIV

Jesus heals all our diseases because he is full of mercy and love.

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Mk 1:40–41 NIV

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Mt 8:16–17 NIV

Jesus is the good shepherd who cares for and protects us.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. Is 40:11 NLT

Not only does he care for your life, he sacrificed his life to save your life.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jn 10:11 NIV

The holy Son of God sacrificed his life to take the punishment for our sins.

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Rom 5:10 NIV

Through his death, he took our sins upon himself and passed on his righteousness to us.

For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us! 2 Co 5:21 The Living Bible, Paraphrased

He gives eternal life to those who believe in him and trust him with all their heart.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.
Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 CSB

Saved by the Love of God

 If you try to obey Jesus, to serve God, to help others with love for your neighbour, then God's heart beats over you with joy.

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zep 3:17 NKJV

What does this mean?

Can we earn God's approval through good works? Not at all.

How do we come to God?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NKJV

Your faith is crucial, but there are many who acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and who strive to live virtuously, but you see no radiance of God's love in their lives.

There are those who do good works for Jesus and they hope to earn God's acceptance.

But there are also Christians who are humbly aware that they are only saved by God's mercy and forgiveness.

God loves you because he loves you.

He created you out of pure love. He longs for you to get to know him. He wants to have an intimate love relationship with you.

A duty-orientated religious person cannot even grasp this idea.

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Jn 3:3 NIV

If God gives you the insight that you can only stand before his judgement seat through his forgiveness and cannot be saved by any good works, then you can ask Jesus to give you his New Life, and only as a gift.

Jesus has already paid the price on the cross.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23 NIV

If you have started a completely new life with Jesus, you are God's beloved son or daughter.

For God, your trust and childlike love are much more important than your works.

But who can truly love God without following Jesus?

God is love. He loves not only you, but all your fellow human beings, everyone, even the terrorists, drug dealers and pimps.  

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

 A beloved child with good parents wants to become like his parents. When we have truly discovered the love of God, we will also love our fellow human beings.

Those who experience God's love every day want to pass on God's love.

All who truly love God, want to serve God.

All who love their fellow human beings, want to help them.

All who come to Jesus with a humble heart will find an open door to a new life.

“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. Jn 10:9 NASB95

Those who live this new life in close fellowship with Jesus become like Jesus himself, a tree of life that produces heavenly fruit.

What kind of fruit did Jesus produce in his earthly life?

Tender love, extreme mercy, amazing wisdom, deep humility and fearless proclamation of the truth that can only come from God.

Jesus is waiting for your prayer. He will never let you down.