What can He do for you?

What do you want?

Mark 10:46-52 “Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”

Several things stand out for me in this story.  Firstly, Bartimaeus may have been blind but he was not stupid. He knew who this “Jesus of Nazareth” was. He knew His reputation. He had heard many stories. Here, obviously, was a man in whom Bartimaeus could put some faith. Why else would he ‘cry out’ to Him for attention – for mercy. Instinct had told him that here was a chance to be taken out of the cruelty of life as a blind beggar. So he cried out to Him – I suspect he yelled at the top of his voice – “Have mercy on me!” What a strange request – “Have mercy on me.” Was this Jesus a judge? Had Bartimaeus done wrong? Neither, but Bartimaeus had worked out that this Jesus had the power to help him get out of the life of begging. So he was asking Jesus, “Don’t leave me here like this. I believe You have the power to change my life. Have mercy on me.”

The crowd were angry at Bartimaeus. They told him to keep quiet. Why – probably so they could hear Jesus for themselves. They didn’t care about this blind beggar until, of course, Jesus called him over. That’s when it all changed for Bartimaeus. The lights came on and he was to take centre stage. I wonder what went through his mind at that moment. We are told that he threw off his cloak – perhaps signifying that his life as a beggar was about to be behind him. How would he have known that? I believe it was a statement of faith in Jesus ability to change his life for him. But then Jesus asked Bartimaeus the most extraordinary question.

“What do you want me to do for you?” I wonder if the Father said to Jesus, “Give him what he asks for.” Whatever the reason, Jesus asked Bartimaeus the question – He did not assume anything. There was no doubting the honesty of Bartimaeus response. “Rabboni” (teacher, Rabbi, man of honour) “That I may receive my sight.” We already know the answer to that and the happy ending to the story. Bartimaeus simply stated quietly what he believed was within Jesus power to do for him – i.e. that He could make his blind eyes see once more.

Have you been praying, asking, maybe pleading with God for something? So many of us blame God when prayers are not seen to be answered. What if God were to ask you that same question - “What do you want me to do for you?” How would you answer that question? Would you snap back words to the effect of, “You know what I want – I’ve been asking for long enough.” Or would you, like blind Bartimaeus, quietly and confidently, just answer the question – expecting the answer to be both in your favour and immediate.

I think we can learn much from both Bartimaeus and Jesus. On the one hand, be persistent with your asking. On the other hand, don’t assume anything but ask the question – even the most obvious question. We may sometimes be quite amazed by the answer. God asked Solomon what he wanted. Rather than asking for riches and power, Solomon surprises us by asking for wisdom before all else. God loved that response and we all know the result – wisdom, riches, and power.

So – what will you ask for when God asks you how He can help you?

Scripture - all or nothing

Scrapture ??

I often wonder why we so doubt the scriptures. For example, I do not understand why so many don’t accept the rapture. Wonderful Spirit filled, Blood bought and saved Christian brothers and sisters who do not accept the rapture. The word, “rapture”, is not mentioned in scripture but the event surely is.  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." Wonderful words of hope and comfort for us all.

We all seem to believe in the tribulation and the wedding of the Lamb and the New Jerusalem - Revelation 21: 2-4 "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” So why not the rapture?

The great tribulation, the mark of the beast, Armageddon – all these things are without question. So what is wrong with the concept of the rapture as in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17? I ask these  things because I have a problem not believing them. I either believe the Bible is the Word of God, God breathed and inspired – and therefore true because God cannot lie – or I don’t. I cannot pick and choose what to believe and what to put to one side. Otherwise, I am guilty of “Scrapture” – scrapping scripture which disagrees with my personal theology.

You see, I am gloriously unencumbered by theological training. I put it like that because I have to rely solely on Holy Spirit’s promptings, guidance, and leading. I consider myself so fortunate NOT to have been through theological training. I believe, rightly or wrongly, that ALL theological colleges or seminaries are denominational and therefore only teach the one theology that suits or fits their denomination. It has always been the same of course, everyone who passes through seminary is trained according to the theology of the ruling denomination. It has often been said,  with a little truth, that theology has wrecked more faiths than it has confirmed. Yet seminary has produced some wonderful pastors, preachers and teachers. However, denominational seminary has never produced a graduate for a different denomination.

I dare say these last remarks will keep me from even “infesting” some pulpits, but I can face that thought unafraid. I fear far more the wrath of God if I have got it all completely wrong than I fear man for only getting it almost right.

You see, each denomination has its own beliefs about the rapture and about eschatology in general. I am one who believes passionately in it because, as far as I and many others can see, it is totally biblical. If it wasn’t I could not support it. Rather in my particular case, if it wasn’t biblical I am certain that Holy Spirit would let me know in no uncertain terms.

I believe that the rapture and all of end time eschatology gives Christianity its greatest hope after salvation – it puts, or answers, a “how” into the whole equation.

Personally, I can hardly wait, but I have to. In the meantime, I am collecting as many as I can to take with me. This means continuing with the Great Commission until either I go home to be with the Lord or until He comes to fetch me – at the Rapture.

Oh, happy day.

Sandwich Boards

Repent

When I was a kid in central London, I remember a man walking around with a ‘sandwich board’. He paraded up and down the streets for hours on end. On the front was the one word, dramatically displayed – “REPENT”. On the back was the phrase, “The End is Nigh”. One thing the old time preachers were not afraid to do was to call for repentance – a turning away from our sins and a turning towards the love and salvation of Jesus.

What, if anything, has changed between the 1950’s and 2012?

It seems that the church not only evolved and re-invented herself, in the process, she also re-invented the Gospel. The Gospel evolved too – into the easy gospel, the everyone is saved gospel, the prosperity gospel, the alternative gospel, the gay/lesbian gospel – you name it, the church invented a version of the Gospel to suit the requirements of the listeners. These ‘new/updated/modern’ gospels all strayed from the path and, although they preached Jesus and Him crucified, they all omitted one vital thing. They all omitted repentance.

To coin a phrase – what a mess! What an ear-ticklers paradise – to be able to preach the gospel without that nasty, troublesome, and difficult bit about repenting and turning away from sin. Some of these new versions even tried to omit sin altogether so there is no need for repentance at all. What a mistake. Thousands have welcomed the concept of Christ because they don’t have to change at all. No wonder there is no longer any real perceived difference between the church and the world.

What is needed right now is for the church to lead the way, repenting itself, and preaching repentance to all. There can be no real or true salvation without repentance – so we need to start preaching repentance once again – starting right now. The Gospel is not the Gospel without repentance. Christians are not Christians without repentance. Too strong for you – it’s the truth.

Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”. He also said, “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Finally Jesus said to His disciples, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,  and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.”

The way is wide that leads to hell and the way is narrow that leads to life. Repentance is the key to everything and it’s time for the church to resurrect repentance as part of the salvation process otherwise more than this present generation will remain lost.

In the words of the old sandwich board man – Repent for the end is nigh !!

Righteous Prayers

The Prayer of Jabez

I was always intrigued by the character,  Jabez, who seems to be a footnote or a P.S. in scripture. Initially I was intrigued because Jabez was my father’s middle name and, I found later, a family name given to the oldest boy in each family. So I looked Jabez up again.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NKJV) “Now Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”

Whole books have been written on this very short passage – just 2 verses and one of those verses known as Jabez’s Prayer. That is the prayer I want to look at for a moment or two.

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed “ Other translations use the word ‘abundantly’ rather than ‘indeed’. Given that Jabez lived around the time of Saul or David, we can fairly safely assume that he had flocks and herds to look after and to graze. Therefore he would need good grazing for his animals – especially if they were going to increase.

“and enlarge my territory “ Here Jabez is almost certainly asking that, if you are blessing my flocks, give me more land, more pasture, and perhaps greater influence among my people.

“that Your hand would be with me “ Ah – not only that God’s hand be with Jabez, but that it could be seen that God’s hand was with him by the blessings he was receiving.

“and that You would keep me from evil “ Now we are getting to the really serious part. Here Jabez is surely asking for protection – from wild animals, from enemies, from raiders and invading armies. Keep the evil people away from me seems to be his cry to God.

“that I may not cause pain! ” Here we come to the reason for all that precedes it. Jabez was indeed honourable. He wanted to live peaceably and quietly with no quarrel with those around him. He wanted to cause no man any pain or disruption or anything unpleasant.

“So God granted him what he requested. “ Now one of the most simple but amazing statements in the whole Bible – God actually granted his wish and his prayer.

Let me finish with a word of caution. Please don’t make Jabez’ prayer your own prayer unless so directed by the Lord. Sure, anyone can claim it, but I feel constrained to use it for myself because the Lord has not laid it upon me. I feel it should be the same for all of us.

Our Queen has indeed lived and honourable life, keeping peace with all whith whom she has contact. God has blessed her and expanded her territory (influence) world wide. If she has prayed this prayer, then God has answered her – abundantly.

I honour her this Jubilee weekend.

Jesus Words of Life

Pertinent Words

I still find it amazing that the words Jesus spoke here on earth, and recorded for us in our Bibles, can be so pertinent to today’s world. Listen to His words in John 12:23-26 “ Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.”

The hour for Jesus is now – this very hour. Now how relevant do you want the Bible to be? Evangelists have been telling people this for two thousand years and it is still as true today as when Jesus spoke it about Himself 2000 years ago. Now is the hour to bring and give all glory to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now is the hour for the sinner to repent and turn from his ways in order to receive the salvation of Jesus Christ into his heart, and to receive the fellowship of the Holy Spirit into his life. Yes – the hour for Jesus is NOW.

We know that grains of wheat must be planted in order for them to die and grow again in order to produce a harvest. Jesus uses this analogy for us too when He says about a grain of wheat dying in order to grow and produce a harvest. It means that we must die to self – we must put our agenda, our hopes, our dreams and ambitions aside in favour of God’s agenda and plan for us. Dying to self is a prerequisite we must all accept if we are to serve God properly. Otherwise, all we do for Him may be tainted by our ambitions and our agenda rather than being purely based on His plans and agenda.

Our devotion must be to God alone. Just as were the apostles and early Christians – and indeed many Christians in parts of the world today – we should be prepared to lose our lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If it was worth Christ dying in His innocence for us in all our sin, then surely it must be worth us, who were blood bought and redeemed by His death, dying for the sake of His Kingdom.

Jesus also tells us to follow Him, to serve Him where He is. Where is He? Everywhere. So we must take His lead and follow wherever He leads us. That can be quite scar but always remember the old wise saying that the Will of God will not lead you where the Grace of God cannot protect you. (Based loosely on 1 Cor 10:13) Our only need is to know God’s will for us before we go charging off somewhere where He has not called us. My prayer on this is for God to open doors that no man can close and to close doors that no man can open. In other words, for God to make a way whatever the circumstances.

God will honour us. What a wonderful promise. If we do His will; if we die to self and serve only Him, in order to magnify Him, then God will honour us before men and whole company of heaven, and no plan or weapon formed against us will prosper. What a wonderful promise.

Like John, we need to preach repentance rather than ear tickling things. Watch your harvest grow – although you actually may never see it.  Noah preached for 100 years and no-one listened but it was counted as righteousness by God because Noah was obedient. So let it be with us – let us fearlessly preach the Gospel of repentance and salvation through the shed Blood of Jesus. Let us make disciples of all men and bring them to baptism in both water and the Holy Spirit.

Oh the truth of Jesus words for today simply amazes me.