Humility

Humility

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

I know a man with 5 daughters. My wife says it’s to keep him humble.

I just had a salutary lesson in pride and humility. An incident left me with severely dented pride which I had to swallow before I could forgive and then be forgiven myself. Pride arose because we were completely innocent for a change and righteous indignation turned rapidly to hurt pride. Satan never turns down a good opportunity to stir it up a bit, does he? And I fell for his ploy hook line and sinker.

Our pastor had prayed for us to have abounding grace a couple of days earlier but I’m sorry to say that my outrage saw no bounds and I exhausted grace very quickly. This left me nowhere to go except down the road of wounded pride. Fortunately, Holy Spirit convinced me to lay down my hurts and take up His offer of grace. This in turn led to forgiveness all round, even though it still hurts – but that is just me refusing to die to self and that again is a different story.

It’s pretty hard to be humble when any opposing spirit raises its ugly head. I mean, when are fairly sure you are in the right, it gets somewhat difficult to actually ignore the hurt, forgive your offender, and ‘turn the other cheek’. You have to actually decide not to take offence, to forgive, and to move on.

I have only ever met one person of whom it might be said that their very presence actually convicts me – rather like was once said of Smith Wigglesworth. This particular person is an amazing mixture of humility, wisdom, and leadership by example. This person is the epitome of loving your neighbour – he loves every person he meets and they somehow know it. He carries such a presence of Christ on his life that it is difficult to imagine that he is also a very normal man with many of the little foibles that go with ‘normality’.

Truly I can say that this man carries and anointing that I would like to have, and the presence of Christ like none other that I have ever met. Yet he carries it with true, self-sacrificial humility, always preferring others before himself, always generous with his praise and thanks and always having the time to speak to anyone who wants to speak to him.

Humility like this is a garment, a cloak, which the wearer carries with great dignity and a true reflection of his faith. What a contrast to the rest of us – most of the time. Humility is the epitome of dying to self and living only to Christ Jesus.

Lord help us all to behave with a little more humility every day.

Knowing how to live

Knowing how to Live

“Our condemnation is that we know how to live better than we are living.” –Leonard Ravenhill

That’s a brilliant quotation from Mr Ravenhill.

We ignore injustice usually on the grounds that it doesn’t affect us. We ought to know better than that.

We ignore the plight of widows and children – and countless others worse off than ourselves. We ought to know better than that.

We see those in want and ignore their needs when we could easily help to fulfil them. We ought to know better than that.

I read recently about the difference between Christianity in the West and Christianity in the rest of the world. In the West, there is no sharing. In the West there is no helping your brother or sister. In fact, in the West, there is very little cognisance of brothers and sisters in Christ.

In the rest of the world, there is much more caring and sharing; more togetherness; more recognition of each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not to say that there is no loving our neighbours as ourselves in the West – its just kept very well hidden – probably so it can be ignored.

In the West, we look after ourselves first, our family second, the rest of the world third. It seems that the way of life outside the Western nations lends itself much more readily to a caring sharing attitude than our more self-centred way of living. When Leonard Ravenhill spoke those words, I think he was God’s mouthpiece. “Our condemnation is that we know how to live better than we are living.” I really think that we know better than to live the way we do and we also know a better way of living than we live. Either way of understanding his words, our condemnation is surely that we do know how to live better than we are living.

Apostasy?

Apostasy

Apostasy is like a living disease – a viral thing that just won’t die out. We are constantly warned against apostasy which is the preaching and the practice of non-Biblical Christianity. The trouble is that it can be rather like a dose of the flu’ – it spreads easily and rapidly and creates havoc everywhere it is allowed to take root. There are a fair few examples of real apostasy, Chrislam being one and Mormonism being another. One example, often cited as apostate but which is definitely NOT apostasy, is a church’s choice of Bible translation – non use of the KJV is not apostasy it’s simply a difference of opinion.

There are one or two examples of apostasy, however, that are simply ignored and brushed away. Talking about His followers, Jesus said that, “By their fruit shall you know them.” Galations 5:22-24 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. “ Many who criticise or condemn or shun their fellow Christians, do so with not one of these fruits showing anywhere. They walk and live in hatred of any who disagree with them.

They break God’s heart.

As we approach the end of this age, and all that it means for us as followers and disciples of Jesus Christ, can we not start displaying a little long-suffering and tolerance. Can we not display a little love towards each other – particularly those with whom we disagree on some remote theological point. Whatever happened to “Love one another, even as I have loved you.”

Before we launch into yet another tirade of abuse at those who disagree with us, can we not stop and consider, just for a moment, “where is my love for my brothers and sisters?” We cause real problems when we don’t stop and think; when we fire straight from the hip. Others will be influenced by our words and actions and, before we know it, we have a viral infection in the church ranks. We bring no glory to God through this and we turn people away from our faith by our attitudes. The church has enough real apostasy to deal with without us adding to the list by our hasty judgements and ill-conceived theological assumptions.

Our faith is based upon God’s love and commitment to the world. Can we let our own love and commitment at least try to measure up to His, rather than standing in stark contrast.

If God is God

If God is God

^“ And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.” 1 Kings 18:21

In Elijah’s story, we see God answering by fire and the people turning back to Him. Could He do the same today I wonder? More to the point is would He do the same today? Well I think maybe the answer to these questions is found in the answer to this – IS He doing the same today? We have forest fires all over the world like never before. We have volcanoes erupting and spewing fire, molten lava, and ash all over – shutting down air routes etc. We have earthquakes of increasing magnitude and frequency all around the world and in particular around the Pacific rim. I need hardly remind America of the devastating effects of a shift in the San Andreas fault on the San Francisco area. Earthquakes fracture gas mains and electric stations and the resulting fires are almost as devastating as the original earthquake itself.

Now what is happening? Meteorites and other space debris is burning up and exploding in the earth’s atmosphere – with the apparent force of an atom bomb. More bush fires; more forest fires, more volcanoes and storm fires, more earthquakes, and on top of it all, exploding meteorites. What is going on? Some say it is the beginning of the great sorrows preceding the second coming. Others say it is the start of the great tribulation. Everyone seems to agree that something big is upon us and that God is showing His hand more than ever before. God is even speaking confirmations of Jesus imminent return through His prophets.

All of this is prophesied Biblically. Not dates and events maybe but the whole scenario most certainly is prophesied. Daniel, Ezekiel, Amos, and Joel all prophesied about it. Jesus spoke at some length about it. Paul wrote about it in his letters. What more do people want? Elijah, in 1 Kings 18:24 said this to the people of his day, “Call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”

Do I need to say more? The Bible says that God answers before we ask and I believe He is answering right now - by fire. “The god who answers by fire – HE IS GOD.”

Wake up church – it is happening all around you. Jesus is preparing to return and most are doing little or nothing.

Get ready – He is coming soon. “Amen, come Lord Jesus.”

Deluge

Deluge

One of my favourite Bible stories is that of Elijah at Mount Carmel. Three years prior, Elijah had called a drought. Then came his meeting with Obadiah followed by the rout of the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. Almost too much excitement for one day, yet God had not finished. There came a “cloud as big as a man’s hand”. This was enough for Elijah to tell the king to get off the mountain as quickly as possible and for Elijah to hook up his skirts and run ahead of the king’s chariot some 30-odd miles to Jezreel. Then the rain came. It poured and it teemed. It probably flooded huge swathes of land. But everyone was happy because, suddenly, there was water to drink. For the people and for all their flocks and herds.

Revival is very much like that. First there is a drought – usually of God. Then there is a “cloud as big as a mans hand”. Then there is a deluge of the Holy Spirit as God comes in might and power, with signs and wonders following, upon the thirsty people. This deluge lasts as long as the people allow it to do so. Did you get that last bit? It lasts as long as the people allow it to do so. Eventually, the people have had enough, they are no longer willing to pay the price, or they try to control what is happening. For whatever reason, God sees that He is no longer as welcome as He was and He withdraws His hand.

Too many people enter revival gladly and with great rejoicing, but their thirst for the things of God is soon assuaged and they grieve the Spirit in some way or another, and the revival peters out. Sad, but there you are. That is the church for you. Wanting revival on their terms and in their timing and even then trying to control God.

Listen to what I believe the Lord is saying today.

“I have withheld the rain from your land for many years. I have sent my servants to prepare you for a time such as this, when My Spirit is preparing to move among you in great power and glory. The time is coming. very soon, when I will hold back the rain no longer – the rain of My Spirit shall come and water your dry and parched land. Men will run from place to place, drinking in as much of My water as they can each time they stop. The water will be a deluge never before seen. The power and glory it brings with it will astonish many – wherever it touches, so there will be miracles, signs and wonders. My Word says that all who call upon My name shall be saved. This is a promise of mine and I do not break my promises. ALL who call upon My name – A-L-L – ALL. I am coming in power and might and no thing shall stand against Me. The gates of Hell shall not prevail, neither shall the disobedience and obstinacy of My people. I shall come among you. I shall save whom I shall save. The ground is parched and ready. Many are prepared but some are still not ready – but I shall come.”  Says the Lord God of Hosts.”And you shall stand in awe and wonder before me and worship like David before the ark – with all your might. I am coming. I am coming.”