Bless the Father of the Family

“May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised.” So said Peter and Paul. So say we. The Father from whom every family in heaven and earth is named. The Father from whom all fatherhood originates.
Fathers and families. Happy fathers’ day to all the fathers.  Not always an enviable job. In fact these days a pretty despised job, to be a father. A significant minority seems to think we don’t really need fathers in families.

One of the problems is that some fathers have given the rest a bad name. And some have confused their bad, or not-very-good human father with God. But God is not, in the first place, our father. He is first of all the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is that relationship which tells us what kind of a father he is. He is a very good one, if the Bible is to be believed,

He becomes the father of believers in two ways. Those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus are adopted by Jesus’ Father. They are given the adopting Spirit, the Spirit of the Son, so that now they can call the Father of the Lord Jesus, their father.

This means they are adopted into his family, made part of his household, his church. We are that family here at Lockridge. He keeps on blessing and guiding and showing us such great mercy and kindness.

And he helps the fathers. He shows us what a father is like. Fatherhood and motherhood come from him. From him we learn how to love and nurture and guide. And from him we learn that being a father or a mother is a great and divine gift.

How much does he bless us by placing us in families. How much does he bless us by placing us in his very own family where he lives. We are always at home with our Father. Together we can speak as a family to “Our Father”.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dale

Symbols

Many symbols are used as identity markers by Christians these days. Strangely, perhaps, the first Christians didn't use any of these.

In the world of the first Christians, everybody else had constant reminders of who they were. They all had statues of various gods that they relied on and asked for help. As well, the Roman Empire provided constant reminders of the power of empire and the divinity of the emperor.

By contrast the Christians were regarded as atheists because they appeared to have no visible gods, indeed no visible identity markers at all. Later on Christians would accumulate a variety of objects to symbolise their identity, but at the beginning there appeared to be none.

Except for one image. The Christians of the New Testament recognised that there was one true image that represented God. In the first place this was humans - made in the image God. And then the true image of the invisible God appeared on earth. And returned to the Father.

And left on earth his body. It was the body of Christ that was the visible presence of God. The little gatherings scattered around the world were also the identity markers for the Christians. You knew who belonged to Christ because they met together with the others who belonged to Christ. That was the only marker you needed.

As it is now in many places, so it was then: belonging to the little gatherings was seen as a political and religious threat. Off and on throughout history the little gatherings have been closed down, or attacked, or threatened.

Unfortunately belonging to the body has ceased to be the chief symbol of a Christian and has been replaced with many others.

But the local gathering remains the true symbol of Christianity because it is the way the Father and the Son are present in his world through the Spirit. It is thus more than symbol. It is the community where God dwells with his people. It is the earthly version of heaven.

Dale

The Use of the Bible

In 1066 the Normans took control of Britain and began to use their version of French as the official language. Ordinary people used Old English which gradually changed into Middle English in the time of Chaucer. Only in 1362 did Parliament decide that English was to be used in Parliament and the Courts.

The big change into early modern English began with the reign of Henry V in the 15th century and continued into the 17th. There were three great influences. The Book of Common Prayer brought graceful English into the weekly worship of the people. Shakespeare invented many new words and gave English a new place in the hearts and minds of the people. Following soon after Shakespeare the King James Bible also cemented a beauty of language in the minds of the English.

But it was not an easy transition. The language of the university was still Latin. The church hierarchy used Latin or French until at least the 15th century. In 1407 the Archbishop of Canterbury ordered that no one was to translate any text of Holy Scripture into English or any other language, only Latin was to be used.

However both the followers of Wycliffe, and later William Tyndale, thought that English people should be able to read the Word of God in their own language. The 16th century saw many translations of the Bible into English. Tyndale’s was probably the most influential.

The King James version of the Bible has had an enormous influence both on English language (providing many words and famous phrases) and on the culture and values of the English speaking peoples.

Since the 1950s English and many other languages have seen lots of new translations, including many for the first time.

The Bible is certainly the long-term best-seller among books. And it may be thought of as an “influencer” – even today. But its real claim to fame is that it is a word from God that changes lives by revealing God to us.

Dale

What Hope?

Will the church in Afghanistan disappear? Has the gospel been silenced in Iraq and Iran? Are we in another period when things look black for the Christian church?  What are we to make of these pressures against the gospel?

One thing to do is to look back at times when this kind of thing has happened before. Any time will do since this kind of thing has been happening from the beginning, and before the beginning.

What we see, both in the pages of the Bible, and in the history of the church, is that God keeps on working. He keeps on sending out his messengers and calling people from all the tribes of the earth into his new humanity. Making friends out of enemies by reconciling them to himself in Christ. Against what seem to be enormous odds. As the 2nd-century church leader Tertullian wrote  "the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church."

Generally the church grows when it is persecuted. Because God is the Manager of the Mission, the Chief Evangelist, and the one who has set his Messiah as head over all powers for the sake of his church.

And that is cause for thanksgiving and encouragement. At a time when biblical Christians in Australia seem to be under pressure to conform to the beliefs and practices of the culture, we see that God is still at work in his church and through his word. Despite a culture that seems to have banded together against the Lord and his people, the Lord may still be laughing at their futile efforts (Ps 2).

Is still laughing. And sending out his word and messengers. Building up his church. Strengthening and empowering his servants. Bringing his elect from all the nations into the body of his Son.

How wonderful.

 Dale

Getting God's Approval

How can anyone be in the right with God? How can we be assured of his ongoing acceptance? That he counts us as righteous, without sin? The Anglican Church has made this one of its big ideas. Here is a version of one of the 39 Articles of Religion (the Anglican Standard of Doctrine).

 11. About the justification of Humans

We are accounted righteous before God, only because of the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not because of our own works or because of what we deserve. So the doctrine, that we are justified by faith only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and full of comfort, as is expressed more fully in the Homily of Justification.

The biblical doctrine of justification describes the grounds on which God justifies sinners: that is declares them to be righteous. The Roman Catholic Council of Trent described justification not just as the forgiveness of sins but as the renewal and sanctification of the inner person that comes about by receiving God’s grace and gifts. This meant we had to be holy in practice.

The Anglican Article rejects the teaching of Trent. It says that justification means to be counted as righteous by God. The basis for it is the death of the Lord Jesus. It is not based on how good we are, or on what we do. We are all sinners who need forgiveness. It is a free gift from God which he promises in the gospel. The way we come to receive justification is by believing the promise of the gospel. We cannot earn it.

This doctrine is a wholesome doctrine, that is it brings spiritual health. It assures us that we have peace with God,  and saves us from doing good just to prove we are good. It frees us to serve Christ for his sake. It is full of comfort because it forms the basis for holy living. It is not the reward for holy living, but rather the starting place. It encourages us to be holy for the sake of being like God, not in order to win his approval.

Dale

What about evil spirits?

Do evil spirits exist or is just people's superstition or imagination? Whether you believe that they exist might depend as much on your understanding of the Bible as on the environments in which you have lived.

Both Paul and Jesus came in contact with what the New Testament describes as “unclean spirits”, “evil spirits” or “demons”. Nowhere does the New Testament use the word “possessed” even though some translations use that word. The usual phrases are that a person “had an unclean/evil spirit” or that they were “demonized”.  The reason is that except for cases like the Gadarene demoniac, the other examples relate to the affect a demon has on an aspect of a persons's life, eg that they are dumb or deaf, not the control of their whole life.

One question is whether Christians can be affected by evil spirits. Paul certainly thought that evil spiritual and demonic powers were strongly at work against Christians. In Ephesians (4.27) he warns the believers not to let the devil get a foothold. That is by lying, stealing, and getting angry. In Colossians (2) he thinks that believers can come under the power of the evil powers by using systems of religious rule keeping to help them become more godly.

The background to this is what Paul called “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” We live in a world where the evil one holds great power.

The Bible does not encourage us to take the fight directly to the demonic powers. Our commission is to help set people free by means of the gospel. For ourselves when we face spiritual attack is to stand firm. Stand against the devil's schemes. So we can keep on with the main game of making disciples.

But the devil's schemes are often subtle. They often have a lot to do with deception and lying. They often make us feel comfortable about what is wrong and uncomfortable about things that don't matter. The devil's schemes in western culture seem to be about providing sedatives, distractions and catering to our pleasure seeking, rather than any threats of violence or material loss.

And the protection? The Lord's mighty power through the gospel.

 Dale

Before you pray: Whom do you know? 2

Knowing God and having fellowship with him, to use John's term, means we must live in the light (1 John 1.1-10). That means we have to be honest about our sin. Living in the light provides the place for the cleansing from sin. Living in the darkness multiplies the sin.

It is from within this fellowship relationship that we learn what God is like. This is the context for facts. The more our fellowship with God deepens, the better we know the kind of God he is. And consequently the better we know how to pray. Our minds become attuned to his way of thinking, we understand better how he operates, we have clearer insight into his purposes, and this knowledge helps us pray.

Knowing God in this way is fundamental to prayer. The better we know God the better will be our prayer life. The two work together because they are two aspects of the one relationship. But we must not embark on prayer as though it were an impersonal affair. As though with the right words, and the right theory we could make things happen with God's help. Prayer flows out of our relationship with God, so we need to foster those things which develop that relationship.

How is your fellowship with God right now? Do you know his voice, do you have his life in you because you live in the light with him all the time. Are you intimately acquainted with his goodness and holiness, so that you know what he is like, you think like him, you see the world as he sees it? Such a fellowship comes from living in the light of his word, from obedience to that word, from the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. It comes as we learn to trust him in action, it flows from our service, it comes as we respond in godly ways to the difficulties of life.

If you have retreated into the darkness, come back to God and seek him. If you have become caught up in activities, come back to a quiet place where you can wait upon God. If you forget him during the day, practise talking and listening to him through the day. Above all speak and listen, read his word, and ask him to teach you through it.

 Dale

Before you pray: Whom do you know?

At the heart and foundation of prayer - as of the whole Christian life- lies the knowledge of God. Unless we know God we will not pray. Unless we know God we will not know how to pray.

Knowing God means we are known by God. This is the kind of knowledge we need. Knowing God is always a personal relationship. Whether it was the relationship of Israel as his chosen people, or the relationship of disciples to the Father of Jesus, the knowledge was found in the relationship.

Knowing God is not possible unless God makes himself known to us.  Jesus said it was his role to reveal the Father (Mt 11.27). The knowledge of God referred to in this passage is the knowledge that the Son has of the Father, and the knowledge the Father has of the Son. This is clearly an intimate family kind of knowledge. From this relationship Jesus is able to reveal the Father to us also.

Eternal life is knowing the Father but also the Son. Those who belong to Jesus know his voice, they are part of his family (Jn 10.4). They know his voice because they know him and he knows them in the same kind of way that he and the Father know each other (Jn 10.14,15).

All of this implies a new birth (Jn 1.12,13; 3.1-8). It depends on God having brought us to a spiritual birth by renewing our spirit and giving us his Holy Spirit (see Ezek 36.25-27).

Knowledge of God is love of God. Paul says that as we love one another with the love of Christ, God's presence will fill our church so that we become full of him (Eph 3.14-19). This is a marvellous image, which points to a profound reality. We are able to know God as we practise and experience his love for one another. Our knowledge of God is not a private affair but one which is intimately related to the family of God which is the church.

But it is at least personal. Paul deeply want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. Knowing God and having fellowship with him, to use John's term, means we must live in the light....     (Continued next week)

 Dale