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On Mission to Israel in Matthew’s Gospel

Posted on 24/05/2019 | 5 comments

In Mathew’s Gospel we have been tracing Jesus’s words and we have noticed his growing conflict with the Jewish leaders, heading towards the End of the (Mosaic) Age culminating in his coming visitation in judgment and vengeance on those who rejected him and killed him–their Messiah! A totally new covenant and age would then come–a time we now experience. Praise our mighty God and his Redeemer! There is an urgency in the mission to the Jewish people—the time is short.

In the long passage, Matthew 9:35 to 10:15, we read about Jesus’ words and actions in the lead-up to this important Jewish campaign. Jesus went about all the towns and villages, teaching in synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom. He was also healing every disease and every sickness among the people. We noted that the Kingdom of God does not consist merely in talk but in power. It is dynamic.

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. So then he turns to his disciples saying, the harvest indeed is plentiful, but the labourers are few.

Few indeed. It seems the only labourer is Jesus himself!

So he calls the disciples to pray that the “Lord of the harvest will send out labourers into his harvest.”  And who is this Lord of the harvest? Jesus the Lord of course! And he is the Sower! He sows the Word of God among four kinds of ground as we have seen in the Gospel stories. It seems God always invites people to share his desires by asking them to pray to him.

Then, as if in answer to his call to pray to the Lord of the Harvest for workers, he then called and gave these twelve disciples sensational abilities: authority to throw out unclean spirits, and to heal every disease, every kind of sickness. They had seen him do these miracles now it was their turn. Heal every disease, every sickness, and throw out every oppression of evil.

They were to pray and then they were to act, obeying his direction, becoming themselves the answer to his prayer, equipped with the same awesome spiritual power and authority of the Spirit which they had observed in the Master. He gave them no techniques, no tools, no stuff, just his awesome authority and supply of their need.  

Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them for this mission, saying, ‘Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans. Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.’

Why were they forbidden to go to the Gentiles, or even the Samaritans?

There was a great urgency, first seen in Jesus at the beginning of his work and now here, to get the message of the kingdom to the lost sheep of Israel. Some seeds will fall on good ground, some will obey the call to repent, realizing that the Kingdom of God was imminent.

He continued to instruct them: Into whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and stay there until you go on. As you enter into the household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn’t worthy, let your peace return to you.

Why? We saw that by staying there in that household before going on, they had opportunity to bless and demonstrate the Kingdom of God among the members of the household and leave behind these and others believers in Messiah Jesus to further his message of the Good News of the Kingdom.

He warned the 12 that urgency was critical: Whoever doesn’t receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet. Most certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

“That city!” The poor soil. Hard. Those prophetic words would soon become reality. Many towns and cities will crumble and be ravished in the terrible tribulation of 67-70AD, a day of judgment—the “end of the age”, a judgment far more dreadful than even that of Sodom and Gomorrah. History confirms this. The Son of Man would come in awesome judgment, not just upon Jerusalem, but also the towns and cities of Judea and Galilee using the hands of the Romans under Titus. Hence the great urgency of this mission—get the job done before it’s too late.

Thus the scope of this mission was to Israel only because judgment was soon to come. That Israel is in view is confirmed by Jesus’ warnings to the 12 to beware of being delivered up to councils, and being scourged in their synagogues.  And also by the typical hospitality expected to be shown by ‘worthy’ persons in the Jewish culture.

Jesus assures the disciples, You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come.

There is a time limit set and there will be a sudden end to this mission to Israel. The time is short.  Jesus later told his disciples that even he does not know the day or hour the end will come when the mission will conclude.

By “the end” Jesus was referring to the end he foretells more than once in the Olivet discourse (Mat 24)—the coming of the Son of Man. This is not the end of the world nor is it a visible coming of the Lord—the scripture makes that clear. He came in judgment on unrepentant Israel using the Romans, just as God used pagan rulers and armies in many events of judgment in the Old Testament as his agents, his ‘servants’.

Clearly, Jesus expected that the Son of Man would come before the disciples would be able to finish their mission to the ‘lost sheep of the house of Israel’. History records that in 67AD Vespasian and Titus ravished the Galilean towns and finally destroyed the town Jodapatha, then under the command of the later Jewish historian Josephus, as well as subduing Tarichaea, which brought an end to the war in Galilee. Conquering town after town, Titus quickly advanced through the hill country of Judea and Jerusalem looting and destroying all resistance.  This mission of the 12 was urgent before the terrible times ahead.

“From one end of Galilee to the other there was an orgy of fire and bloodshed; no horror, no calamity was spared; the only safety for the fugitive inhabitants was in the towns which Josephus had fortified…. “                                             — Josephus, The Jewish War 3.59 (3.4.1

Is there any justification for insisting on seeking the ‘worthy person’ in other times and cultures? This practice was enjoined by Jesus for a specific time in history and has a practical early 1st Century Jewish context. In the NT book of Acts you can find no references to finding a ‘worthy person’. This disappears beyond the Jewish mission described in the three synoptic gospels.

Does anyone go on mission today take literally all the other instructions Jesus gave to the 12? Today we don’t ignore Jewish people do we? And are we disobeying the Lord by taking along things we deem necessary? Maybe we ought to take along less things because God always keeps his promise to provide for our needs, as Joan observed.

On the other hand, is Jesus’ promise to the 12 that they would be given the words of wisdom and of knowledge of to speak by the Holy Spirit when brought before courts no longer valid today?—of course not!  Yet how often do we see the spiritual gifts of First Corinthians and Romans etc being encouraged?

Attempts have been made to see the ‘worthy person’ principle operative in stories like Paul and Lydia but they are inconclusive and seem artificial. The Cornelius household story was precipitated by the vision Peter received in Joppa. Philip met the Ethiopian on the road and interrupted him without any attempt to find a ‘worthy’ person. The Philippian jailer encounter was the result of a supernatural earthquake! Certainly, these and others were key people to have met and to have received the Lord. That is something about which we should pray.

In fact, while we busily (and possibly legalistically) search for a ‘worthy person’ we may miss many opportunities God may provide.

More. Is God telling us today to ‘pray the Lord of the harvest to send . . . . .’? Again this has a context and should be seen in that setting—the urgent mission to Israel before the End when such work would no longer be possible as the people of Jerusalem, Judea and Galilee would be either killed or have escaped these areas. Of course, we still ought to pray for more workers to join in the harvest. Jesus is still the Sower, sowing and preparing soils and the many await the harvest. 

Rather than the many specific instructions Jesus gave the 12 for the unique Jewish mission, later disciples were given and led by the Holy Spirit. Are we not often neglecting, even ignoring through unbelief, the critical spiritual gifts of God promised in the NT and putting instead tools, methods and strategies not practised by the first Christians?

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THE TRUE FORCE–WITH US

Posted on 10/05/2019 | 2 comments

Last time together we looked at parts of Matthew  7 and John the baptiser. 2- We noted several important matters of great relevance to us today as we think more of the Kingdom of God and Jesus the king.

Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.  Mat 11:2-

We wondered ‘why did John seem confused, disillusioned?’ While in prison, he had heard of the amazing, compassionate works of Jesus. But yet doubts assailed him. Even him.

Yes, even John who had actually seen the Holy Spirit come and land on Jesus when he baptised him and it was John who declared God had sent him to prepare the way for the Messiah, and who exclaimed ‘Look there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. He had doubts! Also Jane reminded us that even after Jesus’ resurrection we read ‘some doubted’.

Is it any wonder that we sometimes have doubts?

To John and any observant Jew, Jesus seemed to be breaking all the religious rules. Like John, Jesus keeps picking fights with the Jewish leader elites, but not in the way John was expecting—Jesus does not seem to be on the same page. There locked up in a gloomy, uncomfortable prison—hadn’t Jesus said something about releasing the captives? Didn’t Jesus come to establish the Kingdom of God here in earthly Israel and thrash the foreign rulers? Do I look for another?

As the two disciples of John went their way, Jesus asked the crowds about John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? He asked them why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written [in Malachi 3:1] ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

Then he stunned them by emphatically saying Most certainly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

Since the prophet Malachi, prophesying had ceased as the Jews acknowledged. Now John’s preaching had also ceased, and since then there had been no prophecies concerning the Messiah and his kingdom. The time for prophesying the coming Messiah has ended. He is here!

Christ has now come and he is proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. See what is happening—all the signs of the long-awaited, prophesied One are taking place now! And people then were—and now are in 2019—entering the Kingdom of Heaven. And now any one in Jesus’ kingdom, even the least, is ‘greater’, more influential, than John—they have the most glorious access to the King himself! They have entrance to the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit! They can see an open heaven, where anything is possible should they choose to believe! They are his inheritance, his holy nation!

Such blessed people find no occasion for stumbling in Jesus.

Since John, the last of the OT prophets like Elijah, a line has been drawn in the sand! The Old covenant has passed away and the New has come.

Jesus then said that since John-B the Kingdom of Heaven is being taken ‘by force’. It is now the new covenant under which we, poor, faulty, weak, mortals, despised by the world are yet a mighty force, commissioned to behave with a supernatural force to live out daily the power of God unto salvation, the wonderful Holy Spirit broadcasting to many souls. Now the people of God can be seen behind the scenes, secretly, powerfully, patiently and effectually, and yet not against the wills of others—instruments of Jesus’ love and power—lights in ever growing darkness.

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60 YEARS

Posted on 09/05/2019 | 10 comments

9 May 1959.

That night was the turning point of my life. Completely. I committed my life into the hands of Jesus. Suddenly everything changed.

I was a deeply committed Anglican faithfully attending church each Sunday both morning and evening and as an altar server on Wednesday mornings very early before school and later work.

But I had no need to be ‘saved’ as they put it. Pride ruled my young life. I was good enough. I was religious. But I was a hypocrite.

But I met these two East Africans visitors to Australia who were travelling around the country and speaking in churches of their amazing Lord and their personal saviour, the Lord Jesus. They also spoke of a great movement of the Holy Spirit in East Africa and the many sacrifices made unto death of many believers under severe persecution. I went and heard them.

As I listened, it seemed as if I was suddenly made aware of a totally different life and experience and world view available to me. This was something I had always wanted—expressed from my heart came a cry: I found myself praying something like ‘Lord I want to know you’.

I realised I was heading for an eternity without God. I felt naked and ashamed and totally vulnerable.

That night seated on a garden seat with the two Africans one on either side of me, I found myself wanting what these two men had. They  possessed Christ and he possessed them. They prayed for me and I prayed as I had never prayed before.

And it happened. I was different. Things were different.

The next day while in the bathroom preparing to go to work the Holy Spirit came into my life and I knew that I knew the Lord Jesus in a personal way. I knew I had a clear access to the Lord—my faulty life my sins, were dissolved. It was dynamic.

It was a rebirth. I knew I was now ‘born from above’. I now had purpose in my life. And I just wanted to tell everybody.

I told the young friend seated next to me about Jesus as we travelled in the bus to the city. I told my workmates at the office. I told the kids in my Sunday School class. I told every girl I danced with at the regular dance in the parish hall. I told all the boys and leaders in the local boys’ society. I told my fellow architectural students. Yes I told them about Jesus and how he had found me

That year I excelled in my third year architectural studies and won the top prize. I went on to start my own practice as an architect which eventually grew into one of the largest practices in Australia. We were known locally as ‘the God squad’. We held Bible Studies in the lunch hour in our office and were joined by many people from outside the office.

Since that night 60 years ago, God has been faithful to me and endued me with his everlasting love. He has kept me from harm and taught me so many things.

Reading the Bible is still my constant desire and to this day my hunger to hear the Lord’s voice continues. And to share with others.

Tonight I am celebrating and remembering with a thankful heart.

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Discovering Matthew 7 continued

Posted on 06/05/2019 | Leave a comment

OK. I just have to tell you a bit more we found from our personal discoveries in the rest of chapter 7.  As we said, the Word of God came to us as we sort of ‘traveled back 2000 years’ and heard Jesus’ words that would never be out of date, would never pass away.

The Lord expects us to order our behaviour today living in his kingdom, his gracious Good News rule, his new covenant in his blood—which replaced the old covenant under the Mosaic age system.

We saw how Jesus warned the disciples about fake prophets and to recognise them by their results (fruits) not by their words or their attire. Do they point people to Jesus alone as Lord and Saviour?

Then he warns them/us again (7:22-23): Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’ That’s chilling.

Jesus talks again here about entering the Kingdom of Heaven. There will be some who appear to be sincere and spiritually endowed will not necessarily enter in. Only Jesus sees into the heart. No it’s all about doing the will of his heavenly Father. In John 6:56 Jesus answers their question, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?” by declaring This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. And as we are discovering in our studies Matthew chapters 5 to 7, believing in Jesus carries certain obligations in relation to the will of the Father.

At the last judgment, there will be some who appeared to be well qualified with lots of stories to plead of their various mighty works. They will be told in that day ‘I never knew you’. How we act certainly counts but what we do doesn’t necessarily lead to friendship with Jesus. Miracles however important and wonderfully given by Christ, can draw great crowds of people who can ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ and be led astray by evil spirits, into evil practices and iniquity. Our enemy can mimic spiritual gifts, assemble a web of deceit . Fake spiritual leaders and gurus will suffer terrible judgment and separation from Jesus: ‘Depart from me, you who work iniquity—I never knew you.’

Hey, wait a minute: Does Jesus know you?

We talk a lot about us knowing Jesus. But does he know you? In the End, we will know fully, even as I was also fully known (1 Cor 13:12). Will he recognise you?

Good question. To answer, there are a couple of clues here in this passage.  

First, it’s not about what we decide to do. It’s about doing the will of my Father. We can’t assume that by doing religious or ‘spiritual’ things or following a system or tradition that we are doing the will of Jesus’ Father. Right?

We can’t decide what are the best things to do for the Kingdom. Unless we enter the Kingdom, see the Kingdom, we will not turn and be obedient to his will. We will just kinda hope what we do is what he wants.

That’s dangerous.

Is it the will of the Father that we have congregations going through the motions Sunday by Sunday in religious services under the control of a priest or pastor who is paid to maintain certain doctrines and provide expected services? Is it the will of the Father that we persist with this clergy/laity divide? Is it the will of the Father that the congregants have no opportunity to express their spiritual gifting? Is it the will of the Father that they don’t even know about the manifestations of the Holy Spirit promised by the Lord? Is it the will of the Father that financial matters run the organisation? Well?

Is it what the Father wants that we copy (love) the world, trying to compete with the culture, make gatherings ‘seeker friendly’ and comfortable and avoid any talk about sin or judgment that will come? Is that what it’s all about?

Second. Jesus emphatically warns them—and us who are eager to hear his voice today—that there are many who will hear these awful words: Depart from me, you who work iniquity.

Instead of being a good tree which bears good fruit, producing lovely results, people finding life and truth in Jesus alone, there are those who are secretly working iniquity. They will be ordered Depart from me!

So it’s not so much whether we think we know Jesus—and yes we must!—but whether he knows us. And we know he knows us because we bear good fruit for him, and we live a life free of sin and carnality. We must not be deceived and think we can do just as we think is right. We must be ‘perfect’ like the Father as we saw at Matthew 5:48! We will be constantly asking ‘your will be done in me as it in heaven.’ Making progress, being transformed.

So how do we know what is right, what the Father’s will is?

Well the answer is very conveniently given us in verses 24-27 in this highly visual story:

“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand.The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Here are two types of hearers. Yes hearers. Which one are you? Both hear these words of mine. But only the ‘wise one’ hears these words of Jesus AND DOES THEM.

There are many voices we hear, but Jesus’ words are the words of God and the express will of God. That is perfectly clear from the gospel texts.  Yet we may hear his words, treasure them, memorise them, study and meditate on them, proclaim them—and fail to actually do them.

If you are not going to DO the words of Jesus, you might be better off eternally by not even hearing them.

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,for he taught them with authority, and not like the scribes (7:28-29). There could be no doubt –the multitudes were clearly given the way, the truth and the life! A total lifestyle and a completely different world view by the One who is anointed to speak with true authority.

Hear Jesus’ words and do what he says. It will be worth the turnings, the dying within us of following another, the suffering and the trials we may endure. Read his words. Listen to him. Then just act on them.

Then on that Day we will not be ashamed and hear him say well done good and faithful servant. Come!

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LONGING FOR GOD’S DESIGN FOR HIS BODY

Posted on 20/01/2019 | 2 comments

As more people read the New Testament and see what it actually says about ‘church’ and what is God’s design for us in the New covenant in contrast to the Old they begin to long for something more authentic, more participatory–what God actually wants.

Many are leaving the religious institutions. Yet they have not left the Lord Jesus.

What is the alternative?

We are certainly not to abandon fellowship.

The Lord has clearly provided the most glorious pattern for us–the Lord Jesus, himself, his example, His commands, His works and His constant obedience to what the Father said.

If He was so obedient then so must we also. God will show the way.

Just ‘as Moses was ‘faithful in all his house’ so Jesus is faithful in His house which He is building and gathering, a house not being built by earthly hands. His Design originating in the heavenly places!

The believers we read about in the N.T., though not perfect yet obeyed the voice of the Holy Spirit and the instructions of the apostles found for example in 1 Cor 1, 11-14. They carried out the plan.

But since from as early as 2ndC (and even earlier as we see trends in some N.T. letters & Revelation’s 7 assemblies) men have had their own ideas and preferred them to God’s plan.

We have thought we could change from the word of God, that we could do better ourselves. Such arrogance. Such disobedience.

The result is sectarianism, pharisaic attitudes, false teaching, mono-ministry, programs, monetization, entertainment, the loss of supernatural power and authority, timidity, maintenance of buildings, open competitiveness . . .

There is such a need to simply repent, change our minds, humble ourselves, weep and begin to radically OBEY. To admit that we have disobeyed the plain teaching and examples of Jesus and His apostles.

This will require humility, the will and some searching to do only what the Father wants and to be willing to suffer reproach loss of friends and loneliness.

A decision must be made. Either . . .

  • You keep on disobeying the word of God by continuing this ‘church’ stuff founded on what men have decided is best and trying to get God to agree with it and to bless it, or
  • You change your mind (repent) to what God wants—be founded on the words of Jesus and his apostles alone and humbly seek His guidance in actually doing it.

Then being obedient to God, you will know you are asking God to do His will and you can expect to see Him pouring out His rivers of living water—the glorious work of the Holy Spirit.

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WE´VE LOST CHRISTIANITY

Posted on 30/11/2018 | Leave a comment

 

by Andrew Strom

Despite the thousands in our megachurches today, soaking up the warm entertainment offered to them every week, I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity. Despite the Christian books now found in every Walmart, and the “crossover” of Christian artists into the mainstream, and our Christian mega-stores and CD´s and DVD´s and Study-Bibles, I want to put it to you that we have lost Christianity.

Despite our lavish Cathedrals in the suburbs (`Charismatic or not) with their pastel hues and comfortable pews, their projector screens and $30,000 sound systems, I want to put it to you that we have utterly lost Christianity.

We left it behind somewhere when we shifted our churches from the inner city into the “comfortable” suburbs. We left it behind when we stopped welcoming the bums off the street into our meetings and started welcoming only the “respectable” people. We left it behind when we stopped preaching “take up your cross” and turned the gospel into a success formula – `Seven Steps to your Best Life Now.´

Somewhere in our comfortable suburban streetscape with its manicured lawns we lost the real thing. Somehow in our concern for “property values” and a better `dental plan´ we left it behind.

But that is not the worst part of it. The worst part is that we don´t know how to get it back again. Or perhaps we don´t really WANT to get it back again. The cost simply doesn´t bear thinking about, does it? And so, as we drive around in our nice shiny cars with our groovy plastic toys, and attend “church” as we know it twice a week for 2 hours;- As we live a life that is about as unlike Jesus as you can get, a life of comfort and coddling undreamt of by billions around the world;- a lifestyle in the top 10% of the earth today (-in debt up to our eyeballs all the while) – the fact is that we don´t really CARE that we have lost original Christianity, do we? We are too busy, man. Don´t bother us with that kind of talk.

It will all be OK, the preacher tells us. We will all make it to heaven in the end. We are all “decent” people here. We have “prayed the little prayer”. We have `given our heart to the Lord´.

But wait – what is this?

“Not every one who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out demons? and in your name done many wonderful works?

And then will I say unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.”

-Mt 7:21-23.

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Letter to Remina

Posted on 18/04/2016 | Leave a comment

Dear Remina (not her real name). I understand your concern because today many people including believers, have various reasons for their actions, some trivial, others most dreadfully serious and some even life-threatening. Discernment is needed. Every case is different. All effort must be made to bring about reconciliation by God’s grace. God is for us and for stable and holy marriage. Yet that is not always possible.

And I agree with you there are “terrible situations of domestic violence that seem insane to remain in”. That’s why I say Christian leaders have to treat people with compassion and grace rather than simply washing their hands and dismissing people with an authoritative dogma.

Yes, as you say, in the John 4 story “Jesus didn’t say ‘go divorce your current husband’. She was not a Jew yet she showed fruits of repentance by witnessing for Jesus to all the townsfolk! But there is no suggestion that she had to divorce her current husband. In fact if she had divorced her current husband she might have continued to wreak havoc and confusion by breaking yet another covenant, another “one-flesh” union, destroying another home.

The Bible teacher you quoted sounds very correct. But in that article he leaves a lot left unsaid. The Pharisees took pride in “being logically and biblically correct”. But Jesus said to them “I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13) He is for the powerless, the needy, the broken. “A bruised reed he will not break; and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out” (Matthew 12:20)

“Knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1) “If I have not love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13)

In marriage, we are told to strive for peace (1 Corinthians 7:15). Much damage is often already done. We are under the New Covenant and God writes His words on our hearts. Certainly grace is not lawlessness.

With divorce, marriage has ended, the covenant is broken. This is not what God wants but it happens and nothing humans can ever do can change it. All we can do, as with many awful sins like abortion, wicked slander, vicious verbal abuse, etc, is to determine never to repeat them.  If we go on repeating sin we are living in darkness, slaves to sin. Is it really that okay to tell someone to go and undertake another divorce, to ‘put asunder’ again?

This subject is complicated and cannot be reduced to simple dogmatic assertions.

If we think we can make up for our sin by works, great sacrifices—for example, by the traumatic ending of another marriage, it may be just seeking to justify ourselves like the Pharisees both ancient and contemporary. This will not lead to freedom, but confusion, disruption, condemnation, guilt will remain. We cannot justify ourselves. Jesus has made the sacrifice for us, become sin for us. At great cost.

I agree “True repentance is not verbal admission only; one must cease or at least try to refrain from continuing in a sin in order to claim biblical repentance.”  But righteous action will depend on individual circumstances.

So in one situation, S Paul advised “if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances” (1 Corinthians 7:15). He added “Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them”(7:20). So how do we apply that to each situation?

And privately, Jesus’ disciples were stunned  by Jesus’ simple statement about divorce: “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.” But Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given”. (Matthew 19:11)

The believer in a second marriage must be determined never to repeat known sin in any of its forms. And how can that be done if he or she is told to go and destroy another marriage? Especially a marriage that has the peace, the blessing of God upon it and both have married “in the Lord” and are committed to His kingdom and then by ‘putting asunder’, the other would be destroyed.

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­­­­DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE – Part 4

Posted on 14/04/2016 | 2 comments

Marriage is God’s amazing design and reflects the heavenly fellowship of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. In His eyes, marriage is intended for life, not to be ended by human will.

Marriage is essential for the well-being of all peoples, the stability of societies and the guarantee of generations to come.

To God, marriage is so important, that He is more than willing to work in us by His amazing grace and power to sustain marriages and restore broken relationships. God loves us and wants us to be clean, to determine to make righteousness work. He is for us and “if God be for us who can be against us?” Romans 8.

Yes. If there has been adultery, the marriage covenant has been destroyed. It is done. Against God’s design. That cannot be changed by anyone. Divorce follows—a formality that follows something that has already passed away—a covenant now broken by adultery, by cruelty or by physical or virtual desertion of the unbeliever.

Adultery, fornication and divorce are things we humans, Christians and non-Christians alike, can do that cannot be undone by us or by anyone on earth.

Consider the religious, God-fearing people gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost and hearing Peter’s powerful address. They were ‘cut to the heart’ by his words, stricken by the sudden realisation they were implicated in the murder of their Messiah, God’s Messiah! How awful! How could such an evil be committed?  What could be done now? How could such a deed ever be forgotten, forgiven? Surely this must be the unforgivable sin—to kill God’s beloved Son!

They cried out in utter despair What shall we do?

Peter boldly and without hesitation simply answered “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  ” And they did. A new world community began (Acts 2:38-42).

It doesn’t matter what we have done, when we turn to God, totally changing our minds and hearts and actions regarding our wrongdoing, unable to blot out any past, powerless to cover up anything before the eyes of the Living God who made everything and from whom no secrets are hidden—we are then cleansed, washed, forgiven, made new, given righteousness as a free gift! We go, determined to sin no more. That is repentance. Real repentance brings forth fruit.

So when we see we have done wrong before God, we likewise must completely change our thinking and will and desire only to please Him. And we receive His peace, His justification. Such wrongs—cruelty, rejection, hatred, adultery, divorce, lust, rebellion, independence,  are now in the past, and we move on in newness of life, walking in the light of His word and in the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

There is only one totally unforgivable sin and it is not divorce, adultery or fornication! (Matthew 12:31-32)

Believers are never told by God that they have to do something to make up for their sin. On the contrary God blots out our iniquities (Acts 3:19) and he remembers them no more (Heb 10:17). We are reconciled by the death of His son (Heb 2:17, 2 Cor 5:16-21).  There is nothing we can do to change the situation except to love Him!

Jesus “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins . . . . . . For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb 10:12-14).

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  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! (Romans 5:8-10)

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DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE – Part 3

Posted on 12/04/2016 | 2 comments

I am writing this because I know of some Christian leaders who instruct divorcees who have since remarried another, to separate from their second partner, causing much turmoil and guilt for many, especially women–not surprisingly. This is wrong.

Sure, we must not treat any sin lightly. God hates divorce and true repentance and humility is necessary. Let us beware of self justification which is deadly! But neither should we turn hurting, confused and distressed people away with harsh words not seasoned with gentleness, love and grace, leaving them condemned and without peace.

So what about the situation where one of the married partners is not a believer? Let’s look at this matter and how the apostle Paul deals with this In his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 7, beginning at verse 12  . . . . .

But to the rest I—not the Lord—say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she agrees to live with him, let him not leave her.  The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he agrees to live with her, let her not leave her husband.

Paul admits he has no word from Jesus here—he finds it necessary here to go beyond Jesus’ words.

The word ‘agrees’ in verse 12, is the Greek suneudokei  The NKJV has ‘is willing’ but the original word carries the idea of a mutual agreement (the prefix sun means ‘together’). Paul’s theme of gender equality /mutuality—so radical in the Ancient World— that we see in verses 2 to 5 of this section is continued here and also in the next statements of Paul . . . .

V14. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

In a peaceful household the unbelieving partner is blessed indeed. Paul expresses the hope here which he repeats again in verse 16: For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?  The unbelieving partner who remains has the best opportunity to be saved along with the children.

V15. Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.

Paul recognises that some will opt out. The words ‘departs’ and ‘separation’ comes from chōrizō, and is translated ‘put asunder’ in Matthew 19:6, Mark 10:9.  Men and women can put asunder what God intends to be permanent. Technically this means the deserted spouse who remarries commits adultery! Yet Paul appears to say here that wilful desertion by the unbelieving one sets the other party free.  That can only mean ‘free to remarry’ though Paul’s ‘best’ is to remain single.

The Greek word dedoulōtai translated ‘under bondage’ comes from douloō, ‘to enslave’. It is a much stronger word than the word Paul uses for marriage in verses 27 and 39 and in Romans 7:2. Paul thus advises freedom for the deserted Christian believer rather than continuing enslavement in a difficult union. Can two walk together unless agreed?

Paul sees God’s calling to peace as an important matter. There is no sanctification or peace in a household of chaos, or enmity, of fighting and brutality. The believer is not bound to the unbeliever if he or she leaves.

Christians must not by their advice, commit someone to suffer a ‘marriage’ in a lifestyle of slavery. Such a marriage is no marriage at all. God has called us to peace, insists Paul (verse 15).

If Paul can encourage enslaved people to be free from slavery (see verse 21), surely a battered wife or an enslaved husband may take this opportunity to be set free and is free to marry in Christian community without condemnation.

It is clear that a marriage between a believer and an unbelieving monster is contrary to the spirit and intent of God’s calling of peace in marriage—a clear case of the need to depart from an unequal yoke (2 Corinthians 6).

Paul is silent about the impossible situations which many traumatised women find themselves locked in today, many of whom are such committed believers that divorce is the very last resort, even when they are suffering unimaginable abuse and the children are in constant physical, psychological and/or moral danger.

If it is better to marry than to burn, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians here (see verse 9), then surely it is better to un-marry than to daily face threats, cruelty, beatings, enslavements, and even death.

In all situations, the believer must humbly seek the Lord and wait on God for wisdom which is promised freely.

Beware deception of attempting to justify oneself!  We are justified only, entirely, and to the uttermost, by Jesus’ death.

To be continued . . . . .

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DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE – Part 2

Posted on 10/04/2016 | Leave a comment

Christians who advise or instruct those divorced and since remarried to separate from their second partner are in danger of imputing sin on them, which is grievously wrong. Such a direction has caused much distress, turmoil and guilt for thousands.

OK, we must not treat any sin, lightly (and God hates divorce). But neither should we legalistically turn people away, condemned and without peace, without the Gospel, quoting biblical statements out of context or without gentleness.

In First Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul deals with several scenarios. He first addresses those believers who are not married. It is important to remember that Paul is addressing believers exclusively and not pagans. Like Paul, we believers have no instructions for the pagan, ‘anything goes’ lifestyles of the society we find ourselves ministering into. We are to call people to repentance and faith in Jesus, to proclaim the Kingdom of God and salvation.  Paul wrote  . . .

V8. But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am.

Paul in this section of his letter keeps coming back to the ideal of singleness. He is writing in distressful times—see verses 26 to 35 and wishes people to stay unattached and not distracted by the responsibilities of marriage—to be single as he is, for “the time is short”.

V9. But if they don’t have self-control, let them marry. For it’s better to marry than to burn.

Paul prefers they remain single in the present situation, but he does not have a negative view of marriage. He goes on . . . . .

V10-11. But to the married I command—not I, but the Lord—that the wife not leave her husband, but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband, and that the husband not leave his wife.

Paul has additional content for the married woman from the Master—if she ‘departs’ she should remain unmarried (agomos) or otherwise be reconciled with the husband. The word ‘leave’ and ‘departs’ comes from the Greek chōrizō, ‘to put asunder’  which suggests that the wife was separated or ‘put asunder’ by the husband rather than the wife initiating the separation—the passive voice of the verb suggests this.

The husband, unlike his wife, is not specifically required to remain single if she departs, but we could assume that would be Paul’s preference.  We also note that Paul speaks against the husband separating from his wife.

In the Ancient World women were generally forbidden to divorce. And perhaps that was a factor in Paul’s thinking. But the bottom line for Paul was that everyone, male or female, is better off single, if the situation allows for that. Again, the “present distress” drives Paul’s concerns.

But should it drive ours? Some would reply YES! Current news shows the world fast descending into chaos. Many Christians would agree with Paul’s words For the time is short. The Holy Spirit must drive our concerns and decisions.

Would Paul have anything different to say to us in our 2016 domestic circumstances while still maintaining the high and holy view of marriage we find in the scriptures? And what seems good to the Holy Spirit in these troubled times?

Thus there are a few open-ended situations which believers, who find themselves in similar circumstances to those with which Paul dealt when he answered the questions of the Corinthians in 60 AD. These will have to prayerfully resolved. Any sin or selfish attitude will have to be shunned and forgiveness and peace with God be experienced.

Humility, repentance and the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and the mind of Christ are necessarily called for in all these matters. Self justification must be eradicated in the process. W­e are all too ready to justify ourselves, aren’t we? He calls us to be holy and to put Him first, above all other considerations and to be conscious only of His righteousness freely given us.

To be continued . . . . .

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