SEE the Word of God

Rev 1:1-2 NIV  The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,  (2)  who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

This familiar beginning of the Book of Revelation hides a powerful message. It is clear that the revelation that John saw was very pictorial in vision. However he uses a verb which we easily pass over. John testifies to everything he “saw”. That is clear from what follows. But the immediate object of that verb is “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ”.

We normally take these words as referring to the written scriptures, and that is true. 

However there are many who read those same scriptures and do not see in them “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ”. The scriptures reveal Jesus in all His glory and show God’s purposes throughout history, but many fail to see it. They see documents that need to be analysed continually as theological literature so as to discover principles, and ideas that fill many books.

However we are meant to SEE word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. This involves a personal interaction with those words and testimonies. Something that is seen is life transforming and not just food for the mind.

The Scriptures reveal a person with whom we need to interact. We need a relationship with this person, not just a description of His attributes. This is what John is leading us to. The “revelation from (of) Jesus Christ” is a revelation that must be life transforming. We are to come into such a relationship with Him that we can say that we KNOW Him. This is a very intimate word, and that describes our relationship with the risen and glorified Lord Jesus. It is not just an intellectual knowing, but a very personal and intimate knowing.

That is what John SAW. That is what we are to see as well.

The Power of Witness

How often do you think that your life is so insignificant that no one ever takes notice of you? You know that the Scriptures say that we are to be witnesses to the Lord Jesus at all times. But what does that mean for us? Surely no one would be influenced by my witness, would they? In fact I am often made fun of because of my different lifestyle. So you think!

But is that true?

The Recabites were a special group in Israel. They didn't drink wine, build houses, or plant crops. In fact they lived in tents even when everyone else had more secure housing. In other words, their lifestyle was so different from that of their neighbors that they were often ridiculed.

But it was these people whom God used,  through the preaching of Jeremiah,  to show a most important message to the rest of the people ; in fact it was a message of life or death.

Jeremiah tested the Recabites by calling them into the temple and putting wine in front of them to see if they would maintain their vow before God. They passed the test and so Jeremiah was able to be confident of their obedience to God.

These people, through their lifestyle, which was godly and completely counter cultural, were the perfect ones to point to as fully obedient to God, even in the midst of hardship and persecution.

Jeremiah 35:8-10 NIV

[8] We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine [9] or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. [10] We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us.

Jeremiah 35:13-16 NIV

[13] “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, 'Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?' declares the Lord. [14] 'Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather's command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. [15] Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me. [16] The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.'

After all the years of standing out from the crowd and being ridiculed, the Recabites were now able to demonstrate to all the people the very thing that God had been saying all along. They were faithful witnesses that could be pointed to by God and His prophet.

These years (generation?) of faithfulness were finally to be rewarded.

Jeremiah 35:18-19 NIV

[18] Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.' [19] Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.' ”

Are you in a similar situation? Do you think that you are not a strong witness even when you are trying  to live a life of faithfulness in the midst of a society that laughs at such values?

Take heart. God will not be mocked. He will  lift up those who stand out for Him. You may not see the result of your witness, but it is noticed; by God and by your neighbors.

Stand firm, and after you have done everything, stand firm.

Four Categories of Church

In a recent edition of The Gospel Coalition, Matt Carter posted the following. I found it a helpful  analysis of church types, although not an exhaustive list. Using the prepositions, in, against, of and for, the city, Matt draws attention to the essential nature of ‘church’, a people at mission, transforming society.

Several years ago I read some insights from Tim Keller on the subject of a church’s engagement with a city. This writing was especially interesting for me personally in light of the fact that I was planting a church in the city of Austin, Texas.

Austin, at the time, was one of the least-reached cities in the United States, and thinking biblically and systematically about how to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ here consumed a great amount of my time. Keller argued most churches fit in one of four categories. 

Keller spoke of the first category of church as simply in the city. This church meets together, gathers for worship, and creates programs for its congregants. But apart from ministering to the people who gather within the four walls of the church, the church has little to no effect on the city around it. 

The second category of church can be classified as against the city. This church has an “us versus them” mentality. In other words, the church is good, and the city is bad. The people of the city are bad, while the people of the church are good, and the church people therefore need to be kept isolated from the evil people that surround them.

A third category of church is of the city. A church of the city has bent so far to the culture that it has ceased to be salt and light in that city. When addressing the Ephesian church in Revelation 2:1–7, Jesus spoke about hating “the deeds of the Nicolatians.” Many scholars believe that the Nicolatians had been so concerned about being relevant to the culture that they lost their ability to stand apart as “a city set on a hill.” In the midst of trying to impress people with their cultural sensibilities, the Ephesian church lost the effect of the gospel of Christ. 

Keller spoke of a final category that he calls a church for the city. This church seeks the shalom or the welfare or flourishing of a city for the glory of God and the exaltation of Christ. To be clear, city engagement can never be an end unto itself. We are called as God’s people to love our neighbor, but that love must always point others to the one who first loved us.

More on "Eat the Tithe"

In April I posted a blog entitled "Eat the Tithe". (see sidebar on this blog site).

There has been a response which I resonded to. This asks certain questions regarding the implementation of such  an act. The relevant material is reproduced below.

If we are to eat the tithe (or some of it), does that change where we
give the tithe?  Do we still give the whole tithe to the temple - which
I guess in our case is the church?
If so, does that mean that it is the priests, or those who administer
the tithe, who are to organise the feast?

Or, do we withhold some of the tithe and organise our own feast?  Is it
a gathering of those who tithe, or for others as well?

Some of those questions you may have answered in your blog posts, I
can't remember, but they are my thoughts for today.

The 'storehouse' needs to be considered very carefully. We have assumed it is the local churhc, but is it? We need to think more widely than this. I think it is Jesus. The tithe is given to Him. He is the source of all our provision, material and spiritual. The local church is but one of the ways He distributes it. Other ways include, people in need that He directs us to, other agencies He puts on our heart, teachers inside and outside institutional Christianity, etc. I am sure there is a lot more to say about each of these, for instance, Jesus' bias for the poor is clear in the New Testamant. Teachers are worthy of double honour. "1Ti 5:17 NIV  The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching". This later would seem to be directed to the church, but is it the local church. In fact is such a unit known in the Bible? Is the church local, or city, or household, or what?

I think that WE organise it ourselves and invite whoever we believe should be there, certainly not just (or even) other tithers. In 1 Cor 11 the suggestion is that there is a very wide range of socio-economic groups there.

All this raises a lot more questions sokeep the dialogue going..

“Why do you ignore me?”

Prophecy is severely underrated in the Church today. There are so many itinerant speakers on the "circuit" today claiming to be prophets that many have come to be dismissive of all prophecy. Yet one of the most valuable ways that God has to speak to His people is through prophecy.

But what is prophecy today?

What passes for prophecy is directive words spoken to an individual, which can be very dangerous. Nothing should be accepted from such a “prophet” unless it already confirms what God has been saying to you personally and is confirmed by others.

Prophecy in the Old Testament usually consisted of drawing people back to the Covenant. When the people had strayed from God, a prophet was raised up by God to point out the present dire situation and bring the mrssage “RETURN to the Lord your God.” God is so caring of His people that He won’t let them stray from Him without a prophet doing all that he can to draw them back to God and His ways. It is the same today. Yet there are so many false prophets around that the true word of prophecy is sometimes drowned out.

False prophets come in many guises but they generally fall into one or other of the following groups.

●   Doomsdayers who see evil everywhere from a human perspective but miss the actions of God.

●   Rosy eyed people who see nothing but good and ignore the warnings of God.

●   People pleasers who tell people what they want to hear.

●   Really dangerous people who want to control others and give highly directive words for individuals.

How are we to judge prophecy in the midst of all this?

Amo 3:7-8 NIV  Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.  (8)  The lion has roared-- who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken-- who can but prophesy?

The fact remains that true prophecy does exist. God is speaking today the same way He has throughout history. He keeps calling people back to Himself whenever we stray. He always reveals what He wants before He acts in retribution of judgment. This is usually a last resort. God speaks in other ways first. When this is ignored He raises up a prophet so that everything is made perfectly clear before the axe falls.

Prophets are often (usually?) reluctant to speak out for they know what the reaction will be. No one likes to be told they are wrong and need to repent. Jesus made it clear that prophets would not be welcome, especially in their home town or where they are well known.

Despite this there is a compulsion in the heart of a true prophet that he/she must speak. Not to speak means facing the ‘roaring lion’. The prophet who does not speak falls into the same trap as the people he is supposed to warn.

Look at what Amos had to say to the people

Amos 4:1-12 NIV  Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!"  (2)  The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.  (3)  You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon," declares the LORD. 

(4)  "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years.  (5)  Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings-- boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do," declares the Sovereign LORD. 

(6)  "I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. 

(7)  "I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up.  (8)  People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. 

(9)  "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, destroying them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. 

(10)  "I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your camps, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. 

(11)  "I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. 

(12)  "Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God." 

God spoke to them in many ways, and for a long time. He did this through difficult and often disastrous circumstances.  Yet THEY DIDN’T RETURN TO HIM (in the NIV) or more succinctly in The Message, THEY IGNORED HIM.

How contemporary this sounds. God is ignored in the affairs of state so the country has to pay the price. He is ignored in relationships and we suffer the effects of that in abuse, broken relationships, women and children at risk or abused. He is ignored in individual lives and we end up with an epidemic of depression and its effects, and aimlessness and its effects.

How many times does He have to speak before we take action.

The prophets are calling out “RETURN TO YOUR GOD.”

This is not just a call to a superficial recognition of God’s existence, but a call to a wholehearted return to full obedience to all that Jesus lays before us. It is a call to complete surrender in all aspects of life. But that is for another blog. For now it is a wakeup call.

Can you hear Him?

Will you hear His true prophets?