Every family must have events which become landmarks of the family history. They may not be really significant in themselves, but they become established as important moments for the collective family memory. I must have been about four and a half years old when one such event in our family took place, and I am sure I actually remember the actual time as well as the retelling of it. My brother was at about the average age for learning to walk, but had not shown much sign of progress. He turned out to be one of those who suddenly just got up one day and walked right across the room with a look of absolute triumph on his face. I was there, and I am sure of the memory. My parents never spoke about my first steps, or those of my other brother - they must have developed more gradually, but those first steps of Iain have become legendary.
No baby is able to walk at birth. No child has ever been born with an existing Christian faith. True Christianity has always been within a generation of dying out, because mere outward tradition can never save. Many children growing in Christian homes have trusted Christ in young years, as young as 4 or 5, and have little conception of life without knowing the Saviour. But all have their first steps into new life, it is indeed described in the Bible as being born again, so definite is the fact of a new beginning.
The first steps are steps of faith. Faith in a person, Jesus Christ, and what He did - died for our sins and rose again with the promise of forgiveness of sins and new, eternal life. John's gospel consistently gets to the core of the matter. The key word of his Gospel is "believe". It is always good to read the context of the 99 or so references to the word and check out whether your own beliefs in (not merely about) Jesus Christ match up with the depth of experience that John writes about. The first steps of any journey may be tentative, but they must be real in our experience, and so it is with the Christian faith.
Whether coming to faith as child, or when older, the first steps in the Christian faith are the start of the most important journey anyone can ever experience in this world. The transformation is so dramatic that it is described in vivid ways in the Bible. It is a journey from darkness to light, from death to life - and the Bible is not prone to exaggeration. But the journey has to have the first step. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" are the simple terms. The cross of Christ is the starting place, as Christian discovered in "Pigrim's Progress". Yes, there are footsteps that first lead towards that point of the cross, but salvation is real when what was done at the cross becomes personal, so that we can say with Paul that Jesus is "the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me". Without that clear personal testimony, any spiritual journey we may believe we are on is empty and meaningless. We must not be content with knowing things about the Bible, or about Jesus. We must be able to say with conviction "I know whom I have believed". That alone will be sufficient to assure that we are truly on the Christian journey, where Christ is all in all for life, for death, and beyond.
I have written from the point of view of our own real life perspective and experience. Trusting in Christ is an active step, involving our wills and the whole of our being. But from another perspective, we see that God has also been at work throughout. His Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin, and points to Christ as Saviour. We read that that Lord Jesus seeks and saves those who are lost. He finds us just as much, or maybe even more, than we find Him. We can never properly express or explain the two sides of this salvation truth and the way they come together, but everyone who has truly taken the steps of faith comes to know without question the significance and reality of the new direction in their lives. It is a journey full of wonder and excitement, but never ever an easy one - any message to the contrary is false and not Biblical. There are many positive challenges from God to grow and test our faith. There are many negative pitfalls to disrupt and discourage our faith because we enter into a spiritual battlefield of great intensity. But Christ is with us all the way, one step at a time, and He only asks us to be with Him at this walking pace, a step at a time. He promises too to be with us, a step at a time.
We meet Him and start the journey in many different ways, but always through an experience of the cross, what it meant for Christ, and what it must mean for every real Christian. We cannot by pass the cross and join the journey at any later stage. We must experience those first steps, or the journey cannot be valid. A train journey is not valid without a ticket. The death and resurrection of Christ is the only ticket on offer for a relationship with God and a journey to His presence in heaven.
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
2012-03-07
2012-02-27
Thoughts on writing
When walking in normal conditions, the tracks left are intermittent and indistinct. Walking in fresh snow is quite different, you become very conscious that every footstep and stop and change of direction is being clearly marked in your wake. Committing to paper is rather like leaving such a trail of footprints for others to see. It can be difficult to go back and recover anything you might later come to regret. In another way, committing to the written word can also feel like venturing onto thin ice. It is all a little bit scary. A thought may be quite clear to the writer but be lost or open to misinterpretation by the reader.
The same of course is true in conversation and in spoken ministry (especially if recorded) but people are usually much more forgiving of an exaggeration or lack of clarity in expression in the moment of speaking. Still, there are lots of warnings in the Bible about the damage the tongue can do, but the damage of the pen can be even greater. So it has been in a spirit of caution that I have from time to time ventured into writing on the internet, but also borne out of conviction about the issues tackled.
There are many areas of Christian doctrine and Bible study I feel ill-qualified to enter into. A sad fact is that so many, whether in spoken or written ministry, feel that every issue and area has to be tackled with equal authority by the individual teacher, whether as writer or as pastor of a Church. This is where the combination of a "one man ministry" together with a rigid "expository" approach can lead to pitfalls. Commentaries and studies on specific Bible books, covering each and every verse and phrase in depth, are popular with writers and readers, and seem very orderly and proper, but this is not a direction I would feel able to travel.
There are important areas of the faith and our understanding of salvation and the Christian life that I feel I have been struggling with for years, and still would find it hard to commit to paper a "full, firm and final" position. I still feel that for every Christian there is an ongoing journey or pilgrimage where the destination will never be truly reached in this life. When I write, I would certainly wish to write with conviction and a clear presentation of the authority and clarity of Scripture. It's just that the truths are so vast, and beyond even the wonderful capabilities of the gift of language that we have to communicate. In our speaking and writing, the human element can easily get in the way, leading to mis-communication between speaker and hearer, or writer and reader. So I would also hope for an element of exploration, of seeking to discover, rather than having to express things as complete and final in their expression.
Writers have a great responsibility. At the rate at which books, documents and on-line material is being churned out, I am increasingly aware of the unhelpful content and style of so much material. People think that complete dogmatism is the only positive sign of maturity and understanding. I often find, that as soon as I write something down so that it appears in hard black and white, I immediately want to qualify it in some way. I know that there are fundamental and definitive truths which cannot and must not be compromised or qualified.
The Lord, in His wonderful wisdom, was able to take each contact with a person on the individual merits of the circumstances. He did not appear to have a rigid system or blueprint, although He never diverted from the absolute truth. His flexibility of approach to speaking with people shines through in the Gospels. We do not have the same insights into the hearts and needs of individuals, and usual have to resort to general rather than particular in any writing or speaking. I find one to one witnessing and Christian counselling extremely challenging because of the lack of understanding of the real individual heart of the issues an individual is facing. I know how evasive I can be if someone is advising me, even if I know I really do want some advice!
I would love to be able to answer every question with a blaze of clear, incisive text that would sweep up every reader into the fulness of the truths of God. Probably most writers are seeking to do that as their ultimate and worthy aim. I have a real feeling that is just not a realistic or even altogether good aim. I would rather write as a pilgrim to other people who understand that they too are on a journey. A journey with clear direction, yes. A journey with a definite destination, yes. One where the Bible is recognised as the sole and complete authority for life and faith, absolutely. But a journey where, even for the believer with all the help of the Holy Spirit, we are still seeing things very much from the human perspective. Even Paul admitted that at our best we still see through a glass, darkly. The revelations yet to come in glory will no doubt be utterly overwhelming even to those who had the deepest and most spiritual insights into the Bible here in this scene. So, sometimes a little more humility and a little less dogmatism (without falling into the awful trap of having no real convictions at all) is a balance I would seek to strike.
As far as God is concerned, whether we are walking through snow or not is of no consequence as far as His knowledge of our ways and motives is concerned. He can see through any shroud of mist around our hearts, and any covering up of tracks we may be trying to achieve. He also understands our weakness and frailty, and perseveres with us in grace. He graciously allows a great variety of speakers and writers to say many things, and uses them to help and encourage other people in various ways. It can be a help in our learning to read conflicting opinions on various teachings, to hone our understanding and grasp of the issues involved. We must never be slapdash or knowingly contradictory or confusing in what we say, but perhaps I need not be quite as frightened at the prospect of committing to paper as I sometimes feel. God may even be pleased to use my mistakes to help someone else see the real truth more clearly. And, what through His grace may be rightly said, will too be open for the use in potential blessing to readers. So maybe I should just be getting down to it, and leaving a few tracks in the snow of these blank pages for others to explore.
The same of course is true in conversation and in spoken ministry (especially if recorded) but people are usually much more forgiving of an exaggeration or lack of clarity in expression in the moment of speaking. Still, there are lots of warnings in the Bible about the damage the tongue can do, but the damage of the pen can be even greater. So it has been in a spirit of caution that I have from time to time ventured into writing on the internet, but also borne out of conviction about the issues tackled.
There are many areas of Christian doctrine and Bible study I feel ill-qualified to enter into. A sad fact is that so many, whether in spoken or written ministry, feel that every issue and area has to be tackled with equal authority by the individual teacher, whether as writer or as pastor of a Church. This is where the combination of a "one man ministry" together with a rigid "expository" approach can lead to pitfalls. Commentaries and studies on specific Bible books, covering each and every verse and phrase in depth, are popular with writers and readers, and seem very orderly and proper, but this is not a direction I would feel able to travel.
There are important areas of the faith and our understanding of salvation and the Christian life that I feel I have been struggling with for years, and still would find it hard to commit to paper a "full, firm and final" position. I still feel that for every Christian there is an ongoing journey or pilgrimage where the destination will never be truly reached in this life. When I write, I would certainly wish to write with conviction and a clear presentation of the authority and clarity of Scripture. It's just that the truths are so vast, and beyond even the wonderful capabilities of the gift of language that we have to communicate. In our speaking and writing, the human element can easily get in the way, leading to mis-communication between speaker and hearer, or writer and reader. So I would also hope for an element of exploration, of seeking to discover, rather than having to express things as complete and final in their expression.
Writers have a great responsibility. At the rate at which books, documents and on-line material is being churned out, I am increasingly aware of the unhelpful content and style of so much material. People think that complete dogmatism is the only positive sign of maturity and understanding. I often find, that as soon as I write something down so that it appears in hard black and white, I immediately want to qualify it in some way. I know that there are fundamental and definitive truths which cannot and must not be compromised or qualified.
The Lord, in His wonderful wisdom, was able to take each contact with a person on the individual merits of the circumstances. He did not appear to have a rigid system or blueprint, although He never diverted from the absolute truth. His flexibility of approach to speaking with people shines through in the Gospels. We do not have the same insights into the hearts and needs of individuals, and usual have to resort to general rather than particular in any writing or speaking. I find one to one witnessing and Christian counselling extremely challenging because of the lack of understanding of the real individual heart of the issues an individual is facing. I know how evasive I can be if someone is advising me, even if I know I really do want some advice!
I would love to be able to answer every question with a blaze of clear, incisive text that would sweep up every reader into the fulness of the truths of God. Probably most writers are seeking to do that as their ultimate and worthy aim. I have a real feeling that is just not a realistic or even altogether good aim. I would rather write as a pilgrim to other people who understand that they too are on a journey. A journey with clear direction, yes. A journey with a definite destination, yes. One where the Bible is recognised as the sole and complete authority for life and faith, absolutely. But a journey where, even for the believer with all the help of the Holy Spirit, we are still seeing things very much from the human perspective. Even Paul admitted that at our best we still see through a glass, darkly. The revelations yet to come in glory will no doubt be utterly overwhelming even to those who had the deepest and most spiritual insights into the Bible here in this scene. So, sometimes a little more humility and a little less dogmatism (without falling into the awful trap of having no real convictions at all) is a balance I would seek to strike.
As far as God is concerned, whether we are walking through snow or not is of no consequence as far as His knowledge of our ways and motives is concerned. He can see through any shroud of mist around our hearts, and any covering up of tracks we may be trying to achieve. He also understands our weakness and frailty, and perseveres with us in grace. He graciously allows a great variety of speakers and writers to say many things, and uses them to help and encourage other people in various ways. It can be a help in our learning to read conflicting opinions on various teachings, to hone our understanding and grasp of the issues involved. We must never be slapdash or knowingly contradictory or confusing in what we say, but perhaps I need not be quite as frightened at the prospect of committing to paper as I sometimes feel. God may even be pleased to use my mistakes to help someone else see the real truth more clearly. And, what through His grace may be rightly said, will too be open for the use in potential blessing to readers. So maybe I should just be getting down to it, and leaving a few tracks in the snow of these blank pages for others to explore.
2012-02-24
Arise, and go.....
The following is the outline of a talk I gave on more than one occasion in the UK and in Eastern Europe when working with the Slavic Gospel Association. The Bible passage is Acts 9:1-22.
Saul was a man with a mission. His journey from Jerusalem to Damascus was not so much a walk, or even a trek, but a march. With the full of authority of zealous religious backing and the documentation to prove it, he was going to Damascus to seek out Christians and take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Christianity was starting to spread, and it must not be allowed to take hold. Saul was so motivated that he was breathing out threats and murder against these new Christian disciples of the Lord. His visions, his plans, and the way they were to be executed, were perfectly clear in his mind. He could think of little that could cause any hindrance or delay. He was simply looking forward to a job done.
Most people will be familiar with what happened next. He was the subject of the most famous conversion experience in history. As he neared Damascus, a bright light shone from heaven, and a voice spoke to him, calling him by name. Saul immediately knew who was speaking. It was the risen Christ, the One whom the Christians were following. Jesus told him that persecuting believers in Him was nothing other than persecuting Him personally. The identification of Christ with His own is complete. No wonder that Saul was astonished, so much so that he trembled. He knew that life could never be the same for him again. His first words were to address Jesus - the name he had hated wanted to stamp out from the earth - to address Jesus as Lord. His next words show that using the word "Lord" was not an empty gesture, but that he, Saul, would now be an obedient servant of the One who spoke to him from heaven.
The Lord continued with a simple and direct command for Saul that is full of interest. The Lord said to Him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." This was an immediate challenge to one who was so used to taking big decisions for himself and acting on them. How difficult this must have been to obey! I am sure that Damascus was the very place Saul no longer wanted to go. Not that he would relish returning to Jerusalem either.
In order to continue to Jerusalem, Saul had to be led by the hand because of the blinding impact of the light from heaven. No marching into the city in pride and pomp, pleased at the panic the prospect of his arrival must be causing. Rather now, a creeping in to the city in humility, unsure of himself, with uncharacteristically hesitant footsteps. He, Saul, the visionary leader and man of decisive action, now being led by the hand meekly into Damascus. All breathing of threats and murder had ceased, but what next? He quietly took lodgings at the side of a street, and could not eat or drink for three days, and there seemed no prospect of regaining his sight. The Bible is silent on the internal conflicts that must have been raging. All he could do was wait until he would be told what to do, as had been promised.
Meanwhile, there was a man who lived in Damascus called Ananias. He was a Christian believer. It is clear that the Christians in Damascus knew the reputation of Saul, and the way he had been at the forefront of the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. He had a significant part to play, and his own trust in his Lord was to be put to the test. We need to imagine his amazement when a voice came to him, saying, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus.....". He knew immediately that it was the voice of the Lord. What a challenge for him! Would he obey? Surely the last person he wanted to meet was the very man who was coming with threats and murder for just such people as Ananias! The Lord did say that Saul needed to receive sight, which must have been perplexing, but we can understand how Ananias still had questions in view of Saul's reputation for persecution. The Lord provides assurance enough for Ananias to step out in obedience.
Ananias must have walked along the street of his city, Damascus, wondering what would unfold. But, he went his way and entered the house. His attitude towards Saul and his greeting was quite amazing. His expression was of complete faith in the direction he knew had come from the Lord. He laid his hands on Saul and said "Brother Saul"...
This is the point at which two pathways met under the leading hand of the Lord. Saul had not been directed to go to Ananias. Ananias had not been told to arise and flee Damascus at the news of the approach of Saul. Neither had he decided to flee without direction from the Lord. Often patient waiting, even in a difficult place, is what is asked of people. At the right time, both individuals were given challenging instructions - arise and go - and indeed Saul was undergoing a rapid and complete transformation in the whole direction of his life. We can only imagine what it meant for Saul to hear those two opening words "Brother Saul". What if Ananias had failed in his brotherly task? Ananias is able to explain how the Lord has led him, and that Saul was to receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The scales fell from Saul's eyes, he was baptized (immediately), and only then took food.
Saul then spent some days with the disciples in Damascus. What an extraordinary turn of events for all concerned. Saul was now in full fellowship with the believers he had set out to destroy.
We may make plans and step out in order to work them out. Sometimes, however, a higher power intervenes. Saul had set out for Damascus. Yes, he made it to that city, but in transformed circumstances. His attitude of walk was changed from an angry persecutor to humble and yet committed and fearless follower of Christ. Ananias to had his special role in the story. Through the obedience of both of them to the Lord's leading, great blessing resulted.
The challenge for us today as believers is to recognise the leading of the Holy Spirit through the word of God. We may not get direct messages through the Lord speaking in the way he did to Saul and Ananias (before the New Testament was begun, let alone completed). We do have the full word of God, and the assurance of the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we are truly open to His leading. It still takes faith to step out in response, especially when it is in an unexpected or difficult direction. But when the Lord directs our paths, the results can still be as encouraging and life changing as they were for Saul and Ananias.
Saul was a man with a mission. His journey from Jerusalem to Damascus was not so much a walk, or even a trek, but a march. With the full of authority of zealous religious backing and the documentation to prove it, he was going to Damascus to seek out Christians and take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Christianity was starting to spread, and it must not be allowed to take hold. Saul was so motivated that he was breathing out threats and murder against these new Christian disciples of the Lord. His visions, his plans, and the way they were to be executed, were perfectly clear in his mind. He could think of little that could cause any hindrance or delay. He was simply looking forward to a job done.
Most people will be familiar with what happened next. He was the subject of the most famous conversion experience in history. As he neared Damascus, a bright light shone from heaven, and a voice spoke to him, calling him by name. Saul immediately knew who was speaking. It was the risen Christ, the One whom the Christians were following. Jesus told him that persecuting believers in Him was nothing other than persecuting Him personally. The identification of Christ with His own is complete. No wonder that Saul was astonished, so much so that he trembled. He knew that life could never be the same for him again. His first words were to address Jesus - the name he had hated wanted to stamp out from the earth - to address Jesus as Lord. His next words show that using the word "Lord" was not an empty gesture, but that he, Saul, would now be an obedient servant of the One who spoke to him from heaven.
The Lord continued with a simple and direct command for Saul that is full of interest. The Lord said to Him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." This was an immediate challenge to one who was so used to taking big decisions for himself and acting on them. How difficult this must have been to obey! I am sure that Damascus was the very place Saul no longer wanted to go. Not that he would relish returning to Jerusalem either.
In order to continue to Jerusalem, Saul had to be led by the hand because of the blinding impact of the light from heaven. No marching into the city in pride and pomp, pleased at the panic the prospect of his arrival must be causing. Rather now, a creeping in to the city in humility, unsure of himself, with uncharacteristically hesitant footsteps. He, Saul, the visionary leader and man of decisive action, now being led by the hand meekly into Damascus. All breathing of threats and murder had ceased, but what next? He quietly took lodgings at the side of a street, and could not eat or drink for three days, and there seemed no prospect of regaining his sight. The Bible is silent on the internal conflicts that must have been raging. All he could do was wait until he would be told what to do, as had been promised.
Meanwhile, there was a man who lived in Damascus called Ananias. He was a Christian believer. It is clear that the Christians in Damascus knew the reputation of Saul, and the way he had been at the forefront of the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. He had a significant part to play, and his own trust in his Lord was to be put to the test. We need to imagine his amazement when a voice came to him, saying, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus.....". He knew immediately that it was the voice of the Lord. What a challenge for him! Would he obey? Surely the last person he wanted to meet was the very man who was coming with threats and murder for just such people as Ananias! The Lord did say that Saul needed to receive sight, which must have been perplexing, but we can understand how Ananias still had questions in view of Saul's reputation for persecution. The Lord provides assurance enough for Ananias to step out in obedience.
Ananias must have walked along the street of his city, Damascus, wondering what would unfold. But, he went his way and entered the house. His attitude towards Saul and his greeting was quite amazing. His expression was of complete faith in the direction he knew had come from the Lord. He laid his hands on Saul and said "Brother Saul"...
This is the point at which two pathways met under the leading hand of the Lord. Saul had not been directed to go to Ananias. Ananias had not been told to arise and flee Damascus at the news of the approach of Saul. Neither had he decided to flee without direction from the Lord. Often patient waiting, even in a difficult place, is what is asked of people. At the right time, both individuals were given challenging instructions - arise and go - and indeed Saul was undergoing a rapid and complete transformation in the whole direction of his life. We can only imagine what it meant for Saul to hear those two opening words "Brother Saul". What if Ananias had failed in his brotherly task? Ananias is able to explain how the Lord has led him, and that Saul was to receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The scales fell from Saul's eyes, he was baptized (immediately), and only then took food.
Saul then spent some days with the disciples in Damascus. What an extraordinary turn of events for all concerned. Saul was now in full fellowship with the believers he had set out to destroy.
We may make plans and step out in order to work them out. Sometimes, however, a higher power intervenes. Saul had set out for Damascus. Yes, he made it to that city, but in transformed circumstances. His attitude of walk was changed from an angry persecutor to humble and yet committed and fearless follower of Christ. Ananias to had his special role in the story. Through the obedience of both of them to the Lord's leading, great blessing resulted.
The challenge for us today as believers is to recognise the leading of the Holy Spirit through the word of God. We may not get direct messages through the Lord speaking in the way he did to Saul and Ananias (before the New Testament was begun, let alone completed). We do have the full word of God, and the assurance of the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we are truly open to His leading. It still takes faith to step out in response, especially when it is in an unexpected or difficult direction. But when the Lord directs our paths, the results can still be as encouraging and life changing as they were for Saul and Ananias.
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