Perfect Unity

Posted on by korgrocker

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!”
John 17:22-24 NLT

We continue the theme of the unity that is supposed to be seen between believers. Jesus spent some time in His High Priestly prayer focussing on the importance of “perfect unity” because it is only then that the world around us will sit up and take notice. Jesus referred to the love that existed between Him and His Father, and that indicates something that should also be seen between believers. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:14, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony“. There is a special bond of love that exists between believers, but too often the relationship deteriorates into arguments about the differences between them. Differences in Biblical interpretations, differences in liturgies. There is even arguments going on within the same denomination with, for example, the Church of England having its liberal and traditional wings, with resulting divisions removing all semblances of unity.

There is an account of a miracle performed by Jesus in Matthew 12. A demon-possessed man was healed, but the Pharisees suggested that Jesus received the power to do that from satan himself. We read in Matthew 12:25, “Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart“. That same principle applies to any corporate body, a church or denomination included. Infighting and disunity will eventually see the fruit of such behaviour, but that is probably why over the years so many different denominations have sprung up. It is why so many churches, even at a local level, split apart. 

In Matthew 5, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13-16). Christians obedient to their calling will stand out, unified in a world of conflict.

How is unity between believers achieved? It all starts at the cross, where there is level ground and all repentant sinners will find forgiveness. Very early on in His ministry, Jesus said that those who want to be present in God’s Kingdom must be “born again”. To many Christians this is a contentious topic and it associates those of the new birth with fundamental and traditional interpretations of the Bible. But where else can unity between believers ever start? The writer of the Hebrews Epistle put his finger on the issue when he wrote, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12). In that verse he took as read the importance of the Word of God, and went on to emphasise its importance in the lives of believers everywhere. There can be no mutual acceptance of believers, in love and trust, unless there is mutual acceptance of the truth of God’s Word.

In many ways, the label “Christian” has fallen into disrepute. A friend of mine claims to be a “Christian” just because he considers himself to be a good person and does “Christian” things. But a true Christian is a person who believes in Jesus and who follows His ways and teachings, and in whom a glimpse of Jesus can be found. One of the scariest Scriptures can be found in Matthew 7. We read what Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

 Jesus defined what being a true Christian was all about, with all the implications of being one in the faith, when He said, “ Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter“. But we pilgrims cannot take a judgemental position, because we do not see as God sees, and in any case Jesus said “Do not judge lest you be judged”. Rather we should remember what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” (emphasis mine). 

Unity between believers won’t come easy. Our enemy the devil will do his utmost to prevent it, instead causing strife and division whenever the opportunity arises. But we persevere and try and look at our fellow believers with God’s eyes. He loves them, as He loves us. And so we can love each other, completing the triangle.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your love and grace, which know no bounds. We worship You, our amazing God, today. Amen.

All Who Believe

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”
John 17:20-21 NLT

We shout out this morning with a heart-cry of thanks, that Jesus slipped these two verses into His High Priestly prayer. No-one can ever make the claim that Jesus was only concerned about His immediate circle of friends, His disciples. This morning let the reality of the truth that Jesus prayed for you and me personally sink deep into our souls. Too big a leap of faith to think that? We already know that God knows our names – Isaiah 49:16a, “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. … “. So, I am convinced that Jesus knows my name, and He could see me down the corridors of time right to my desk this morning, and that He prayed for me. But what did He pray for? My life and ministry as a disciple? My health and wealth? Plans for a “future and a hope”? None of these – Jesus prayed “that [all believers] will be one”.  He prayed for unity in the faith of believers everywhere, including me.

But how can Christian unity ever be achieved? We look around at all the various denominations with their liturgical differences and varying interpretations of what the Bible really says. Some so called Christians even deny bits of the Bible, especially when it comes to their sexuality or their acceptance of the miracles of Jesus. Then you have the Calvinists, and the Armenians, the Roman Catholics and the Baptists. How can church unity ever be a possibility? But that was not what Jesus was praying for. He was praying for all believers, that they would be one, and that through their unity “the world will believe You sent Me”. Jesus added the picture that those who believed the disciples’ message, handed down through the times since, and who believed in Jesus, would be one with the Father and the Son. 

But what does unity between believers look like? We may not worship in the same church or even denomination. Our liturgies may be different. We may be pre-millennialists, a-millennialists, or even post-millennialists in our end times views, but being one starts with a belief in Jesus. A belief that He was, and is, who He claimed to be. A shared belief that he died for our sins at Calvary. And through our one-ness with each other, and with the Father and Son, “the world will believe You sent Me“. Sadly, too many Christians focus on their differences rather than their common belief in Jesus. But we pilgrims can see beyond that, can’t we?

Father God, the Creator of true unity between Your children. We pray together as one for each other and for our mission to demonstrate our one-ness to those around us, bringing glory to You. Amen.

Holy Sacrifice

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
John 17:13-19 NLT

That was the thing about Jesus’ death – He made Himself a holy sacrifice. He allowed His death to take place, even though He had every option at His Father’s disposal to stop it. And His sacrifice involved the death of a sinless Person so it was the ultimate miscarriage of justice. So why did Jesus go through with one of the most painful deaths mankind has ever so cruelly invented?

Right at the beginning of His ministry Jesus told Nicodemus how His life would end. John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life“. Throughout Jesus’ three years or so in His ministry to His people, the spectre of the Cross was hanging over Him. To a human person with that knowledge, that would immediately initiate a mode of life focussed on self-preservation, and if Jesus adopted the attitude, then that would have fatally skewed the impact of His ministry years. And we of course remember the Old Testament prophetic ministries that didn’t end well – we can read about some of them in Hebrews 11. These were prophets and men of God who cared little for their lives, in the light of their focus and dedication to speaking out God’s message. But how was Jesus’ death a “holy sacrifice”?  

Jesus’ ministry was to His own people, the Jews. They were a people who were well used to blood sacrifices as part of their religion. To them, blood had a special significance. In Leviticus 5:5-6, 9 we read, “When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin. Then you must bring to the Lord as the penalty for your sin a female from the flock, either a sheep or a goat. This is a sin offering with which the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord … Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the sides of the altar, and the rest of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar. This is an offering for sin“. But we can find out Jesus’ mission in Hebrews 10:8-10, “First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time“. Accepting the sacrifice of Jesus would be of seismic proportions to the Jews. To do away with the old covenant of blood sacrifices with a once and for all sacrifice by the sinless God-Man Jesus was too big a leap for most of them, even though there had been so many Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. 

The writer of the Hebrews epistle put his finger on the truth and purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice when he wrote, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time”. The blood of Jesus was and is sufficient to fulfil the demands of a sacrifice to appease God’s judgement for sin. And it is for that reason that when people come to stand before God it will not be their good works that will save them. There is only one remedy for sin and that is through Jesus’ “holy sacrifice”. There are heart-wrenching stories of good people who have gone to extraordinary lengths to help their friends and relatives, even putting their own lives in danger in the process. There are also many stories of people who sit at the bedside of a dying relative comforting themselves in their grief with the thought that they will see them again one day, thinking that their grandmother will soon be comforted in Heaven by their husband/mother/father who died before them. Such feelings also emerge in the crematorium as the coffin disappears behind the curtain, fuelled by thoughts that there must be something good the other side of the Great Divide. And I’m sure that God’s mercy will be present in the case of all human beings who die and leave this life. But His love has to be tempered by His holiness and righteousness. Nothing sinful can ever enter into heaven to be in the presence of God. If God allows everyone into Heaven, regardless of whether or not the person believed in Him, regardless of whether or not they have confessed their sins, then what was the point of Jesus’ “holy sacrifice”? Hmmm….  

Dear Father God. You are holy and righteous, and perfect in all Your ways. We worship You today. Amen.

Holiness and Truth

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
John 17:13-19 NLT

Jesus prayed, “Make them holy by Your truth”, and He mentioned this again at the end of verse 19. What did He mean by this? How can truth make us holy? To answer that we have to consider the two words involved. God’s holiness is His absolute and complete perfection. In God there is not even a hint of unrighteousness. Everything about God is perfect. Perfect love. Perfect grace. Perfect everything. And this applies to truth as well. His truth is the only and perfect truth. God’s truth is absolute. So, in God, the one doesn’t make the other. He is perfect holiness and perfect truth. So, from that bedrock, that foundation, we then turn to what the Bible says.

Peter wrote to believers in 1 Peter 1:15-16, “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy””. Over the page we read, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). So, believers must aspire to be holy just as God is. But becoming holy is a lifetime’s work. Sin is always knocking at the doors of our hearts and we must stay close to Jesus and His cross for our redemption and forgiveness. The process of becoming holy we call sanctification and it is a major part of our pilgrimage to Heaven.

But how can truth make us holy? Jesus helped in His prayer when he said, “teach them Your Word, which is truth”. The Bible, God’s Word, is a gold mine of truths, all of which will make us holy, if we apply them to our lives. For example, we read the Ten Commandments and find truths for holiness. We read the Beatitudes and find more. But something we soon find is that holiness cannot be achieved through our own efforts. The Pharisees tried it, and, full of pride, thought that they had achieved it. Matthew 23, though, records what Jesus thought about the Pharisees, and His closing words include, “Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?” (Matthew 23:33). 

We pilgrims are a sanctified people, a people who are set apart from the worldliness around us. In bygone days, some excluded themselves from society, dedicating their lives to being monks or nuns, people who dedicated their lives to prayer. They declared their sanctified status by dressing and living in a certain way, and the custom even continues today, with the ministers of certain denominations wearing what are called “dog collars”. But true sanctification is what is happening in a person’s heart. The outward signs of holiness must start inside. Jesus said in Matthew 23:25-26, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too“. 

Step by step we pilgrims march on, and in the process we pursue a life of holiness. We allow the Holy Spirit to reveal within us the parts that are making us unholy, and we slowly do what He suggests, always bearing in mind Hebrews 12:14, “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord“. “Working” at becoming holy is not an easy process but thankfully God is patient.

Dear God. Only you are holy. Only You have the Words to help us and the grace to make it happen. We worship You today. Amen.

World Identity

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
John 17:13-19 NLT

Who do we pilgrims identify with – those unbelieving people in the world around us, or the believers in our Christian communities and fellowships? Unfortunately there is no grey area in the middle. Jesus said that functioning believers, disciples and pilgrims like us, will be hated by the people in the societies around us, people who are soaked in their sins and heading for a lost eternity. And Jesus prayed that His disciples, and pilgrims everywhere by extension, would be kept safe from the enemy, the “evil one”. He made the statement that such people as us “do not belong to this world”. 

But how do we pilgrims reconcile the Great Commission, to “go into all the world to make disciples”, with the need to keep ourselves separate from the world and, by implication, all of its ways? This was always a challenge to me in an office environment, where the behaviour of those around me was unacceptable for a Kingdom man, with the gossip, the blasphemous language, the flirting, the invitations to attend parties and join the team at the local pub after work, and so on. Sometimes I felt like an outcast, shunned by the people in my team, and assigned work that was less collaborative as a result. But how could a child of the King ever be involved in the ways of the world, a different kingdom, where their “king” was the devil? 

Jesus said in Matthew 5, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”. And He finished this section  with “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). In a dark world we are beacons of hope but, as such, vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. Our behaviour is of course influenced by our relationship with God. As an example, in Daniel 1:8 we read, “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods”. The Jewish exiles and Daniel behaved in a way conducive with the Law of Moses. On the other hand, we read in Matthew 9:10-11, “Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”” It is possible for believers to enter the border territory between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world, but with fear and trembling, and with much care. But after all, how else can we reach the lost with the Good news of eternal life?

Peter wrote, “ … for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). ‭‭We are a people sanctified by the blood of Jesus, and because of that the devil can’t touch us – unless we let him!

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your protection and care. Please lead us to those people in the world who You have chosen, and keep us safe in the process. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Filled With Joy

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
John 17:13-19 NLT

There is something about the Words of Jesus that fills us with joy. But as we look around us in our societies and see issues such as drug abuse, alcoholism, mental ill-health, physical problems, despair and more, all symptoms of a people without hope, we see a people who are looking for a remedy to their pain. These are all people who have a lack of joy, because they have either never heard the words of Jesus, or have heard them and discarded them as being irrelevant to them in their miserable lives, lives without joy, hope, and any definitive sense of purpose. Of course, in Jesus’ day there was no social budget to support a section of the population who fall into the hopeless and joyless category, but the pain was still there, and people flocked to hear Jesus’ Words, because they contained the message of hope and life eternal. 

Two disciples were walking to a place called Emmaus, and we can pick up the account in Luke 24. A Man, who the disciples later realised was Jesus, came up to them and asked them, “ … What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces” (Luke 24:17). Graphic details of two men in pain and grief, hope destroyed, joy taken away. They said, “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago” (Luke 24:21). As they journeyed on towards Emmaus we then read what happened next. “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). But the Words of Jesus had an amazing impact on them. We read, “They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”” (Luke 24:32). His Words restored their hope and joy.

Today, regardless of the pressures of living in democratic and capitalistic societies, we can still access the Words of Jesus and live a life of joy. Jesus’ Words are timeless and unaffected by circumstances because they sit high above any worldly and humanistic environment. But sometimes we may experience periods of a lack of joy, as our circumstances overpower us. Sometimes like David we cry out, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness” (Psalm 55:6-7). We take our eyes off our Creator God and instead focus on what is causing us so much pain. Sadly, joy and hope become lost in a sea of self-pity and misery. 

In John 15:10-11, we read Jesus’ Words, “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”‭‭ As we soak ourselves in the Words of Jesus, joy will become more resilient within us, as the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. A series of circumstances will help the fruit of joy to grow within us. The Apostle Paul, suffering and languishing in a Roman prison, wrote, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). When Paul and Silas were in Philippi they antagonised a certain section of the population and we read, “A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (Acts 16:22-25). That’s joy in action. There is a Christian man alive today called Nick Vujicic, who lacks arms and legs, a condition he has had since birth. One of his strap lines is, “I’ve got no arms and legs, what’s your problem“. He has no lack of joy in spite of his circumstances. And he is an inspiration to many people throughout the world.

Whatever we are facing into today we have a loving Heavenly Father who has a remedy that starts with the Words of Jesus. Those words will point us to a life of joy, but there is a problem. We have to read them first. 

Dear God. We need to read Your Word more so that we can benefit from all Your truths. Please open the Scriptures before us so that we can know and understand, and live a life of joy. Amen.

The Power of Jesus’ Name

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”
John 17:11-12 NLT

Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians used to sing a song, “There is power in the Name of Jesus”. Many of us pilgrims will remember it, even though it is not sung so much today. But the song lyrics put their finger on an important spiritual truth. Paul wrote, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). The name of Jesus is so powerful that one day all people, all created beings, even those in the Heavenly places, even the devil and his minions, will bow their knees before Jesus, acknowledging the God-Man with the “name above all other names”. But that is all to come. In the here and now, we know Jesus as the Son of God with the Name that saves sinners. Peter, standing with John before the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court, said, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

But how do we pilgrims know that the name of Jesus is so powerful. We watch the televangelists calling out the name of Jesus over the sick. Sometimes they get better but at other times they don’t. Jesus’ name is not some magical utterance that can cure all ills, as some might claim. In fact, some factions of the Christian church maintain that the power in His name died away with the first Apostles, though I must say this is not something I agree with. To believe so minimises and belittles our wonderful God, denying the fact that He is Omnipotent. Of course Jesus said and as recorded in John 14:13-14, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”

The secret in the power of Jesus’ name lies with the alignment of our requests with His will. And that is where our faith kicks in. A good place to start is to pray Scripture. Nothing that we request can be granted by God unless it aligns with what is written in His Word.

The disciples enjoyed Jesus’ physical protection while they were with Him but after He had gone, their souls were kept safe from the evil one. We pilgrims too know the power of Jesus’ name because it will keep our spirits safe until we land to be with Him in His Heavenly home.

Dear Father God. There is indeed power in Your name over all the dark deeds of the evil one. We are so grateful. Amen.


Protect Them

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.”
John 17:11-12 NLT

Jesus continues His High Priestly Prayer with a focus on His disciples. He prayed for their protection by the power of His name. But there were many in the religious society of their day that hated them, and we can see through the early chapters of Acts the abuse they suffered for sharing the Good News about Jesus and His death and resurrection. In Acts 12 we read about how Herod Agrippa had one of the Apostles, James, the brother of John, killed, and he then arrested and imprisoned Peter, presumably with the intention of killing him too. So what was the protection Jesus was referring to, if not the life of His disciples?

Under the Old Covenant, we see how God protected His people from physical harm. There is an amazing story in Daniel 3 about the three Jewish exiles, Shadrach, Meshach, and Adebnego were saved from a very hot furnace. We read in Daniel 3:27, “Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!” In Daniel 6 we read about how God saved Daniel from becoming supper for a pride of lions. He said, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty” (Daniel 6:22).

In the New Covenant, God’s protection is for our spirits from any attack of the enemy. Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution“. Paul wrote about our spiritual resources in Ephesians 6. In this, his last epistle, Paul was facing death, and yet he could write, “Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18).

We pilgrims have no need to be anxious about our future. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). Jesus prayed for His disciples’ protection and I have no doubts that, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, they are all in His presence today.

Dear Father God. Thank You that once we are in Your hands we are there forever. Please continue to lead and guide us in Your truth. Amen.


My Prayer

Posted on by korgrocker

“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory.”
John 17:9-10 NLT

In His prayer, Jesus now zooms in to pray for His disciples, “those You have given Me”. We must turn to Luke 6:12-13 to find out how they were selected. “One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles …”. In those days there were a number of men who were His followers, but Jesus spent a night in prayer with His Father to make the choices He did. We can only imagine what happened that night. Did Jesus present the men He knew by name, one by one, waiting each time for His Father to respond? Surely, being divine, Jesus would have had God’s view and would have been able to make the decisions on the spot? But when He came to this world, Jesus laid aside most of His divine privileges and had to do what we have to do – pray. And the result of that prayer turned the world of the first century upside down, with eleven of the original twelve men becoming the first Apostles. But if we were praying that night, would we have chosen Judas Iscariot? Jesus even selected the man who would later betray Him. But His Father knew how His plan of salvation would work out. 

But what is effective prayer? In its most basic form, it is no more than a conversation with God. Joyce Meyer said, “Prayer is such a basic foundation of a Christian’s relationship with God. It’s how we communicate and fellowship with Him“. I like the quote by Francis Chang, “When you pray, your prayers are heard by the same God who answered Moses’ prayers for water in the desert, the God who gave Abraham and his barren wife a son, and the God who made the slave Joseph second in power only to Pharaoh”. Jesus knew all about prayer and He famously taught His disciples how to pray. And our father God hears our prayers. He is always willing to listen, in fact far more than we are willing to pray.

In His prayer, Jesus said that at this point He wasn’t praying for the world around Him. Instead He was praying for His disciples. He was praying for a specific need, the future of His disciples, as we shall see several times in this chapter in John. Too often our prayers lack the focus they should have, as we lapse into lazy requests or general platitudes. Too often we pray “Bless Auntie Mary” prayers rather than pray the specifics of where Auntie Mary needs to be blessed. And of course our faith that God hears our prayers and will answer them is a fundamental part of our prayer.

Notice that Jesus’ prayer was devoid of the jargon that we often burden our prayers with, as though we think that God will answer prayers loaded with “thee’s” and “thou’s” and “We beseech thee …”. Some have called this the “language of Zion” but God really listens to us as we pray honest and humble prayers in everyday language. Remember the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, as recorded in Luke 18?

Prayers are an essential part of our pilgrim lives. Let us never the importance of conversing in prayer with our Heavenly Father.

Dear God. We confess our poverty of spirit and lack of diligence in prayer. Please forgive us, we pray, and help us grow in our relationships with You. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Message

Posted on by korgrocker

“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.”
John 17:6-8 NLT

In these last hours Jesus had the assurance that all His hard work and loving commitment during the preceding three years had not been wasted. His disciples knew who He was and what His mission was about. But the disciples didn’t just know about Jesus, they believed in Him. There is an important distinction. Many people in this world know a lot about God, but they don’t believe in Him. As a young Christian, I used to work next to an atheistic humanist who had been brought up as a Roman Catholic. He knew a lot of Scriptures, and he used to torment me with difficult verses that he perceived as a contradiction to the Christian message. But even the devil knows Scripture, as Jesus found out during His temptation in the wilderness. Our minds can be full of useful information about God but until we believe it and it infuses our very souls, it is a wasted resource.

Jesus came to this world with a message, a message rich in God’s love and grace, a message that would provide a “way back to God from the dark paths of sin”, quoting lyrics written by an old hymn writer. The Gospel message is truly good news for all mankind, but it is not enough to know it. It has to be believed and applied in people’s lives. Romans 10:9-10, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved“. Peter’s Acts 2 sermon included these verses, “ … Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God” (Acts 2:38-39). Both these passages of Scripture cannot be read and forgotten because they articulate the message that Jesus brought. But neither can they just  be recited as an assurance that the person is now a believer. The key is “believing in your heart”. Jesus’ message is a call to action, to a life of repentance and sanctification. 

Jesus passed on His message to His disciples, but not with the expectation that it would stay there, a private information source for their own benefit. It was always about passing on the message to others, and for them to then do the same. Jesus’ message is for all mankind. Mark’s Gospel records Jesus’ words about His message, “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). In Matthew 28 Jesus said, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He indicated that there will be an “end” one day. Earlier Jesus said, “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). 

We pilgrims have a message to proclaim, the Good News about Jesus and bearing in mind the profound statement we find in John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. There is no other message by which we can be saved. There will be many who claim otherwise, but we pilgrims continue with Jesus’ message of salvation, interlaced with our own personal testimonies of what Jesus has done for us. What else can we do? As Jesus said on His Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem,  “ … If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40). God chose to use ordinary men and women to do His work in spreading the Gospel. A risky strategy? Yes, humanly speaking. But God is patient – he has all the time in the world. 

Dear Father God. You entrusted Your precious message of salvation to us pilgrims and as we reach out proclaiming this message to those around us we pray that You bring in the fruit of new Kingdom life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.