Honour the Lord (1)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honour him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honour the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honour the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honour the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.”
Romans 14:6-9 NLT

Paul wrote that ”those who eat any kind of food do so to honour the Lord”. Is that not a strange concept because surely we eat food to sustain our lives? There are some basics in life that are absolutely necessary, like food, water, air, and shelter. So what was Paul meaning when he wrote that? Perhaps there was a hint when he said that it is to “give thanks to God”. 

There is so much that we enjoy through God’s provision, but so many things we take for granted. But do we thank God for them? And thank Him all the time? Take food for example, it was a custom to say grace before a meal, but it only happens rarely these days, and then usually only in Christian company. Sadly, the secularisation of our societies rolls on incessantly. But when was the last time we thanked God for the water we drink, and the air we breathe? We also fail most of the time to appreciate that the planet on which we live has been established with a delicate balance of all the physical attributes needed to sustain life. The gravity is just right. The constitution of the atmosphere is just the right balance of gases. The angle at which the earth spins is precise. Forgive us, God, for not giving You the praise and glory, the thanks and worship, for all You have done for us.

Psalm 107 is a really positive Psalm about giving thanks, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about his glorious acts”. (Psalms 107:1,9,22). The Apostle James wrote that all the good we receive is a gift from God, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow” (James 1:17). All that we receive depends on the grace of God. Theologians talk about “common grace” because He makes available His wonderful provision to all mankind, not just His people. Jesus spoke about it, as recorded in Matthew 5:45, “In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike”. In Psalm 145:9 the Psalmist records, “The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation”. But as he said in the next verse, only His followers offer God thanks and praise, “All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you” (Psalm 145:10).

We pilgrims know the Source of all we need, physically and spiritually. His absolute provision holds us together in this life, as it will in the next. How can we not thank Him, honouring Him, from the very bottom of our hearts. There is no limit to what we can offer Him, but it will never even get close in response to what He has done for us.

Dear Lord. Thank You for Your amazing provision for us Planet Earth dwellers. We honour You today, offering You the worship You deserve. Amen.

Holy Days

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.”
Romans 14:5 NLT

In many ways this verse today is very applicable to Western cultures. For example, our retail industry demands a 7-day working week, with shop assistants, delivery drivers and others having to work on a Sunday, which is considered by many people to be a “holy day”. In the Western Isles in Scotland, Sunday is still considered to be a day of rest, a Sabbath, and in recent years there have been protests and much opposition to anything considered to be “work”. It is only in the latter half of the twentieth century that shops, for example, have been allowed to open here in the UK, and Sabbath principles are still clinging on with restrictions on the sales of certain items. Traditional Presbyterianism has demanded that the Biblical principle of a day of rest is followed strictly. 

Our society has become a 24/7 merry-go-round of work, more work, little play and even less of a focus on having a “holy day”. Global communications and universal internet availability facilitate remote working for the white-collar professions. Economic demands encroach into what should be leisure time. But right at the beginning of time as we know it, God set an example for mankind to follow. We read in Genesis 2:2-3, “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation”. By convention, God followers, whether Jewish or Christian, have encouraged the implementation of a “holy day”. The Jewish sabbath. The Christian Sunday. God’s blueprint for mankind followed – until recently that is. In the secular West, a “holy day” has been displaced to become a leisure day, for golf, gardening or some other pastime like shopping or visiting friends or relatives. Human beings, like God, need to rest from labour. We know that working 7-day weeks will wear us down quite quickly, leading to burn out and ill health.

But is it necessary to have a “holy day”? Shouldn’t everyday be dedicated to God? That is right, of course, but a day spent in fellowship with other Christians, corporately worshipping our Heavenly Father, is a time when our spirits are recharged and refilled once again with the Holy Spirit. A time when we take time out from the mundane and briefly look upwards into Heavenly places. A time when we look over the parapets of Heaven and get a glimpse of the Glory lands beyond. A time when we receive some dimly-lit ideas, even visions, of what eternal life will be like. A time when we hear a preacher explore the Word and sing spiritual psalms and songs together. A time when the Holy Spirit has room to minister God’s love and grace amongst us. And as the sun sets on a holy day we look into the week, refreshed and re-equipped to make a difference in our jobs, our schools, our families, and our communities. 

Father God. We thank You for Your example of taking a day of rest and the opportunity of spending it in worship to You. May we turn our pews into altars of praise and worship to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Feeling Free

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.”
Romans 14:3-4 NLT

It should be noted that Paul didn’t advise his Christians friends in Rome which foods were right to eat, and which weren’t. He was quite comfortable to leave that decision to something worked out between the individuals concerned and God Himself. There is a principle at work here that extends far beyond matters of what we should, and shouldn’t, eat. 

Before we even enter the Christian culture, there are lobby groups and ideologues, vocal minorities, who want to impose their own particular ways on society. So we have the vegans and vegetarians. There are those who promote particular diets, some high on protein, some high on something else, that their fans think everyone should adopt. Then there are some who are teetotal, others who are wine drinkers, and so on. There is a tendency for these “enlightened” people and groups to look down on everyone else, those who have not adopted their own particular cause. And in recent years the ideologies and their adherents have become increasingly strident, wanting to “cancel” those who don’t affirm that their way is the only way.

This was no different in Jesus’ day. The Pharisees were a group who had very fixed ideas about what was right and wrong when it came to culinary matters. They even made accusations against Jesus. We can read His response in Matthew 11:19, “The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results”. 

Sadly, Christians can also get caught up in trying to convert fellow believers to their own particular life styles. We pilgrims can offer a tut-tut when we see a Christian behaving in a way that doesn’t apply to us anymore because we have already sorted it out between God and ourselves. We may have been set free from certain lifestyle choices by the power of God working in our lives, but that doesn’t give us the right to look down on those who are still bound up. Jesus accused the Pharisees of focusing on the wrong priorities. Jesus said in Luke 11:42, “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things“. In the way we regard our fellow believers, it is easy to adopt pharisaical attitudes.

Paul was pointing out to the Roman Christians that God has accepted people just where they were at. And that principle applies today, just as it did 2,000 years ago. When we made that commitment to follow Jesus, we gave the Holy Spirit permission to start to clean up our lives and help us remove all unholiness from us. It is a lifetime’s commitment, and the work won’t be completed until we get to Heaven. By the way, it is not just about food. Romans 12:1, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him”. Following Jesus is a whole life experience, and also a very personal one. Of course we may feel we can help those around us, but Jesus was quite scathing about looking critically at those around us. Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged“. I think we have enough to do sorting our our own lives. But thankfully the Holy Spirit is there within us, gently helping us clean up our messy lives, and encouraging us along the road to Glory.

Father God. Thank You for Your love and grace. Without You in our lives by the power of Your Spirit we have no hope for the future. So with sober humility we worship You today. Amen.

Vegetables

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.”
Romans 14:2 NLT

Food is a necessary part of life. Without it we waste away and won’t last very long. In Paul’s day, as there is a today, there was an issue with what constituted right or wrong foods, but for different reasons. First century Christian had a dilemma, because there was a practice of offering food to an idol, an inanimate lump of wood, stone, or metal, after which it was made available for others to eat. Some Christians had no problem with eating such food at all, but others shunned it because of the association with idolatry. Paul wrote that’s those in the latter category had sensitive consciences. Placed in the same situation what would we do?

There is a constant theme about food that runs through the Bible. It seems from Genesis 1 that God intended mankind to have a diet of vegetables and fruit. Genesis 1:29, “Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food”.  Then we have the instructions provided through Moses of how food should be treated, and what should and shouldn’t be consumed, for example in Leviticus 11. And then at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 22, we seem to have gone full circle, back to eating fruit, Revelation 22:2, “ … On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations”. 

The issue today in our societies is not the worship of idols through eating food offerings, but another challenge has emerged. Scientists tell us that some foods are good for us, and others are not.  We also have a wide divergence of food availability, with some countries having too much food and others not enough. So does Paul’s advice in Romans 14:2 apply to 21st Century Christians or is it outdated and can be ignored?

As someone who manages his diabetes by diet, I know that there are some foods that won’t be good for me. Carbohydrates, especially sugar, have to be carefully controlled, even avoided. I also know that meal sizes have a bearing on my blood glucose readings. But other people I know have different challenges. Lactose or gluten intolerance, peanut allergies, and many other seemingly modern day phenomena determine what we can or cannot eat. But none of this was what Paul was writing about.

In Philippians 3:18-19, we read, “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things”. Paul pointed out that worldly people can become idol worshippers, not to lumps of stone or carved statues, but with their sensuality, affecting all of them, not just their stomachs. 

The principle of right and wrong foods extends into other areas. For example, some think certain leisure activities on a Sunday should be avoided. Others have no problems. I know people who brought up their children to respect Sundays, not allowing them play or watch TV. In the past, dancing has been acceptable to some but not to others. And nowhere has this dichotomy been more prevalent than in the church.

We are each guided by our consciences, but we also be careful not to impose our world-view on others. What other Christians believe is acceptable is between them and the light God has given them. We commit our consciences into God’s loving hands, asking Him to keep our hearts soft and pliable.

Dear God. You have wired each one of us with a conscience. We know that if we violate it then it will become less and less sensitive. So we pray for a Holy Spirit sensitivity to infuse our hearts and minds. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Belonging

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”
Romans 13:13-14 NLT

We mustn’t forget that Paul was writing to the Roman Christians, early trail-blazers of the movement that has changed the world. The followers of Christ found themselves in a place that was totally incomprehensible to the pagans around them, and they would have been under constant pressure to join the customs prevalent around them. Paul lists a few of the darker attributes of this society, and he mentions “wild parties” and “drunkenness”, “sexual promiscuity and immoral living”. And the early Christians would have been invited to join in with the practices of their neighbours and previous friends. Only a strong person filled with the Holy Spirit would have been able to stand firm and give a resounding “NO!”. 

For those in our Western societies, Paul’s admonition is just as valid. I know from my own experiences in the workplace of the pressure to join the after-work drinking sessions, or the invitations to join in with the special functions to places of dubious morality. There was always the office banter that had its roots in the darker sides of life, and that merged with reality when guards were down. Inevitably I found myself on the outside of the social life promoted in the office environment, but that was ok for me. Unfortunately, I have known Christian friends who were less resilient.

Paul’s admonition to those early Christians, and to us, was and is clear. Because we are Jesus people we live in the light of His presence. Not for us the cohabiting with deeds of darkness. We belong to Jesus, a daytime experience that is there for all to see. Jesus Himself preached about living in the light. In Matthew 5:14-16 He said, “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”.

In our societies, our workplaces, our schools and colleges, and anywhere else where we find ourselves, what message are we portraying? Are we a Jesus-beacon, bringing His light into an otherwise dark place? Or is our presence not very illuminating? That is the challenge to Christians everywhere. To whom or to what do we belong? Paul’s message was clear – because we belong to the light we have to act in that way. So we don’t get involved in activities more suited to the dark places of life. We keep away from places of temptation. We shun promiscuous opportunities. If we have a predisposition to the love of alcohol, then become teetotal. If internet pornography is an attraction, then we block the websites, or even turn off the router. Paul wrote, “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ”. And as we look into His face we will see Him clearly, and as a result “the things of earth will grow strangely dim”. We pilgrims belong to the light. With God’s help we can stay that way.

Father God. We thank You for Your help in righteous living. Please help us to stay away from temptation. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Dark and Dirty Deeds

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armour of right living.”
Romans 13:11-12 NLT

Paul was writing here to the Christians in Rome. These were people who had been through much for their faith – it wasn’t easy being different in the culture of the first century AD. But Paul felt the need to write to them about the way they were living, because he was expecting the return of Jesus imminently. He compared the period in which they were living as “night”, a time period of blackness followed by the dawn. 

Here in the UK there is not a sudden transition from night to day. The sky starts to lighten in the East, and objects around us become less indistinct. A couple of years ago I was standing on the foreshore of a Scottish fishing village just South of Aberdeen, watching the sun rise. The sky was clear and the hint of a beautiful dawn was followed by the appearance of the sun. It rose over the horizon as a large red disc that gradually but perceptibly rose above the sea. It was an almost magical moment and one shared with appreciative early morning walkers.

But when Jesus appears there will be a sudden transition from the “night” of His absence to the “day” of His arrival. We read in Luke 17:24, “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes”. Jesus won’t appear gradually, giving people time to sort out their lives. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17,  “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever”. We get a picture of the sudden appearance of Jesus accompanied by “a commanding shout”, “lightning flashes” and the “trumpet call of God”. It will be an awesome experience, accompanied by some strange happenings as believers appear from wherever they had been buried, land or sea, coffins or urns, followed by those who are still alive finding themselves being “caught up in the clouds”. And as Jesus comes, He will be met by this huge gathering of His people, who “will be with the Lord forever”. A fairy story? Many may think so, but at their peril. Paul believed it would happen this way because He received a direct revelation from the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15, “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died” (emphasis mine).

So Paul warned his friends in Rome about what was to come, telling them to get their lives sorted out. He compared their behaviour as being like “dirty clothes”. A graphic illustration of how we must look to God. Would we behave as we do if we really thought God was looking on? Imagine turning up to a wedding wearing old and dirty clothes covered in paint and oil! In John’s Revelation, he quoted Jesus, who said, “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed” (Revelation 16:15).

But then we remember His grace, and His offer of cleansing power through Jesus, constantly available to us. After David’s disastrous encounter with Bathsheba, where he broke several commandments all on the same day, we read his Psalm of contrition. he wrote, “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). We desperately need to allow God to cleanse us from all our sins, and he will, as we repent and turn from our “dark deeds”.

We have a choice about the way we live. God’s way or the wrong way. Which way will we choose? There is no time for complacency. “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here“.

Father. We thank You for Your patience with us. We pray today for more of Your cleansing love and grace, removing the soil and dirt that so easily sticks to us from the societies in which we live. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Paying Taxes

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honour to those who are in authority.”
Romans 13:6-7 NLT

Well, here are an unpopular couple of verses. The civil authorities have the right to impose taxes on their citizens, and these can be a constant source of tension between the governments and the people. Paul wrote that “government workers need to be paid” but things have gone a lot further than that, with taxes extending into supporting welfare payments, health, defence and so on. In the UK tax year just finished, over £1000 billion was raised across every tax source, an extraordinary amount I think we can agree. But Paul’s writings were clear – pay your taxes. And the reason he gave was that the “government workers” are “serving God in what they do”. 

We pilgrims, living in a 21st Century society, can get caught up with the perceived injustices of a system that has gone far beyond what Paul ever considered. I wonder what he would have written today? But, then, I think his letter wouldn’t have changed one jot. In John 17 we can read Jesus’ prayer for His disciples and in it He made it clear that we are part of the world, the societies, where we live. In John 17:15 Jesus said in a prayer to His Father about His disciples, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one”. To me, Jesus was saying that we are entrenched within the world system, with all its implications, including the need to pay our taxes. Earlier in His prayer, Jesus said, “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” (John 17:11). To Jesus the important principle for His disciples was unity and love for each other, joy, righteousness and holiness, all principles of the Kingdom of God but considered less important in the secular societies in which we live. God knows that we are obliged to pay our taxes, and that is part of what constitutes our “needs”, something that Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:19, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus”.

Over and above our obligation to pay taxes, we are encouraged to present our offerings to God. This usually means giving money so that our spiritual leaders can be supported and encouraged as they devote their lives to caring for their flock, their congregations of God-followers. Our money also supports the buildings and other necessities that go to form our churches (though, sadly, in some denominations the buildings and infrastructure seem to have become more important than the people). But our offerings to God can also include our time and possessions. We hold all that we have in open hands, making what we have available to God. 

Father God. Everything that we have belongs to You. Please help us to be good stewards. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Authorities

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.”
Romans 13:4-5 NLT

What is right and wrong? God has wired us with a conscience, and wrongdoing, any act violating it, will initiate feelings of guilt. But how do we know objectively what actions are acceptable and what aren’t? Adam was the first man and, until the episode with the forbidden fruit, he had done no wrong. Was his perfect, sin-free life before the fall governed by his conscience? But because of the Fall, and the introduction of sin into this world, we have to be taught the difference. This comes, initially, largely from our parenting. As babies, we soon picked up the difference between right and wrong from our mums and dads, and as we grew up in our societies, our consciences became fine-tuned to do what is good. Well, that is the ideal. But Paul wrote the verses today perhaps as a catch all, reminding his readers that if the authorities find they have been misbehaving, there will be consequences. 

In every walk of life, there is an authority somewhere. In our employment, we have our employers. In Paul’s days, slaves were common, and they had their masters and mistresses. The civil authorities are there ensuring the cohesion of society. There is spiritual authority to take into account as well, for those of us who are God-followers. We read in Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit”. 

We pilgrims also have authority. Controversially perhaps in these “enlightened” days, in a marriage context, we read, “For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Saviour of his body, the church” (Ephesians 5:23). Jesus gave His disciples authority, as we read in Luke 10:19, “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you”. 

In Paul’s writings, he emphasises that submitting to the authorities will leave us with a clear conscience. But that is where issues could emerge. What if the civil authorities are imposing something that is in direct conflict with God’s Word, in the Bible? In that situation we have to follow what God says, because He is the higher authority. That is something that gets many people in our persecuted world in a lot of trouble. In North Korea, just to have a Bible, or even a portion of it, could result in imprisonment. In many countries, to worship and pray, if discovered by the authorities, could result in all sorts of sanctions or even punishments. The first person martyred for his faith, Stephen, was murdered because he dared to stand up to the religious authorities of his day.

But when Paul wrote that the Roman Christians must obey the authorities, I’m sure he had in mind the routine, hum-drum, subservience to ordinary laws, that were there to keep them all safe and functioning in their society. I don’t know about you, but there are some I don’t like. Others I don’t feel comfortable about. But we pray for the authorities, that God will help them get it right. And looking at recent events in the UK, I’m sure He is working behind the scenes, bringing answers to our prayers.

Dear God. Thank You that You listen when we pray, and bring good, and a resolution, out of apparently hopeless situations. But in those times when things don’t work out as we would like, please give us the grace to obey the authorities. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Rebellion

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honour you.
Romans 13:2-3 NLT

Paul continues in his theme of being obedient to the civil authorities because God put them in place. But these days it is fashionable to rebel against our leaders and lawmakers. Not us Christians of course – we tend to be passive and stoical people. Mostly putting up with injustices that take place against us and what we believe. Although that in part reflects the teaching of Jesus, to love our enemies, to go the second mile, we tend to be afraid to stick our collective heads over the parapets, preferring to leave any dissent with the civil authorities to our leaders. But even then, Christians don’t rebel against  the authorities that “God has instituted”. 

Those in our society who are the rebellious ones tend not to be Christians, although there are exceptions. In the UK just now, many disagree with government policy on oil and gas exploration and a very small minority are causing inordinate amounts of disruption in London. Is that rebellion against the authorities, or a legitimate form of protest? There is also a minority who are trying to change society’s attitude to gender and related matters around sexual ethics, to the extent that it is almost becoming a new religion. That is rebellion against Bible-based morality, but rebellion against the authorities? Probably not, unless they behave in a way that is outside the law. In other parts of the world though, totalitarian and authoritarian regimes are very proactive in stifling the least hint of what could become a threat to state’s existence. Christians suffer unjustly in such nations, and their very act of continuing to worship God is considered rebellion.

So was Paul promoting a passive Christianity that would comply with all laws and governments, even if they are unrighteous? Such circumstances introduce difficulties for Christians because there is a higher Power, God Himself. We pilgrims have to constantly be on our guard, always weighing up the society and its laws with the principles and precepts of God’s Kingdom. We of course abide by the laws introduced for the benefit of our society, and even, as was the case in Paul’s day, we do our best to live in a society that may not fit in with our ideals. Here in the UK, society is now largely secular. People are saying we live in a post-Christian world, and the moral compass provided by the Bible and underpinned by centuries of Christian doctrine and customs is being abandoned and replaced by a new morality that doesn’t look as though it will end well. 

But we pilgrims obey our authorities, as Paul taught, because by doing what is right in accordance with the established laws and regulations, we will be allowed to live in peace. We mustn’t get caught up with the rebellious people in our midst, as we read in Proverbs 24:21-22, “My child, fear the Lord and the king. Don’t associate with rebels, for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the Lord and the king?”

Paul ended the verse today with the thought that if we do what is right we will be honoured by the authorities. For most people this will not be public recognition, but just the opportunity to continue to live our lives in peace. Honour enough for me!

Father God. Thank You that You have appointed and ordained our secular leaders. We pray for them today, that Your will and purposes will be worked out through them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bless the Persecutors

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.”
Romans 12:14 NLT

In 1955 a man called ‘Brother Andrew” started smuggling Bibles into communist countries, and founded an organisation called “Open Doors”. The work grew, and “Open Doors” has for over six decades supported persecuted Christians all over the world. They maintain a “watch list” identifying the most dangerous places to be a Christian, and their statistics are sobering. They estimate that 360 million Christians worldwide suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith – that’s a staggering 1 in 7 believers. In the top fifty of persecuting countries are North Korea, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and far too many others. But , as an aside, we should also note that in many of the countries where Christians are not persecuted, the church is in decline.

Paul echoed the words of Jesus by asking his readers to bless their persecutors. Jesus’ teaching can be found in Matthew 5:10-12, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way”. He also taught His followers to pray for their enemies, as recorded in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

Christians are counter-cultural in their faith, turning round the expected norms in society, turning them into something that challenges natural human behaviour. There has to be a Higher Power to make this happen because we mortals are wired by sin to respond so differently. How was Jesus able to pray for those Roman soldiers as they hammered crude iron spikes through his hands or wrists. Amidst the normal screaming responses there would be curses ringing through the air. Luke 23:33-34, “When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice” (emphasis mine). The answer was that He was, and is, God and man, but in His humanity He was able to show us the way. What other religion has a God who came to this earth, taking on human flesh, thereby showing how much He loves us? The hardened Roman soldiers were challenged by Jesus’ response to the nails and His death, as we read the comment of the Roman centurion, “When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent”“(Luke 23:47). 

Thankfully, we in the West don’t suffer much for our faith. Not like those in other countries, who spend large parts of their lives in prison. Who experience beatings or rapes. Who lose their homes and jobs. The persecuted Christians are in good company. We read in Hebrews 11:36-39, “Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised“. 

But we pilgrims can pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters. We can regularly return to the Open Doors website to find up to date information for prayer. And we can pray for ourselves as well, because here in the UK there are dark clouds already forming on the horizon. There is a new ideology emerging with adherents who want to cancel anyone who don’t agree with them and their extreme views. They want to close our churches because what we preach is to them an existential threat, and they are lobbying politicians to get them to introduce legislation that will make it illegal to pray with, or for, someone who, for example, wants to go against God’s order and change gender. Even if the person concerned has asked for prayer. Christian leaders are being pressurised to officiate at same-sex marriages; some have already capitulated. Liberal “Christians” are reinterpreting the Bible to suit society’s increasingly strident anti-God requirements. Christians are being sacked from their employment because they wish to wear a cross or other religious artefact. Persecution is here, folks. But we pray for our societies, and our misguided leaders, that God will bless them. Why? Because Jesus has asked us to. 

Father God. We pray that Your people will rise up and stand firm against the dark forces that are coming against us. Please help us, Lord. In Jesus’ name and for His sake. Amen.