Pretentious Speeches

Posted on by korgrocker

“Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?”
1 Corinthians 4:18-21 NLT

Can we remember those days as a young child, having been caught out for some misdemeanour, or having been sent home from school with a bad report? Our mother said, “Wait until your father gets home!” and there was then a long wait, full of dread, as we anticipated a major telling-off or worse. Possibly, sanctions would follow, such as a loss of liberty, a favourite toy or some other punishment. Well, Paul said to the Corinthians that some naughty children amongst them reckoned that he was too busy elsewhere to return and bring correction and discipline. These “arrogant” people thought that without Paul with them, they could continue in their pretentious ways without fear of getting a telling off and being made to look the small people that they really were inside. 

Why was Paul feared so much by the Corinthian congregation? After all, he was only a man and wasn’t even very good at preaching, so they thought. But we find that Paul had one attribute that they couldn’t dispute, and which provided authenticity to his presence. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you, I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than relying on clever and persuasive speeches, I relied solely on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom. Still, in the power of God”. The power of the Holy Spirit was something that would have filled them with dread. His was the opposite approach to those “arrogant people” who were giving puffed up speeches full of their own claims and arrogance, but were nothing more than hot air. It was one thing to claim greatness. Still, another to prove it by “the power of the Holy Spirit“.

Of course, there would have been those who claimed that God was full of grace and love and would never do anything harmful to anyone. But I wonder if the story of Ananias and Sapphira had reached the Corinthians? Perhaps it had, and the news would have filled them with dread. Acts 5: 3, 5, 10, “Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. …  As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified.  … Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband”. Those present when all this happened, we are told, were terrified. I expect they were, because in those days, such a manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s power gave an incredible weight to the Word of God, and His expectation for integrity and honesty in the hearts and deeds of believers everywhere. On the positive side, there was the account of the lame beggar, healed at the Temple’s Beautiful Gate, an account we can read in Acts 3. But despite all this, there were still some in the Corinthian church who must have had little respect for the Holy Spirit and instead displayed an arrogant tendency to make “pretentious speeches” before the rest of the congregation. It is one thing to claim greatness but another to prove it through the Holy Spirit’s power. 

Perhaps those arrogant and pretentious members of the Corinthian church would have done well to read a couple of Scriptures, which they would have had access to, because they are both in the Hebrew Bible. Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall”, might have been a good one to remember. Another we find in Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:3, “Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions”. But Paul said that the final arbiter was the answer to the question – did “they really have God’s power”? It is not by their words that they would be judged, but by their actions.

We pilgrims can learn much from these verses at the end of 1 Corinthians 4. It does not matter what we say in our Christian lives. Those around us will soon sniff out a fraud. Someone who acts all religious on a Sunday morning will soon be caught out if they act in a worldly way in the office on a Monday, with foul and unedifying speech and demeaning behaviour. Arrogant claims are just a puff of wind and will soon be discerned by the Godly. In the presence of brothers and sisters in Christ, such arrogant people can have a disruptive and negative effect, leading to division, quarrelling and strife. Factions will develop, and before soon, a church will start to disintegrate. It is just as well today that the Holy Spirit’s power is not manifested in an Ananias and Sapphira way, because with such a manifestation, much of our national religious denominational structure would collapse overnight. Imagine the chaos, the anxiety, fear and soul-searching! But that is not to say that God will not achieve His own ends in other ways. There may be nothing so dramatic (however, it would be foolish to discount such a move of God, by the way), but He is patient and kind in this season of grace, and nothing will get in the way of His will and purposes for His church. Remember that one day we pilgrims will form part of the Bride of Christ, wedded to Jesus forever (Revelation 19:7-9). 

In Philippians 2, Paul set out the true way that we believers should behave and present ourselves in our churches and fellowships. Philippians 2:3-5, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had“. No “pretentious speeches” were ever heard from the lips of Jesus, and none should come out of our mouths either. 

Dear Father, we need Your help. Our humanity gets in the way of our spiritual desires, and we all have a tendency to act in a worldly way. Please forgive us and lead us on the path of true righteousness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reigning With Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

“You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you.”
1 Corinthians 4:8 NLT

Paul suggested with a bit of sarcasm that the Corinthians had begun to “reign in God’s Kingdom” without involving Paul and Apollos and, presumably, other leaders sent to bless this wayward congregation. They had developed this line of thinking because they thought they were already receiving the future blessings of Heaven in their earthly lives, not understanding that they had much to learn and consequently receive. God had graciously provided all the spiritual gifts they needed, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:7, “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed“. So perhaps the Corinthians thought that they didn’t need anything more, but Paul administered a good dose of realism with 1 Corinthians 1:26-27, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong“. But their worldly behaviour in judging the merits of Paul and Apollos exposed a reality gap between what they thought they had become and what they really were. These were just ordinary people saved by God’s grace, but still needing the basics of God’s teaching so that they would grow up to become the people of the Spirit that God desired. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you, I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?” The Corinthians seemed to have become so arrogant that they believed that they were “reigning with Christ” already, not realising that their worldly behaviour was getting in the way of God’s purposes.

So what does “reigning with Christ” really mean? In Romans 5:17, we receive some insight that provides an answer: “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Unbelievers live in a kingdom where death reigns. Romans 5:14, “Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come”. Because of Adam, sin always brings death. Death became king. It ruled the lives of every person born from Adam, and it still rules our societies today. Until the point when we pilgrims became believers in Jesus, we too were living in the kingdom of this world, living in a place that was without hope and subject to a curse that would result in our ultimate “death” in a place we call hell. Of course, we are referring to spiritual death, and we know that through Jesus, life will reign supreme and eternal. Through His grace, we are reigning in God’s Kingdom, and it is all about Him, Jesus our Saviour. In other words, receiving God’s justification by placing our faith in Christ not only frees us from the kingdom of death, it allows us to rule in the kingdom of life alongside Jesus, as the very children of God.

Do we reign with Christ today? Romans 8:15-17 (MSG), “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” We pilgrims know the future because we have faith in God and His promises. But in the here and now, we receive a foretaste of what is to come, because we are co-heirs with Christ “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings so that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17 NIV), but we note the added caveat – “sharing in [Christ’s] sufferings”. But what does this suffering look like? Well, for a start, we will be persecuted. It may be in a low-key way here in the West, or it may come to physical harm, as in other parts of the world. We will be ostracised in the office or in any other social gathering, considered as having “weird” beliefs. If we stand firm in our faith, it may reduce job opportunities and even exclusion from certain jobs. And we must also die to our previous sinful lives so that we can live a life of purity and holiness. 

If we wish to “reign with Christ” there is a cost, but ” … the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10). Our life on this earth seems to have the potential to go on forever when a person is young, but the reality is that, compared to eternity, it is little more than a puff of wind. So, fellow pilgrims, let us reign together in God’s Kingdom, set free through the blood of Christ.

Dear Father in Heaven. Please help us in our lives today, as we reach out to You for the resources we need to be Your people of faith in a dark, sinful world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Leading the Humble

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.”
Psalm 25:8-10 NLT

David wrote, “He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way”. This simple and informative sentence is also profound and fundamental, and essential for the health of pilgrims everywhere. Quite simply, to continue our journey in the right way, receiving God’s teaching to help us, means we have to be humble. Three words that are the opposite of “humble” are “proud, arrogant and conceited”, and, unfortunately, I have come across many people, particularly in employment, whose actions and personality are described perfectly by these three words. There again, I suppose that everyone, at one time or another, has behaved in the same way at some time in their lives. But in our secular world, humility is considered with negative connotations, associated with words such as meekness, and humble people are often considered as being inferior to their more arrogant and assertive peers. 

So what does it mean to be “humble“? There are two New Testament Scriptures that make it clear that humility is something we have to work at. 1 Peter 5:5-6, “In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour“. And then we have Ephesians 4:2, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love“. And of course we mustn’t forget what Jesus said in Matthew 5:3, “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth“. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:12 that humility is something that we put on much like when we get dressed, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”. So being humble is a mindset, a life-choice, and humility something that a pilgrim must adopt if he  or she is to grow to be more like Jesus. 

Humility is not an option for Christians, because some commentaries even state that it must be a prerequisite before we can even be saved. A humble person is one who has put to death their “old man” and replaced it with the “new man” Paul wrote about in Ephesians 4:22-24. “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy”. A proud person, puffed up with a sense of their own importance, will never empty themselves to the point that God’s grace will flow and provide His resources for their journey. An un-humble person will be full of themselves and they go round singing the old song “I’ll do it my way”, but, unfortunately for them, they can’t. It has to be God’s way, or no way.

Jesus gave His disciples, and us, an example of what being humble looks like. In John 13 we read the story of how He left the dinner table where He was enjoying the Passover meal with His disciples, and adopted a servant’s role to do the most menial and demeaning job a servant could be called to do. He washed His disciples feet. Peter objected because, after all, this was His Lord and Master, and anyway, rabbis don’t go around washing people’s feet. After all the feet had been washed (including those of Judas, by the way), Jesus gave an explanation. John 13:14-15, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you”. So we pilgrims look around at our peers, our friends and family, and must ask ourselves the question – have I washed any of these feet? Not necessarily literally of course, but do we have the attitude that we look out for ways in which we can do something similar? 

Perhaps we pilgrims, myself included, need to do a regular checkup and set ourselves a humility test. Unless we pass the test we will limit God’s grace in our lives. God will lift up those who are humble – Luke 14:11, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted”. 

Dear Lord, help me to be humble. Grant me the grace to see my own flaws and shortcomings, and to recognize that my gifts and talents are not my own but a gift from you. Help me to prioritise others’ needs and well-being above my own desires and ambitions. May I be more concerned with serving you and others than with pleasing myself. Forgive my pride and arrogance, and fill me with your humility. Amen.

The Teachable

Posted on by korgrocker

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.”
Psalm 25:4-5 NLT

David asked the Lord to teach him, but what was the curriculum and method of the teaching? After all, David was skilled in most of what he put his hand to. Perhaps there’s a hint in the previous few words, “Lead me by Your truth”, because the teaching that David required was to be based on God’s truth. There is more information in Psalm 86:11, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name”. The curriculum for learning God’s ways must be unlimited, so how long would it take to complete the course?

A prerequisite before we apply David’s request for God’s teaching to our own lives is that we must be teachable. How open are we to receive any sort of teaching let alone that from God? How did we get on at school or college? Can we accept correction or embrace new ideas? And do we rely on someone else to deliver us teaching in a form we can understand and accept? Or, do we individually ourselves rely on the master Himself to teach us through the Holy Spirit within us? If we are to learn God’s ways we must be teachable, and prepared to stick the course even when there going gets tough. There was a time when Jesus’ teaching was too hard for some of His disciples. About His teaching, “Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? … At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him” (John 6:60-61, 66). So, we must be open to what God has for us because He wants us to become more like Him. Paul wrote, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29), so if God chose us to be like His Son, Jesus, then we had better be prepared for much teaching. 

In a secular setting, to be taught about anything, we need to go one of two routes; either a formal educational path delivered and monitored by teachers and tutors, or a self-help route, where the student uses published resources to learn what is required. There may of course be a combination of both in certain educational environments, but there is then usually an exam followed by a certificate or diploma for the successful candidates. But in the Kingdom of God, things are different. We went to be taught the ways of God but the course curriculum will be different for each one of us. But the bottom line is that we want to be more like Jesus and to get there we have to follow and obey His teachings. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). A secular education has one major difference to being educated by God and that is about ourselves. In the world an education does not ask anything of us and we can continue to live our lives as we always have done, sin and all. In the Kingdom of God, being taught costs us our lives because we have to hand them over to God. That’s what taking up a cross is all about. There is one other thing that we must be aware of and that is the length of the course. We do not embark on, for example, a two year diploma in whatever. Instead the course we enrol on for lasts for the rest of our lives. And one day we will cross the Great Divide and receive our diploma, hearing the Master Himself say “well done. ….”. 

Jesus also told us that we must be teachers. Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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”. As disciples ourselves we are taught by God’s Word, through prayer, and through the pastors and teachers who lead our churches and fellowships. And we communicate what we have learnt to those around us, those who have perhaps started on the course a bit later than we did. Are we pilgrims teaching anyone? Before we go down the tubes, admitting that we aren’t, don’t forget that as we shine in our families and communities, we are unconsciously teaching them. But we must be prepared nevertheless, to sit down with a friend or family memory and share the Word and our testimony with them, praying with them and encouraging them. We tell them our stories about Jesus and all that He has done for us, helping them too along the narrow way that leads to glory.

Dear Lord, we praise you for being the author of all truth and thank you for our ability to be able to learn. Please help us humbly pursue wisdom and learning for your glory and to serve others. Lead us by your Spirit, we pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Worm or King?

Posted on by korgrocker

“But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!””
Psalm 22:6-8 NLT

There are two perspectives for this Psalm and these verses before us today. The whole Psalm seem to be a prophesy about the execution of someone and the only Biblical event that seems to fit was the crucifixion of Jesus. The graphic details and the parallels with that fateful day on Calvary’s hill are too similar to ignore. Jesus was mocked as He was hanging on the cross, and we read, ““Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”” (Matthew 27:40). But of course the Lord Himself was hanging there, and, although He had the power to do so, He continued to suffer and ultimately die, because that was His mission to Planet Earth. John 12:27 records, ““Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!”. It is incomprehensible to us human beings that, knowing what was to come, that Someone, God Himself but for a time a Man like ourselves, would willingly die in the way that He did, to bring about the salvation of everyone ever since who believed in Him. In John 15:13, Jesus said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends“. ‭‭Paul wrote, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners”. (Romans 5:6-8). David could see an event in the future, an event revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, of an execution taking place, and he wrote down what he saw. Did he understand what he was writing? Probably not, though he perhaps had a few dim and cloudy thoughts.

The other perspective could have applied to David himself, but there is no record of him experiencing such an event as he describes. But we mustn’t forget about David’s personality. He was a sensitive man prone to negative feelings and he easily found himself depressed and crying out to God when things around were against him and causing him distress. For example, we read in Psalm 13:2, “How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” The next verse reads, “Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die“. So we have this impression of David being in a difficult place, spiritually and physically, and crying out to God in prayer for relief from his condition and whatever was causing it in the first place. So, from this understanding of David, we can see how he would have easily lapsed into a form of self-pity, imagining what other people think of him, and generating pictures in his mind of scenarios portraying his worst nightmares.

And that brings us to thoughts we have of ourselves. Can we relate to what David wrote in our verses today, or are they incomprehensible to us? How do we view ourselves? Some people I meet seem to be impervious of what others think about them. They are so full of themselves that they are unable to consider that they might be at fault about anything. Criticism of their actions and words seem to pass them by and they shrug them off, apparently without another thought. Other people are mortified if they think someone else disapproves of them or something that they have done, even in the slightest way, and they go red with embarrassment and try and hide somewhere. But there is a sweet spot between these two extremes, and Paul wrote about it Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you”. In Philippians 2:3-5, we read, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus“. We pilgrims have to find that “sweet spot” which is having a confident but realistic view of ourselves and our capabilities, but also having a sensitive and appropriate response to others.

David considered himself a worm, the lowliest of people, even though he was King of Israel. But we pilgrims are children of God. 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy“. And from that position as the “people of God” we praise and worship Him as our Father and Creator, realising that through Jesus we have been snatched from the fires of hell and instead assigned the privilege of being citizens of the Kingdom of God. But that must never bring arrogance and pride. God Himself loves His creation, with a love so vast that He did not hold back from sending His own Son to be a sacrifice for our sins. And we too must “love our neighbours as ourselves”. There is no other way.

Dear Father God. We are Your children, with all the benefits that result. But we are also responsible for showing Your love to those around, loving the unlovely, helping the less fortunate than ourselves, and being Your arms and legs to further Your Kingdom. Please help us we pray. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The Humble

Posted on by korgrocker

“You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.”
Psalm 18:27-29 NLT

Humility is not a word revered by most people these days, but then, as now, the same dichotomy between humble and proud people features in the difference between the two kingdoms. In God’s sight, the humble are exalted, and the proud are humiliated. In the world’s sight, the humble are trodden on and the proud elevated. But what is being humble all about? One dictionary definition, with a secular viewpoint, says, “humility is a low self-regard and a sense of unworthiness”. Another expands with, “humility involves having an accurate opinion of oneself and expressing oneself modestly as situations demand”. But as is often the case, a real life example brings out the true meaning. If we look at Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel when he said, ““Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favour with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31), it was not one of pride at being especially selected by God Himself. Instead she modestly and humbly said, “ … “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her” (Luke 1:38).

David wrote that God rescues the humble, but why would they need rescuing in the first place? Perhaps a comparison between David and his adversary Saul brings out a man who depended on God for his position and situation in life, and one who relied on his own strength, ignoring God. One became King, the other was killed in battle. David was rescued many times from his enemies because he displayed the quality of humility favoured by God. 

Regarding Psalm 18:27, the Amplified version of the Bible reads, “For You save an afflicted and humble people, But bring down those [arrogant fools] with haughty eyes“. We pilgrims have all met “arrogant fools” haven’t we? In fact, we might at one time have even been one ourselves. A dictionary definition of pride is “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements”. Straight away we can see the difference with humility with the word “own”. A humble person depends on God and looks to Him as the Source of all they are. A proud person looks only to himself. The root of pride is of course sin, and we need to be careful in striking the right balance between God’s ways and our ways. So even though we might achieve great things, we point to God and His provenance as the real reason for our success. But sadly, we have a tendency to adopt a feeling of pride in our achievements, excluding God in what we do. 

David wrote that the proud will be humiliated, and we see an extreme example in Acts 12. Herod Agrippa, the last king of Judea, granted an audience to the people of Tyre and Sidon, and we read what happened after Herod gave a speech, “The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”” (Acts 12:22). But his pride took over and we read in the next verse, “Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died“. Was Herod humiliated? Sadly, very much so.

Peter wrote, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour” (1 Peter 5:6). James said much the same thing, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour” (James 4:10). Jesus warned, “But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12), and of course we mustn’t forget, “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth” (Matthew 5:5).

God upended the world’s view of people when He expressed a preference for those who meet His criteria of humility. It’s a choice that we make, when faced with situations where pride is in danger of rearing its ugly head over the parapet of our lives. At a time when the world’s opinion of us is one of praise, we instead point to our Father God, and give Him all the glory. We quietly get on with our lives, batting aside all attempts by ourselves and others to take the glory for ourselves. When we feel that warmth of pride starting to emerge within us, we snuff it out before it blossoms into sin. If we don’t then God will deal with us in a much less comfortable way.

Dear Lord God. You have granted us ways that allow us to serve You, with talents and abilities much admired by others. Please help us to keep the lid on any thoughts of pride in our achievements and instead give You all the glory for all You have done in our lives. We praise You today. Amen.

Children and Infants

Posted on by korgrocker

“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
Psalm 8:1-2 NIVUK

The Amplified translation of Psalm 8:2 reads, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, That You might silence the enemy and make the revengeful cease”. In a world where strength is associated with the most able and ruthless individuals, David writes that God uses the weakest in society for the strength needed to silence His enemies. After Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem He cleared the temple of the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifices, and healed the “blind and lame”, and in the process He upset the Pharisees and leading priests who, we are told, “were indignant”. Why? We read in Matthew 21:15, “The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant”. The next verse reads, “They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’””

Three chapters earlier in Matthew, Jesus was asked about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the worldly kingdoms, we see the “greatest” as being our politicians, our business leaders, our scientists – we know who they are because their reputations precede them. But Jesus turned things on their heads when He gave a demonstration of who is greatest in God’s Kingdom. We read in Matthew 18:2-4, “Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven”. 

Some years ago, at a children’s church meeting attended by my own children, a child with bad eczema was prayed for by the children around her and to their amazement they watched the eczema disappear before their eyes. They were buzzing that day, their faith built by the works of our gracious healing God. Young children don’t have the hangups and barriers we develop as adults, and God can use them in their humility and innocence to do His work. Interestingly, it was the children in the Temple who were declaring the praises of God. No fear of being thrown out of the synagogues. No fear of what the religious leaders and their peers would think of them. Unwittingly the children knew who Jesus was and they shouted out praises to Him that day, and in the process a stronghold against God’s enemies started to appear. 

In God’s Kingdom it is the weak, those who are childlike, who can be used by Him for His purposes. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 we read, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important”. Our role model is Jesus, who exemplified a life of Godly obedience and humility but who ended up in the place of highest honour (Philippians 2:9). 

David wrote that it was through children that God’s enemies were silenced. Perhaps our children, and particularly the children’s work, should be the priority in our churches. A common statement amongst Christians is that children are the church of tomorrow. God says that they are the church of today.

Dear Father God. Thank You that Your Kingdom has a place for all believers and not just a favoured few. Please help us to consider and respect those who are younger in our congregations. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Time to Go

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.”
John 4:1-3 NLT

‭Jesus had become aware that He had appeared on the Pharisee’s radar. This formidable group of Jewish leaders were very influential in Jesus’ day and they seemed to be quite popular with the people, though why this should be is unclear. The Pharisees promoted strict adherence to the Jewish Law – all 600 laws as recorded in the Torah – but they also followed the Jewish oral traditions that they believed had originated in the time of Moses. It must have been hard to be a Pharisee, but they were a self-righteous bunch and believed that if they kept all these laws and traditions then God would be pleased with them. Jesus had little time for them, as on several occasions he called them hypocrites, and we read what He said about them in Matthew 23:2-4, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden”. Jesus respected them to the extent of their knowledge of the Jewish Law, but He saw right through them into what was in their hearts. 

So why did Jesus want to leave a successful disciple-making venture in Judea and return to Galilee? Perhaps He didn’t want to confront and alienate the Pharisees just yet, as He was only at the start of His ministry. Or perhaps His Father communicated other plans. Or perhaps He knew that through His cousin John the Baptist, the baptismal ministry was in good and safe hands, and He was needed elsewhere.

It is human nature that should a person become successful at something, then they want to stay in that zone for as long as possible. This can particularly apply to people in an up-front church ministry, someone such as a worship leader or pastor. They feel that success gives them a right to continue even though God might be saying something else. It is very rare to find a leader with John the Baptist’s humility, as we read in John 3:29-30, “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less“. Paul the Apostle also taught humility, as we read in Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too”.

Very perceptively, John the Baptist said, “ … No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven” (John 3:27). Those in an upfront church ministry are anointed by God for their role but sometimes their conduct will bar them from continuing, as certain televangelists have found. In the Bible too we find the example of Saul who, through his disobedience, lost his anointing as king of Israel. 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”” 

The lesson to us pilgrims is that we must always be in a position where we are totally reliant on God and obedient to what He wants us to do. There is no other way.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your guidance, keeping us on the path to eternal life. While we are here on earth please lead us in Your ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Worries and Cares

Posted on by korgrocker

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT

Is there a connection between the verse on humility and God’s care for us? Is Peter writing down unconnected thoughts or is there in fact something that unites them? We find that we must empty ourselves of pride and arrogance to become truly humble before we can be in a place where God can help us. How many times have we struggled with a problem and then, as a last resort almost, decided to turn to God for help? There is something within us that balks at the thought of seeking assistance from outside ourselves. Well, that is pride, and we have to deal with it “under the mighty power of God”. 

We pilgrims probably had an upbringing that taught us self-reliance. It is a natural way to live and survive in this dangerous world, but one that can get in the way of a total dependency on God. But there is a balance. God wants us to live our lives in accordance with His ways, not ours. And when we overlay His blueprint for living over the one we have developed ourselves, it exposes those parts that are incompatible.

Some people are terrible worriers. Their anxieties are so great that they find that even their health is affected. And if they find they are free from worry, they immediately start worrying again in case they have missed something. Their first port of call is the doctor’s surgery, and then more often than not a downward spiral of dependency on anti-depressants or similar type of drug commences. Others find that for a short time alcohol dulls the pain and brings some form of relief, but addiction can follow and exacerbate the problem. The saddest thing is when this happens to believers. Our lives in this world are inevitably going to bring difficulties and problems. Jesus warned His disciples that “ … Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). And that is the way back to sanity from all the worries of life – because Jesus is far bigger than the world and anything it can throw at Him. 

Many people worry about the state of their nation. An oft-quote verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” We note that humility precedes the praying and seeking God’s face. There is no other way to pray for our nation.

Both Peter and Paul wrote about worries and cares. Paul’s contribution can be found in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”. His encouragement to the Philippian church was for prayer, honest and persistent prayer, where needs were articulated and thanks were expressed. And a resulting peace was available for the worrier. As we know, the cause of the worries and cares might still be there, but more often than not, God will shine a light into the circumstances and bring a remedy. 

But back to where we started today. Pride and arrogance will get in the way of our relationship with God and will prevent Him from helping us in our troubles. Humility comes first.

Dear God. Thank You for Your graciousness in accepting our stumbling prayers. Please help us to clear out any remnants of pride and arrogance so that we can indeed come into Your presence in the humility that You desire. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Authority of Elders

Posted on by korgrocker

“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””
1 Peter 5:5 NLT

Peter moves on in his writings to include the relationship between elders and the rest of the flock. In particular, he singles out the younger members of the congregation, young in either age or the faith. And he says that they should “accept the authority of the elders”. Perhaps in Peter’s days, there was more in the way of respect between generations, but today there seems to be little. Even in my younger days, we respected anyone in authority, be they policemen, or bank managers, school teachers or ministers. But today, if we believe the news reports, there is a reluctance for anyone to assume an authoritarian position in case they conflict with “human rights” or have to challenge bad behaviour, all for fear of legislative hassles. And when it comes to social media, even the most innocuous expression of a view that is different will potentially invite a torrent of abuse. Thankfully, there are still young people today who have a different spirit, and who gain respect because they grant it to others.

But cutting through all of this is God’s model. He has laid down an authoritarian structure in His church, and the elders are responsible for implementing it, admonishing or correcting the younger members if necessary. And the “young” are told to accept what the elders say.

But Peter didn’t stop there, and went on to say that all the church members should dress in humility. Did he mean that all clothes should be similar in style using dark colours, preferably black or grey? Was Peter promoting at least one of the features of the Amish people? I don’t think he meant physical dress at all, but rather was promoting humility in the relationships we have we each other. And he quotes Proverbs 3:34 from the Greek Bible version. But from the Amplified translation this proverb reads, “Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, Yet He gives His grace [His undeserved favour] to the humble [those who give up self-importance]”. Paul wrote a lovely few verses in Philippians 2, and amongst them is verses 3 and 4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too”. By reading this passage from Philippians again I find a witness in my spirit, confirming God’s model for His children. But the verses that Paul wrote are hugely different from world group-think, a counter-cultural presentation showing how far our societies have moved away from God’s relational model.

A good Bible verse about humility is Proverbs 11:2, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom”. Solomon wrote that many centuries ago and it is amazing that it still applies as much today as it did then. The Apostle James wrote, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honour” (James 4:10). Showing humility before God and the human beings around us can be hard because something within us rises up and says, “What about me!” But that’s not God’s way. If there’s any promotion of an individual needed, then it is best left to God. He will do the honouring.

Dear Father God. We bow before You today in all humility and worship. It’s all about You, Lord, not about us. Amen.