Spirit and Truth

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.””
John 4:21-24 NLT

So we have a situation where the Jews maintained that the place to worship God was in Jerusalem, and the Samaritans on Mount Gerizim. One more source of conflict fuelling the animosity between them. But Jesus cut through all of that with the statement that “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth”, and not just in a geographical location. He elevated the whole basis of worship to a new level based on the relationship between the worshipper and God.

When Jesus came to Planet Earth, He levelled the ground giving all people everywhere the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Him. His substitutionary death at Calvary fulfilled what he said to Nicodemus in John 3:16-17, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him”. Later in John 14:6, we read, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. And Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:18, “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us”. 

Worship is that relational experience between God and man where our hearts are passionately responding to our Heavenly Father. We praise Him, with grateful hearts, proclaiming all that He has done for us. We prostrate ourselves before Him, connecting spirit to Spirit, overwhelmed in our love of Jesus. But the “truth” bit means that we must know our God, and not just an image of what we think He might be in our minds. Knowing God takes a lifetime. Reading the Word. Praying. Developing a relationship with Him day by day. Many people develop a distorted picture of God based on their experiences with their own natural fathers. So some view God as a stern policeman with a big stick ready to beat them when they step out of line. Others view Him as a Father Christmas figure, just there to hand out gifts when they need them. But a truthful view of God can only be found in the Bible, through prayer to Him, and from the teachings of trusted pastors, teachers and apostles.

Note that our worship of God is independent of our circumstances. Some Christians I know find that in difficult times they cannot worship God, as though in some way they are blaming Him for their troubles. Such believers would do well to read the book of Habakkuk, which ends, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Nothing was going to stop that man from worshipping God because he saw beyond the circumstances in his trust of his Father in Heaven.

We pilgrims worship God at every opportunity in “spirit and truth”. There is no other way.

Father God. Once again we fall on our knees before You in worship. You are the King of kings and the Lord of all lords. Amen.

Places of Worship

Posted on by korgrocker

““Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.”
John 4:19-22 NLT

There is something within human beings that makes them want to worship. This is something God has wired within us. The need to worship is in our DNA. Sadly, in our secular society, this God-given gift is distorted and focused on the wrong things. So we have the Saturday afternoon worship of a football team. Hobbies can become the focus of our worship. Some nations encourage the worship of their leaders. A common line in romance fiction is “he worships the ground she walks on”. Even the gender and sex ideologies common today can become worshipped by their activists. But none of these objects of worships – call them “idols” – will ever replace the deep inner desire to worship our Creator God. 

The countryside in the UK is dotted around with mostly elderly but generally lovely “places of worship”. Our parish churches are a legacy from past times when people were more faithful and knew the proper focus of their worship. But more and more of our churches are closing down as people turn their backs on God. Most people now consider that we are living in a post-Christian age, whatever that means, and these places of worship are becoming nothing more than mausoleums, or turned into carpet warehouses or night clubs. Some, such as a church near me, are being allowed to crumble and collapse through neglect. Two more have been converted to houses, with one in the bizarre position of having a graveyard instead of a garden. No problems with noisy neighbours though.

But Jesus, in His conversation with the Samaritan woman, floated the idea that worship is to become independent of the traditional venues so valued by the Jews and Samaritans. And we see the abandonment of elderly and difficult to heat buildings today, with Christians in the UK meeting in industrial units, in schools and leisure centres, and, of course, in people’s homes. We’re perhaps returning to the early Church model as described in Acts 5:42 and elsewhere, ”And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”“

God is everywhere, and not just behind a table in an old musty building, even if the table is covered with an ornate cloth embroidered with gold lace. Stained glass windows may look very impressive but they matter little to the God who looks into our hearts. So we pilgrims worship God and God alone. There is nothing else that can be allowed to take His place. We read what Jesus said to the devil in Luke 4:8, “Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Instead of worshipping in a temple or church somewhere, we must perhaps rather consider the temple within us. ”Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? …” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

God does not need the worship of us pilgrims. He never has done and never will. But He has created us in His image to worship Him, because it does something within our spirits. The communion spirit to Spirit comes alive in our worship. There is no better place to be than worshipping in God’s presence.

Father God. We worship You today, because You are worthy. Amen.

Honour the Lord (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“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 continued to write about how we honour God. This time He was pointing out that we honour God in the way we live. And he added the rider, “if” to the “we live”. But often do we consider that our lives should be honouring to God? In all that we do? In our leisure, in our schools and workplaces, while we are awake and while we sleep. 24/7. A big ask surely? 

The first challenge is that Paul wrote that “we don’t live for ourselves”. That is so counter-cultural a statement! It drives a huge wedge between the way the world says we should live, and the way of a God-follower. A sinful person’s thinking is dominated by “what’s in it for me” or “I‘ll do it my way”. A redeemed person’s thinking is unselfish and focused on what and how God wants him or her to behave. Jesus said that we pilgrims should, “ … love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Our love of God transcends all thoughts of sinful selfishness.

Paul went on to write “if we die …”. This is an uncomfortable place for most people. We don’t talk about death, particularly our own. As someone once said, “I don’t have a fear of death – I just don’t want to be involved”. But the fact that one day we will leave this life is one of the few certainties that we have to consider. And Paul said the manner of our passing is “to honour the Lord”. A good friend of mine had to face into several health issues during his life, and his final battle was with cancer. But his last few weeks and days were truly honouring to God. Even in the pain he was experiencing, he was gracious and considerate to those around him. He didn’t give up his church duties until the very end, and could always be found reading his Bible, or listening to worship music. A look into his eyes revealed a glimpse of eternity. And on his last day, from a hospice bed, he was able to talk with his children and pray with them. His death was truly honouring to the Lord and one that shone like a beacon to those around him.

Paul wrote that in life and death we honour God, something we should consider daily in our humanity, in our journeys to glory. But it’s not too hard an ask. With such a loving Heavenly Father how else can we live except in a way that honours Him. After all, He has done so much for us in this life, and His love and care won’t finish the other side of the grave. In Philippians 1:20-24, Paul wrote, “For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honour to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live”. Even in the privations of a Roman jail, Paul could only think about others. 

One day someone will engrave a message on our tombstones, literal or metaphorical. Will “He (or she) honoured the Lord” be there? I pray that this will be the case for pilgrims everywhere, and one day it will be followed by a “Well done …”. 

Dear Heavenly Father. With Paul we set our eyes on the life to come, encouraged and refreshed in these weary days. We thank You for the companionship of Your Spirit, helping us step by step. Amen.

Honour the Lord (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“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 korgrocker

“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. 

Total Obedience

Posted on by korgrocker

“For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).””
Romans 10:5-7 NLT

Paul continues with his apparent obsession with the Law. He quotes a bit of Leviticus 18 , thought to have been written by Moses, – “You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 18:4-5). There is no middle way for the Law-followers. All or nothing. To be made righteous through obeying the Law, all God’s “decrees” and “regulations” had to be followed. The Law’s content, as originally given by God through Moses, wasn’t difficult. Much of it was common sense. So it should have been easy to understand. But the trouble is that human beings start to make things difficult. The Rabbis, the Jewish leaders, started to introduce additional rules and regulations, and expanded on what God had said in the original Mosaic Jewish Law books. This made the Law more difficult to follow, and the intent of the Law, in terms of reconciling a person to God, was lost. 

But before we pilgrims start to take the moral high ground and say that we would never get caught in such a trap, we need to look at our denominational liturgies and see how much they have strayed from the simplicity of the Gospel. For example, we have introduced prayer books, and a routine of worship by rote. The liturgy will have us bobbing up and down, and uttering pre-scripted responses and prayers, all the same, and repeated week after week. Before we know it we have replaced the spontaneity of relational worship to God with something that avoids us having to be engaged with the process. We sing the songs and hymns, enjoying the melodies, but not thinking about what we are singing. We sing songs with words like, “I will worship You with all of my heart (mind, strength)”. Really? Often our minds instead will be dwelling on yesterday’s football, or the meat in the oven. Or am I being too cynical?

Thankfully, God knows our feebleness. Our inability to keep our sin-soaked minds always focused on Him. Of course, we know how wonderful He is. We thank Him that His grace is unlimited. And we know that one day we will be amongst a great crowd of totally uninhibited worshippers. We read in Revelation 19:1, “After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God”. What a time that will be! At long last we will be freed from the chains of humanity, able to worship God in the way that He deserves. But back to Planet Earth – by introducing spontaneity into our worship and prayers we get a brief glimpse of the wonders of Heaven. God doesn’t want us to be disengaged and so busy that we have no time for Him. Perhaps we need to look at our diaries and separate the essential from the indulgent. The last thing the enemy wants is for us to be close to our Maker. So he will load us up with busy-ness to keep us from true worship. 

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, as recorded in John 4:23, “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way”. God’s search hasn’t yet ended. He is always looking for faithful worshipers. Join me in reaching out to Him today, praying that we will indeed connect with our wonderful God in the way He desires.

Father God. You desire our worship, not because it is something You need but because it does something within us. Spirit to spirit we worship You today. Amen.

No More Curses

Posted on by korgrocker

“No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.”
Revelation‬ ‭22‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT

The word “curse” isn’t commonly used in Western society today. If it is, it would be in connection with some sort of expletive. In other societies, curses are taken much more seriously. So what is a curse? A dictionary definition is “a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something”. But in the society in which I live, anything to do with the supernatural is discounted or even ignored.

Moses warned the early Israelites about blessings and curses. We read in Deuteronomy 30:19, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Moses listed the pre-requisites for living a life of blessings, and the consequences of making the wrong choices. 

In the New Jerusalem, curses won’t exist, because everyone by definition will want to live God’s way. But curses became much more widespread after the sin committed by Adam and Eve. Snakes became cursed (Genesis 3:14). The ground became cursed (Genesis 3:17) and a previously fertile environment became difficult to grow anything, thorns and thistles abounding. So we look around at our world today in sadness. Isaiah pointed out the consequences of sin. We read in Isaiah 24:6, “Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.” Paul pointed out the difficulties being experienced in the created world around us. We read in Romans 8:22, “For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” In the Spring, I’m always excited and impressed by the explosion of new growth. Fresh colours. New life. And I remind myself that if this is a world under a curse, how amazing it will be to see a New Earth with the curse removed.

The verses today continue with a wonderful description of the relationship between God and His servants, that’s us pilgrims when we get to join Him one day. We will see the face of God – something that has always been denied mankind. His name will be a part of us, written on our foreheads. And He will shine on us.

There will be no doubt as to who we follow when we get to Heaven. But what about now. Today. Will the people we meet know who we follow? We may not have God’s name tattooed on our foreheads, but will His light reflect from us into the lives of others? Bringing hope to the hopeless? Bringing healing to the sick? Showing the way to eternal life? As servants of God, will our lives reflect our worship of Him? It’s not just singing songs in church or genuflecting at an altar. Our worship of God extends into our everyday lives. How we treat our wives and children. How we behave in the office or school. What we say on social media. We may not be specifically holding out our arms, or be on our knees, in an overt act of worship to God, but worship is all about honouring our Father in Heaven. Keeping His name holy. Bringing His influence to bear in everyday situations. In the supermarket. On the bus. We pilgrims are His servants and His ambassadors here on Planet Earth. We enjoy a little bit of Heaven’s Son-shine, but are we reflecting it to those around us?

Dear Father God. We worship You today. All other gods pale into insignificance in the light of Your glorious face. Amen.

Worshipping Angels

Posted on by korgrocker

“And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.””
Revelation‬ ‭19:9-10‬ ‭NLT

In his part of the vision recorded in Revelation 19, John seems to be accompanied by an angel, who is going out of his way to keep John right over what is happening. He told John what to write about the wedding feast and the honour that is there for all those who receive an invitation. And then, for some reason, he emphasised its importance, by saying to John, “These are true words that come from God.” John took careful note of what was said, and so should we. We don’t know what the wedding feast experience will be like, but some things we do know – it will definitely happen one day, because Jesus said so, as recorded in Matthew 22, and because God said so through His servant, the angel in our verses today. And one other thing, it will be the most amazing experience that we have ever encountered. In fact, there are no words that can adequately describe what the event will be like.

John was so overwhelmed by what the angel was saying, that he fell down at the angel’s feet “to worship him”. The journey that John had been on in his vision, the journey through all the seals and plagues, the beasts, the natural disasters, and so on, were all eclipsed by the wonder of what the angel said, and it was all too much for John. He had no response other than feeling a need to worship. And the angel, in his role as God’s servant, became his focus. The angel soon put John right, with his response, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God”. 

We pilgrims will understand John’s response, because there is inbuilt within us a need to worship God. But we often find that difficult because God is beyond our natural focus. Sometimes, we need a finely-tuned and sensitive spirit to detect, and respond to, His presence. The story of Elijah is such an example. In 1 Kings 19:12-13, we read, “And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””. After a ferocious wind, an earthquake and fire, Elijah’s spirit responded to “the sound of a gentle whisper”. John’s spirit, like Elijah’s, sensed the presence of God. And he was overwhelmed by all that was happening before him. He just had to respond in worship, and the angel, as God’s messenger, became his focus.

The angel encouraged John to “worship only God”, and that is something that Jesus Himself also taught. We read in Matthew 22:37-38, “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” We can easily become distracted by an object of beauty, such as a sunset or a piece of art, and something within us responds in worship. But we must constantly hold before us the thought – who created the sunset, or put within someone the ability to paint beautiful pictures? It is all about God, and Him alone. Only He is worthy of our worship. Stained glass windows and statues of saints won’t work. Natural beauty around us in God’s creation can’t be worshipped either. In God’s presence, as we strain to hear the “gentle whisper” of God’s voice, as we take a step back from our busy lives, it is only then that our worship can focus on God, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

Dear Father God. How can we ever be distracted by a counterfeit when You are the only One we can worship? At Your feet today we do just that, worship You. Amen.

Measuring Stick (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.”
Revelation‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We spend a second day musing over these two verses in Revelation. John was out and about in his vision with a “measuring stick”. Looking over the Church and assessing its spiritual health and well being. If he was roaming over our increasingly secular Western societies, would he find a Church full of life and vigour impacting the very fabric of our culture, or would he find a sick and anaemic group of Christians huddled together in ever-reducing numbers, holding onto the remnants of their faith like drowning men clutch a straw. If John’s measuring stick was able to assess the quality of the worship of God in the Church, would he have found the worshippers going through liturgical motions or was there a meaningful connection with God? Spirit to spirit. Would he have found worshippers more concerned with the flowers on the altar rather than the praise and worship of our loving Heavenly Father? 

Having looked for fruit in the Church, John moves on to measure the altar. When someone mentions the word “altar” a picture emerges in our minds of an ornate, cloth covered table located right at the front of a church building. The church-goers treat it with respect and often go through a process of genuflection, as though publicly declaring that God is somehow located there. But the altar is a place of consecration and it is where we meet God, declaring anew our faith in, and love for, Him. A place where we confess our sins but it needn’t be a physical place or object; for most people it is in their hearts, a place of spiritual significance in the lives of every pilgrim. It’s a place where we pause in our worldly, work-a-day thoughts and prayerfully lift our spirits into His presence. So what would John have measured here?

We consecrate our lives to the worship of God, sacrificing the other less important issues on our altars. On the altar in the Old Testament Temple, a painful and final act took place – an animal was killed as part of an expression of the covenant between God and His people. The sacrifice cost something. And the worship of God in our lives today is also a costly act. It costs us our time. It may cost us financially. But above all, it costs us our independence. A pilgrim sacrifices his or her worldly and sinful ways on God’s altar, expressing our allegiance to our loving Heavenly Father. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” And amazingly, as Jesus said to His disciples in John 8:32, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Sacrificing ourselves on God’s altar frees us from a life of sin and death – true freedom indeed. We now have the freedom to do what we should, not stuck in a life enslaved to the devil’s ways.

The next task John had to do was to count the number of worshippers. Why should that matter? In our times of dwindling church congregations, we try and rationalise events by saying it is all about quality not quantity. But deep down we mourn the loss of our friends who move on to, at best, another church, or, as so many do, fall away from the faith into more secular activities. So why count the worshippers? Perhaps God is asking John to make sure that no-one is missing. I’m reminded of Jesus’s parable about the Lost Sheep, where He diligently searched for the one that was lost. It is reassuring to know that God wants no-one to be missed when it is the Time of the End.

Finally in these two verses, John is told not to bother with the outer courtyard. When thinking of this, I pictured a place full of spiritual tourists, people with no idea of who God is and with no appreciation of the awesomeness and majesty of God. On a recent visit to Salisbury Cathedral, I was touched spiritually when a member of the cathedral’s clergy asked everyone to be respectful while he offered up the morning prayers to God, joining in if they wished. But sadly, most ignored the moment, instead continuing to wander around chatting and commenting on the artefacts on display. They were the tramplers, visitors to the outer courtyards of the Church, and John was told the trampling would continue to do so for forty two months, three and a half years. The mention of the trampling of the Holy City was perhaps a reference to the verses from the prophet Daniel. We read in Daniel 7:25, “He will defy the Most High and oppress the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time“. And Daniel 12:7, “The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”” Perhaps God’s people were to be persecuted for forty two months by the Gentiles, the unbelievers, present on the periphery of the Church. 

At a time like this, having read of such events, we pilgrims can only shudder, fascinated yet appalled by the implication behind John’s vision. And we do what the Psalmists did. We pour out our concerns before God. I turned to Psalm 7 this morning and read, “I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me! God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭7:1, 10, 17). A couple of pages further on we read, “But the Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness. The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭9:7-10). The Psalms are full of the musings and cries, the prayers and praises, of pilgrims just like us. God’s love just pours from every page, an unstoppable tide of His grace and mercy. And we can’t leave this moment without reading Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” And somehow, as we put our future in God’s hands, we receive the strength we need. 

Dear Lord God. We once again express our gratitude that You are our loving Heavenly Father, who cares for us. Amen.

Singing in Heaven

Posted on by korgrocker

“And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.””
Revelation‬ ‭7:11-12‬ ‭NLT

If we had ever hoped to find a quiet and peaceful place in Heaven, when we get there, then we are going to be disappointed. Earlier in this chapter, we heard a “great roar” from a crowd too numerous to mention, making a shout of declaration about God’s salvation. And then in chapter five there was a new song being sung, the twenty four elders and the four living beings singing the verse, millions of angels singing the chorus, and then every living creature, on earth, under the earth and in the seas, making a tuneful contribution to the song for the bridge part. Well, here we are with another song being sung, and the lyrics are, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Once again it is the twenty four elders and the four living beings who are singing, prostrated before God’s throne in adoration and worship. Heaven will be full of song, full of shouting, full of praise and worship to God, and full of much God-focused life. Not a quiet place for the dead at all.

How does that make us pilgrims feel? Challenged perhaps? Worried about having to take part? Unable to get our minds around what a different life with God in Heaven will be like? Do we have unrealistic expectations?  Perhaps there are golfers amongst us who expect Heaven to be full of wonderful golf courses, with perfect greens. Or musicians who expect to find Heavenly orchestras, playing with skills out of this world. Or physicists who are looking forward to answers to their unsolved problems and unanswered questions. Or ministers expecting to preach even longer sermons. But none of these worldly views or expectations feature in John’s vision. All he could see was an environment of totally God-focused worship and praise. There will be no room for anything else.

We of course do not know what we will find in Heaven but we do know who lives there. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the mighty and merciful God. He sent His Son, Jesus, to show us the way and invite us to spend an eternity with Him. When we look around us and see how wonderfully He has made us and the earth in which we live, and realise that, through Adam’s sin, this is a world under a curse, populated by sinful people, and then we turn our eyes to what Heaven must be like, totally untainted and just as God designed it, I know it’s going to be a wonderful place to be. So let’s fix our eyes on our Heavenly home, just over the horizons of our consciousnesses, and start to flex our praise and worship muscles so we’re ready and raring to go when the time comes.

Father God. You are worthy of our praise and worship, unrestrained from every part of our beings. Please bring a touch of Heaven to this sin-laden world, and increase our knowledge of who You are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.