Elections in Sweden

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There will be elections here in Sweden in a few days. Much of the nation is caught up with it as seemingly fundamental changes are in motion here, as they are across Europe and in the USA as well. Answers and explanations that were taken as givens for generations in Sweden, and in other countries in Europe, are now being seen to no longer be sufficient for these times. Political parties that dominated the landscape for decades are crumbling or in disarray and new movements and forces seem to have better answers and explanations for the challenges that have arisen in recent times.

And of course, if you’re reading this in the States, this can all sound familiar. For the last 100 years in America, the only two political choices have been “Democrats” and “Republicans”. But what do those words mean now? And the same kinds of questions without answers are on the minds of people here in Sweden and in Europe. “Left”? “Right”? “Neo-Nazi”? “Feminist”? “Social Democrat”? “Conservative”? “Liberal”? For very many, those words are much more fudged and hazy than they’ve almost ever been before.

Bob Dylan once sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” But I think that, in these times, many folks would be more than glad to find a competent and prescient “weatherman”, someone to make sense of these times, to rise above the petty and false in order to bring order out of chaos and wise explanations that ring true and break things down to simple clarity.

I’m personally trying to find clarity, through prayer and God’s Word, but also from competent, objective commentators in media sources worldwide. But it does look strongly like a storm is upon many nations , “the sea and the waves roaring and men’s hearts failing them for fear of those things which shall come to pass.” (Luke 21:25 & 26)

Confusion mixed with fear is a horrible thing. Of course those here in Sweden, as well as those in most of the rest of Europe and in North America, know virtually nothing of fear and confusion compared to the ones I met on the Turkish-Syrian border now almost 4 years ago, in Reyhanli. Friends I spoke to there had had barrel bombs dropped on their house and so had fled their country, as have millions of Syrians in these last years. We, the blessed in the West, have known no war in our lands since before I was born after World War II.

But still, there is much confusion in these times, and fear. The United States is now said to be more divided politically than at any time since the Civil War that took place between 1860 and 1865. I’ve sat in adult Sunday school classes in Texas where the discussion was on ways to openly, militarily defy and oppose in armed combat the United States government. There’s an underlying tension that has become the order of the day in America now. No one really knows where things will go and how things will develop between the increasingly strident extremes of Left and Right, Progressive and Conservative.

For me, the greatest call of allegiance in my heart is to Jesus Christ and His coming Kingdom on earth. That’s my sheet anchor of truth, morals, ethics and priorities. And some would say then that of course that means that you must fully put yourself down on the side of Right wing American political forces. You must be at the forefront of the cultural battle that rages and even be willing to “take up arms to take back our nation.”

But I’m not. Right wing American politics is just as laden with sin as is the Left. Different sins, certainly; but the quantity is about equal. So I don’t believe political activity is what Jesus Christ is leading me to do. Sometimes the very best any of us can do is just to “be still and know that I am God”, as the Lord told David in Psalm 46:10. If we do enter into unprecedented times, if some kind of social upheaval takes place in American or even other countries in the next months or years, my personal opinion is that the best thing I can do is to “dwell in the secret place of the most high” and “abide under the shadow of the almighty”. (Psalm 91:1) If a state of siege or martial law sweeps these lands, more than ever people will need friends to show them that there’s a greater stability and verifiable truth in the eternal God of Abraham and in His risen Son, Jesus of Nazareth. “Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.” (Romans 5:20)  “God is not the author of confusion but of peace.” (I Corinthians 14:33)

These are confusing, troubling, changing times and so much that seemed to be foundational is now found to be shaking or already destroyed. All the more then should each person cling to the greater truths of the Bible that says, “When my spirit is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is greater than I.” (Psalm 61:2) “God is our refugee and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” (Psalm 46:1 & 2)

Kicking against the pricks

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Some people’s heads are bloody but unbowed. They resist to the bitter end and even think they’re doing the right thing. But they may find out they’ve resisted the loving pleading and entreaties of God Himself. Yes, that can happen and does happen; sadly all too often.

God doesn’t usually override human will. He waits for us to be humbled and to recognize His hand in our lives. But there are oodles of folks who will just have none of it. For me, it took the experience of near death and hell to get me desperate enough and shook up enough to choose God. But that’s not even totally accurate because the Lord made it easy in some ways, allowing Satan himself to come and claim my soul, which was rightfully his at that time.

But once I realized that there was a Satan, it was almost like a clue that there must then be “the other one”, God Himself and I called out to Him to keep me from being carried off by Satan to my eternal damnation. And it may be like that for many people, perhaps not as dramatic and drastic as it was necessary for me but still, nevertheless, the Lord often has to draw the line and bring people to a decision, often even a final decision, before they will turn to Him.

As He said all the way back in Genesis 6:3, “My Spirit will not always strive with man.” Or again it’s like in Proverbs 29:1, “He that, being often reproved and hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed.” God never does anything quickly, except judgment. And “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31) Whew, it’s a shake-up just even remembering those verses and writing them down.

But it’s the almost universal nature of every person to be stubborn, cock-sure, obstinate and defiant. Maybe some are less so than others. And maybe you even think that kind of attitude can actually be an asset and an advantage in some situations. But it’s not that way in our relationship with God.

God told Isaiah, “If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.” (Isaiah 1:19 & 20) Willing and obedient. That should be our nature in our relationship with God. But, oh, how often He has to put up with us for so long and sadly rather work us over oftentimes before we learn to humble ourselves before Him.

Actually, when you think about it, it may not be that He “works us over” more than that He just lets us stew in our on juice. He lets us partake of the fruit of our own ways until we come to our senses and realize that we are deeply wrong to insist on our own will, while rejecting and ignoring His. Like the Prodigal Son, he “came to himself” in a far country, while feeding pigs. (Luke 15:17) That’s kind of a funny way of expressing it. Nowadays people say “the lights came on” or, if not, “he just didn’t get it.”

They say, “It takes an impossible situation for God to do a miracle.” And the reality is, each of us is an impossible situation. The Bible says to the believers, “Sin shall not have dominion over you…” (Romans 6:14) But for the unbelievers, the unsaved, the defiant and the vast multitude who continue to “kick against the pricks”, sin does have dominion over them.

Actually, if you don’t watch out (and if I don’t watch out) this can all end up rather depressing. You can get exasperated at how much some people defy the will and love of God. Or you can get exasperated at yourself for how many times you fall into some “besetting sin” (Hebrews 12:1). Like Paul so famously said, “The good that I would, I do not. But the evil that I would not, that I do. Oh wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me?!” (Romans 7:15 & 24)

But it was the grace of God that Paul could even see his condition and pray that prayer since he himself was the one the Lord originally said those words to, “It is hard for you to kick against the pricks.” It shows God can bring us out of our defiance and unbelief, our obstinacy, rebellion and darkness. But Paul had made progress, he had “seen the light” and turned, repented and started down the path of life that was God’s plan for him.

It’s sometimes hard to hold out in prayer and faith for loved ones who remain defiant towards the Love of God. It’s also hard to struggle with some elements of our own personality and areas of our lives which somehow remain unconquered by the power and love of God. The solution? Hold on, for others and for ourselves. Keep on believing , keep on looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Only He can do it, He’s our only hope.

 

 

“Kiss the crucifix!”

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My Bulgarian friends know a high school student who told them he always wears a crucifix because he’s not ashamed of his faith. But also he sometimes holds out his crucifix to Muslim high school students and tells them, “Kiss the crucifix!” And he told my friends, if those people don’t kiss the crucifix, he pulls his knife on them!

I had such a mixed set of emotions when I heard of this. And it all has really stuck with me. For one, I sort of admire any young man who’s not ashamed of his faith in these so bedarkened days in Europe. In some places it’s even illegal to wear a crucifix anymore in this part of the world. But this young man is evidently bold and unashamed of being a Christian. God bless him for that.

However, many of us would draw back at some of the steps he’s taking to spread the faith. Religious coercion has a long sad history, both the Christian and the Muslim kind, and it’s certainly not the way Jesus taught His followers to win people to God’s ways. In fact, when you sort of take it apart, what this dear young man has been doing reminds me of the verse that says, “They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” (Romans 10:2)

My impression, when knowing a little of the background, is that this young man is trying to do what he feels is right. And there probably is some sincerity in his efforts to win his Muslim classmates to faith in Christ. But also, most of us know that kissing a crucifix isn’t going to save your soul. And pulling a knife on those who won’t kiss the crucifix isn’t going to compel them to receive the truth and love that Jesus shared.

But all this really did get me thinking. It’s like the verse I’ve shared a few times, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) Did this young man really think that getting his Muslim classmates to kiss his crucifix was going to save their souls? My sad guess is that the young man himself probably has only a faint concept of salvation in Christ and even less an idea of how to win the lost to Him.

Last Sunday I was speaking to the church here that I’ve spoken in a few times before when I’ve visited Bulgaria. The story of this young man caused me to wonder how much folks actually understand what it means to be saved and to become a “new creature in Christ” (II Corinthians 5:17). So I spoke to the ones on Sunday about this local young man’s attempts to compel his non-Christian classmates to become Christians by this outward act of kissing a crucifix. And we went over such basic verses about salvation as Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, and your house.”

I mentioned to the ones here that it was the wise witnessing of some teenagers nearly 50 years ago who showed me from the Bible the plan of salvation. I just can’t get it off my mind that this Bulgarian teenager here was, in his quirky way, trying to stand up for Jesus and even win others to the Lord. And yet he was so uninformed about how to go about it that probably little if any good was done. And perhaps it even offended and stumbled those who he evidently compelled to kiss the cross around his neck.

My, oh my, how much sound and basic teaching is needed about such crucial, fundamental subjects as salvation itself and how to share the truths of God with others. Jesus even said, “Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be full.” (Luke 14:23)  But we can be certain that Jesus never meant us to use the threat of violence to compel souls to receive the Lord. And the Lord didn’t push outward rituals like kissing a cross to be a substitute for opening our hearts to Him and His truth in order to receive the saving power of His grace.

It all reminds me of a haunting series of verses that often came to my mind back when I was a young Christian, from Amos 8:11-13. “Behold the days come says the Lord that I will send a famine in the land. Not a famine of bread or a thirst for water but of hearing the word of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.”

How heartbreaking that is and it’s not just something that happened in the time of Amos. So many today die without a knowledge of God or instruction in His ways. Do you know the basics of salvation and how to share it with others? Are you feeding His sheep and pouring out the spiritual riches you have with ones who have so little and are hungering and thirsting after righteousness? May God help and have mercy on us all.

“He gave good heed”

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I heard someone say, “You have to see God!” Equally, you’ve got to hear God. That’s what that verse means, “He gave good heed” (Ecc. 12:9), he was conscientious at hearing God’s voice. Sometimes it’s not even a voice; it’s a nudge or almost a breeze. But your life, your future and your destiny can totally depend on whether you “give good heed”.

Often things are really simple. This world may seem complicated but the most important stuff is simple. Solomon knew this when he advised, “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) Such a vital, important nugget from God’s Word, I wrote a blog article about keeping your heart which can be found here.

But it may not seem simple. You can wonder how you can get on board with all this. Where do I start? How can you “hear from God”? How can you “see God”? It does come back to your heart, your desires, your values. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Mat. 5:6) Do you have a heart that hungers for truth, for righteousness, for love, for the things of God? Well, God Himself is not unaware of your desires.

A verse that’s always encouraged me in this is, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect…” (II Chronicles 16:9) God sees your heart and innermost thoughts, even when you don’t even believe in God or know He’s there. And, like what certainly happened in my life, He is doing what He can to bring you to Him and to give you the desires of your heart, even while you may be inadvertently resisting the drawing of His Spirit working to win and help you.

The whole amazing subject of Salvation is so enormous in itself, how God’s brings us to call out to Him and His Son for the first time, often when we’ve been dwelling in such extreme spiritual darkness and rebellion for so long. That’s what happened to me, like the verse says, He “delivers from the lowest hell.” (Psalm 86:13)

But that’s not at all the end. It’s a magnificent beginning and perhaps the greatest beginning but it’s not supposed to be the end. Like Jesus said to one crippled man, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” (John 5:8). Sadly for some, if not many, they never really get to that “walk” part. They never really get going with following God. They don’t “take heed” first and then obey after that. So they miss so very much, even in this present life, of all that God could do for them and with them and through them.

But like I said, it all boils down to really simple stuff. This morning I was reviewing some of the Bible verses I’ve memorized over the years and I came to the ones where this verse about “giving good heed” comes from. They are very meaningful to me and I wrote a blog article on these which was very personal, called “Still”.

It’s personal to me because I think it was personal to Solomon when he wrote it. I feel it may be a personal word from Solomon himself about his life and how it had gone. Solomon says, speaking of himself that the Preacher “still taught the people wisdom. He set in order many proverbs.” (Ecc. 12:9) Solomon, in his great wisdom, probably knew that things had really taken a turn for the worse in the kingdom of Israel. But he says that “he still taught the people wisdom”, even though times were not as they had been before.

But Solomon also says in these same passages, “Yea, he gave good heed” which is a way of saying that he himself still made a real effort to hear from God and then to write it down and pass it on. He heard from God. He tried to keep his heart, even in spite of some grievous sins in his life. And God was still speaking to Him. Solomon hadn’t given up on God and God hadn’t given up on him.

And that right there may be some of the most basic, fundamental lessons of life that we can find. We have to hear from God. We have to, in a sense, see God. Jesus even said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) And of course it follows, we have to obey God. Peter the apostle famously stood up to the Pharisees of his day and said that God “gives the Holy Spirit to them that obey Him.” (Acts 5:32)

So, actually, it is all pretty simple. Life isn’t based on your technology, your university degree, your bank account or your nationality. It’s based on your heart. May God in His infinite mercy help each of us to “give good heed” to Him.

 

Impressions of Uganda

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I’m in my last couple of days in Uganda before moving on to the next place on my current trip. I’m leaving with a lot to think about and a lot to “digest”. I didn’t know the Ugandans were as spiritually hungry as they are. Actually, a number of my preconceived ideas turned out to be inaccurate.

Maybe it’s like the story of the poor man on the road to Jericho that Jesus talked about and how the Good Samaritan stopped to help him. For those of us who’ve dedicated our lives to the Lord, we of all people are compelled to help those in need. But in this case, rather surprisingly, the biggest need I’ve seen is for those who can labor to fill the immense spiritual vacuum that exists here.

My first week in Uganda I spoke to a Sunday fellowship held by my friends, to show one of the videos I’ve done on chapters in the book of Daniel and then to answer questions afterwards. It was the questions afterwards from ones here that surprised me the most. They were deep, knowledgeable, sincere and with a tinge of desperation and searching in the way they were asked. I really don’t find that so very often in my travels.

Here is a picture of me and Hassan. He was at the fellowship in Kampala where I shared my video on the book of Daniel, chapter 7 and then answered questions about the future according to the Bible’s view.

Hassan comes from an Islamic background but received Jesus about 2 years ago. He came up to me after the class with some very deep questions about salvation, is it eternal, can we lose it and what about people who’ve never heard about the Lord. His dad is Ugandan, his mother from the Congo and he came here, fleeing violent civil unrest in the Congo, a very large country to the west of Uganda. We had quite a talk which is not unusual here as so many have deep and sincere questions concerning Bible truths.

And from what I have heard from friends, this really is how it is in this country: a pervading hunger for spiritual training, particularly in the ways of the Lord and in the Word of the Lord. But you might wonder, “Yes, Mark, but how was the country? Did you see a lot of starvation, people dying of AIDS, child soldiers and overall depravation? Did you see lions, elephants and gorillas?” The answer would be no to all of those.

Well I did see monkeys when my friends and I one day visited the source of the Nile River near Jinja, to the east of Kampala. I’ll share a picture from that, right at the point where Lake Victoria pours in to the beginning of the Nile which then flows 4,250 miles to the Mediterranean Sea. I’m standing on a tiny island where that sign is. To the right is Lake Victoria and to the left is the beginning of the Nile River.

Uganda may have a reputation left over from over 30 years ago of a nation racked by AIDS. That’s now the distant past. It’s actually doing pretty good within the context of central and east Africa and I did notice the stability and economic growth that is going on. But also I noticed the tranquility of the people. In being here two weeks, I can’t remember one moment when I saw anyone anywhere fighting or even arguing with each other. I certainly cannot say that of a number of countries I’ve been in in the past but I won’t mention names here.

A little like how it was when I was in Northern Ireland last year, there is a very strong element of Christianity in Uganda that has soaked into the fiber of the country and knowing and loving the Lord is close to the norm. I don’t know if it would be right to say it’s a missionary’s paradise. But I’ve been thinking how, if there is anyone reading this post who’s looking to the Lord about a place of Christian service on the mission field, I can certainly “send back a good report” from Uganda. If you’re into really getting deep and real with people through the Spirit of God, this may be what you’re looking for.

And I met an exceptionally inspired group of young people here who not only come from my hometown, Austin, Texas, but one of them goes to the church I go to. And her mom is in the Sunday school class I go to. Funny things do happen when you are serving the Lord, no? The group of 6, all in their late teens to early 20’s, have been going all over Uganda, speaking to rallys and large groups of Christian youth, calling out their generation to take up the call of discipleship and greater Christian commitment.

I‘m leaving Uganda with a couple of major projects started in the way of books and DVDs and I look forward to keeping in contact with my friends here and the work they are doing.

 

When He saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion

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It’s 6 AM at the Dubai airport and I’m among several thousand people, waiting to board their flights to the Middle East and Africa. Almost no one “looks like me”. That can be disturbing if I let it but I pretty much got over those kinds of emotions long ago. Instead, I’m struck by the vast range of humanity before me, Yemenis, Tajiks, Somalis and so much more. I wish I could get into a deep conversation with every one of them, get to know them, their lives, their hopes, their fears, their needs and their faith.

And the thought came to me of how it may have been for Jesus when He was before a vast multitude. Such a moving, significant verse from Matthew says this. “When He saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion upon them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) Jesus didn’t feel intimidated by, or alien to, the multitude, even those of distant nations and cultures. So true to His nature, He loved them; He was moved with compassion.

I’m so thankful that somehow the Lord has put in my heart a love for people, even people who are “different” from me. The heart of man is the same the world over and what everbody needs is love. On this present trip I’ve been two weeks in China and now two weeks in Lebanon and it’s been a wonderful time. It’s been taxing physically, especially with some of these overnight flights. But it’s been tremendously rewarding and encouraging to see how much the Lord has been answering prayer and doing basically miracles to bless my activities in these times.

Twice on this trip I’ve seen the Lord raise up out of nowhere exactly the right person to work with me on these recordings I’m doing in foreign languages of the Prophecies of Daniel videos. First in China and then in Lebanon the Lord brought me in contact with men I never met before who were so perfectly what was needed to be the Chinese and Arabic voices for the videos. Men who not only spoke their native language but also were equally proficient in English and who had a real heart to go the extra mile and do all they could to work with me on the recordings. I don’t take this kind of thing for granted at all. It was the hand of God bringing me in contact with these ones. And again it goes back to the love of God, His love and desire to have us “feed His sheep”.

So often it’s true what the Word says, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”. (Hosea 4:6) They just don’t know. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not heard and how they shall hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14) I’ve had times where I have been in a crowd like this and I had a stack of gospel tracts. So I’d go about passing out those, at times by the thousand. I wrote about one experience like that that happened a few years ago on the Macedonian/Serbian border. Or when I was in a refugee camp in Berlin not so long ago.

In more recent times, the Lord has made a way for me to reach multitudes by posting my videos on YouTube and Facebook and I’ve had some extremely encouraging responses from some obscure places from people who’ve been able to view the classes on the book of Daniel.

But it’s easy to think, “What can any of us possibly do when the world is so big, there are billions of people and we’re just tiny little insignificant individuals?” It is a daunting thought and it can be discouraging if we let it get a hold of us. But it’s just not a thought from the Lord. We are called to do what we can. And actually we can do a lot if we let the Lord lead us and guide us.

Like the verse says, “the love of Christ constrains us” (II Corinthians 5:14) , that’s how it should be. We should be moved with compassion like Jesus was and is. Sadly, when confronted by the peoples of the world, many Christians are not moved with compassion. They are moved with nationalism or racism which results in various forms of hatred. It so greaves me when I hear words of hatred from fellow Christians when foreign nations and peoples are mentioned. It’s so contrary to the love of God that Jesus showed and that lived so strongly in the early Church.

Well, my flight is leaving soon. I’m off to a country I’ve never been to before, with people who don’t look like me. But there’s a tremendous spiritual vacuum there, a spiritual hunger for the things of the Lord and the Lord wants me to go there and to be an instrument of His peace.

It’s a wonderful life. It’s a little tough on the flesh at times but it’s extremely rewarding in the things of the heart.

Seeing China

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I’ve been in China, my first time in this part of the world. Of course there’s a lot to see but then also I didn’t really come here to see the tourist sites. For people of faith, there’s just an extra dimension or two when traveling and often I end up getting so much more out of deep interaction with the people of a country I’ve never been in, rather than looking at the buildings.

That’s how it’s been here. I’ve met some really interesting people, ones who share my faith and that’s made it easier to talk about more than politics, money or the things that so often clutter our conversations.

But of course this is a very interesting place, there’s no denying that. I don’t know if China is taking over the world but certainly they’ve done some incredible things in the last decades in places like Africa, doing huge, monumental infrastructure projects in African countries to build roads and railroad lines where, in some places, there was very little before. China is a nation of nearly 1.4 billion people and this city of Beijing is about 22 million.

Like I was writing to some friends back in the States, the heart of man is pretty much the same the world over. People have hopes, fears, dreams, ambitions and, yes, sins that are often the same from one part of the world to the other. The food may be different, here at least the language is really different from what I’ve known before and the historic background of the nation is certainly different. But I’ve met people here who I’ve talked with for hours, people who’ve helped me in the things I came here to do, folks who share the same vision and goals as me and with whom I could talk deeply about the things of the Lord.

Maybe I’m just different but to me that’s more satisfying than seeing some famous site or going shopping. It’s like the Bible verses that say, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things that are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal but the things that are not seen are eternal”. (II Corinthians 4:18) For me, to have that connection with someone who’s background is so different from mine but still there’s that meaningful bond that’s possible between the people of faith around the world is just a priceless blessing. And I’ve certainly experienced that here.

But also I could tell you a little of what I’ve seen while I’ve been in China. Although it’s totally different, it’s also a little like parts of eastern Europe. It’s still easy to see structures that were built during the many decades that a strong Communist system was in full control here. There’s an architecture associated with this and I’ve seen it here the same way I’ve seen it in Russia, Poland, Bulgaria and other places. And in contrast, there are really plush shopping malls now everywhere here, again the same as can be seen across the former Communist countries of Europe.

There’s evidently very little crime in the part of Beijing where I am. My friends tell me there just isn’t much in the way of break-ins or robbery. I first used Uber about a month ago in the States and that’s very prevalent here, but a different company. There are very large building projects going up everywhere, very wide streets and boulevards, a new airport, lots of electric vehicles, and huge projects to build high rise apartments which are what most folks live in, like in Moscow. One impression I’ve come away with: they really like to do things big here and they are pretty good at it too.

And, all in all, the atmosphere is far less tense than I thought it might be. Also, although there is a strong police side to things, there’s also a lot of freedom. Which reminds me of something I wanted to tell you about when I thought of writing this.

When I was 24 years old, living in London, I had a very strong dream about China which woke me up and has stuck with me over the years.

In the dream I was in some kind of tropical place, working through the undergrowth. But then I came out to a clearing and before me was China; Canton, China in fact. It seemed like it was spring and there were these happy, lighthearted Chinese young people coming down this hill towards me. They seemed to be people of faith and there was a palatable spirit of joy and freedom that they carried.

It all shocked me so much that I woke up. At that time it was still very much the strictest of Communist times here and the spirit in this part of the world was not at all like I’d been seeing in my dream. So I wondered, “Does this mean I will be going to China?” “Where is Canton?” I found out it’s just across from Hong Kong and I was in Hong Kong for a week on this trip, just before coming to Beijing.

But most of all I wondered, “Could it really be like that in the future in China, that there would be an airy freedom with young people of faith enjoying their liberty in the Lord?” Back when I had that dream, it really seemed an impossibility. But, strangely but truly, I’m in China, I flew over Canton and “Today is the tomorrow you dreamed of yesterday”.

Certainly in the spirit there is more freedom here than there was in the past and there is a rapidly growing number of believers in God in this part of the world who have a strong desire for the deep things of the Lord. I’m most richly blessed to be here and my time here has gone well.

 

His banished be not expelled from Him

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Sometimes the ways of the Lord are strange to us, but they’re not past finding out. And His power and incredibly undeserved mercy is one of the amazing things about Him. King David said, “Whether shall I go from Your Spirit or whether shall I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7 & 8) But, you ask, what about the rebellious? What about those who’ve turned away from Him in heart and mind? Is there hope for them?

My personal experience is that there is hope for ones like that. Because that was how I was. But then the Lord reached down and “delivered me from the lowest hell.” (Pslam 86:13) There’s the story told of Napoleon who had sentenced a young deserter to be shot for deserting a second time. His mother pled for mercy for her son from the Emperor of France. “He doesn’t deserve mercy,” Napoleon told her. “Sir, if he deserved it, it wouldn’t be mercy,” the distraught mother said.

And what truth there is in that. Mercy is not something we deserve, it is unmerited grace and forgiveness from a greater power. In our lives we find it from God and from Jesus. And that’s almost certainly what so many of us hope for when we think of the lives of our loved ones, some of whom are so very far away from the path of life and truth that they perhaps once walked on. How can it be possible that they can ever come back to the love of God and the life of God some of them once had?

Many of us know of the story Jesus told of the “prodigal son”, the classic story of a “backslidden” son who finally “came to himself”, repented of his foolish ways and returned to his father. It’s all such a timeless story of contrition, “godly sorrow that works repentance to salvation.” (II Corinthians 7:10)

But how does that happen? How does someone “come to himself” (Luke 15:17), as Jesus described what happened to the prodigal son? One thing we know from elsewhere in Jesus’ words is what He said about how anyone comes to Him, “No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him.” (John 6:44) Jesus also said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” So there’s this abiding event that is going on in our lives today: God’s Spirit drawing men to the truth, to the light and reality of the salvation that is in Jesus.

And yet we know that many, in fact probably all of us at one time or the other, have resisted the drawing of the Holy Spirit, some much more than others. “Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts,” (Psalm 95:7 & 8) King David said. But so many do harden their hearts and resist the loving appeal of the Spirit of God. And basically God gives us the majesty of choice and will not overrule our will. So how do any of us ever get rescued from our own evil hearts and darkened understanding? Like Paul once said, “Oh wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24)

In thinking about these things today, I was reminded of an obscure story in the Old Testament that touches on this subject. One of King David’s sons had been banished by the king but David’s heart yearned to be restored to him. It’s a long story but the highlight of it all came when a wise woman in Israel was sent by David’s general, Joab, to appeal to the king about the matter. She said this to him in trying to find a way for David’s son to find grace in the eyes of his father. “For we must all die, and are as water spilt on the ground  … nevertheless the Lord devises ways that His banished be not expelled from Him.” (II Samuel 14:14)

That’s the essence of it all. God in His mighty, infinite love and mercy “devises ways that His banished [all of us] be not expelled from Him.” Don’t ever discount the mighty miracle working power of God. He is somehow able to reach into the heart of the most hardened prodigal son or daughter, to bring them to contrition and repentance, to grant in their hearts the miracle of remorse and the realization of their often mighty wrongdoings.

He devises ways that His banished be not expelled from Him. That verse brought hope again to my heart this morning as I thought about some dear loved ones who’ve continued for years to “walk in the council of the ungodly and sit in the seat of the scornful.” (Psalm 1:1) But “if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.” (I John 3:20) Even when we were dead in sins, Christ died for us. And some are dead in their sins right now but still the Lord is working “behind the scenes” as the author and finisher of our faith to draw hardened prodigal sons and daughters back to Himself and the paths of life.

It was said of Jesus, “a bruised reed He shall not break and smoking flax He shall not quench.” (Matthew 12:20) Some folks hardly even seem to be that. But in the infinitely merciful eyes of God, He sees an ember still there and has hope for the lost and rebellious when they seem past hope to us. These thoughts comforted my heart this morning when the outlook has continued to be bleak for some folks I love. It all really has to just be the Lord. “With man it is impossible. But not with God. For with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 10:27)

 

To Build and to Plant

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It’s easier to be a prophet of doom than a healer of wounds and a feeder of sheep. Sometimes it’s easy to see what’s wrong. But it’s often not easy to find a true solution, to champion genuine improvement and righteous progress. But without solutions, all our exposing of the darkness is mostly in vain.

At the beginning of the Jeremiah’s ministry, God spoke such mighty and eternal words to him, to define his future ministry. God said to Jeremiah, “See, I have set you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, to pull down, to destroy, to throw down; to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10) What deep truth, what supernatural balance. God didn’t tell Jeremiah to just expose the evil, He also told him to “build and to plant”. To show and manifest what was good, right and Godly, not just expose the darkness.

My gosh, how that part is so often missed by most everyone in our times. It can be a weariness to hear all the shrill voices, pointing out (often rightly) what’s wrong and unjust in this present world. There are multitudes who are keen to “root out, pull down and destroy” but very few who are building and planting , few who have genuine, viable, functional solutions to the problems they see.

It’s almost “just not done” to be positive, creative proponents of righteous solutions to the ills that have beset so much of the world we’re in. But if you’ve abandoned the fact that there can be solutions, if you’ve abandoned hope in real truth, genuine betterment of yourself and mankind, then your general tune will be pretty forlorn, as so many are.

“Deconstruction” is the order of the day for most of those of an intellectual bent. Well, pardon me but to hell with that. When does the construction start? Let’s hear about those who are out there fixing things, making a better world, fighting for equal justice for all and trumpeting truth, starting with God’s truth.

All my life I’ve felt there was something wrong with just being negative about something if you don’t have an answer or solution. So instead of joining in the cacophony of voices which point out all the wrong in this world, I’d much rather hear about something that’s the answer. Who’s found a solution? Who’s pointing society to truly higher ground?

I’m so very thankful for the life I’ve had of Christian service and discipleship. So often, love itself is the answer to so many problems in this world, big or small. And living a life of, not just believing in Jesus, but endeavoring to serve the Lord and be His instrument of peace to people everywhere has been a rich reward in itself for me.

How well Jesus summed up the whole subject when he spoke of those “building their house on the sand” as opposed to those who “build their house on the rock.” Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be like unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

We’re to not only expose and throw down the evil of this world; we are to do like God commanded Jeremiah, “to build and to plant”. Jesus didn’t just say, “Woe unto you scribbles, Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:14) He also said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) He said, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15) So it is possible to build and to plant. There are solutions, even practical ones to the intricate, multifaceted complexities we face today.

And you might think I’m talking about doing what I have done, being a Christian missionary and at times doing social service work. I’m not. I have great respect for some I know who are putting their life on the line, often at the ends of the earth, to minister to the sick or help build infrastructure in underdeveloped areas. One time at about the utmost distance I’ve gone in my travels for the Lord, I met some dear people from “Doctors without Borders.” I was incredibly impressed by their bravery, dedication and selflessness to go where very few dared and to have genuine pragmatic concern for folks caught up in the Asian tsunami crisis of 2004.

So there are some who are building and planting, some who are laying down their lives for their fellow man. But I just wish there were more, perhaps especially among those in governments of the world at this time which seem so adrift and clueless. Are you building and planting? Or just pointing out all that’s wrong? May God help us all, and especially any in leadership of our nations, to effectively, vehemently build and plant.

The gospel of John

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If you’re new to believing in Jesus, there can be a lot that’s hard to understand. Maybe you’ve come to know that there really is something to it all and that Jesus was not just a great teacher. But probably there’s just a lot that you don’t understand. If that’s you, don’t worry about it. That’s how it is for basically anyone who’s come out of unbelief and is entering into faith in God and in Jesus.

Maybe the whole thing about the Bible is kind of strange to you too. Perhaps you’ve read a lot of books and are fairly intelligent. So you might find it disturbing how much emphasis is put on just that one book and also it was finished nearly 2000 years ago. On the other hand, possibly you’ve already experienced that what’s written in the Bible effects you very differently from philosophy books or science lectures.

For me at least, the words in the Bible so incredibly boiled complicated things down to very simple but profoundly deep truths. Also, sometimes it can seem like some things in the Bible can almost jump off the page and speak to the deepest parts of your brain and emotions.

That’s how it was for me and I’d just never experienced anything like that. After I came to faith in God and later in Jesus, I found that the truths I was finding in the Bible were more life-giving and truth-giving than anything I’d ever known before. But also I made a big mistake that probably a lot of people make. I figured the Bible is pretty much a normal book and so I figured that, like every other book, the only place to start is at the beginning. Well, that’s better than nothing but actually it’s probably not really the best.

Here’s why. The Bible is actually not just one book like it seems to be but it’s 66 books, written over a period of around 1600 years. I won’t go into all the details here, that’s a fascinating class in itself. But if you’re new in the Lord, new to faith and to the things of Jesus, I can tell you the best place to start in the Bible. Go to the gospel of John and read it.

And of course you’re going to ask why I say that. The reason is that, of all that’s in the Bible, the simple words of Jesus are the easiest to understand. He was talking to all kinds of people and He often really broke things down to the simplest language, many times using little stories and parables to help people understand deep truths. While it’s perhaps more satisfying to our ego to feel we’re intellectual giants because we’ve immersed ourselves in Plato or Voltaire, those guys can never really have the full ring of truth that Jesus did when He was here on earth.

And, of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the gospel of John has more of the words of Jesus than any of the others. In fact, it has what’s considered the most famous and important verse in the entire bible, John 3:16. Here’s what that says. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” It’s been said that John 3:16 more completely encapsulates the essence of the Bible than any other verse.

So if you’re looking for where to start in the Bible, or you know someone who’s in that situation, I suggest you share this thought with them. Don’t let them bogged down in the “begats”. That’s what happened to me. I started at Genesis (which actually I found interesting) but before long I was trudging through things like “And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.  And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah, and Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba … (etc.) All this is from I Chronicles chapter 1 and it’s just not what you need at the beginning of your life of faith.

But the book of John is just fascinating. So much of it really talks about the realities of the eternal life Jesus said He came to give us. Here’s just one little example of the words of Jesus in the book of John, from the many I could choose from. “Truly, I say unto you, he that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life. Truly, truly, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live.The-truth For as the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the Son to have life in himself.” (John 5:24-26)

We all need this. But perhaps especially those who are new to the things of God and Jesus need to have almost like a daily diet of healthy, wholesome feeding truth from the Bible to strengthen their faith and to build it up to be what we need to live with the mind and vision we need in this present evil world. God bless you as you feed and study the basics of God’s Word!