"Can lives change ?"

Dr. Marc S. Blackwell, Sr

Learning to change and changing to learn 

are both essential features of genuine progress. 

Life-long Learning. Learning to Change, for the individual means a commitment to deal with life’s situations in a framework of increased personal responsibility or accountability.  As a concept, Learning to Change is an approach toward gaining knowledge that develops through identifiable processes. Learning how these processes operate are invaluable lessons, and life-long in nature.

Education: Such life-long learning calls for clear rejection of the idea that an individual would attend  undergraduate or graduate level education as his or her “preparation” toward life or toward a career.  Such “education” is rather accepted as necessary for gaining some of the basic tools needed for a life of learning and changing and hopefully growing.

Change is hard! Dr. Jay Adams responds to the subject of change by pointing out that: “Biblical change is the goal ... but change is hard ... One of the major reasons why Christians founder and fail is because they are either unwilling to make changes or do not know how to make the changes that God requires of them in order to meet the vicissitudes of life. ... Counselors must help the counselee to refocus from the past to its effects upon the present. ... The past can be dealt with only in the present by forgiveness, rectification, reconciliation, and other changes that must be made today. ... to call for repentance, which is a call for change—a change of mind leading to a change of life.

 Natural accountability. For adults this means the individual will learn more effectively when they are responsible for, or at least involved in, setting the goals and planning the process. For this reason learning is usually more effective when that learning takes place in the environment where the applications will be made and within a context of natural accountability. Natural accountability is learning with sincere service in mind and where hope is a real possibility. Adult learning is most effective when it is clear that the learners will face the responsibility of being the future teachers themselves.

One guaranteed feature. In our modern society, the inevitability of change is the one guaranteed feature that is facing us all! Some people attempt to handle these changes by being openly inflexible or just quietly supporting the “status quo.”  Others look to an organisational or behavioral approach that relies on routine to manage or control the forces of change as best as is possible. Others yet, just bend under the slightest amount of pressure and almost seem to “accept change for the sake of change.”  None of these responses are sufficient to provide the guidance needed to carry us through the traumatic convulsions, stresses or the serious changes challenging individuals and Christian ministries today.

Responsible behavior. Dr. Jay Adams points the way when while explaining the cognitive aspects of Biblical counseling he clearly states: “ ... it is obvious that all responsible behavior has a cognitive side...I have not usually distinguished explicitly between changing one’s thinking and altering his actions ( the Bible doesn’t draw sharp lines here either)... Because scriptural counseling is (or should be directive) and most usually counsel consists in large measure of giving information and advice, by the very nature of the case, teaching must be involved.  Instruction in Christian living ... must be conceived of as consisting of more than theoretical learning, acquired by attending courses. Much learning comes only through discipleship, which involves observation, participation, discussion and critique ....

Teaching and Discipleship. Biblical counselors do not always begin with didactic instruction but often let such instruction grow out of that sort of experience that results from obedience to Christ’s commands! Just as Christ  instructed His disciples we can instruct counselees. But be aware that those who narrowly think of instruction purely in Greek academic (and abstract classroom) terms "fail to recognize that in the Bible whole persons teach whole persons, acting as whole persons." They do not merely pack (or repack) heads. Biblical teaching and instruction is done fundamentally in life situation (cf. Deut. 6:4-9; 11:18-21) and discipleship milieus. In life situations, the teaching of truth grows out of the problems of living; in discipleship, truth is incarnated in life.

Extreme types of leadership. Scripture warns and ecclesiastical history reveals that either rigid authoritarian leadership, on the one hand; or, abstract philosophical leadership, on the other hand, has generally dominated the Christian church.  Regretfully, these two extreme types of leadership offer little more than rigidity and a blindly dutiful obedience - on the one hand; or,  ill-discipline and self-centeredness on the other. Leading others to adapt, together with the goal of delegating and possibly including some sharing of decisions have generally been the focus of the church’s goal in teaching.  

Not many years back I attended a large gathering of pastors where the two above mentioned extremes were still evident. On the one hand we had the host group, an “evangelical” denomination that is committed to hierarchical leadership structures, and to tradition to the extreme.  Then, on the other hand, we were privileged to listen to a truly gifted speaker and a strong independent church leader seriously committed to an “executive body” leadership style. It was especially interesting to see that both had one thing in common, it was their mutual disrespect or fear of  democratic methods of church organisation and administration.

Although the well-tried hierarchical and the often accepted “executive body” approaches of leadership may present a most persuasive argument for their usefulness, they are far less capable of translating those arguments into practice. The defense of both of these methods of leadership, like that of many corporate styles will be primarily sociological, psychological, or systems theory. In some cases the attempt at defending such leadership styles will be one of eclecticism, i.e. of mixing these various leadership and organisational styles together and then operating from a very broad base of styles.

Changing to Learn:
The Scriptures clearly relate incident after incident where the leader or Christian servant listened to others and worked within a framework of truly democratic transforming cooperative involvement.

The need is to create and sustain a climate or culture of change and useful ministries and lives willing to  learn is imperative! Many call for “accountability” but this notion prefers cooperation and team-work over any concept of accountability with its tendencies toward ‘authoritarianism’ and control. 

Ministry within a team environment is a “notion” designed to encourage this culture of (i.) personal life-long learning and (ii.) shared vision, (iii.) testing through modeling the changes under consideration, and (iv.) cooperative team-supported service that is changed only through sound ‘cause and effect’ and Biblically mandated considerations.  

NAVIGATING THROUGH LIFE'S CHAOS...

Character amidst Chaos

Navigating one's family through the rough seas of modern living is no simple task!  As rough, truly rough, as a storm off of the "Cape of Storms" - can be, it is still nothing like the ten to twenty year-long storm facing parents in raising, educating and caring for their children!

The very thought that today’s families must accept that they have to continually live in and daily experience a life of chaos deeply troubles most people. Our current lifestyle choices, tensions and pressures -- together with the insecurity related to finances, social confusion and violence have brought many families to levels of deep financial and emotional stress.  Of course we all know that chaos and uncertainty have always gone together, but our knowledge of what to expect in itself resolves nothing. 

In fact knowing we must accept uncertainty only adds to our sense of uneasiness. None of us would volunteer to live in a period of anarachy with its’ endemic uncertainty. No one asks for a chaotic set of circumstances. NO ONE WOULD CHOOSE A STORM OVER A GOOD WIND AND CLEAR SAILING! Most anyone would prefer clear direction, stability and order over the stress of uncertainty and confusion.  At least, that’s how we surely imagine we want things to be, and it is how most of us wish things would be. In fact, all of us can picture how life “ought to be” in a “normal” world.

Yet, we must be aware of the danger of having a “smallish” or “provincial” way of thinking or of developing a limited or “short-term” mindset. How we imagine life and how we picture life may be far from reality. Scrounging around for ways to excuse our lack of being proactive toward the problems of our real world simply will not do! Avoiding a commitment to finding real solutions is simply not an acceptable response. The family and church’s only acceptable response (in these times), is a “lightening fast” reaction and spirit of innovative leadership. A practical and applicable Biblical strategy is needed and it alone will work – the world has no reply or answer.

The fact that our world has and is changing at a amazing pace is really not open to argument. The paradox of life is increasing with life itself growing in complexity. Our world is now a totally mobile society. Trying to stop this mobility or resisiting this fact of life will accomplish very little. In its hyperactive state the techno-world is producing change at such a frenzied rate that any response seems outdated. Uncertainty is now the norm and the rising philosophy of Post-modernism[1] only ascerbates the belief that crisis is approaching.  

There is without doubt a type of madness afoot, and further complicating matters is the sense one gets that there is really nothing left that is truly predictable. Most Christians seem troubled by the chaos, confusion and constant change but we must not allow this uncertainty to keep us from NAVIGATING CAREFULLY ... i.e., by“thinking smart” or being truly alert and prepared. In fact, the uncertainty of our current time in history needs to be approached as an exciting - new opportunity.

For genuine Christians - as people of faith - the reality of a “sin-challenged” and constantly fluctuating world are realities that can lead us to greater opportunities for spiritual growth. (2 Cor. 4:7-12) Uncertainty in society is, for us, just another issue of our on-going pilgrimage or journey; an issue that calls for a greater measure of faith. There is far more to Christian living than just setting (and possibly successfully reaching) goals.  Success, i.e. completion with its rewards, is in itself a deceptive concept.  The life of faith is a life of pressing on towards the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus and faith never accepts that it has “arrived.”

The last few generations have been fixed on the ideas of productivity, achievement, efficiency, and – of course- success. We have promoted the idea of “arriving” at a point where we would have finally earned and achieved a deserved rest. For many, the only goal they hold for their five-day workweek is the deserved weekend rest at the beach or the holiday cottage. But rest is at its best the most illusive of dreams and at its worst, for those who’ve determined to achieve it at any cost, it will prove to be the most sick of jokes. The nature of emerging society is its many intangibles but theanswer is nothing less than collective or team involvement, creative responsiveness , and coherent vision. 

The need for a growing desire to view today’s challenges as exciting opportunities is essential. A world full of intangibles demands a detailed and differentiated response. Returning to tried, tested and traditional responses will only bog us down. The instability, unpredictability and frustration call out for new responses of increased innovation, flexibility and attention. Should we make the decision to become proactive in a truly Biblical way toward our modern society’s increasingly chaotic pace, we can expect, among other blessings, hope as a result. Genuine hope in God’s love, leading, guiding and control can remotivates the believer’s focus on others. This focus on others in turn leads us to seize the opportunities God is Providentially placing in front of us. This faith in action is absolutely necessary for the Christian who wants to go forward amidst a society going in every sort of direction.

If we are to do the will of God in these amazing and bewildering times we must consciously, and daily, if not passionately rededicate our lives to see uncertainty as a learning opportunity and not a threat! By using the term, rededicate - I should explain that I am refering to actual performance, not just empty or idle promises. By “dedication” I am refering to personally being extended, consistent, trusting, inspiring, and balanced. Such strengths are the renewing and fruit producing work of the Spirit. Sheer will power is not sufficient for these things.

To face the many intangibles of our post-modern world, sound Biblical principles need our unending attention AND FOCUS. We need to achieve a most extraordinary level of personal, family and local church responsiveness and learning. If we are to encourage spiritual champions instead of spiritual victims we must expand our commitment to learning how to change but to do so without yielding the truths, principles and values God has revealed to us through His Holy Word.

Some good individual and family NAVIGATION essentials should include: Submitting ourselves to the control of the Spirit of God through a thorough study of and obedience to the Word of God. Giving a greater commitment to listening to our family and others so we .can be more innovative in our responses to their needs. Appreciating the value of our family as a uniques and compact team that can quickly adjust and meet today’s fast-paced challenges. Learning how to work with our own family and families and groups within our church as types of “self-managed” and strategic learning partnerships. Allowing the Word of God to direct us, and guide our prayer lives in a more day to day and realistic basis..Viewing attention to others – especially to individuals - as of paramount importance! By weekly planning how our family could serve others more effectively. By giving individual ‘quality time’ for training our family members for greater service to others. By expecting and respecting the need for individuals to take spontaneous initiative in serving others and in witnessing to lost friends. By maintaining a sense of urgency about our Christian home life – yet doing so with a real commitment to maintaining our family’s order and integrity.By constantly improving and enhancing our partnership relationships in our marriage and family (and within our church friendships). By loving God, His Word and others more- this includes the lovely and unlovely, the cooperative and the difficult types as well !

Using Christlike character amidst a chaotic world is not an option but a necessity for those who follow Christ Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. By applying the truths of Christianity in an uncertain society the tension necessary for building God glorifying character traits results. Our lives and acts, together with our thoughts depend on the strengths or grace we call Christian character. The development of this Christlike character is essential for every individual believer, every Christian family and every member serving with others in a local church.

---

[1] Blackwell, Marc S., Snr., “Dialogue Motivators,” Cape Town, 1999, The Church Ministiries Institute. The central tenants of Post-modernism state that (1.) Nothing is absolutely sure. (2.) Nothing is absolutely wrong or evil. (3.) Every individual’s lifestyle deserves acceptance. (4.) One’s lifestyle choices are personal and should be interpreted on the basis of the individual’s own subjective standards. (5.) The ethical and moral aspects of our lives is simply fatalistically controlled or a matter of pure chance, thus no one must be understood as personally “guilty” or responsible by others. (6.) Our various individual, family and national cultures are ethically and morally neutral. In fact, culture needs to be understood as “free” from any real liability or accountability. 

Volvo and Creativity?

A Deserving Thought and advertisement. What do you think of this theme....
< http://www.volvocars.com/za/flashcontent/campaigns/misc/vor/Pages/VORCommand-the-extreme.aspx >

Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity...

Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity ... Allow me to share some thoughts on God's Sovereignty and Man's responsibility ... From the Word of God ... Its references to Paul's Shipwreck experince and thoughts shared by Dr. Harry A. Ironside ... One of my personal heroes of faith... "I can see Paul and Luke and Aristarchus pitching in with the sailors and the rest of the men, to help cast off the tackling of the ship. They were not afraid to do their part.
“And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away” (20).
Here we find a people who have come to the very end of their own ability. There they are in their ship, the cargo tossed overboard, the tackling gone, and absolutely hopeless of the salvation of the ship or of their own lives. But it has been said, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity,” and so here God intervenes. Beginning with verse 21 and reading on to verse 29, we have something that brings before us in a very striking way the divine sovereignty of God. This is the third section.

“But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.”

Think of that! Here is a prisoner, and he talks to the centurion and to his guard and to the master of the ship and to the sailors, and says, “You should have listened to me and let me run this ship. If you had listened to me, everything would have been all right.” He had told them that they ought not to leave a certain harbor, but they did not believe him. People do not believe God’s messengers; yet some day they are going to find out that as the servants of God tell of a fearful storm coming upon this poor world, they speak according to the Word of God. Following his rebuke, Paul says: “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer.” I like that. He does not turn to them and exclaim, “Well, it serves you right. You are getting what is coming to you.” He says, “I have been praying and, when I prayed, God answered, and now I have something to tell you that will encourage you.

‘I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you but of the ship.’
You are going to lose the ship, but you are not going to lose your lives. I can tell you beforehand that every one of you is going to be saved.” How did he know that? Because he had to do with God about it. He says,

“For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve” (23).

Oh, the dignity of that! Paul could look at these representatives of the Roman Empire who had put him in bonds, and say, “I am the servant of the most high God. I belong to Him, and I serve Him, and I am in His service even now. He sent His angel to me. You couldn’t see him. You had eyes only for the storm and the creaking timbers and the treacherous rock ahead, but I have seen the angel of the Lord.” The man of God can see things that the man of the world can never see. He can behold what the man of the world cannot behold. He says, “I saw this angel, and he said to me:

‘Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæsar’ (therefore you can’t get drowned): ‘and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.’ ”

So he says, “Now I know it is all right. God has told me that I am going to get to Rome and everybody that sails with me is going to get safely ..."

May I add ...of course this sovereign act of God was a matter of physical safety... But the issue is clear... If you are needed and committed to delivering the message of salvation to others... Your life is assured until your mission is complete. Too simple? Maybe, but then, how would you imagine purposelessness, chaos and selfishness to provide a sailor more assurance or security. It was good to be travelling with a man ... like Paul!

NAVIGATING THE "ACADEMIC SEAS."

THE NAVIGATIONAL SKILLS along with the related mathematical and astronomical capabilities of the Fourth and Third millenia B.C. has been rarely understood or appreciated. The simplistic views of Nineteenth Century Evolution and the intimidation it gathered and arrayed against Christianity ... In the name of scientific, logical and academic argument, is shocking and so very regrettable. Average Christian leaders accepted the inevitable message of philosophic evolution ... That early Old Testament records Genesis, Job and other accounts were reporting on an undeveloped tribal and nomadic society such as is found in yesterday's Camel Caravan and today's illiterate nomadic groups of Arabia. The accepted "conventional view" is that theology - the understanding and revelation regarding God was progressive. The facts of archeolocal research, investigations into historic 'Seafaring Trade' and the collective knowledge of 3500 to 1500 B.C. surely support any thinking person to have a 're-think' ... to say the least!

THE "CONVENTION OF HISTORY" and its view of the simplicity of the "Bronze Age" has blinded the average history student and most Bible students (as well) to the scientificly advanced nature of societies of the 3rd and 4th Millenniums B.C.. The generally accepted "Higher Critical" assessments by Liberal and Lower Critical views of (neo) Evangelical Academics regarding Mesopotamia's and Israel's own pre-history and early intellectual, sociological, navigation and inter-continental trade competencies is now being challenged by secular historans. The new research into the pre-Abrahamic periods focused on Genesis 5-10 unlocks that Canaan's neighbours {Africa, Uruk-Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Sumeria, Egypt, Assyria, Syria, China, India, Kerala, Spain, Crete's Minoans, plus Britain and the Americas] were not the 'rather non-evolved simplistic' societies accepted by most previous academics.

The need of our day might be that of "FINDING OUR BEARINGS" and coming to our senses regarding philosophic, cosmological, sociological and biological evolution and its claims and infurences ... I.e. 'That our world's recent surgence in intellectual development implies "evolution," rather than a devolution and only a re-surgence such as the Renaissance or the Reformation.'

In any case, THE QUESTION FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY is personal and spiritually crucial: "Are we growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ" or out of intimidation or attempts at self-defense are we submitting to the pathway of least resistance yielding to the mentally "lazy man's" temptation to reject those things that seem -- to us -- to be just too difficult or too unpopular to accept? (1Peter 3). Return to reading and prioritizing the Word of God rather than "dumbing-down" and blindly accepting the post-modern self-oriented rationalizations of our "techno age!"

Just a dingy?

The Navigation of life includes anchoring in various harbours and taking the little dingies to shore for all the small trips and details of life. I wonder if we appreciate all those that support us - back on land: those that provision us; those that care for us and those that wait for us while we are at sea?

I wonder if we can truly understand the Providence of God active in some many ways, so many acts of quiet love ... active but not always obvious - in patience, kindness goodness ! Then really, there are all the 'Fruit of the Spirit' working through our family, our church family, our co-workers, and our brothers to encourage and edify our lives! How many are found in sister and supporting churches and how very many are quietly involved in prayer .. for our well-being! So many are concerned and praying - for the blessings of grace on our families, life work and personal needs - so many that we may not even know personally?

How much of the Spirit's providential working do we ever understand. How much of His convicting work and power - that is "busy" convincing us of the truth of God's Divine Revelation, the Scriptures! This 'wind" - revealing the truth - through the workings of grace in His Word - do we really understand. How much do we see and hear of our daily lives that we truly understand? How much of what we hear, feel, see and sense do we really understand?

His Spirit so operates and so influences our inner selves, by: His comfort, His guidance, and His illumination of Scriptural Truth -- how much can we understand? Then, too, regarding our Faith, Hope and Love for Him and others - how deep is that love? May we realyy want to make the choice to understand? Can we trust Him? Do we trust Him with ourselves? His sovereign will and providential ways ... all working with and within the freedom and free-will of our lives -in Christ!

Now, how much do we understand? If you decide you have most of it figured out ... would you possibly look around again? There are the political, social and cultural influences of God in and over our world! There are God's order or control over the physical world, the world of nature and the universe!

Who can say what would be enough but maybe just a little short ride from the ship to the shore will give you enough time to reflect on the meanings of 'navigation' as a term, as a goal and as a reality?

We surely do have real and genuine responsibility in life - but how much do we really understand? God's nature, character and wisdom amaze the heart! His divine sovereignty and merciful and gracious providence founded in the work of Christ bring us to worship Him

Life's "navigation" has much to do with currents, winds and storms that we hardly recognize! "The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8

NASA - Seeing Red

NASA - Seeing Red

Navigating Family Seas: Knowing Before Going!

Navigating one's family through the 'rather daunting' Seas-of-Life calls for a well-considered strategy.

Spiritually, there is one key navigational principle or strategy that should not be overlooked. This strategy should really be quite logical. I'll title it: "Knowing before Going." Now, I know this seems rather obvious! But things that may seem self-evident are often missed or overlooked in our stress filled lives. We really need reminding, now and then! Many families fail to "set their course" and just live life by being drawn into life's seas by the simplest emotional influences. Sometimes the seeming 'beauty' of some smooth seas and sunny days ahead are enough to draw us along. Be careful how you use your lives: your time, your talents and your temporal or financial means.

Know before you go! In our world, we can easily be swept off course by the tides, currents and storms of life. Everything looks fine and the pressures of living often convince us not to stop and take the time and effort to evaluate. We become quite 'professional' at thinking and doing things "on the run" but without sound navigational disciplines and strategies our good intentions often become reasons for making excuses. We are often found stating that it really "doesn't matter" or "doesn't do any harm" or it's just "no bid deal." The Australians like to reply with the idiomatic phrase: "No worries! Mate."

Jesus, on the other hand, reminds us in Luke 14 that we need to count or calculate the costs ... or just consider our steps: “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ (also note Psalm 119:133; 1 Peter 2:21)

WE NEED TO GIVE THOUGHT TO OUR CHOICES! Paul, the Apostle, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote Timothy 3:1 warning: "But realize this, that ​in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be ​lovers of self, ​lovers of money, ​boastful, ​​arrogant, ​​revilers, ​​disobedient to parents, ​​ungrateful, ​unholy, 3 ​​unloving, irreconcilable, ​​malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, ​​haters of good, 4 ​​treacherous, ​​reckless, ​​conceited, ​​lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of ​​godliness, although they have ​denied its power..."

John warned the churches (and those of us in them) that we were blind to our need for His Saving Righteousness, His Moral and Ethical Holiness and His guiding Spirit: Revelation3:16 "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent (turn around / change).

WE NEED TO CAREFULLY ESTABLISH SPIRITUAL PRIORITIES. We dare not "play church" or play at being Christians! The seriousness of setting-out into the deep seas of live will be evident as you inspect your life and that of your family. If such an inspection shows that their are weaknesses, leaks and un-repaired damages ... then the matter of taking on water or worse of your family sinking is not 'laughing matter!' How important is your children's own understanding of the Scriptures? How vital is it that they understand God's will regarding their personal salvation? In Reformed tradition there is a common belief that if the parents have faith then the children are protected under the parent's covenant relationship. In Evangelical Biblical theology there is no such teaching. Babies are considered safe or secure in the grace and love of God since they are not yet at an age of accountability. But children do come to an age of accountability (those who are at this 'age' depend upon their intellectual and spiritual knowledge) where they, too, must place their faith in Jesus Christ.

Parent's are responsible to see that their children understand [i.] the message of salvation (the New Birth) through the saving work of Christ, [ii.] the truths regarding the Christian life through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit and the lifestyle through the Word of God. Then, too, parents should see that their children understand [iii.] the blessed Hope in the message of Christ's return for the Saints and [v.] His future plan to return to earth to establish His Kingdom of Peace. Children need to understand the [vi.] Great White throne judgment, the [vii.] eternal Lake of Fire and all that follows, such as [viii.] the New Heaven and the New Earth and [ix] Eternity itself. In this teaching the local congregation's Sunday School and Youth Hour serves as support for the parent's who are doing their best to teach their children about the faith, hope and love of the Christian message.

WHAT OPTIONS DO WE HAVE? Some have looked at the faithful attendance of church worship and Sunday School as options and almost matters of convenience. "Well, if I can find the time?" or " If we don't have other things "on" or "if there is not family birthdays or anniversaries, or ______ " Well, then, "of course, we want to include the Lord and worship and all that..." Be careful, Christian! The church is Christ's own plan of action for you and your family. It is through the collective worship of brethren that we humble ourselves before others. It is through the teaching and admonishing of Sunday Bible Messages and lessons that we are called back to the Truth.

We believe that we ..."know where we are going" - or (at least) we hope so! Yet, this matter of the 'demands of life' and our 'extended family responsibilities' cannot become a collection of excuses! Excuses only lead us toward failure in this area of our family's spiritual growth. Our understanding of and obedience to God's Word work together to provide each member of our family with a good relationship with Christ. Excuses must not be allowed to drag our spiritual walk with the Lord to some lower level or lower priority. The Lord expects to be placed first! It is for our own good that He is respected and responded to as our Lord.

HOW ARE WE TO 'SWIM' AGAINST SUCH A STRONG UNDERTOW? Like most 'Westernised nations' we are under serious pressures at work. The demands upon our time and physical and emotional strength are real! Many genuinely believe that the only source for emotional stability and/or physical strength comes from more sleep, more "down time" and more "time away." In South Africa, Our nation's over-commitment to multiple sets of long weekends and school holidays, together with our special 'holy days' or 'holidays' simply places this belief in "rest" before each of us as a forced or self-fulfilling philosophy of life. "What choice do we have," many ask? Though so many matters are interrupted, or just stop, these "rest breaks" are opportunities that just seem to demand our attention! The drain on our finances from non-productive work and from non-budgeted expenditures seems to be overlooked by most. The break-up of our personal self discipline leads to a clear weakening of our friendships, our responsibilities, our productivity and our efficiency. Our children's education and commitment to learning is effected negatively. Because these opportunities are there it seems we have no choice but to take them or fill them.

IS SOMEONE TRYING TO BE A 'SPOIL SPORT' HERE? The New Testament teaches us that the church or rather the congregation, is meant to be a group of people committed to 'building-up", encouraging and admonishing (lovingly confronting) one another in the true Truth of God's Word and in their relationship with the Lord. Ephesians 4:1​ "As a result, we are ​a​no longer to be children, ​tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by ​craftiness ​​in ​​deceitful scheming; 15 but ​speaking the truth ​in love, ​we are to ​​grow up in all aspects into Him who is the ​​head, even Christ, 16 from whom ​a​the whole body, being fitted and held together ​by what every joint supplies, according to the ​​proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself ​​in love."

WELL, SOME MIGHT SAY THIS IS JUST IMPOSSIBLE! Many would call these thoughts legalistic, or un-loving, or old-fashiopned ... or whatever. I would suggest that you take a moment to listen to the heart of a pastor and to his sharing the truth of the Word of God and ask yourself - am I being drawn into the world and its ways or am I leading my family to handle life by making wise Biblical choices, by maintaining good spiritual relationships and by knowing where we are going ... before we go.

Navigating the church amidst "overpowering" storms.

Matthew 16:18b “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

The story of the development of the church has been much confused by the squalls and storms that have diabolically sought to resist its progress!

The attempts by Catholicism to resist the true church of Jesus Christ has been ferocious! The true churches have had their history re-told in disparaging and dishonest accounts of so-called "church history" - history re-written by their own detractors! Such storms of resistance have been thrown at these "crews" ... these congregations - God's ships at sea representing Him down through the centuries! The so-called 'heroes of the faith' presented by the 'classic church historians' were more often the very bolts of lighting that had been thrown against the remnant of believers to be found in scattered congregations dotting almost every 'parallel.'

A false "history" of the church has been accepted and Christ's own process of 'building His church' has been retold - rewritten and mythologized by giving credit to so-called Apologists, Synods, Councils and Empire powers. Catholicism's efforts to resist the true Gospel message have desperately thrown their 'powers" - their strength, like a storm, against the true body of Christ.

The more true and accurate history of the church is a story of individual separate congregations who's survival and advance through the storms have been rejected or ignored. Genuine Christianity's congregations have grown as they have discovered vital axioms amidst the storms present during their century or during their period or "age" (Matthew 13, Revelation 2, and 3). The actual or rather factual history of the church is a story of spiritual warfare between the Truth defended by non-conforming congregations and individual Christians and the State Church - their enemy - possibly the very 'gates of Hades' itself!

In naivety many have assumed that "the doctrines of the church of Jesus Christ" must be assumed to have been clear from the beginning. Yet, any study of the letters of Paul, Peter, James or John make it clear that the Truth of God’s Word would unfold progressively through the times of the Apostles. Regretfully many have come to believe that the 'New Testament churches' could be a “pattern” for all future Christian thought. The goal, for those with this belief in a “pattern,” is (of course) to return to the ‘Early Churches’ as a divine "model." As convenient as this might be, a number of genuine difficulties arise when evaluating this perspective.

First, there is a problem with the belief in a pattern or model which implies the early church reached an ‘apex’ and then following centuries would record a devolution and battle to maintain historic identity and/or “apostolic” authority.

Second, there is a type of denial inherent in the belief in a pattern. Denial of some very obvious immaturity, denial of some clearly sinful habits – left (after much Apostolic effort) still unbroken. There is a denial, as well, in the failure to see the growth in the early churches and especially in the many congregations that refused false doctrine and stood outside the Catholic realm of "Christianity." So many of these non-conforming congregations matured independently amidst the attacks or storms of heresy and doctrinal error that surrounded them! Further, under the strain of being falsely accused of being "heretical" themselves - they "stood tall" in opposition to these religious and political compromised "churches" being drug along into falsehood by a tidal wave as strong as one can imagine!

These much maligned brethren – leaving the Catholic Churches or having remained outside - from the very beginning - were rarely ever guilty of the harsh accusations and “mud slinging” cruel language used against them. The many different regions such as North Africa, Asia Minor, Southern Europe and beyond often had landscapes ‘spotted’ with good Christians and faithful congregations. The errors that may well have been adopted by some of the non-conformist congregations were so many times not nearly so grievous as their detractors would have us believe. Then too, where there were errors to be found in one quarter or period of history - (over the generations and in regard to the various regional interpretations and teachings of these non-conforming congregations,) many of the earlier errors simply did not carry-over or continue to apply in later periods or in other regions.

When the Catholic church attacked these non-conformist congregation in later periods of their development, these particular non-conformists congregations were rarely ever still related to some of the earlier forms from their own "historic roots" – these congregations were vitally alive and in their independence stood in their own right on the truth of God's Word - at least as they best understood it at that time or place. Often the "errors" (real or as matters of accusation) from "their historic past" were just that – long past ... matters of the past.

Their "names" given as terms of abuse and used in derision, were rarely little more than terms of dishonest mockery! The Catholic church's language of derision was rarely supported in fact. So few were guilty of the accusations thrown at them by their Latin and Greek Catholic detractors and enemies. (This factor or possibility should be consider as a common method of Catholicism in every generation to come)

Storms are interesting matters to navigate through and every storm seems to have strengthened the non-conformists along their way! So it should be! Being verbally abused and called a "sect" or worse is a squall that Scripture, Prayer and the Hope of the Gospel can guide us through! Let us be faithful in our efforts to witness of the Lord's Saving Grace - no matter what storm or squall attempts to come against us!

drMSBsr

Navigating amidst the storms...

PSALMS 107:23 "THEY THAT GO DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS, THAT DO BUSINESS IN GREAT WATERS; THESE SEE THE WORKS OF THE LORD ..."

Yes, this verse is ever so true but few really want to meet the Lord under these circumstances! Most (of us) prefer harboursor rather ...even nice white and smooth - sandy beaches! Right?

But the Scriptures are more than clear that this is not the how the Lord would have us find his comfort. The God of all comfort is not found in the 'comfortable' places! Of course, few believe they could be "called upon to suffer" like in times past ... but the fact is we are all called to suffer for Christ! There are good reasons for this, of course! The Lord gives us some guidelines: First we read Romans 8:14-25 together with ... 1 Peter 4:1; 2 Corinthians 1:3-8 and James 5:10-11 { You will want to read these verses in the Amplified Bible for a real blessing!]

If Indeed ? [1 Peter 4:1]
Romans 8:16 "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."

Comparing your ‘Sufferings’. [2 Cor. 1:5]

Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Suffering - as anxious longing! [1 Peter 2:19]
Romans 8: 19 "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now."

Suffering as waiting. [James 5:10-11]

Romans *:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. {Consider: 1 Thess 1:5]

Suffering with Hope. [1 Peter 3:14]

Romans 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.