Warren Wiersbe

I heard today how Warren Wiersbe passed on to be with His Lord forever and ever on 2nd May 2019.

I mention this in view of how much I owe to this man through his writings. The “Be” books must have led so many into a deeper knowledge of God, His salvation and His Word. And I am one of those. Now his commentaries on the whole Bible stand as his deposited treasure for the benefit of the Lord’s church ongoing edification. They can be obtained here.

I feel, I have lost one of my best teachers in leading me forward in knowing the Lord. For thirty years he has helped me forward. His commentaries always accessible and digestible and not light. And of course helped by the fact that he was pre-millennial!

If you want to get into studying the Word Mr Wiersbe is always a good resource to get you going. If you want to get into understanding a passage he is always a great place to start.

So I am thankful to God for the gift of Warren Wiersbe.

For some fuller details see here.

Church Newsletter

Here is our church newsletter for April 2019. It has an article about “Real Christianity.”

Experts.

I lamented here about the observation that there are not many listeners around. In this article I want to muse upon the fact there appear to be quite a few experts. It has struck me on occasion, recently, about how people so easily present themselves as experts about certain matters. I am left thinking sometimes about how they can make such statements.

There well, may be, a direct connection to my observations about the lack of listeners yesterday. Rather than simply listening to people and helping them work through situations, we so often feel that we have to say something that will direct people to a solution. So we give the expert advice which will sort the matter for the person.

No, I am not saying here that we should not make suggestions or observations about a person’s situation. Particularly if that person is putting themselves in danger, it would be unloving to withhold information which would deliver them from potential harm. For a parent of younger children not to be directive to their children would be a gross dereliction of duty.

So most definitely there can be a time to opine on a matter. However, I do feel that the way we present things needs to be thought about. Making suggestions about a matter can be helpful. Moreover, if you have particular training in a certain subject or have been through a particular experience which bears on the other person’s situation then sharing in these matters can be most helpful.

One negative instance was that of someone with no medical training and without examining me definitively stating that a doctor’s diagnosis was wrong, A doctor that is who had examined me for a certain complaint.  I found this quite breathtaking.

I appreciate as well that there are cultural issues at play here and certain cultures are used to interacting in a very directive rather than suggestive kind of way. However, we do need to be careful in these matters.

If someone actually asks for your advice then this colours the approach to the matter. But even then it may not be appropriate to say anything specifically into the situation. The best could well be to ask the other person questions so that they can work through the matter themselves.

So I conclude with these thoughts:

• Be a listener first of all.
• If you do speak into a person’s situation make sure that you speak in harmony with Scripture.
• If you do have a specialism which is unbeknown to the other person then reveal it. I remember being humbled by seeking to direct someone about how to approach some roof work. This man turned out to be ……………… a roofer!

Courage

How we need courage among us as the people of God. I was reading Acts 21 a little while ago and was struck by the courage displayed by Paul. We read in Acts 21:10-14

After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, ‘The Holy Spirit says, “In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.”’

When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’

Paul’s declaration that he is willing to die for the name of the Lord Jesus, powerfully challenges me as regards to my devotion to the one who is my Lord, Jesus Christ. The name is so important here. Paul is convinced that Jesus is Lord and as Lord He has total control over his life. So if that means he must die he will willingly do so.

Notice that it is not his own name or honour that determines his action. Rather it is the Name of the Lord Jesus. What will I give for the honour of the Name of the Lord Jesus? This reminds me of the quote by nineteenth century missionary C T Studd “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

Where is my courage? Oh Lord please strengthen me.

My Weakness.

Following from Fridays (see here) post about dependence on the Lord I want to muse on the issue of my weakness. We live in a world which is about asserting yourself and being strong. To have depression is to be made very aware that you are weak. This is naturally a very dismaying experience. And according to a worldly points of view it is the very antithesis of what we should be.

However, in the Lord’s economy it is very different. In His way it is our weakness that is the way to success. Paul expresses the matter, out of his personal experience, in 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10

in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This is the way of fruitfulness in life. It is to be dependent on the Lord so that His strength can come through in my weakness. This is completely counter-cultural. It is life-transforming though, as we realise that I find life when I lose my life. Life is found in God Himself.

The big problem as I recover is that I start to depend on myself. oh Lord save me from such foolishness.

Singleness

All of us either are or have been single. Although, God calls many to be married; He also calls many to be single. To be single is not a second class state. Churches therefore should value everyone in their particular calling. Never, should we pityingly give the impression to single people that one day they will find Mr Right or Miss Right and then everything will be fine. Let us look then at this calling to singleness.

The LORD Jesus

Let us remind ourselves that the only perfect life lived on earth was by a single man. Our Saviour was sinless in all His ways and lived as such without ever being married. Immediately then we realise that singleness is not a second class state to be in.

Also the LORD had close relationships with both men and women. We remember the family in Bethany who welcomed Him to their home; Martha, Mary and Lazarus. His twelve disciples shared in His ministry and developed a closeness to Him. The world around us leads us to think that any close relationship must have a sexual element to it. This thinking is wrong and single people should be encouraged to cultivate close and wholesome relationships. The relationship of David to Jonathan is an example of this.

Purity

The life of our LORD Jesus reminds us that it is most wonderfully possible to live a life of purity in the sight of our God. The calling to singleness is also a calling to sexual purity. Paul could say that to Timothy keep yourself pure (1 Tim. 5:22b) and that should be the desire of all that all single. The Lord in His Word prohibits sex outside of marriage and we fall into sin if we fail in this area. Single people who are “courting” before marriage should be particularly be aware of this. Sex is for marriage and nowhere else.

Freedom

Many think that if only they were within the security of a marriage relationship then they would be really free. However, Paul says effectively that the reverse is true in 1 Cor. 7:32b-34 An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs – how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world – how he can please his wife – and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world – how she can please her husband.  Here Paul is showing that the unmarried person is advantaged over a married person in that they are free to devote themselves to their LORD. A married person has legitimate obligations to fulfil which mean that their freedom in rendering service to their God is to a degree hindered.

Of course herein there is a challenge to the unmarried to make sure that they use their extra freedom profitably. So easily we fritter away the time we have available to serve our LORD.

Relationship

One of the great things that an unmarried person can miss is that of having a close relationships to another individual. However, one of the great things about being a Christian is that we have a relationship with our Eternal Father God in heaven. Satan would want to persuade the single person that they are lonely and missing out in living a fulfilled life. We should fight against these lies. The Lord is our faithful companion who has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Paul knew something of this wonderful enduring relationship and could say towards the end of his life when facing trial that At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength (2 Tim. 4:16-17a). People will let us down; even the very best of them. However, the LORD will never let us down. How amazing it is that we have such a great God.

(Taken from the Feltham Evangelical Church newsletter of December 2004).

Wolves Supporter

I was thinking a little while ago,  about someone i had known some years ago. It was interesting to ponder what I remembered about this man. One significant remembrance was that he was a Wolves Supporter.

This got me pondering upon what people remember about me? What do people call to mind when my name crops up or they are led to think about me. Of course the remembrance is partly affected by the person who is doing the recall. His/her interests will determine what they remember of me. Hence, because I have an interest in football I remembered that my aforementioned acquaintance supported Wolves.

Nevertheless, it still stands as a valid question: what do people associate me with? What do people remember me by? I am struck by what is said of the rulers, elders and teacher of law concerning Peter and John. We read: When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Peter and John were not identified as being connected with a religion or an organisation or a movement, but being with Jesus.

So what do people associate with you and me? Am I known as a Christ follower or as a church-goer? Does my life speak of Jesus or religion?