LIFE IN THE SPIRIT - Why Christianity Is Not A Mere Religion

THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE
It has been said that the thing which makes Christianity unique in comparison with other faiths is that it is a relationship rather than a religion. This is at least true. It is indeed a relationship between the redeemed and the Redeemer. But its beauty goes still deeper. This depth is wrought by the Holy Spirit in, on, through and around the redeemed. His redeeming work of captivating, convicting, converting, transforming, and commissioning the ransomed-redeemed of the Lord begins before it is too late. The Holy Spirit Himself, who (along with the Father and Son) uniquely possesses omnipresence, is mysteriously able to draw alongside an individual rebel and patiently woo their rebellious heart away from religion toward a relationship with the Jesus – and then take them deeper into the beauty of Christ. 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26

When this wooing was felt by C.S. Lewis in the Trinity Semester of 1931, he described himself as, “The most dejected, reluctant convert in all England!” However, not everyone experiences such a spiritual conquering. F.W. Boreham for example, was raised in a church-going family, but had not experienced the Holy Spirit’s redeeming transformation until around 1890. Like Lewis, he came to the realisation that his religious efforts were grossly inadequate to qualify his soul for acceptance by God. He turned to the Saviour, was baptised, then received the laying-on-of-hands with the prayerful injunction to receive the Holy Spirit. F.W. Boreham suddenly experienced an infilling with the Holy Spirit which he said resulted in his inability to feel the ground beneath his feet for the next week or two! It appears that he was baptised with the Holy Spirit subsequent to his conversion to Christ. He, of course, is not the only one who has experienced the promised baptism with the Holy Spirit subsequent to their conversion from rebellion to redemption. Millions of the Christ-redeemed have then also experienced an overwhelming of spiritual awareness and presence which has opened them up to a realm of supernatural gifts, phenomena, and intimacy with Christ. This has then introduced these followers of Christ to a deeper, richer, closer, sweeter walk with their Lord. Have you experienced this in your relationship with Jesus?

¶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
John 15:26

NEW LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

The Spirit’s work of conversion in the rebel begins with conviction of sin (John 16:8). A lingering sense of guilt and shame is a sure sign that the Holy Spirit is active in a soul. By His persistent grace He woos and drives the rebel to accept God’s gracious offer of forgiveness, soul-cleansing, and adoption. Upon acceptance of God’s love and grace, the Holy Spirit converts the rebel into a born-again follower of Christ.

Conversion.

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 3:5

Too many people have been lulled – nay, duped – by certain socialising pressures (perhaps family upbringing and church tradition) into thinking that Christianity is merely about behaving like a Christian – attending church, owning a Bible, giving to charity. But unless a person has experienced the inner work of conversion by the Holy Spirit, they are not yet a Christian. It is at this point that the converted rebel realises that Christ substituted Himself for them and bore their penalty of their divine rebellion. Have you been born-again by the Holy Spirit?

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11

TRANSFORMED BY THE SPIRIT

‘Sanctification’ means to make holy, separate from the ordinary. The work of the Holy Spirit does not cease upon the conversion of the rebel into the redeemed. Although, in the eyes of God, the redeemed rebel is perfectly sanctified upon their conversion, there is still an earthly process of sanctification. This process puts to death those rebel-qualities of self-centredness and brings to life those Christlike traits of service to others. 

Sanctification.

I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Romans 6:19, 22

The external fruit of sanctification is seen in how we speak, use our time, money and talent, relate to others, and is rooted in the innerwork of the Holy Spirit transforming the rebel into the redeemed. How has the Holy Spirit sanctified you since your conversion?

EMPOWERED IN THE SPIRIT

After Christ had atoned for sin, He breathed on His disciples and commanded them to receive the Holy Spirit (Jn. 20:22) and then told them to wait for this Promised infilling with the Spirit (Acts 1:4). When the Promised baptism with the Holy Spirit began on the Day of Pentecost, the believers began to prophesy and/or speak in tongues (Acts 2:6). The Apostle Paul would later write that speaking and praying in tongues served different purposes. Speaking in tongues, with associated gift of interpretation, was equivalent to prophecy (1Cor. 14:3), whereas praying in tongues required no interpretation because it was speaking to God (not people) (1Cor. 14:2). The Apostle also revealed that tongues (unlearned languages) could be a language of men or a language of angels (1Cor. 13:1). When speaking to God in tongues, this form of praying is able to edify the believer (1Cor. 14:4) and build them up. One of the nine mentioned gifts of the Holy Spirit is also a type of tongues. It appears that this type of tongue is the aforementioned equivalent to prophesying. 

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:13

The Baptism With The Holy Spirit.

Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit to comfort, counsel, guide, strengthen, and empower. He said that when His followers would be baptised with the Holy Spirit, they would be empowered to witness about and proclaim Christ and His Gospel. We see on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), that the previously timid, awkward, inarticulate, Apostle Peter was transformed into a bold, courageous, passionate, persuasive and articulate herald of the Gospel of Christ’s Kingdom (Acts 2:14). 

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:4

In closing his ‘second’ epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul sketches the believer’s interaction with each member of the Godhead, and he shines a warm light on the role that the redeemed can enjoy with the Holy Spirit-

¶ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Second Corinthians 13:14

Our fellowship with the Holy Spirit distinguishes Christianity from mere religion. The redeemed’ fellowship with the Holy Spirit is what makes Christianity a living, vibrant, relationship with Christ. It involves the illumination of God’s Word, the reception of God’s voice in the hearts of the redeemed, the leading of the Spirit into wise choices, supernatural empowering to speak and bear witness to Christ’s Lordship, and a continual sense of God’s loving overshadowing presence. 

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Ephesians 5:18

Don’t treat your Christianity as a mere religion. Instead, let us realise what it actually is – the Spirit-filled life! Let us grow in our life in the Holy Spirit, and continue to go deeper and sweeter with Christ in our knowledge, character and choices.

Ps. Andrew Corbett

A HAPPY LIFE

He was truly happy. It would be unfair to assume that his happiness was due to a trouble-free life. He had many troubles. But he was happy, really happy. His happiness was independent of his position and circumstances. He often reflected that life was very unfair to him - unfair in a positive way. He felt that he didn't deserve the many blessings he enjoyed. His life stands to this day as one of the greatest testaments to achievable happiness that any person has ever attained. And what he discovered is little known today, but ready for anyone to enjoy.

¶ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy
Jude 24

Happiness is all too elusive for most people. It needn't be. He not only found it, he learned how to share it. When he was just months old a wandering gypsie woman came up to his pram, picked up his little hand, and prophesied over him. Her prophesy was remarkably fulfilled. Despite his many obstacles nad his painful accident, he would go on to bring joy and great happiness to millions of people for decades and decades.

He was the eldest of eleven children. Big families tend to shape a person in a certain way not seen often seen now. As a youngin', he had a love for nature and books fostered in him by a loving father. Those who recognise the ingredients of happiness will have detected something vital in what I've just said. He graduated from his small high school when he was just 14 years old while it took others another few years to do the same. He describes his school days as "happy". This came at a cost though. He as now required to contribute to the household. At around 15 he became a clerk. He was happy at work. He found his work relatively easy. His eager mind craved more and wandered. His craving was satisfied by night school. His wandering was satisfied with his day-dreaming. He was happy.

He was day-dreaming when tragedy struck. Others said that tragedy struck because he was day-dreaming. Either way, the accident severed his right leg just below his knee. Medical treatment in the late 1800s was crude and it was touch and go as to whether he would even survive the contracted septicaemia. Doctors eventually gave up hope and told his parents so. After a passionate full morning of prayer by his earnest mother, he miraculously regained consciousness. It was a Catholic Sister whom he first laid eyes on and although he was only 15 and she was nearly 40, he was so happy to know that someone had so carefully tended to him that he fell in love with her instantly.

in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude.
Acts 24:3

Even with his right leg gone, he was happy. Happy to be alive. Happy to go on in life. Another ingredient of happiness. But at 16 he was forced to leave his family home and move to, the then, world's largest city. He arrived and marvelled. But he felt lost. A sense of loneliness the like of which he had not known. Despite being happy he knew something was missing. He became aware of his utter lostness. He heard a street preacher tell him of the God who loved him and offered to save him, forgive him, adopt him, and use him. It wasn't at that moment. It was later. He didn't do it to become happy. He was already happy. He gave his life to Christ in the quietness of his own company - but not that it was a particular moment. It seemed to him to be process. He now had a new reason to be happy. He joined a church and was baptised. He was now 18. A strange thing happened to him after he arose from the baptismal water. The pastor and elders gathered around him, laid hands on him, then bade him to "receive the Holy Ghost". A strange thing immediately occured. He felt an unfamiliar sensation of power, purpose, and presence. He experienced a new happiness. He describes it in his autobiography as if he was now walking a foot above the ground!

You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
Psalm 4:7

This stirring grew. He felt that he was called. He began to suspect that the gypsy, who spoke those prophetic words nearly twenty year earlier, may not have been what she initially appeared to be. He began to follow his heart. His heart held a pen. His words soon appeared in newspapers. His heart held a Bible in one hand and a pulpit in another. He was invited to speak alongside that street preacher who had made such an impression on him. His first sermon lasted seven minutes. No one was saved. But he discovered a new level of happiness as a result of his attempt. He continued this for several months. Eventually dozens gathered around him regularly on the street corner to listen. One of those intrigued from a distance was known as 'the Prince of Preachers'. He kept an eye on this happy chap.

The Prince then made his move. He became the young man's benefactor. This was the last thing the Prince did. He died days later and over 30,000 mourners attended his funeral procession.

His benefactor arranged for a full scholarship for him at Pastors College. He was happy to be in College. As part of this he was assigned a small village church to oversee. At 22 he met a young woman in this church who won his heart. His heart was irretrievably smitten when he escorted her in the dusk moonlight and retrieved then returned her hat. Placing her broad-brimmed hat back on her head he looked into her eyes shimmering softly in the moonlight. Snared, but happier than ever. Unlike the worldly relationships of today, he took the Scriptures seriously which prescribed happiness with the love of your life. As a result, he was a perfect gentleman toward her. Happiness and delayed gratification always complement each other. After two years of blossoming friendship he gave her a first kiss and never kissed her again until they were married nearly a year later. They enjoyed 64 years of marriage which he described as the happiest years of his life. Together they had five children. One of their daughters died tragically when she was in her forties. He took up his pen and shared with the world the comfort he received from Psalm 23, called IN PASTURES GREEN. When happiness takes a break it is often relieved by times of comfort and joy.

He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Psalm 23:3

The O.B.E. that Dr. F.W. Boreham received from
Queen Elizabeth for Preaching & Literature

He lived a happy life. He served three churches, the first in a New Zealand town of a thousand people where he says he was utterly happy and content to do so. After twelve years there he moved to Hobart and served there for ten years. It was during this time that their "special" daughter was born. She experienced continual night-terrors due to her incurable meningitus which led her daddy to hold her for hours on end in the middle of the night to bring her comfort. The church came to know that whenever their pastor stepped into the pulpit and spoke with unusual tenderness for a man of his times that the young princess had had a particularly troubled night. They saw their burdened pastor happy. He was happy to be married to his Sweetheart, to be the father of four daughters, and to pastor them through counsel and preaching.

Toward the end of his life, just weeks before he entered into infinite happiness, he was visited by Billy Graham who had read each of his 55 books. Dr Graham invited the aged sage to join him on the centre stage at the MCG as he launched his Melbourne evangelistic campaign. But he was happy to enjoy the pleasant company of just his wife instead of the adoration of over 100,000 appreciative people. At 88, despite the pain he felt in his amputated leg (which he had concealed from everyone including his family), he was deeply happy. He had learned and sought to share that happiness comes from living nobly. He showed millions from the pages of the Sacred Text what noble living entailed. But more than that he showed millions what the Sacred Text meant when it prescribed noble living.

Ps. Andrew Corbett

Redeeming The Time

I was marvelling recently about how much the 74 year old F.W. Boreham did. Not only did he preach at least twice a week, he wrote a weekly column for the Melbourne Age Newspaper, the Hobart Mercury, produced a book a year, was a regular contributor to at least six monthly journals or periodicals, read a book a week, and made pastoral house-calls four afternoons a week. I'm staggered at his output. But then again, I swim in a culture of 24/7 social-media, 16 Free-to-air television channels, several million YouTube videos, several billion webpages, and what seems like hundreds of (mostly trivial) emails everyday - which all seem to hinder me from using my time well. Even with all my technological "time-saving" devices, I doubt that I get a fraction done of what people a generation ago achieved. Nevertheless, even though I struggle, there is hope.

making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16

THE VALUE OF TIME

Leading up to Christmas, some dear folk asked me what I would like for Christmas. Under pressure to keep up with the demands on my time, the first thing that came to mind, but not past my lips, was, "More time!"  Knowing I will never get more time, I am left to pray what the Scriptures tell me to do - redeem the time. Some prayers are not meant to be prayed but this one is!

Time is the most precious gift we each have. It is so precious that it is virtually equated with our very lives. To give your life to someone is to give your time to them. When you think you've just told someone, "I love you" but then won't give them your time, you've actually told them something other than what you think they heard from you. It's why attending, weddings, birthdays, funerals and church is so important.

¶ Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
Colossians 4:5

USE OF TIME

Have you ever wasted time? Whether you have or haven't is determined by answering the should question. With the time that you have what should you be doing? If your answer is other than what you should be doing then your answer might be describing what wasting time looks like. And this is where I encounter many of my problems with time. When I should do something, but really really really don't want to, I find things that urgently require my attention. I find them. They are not all ignoble. But they successfully occupy my time when I should be doing something else.

Should not only guides my daily moments, it also my lifetime. However I answer the why, what, how and where questions that should asks, I know that the answer will involve my use of time. But to satisfy should my answer cannot merely involve the use of my time - it must involve the disciplined use of my time. But still should is not entirely satisfied with this painful answer. Then I realise why. It can not merely be the disciplined use of my time that will ensure I use my time to fulfil my purpose the way God has wired and called me to do in the place and time that He has called me to do it - it has to be the self-disciplined use of my time.

From my observations of people who seem to manage pressure, and therefore time, well, I notice that they are able to withdraw from their time-bank when they need to. This of course means that they have made adequate deposits into it. In other words, they invest their time well. Reading a book, watching a movie, having a coffee with a colleague, going for a walk, throwing a ball with your son, taking your wife out to dinner, might seem like a waste of time, but they might also be investments of time. The Bible doesn't use the wordinvestment but it does use a three-letter word which means the same thing.

WHAT TIME CANNOT DO

'Time heals all wounds'...'In time you'll get over it'...'Time to move on'... 'What happened in the past should be left in the past'... Myths like these are nearly always half-truths. Time does not heal all wounds - but time used wisely can help wounds to heal. In time you won't get over it unless you learn to grieve and forgive properly over time. When it's time to move on you will already have because you've aligned yourself with reality and surrendered to God's sovereignty. What happened in the past should not be left in the past if gross injustice is involved (such as a World War II Nazi war criminal should be brought to justice despite the decades that have passed). We could add to this list. A supplier may forget to invoice a client and when their oversight is discovered they invoice their client - who then claims that they have no right to expect payment because too much time has elapsed (another version of What happens in the past should be left in the past).

Considering the Master of Time, Jesus, who never wasted a second but perfectly used the time He was given, we see that He regarded those things which we usually regard as 'interruptions' as: 'Sovereign Appointments'. A few years ago I began to learn this. People are not always interruptions. Highly task driven people struggle to appreciate this. The next time you read through the Gospels, take note of how much of what Christ did was as a result of an interruption. Not all interruptions are a waste of time.

SOW WHAT

¶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Second Corinthians 9:6

I haven't discovered everything I need to know about how to best use my time. I'm aware that there are some people who have little choice in how their time is used (whether through physical injury/disability, consequences of unwise choices, or stage of life issues). But for those of us who have the gift of time and the privilege to manage it within the constraints of our responsibilities, there are five things you might find helpful about increasing the value of your time: Create To-Do lists; Carry time-redeemers with you (book, pen and notepad, etc); Get appropriate help; Establish routines; and: Learn to forgive (bitterness steals valuable time from you).

One of the biggest lessons I have learned about increasing the effectiveness of my time is to sow it into God. I said from the outset that because time is one of our most valuable gifts, when we give it to someone we are saying something to them about how valuable they are to us. When a husband agrees to spend time with his wife and her friends he is telling his wife that he loves her and values her judgment. 

When a follower of Christ spends time with those for whom Christ died and lives dearly they are telling Christ that they love Him. But mysteriously, it seems that such time is not merely spending time - it's sowingtime. I have committed my life to Christ and being in His House with His people every Sunday at both services - because I want to love Jesus by loving what He loves. The result of this time-sowing seems to be time-reaping. Thus, I may not be as self-disciplined with my time as I hope to become, but this time-sowing principle has least given me the opportunity to begin to redeem the time that God has given me. And one day, you and I will stand before God in real-time and give an account of how we used our most valuable gift from Him: our life. And it is my hope that we can experience the best our Creator has for us in eternity because we learned to value the right things in this life.

Ps. Andrew
(I recently did a radio interview on this topic. You can listen to it here.)

A Renewed Mind Transformed A Nation

A NEW MIND

The young Ebenezer followed his father, the Rev. Henry Erskine, to their old kirk in 1690 for the Catechism Class. The children were drilled in the questions, but F.W. Boreham tells us that young Ebenezer was struck by the answer to the 43rd Question of the Shorter Catechism which starts with I am the Lord thy God. These words were planted deep into the mind of Ebenezer and would take a further twenty or so years before they would germinate.

Following in his father's footsteps, Ebenezer became a pastor at Portmoak, Scotland.

"I began my ministry without much zeal, callously and mechanically, being swallowed up in unbelief and in rebellion against God." Ebenezer Erskine

F.W. Boreham tells us-

'He feels no enthusiasm for the Bible; indeed, the New Testament positively wearies him. His sermons are long and formal; he learns them by heart and repeats them parrot-fashion, taking care to look, not into the faces of his people, but at a certain nail in the opposite wall.'
A HANDFUL OF STARS, page 58, Dr. F.W. Boreham

But Ebenezer's understanding of God and His Word was about to dramatically change. His wife, who knew God, prayed fervently for her husband to meet Christ. She then took seriously ill. The fever gripped her. She begain speaking to her husband in her delirium and "her words were wild and passionate." She spoke of the Lord and His dealings. Her husband was pierced "to his soul." As she lay on her death-bed, Ebenezer cried out to the God he did not know.

"At last, the Lord was pleased to calm her spirit and give her a sweet serenity of mind. This, I think was the first time that ever I felt the Lord touching my heart in a sensible manner. Her distress and her deliverance were blessed to me. Some few weeks after, she and I were sitting together in my study, and while we were conversing about the things of God, the Lord was pleased to rend the veil and to give me a glimmering view of salvation which made my soul to acquiesce in Christ as the new and living way to glory.".From the Diary of Ebenezer Erskine

The words of the Catechism: I am the Lord! I am your God. I am the Lord your God - gripped the mind of Ebenezer. These words of Scripture transformed his mind.

¶ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

Despite being religious, Ebenezer Erskine was lost. Then the Lord, the Lord his God, gripped his mind. He realised that the Lord God had a rightful claim on his life. He discovered that what he was taught in his childhood was no mere religious program, but life! Parents should ever be mindful that what they teach their children by word or by deed may take years before it germinates!

Ten years after his conversion the full impact of what Christ had done in his thinking was felt by congregation when he preached not from notes, not from rehearsal - but from his soul as he gazed through the eyes of those in his congregation into souls and declared that God is their God, their Lord, and that Lord thy God was their God! This sermon would go down in history as one of the greatest ever preached in Scotland. Ultimately he would lead to one of the greatness spiritual revivals Scotland had ever witnessed. All because a father sowed a seed of Scripture into his son, a praying wife pervently interceded for her husband, and the Lord God intervened.

Trusting in the Lord thy God,
Onward go! onward go!
Holding fast His promised word,
Onward go!
Ne'er deny His worthy name,
Tho' it bring reproach and shame;
Spreading still His wondrous fame,
Onward go!"ONWARD GO!" Ira D. Sankey, 1881

Amen.

¶ Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
First Corinthians 14:20

Andrew

Who Brings A Lit Lantern To A Dinner Party?

"Light of the World", by
William Holman Hunt, based
on Revelation 3:20

In the famous painting depicting Christ from Revelation 3:20 ("Behold I stand at the door and knock..."), called "The Light of the World", William Holman Hunt shows Jesus knocking at a door in an overgrown orchard at night. Christ is holding a lit lantern. But this glowing lantern seems unnecessary because of the brilliant moonlight which enables the viewer to clearly make out the scene. F.W. Boreham was in London in 1924 and visited Mr Hunt's famous painting at St. Paul's Cathedral. He understood that the artist meant to show that there was no door-handle on the outside of the door. He understood that the overgrown vegetation over the door meant to show that the inhabitants rarely ventured outside. But the lantern? There was no need for it.

Yet Boreham knew that Mr Hunt wasted nothing in his allegorical art. He remarked to his wife that this was a mystery to him. A kindly older gentlemen standing just behind Dr. Boreham interrupted with an apology for eaves-dropping. He excused himself by pointing out that he was no further away than Mr Boreham's elbow when he expressed this mystery. "I knew Mr Hunt well" he said. "If you would permit me, I can enlighten you with what Mr Hunt himself told me about the lantern." F.W. Boreham welcomed the offer.

Dr. F.W. Boreham with
Mrs Stella Boreham

The artist's friend explained that Mr Hunt wanted to convey that Christ was knocking on the door of a lukewarm church. Because there is no handle on the outside, the occupants must open up to Christ and invite Him in. But this church is located on the edge of the orchard adjacent to the wild woods. While Christ wanted entry to the church, it wasn't to be for too long because He really wanted to lead the occupants out of their dwelling and to journey with Him into the darkness of the wild woods - hence His lantern was lit and trimmed. The church becomes lukewarm when it ceases to venture out into the darkness with the light of Christ.

Christ is still knocking and He still bears a lit lantern to guide His Church into the darkness to rescue a lost world. Let us open up to Christ and enjoy our times with Him but recognise that He bids us to not just "go" but to "go with Him".

[From my upcoming daily devotional through the Book of Revelation]

LIFE VERSES

No. I don't merely mean a favourite Bible verse. Is there a particular verse of the Bible that has helped you more than any other? I have one - though I didn't think that I did. F.W. Boreham wrote a short series of books about other people's. His "Texts That Changed History" series sold millions of copies. It seems we're all fascinated with other people's Life Verses.

"The just shall live by faith" was Martin Luther's. It became the text that birthed the Reformation and eventually changed the world. "Go into all the world and teach them" was David Livingstone's. Others have held particular Bible verses that would have to be considered their favourite by virtue of its singularly dominant power to shape the soul of that person. That's why these particular verses might best be described as Life Verses. Do you have a "Life Verse"?

I don't think I've got a favourite verse of the Bible. But I do have to admit that there are probably two competing verses in my soul vying for the title of Andrew's Life Verse. In some respect these verses are very similar but upon closer and more considered examination they are starkly different. On the one hand one of these verses emphasizes God's beneficent Sovereignty, and on the other is a verse that instructs me how to relish in God's beneficent Sovereignty.

As I reflect on the condition of my soul, one word resounds: peace. I feel peace. I am at peace. While all around me is at times calamitous it doesn't ruffle my soul. It used to. But that was before these two verses gripped me. Even when I make a mistake, sin, fall, lapse, I am comforted immeasurably simply by these two pillars of granite that have irreversibly shaped me. I see other walking through the same storms and stumbling while these two lanterns give me the light to get back up and keep going -  and not with a reluctant attitude, but with a joy for the privilege of being able to do so. The first verse is Romans 8:28, the second is like it, yet different: First Peter 5:7.

How can I choose between them? If I must I will. I'm drawn to the Romans verse over and over again. It is easy and delightful for me to be so drawn because it lies like a jewell in the midst of a very glorious treasure chest of of wonderful verses. Romans 8 is undoubtedly the most wonderful chapter of the Bible. This gives Romans 8:28 an almost unfair advantage for the title of Andrew's Life Verse.

First Peter 5:7 sits differently. Almost like a very precious gold coin tossed aside among seemingly uninteresting debris, it catches the reader off-guard. It is the rare and very precious gold coin that sits among what is mistaken for the common gems of Peter's wisdom to a suffering church. I can not count the times I have pulled this coin from my pocket and drawn comfort and strength from it. It's golden promise is more valuable to me than all of the gold in all of the world. If it wasn't for Romans 8:28, First Peter 5:7 would stand grandly as my Life Verse.

As it is, if I had to choose just one of my two contending Life Verses, I'm inclined to go with Romans 8:28.  It gives me the assurance that even when things are horrible - God still has a good plan being perfectly worked out in my life for His glory. It helps me to bounce back after I fail. It counsels me when I fail. It takes me from comparing myself with others and feeling like a loser to realising that God's plan for me is God's only plan for me. While I wear Romans 8:28 like a necklace so that it is ever close to my heart, I keep First Peter 5:7 in my pocket. But enough about me. What is your "Life Verse" and why?

Father, help me to live with all of Your Word in my heart and help me to trust You even when it's difficult to do so. Amen.

Ps. Andrew Corbett
Legana, Tasmania
16th March 2012 

Living On The Edge Is Not Life In The Middle

THE EDGE

I'm not a danger man. I generally play (everything) safe. Of course, what I call "safe", Kim calls "boring". But 'safe' doesn't have to be boring - although I can understand why some prefer to live on the "edge" because it brings an element of excitement, a different perspective, and a surge of adrenaline. When it comes to spiritual things, I'm not sure the 'edge' is the place we are most effective...

Matthew 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few..

Maybe when it comes to outdoor adventure, going up to the edge is an expected part of the experience. But the gravitationally consequential cliff-top edges usually have fences near their edges for a good reason. Jesus gave an "edgey" picture in His Sermon on the Mount (the Beattitudes) when He said that the way to (eternal) life was narrow and hard. For me, it's not too hard to imagine a not-too-far-away scene of a high mountain trail bounded by a steep cliff where many an impetuous traverser had met an untimely end. Christ's words would have painted a very graphic depiction of what spiritual peril looked like.

The old King James Version translation of this verse uses the word "strait" for the modern word "narrow". For us Tasmanians, we are very familiar with what a strait is (as distinct from something that is "straight"). It carries the idea that there is a narrow way through bounded by barriers. Jesus said that eternal life was like this. As we walk with God the path is bounded by two great barriers: 1. Love for God, and 2. Love for others. Upon closer investigation we discover that both barriers bear both barrier markings. God has bounded the path of those who follow Him with these two great safety barricades. Step over either one and the follower of Christ is no longer loving God or people. Keep as close to the middle of the strait and you can only love God and others. So who would want to live on the edge of the strait knowing that the closer to the edge you get the further away from fellowship with God you get at the same time? But is it wrong to go up to the edge? I actually think this is perfectly the wrong question. The one who wants to love God, live for Him, walk closely with Him, does not ask how close to the edge they are allowed to get before it's "wrong".

1Thess. 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil.

There are lots of things that are 'permissible' for a Christian that are also not beneficial or the best way to love God and others. Over-eating, alcohol consumption, gambling, or swearing, might be included in any such considerations.

1Cor. 10:23 ¶ "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

Avoiding such things might invite the charge of "Legalist" (which is an ironic charge if you think about it). Legalism is not merely avoiding certain things and neither is "freedom" partaking of such edgey things.

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Outcries may come. "Grace!" they cry, "Grace allows me to live on the edge of the path of Life. Your condemnation of my edgey lifestyle is mere legalism!" But "grace" is not permission to live however you want - rather, grace is the power to live as you should (1Cor. 15:10b).

The Master Christian Essayist, F.W. Boreham, writing in 1914 about "Escapes- Not Hairbreadth" (Mountains In The Mist), makes some observations about risky up-to-the-edge living. Boreham eloquently draws on other great writers and even the recent sinking of the Titanic to set up his pastoral comments about risky-up-to-the-edge living.

"Every minister knows that there are no questions more frequently presented to him that those relating to the questionable pastimes or amusements. 'Is there any harm in this?' 'May I play at such and such a game?' "Is it right to go to such and such a place?' 'Is it wrong to take part in this, or that, or the other?' It all arises from our insensate craving for hairbreadth escapes. Even children love to walk on the edge of the kerb, to creep near the brink of a precipice, and  to lean far out of a high window." [Page 240] 

F.W. Boreham goes on to draw an analogy between risky living and spiritual indifference toward God. The man who lives with careless indifference towards the commands and heart of God and then self-confidently assumes he can escape the consequences of such living may be in for an eternal surprise. "On a memorable occasion", continues Rev. Boreham, "the late General Booth was stepping from his carriage to enter a well-known public building. As he did so a drunken man staggered stupidly towards him, and in scarcely intelligible accents exclaimed, 'Say, General, what are ye going to do with the like o' me?' The crowd gathered quickly round to hear the General's answer. The General laid his hand on the drunkard's shoulder, and replied, 'My friend, we can't do much for you; but we're after your boy !' That is a piece of very sage philosophy which I commend to all parents and teachers." (page 242)

If you're on the edge, it's not too late to come back. If you've crossed over the edge and felt the peril of it, then God's grace can also bring you back. If you're pastor pleading with edgey people, call to your people from the middle of God's strait and narrow path, not near the edge.

Father, please help me to pastor by grace to bring Your people into the fullness of Your grace for their lives. Give me the pastoral wisdom to know how I am to live in the middle of the path of Life. Please Lord, empower me with Your grace to draw more people into the middle of  Your will - not merely the edge of it. And Lord I pray that this will result in Christ being seen in us and many coming to know Him.  Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

The Gospel Is Obvious When You See It

THE GOSPEL: YOU'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT IT...

Most Australians have seen Frederick McCubbin's 1904 painting, The Pioneers. Even though I have seen this painting thousands of times, it wasn't until today that I actually saw it. And I was deeply moved. If I was a proud man (and unfortunately I am, so this upcoming confession is very difficult for me) I would claim that this fresh vision of this iconic Australian painting was due to my cultured eye for detail. But alas, I can make no such claim. This painting was interpreted for me by someone who wrote about it just two years after it was painted. This cultured art connoisseur was the man whom my daughter asked this after afternoon as she looked at an original photo of him in my office, "Was F.W. Boreham born old?"

McCubbin's painting is in three sections. The first section has a young wife pining for her former life. Perhaps, and probably, this was England. In the background, her husband is seen near their covered wagon lighting a fire at the base of a blue-gum tree. This iconic young woman is emblematic of the sacrifice that thousands of such women made in pioneering Australia. Pioneering is tough, lonely, and taxing. Many of these early female pioneers experienced madness in this face of this. McCubbin captures this with this opening scene.

The second scene has the husband resting on a log. Axe nearby. His young wife is now a mother as the wistful baby's arm is flopped over the should of its mother reveals. In the background of this scene is not their wagon, but their cabin. These pioneers were making progress! But still there must have been a high price to pay. These pioneers were sacrificing for sake of future generations.

But there is a cost that is more painful than self-sacrificing. Consider Abraham, says F.W. Boreham, who would have gladly taken the place of his beloved son Isaac as they ventured up the mount of sacrifice. Consider the cost that Jephthah paid as he bid his daughter farewell (Judges 11). Sacrifice costs dearly.

In the third scene, we see through the cleared bush, in the far distance, an emerging town. But in the foreground we see the husband kneeling at the foot of her grave. It is a poignant scene. It catches a pain that is greater than that of self-sacrificing. The pain of being the cause of someone else's sacrifice! Abraham nearly felt it. Jephthah did. God the Father did.

"The pioneer ! It is by such sacrifices that these broad Australian lands of ours have been consecrated. Oh, the brave, brave women of our Australian bush ! We have heard, even in Tasmania, of their losing their reason through sheer loneliness ; and too often they have sunk into their graves with only a man to act as nurse and doctor and minister and grave-digger all in one.
F.W. Boreham, "THE PIONEER", Mountains In The Mist, pages 76-77

F.W. Boreham points out to his readers that this iconic Australian painting was actually a picture of the Gospel! In the same way that the Father's sacrifice was equal to, if not greater, than any sacrifice ever made.

"I used to think that the finest thing on earth was self-sacrifice. It was a great mistake. This picture of the 'The Pioneer' reminds me that there is a form of sacrifice compared with which self-sacrifice is a very tame affair. I say that the picture reminds me ; for it was the Bible that taught me of that sacrifice supreme." (page 77)

Boreham saw in this famous Australian painting the message of the Gospel. A message of not mere self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, but a sacrifice that goes beyond personal cost. Boreham saw this as typical of God's sending His Son to die for us. This was the genius of F.W.Boreham. He looked at everyday, ordinary things, and well-known pieces of art, and interpreted them for his audience in a way that could see what they previously did not see - but was there all along. He had a way of seeing the Gospel in trees, paint, art, literature, theatre and history.

During the upcoming movie release frenzy season, consider what Boreham did and look for the Gospel in these stories. You'll probably see it once you start looking for it. This is because, as Winkie Pratney points out, the Gospel is THE story from which all other stories take their cue. When you see feint traces of THE story in the books, movies, art or nature, help others to see it as well. That, don't just be a consumer of culture, be an interpreter of it. Of course Boreham was not the first to master this. The great cross-cultural missionary from Tarsus did the same thing when he entered Athens when he interpreted a monument and a 'pagan' poem for his culturally-aware audience. In a Biblically illiterate culture, we may find that we need to do this more and more.

Father, help us to see the Gospel. Help us to see the Gospel story of You as Creator, Rescuer, Redeemer, Resurrector, and Righteous Judge, in art/literature/nature. May we have the grace and wisdom to share this interpretation of our culture with those we know and care for, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew

Today Lord?

TODAY IS THE DAY!...

Dr F.W. Boreham tells of the day he called upon an 80 year old man. "My friend, will you not trust the Saviour?" Pastor Boreham enquired. "No, no, I'm too old!" replied the aged man. The next day he met a teenage youth. "My friend, will you not trust the Saviour?" Dr Boreham asked. "No, no, I'm too young!" the youth replied. "Too young to accept Christ? Too old to accept Christ?" asks FWB in his early book, The Whisper of God. He wrote-

And betwixt that "TOO OLD" and that "TOO YOUNG" we all go dancing to our everlasting doom. What a strain on the mercy of God!
Dr. F.W. Boreham, THE UNOBSERVED GREY HAIRS, The Whisper of God, 1902, page 98

FWB was troubled. He was troubled about people's apathy to spiritual things. He noted how urgently ambassadors of Christ must be to transmit the Gospel to young people. He cites a major research project conducted by Dr Starbuck who investigated at what age a person converts to Christ. A good number of the 1200 people interviewed said they came to trust Christ as Saviour between the ages of 7 to 9. A few more came to Christ between 9 to 12. Most came to Christ between the ages of 12 to 16. FWB reports, "...fewer still between twenty to thirty; and after thirty they are very rare." (pg. 92). "If these figures do not startle us to our duty, nothing will."

"...as physical decay may assail a man without his knowing it, or even noticing the grey hairs that announce it, so his spiritual life is declining, and he notices neither the declension itself nor the symptoms that proclaim it. Alas, and is it so with us? A neglected Bible, listlessness in prayer, coldness towards the Master, indifference towards sin, the shunning of Christian companionships, carelessness as to attendance at the house of God, callousness as to the eternal welfare of others-- these are grey hairs that appear upon us, but we neither notice them nor the fearful declension of which they tell."
FWB, page 95

Boreham's mortification at the spiritual apathy around him led to take drastic action during his pastorate in Hobart Tasmania. Upon arrival in Tasmania in 1906 he was appalled that in his first Winter month there he could only get 300 attenders to Church on Sunday nights! He summoned his elders and presented this most urgent spiritual challenge. He proposed that after their 7PM Sunday service ended at around 8:30PM they should proceed to the Hobart Town Hall for a special series of evangelistic meetings. They agreed. FWB would then preach in the usual fashion at the Hobart Baptist Tabernacle in Elizabeth Street North Hobart then catch a horse-drawn cab down to the Hobart Town Hall where crowds of up to 1000 gathered to hear him preach the Gospel. They soon saw their Winter Sunday night attendances swell to 500!

How old do you have to be to be "on-fire" for Christ?

¶ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Revelation 2:4

It seems that the call of Christ does not come at particular age but it also appears that it more commonly comes to you when you are young. That is, the Spirit of God wants people to trust Him with their lives as early as possible. But it is even more apparent that God desires for us to increasingly desire to be surrendered to Him! Therefore-

As it is said,
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."
Hebews 3:15

God calls us to respond to Him afresh each day. We must guard against hardening our hearts and becoming prematurely spiritually "aged" rather than spiritually 'mature.' I know people in their 80s who love Jesus and have done so from the earliest of age. They continue to devour the Word and learn all they can. They pray fervently and have not been put-off by God saying "No" or "Not now." They live for 'today', not in yesterday, and not for "some day". They have heard the call of the Psalmist to hear the voice of God today and enjoy the kind of youthfulness that Isaiah said comes from waitering on the Lord. Conversely I have met people in their 20s, 30s or 40s who have become spiritually dull and 'aged' in attitude. God no longer grips their heart. The Word no longer fills their mind. His Spirit no longer stirs their soul. When God said, "Today!" they eventually responded with, "Can't today. I might be able to in a few days though."

And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 
JESUS CHRIST, Luke 12:47

I want to walk with God today. I want to hear God's voice today. I want to respond to God's Word today. I want to be used by God to reach young people today. I pray that we will be a "today" people. And if you have not yet began to trust Christ as your today-Saviour, then I pray that today you will.

Father, help us to live surrendered lives to You today! Help us to reach out to the world with Your love and Word. Help us to be salt and light to a savourless and dark world. Give us the courage of our convictions to not be silent about Your grace and great love for all people. Help us also to live a demonstration of that truth and grace. May we see the hurting, the lost, the spiritually dead, all redeemed and added to Your church family, for Your glory, we pray, Amen.

Eph. 3:21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ps. Andrew