IF YOU JUST HANG IN THERE, GOD MAY GIVE YOU THIS

IF YOU JUST HANG IN THERE, GOD MAY GIVE YOU THIS

For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
First Corinthians 12:8-10

God offers some amazing gifts of the Spirit to help His people to share the gospel and bring blessing to others. I’m sure that there are many of us who would love to have the gifts of miracles or healing, or perhaps the gifts of prophecy or words of knowledge? But there is something perhaps more necessary and even more powerful than these gifts, that is also more important to acquire than these gifts. Without it, our witness is undermined and our credibility is diminished. With it, our witness is strengthened and our credibility is buttressed. Of all the virtues commended in the New Testament, apart from love, endurance is the most commended. 

By your endurance you will gain your lives.
Jesus Christ (Luke 21:19)

I want to encourage those of you who do not feel that your witness for Christ or contribution into His Kingdom is anything significant – yet you have endured setbacks, disappointments, and hardships and remained faithful to Christ, His Word, and His Church. Well done! You, then, are the beneficiaries of the apostle Paul’s Romans 15:5 prayer.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,
Romans 15:5

Speaking of the apostle Paul, he knew a thing or two about spectacular miracles and dramatic spiritual experiences. Yet when his credibility was challenged by hostile critics from Corinth, rather than dwell on these experiences to validate his apostolic ministry, instead, he cited his examples of endurance in the midst of afflictions, hardships and calamities.

but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,
Second Corinthians 6:4

The Apostle told the Colossians that his praying for them; their increasing knowledge of Christ; their walking in a manner worthy of Christ; their seeking to please God in how they lived; and, their bearing of the fruits of kindness and service of others, was all for nothing if they weren’t consistent with it in the midst of discomfort and adverse circumstances. Not only did he encourage them to endure, he encouraged them to endure patiently and with joy.

¶ And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
Colossians 1:9-11

One of the last books of the New Testament to be written was Hebrews. Its author, quite probably Barnabas, wrote to these Jewish believers who were having doubts about Jesus as their Christ and the reality of the New Covenant’s arrival. Added to this, his audience were under mounting pressure from their countrymen to forsake Christianity and return to their old ways. Rather than tell them to have more faith, or believe harder, or seek God for further confirming miracles, the author of Hebrews implores his audience and fellow Jews to endure. Endurance, he tells them, has an ultimate reward from God. Sure, it means going through hardship, some deprivation, a measure of social pain, but in the end it delivers a reward that nothing else is able to deliver. 

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Hebrews 10:36

There’s lots of commendable things to seek God for – wisdom, strength, knowledge, opportunities, increased love,but none are commended to us as much godly endurance. in the closing book of the Bible, the Apostle John commends endurance at least six times (Rev. 1:9; 2:2; 2:19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12). 

¶ Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
Revelation 14:12

Christ’s call for God’s people to endure, as prophesied by the Apostle John, is perhaps more necessary today than ever before. As a church we might become known for many virtuous things, such as – our care for each other, our welcoming attitude toward newcomers, our depth of Biblical teaching and knowledge, our willingness to stand up for the oppressed and voiceless, our support of welfare programs, our ministry to young mums, our vibrant youth ministry, and our professional approach to children’s ministry – and all these reputational markers can be buttressed if we can also become known as a community of Christ-lovers who endure hardship, some deprivation, and a measure of social pain, in order to be faithful to Christ, His Word, and His Church. Whatever you are praying for from God, I hope that I have now encouraged you to ask God to help you endure. When the world, the enemy or just circumstances, tries to keep you from God’s Word or the weekly gathering of God’s people, I trust that you will exercise your spiritual endurance muscles and hang in there. And of all the things you really need or just want, perhaps if you can hang in there and continue doing the right thing, God may grant you this one request – that you will have the strength to do what’s best: endure!

¶ “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
Revelation 2:19

Pastor Andrew Corbett

The Urge To Quit Always Comes Just Before Your Greatest Triumph

IF YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE-IN, AT LEAST DO IT PROPERLY!

What has God put you on this planet for? Chances are you don’t have to stress too much about discovering it. You have probably already found that God has placed within you certain abilities, certain passions, which cause you to continually see the same need. Chances are also that when you apply yourself to meeting those needs you have gained a tremendous sense of satisfaction and fulfilment in the process. Yet, despite this, there will occasionally be times of discouragement when all you want to do is give-up. But it’s at these times when you must especially be careful to do it properly!

Joseph was given a dream from God that he would one day become a powerful governor. After spending more than ten years in an Egyptian prison, we would have forgiven him for giving up and for thinking that God had abandoned him. But if he had, he would have missed his moment! Joseph remained faithful to God, day in, and day out. 

Moses was called to be the deliverer of Israel from Egypt. But he made a mistake and failed. This led him to flee into the desert. I wonder if he thought that God would rescue him from his woes in a short time. But he didn’t hear from God again for another 40 years! He never completely gave-up!

It seems to me that the most successful people are those who have learned to hang-in when the temptation to give-in is nearly overwhelming. They are prepared to give to take one more step, have one more go, knock on one more door, write one more song, play one more tournament, do one more day. 

I recently spoke with a successful businessman who had gone four months without making a dollar in his new business. He had exhausted his reserves and had lay off each of his staff. Despondent but not despairing he gave it one more shot. “I was ready to throw it all in and stack shelves in a supermarket” he said. “But then God gave me a break. I met someone I could help. That led to another person I could help, and then another who referred me to another. In the first three months of this year I’ve done $17,000,000 worth of transactions and am on track to generate over a million dollars in profits this year!” 

Not all of us are in business, but we should all be in God’s business of helping others in Jesus’ Name. Yet when you’re trying to do good by others and help them, it can get quite discouraging when they don’t appreciate it or are even rude in return. I recently heard Jossy Chacko tell his story of having a Christian Grandmother who prayed fervently for young Jossy to come to know Christ. Jossy ridiculed such praying. He told his ageing Grandmother not to waste her time on him. But she kept going – month after month, year after year. She died never seeing the answer to her prayers for her Grandson. Today though, Jossy is an in-demand preacher and conference speaker who heads up the Empart Church Planting organisation which helps to facilitate over 9,000 churches across northern India.

We should not easily lose heart in our pursuit of doing the will of God.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9

This admonition not only applies to each of us, it also especially applies to us as a church. Too many churches are set back because someone gives up after taking offence at something someone said or did (or didn’t say or didn’t do). It’s too easy to give up on each other or those who are trying to reach. The cousin of not giving up is patience. There will be some people we will reach who will take years and years to see won to the Lover Of Their Soul. Whenever I get frustrated with some of the things that our non-Christian politicians say, I have to remind myself to pray for their salvation and be patient. When the story of our church is told to generations to come – long after you and I have gone onto our true Home – I trust we will be remembered for our faithful prayer and proclamation to our generation and that we didn’t give up. The proper way to give-up is to at least give it one more shot.  

Pastor Andrew Corbett

ANNA OF ASHER

Why is Anna so greatly honoured? This is the question raging in too few circles. Some people are honoured in their generation. (This mostly happens for a day or two.) Fewer people though enjoy being honoured throughout the duration of their generation. But only a very small number of people are honoured throughout two millennia of generations, and even fewer who are such honoured are additionally honoured by people from every nation over that same time. Anna is one such person who unsuspectingly breathes this rarest of air. The reason for her acknowledged greatness always surprises those who discover it.

Fame sometimes brings fleeting honour. Noble achievements often brings deserved and prolonged honour. But what causes a person to be honoured perpetually - for millenniums around the world? The kinds of achievements that perhaps warrant this kind of honour are usually exercised by Kings, Emperors, political or religious leaders. Besides these elites, people who achieve the extraordinary are duly honoured by their nations. But Anna was none of these and didn't do any of the feats that most people would call extraordinary. Yet she is honoured still to this day in the pages of the world's most sacred text.

¶ There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death.
Luke 2:36

Anna probably had hopes and expectations for her future just as every other young woman does when they start their married life. But tragedy struck early for Anna. Life can sometimes take unexpected turns - even for a prophet or a prophetess. Her groom became ill shortly after they married, and in just a few short years, all her hopes of children and eventually grandchildren vanished when he died. It was perhaps then that the Lord began to speak sweetly to her heart about the Child that was to come - 'the Redemption of Jerusalem'.  

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem."
Luke 2:38

By the time Anna saw the Child, she had waited over 60 years for the promised moment. She had kept herself sexually pure as a virgin until her marriage as Scriptures instructs. She had every reason to believe that because she was faithful to God that He would bless her and her marriage. But it seemed to all that God had let down! For a Hebrew woman, becoming a mother was a position of great honour and badge of God's blessing upon them. She was denied this. The other women in the city could only coldly speculate as to why God would deny her this blessing. (People's gossip and misunderstanding can be a most cruel burden to endure.) But Anna did what cannot come naturally when she was faced with this horrible adversity: she went to the Temple and worshipped God. I say 'unnatural' because it requires a deep work by the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person. Anna was such a person.

Too many people who profess faith in God, when facing adverse life-circumstances (such as busyness, tiredness, financial pressure, sport, visit by family), are lured away from church attendance. Like King David before her, when faced with deep sorrow, rather than shake a clenched fist at God - she raised her open and surrendered hands to God. Trials don't change people - trials reveal people. And while many people are enthusiastic for the things of God immediately after their conversion but then begin to wane as time goes on, Anna exhibitedabiding commitment to the House of God. Some people get excited about church when the crowds are there. But Anna's love for God and His House was not based on how many joined her. Anna was continually in the House of God worshiping the Lord.

and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
Luke 2:37

Anna knew God. She recognised that her body was a sacred gift from God. She learned to hear from God and to excercise her gift of prophecy to bless others. She grew in her trust and adoration of God and reflected this love for God by loving what He loved. She was faithful in attending the House of God. She developed in the spiritual disciplines, most especially in prayer (at a stage when many older women feel that they are of no use to God anymore) while in the House of God. She was honoured by God to see the fulfilment of His promise to her that she would behold the Child. And for all this she was honoured by God as He inspired the divine record of His Son's early stages of life on earth as the incarnate yet eternal Son of Man. Added to this cause for great honour, the Scriptures go on to say that after she had seen Israel's promised Redeemer, she boldly told everyone that He was now aong them.

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:38

You are never 'wasting' time when you worship like Anna. Attendance at church is most worshipful when it is passionate, consistently regular, prayerful, gift-pooling, and evangelistic. Whether there is a handful of people, or hundreds of people, makes no difference to those who worship like Anna. Whether you 'see' God every time you enter the House of God or not, makes no difference to the one worshiping like Anna, because they have learned that they can see God more clearly with their eyes closed anyway. Whether you are up the front or obscured in the middle of the congregation doesn't change the fact for those who worship like Anna - God always sees us when we are in His House honouring Him. Put all of these factors together and you soon realise why God's smile rested upon Anna and He chose to greatly honour her.

Ps. Andrew