THE DAY THAT DAVID COULD NO LONGER KILL GIANTS

¶ There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary.
Second Samuel 21:15

Years earlier on the day that the Philistine's champion, Goliath, challenged the army Israel (under the leadership of King Saul) to come out and face him man-to-man in one-on-one combat — not one man dared accept his challenge! When the sixteen-year-old shepherd boy, David of Bethlehem, arrived with supplies from his father for David's seven brothers, David did what none before him had dared do. He accepted the challenge of the 12-fingered giant and with God's help defeated him.

AND DAVID GREW WEARY

Years later, David is now much older - probably close to 60 years of age. He no longer has the youthful vigour that he once had. “And David grew weary” the unnamed prophet writes. And what nearly happened next nearly changed the course of human history!

And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”

  Second Samuel 21:16-17

WHAT DAVID COULD NO LONGER DO, COULD STILL BE DONE - EVEN MORE EFFECTIVELY!

After this episode, the unnamed narrator includes a remarkable series of giant-killing tales that actually greatly honoured David (2Sam. 21:22). Four young men, Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Sebbecai the Hushathite, Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, and Jonathan the son of Shimei (David’s brother) each slew giants as big as—if not bigger than—the original Goliath that the young David had slain!

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”  ¶ After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down. These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Second Samuel 21:17-22

David had been fighting battles, that no-one thought could be fought - let alone won, for many years. He was not just weary. He was battle-weary. But in the process of being present, courageous, faithful, and fearless, he inspired a generation of young warriors to step up and enter into the fray. What their parents and grand-parents thought could not be done, and what they had never witnessed anyone even brave enough to try, these four young men dared to believe was also possible with God’s help just as David had once done. While the day came that David could no longer kill giants, it came on the same day that four young men were inspired to believe that they could!

It would be a nice way to conclude the Biblical story of David's life with this honourable tribute of his inspiration of the next generation, but sadly, this is not where it ends - and even sadder for the memory of King David is the narration that the shepherd-turned-warrior King did not handle his lack of military-identity with the required humility needed for such a high royal office. The Scriptures reveal that there are certain life-changes which require a good deal of humility to be able to enter well, and even though David, the once humble shepherd boy, had been selected by God precisely because of his humility, toward the end of his life he did not maintain it as well as he had when he started. There are some great and difficult lessons for us who are ageing to learn from this.

Pastor Andrew Corbett

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BODY BUILDING

 BODY BUILDING

It’s only in the last few years that we have felt the Lord lead us to adopt a theme for the year. The year before last our them for the year was redemption. Last year, before many of us went into lockdown in our homes, we had felt the Lord put on our hearts the theme, welcome home. This year, we have felt the Lord lead us to focus on the theme, grow. The word ‘grow’ conjures up different emotions in me. There was a time, quite early in my pastoral ministry at Legana, when it was recommended to me that I engage a ministry coach. It was my desire to do all I could to see our small church grow. The ministry coach agreed that numerical growth should be my focus and share how he had helped other churches our size experience dramatic growth. It just so happened that at this time I was in the throes of my doctoral studies which were challenging and stretching me personally. Despite the coach’s insistence that I focus on the numerical growth of our church, we had not grown to the extent that the ministry coach had intimated that we should have. After a year or so of this professional ministry coaching which had involved some rather cold, analytical, surveys including developing a strategic plan and being subject to a dubious thing called a DISC analysis, the ministry coach said that there was nothing more he could offer me.

This reinforced in me that for some church leaders ‘growth’ only comes in one form – numerical. and often overlooks that the kind of growth that God calls us to comes in more than one variety. In fact, according to the passage that we are basing our understanding of growth theme on, there seems to be at least five varieties of growth encouraged in the Scriptures, and only one of them is achieved by evangelism.

And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
Ephesians 4:11-12

 

HOW PASTORS ARE TO GROW BELIEVERS

God has given certain ones to be shepherds (or, ‘pastors’) of God’s people, ‘the body of Christ’, the local church. These called ones are to do the things that Jesus described of a true shepherd in John 10 — to care, protect, feed, lead, train and encourage.

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
John 10:2-5

Pastors (shepherds) are called to grow those God charges them to shepherd. This Christian growth is described as the same kind of growth that a newborn child experiences as they are nourished and nurtured.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation — if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
First Peter 2:2-3

The first kind of growth described in Ephesians 4:13 presupposes physical growth, but also links this growth to maturing which involves growing in the second way — emotionally.

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:13

To grow emotionally involves being able to empathise (understand what someone else is going through), and sympathise (identify with and relate to how someone else is feeling in the midst of their circumstances).

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15

Being healthy emotionally involves the ability to laugh when things are humorous, cry when things are sad, get angry when something is unjust, forgive when others hurt you, appreciate and admire beauty, wonder at the marvels in creation, gladly serve another without the prospect of receiving anything in return, and applaud the achievements of those given the limelight of honour. Pastors are called to model emotional health and help those they shepherd to grow emotionally. But there are also other forms of growth that pastors are called to lead others into.

So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ.
Ephesians 4:14-15

Thirdly, every believer is expected to grow spiritually. Pastors are responsible to help followers of Jesus to grow in their knowledge of Christ (theology) through a deeper understanding and application of God’s Word. A mature believer grows in the knowledge and application of God’s Word partly by being grounded in sound doctrine so that they can detect the falsehood of every wind of doctrine. This involves knowing what Scripture actually says and how to interpret it within context. Perhaps the primary job of a pastor is to teach, explain, apply, and model the Scriptures. It is by studying the Scriptures that the believer comes to behold Christ and in beholding Christ they are transformed into His likeness. This is the essence of spiritual growth.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Second Corinthians 3:18

There remains two further forms of growth described in Ephesians 4. 

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:16

Fourthly, there are certain aspects to being part of a local church which require growth that can only come from training. Pastors are responsible to both model and implement ongoing skill growth. This is referred to as equipping in Ephesians 4:16. This is why pastors and church leaders are responsible to train believers to better serve others and use their gifts more effectively.

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Second Timothy 2:2

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace
First Peter 4:10

for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
First Timothy 4:8

 

HOW WE ARE TO GROW TOGETHER

Discipleship (“growth”) involves growing in the four ways mentioned above. As each believer grows as a result of the shepherding of their local church leadership, that church grows stronger and healthier. This is the essence of body building and it equally applies to the body of Christ. Each believer is then growing through the nurturing that occurs within the gathering of the whole church each Sunday where the whole church family gathers together to worship, to celebrate holy communion, to be reminded that the body of Christ in which the Lord has placed them involves others, and to receive the preached Word of God. 

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46-47

And each believer grows when they gather in their small group because the church also gathers in small groups through the week whereby connections with others are made stronger, prayers are more personal, the Scriptures are studied and questioned leading to practical application. Both gatherings are important for the believer’s growth for these different reasons. As we read through the Apostle Paul’s exhortation for churches in Romans 12, we notice that the first half applies to the larger corporate (all together) gathering of a church, and the last half has greater application within the small group gatherings of a church.

But there is a another growth that also happens as each member grows and serves each other with the gifts, talents, and energy that God has given them and it is referred to in both our key passage of Ephesians 4, and the Acts 2 passage cited above — numerical growth.

Numerical growth happens in three ways:

(i) those believers whom God calls to be a part of our church (this is called transfer growth);

(ii) those who born to parents who are part of our church (this is called biological growth); and,

(iii) those who are won to Christ and discipled as part of our church (this is called evangelism/new convert growth). 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I have just spent the past five Sundays introduce the doctrine and role of the Holy Spirit. I think that we have good reasons to believe that the Holy Spirit is cares about all five varieties of growth. In fact, as we yield to Christ through the Holy Spirit we too begin to share in the heart of Christ through the Holy Spirit to see and experience growth.

¶ Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
First Thessalonians 3:11-13

If the Lord delights to grant us all three types of numerical growth, it will come with some very predictable challenges. I know this, because I am the father of four children. With the arrival of each of our children, there was upheaval, insecurities experienced by the older child/ren, intentional reassurance required from the parents, extra attention given to the new-born, physical adjustments to the home to make room for the new arrival, and new responsibilities for each family member to contribute to the running of the family. The same challenges face a church that also experiences numerical growth. It is my hope that as we walk together with the Holy Spirit in our surrender to Christ, that we will grow and that each of us will be involved in Christ’s body building.  

Your pastor,

Andrew

Let me know what you think below in the comment section and feel free to share this someone who might benefit from this Pastor’s Desk.

CHURCHES DO NOT JUST EXIST TO EVANGELISE!

 ADVERSITY IS NO TIME TO FAINT!

In the early 1930s a young German pastor was pleading with his pastoral colleagues about a looming evil with sinister political influence. He was largely ignored. His fellow ministers fobbed him off citing that, “Religion and politics do not mix!” This was a catastrophic error. We can only wonder how different history would have been if the Christian leaders of Germany had stood up to their nation’s shameful tyrant-Chancellor and mustered those that God had entrusted to them, to do likewise. But they were too afraid — too dependent upon government welfare — too dependent on the approval of people rather than the approval of God! The very thing they thought they were securing by refusing to obey God and speak up for the vulnerable and less fortunate was the very thing that would soon forfeit. And sadly, cost them, and millions of their countrymen, their lives. Today, around 80 years later the lessons from this tremendously sad chapter in human history, are now more pertinent than ever.

 

RECENT FAINTING

While the world’s attention was focused on the recent American Presidential election, what most non-Americans may not realise is that there were other elections and ballots also being conducted. In Colorado for example, there was a ballot to ban abortions on demand after 22 weeks (“Prop 115”). A baby that is twenty-two weeks old in utero is indisputably viable — even without additional life support. Just weeks before Prop 115 went to the vote in Colorado during the Presidential election, many Colorado’s mega-church pastors marched lock-step in the ‘Black Lives Matter’ marches that were happening. But when it came to the Prop 115 ballot, not one of them made a public statement about pointing out the obvious that the unjustified taking of an innocent human life is a heinous evil. Reporting on the defeat of the Prop 115 ballot, the Denver Post proudly reported, “Colorado was the first state in the country to decriminalize abortion, passing a law in 1967 to allow the procedure in cases of rape, incest, if the woman’s health was threatened or if the unborn child might have birth defects” (Nov. 3rd 2020).

One Coloradan pastor, Pastor Tracey Perry, told Colorado Public Radio, “I don’t politicize the pulpit. But at times, comments were made about Black Lives Matter and that seems like a Democratic tool to get Trump out and to come against the Republicans. I would stand back from that because that’s not for me. That’s your opinion. But at the end of the day, Black lives do matter and I would tell them. We’d have these open conversations because that’s what I do, too. I go to different congregations and community groups, speaking about racial and social injustice and justice, and letting them know when we’d sit down and have conversations, that to racist white officers, to white supremacists Black lives do not matter. However, we matter to God” (Colorado Public Radio, Nov. 1st 2020).

 

A TRANSLATOR’S CHALLENGE ABOUT FAINTING

I love the English Standard Version of the bible. But there are several suggestions I would like to make to the translation committee the next time we meet. One of them occurs in Proverbs 24 (which is my biblical text for this Pastor’s Desk) and it is supported by the comments made in the translator’s notes of the New English Translation. 

¶ If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will He not repay man according to his work?
Proverbs 24:10-12

I am deeply deeply challenged by this passage of Scripture. I love the way that the ESV (English Standard Version) renders it. It tells me that my commission is foundationally pastoral – but not merely for those on our church roll, but for those in our community who are not yet on our church roll. This passage commands me to lead a church that cares for people outside of our four walls. The rendering of this passage in the ESV is challenging enough, but lately I have also been drawing on the New English Translation (NET) of the bible largely because of its extensive translator notes on nearly each verse in its translation. The translator of this passage points out that there is no “If” in the Hebrew where verse 10 starts in Proverbs 24. In fact, he writes, the Hebrew construction of this verse is “confrontational”. “The verb רָפָה (rafah) means ‘to become slack, limp, to wither.’” The Hebrew construction is a little awkward to convey in English, but it might sound more like an abrupt accusation – “Faint in the day of adversity?!” It is a confrontational challenge to the wise to be courageous and tireless in their efforts to uphold (true) justice—for the lives and welfare of the most vulnerable. This passage may well be the Word of Lord to the Christian Leaders of Tasmania at this time. Speaking out against injustice such as the euphemistically titled End of Life Choices Bill (Voluntary Assisted Dying) by urging our congregations to write objecting letters and emails to Tasmanian politicians, is not engaging in politics, it is defending the rights of the poor, widows and the vulnerable which the commands us to do (Prov. 31:9). It seems to me that those who oppose God’s right to rule have discovered that if they want to silence those who claim to represent the Crucified-Risen-Glorified-Saviour, all they have to do is to label their unrighteous agenda as ‘political’ and fainting Christian leaders immediately retreat behind their cowardly mirage-mantra ‘religion and politics do not mix’. Meanwhile, the enemy of the souls of all mankind gleefully promotes his mission to manipulate, lie, deceive, kill, steal and destroy.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10

 

CHURCHES DO NOT ONLY EXIST TO EVANGELISE!

It is a spiritually dangerous idea to claim that churches only exist to evangelise. Do not think that I am at all suggesting that God has not ordained for churches to evangelise. He has. But He has called us, the Church, to do much much more than evangelise. We are called to:

(i) teach/train/equip believers to read/understand/apply/teach God’s Word [Col. 3:16; 2Tim. 4:2],

(ii) reflect Christ to the world,

(iii) model community and the dynamics of forgiveness [2Cor. 2:14],

(iv) help families to live out the principles of love [Eph. 5:21-6:4],

(v) train people for marriage and parenting [1Cor. 7:1-28],

(vi) educate our communities in the Word/ways/will of God [Eph. 5:8-10; Col. 1:28],

(vii) to support the poor and needy [Gal. 2:10; James 1:27; Heb. 13:16],

(viii) to defend the truth [1Tim. 3:15],

(ix) train a generation to be salt and light [Eph. 5:8; Col. 4:6],

(x) take the Gospel to the furthest reaches of the planet [Matt. 28:18-20],

(xi) leave a spiritual and cultural legacy for generations to come [2Tim 2:2],

(xii) to offer God praises [1Pet. 2:5; Heb. 13:15], and

(xiii) to be a prophetic voice to a world rebelling against God [Eph. 5:11, 13].

It is a mistake for a church to think that they need only to concentrate on one of these mandates. Congregations, denominations, and ministries must cooperate together by drawing on the gifts that God has placed within His Body to support the fulfilment of all of these mandates at their appropriate time.

“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God,
which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”
First Timothy 3:15 ESV

Therefore, we, the Christian community of Tasmania must work tirelessly together, each doing even just a little, which when combined becomes an enormous force to be reckoned with in much the same that when a drip of water combines with a lot of other drips of water, its combined force can carve a canyon through granite. Sometime Christian are reluctant to speak up and take a stand for the truth because the Enemy has bluffed them into thinking that the success of his schemes is inevitable. This is when blood-redeemed sons and daughters of the King need to remember that God does not call us to be successful (although we long for the success of seeing God glorified) but that He has called us to be faithful. This is why we must speak up together when any government or lobby group attempts to encourage rebellion against God and His Law. This is why we must all play our part — but pastors especially must set the example for their congregations and take the lead.

 

PRAY THAT THE CHURCH LEADERS OF OUR STATE DO NOT FAINT!

¶ Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf.
Romans 15:30

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—
Colossians 4:3

Pray for me. I need your prayers. Pray that I boldly shepherd God’s people put in my care. Pray that I speak up for the vulnerable. Pray for me to have courage. Pray that I expound God’s Word faithfully and deliver it with clarity and passion. Pray that I learn how to present the truth in a persuasive and appealing manner. And pray for pastoral colleagues around Tasmania, especially as they are challenged to demonstrate a commitment to the truth that we should never sanction the state in its effort to assist vulnerable people to commit suicide (The UTas VAD Review is seeking submissions which close on January 4th 2021), and to make a submission to the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute’s enquiry into Tasmania introducing a S.O.G.I. laws (enshrining into law the self-declared ‘sexual orientation’ of a person or the gender identity a person wishes to adopt despite their biological sex) and criminalising any attempt to help a person with unwanted gender confusion or unwanted same-sex attraction. The pastors of our State need your prayers and the courage not to faint in the midst of adversity.

 

Your pastor,

Andrew