Unity - It's Already Here

We were talking in a recent article about how men are trying to organize the church and unify it on human principles rather than accepting the fact that God's church is one even now, and through the Spirit in unity with His Body the work of saving the world has begun and will continue without political force.
It is the Father's intention to continue answering the prayer of His Son in John 17, making people one in Him as He is in the Son. This is true spiritual unity. An externally "United Church" with no opposition was experienced by the planet from the days of Constantine until the Reformation was in full swing. About 1000 years. Not a pretty sight.

Never has Jesus been ignored by the Father in prayer. Jesus prayed the perfect will of the Father and therefore all His prayers were answered, including the phrase, "that they may be one." Yes, that prayer was heard and we humans can stop trying to put the church together. There is one church. It defies description. But it exists in unity with the Father, as the Father and Son have unity. Theirs is not a physical unity because the Father is not physical.

John 17:20-21. How will the later disciples, like us, ever hear of and believe in Christ? Through the Word of the apostles. How will that Word go out? Through unity of Christ with them and in them. He does not say that [external] unity brings people to Christ. He is talking about the Spirit bringing people to Christ. When God and His people are of the right Spirit, the Holy Spirit, that Spirit will reach to a fallen world, calling out His own through men. He prays for our communion with the Godhead, the same communion He had, so that we, Spirit-filled believers, will touch our world.

Collectively, that which the Spirit fills is Christ on the earth today. We start from a position of unity and are perfected from there. We are not striving for unity with God and therefore with each other. The unity already exists. Churches may split. The Church cannot. Denominations may form. The unity continues. Rome, pagan or papal, may rise and control the masses (in more ways than one). But Christ knows His own and His church remains defined by the Spirit, not the Emperor, or any other human leader.

Oh we long for the day when the current world regime moves aside and makes way for new things. We long for Christ to have His rightful place, for people to breathe free and drink in Christ. But we must step aside and allow the Spirit of God to call whom He will to get this task done, not assume that human organizing will do it.

Oh, God, breathe Your Spirit on Your true Church and raise them up from all the earth's peoples, even now, as You choose. May we not be in the way, but following Your Way. May we not assume You need us but may we not be disobedient when we hear Your call.

Amen

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

American Patriot Among War Heroes - The Story of Bud Day

As a fighter pilot who saw my share of combat during the Vietnam War, I thought I knew Medal of Honor recipient Bud Day. After all, I was once a member of the elite combat unit he formed to conduct a secret war along the Ho Chi Minh trail during the late 1960s (A unit generally referred to as "Misty" their call sign in combat). But after reading "American Patriot," I realized I was dead wrong. Robert Coram's book profiles a man with a seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of controlled courage and an unimpeachable sense of honor - all of which he gladly placed at the disposal of his country throughout his life.

The book is carefully detailed and written in a manner that even the "great unwashed" who were not fighter pilots can understand. The descriptive scenes involving his torture as a POW are painful to read at times, yet I know that they were not exaggerated; and that's what makes them all the more disturbing.

The words "honor," "integrity" and "heroes" have been trivialized in our society to the extent that few people know or care what they mean any more. In an ideal world, these subjects would be addressed in school, or at least discussed at home. But we do not live in a perfect world; that's why I suggest that "American Patriot" be required reading in every high school and college in America. This is a profound and moving book about a man who history will recognize as one of the great American heroes of his time.

Ron Standerfer is a retired Air Force Colonel and fighter pilot who flew 250 combat missions during the Vietnam War. He has written numerous short stories, magazine articles, and blog pieces on military aviation in general, and fighter pilots in specific. During the initial bombing of Baghdad during the Persian Gulf War, he was seen on national TV as a military analyst. His latest novel, The Eagle's Last Flight, chronicles the life of an Air Force fighter pilot during the Cold War and Vietnam years. Details of this book can be found at http://www.theeagleslastflight.com His blog, which presents his views and opitions on a variety of subjects can be read at http://www.theeagleslastflight.blogspot.com

Mature Wise Leadership

This experienced man, John, writes a vitally important letter that we might know certain vital truths and know them with certainty. Good leadership is always concerned about that.

How do you know that you are a Christian and that is all is well with you spiritually?

John is going to give three certain ways to test yourself - a historical test - a theological test - a social test. The people in the early Church could apply these to themselves and discover whether or not they had the real thing, or whether or not they had been deceived by a counterfeit. Many today believe a deception. Do read the text of John's first letter in the New Testament. It is crucial because various wrong teachings were creeping into the Church of Jesus Christ at that time just as they have crept back in today.

God does not want any disciples of Jesus Christ to be deceived and this letter is being written to the Church of Jesus Christ.

Is our faith based on facts or feelings? Do I have a good history - a sound conversion? Is it all based on Jesus Christ - is it all real - did it actually happen?

When you are baptised in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues that reinforces the reality. Why do I put that in, if it is not mentioned here directly? It was not an issue at that time, but it is an issue today in various places and leaders are called to lead and deal with important matters, irrespective of how popular it might be.

John mentions what we have seen and heard. When your Christian experience is based on facts then these cannot change. It has little to do with feelings. John acted because Jesus Christ called him, chose him, saved him, anointed him. He had so many real experiences of Jesus. There is a theological test. Do we have the right view of Jesus Christ? He was both human and divine - man and God.

We need all that we read in the whole Word of God. As we stay in the Word we will be saved from years of heartbreak, and that goes for an individual, for every Christian fellowship - and even for a nation. God invaded this world in the Man, Jesus Christ. He was not just a good man. He was GOD.

Our history - do we have a firm foundation? Our theology - do we have a right view of God - and now the moral test! You do not live as you used to. You keep the commandments. Obedience is a recurring note in authentic Christianity. It is one thing to know something - but how do you know if you know - Chapter 2 verse 3 - if we keep His Commandments.

And there is a social test too to check that we have the real thing - You must love your brother Christians. Now that is not just being nice - it is much more than that. It is not sloppy - sentimental - superficial - it is being as loyally loving and as lovingly loyal as Jesus was.

Jesus was utterly loyal. He did not go and look for other men when the men he chose let Him down. He never spoke about His men behind their back - except to the Father in prayer - but that is rather different. These people had to get on with each other. It was not easy - particularly in Corinth was it a real problem - but there the root of the problem lay in what they believed. When that is sorted out then they could come to the Table and eat and drink.

There is the story told of aged John being carried into the Church, and being asked to speak, and all he could say was, "Little children - Love one another". This after all is the Lord's command, and Jesus has this aged and mature apostle speaking these words and writing these truths to the very end. John begins his letter by focussing our attention on Jesus, and it would be difficult to improve upon this quality of mature leadership, which is so greatly needed in these present days.

Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children's Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled "Word from Scotland" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.

His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.

Sandy Shaw
sandyshaw63@yahoo.com

Elegance and Being "Salt and Light"

"It is elegance that is potent and subversive.Elegance in a world of vulgarity." -Vivienne Westwood.

"A city on a hill cannot be hidden." -Matthew 5:14b (TNIV).

The Christian equivalent of the above quote on elegance is Jesus' Sermon on the Mount message to be salt and light to a broken, confused world--persons searching for a way home spiritually, but without knowing at all how to get there.So, instead of elegance, often they continue in their vulgarity. As salt we prevent decay; as light we point the way... (M.O. humility, not arrogance.)

This elegance stands out as "dignified gracefulness or restrained beauty of style... a refined grace or dignified propriety."[1]It is other-than the world's normal (vulgar) way.

It stands alone.

Elegance is irresistible.

It oozes charisma.

It evokes strange responses.

It brings both praise and criticism.Praise from those recognising and welcoming truth and virtue.Criticism from those threatened personally by elegance.(We should not be swayed by these if we genuinely know we're executing the will of God.In fact, we will often upset some if we are doing God's will--it requires courage to truly follow God.)

The purpose of a Christian's real elegance i.e. anything they do that shines far above what the world generally expects and anticipates and is thus blatantly noticeable in the thoroughly good way, is to glorify God the Father.We don't do it for our own glory, but for God's--with a motive like this, focussing on it, we're destined to have better chances of success.

It is our destiny more than our past that defines us.[2]We have been sanctified for a reason; we're on the road for the rest of the journey as servant princes and servant princesses, sons and daughters of the Most High King.And a condition of royalty is public proprietary.Royalty must serve and lead by example.We're saved to serve--God directly, humankind, and possibly all creation.

The Christian's light is to be a persistent but respectful beacon for the unrepentant; a voice and a strobe pointing the way home.It's a conspicuous sign regarding how to deal in life; in the reliant maturity of what's right, just and fair.

We can only ever hope to be true lights to the world with potent salt when engaged with Jesus, and open to his prod and rebuke.That's a necessary condition of the journey toward elegance.We must remember that elegance has raw beauty about it.

Copyright 2009, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

ENDNOTES:
[1] Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
[2] Craig S. Keener, Matthew - IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 110.

Steve Wickham is a safety and health professional (BSc) and a qualified lay Christian minister (GradDipDiv). His passion in vocation is facilitation and coaching; encouraging people to soar to a higher value of their potential. Steve's key passion is work / life balance and re-creating value for living, and an exploration of the person within us

Misquoted Bible Verses or Misused Bible Verses Which is Worse

A clich is a trite expression or idea conveyed so often it becomes common. Clichs usually lack interest or originality but their real failing is that they are rarely ever questioned or investigated. They have a way of creeping undetected into the everyday language of the people. The sheer force of repetition establishes a clich until it is held as something sacred or immutable. For example take the common saying "God helps those who help themselves." This saying is repeated by thousands of people the world over and most of them think it is taken from the Bible. It is not a Bible verse but it has taken on almost as much authority as one. This clich is not just a few degrees off the mark but it is diametrically opposite the Bible teaching. God is a helper especially to those who cannot help themselves. The simple, the fatherless, the widows are all promised special help from God because of their helplessness. Christians have their share of unquestioned clichs. While many of them have some measure of truth in them they beg to be more meticulously scrutinized. Here is one very important example.

"Never Take a Scripture Verse Out Of Context"

This clich is often used when we are trying to establish whether a teaching or doctrine we've heard is true. It is often used to pinpoint the errors of the cults and the so-called pseudo-Christian religions.

The truth is that it is often necessary to take a verse out of its context to convey its most basic meaning. To include the verse preceding or following some verses would tend to cloud their truest meaning in literally hundreds of instances. The scriptures for the most part are not written in a narrative form. This is especially true of the New Testament epistles. A few examples are as follows... In Proverbs 11: 28-30 are three verses that are totally unrelated. If we were to be emphasizing the necessity of keeping peace in the home verse twenty-nine would be a good verse to use.

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. (Proverbs 11:29)

Verses twenty-eight and thirty have absolutely nothing to do with keeping peace in the home. We are forced to extricate or disengage the verse from its context to gain the fullest use of it. We can carry our example still a step further to illustrate the weakness of the clich. The first sentence of verse twenty-nine is separated from the second by a colon. The second sentence is in no way thematically connected to the first. In order to get the greatest impact from this verse if we were stressing the idea of peace in the home it would be necessary not only to remove the verse from the context of the passage but we would be forced to split up the verse and leave part of it out altogether. Hundreds of Bible verses are found in similar complexity

Subject matter changes so frequently in the New Testament that it becomes necessary to remove a whole passage from its context to gain the full meaning of it. The weakness of this clich is perhaps best seen in the sayings of the Lord himself. He was notorious for dangling quoted verses in mid air without supportive contextual inclusions.

Many times Jesus would say, "It is written" or "Have ye never read" and quote a single verse taken right out of its context. He made no apologies for not including the preceding or following verses and the effect of his single verse sayings often stopped the mouths of his enemies or illustrated a great principle to his followers. Sometimes the verses he quoted were taken from texts that originally had nothing to do with the subject he was dealing with. Such is the case where Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees for accepting the praise of the little children in the temple...

And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased... (Matthew 21:15)

Jesus answered with a single verse taken from Psalm 8:2 that in its original context had nothing to do with establishing the inspiration or accuracy of a child's spontaneous praises. Psalm eight is a song of recognition of God's glory because of His wonderful creation and a query of the invested powers given to man by God. Yet out of this seemingly unrelated passage Jesus extracted and wielded a single verse to the shame of his enemies, the Pharisees.

...And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? (Matthew 21:16)

If he had included the preceding and following verses of the passage it would have made absolutely no sense. Jesus in fact quoted verses taken out of context over twenty times as recorded in the four gospels. While some are repeated in the parallel gospels this only serves to verify that he did make a general practice of it. Even more amazing is the fact that unlike the apostles, Jesus never quoted more than one verse of scripture at a time. The apostles quoted two or three but never more than four at a time.

The apostles and the writers of the New Testament epistles far exceed the Lord's proclivity for taking verses out of context. Over ninety times from the book of Acts to Revelation verses are pulled out of context and used as proof texts. Less than ten times do they include more than one verse of scripture. The closest some of them come to even identifying their source is with such phrases as "David saith" or "Isaiah saith it" The rest of the quotes begin with such phrases as "he saith also in another place," "Wherefore he saith," "What saith the scriptures," "Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith," "The prophets saith," "wot ye not what the scripture saith," "The scripture saith" and "What saith it." Thirty-eight times the above sayings were used to quote a verse out of context. Only a well studied student with an excellent memory could even hope to guess at where such scriptures might be located. Keep in mind also that they were quoted over thirteen centuries before the printing press was invented. The hearers had to depend largely on the integrity of the speaker or writers for the accuracy of the quote. They couldn't whiz through the pages of their Bibles and read verses preceding or following the quoted verse. If taking a verse out of context is the crime we hold it to be then not naming the source of our quotation must be a cardinal crime and all the writers and figures of the New Testament were guilty of it.

The term used most profusely in the New Testament in connection with a verse taken out of context is "It is written." Every verse Jesus quoted was preceded by it and the apostles used it over fifty times themselves. It is the equivalent of a more modern saying that we are all familiar with, "The bible says." We have all heard preachers who warn that a verse should never be taken out of context and then we hear them say, "The Bible says," literally thousands of times in their teachings This is one inconsistency we should be thankful for because without it teaching would often be incomprehensible and quite dull.

It has become an accepted fact among believers that the enemies or false teachers are the ones who make the habit of taking verses out of context. But by contrast we can see that it is in fact the believer or the Lord himself who have exercised this practice most often A few times the Pharisees said, "Why did Moses write..." or a similar expression and it is recorded twice that the devil said, "It is written." Beyond doubt we can see that the opposing forces of the kingdom rarely practice this most dreaded habit. The reason for this is plain. Paul once said that some men were preaching the Gospel out of envy hoping to add further affliction to him by stirring up the anti-Christian forces. He concluded that it didn't matter why they were doing it. The effect was the same. Souls were saved. (Phil. 1:15-19) Satan doesn't like to quote any scripture even if it is out of context.

For this very reason, in many of the cults the scripture quotes are reduced and often not quoted at all. Another authority or special spiritual experiences often replace them. In reality false teachers do no more than the true teachers when they take a verse out of context. The difference is in the intention. Where there is an evil intention even verses quoted in context can be twisted and misused. We should be far more involved in discerning the spirit in which we are taught rather than the letter. If our teachers have a history of giving sound teaching, and have recognized and certified ministries shouldn't we allow them reasonable latitudes? We should give them the freedom to extract verses for our learning even if they must occasionally resort to the dastardly Practice of "taking a verse out of context."

Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote Hook Line and Sinker or what has Your Church Been Teaching You, publisher, PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book published by Xulon Press entitled An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ. His book is now being heralded as the clearest book on the subject of the second coming of Christ since Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" Rev Brescianis website is,

http://americanprophet.org

When the Yeast of God Begins to Work Anything Can Happen As Prayer is Answered and the Spirit Flows

There are many people praying in the United Kingdom - and I am sure wherever you are reading this - for Revival - an outpouring of the Holy Spirit - for our gracious loving God to move again.

We have seen it over many years - Abraham - Joshua - David - Isaiah and Jeremiah and the other anointed prophets - Peter, Paul, John and James, following the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Down through the centuries there have been times when God has broken through. I remember seeing that what was really important was not so much Church History as Kingdom History, when there was a breaking through of the Kingdom of God.

The yeast of God was at work.

In the 1960's and 70's we witnessed a global outpouring of the Spirit of God when every nation and denomination was affected to some degree. Of course, there were those who sat with their umbrellas up hoping they would not be touched or 'splashed'!

When God moves He moves sovereignly and that is what we are looking for and praying for in these present days. Consider what happened when Moses was leading the people of God out slavery in Egypt towards the promised Land. How did it all begin? With a mighty sovereign move of God in answer to the cries of the people. We read that in Exodus.

Read of how God released the Hebrew slaves from bondage in Egypt, under the leadership of Moses. At midnight the Lord struck, and the firstborn in Egypt died. Every Hebrew home was protected by the blood of a lamb which had been slain.

Take a moment to read the actual text in Exodus Chapter 12.

Realise the supreme importance of the blood of the lamb - that lamb which had been sacrificed in accordance with the instructions of Moses as he received them from Almighty God.

For us today the Lamb - our Passover Lamb is Jesus Christ. We read of that in the New Testament. So many appear totally unaware of the significance of the blood of the Lamb.

It was not Moses job to change, modify, water down, or edit the instructions. That would have meant disaster. We are living in a day when the so-called church wants to do so many of these very things.

Although leader of the nation, Moses was, in one sense, like a message boy, where his calling, task, and role was to deliver the message and not judge the content of the message.

There is only one thing that saves us from judgement and the consequences of sin, and that is the blood of the lamb, and our Passover Lamb is Jesus Christ, Whose blood was shed and whose life was sacrificed.

Pharaoh had said he never wanted to see Moses and Aaron again, yet at this time of national crisis he called these two men in. For Pharaoh it was a bit too late.

Be careful what you do. Be careful what you say. If you are rash and impetuous you may have to retract your words, and that can be embarrassing.

Moses is told, "Up, leave and go". O, if government would call in committed anointed spiritual leaders today. There are men around who have answers and solutions to the massive problems facing the nation - and these problems are spiritual, moral, economic and political. At the time of writing the United Kingdom according to some is near to 'melt down'.

When Moses was operating so powerfully and leading so manfully, the Holy Spirit was moving and moving rapidly and radically. The yeast of God was working.

Wherever you are keep praying. Keep interceding. Do not give in or give up.

When the yeast of God is working there is nothing we can do to stop it, but there is also nothing we can do to make that yeast work.

Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children's Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled "Word from Scotland" on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.

His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.

Sandy Shaw
sandyshaw63@yahoo.com

How Close Can You Get to a Tiger?

I suppose the entire question of my entry today ought to continue... "before you get mauled?"

I started getting into tigers a few years ago when I found a Wal-Mart bigger-than-life poster of a tiger's head. That thing has been glaring back at me all these months, to my wife's regular disapproval. I've actually had to hide him in the walk-in closet. He's that intense.

Then came North Korea. Some of you may know that the Siberian tiger is one of that country's national symbols. A fitting one. Fierce. Aloof. Threatening. And beautiful. Like that Wal-Mart poster, North Korea has been staring me down, challenging me to stare back and wonder.

Next there was the Lincoln Park Zoo. Twice in the last few weeks I've made a trek over there just to get away for a day. Both times I was captivated by this very cat from the East. In fact, on one end of his area there is a place where observers can look through a glass barrier . Most don't go there because Kitty is usually prowling around somewhere else, if he's awake.

But occasionally he paces. Every time I saw him this week he was pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. And for one magical quarter of an hour, he paced right next to the window. It's hard being my age at these times. Occasionally I actually do get excited about something, but I'm not allowed to show it. As quickly as I decently could I scrambled - no, just walked - over to the window. As people tired and moved on, I moved in, and within a short time I practically had my nose on that glass.

The tiger did better. Every time he came to where I was standing, he actually bumped his head on that window, then moved on in his circuit, 'round and 'round. I was literally one inch from one of the fiercest of all God's creation. And yet I lived to tell of it.

The people crowding in were making growl sounds and pretending their hands were paws, you know the drill. Mothers were teaching their children. Teens were impressing their friends with noises and gestures. Ol' Bob stood there in awe.

If the friendly cat had bumped that glass a little harder, and the smallest crack had formed, we all would have been lunch for pussy-cat. As it was, we were just an audience being entertained.

It hit me days later that many of us are involved in a spectator sport when it comes to North Korea. We read the stories, we visit China and South Korea, we give our money, we even pray, and we might even think we understand the animal on the other side of the glass. But we don't.

There is no way to know what people who live in a "tiger's" world feel, on the other side of a zoo window. "Remember the prisoners as if bound with them" may be one of the toughest commands ever issued. How can I really feel what they feel? Skip a meal? Pray a little more? Wear old clothes? Beat myself? Abandon all media?

Who among us dares to enter other worlds, as did our Lord? Who goes beyond the glass and suffers whatever consequences there might be? Until we do, we may be good story-tellers, good fund-raisers, teary-eyed romantics who feel imaginary pain, but we must not conclude that therefore we have taken up the cross which Jesus has our brothers carrying.

I trust I am not being too harsh. Zoos are for looking, and looking is a good thing. But eventually we must, I believe, shed the zoo mentality, go out into the field, and confront a tiger. Mauled or not.

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , ovber 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos3@gmail.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.