Our Bible tells us not to be afraid but take every thought captive to obey Christ.  As with Adam and Eve, Satan tries to deceive us, telling us that God does not really love us and that we should not believe him but take matters into our own hands, like taking the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.  This has been the world's response to God. And often Satan will tempt each one of us to disbelieve God and take matters into our own hands, whether it be disputes with our neighbours or family members or those who seem to be attacking our rights.

How should we respond to the Devil's deceptions? I think Paul sums it up well in 2 Cor 10:5. “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. When Paul was writing his first and second letters to the Corinthians, he was very conscious of the spiritual warfare that had been going on. The Corinthians had been deceived into thinking that they could use the communion meal as an excuse to get drunk. Worse than this, some had been misled into believing that sexual immorality could be tolerated. No, said Paul, you must separate yourselves from those going down that path and they did. An important warning for churches today!

There had been one problem that had not been addressed and that was division over leadership.  False leaders had even attacked Paul claiming that he was bold in his letter writing but weak when present, that he was stealing the collection raised for believers in Palestine and that he was not a true Apostle!  

So Paul defends himself and instructs them how to not be deceived. He says that our weapons as Christians are not worldly but have power to destroy strongholds. So Paul urges the Corinthians not to accept false ideas and accusations but to challenge these ideas with the mind of Christ. This is how we too must examine ideas put before us.  Our response must be to capture our thoughts to obey God and not let our fears or Satan’s deceptions rule our minds and hearts.  Some people and whole churches even are being deceived to follow worldly views of morality and throw away God’s laws.

Years ago I was at a men’s meeting discussing worldly matters.  At one stage a man attacked my view of things. He said; “You always answer referring to God or the Bible.  Don’t you have any thoughts of your own?!”  Well of course I had, but I had taken these thoughts captive to obey Christ.   So this is how Paul urges us to respond.  I was describing this at another meeting when someone said “You are asking people to track the pattern of their thinking! This is well known in the medical world but you cannot expect ordinary people to understand that or practice it!”.  Yet that is what our Bible tells us to do. What are you thinking and what is the direction of that thinking? Interrogate yourself! If it is unreal and dark, pull yourself up and say, “No that is not true and going down that path does not honour the Lord!”  Let us take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ!

Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, we give thanks that you have saved us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and sent the Holy Spirit to help us in spiritual warfare. Grant us your strength, wisdom, and clarity of mind that we may trust and obey you and fight against deceptions from Satan and the world.

Amen.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matt 5:9) One of the many roles as a teacher is to be a peacemaker. Some days just seem to be filled with little people’s problems and me trying to fix them. So, if I’m making peace all day long, that means I’m going to be really blessed right?

Well… let’s explore what being a peacemaker actually means. According to the dictionary, it is: freedom from war, hostilities, strife, or dissension. Or, a state of being tranquil or serene. Some people might say that peace is tolerance, and readiness to give way to others. But this is not what God brings to the world, or even what the world needs. It’s only part of the picture. True peace requires a complete change of nature, and it comes from God alone. It is reconciliation with God, and with each other through Him.

So what is a peacemaker? It is not merely someone who ends hostilities, is tolerant, and is ready to give way. It is someone who promotes the kingdom of God, reconciles adversaries, extinguishes hatred, unites those who are divided, and promotes true understanding and spiritual love. There is a big difference between the two. The first group of people are more passive and what you would call peacekeepers, not peacemakers.

Being tolerant is good with respect to our dealings with people, but it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t usher the peace of God into the world. It’s keeping the peace. Agreeing to disagree. It seeks to keep everyone happy.

Peacemakers understand what true peace is, that it is spiritual and not just a political seeking. But why should we pursue peace and seek to share it around? There are a number of reasons the Bible gives:

1. To be holy in order to see the Lord. Heb 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
2. To gain righteousness. Jam 3:18 says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
3. Because it pleases God. Rom 14:17-19 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
4. It is our calling. 1 Cor 7:15 says God has called us to live in peace.
5. To be called a child of God. Matt 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.”

Why do we want to be called children of God? Apart from the obvious, (that we want to live eternally with Him and become heirs of His kingdom) He simply desires us to be. Eph 1:5 says, “He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.”

It’s interesting to point out that making peace, is not always going to look peaceful straight away. Jesus Himself stated (in a different context) that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matt 10:34). While Jesus came to bring peace between God and humans, not all humans will readily sign up for ‘Team Jesus’, and so there’s bound to be conflict between humans. There has to be some wrestling, some ‘to-and-fro’ if we are to arrive at true peace. In this way, it is easy to see how being a peacekeeper is simply not enough.

To become peacemakers, let us look to Jesus, the ultimate example of how to live our lives. In 1 Pet 2:23 it says, “When they hurled insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him Who judges justly.”

It is so easy to retaliate. It’s what our human nature instantly wants to do when we have been hurt or attacked in some way. But it is not up to us to judge and punish those who wrong us. It is for us to walk away and pray about it, and God will deal with it in His way. Easier said than done, and how often do we put it into practice? It really is something when Jesus didn’t retaliate to the things that were done to Him. Why is it so hard for us? Why, in the heat of the moment, can’t we do it? Well, we can… by the Holy Spirit!

Galatians 5:16-18 says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh… But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law of sin.” And to be Spirit-led is to be a child of God (Rom 8:14-15).

So be a peacemaker, not just a peacekeeper. Be active. Be the one to reconcile, love, and forgive on purpose, pray for your enemies as well as your friends, and by doing these things, you will usher God’s true peace into the world, promote the kingdom of God, and of course, become sons and daughters of the living God.

Sometimes, when you are older, younger people may ask what things you have learnt in life. I think what I am learning, in case you are interested, is epitomised in the words of John the Baptist when referring to Yeshua, Messiah: “He must increase, I must decrease.” Even when you are old you can make the same mistakes you made as a 20-year-old. Just last week I spoke unkindly to a friend. What you learn firstly, after apologising, is how you might say it better next time, but more importantly the revelation that one is not always such a pleasant person, for lurking in the shadows one doesn’t know who might, from within one’s character, show up under provocation. I had a vigorous disagreement with my brother a few weeks ago – I was unpleasant! Again, followed by an apology. These failings have helped me to see that I am of less significance as a person. We can take our failings; failure in business, failure in education, failure in fatherhood/motherhood, as a son/daughter, relationships, our walk with God, you name it, and let them pull us into a descending ‘low-life’ spiral, a diminishing significance of self. It doesn’t have to depress us though. What I’ve noticed in this “examined life” is how powerfully the Bible speaks while I continue to deal with my sin and walk in step (mostly) with the Holy Spirit. The lower I go, as I get older, the more I find myself in Christ.

Now, I’m not big on success or wealth or status. If one is an achiever, a winner, prominent in one’s field even through hard work, and with a favourable disposition as a Christian, you tell me, how do you find the precious place, the “pearl” of insignificance? Does it send you to your knees more often? Do you have a strategy for abiding in Christ when status, respect, and privilege come knocking regularly at your door? I am glad that many Christians are successful. But, if the most satisfying experience in this life is to have the Holy Spirit settle on you, to breathe His life and power into you, do you think He will be willing to share His glory with your status? – it’s laughable.

So, if any young person asks me what I have learnt thus far in my life I’ll just say, it’s better to regard one’s reputation, either for success or failure, as a stepping stone to humility and brokenness before our God. To find oneself on the “narrow way” to emptiness and insignificance in this life as a Christian is to recognise the royal and priestly markers of His authority, His presence, His peace, and His faith. For me, these are the most satisfying aspects of growing into age in Christ.

While you are there, perhaps we could talk a bit longer about some curiosities of aging. Hear this part song lyric from the late Keith Green, “My eyes are dry, my faith is old, my heart is hard, my prayers are cold” and this quotation from 20thC missionary, CT Studd, “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell”. Polar opposites as you can see. Jesus, in Revelation, admonishes the church in Ephesus because they had lost their first love. This is common in the Christian life and not just in the elderly. So while I have laboured on insignificance above, I want to bring some consolation about significance. When our prayers are cold and we have run out of enthusiasm for the lost it is commendable to attempt to resurrect them by our own abilities. This is how we are educated and what is expected of us, but we mustn’t. Let me mention what happened to me recently. I had been praying, beseeching, pleading with the Lord to release me in the Spirit. I had been doing this for about a year on most days. My confidence, on receiving from Him by faith and thanksgiving, was established by His word whereby He exhorts us to do so and therefore He must honour His word. So, I was sitting in a crowded hall waiting for a meeting to begin when a most beautiful peace, His peace, settled upon me and with His words to my mind, “all things are possible”. And, I could see immediately that this was the reality of the spiritual life. You know, Jonathan Edwards said, “reality is greater than truth”. A profound insight, and one explanation for it may be that spiritual reality bypasses our intellect.

Therefore, if we want significance for Him, whereby He can get glory out of us by what we say to others, our prayer vigour, our service, our devotion to Him, then we are encouraged to seek Him out even when we least feel like it. We can ask Him to take us from where we are, even a “slough of despond”, into an important and significant place where we know our words are guided and inspired by Him, where we are aware of His leading in prayer and His strength in service and sacrifice. We will be bold, courageous, in authority, spontaneous, overcomers – people of His faith. So, if this applies to you, maybe just one person in the congregation, don’t give God any rest. Press into Him every day, read the Bible until you love it, worship Him in posture and your words. Step into your youth, your first love and He will get glory out of you.

When our music team learnt the Rend Collective song “Boldly I Approach”, there was some great discussion about the lyrics and what some of the imagery in the song means. We were discussing the line “This is the art of celebration, knowing we’re free from condemnation”.

It comes across as really the climax of the whole song – in fact, the song actually has the subtitle “The Art of Celebration” and it was released on Rend Collective’s album of the same name. So they must think it’s pretty special. So, what do I think this song line means? Perhaps it might be helpful to think about the song line the other way around… “Knowing we’re free from condemnation, this is the art of celebration”. Or, perhaps let’s ask the questions “What are we celebrating?” and “Why is it an art?”

Romans 8:1-2 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” This is what we are celebrating! If you know and trust Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then there is no condemnation for the things you have done wrong. Why? Because when Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment that you and I deserve. Therefore, payment has been made and the debt cancelled. And when Jesus stands before God as our Advocate, He is not asking for mercy, He is claiming justice – that is, that Christ already paid the debt, and it would be unjust for God to take two payments for the crime. Therefore, by grace we are set free and can boldly approach our heavenly Father – treading where angels fear to tread – knowing we are not condemned. Amen! Let’s celebrate!

But wait. Sometimes, I don’t feel in the mood. Sometimes, the circumstances around me are distracting. Sometimes, even though I know God forgives me and doesn’t condemn me, I condemn me, and I can’t forgive myself. This is why celebration is an art – like any art-form, it has to be learnt. Because, quite often we need to find joy and celebrate despite our feelings or circumstances or our own condemnation. I need to choose to worship God. Choose to pray. Choose to approach Him – trusting that even though I wouldn’t embrace me, His arms are open wide just longing for me to run to Him and find in Him everything that I need.

So where do we get that kind of joy? As described in his spiritual auto-biography called “Surprised by Joy”, C. S. Lewis experienced surges of joy throughout his life. But, for a long time, he couldn’t quite pin point what it was. Joy was always something that was just beyond the reach of whatever it was that triggered the feeling of joy. Lewis at last realised that joy wasn’t a thing that he could seek out or make happen, and that the more he tried, the faster it went away. He began to realise that joy is like any other emotion: If you consider the emotion itself, you stop considering the thing that produces the emotion, and so the emotion ceases. The emotion is the by-product of the experience of contemplation. But what was he contemplating to produce the feeling of joy? He found that it was no longer in the material things he had previously found it. Instead, he realised that these things reminded him of something else that he couldn’t quite name. Lewis saw joy as a longing for something which the world can’t contain – but one that in itself is only a signpost pointing at the greater reality that is God.

Hebrews 12:1-3 says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Think about what Jesus has done for you. Think about it some more. And when you’ve done that, think about what Jesus has done for you. Often when I focus on the cross, I start to cry. And it’s sad to think about Jesus being killed so horrifically. But, when we think about what that death achieved and the fact it ended in His victorious resurrection, those tears become tears of joy. That joy and the peace that comes with it is one that surpasses all feelings, all circumstances, and all understanding. And that gives us cause to celebrate.

That is the art of celebration.