Month: August 2020

Spiritual Gifts- Discernment of Spirits

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The spiritual gift of “discernment of spirits”, or more accurately “distinguishing between spirits” is of vital importance in an age where lies are dressed as truth and where satan can appear as an angel of light.

If somebody preaches a message or gives a prophecy, how can we tell if they are being led by the Holy Spirit, an unclean spirit or their own human spirit? How can we tell if a new person at church is a real christian or somebody sent to undermine the fellowship and destroy the ministry?

I have seen congregations destroyed by the white-anting of evil spirits in their midst. I have seen ministers driven to distraction by manipulation through unrepentant Jezebels.

This gift of distinguishing of spirits is the key to keeping us safe from the devil’s deceptions. It allows us to welcome genuine christians while avoiding people who are influenced by satan or sent on a mission of destruction.

Some years ago, a couple turned up at our night service. Through their conversation, we determined quickly that they were under the influence of demons. They claimed to have come with the support of ministers in another town, but we were able to establish that this was not the case. They had a bizarre theory about the New Jerusalem which anybody with an ounce of Biblical knowledge would see right through, but had the potential to deceive immature believers. We immediately warned the other pastors in town and the whole church was untied against them.

So how does this gift work? Often it is an impression that something is not right. Our first warning sign with any visitor to church is when they don’t give a full name or where they are from or the church they attend.

When there are strange events happening that don’t add up, or people become ill in strange ways or emotions and relationships are unusually stressed, these are signs that demons are on the prowl.

Sometimes in prayer, a word of knowledge may come that a particular person is under the influence of a particular spirit, or a key piece of information will come that suddenly makes sense of a previously baffling situation.

On one occasion, I was part of a group that was praying for a particular person. After we talked about the situation and were about to go into prayer the person said something that in any other situation would be quite innocent. Instantly I knew in my spirit “That’s it!” and my wife confirmed the same revelation.

As christians we have been given all authority by Christ. When these spirits are revealed, it is very easy (usually) to expel them. Sometimes we may need to get a group of people together and even fasting may be necessary. In any event, the blood of Jesus is our weapon in these times of spiritual warfare.

Reflection on Romans 10:11-23

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Scripture

But how will they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how will they believe in him if they have never heard of him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?

Observation

The Lord has promised that everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved. But they cannot call on the Lord if they haven’t heard the promise, and that means that somebody has to have told them. Even that presupposes that somebody has sent the messenger.

Not everybody welcomes the Good News. Faith comes through hearing, but some will hear but not receive it. Even though God greets us with open arms, some people remain rebellious and disobedient.

Application

All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. First we have to hear the message of salvation. This means that, mostly, somebody has to go and preach the message. That places the responsibility on local churches to send missionaries and evangelists to people who have not yet heard the Good News.

There are people who are called to go to distant places and foreign cultures to be full-time missionaries. Others are gifted as evangelists and fill that ministry whether locally or as itinerants.

The most effective evangelism happens as ordinary christians share their faith at work, at home or at leisure locations such as the pub, gym or whatever. Ian Robinson calls this “Gossiping The Gospel,” which is a wonderful expression of allowing Jesus into our every day conversations.

Churches have to be sending agents, allowing and equipping members to be witnesses of the gospel in the 167 hours a week that are not church.

We can sit around and complain about the sad state of civilisation, or we can do something about it by instigating a gospel- led recovery, sharing with one person at a time.

Prayer

Thank you, Father, for the Good News that changes lives. Please help me to share you with my friends every day. Amen.

Forget Slow-and-Gradual—New Study Says Life “Emerged Fully Formed”

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From Answers in Genesis comes this report that scientists are thinking abut creation as a potential explanation for the beginning of life.

 

Forget Slow-and-Gradual—New Study Says Life “Emerged Fully Formed”

by Ken Ham on August 20, 2020

 
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For decades scientists have debated when, how, and where the first life supposedly evolved. Various hypotheses abound: maybe RNA came first; perhaps life evolved around hydrothermal vents; maybe life arrived on an asteroid—but none have satisfied everyone, due to significant problems with each one. And now an old idea has been revived and refined: maybe there was a “chemical big bang,” and life arose spontaneously in a river, with all the major components in place all at once.

As this article from New Scientist states,

It has long been thought that the ingredients for life came together slowly, bit by bit. Now there is evidence it all happened at once in a chemical big bang.

In other words, it used to be that life evolved so slowly you couldn’t see it happening, and now it happened so fast we missed it!

The article explains that life requires, at the bare minimum, “three core systems”: an outer membrane, the ability to metabolize, and the ability to reproduce using genes. Chemical evolutionists have a problem when it comes to trying to explain the origin of life—you need all three of these systems at the same time for life to even be imaginable. So scientists have argued over which came first, but now some say all three came at the same time. That’s a pretty fortunate set of circumstances!

In other words, it used to be that life evolved so slowly you couldn’t see it happening, and now it happened so fast we missed it!

Geneticist Dr. Georgia Purdom says of this study,

The scientists correctly define what you need for life—something to contain it (membrane), ability to make/utilize energy (metabolism), and ability to reproduce. They’ve given up on bacteria being the first living organism because they know how complex even these “simplest” organisms are. Since none of their other ideas about which came first have panned out, they’ve decided that all three requirements for life must have evolved at once from “Goldilocks chemistry.”

Just like Goldilocks is a fairytale, so is their idea for the origin of life!

So just the right molecules interacting under just the right conditions in just the right place led to a living organism. Just like Goldilocks is a fairytale, so is their idea for the origin of life! All of the research to develop this idea has depended on the scientists adding just the right chemicals (e.g., iron, sulfur) in just the right conditions (e.g., UV light), meaning intelligent design was needed, and they still didn’t end up with anything living! Life only comes from life (the law of biogenesis), and life only comes from the Creator God.

The popular summary of the study concludes with,

Of course, all this depends on the everything-first idea proving correct. Szostak’s protocells and the new biochemical insights have won over many researchers, but some pieces of the puzzle are still missing. Perhaps the most persuasive argument is that the simpler ideas don’t work. As is the case with many things in life, the beginning was probably more complicated than we had thought.

So the strongest support for this origin of life story is this: that the alternatives don’t work? Maybe that’s because life didn’t arise by natural processes! Really, their story is nothing more than a “just-so” story because they have to somehow explain the origin of life without God. They’d rather put their faith in the unbelievable—that something as complex as life could just pop into existence—than put their faith in the One who made them. And not just any “One,” but the only One true God: the Creator God of the Bible.

And information systems don’t just pop into existence. Information only comes from other information and, ultimately, a mind (in this case the mind of the Creator).

Life shows the fingerprints of the Designer. Just consider one of the three categories for life—the ability to reproduce using genes. This requires an information system to code the instructions needed to assemble life. And information systems don’t just pop into existence. Information only comes from other information and, ultimately, a mind (in this case the mind of the Creator).

Just as information only comes from information and, ultimately, a mind, so life only comes from life and, ultimately, the Lifegiver. These researchers, studying the incredible complexity of life, are without excuse for denying the Creator’s existence (Romans 1:20).

Spiritual Gifts – Prophecy

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The gift of prophecy appears in all three of Paul’s major lists of spiritual gifts. The gift operates differently in each list even though the same term is used. (See my other articles on Manifestation, Motivational and Ministry gifts).

Prophecy, in its simplest definition, is to hear the specific message of the Lord for a particular gathering, and then to speak it out. Unlike the words of wisdom and knowledge, prophecy is given to a corporate gathering and is usually less related to an individual.

We see this gift expressed in all its splendour in the Old Testament prophets. In the Old Testament the role of the prophets was to stand against both the priests and the kings to provide a brake on abuses of power and to remind the nation of its calling to serve only the Lord.

In the New Testament, prophets are an accepted ministry in the church, and the expression of prophecy a normal part of church meetings. The role of prophecy in the New Testament was to “exhort, encourage and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3). This suggests that the overall tone of prophecy is to be positive, building up rather than condemning, although there may sometimes be a place for prophecy that convicts or warns about hidden sins.

Prophecy was never accepted as “the word of the Lord” and should never be treated as such. It must always be tested (1Thessalomians 5:21), but not in such a way as to quench the Spirit or disrespect the gift (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). Any “prophecy” that contradicts Scripture is not from the Lord.

Prophecy is not a sermon. Three is a place in the meeting for both teaching and prophecy. However, prophecy, like all gifts, needs to be administered by the church in a way that encourages order in the meeting but also spontaneous expressions of the desire of the Holy Spirit. Generally it is not helpful for people to randomly leap to their feet and declare “Thus says the Lord.” This is the issue being addressed by Paul in1 Corinthians 14.

Many churches, including New Life, have a prophetic protocol for their meetings. Often these involve writing down the words you believe the Lord is saying to the church and handing it to the pastor or the person leading the meeting. They are then at liberty to see if it is appropriate to read out the prophecy to the congregation or perhaps leave it until some other occasion. Usually in any congregation, people who have a good record of speaking genuine messages from the Holy Spirit are given more liberty than other, less trusted, believers.

Prophecy should never be used to direct another person into a specific course of action, for example, in marriage or career choices.

So how do we step forward in the gift of prophecy? We are told that we should seek all of the spiritual gifts but especially prophecy. “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1). Since these manifestation gifts are given for all believers to use, we should ask that God pours them out into our lives.

If you feel that God is saying something to you regarding the church, or an individual for that matter, write it down. Take it to your pastor or other trusted leader and ask for their advice. Ask them also to tell you about how the church handles the gift of prophecy.

As a matter of wisdom, it is far better to say, “I think God is saying…” rather than “Thus saith the Lord!” Humility in the use of any spiritual gift is far more effective than loud arrogance.

Above all, remember that all the gifts are valuable, and all the gifts are best used in the context of the Body where everyone is working together in the anointing of the Holy Spirit..

Reflection on Romans 10:1-10

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Scripture

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Observation

Paul’s deep desire is for his own people to be saved. They love God, but their zeal is misdirected. They cling to the Law, but Christ has died for the purpose for which the Law was given.

Moses made it clear that, to be saved, a person had to obey all the commands. But faith says that the message of salvation is close at hand; in fact it is on our lips and in our heart.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Application

Being right with God is not a complicated affair. We don’t have to obey a million laws or go through complex religious sacrifices or go on dangerous pilgrimages. No, we simply change our identity from “sinner” to “saint.”

The first step is to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. This is a declaration of loyalty.

We have many people, organisations, and institutions demanding our loyalty. Political leaders, football teams, social media influencers, car manufacturers- they all want our affections, even our worship. Into the mix we have our own desires and lusts wanting to be indulged.

To be a christian is to say that Jesus is Lord. He is my King, my boss, my only desire.

For early christians, this was a dangerous confession. The state demanded that every citizen confess “Caesar is Lord,” but christians refused to the point of death. Only Jesus is Lord.

The second step is to believe in our hearts that God raised Him from death. We might not really grasp the meaning of this when we first make our confession, but the Holy Spirit brings deeper conviction over time.

If I believe in my heart that Jesus rose from the dead, then I know that I, too, will rise from the dead. Then the attractions of this world become less important to me in the light of eternity.

Prayer

Lord, I believe and I confess. Holy Spirit, lead me deeper into conviction and total surrender. Amen.

Ephesians 3:6

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:6. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:6

… that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

In the previous verses, Paul has spoken about the mystery that was previously hidden, but has now been revealed. now he talks about the content of the revelation.

The revelation is this: the Gentiles, who were previously excluded from the promises of God, now included in the promises, specifically the promise of eternal life. Those who were once far off, indeed considered unclean or impure by Jewish people, are now in the centre of God’s plan for a kingdom of priests .

In fact, Paul argues that Gentiles are not just grafted into an existing structure, remaining separate. No, under the new covenant initiated by Christ, there is a new structure, a new household, a new temple in which there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. The divisions of the old covenant are now obsolete because Christ has destroyed the distinctives.

Gentiles are now fellow heirs. Paul doesn’t say here who we are fellow heirs with. We would assume that the Gentiles fare fellow heirs with the Jews. In Romans 8:17 he makes the astonishing claim that we heirs of God the Father, joint heirs with Christ.

The promises of God do not flow to the Jews because they are God’s chosen people. The promises of God flow to all believers, to all who are in Christ, because of God’s grace to Christ.

God made promises to the Jews because they were the heirs of Abraham, the descendants of whom God had promised they would be as many as the stars in the sky, and through them the world would be blessed. Now, we who are Gentiles share in that promise because of Christ.

But there is much more. As the heir to God the Father, Christ gets everything that is God’s- that is the is the whole of creation, whether we see it or not, the things in the heavens and on the earth, the spiritual realm as well as the physical realm. The whole of creation is ours because we are joint Heirs with Christ.

We are members of the same body. All who believe in Christ are members of His body. We belong together, placed organically where we can be most effective in the body.

There is just one body of Christ. There is not a Jewish body and a Gentile body. There is not a Catholic body, and an Anglican body, a Pentecostal body, and so on. There is just one body

All who follow Christ are in the one body. We get the same benefits, the same honour, the same destination. We are all part of the one church, the Body of Christ.

As Paul says elsewhere, this means that if one part of the church is hurting, then we all hurt. It makes no sense then to act or even speak against other believers. That is like my finger choosing to poke my eyes.

Believing Jews and believing Gentiles are the same body. Jews will not be saved by obeying the law of Moses, while Gentles take a different route. We are in the one body, following one path to salvation.

We Gentiles are partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

What is this promise? Believe in the Lord and turn from your sins and you will be saved.

The gospel is a very simple message. Our sins have separated us from God, and He will judge us. But he loves us and has provided the sacrifice of Jesus to reconcile us to Himself. Jesus is the way of salvation. If we believe in him and turn away from our sins, then God will forgive us and give us life forever.

That is the promise, and God has given us grace to partake in it, that is to participate in it.

The word partake suggests something active. This promise of eternity is not a thing that you sign up for and then put in a drawer. The promise is active- we participate In God’s Kingdom now, by serving his purposes, living his ways, communicating to others the power of the gospel .

This revelation that Paul was given is about the fact that God’s salvation is now available to every single person who will receive it.

Key points in this verse:

  • The Gentiles are now included in God’s plan for humanity
  • We are fellow heirs – not just with the Jews but with Christ himself
  • Our inheritance is a share in the whole of creation
  • We are part of a whole new structure not just bolted on to the old structure
  • We are members of one body
  • We share in an awesome promise in Christ through the gospel

Spiritual Gifts – Miracles

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Spiritual Gifts – Miracles

The gift of being able to perform or work miracles is easy to understand, but much more difficult to exercise. It should be realised that this is not a gift for the super-spiritual. Like all of the gifts in this passage, the gift of miracles is available to all believers. The only qualification is that we are available for the Holy Spirit to use.

To understand the gift, we need to understand what a miracle is. A miracle can be defined as any situation where God intervenes and changes the normally understood laws of nature. In this sense, healings are in the same category as miracles. Other miracles described in the Bible include Jesus turning water into wine, Jesus walking on the water, Jesus stilling the storm, Peter and Paul and Silas being released from prison, Elijah setting fire to a saturated sacrifice, Elisha floating an axe head, and many more, in both the Old and the New Testaments.

The phrase “signs and wonders” is often used to describe miracles because they are meant to be signs of the Kingdom directing attention to Jesus.

Excluding healing, there are four broad types of miracles:

1. Resurrections- people have been raised from the dead throughout history. In the Bible we have several examples of this, including Jesus Himself. If God is the Lord of life, then we should not be surprised when He turns death to life. Livestock have also been raised form the dead on occasion, particularly in poor communities.

2. Nature miracles- these include walking on water and diversion of disasters. People have been known to order tropical storms such as cyclones to turn away from the coast. John Alley tells of how a potentially disastrous flood in Rockhampton was moderated by the hand of the Lord. Some years ago a huge bushfire in the Pilliga Forest was extinguished by rain that was not predicted in response to prayers.

3. Provision of money and other resources. For over a decade our family drew very little salary, and yet God provided more than enough for us. Those who looked at our finances deemed it was impossible for us to survive. Almost everyone in ministry has a story to tell of a time when they were desperate for money to meet a need, and then the money came in.

It is not only ministry where God provides needs. During the recent long drought, a member of our church who has an agriculture related business stated that God provided just enough business for him to keep going at a time when there should have been no work for him.

4. National and international interventions. At the last Australian election the polls and the conventional wisdom was that the Labor Party, led by someone from the Left wing of the party would win the election. It turned out that the Liberal- National Parties won. The re-elected Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, noted in his acceptance speech, “I have always believed in miracles.”

During the coronavirus pandemic there have been several occasions when public health experts feared an outbreak but it was averted. Recently, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said “It was a miracle” that security guards associated with quarantine hotels had not previously been infected and taken the virus out to the community.

Billy Graham in his book “Angels” recounts eye witness stories from the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. According to these accounts, British fighter planes continued to fly and participate in the battle after the pilots had been killed. Some saw a second figure in the cockpit actually flying the plane.

Miracles take many forms, but are always associated with a gift of faith. A miracle takes at least one person who is desperate for God to intervene in a situation that seems hopeless.

Again it should be noted that miracles, by definition, are a gift from God. To the sceptic, they will always appear impossible or subject to other explanations, but to the follower of Jesus “Nothing is impossible with God.”

To learn to walk in miracles, it is necessary to pray. When we lay our heart’s concerns before the Lord, and see prayers answered, then our faith grows to a place where we can believe for the impossible and see God working in every situation.

Reflection on Romans 9:24-33

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Scripture

Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standard, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.

Observation

The prophet Hosea wrote that those who were not God’s people are now called His people and that they, the Gentiles, would be called God’s children.

On the other hand, Isaiah had prophesied that the people of Israel would be reduced to a remnant.

Even though the Gentiles had not been living by God’s Law they were made right with God through faith. But the people of Israel had failed to be right with God because their focus was on keeping the law instead of trusting in God.

Application

God’s way of salvation for Jews and Gentiles was always the same – namely through faith and relationship.

The Law, which was given to show how God wanted His people to live, had become a stumbling block because the people turned it into an idol. Instead of recognising that they had been chosen by God’s grace, they made obedience to the Law the sign or the means of God’s acceptance.

Gentiles, on the other hand, had no such impediment. When Jesus died on the cross, we understood that we were sinners saved by grace. In faith we receive God’s promise of salvation.

We don’t need anything else to be made right with God – just an understanding that Jesus’ death on the cross has defeated our sin.

Prayer

Than you, Father, for the knowledge that you accept all people by faith. Amen.

Spiritual Gifts- Healing

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Spiritual Gifts- Healing

The fourth gift listed in 1 Corinthians 12 is “healing”, literally “gifts of healing.”

Healing refers to the supernatural ability to restore to wholeness a person who is broken in some way. Paul probably refers to this as gifts of healing because there are many ways in which people may need to be healed- physical, emotional, psychological, relational, social.

There are also many ways in which healing may be administered- laying on of hands, anointing with oil, prayer in the person’s language, prayer in tongues. Jesus once spat in the dirt and made mud to apply to a blind man’s eyes (John 9:6). In Acts, we are told that people would bring the sick onto the streets so that Peter’s shadow might fall on them and they would be healed (Acts 5:15).

At the heart of the ministry of healing is the fundamental fact that God did not create human beings for sickness and death. It was Adam and Eve’s sin that brought death and sickness into the world, but now Christ’s death has reversed this curse.

When God recreates the heavens and the earth there will be no more sickness, death or grieving. We will once again live in perfect fellowship with God and sin will no longer impede the relationship.

In the meantime, christians have the blessing of healing gifts through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Because we are imperfect and are still affected by the law of sin and death, people still become sick and people still die. Unlike Jesus who had a perfect track record with healing, we don’t always get it right and we don’t always have the necessary faith to see complete healing take place. That does not mean we shouldn’t try and learn to work in this gift.

For many years, I have prayed against colds and flu each winter. Most years, I remain free of these conditions, although some years they sneak through. I have found that if I pray in faith, binding the disease as soon as symptoms show up, I prevent it from developing into something more severe.

This gift, perhaps more than other gifts, relies on both the faith of the healer and the faith of the person being healed. Placing hands on the person or anointing with oil are ways of building faith by providing a visible connection between the healer, the healed and the Holy Spirit.

It helps after praying to ask the person if there is any noticeable improvement, perhaps asking them to do something they previously could not do, or if there is a change in pain levels. If there is partial healing, we can pray again. Even Jesus did this at least once (Mark 8:24).

Some healing ministers say that we should not pray to the Father, but directly address the disease or the affected body part. They say that this is the way Jesus worked. That probably is not so important, as long as we have faith that Jesus is present to heal.

The test of faith for healing is not “Do you believe God can heal?”, but “Do you believe God wants to heal you of this condition now?” That is the level of faith that God responds to. Too many people profess a theoretical belief in healing, but even the Devil believes that. Healing happens when we believe God is here right now to heal this problem.

So how do we grow in this gift? By doing it! Start by asking God to lead you in the ministry of healing. Then when a friend or relative is ill, offer to pray with them. Don’t rush for the Panadol when someone gets a head ache, but pray first. Learn some key scriptures about healing and soak them into your heart.

This gift works in concert with other gifts such as faith and word of knowledge. As you step out in faith and believe that God is able to heal, you will find times when you work in the other gifts as well.

Don’t be discouraged when people are not healed straight away. This is not your fault. Ask the Lord to give you more insight into how He heals and how you can work with Him.

The gifts of healing are as important as ever, even though medical science is much more advanced than in Biblical times. God is still present to heal people.