Old Testament scholar Ellen Davis states it perfectly: “The sages of Israel teach that those who would be wise must aim, not at power, but at goodness.” Power and goodness are not close buddies. Scot & Laura McKnight
Quote for the Day
Month: July 2021
Build on the rock
Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Matthew 7:24 CEV https://bible.com/verse-of-the-day/mat.7.24/27118
Husbands must not unburden themselves
Another great article from Adam Piggott about marriage and God.
The question and Jack’s answer is the following:
Q3. Should a woman ever be expected to be a faithful, loyal listener when a man needs to talk things through?
A3. As a theoretical ideal, yes. In reality, no.
A graphic that will be familiar to most of my readers accompanies Jack’s answer.
The blue line represents the status quo position on familial power and authority. It is what most of us have grown up believing and as each month goes by it is pushed harder and harder by the global despots. It is a prime source of misery for both parties.
The red line represents what we graduated to as a result of attempting to overthrow our blue pill thinking. But it is limited as it still exists squarely in the secular world. It will grant you some short term satisfaction with a woman who is still invested in the trap of modernity, as indeed you are. In other words, you will exist together as long as it is materially convenient for both parties.
The grey line represents the truth of the matter, (I don’t know why the color grey was chosen as gold would be far more appropriate). In this line we have patriarchy. Man submits to God, wife submits to husband, and children submit to their parents. Deti neatly summed this up with the following comment:
“Right. When a man has problems, fears, anxieties, despair, depression, etc., he’s to go to God with it. He’s to go to other men with it (iron sharpening iron). Men are iron; women are cheesecloth, or in some cases Brillo pads. Cheesecloth does not sharpen iron. Brillo pads do not sharpen iron; they’re just abrasive irritants.
Children go to parents, usually Mom, with problems.
Wife goes to husband with problems.
Husband goes to God with problems.
Children respect/submit to parents; wife respects/submits to husband; husband respects/submits to God.
God loves husband; husband loves wife, wife loves children.”
So far so good. But here is when it dawned on me why the question posed is an abomination. The act of a man unburdening himself of his fears to his wife puts her in a terrible position. It would be as if she unburdened herself in a similar way to her children. Or even more unthinkably, if God had to unburden himself to man.
Consider that for a moment. As men, we look to God for strength. The idea for us that God has any weaknesses at all is abhorrent. It would shatter our belief in God. It would render Him impotent in our eyes.
Eric Silk in a comment summed this up well:
“They say that the relationship between husband and wife is like the relationship between God and us.
Well… We know considerably less about God’s mind/heart than God knows about our minds/hearts.”
More than that, we do not wish to know God’s heart or mind. It is a burden enough dealing with our own.
Within this context it should be radically clear just how demonic the modern concept of equality is. The coordinated propaganda for men to ‘get in touch with their feelings’ via their female counterparts is not merely self-defeating; it is damning. It is a trap for a man even to contemplate the idea of unburdening his feelings to his wife, let alone to do so. Our women need us to be strong, resolute, unyielding and to have the answers because that is the original deal. That is what female natures demand, just as male natures demand the same from God.
To understand what a woman needs from a relationship with her husband we merely need to consider what we need from our relationship with God.
In conclusion I am in disagreement with Jack’s answer to the question on whether a man should be able to unburden his troubles with his wife. The answer is no, period. There is no theoretical ideal, as such a whimsy fantasy leads men directly to disaster. We need to grow up and be resolute on this. Leaders lead. They do not seek the soft reassurance of underlings to moisten their egos. To do such a thing is weakness, and women abhor weakness. As indeed we would do if it were ever presented to us from above.
(As a concluding aside, this is why Satan is in hell – he is weakness personified.)
The Cross
Quote for the Day
As we’ve seen in one ministry meltdown after another, character plays an indispensable role in forming, preserving, and undergirding a church’s culture. A lack of character in leadership can destroy decades of hard work, vision, and growth—in the blink of an eye. Scot & Laura McKnight
Your word…
11 I treasure your word above all else; it keeps me from sinning against you. Psalms 119:11 CEV https://bible.com/bible/392/psa.119.11.CEV
Ephesians 4:31
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:31. 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 4:31
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
Paul returns to listing sins that we need to put away in order to be faithful to Christ. In particular these sins are things that undermine unity in the Body of Christ. They not only put individuals down, but they destroy the Church and run counter to the teachings of Christ.
Bitterness is the cultivation of anger long after the event that has sparked the anger. A brother offends me, and I continue to be angry and refuse to forgive him. This is called bitterness .
In November 1975, the Australian prime minister, Gough Whitlam, was removed from office by the Governor- General under unique circumstances. Whitlam called upon his followers to “ maintain the rage.” Some of them remained bitter many years and decades after the event.
Followers of Christ have been forgiven their sins. We have a duty, therefore, to forgive those who trespass against us. It is there in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 4:12) and in parables such as The Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35).
Refusal to forgive our Christian brothers and sisters is bitterness, and may bring down upon us the judgement of God.
Rage is the uncontrolled passion that seeks to destroy out of vengeance. It can be irrational in its expression, and is always destructive. It may be expressed as violence or as a verbal spray of hatred and insults.
This kind of anger is never acceptable to God. One of the works of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is to bring healing of the wounds that produce rage and to replace it with peace and self-control.
The Greek word for anger is orge which is also used of the anger of God against sin, and of the righteous anger of people against sin. It can also apply to unrighteous anger in which we are not so much perturbed by the sins of others as by threats to ourselves.
At its best, this kind of anger can motivate and drive a person to seek justice and righteousness on behalf of others. It can sustain a campaign for change over months and years.
At its worst, though, anger is directed against individuals or groups of people. The supposed misdeeds of others become forgotten, and the people themselves become the objects of anger.
This kind of anger is bad because it keeps us separated from others. The love of God draws people together, but anger keeps us apart.
Anger can be focused on differences over worship styles or doctrine. It can be expressed through discipline processes such as “shunning” in which the righteous people refuse to have fellowship with sinners.
The word translated as “brawling” in the NIV may be better translated as clamour. Brawling suggests an all- in physical fight which is rare in churches. Not so rare is the noisy, pushy form of speech which refuses to be quiet and to listen to differing points of view.
Clamour can be a defensive reaction in which we try to shout down those we disagree with. In an argument it could be name-calling, or accusations such as ”you said this.” When it is in full flight, this clamour is much like the reaction of small children when called to account for their actions.
Clamour refuses to listen to other points of view. It makes a noisy appeal for its own opinion. It uses sound and fury to keep others at a distance, and to demand its own way .
Clamour is the language of the street demonstration which demands action and demeans opponents. Clamour is the noise of the Twitter mob which closes down all opposition by demanding that people be silenced .
As Christians we must always remember that our brother whom we oppose is also someone whom God loves and for whom Christ died.
Slander is speech which undermines a person’s reputation. It takes many forms from name calling to false accusations .
Gossip is a form of slander. Humans love to hear and pass on to others details of the weaknesses of other people. We hear a claim about someone, add in our own Insights, and pretty quickly a person’s reputation is shredded.
Slander can be true or it can be false. Lies about people can be readily believed because they may not be easily controverted. Even when true, people can make all kinds of statements about others without a context that might offer explanation.
Whether true or false, deliberate or not, slander is not based in love. We believe the worst about a person, makes suppositions about their motives, and then spread our conclusions far and wide.
We are to love our brothers and sisters. We should seek to build up their dignity and worth, and not pull it down.
Finally, we are to get rid of every form of malice. Every action or speech that is directed against another person must be removed from our operating system.
If I want to act badly or speak ill of another person, then I am not loving them. The great commandments, Jesus tells us, are to love God and love our neighbour.
Malice is the opposite of love. While love values another person, malice devalues the other. While love acts to advance the interests of another, malice seeks to harm them.
Key points in this verse:
- We are to actively remove from our lives all actions, words, and attitudes that seek to harm other people
- Forgiveness of others is an essential part of living for Christ
- Rage is never acceptable to God
- We must ensure that righteous anger against Injustice does not turn into anger against people
- Love draws us together, but anger separates us
- Slander and gossip can destroy the reputations of other people
- Malice is the opposite of love. We must build others up, not pull them down.
Reflection on Matthew 22:15-33
Scripture
Jesus replies, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures and you don’t know the power of God.”
Observation
The Pharisees meet together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something that they can have Him arrested for. They come to Jesus and pose the question, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?” Jesus asks them whose face is inscribed on the coin. He says they should give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.
The Sadducees also try to trap Jesus. They ask Him a long question involving a man with several brothers. The first man dies without leaving a child, so the wife is passed down along the line, but none of them is able to produce a child. The question is this: “Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?”
Jesus replies that there is no marrying or child bearing in eternity. He then addresses the root problem which is the resurrection of the dead. Jesus says that God is the God of the living not the dead, so therefore we will be raised from the dead.
Application
Many christians are like the Sadducees. They do not know the Scriptures or the power of God,
There is beauty and power to be found in the Word of God. In the Scriptures we meet the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are confronted with both the love and holiness of God. In the word we see the power of the gospel to save, and its power to transform lives.
When we come to the Lord we receive the Holy Spirit and the power of God. We can know that our prayers are answered. We can expect to see people healed, the dead raised and the blind to see. We can also expect to see people turn to Jesus as the Holy Spirit works in their lives in response to our prayers.
We need both the Word and the power. If you have the Word but no Spirit you will dry up. If you have the Spirit without the Word you will blow up. If you have both the Spirit and the Word you will grow up.
Prayer
Lord God, I thank you for the Scriptures and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Lead me in my walk with you so that I come to maturity in faith. Amen.
‘IF YOU’RE SHARING JESUS AND IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE YOU’RE GETTING ANYWHERE, DON’T GIVE UP’
From Eternity
“I grew up in a housing commission place in western Sydney. It was pretty rough. My dad worked night shift, so we didn’t see him very much, but we were all close to my mother.”
“After school, I started a degree in literature, which I enjoyed very much. But at the beginning of my second year, I was visiting a friend, and I got a call from a paramedic. He said my mother had died. It was sudden and horrific. She’d had an asthmatic attack at home. My father, and brother (who was 15) and sister (who was 12) were there when it happened. They tried to revive her before the ambulance came. They watched her pass away.
“It was an incredibly difficult time. I quit my Uni degree. We couldn’t even pay for my mum’s funeral. I got a full-time job, and I became responsible for everything in the home – cooking, cleaning, shopping, paying bills, supervising homework, driving my younger brother and sister around.
“I was barely an adult myself. My dad wasn’t coping at all. He would come home from work and stare at the walls. There was nobody to talk to. My friends at the time didn’t understand the load I was carrying. So I learned to hold it in and keep going.18 MAY 2021 3:31PM
“After 12 months I was in a really bad place. I remember waking up and thinking, ‘If God isn’t real, I’m not sure there’s any purpose to this, or any hope at all.’
“Some years earlier, we’d had Christian neighbours. Our house was semi-detached and there was a small brick fence out the front. Our neighbours would often be out the front when we were coming in or going out. Their mum would deliberately connect with us and share her faith in Jesus. She’d even taken us to her church a couple of times. But they moved out just after mum died and I didn’t know where they were. I wanted to talk to her, but I had no way of getting in contact.
“So I decided to give her old church a call. I explained over the phone that my mum had died and I was very depressed. I said, ‘I think I need Jesus.’
“The person said, ‘Come down here right now.’ So I did. I met with a youth leader who was fantastic. She sat me down and listened to me. I was able to talk for the first time. Within a few weeks, I decided to become a Christian. It was mostly because I realised that God was there in the midst of it. He had a plan and a purpose even when it didn’t feel like it. God was at work through everything.
“I went home and told my family. I said the Gospel made sense to me. I said that my faith in Jesus had made a big difference to me, and I encouraged them to come to church. My dad and brother also became Christians within the year. It wasn’t magical or overnight, but things definitely changed for us. Life was still hard but there was meaning and purpose. My dad became a changed person, after being quite angry and aggressive before.
“To me, it speaks about fruitfulness. Our neighbours witnessed to us for years, and they didn’t see any fruit. But when it came crunch time for me, I called the church. It reminds me that we’re called to sow the seeds, or water the seeds, but God brings the fruit, in his time.
“I want to say to people, if you’re sharing Jesus with your neighbours, or the people you love, and it doesn’t feel like you’re getting anywhere, don’t give up.
“Amazingly, just last year, our neighbour made contact with me again, 25 years later. I told her what had happened – that I’d come to faith, and that now I have three theological degrees, and I lecture at Mary Andrews College in Sydney. I told her that she’d been part of my story. She was amazed.
“But it’s the same for all of us. We never know when our words will make a difference for someone … maybe God will use them today.”
‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.’ (1 Corinthians 3:6)
Louise’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed. Click here for more Faith Stories.
The light of the World
New Life Narrabri 