Author: Proud Mpofu

By Martin Morrison

Some years back there was a BBC TV Series called “Life Laundry”. It was a pop-psychology series on how to make your life and home more organised. Then I saw a best-selling book called “How to De-Junk your Life”. The sequel was called, “How to De-Junk your Life Forever”. What a wonderful idea I thought. De-Junking my life seemed to be a daily and weekly grind. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was some secret to the tidy-life, some de-junking master key that put an end to de-junking forever! I would pay good money for such an antidote.

It made me think, wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could de-sin my life once and for all. All of us know how destructive sin is. It spoils lives, marriages, families, communities. Worst of all, it spoiled our relationship with our Creator and final Judge! All of us long to be rid of sin. It is such a daily struggle, weekly struggle, monthly struggle. Perhaps there is some secret master key or spiritual vaccine that could de-sin my life forever.

Church history is littered with people and spiritual movements that have flogged some secret spiritual experience to lift you above and beyond the struggle of the normal Christian life. Sometimes it’s called, “The Higher Life”, “The Second Blessing”, “Victorious Christian Living”, “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”. The leader of a movement called “The Victorious Life Movement” said, “It is the privilege of every Christian to live every day of his life without breaking the laws of God either in thought, word or deed”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that were true! However, it seems as if the Apostle Paul would have a great problem with that kind of teaching. Perhaps it would be best to first read Romans 8, where Paul describes the struggle in Romans 8:10 and the victory in Romans 8:11.

Firstly then, the struggle: “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8: 10). What Paul describes here is the normal Christian life. It is a clear description of the tension, the struggle that every Christian lives with every single day, until the day they die. Paul is speaking here of a true believer, someone who has the Spirit within them, someone who has Christ within them. As we saw last time, if you are a believer you will by definition have the Spirit within you, and where the Spirit is, there the Son is. To have the Spirit in you, is exactly the same as having Christ in you.

But please notice, in the same verse, that the believer has a double condition. You have a dying, decaying body because of sin, “The body is dead because of sin,”And yet, at the very same time, you have the living Spirit of God within you, because of the imputed righteousness of Christ, “the Spirit is life because of righteousness”. To put it another way, our bodies are mortal because of the first Adam, but our spirits are alive, because of the second Adam, namely Christ.

So verse 10 explains to us why we have this civil war within us. On the one hand, our body is infected with sin, decay and death. On the other hand and at the same time, our spirit is alive, longing to love and please God. By the way, aren’t you pleased that I only have two hands, otherwise we might be here all day! Here Paul describes something you regularly experience and something you have probably never admitted to anyone. I have a civil war raging inside my mind and heart!

On the one hand, I have trusted in Christ as Saviour and Lord; I love God and long to please him; I long for heaven and glory. And yet on the other hand, and at the very same time, I still struggle with weaknesses and sins almost every day. I lose my temper again! I lose the fight against lust or pornography again! I lose the battle with jealousy or greed again! Under provocation, I swear, I curse or lie again! You are deeply disappointed with yourself again; ashamed of yourself again; you are grieving in your spirit again!

The extraordinary news of verse 10 is that if that is you, Mr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, then that is a clear sign that you are a true Christian! Ironically the struggle, the battle, the civil war is not a sign that you are not a Christian. On the contrary, it is a sign that you are Christian. Only Christians have internal civil wars! Non-Christians are very much at peace with their fallen human nature, though they vehemently deny that it is fallen!

In this life, before glory, the Christian has two lodgers dwelling inside of him, indwelling sin and the indwelling Spirit. Some days, the lodger called indwelling Spirit is all over the house. The house is full of light, love, forgiveness, laughter and fun. Then there are other days, when indwelling Spirit has been locked in his room and indwelling sin is all over the house. The house is full of anger, darkness, bitterness and tears.

That is the normal Christian life, both an indwelling Spirit and indwelling sin. No wonder Pauls writes in Romans 7:15,24, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death”.
If you think that the Holy Spirit leaves you when you sin, you simply do not understand grace. Grace not only applies to us when we become Christians, but we need grace every moment of every day, and especially when we have sadly sinned again. Remember what David Powlison said, “Are you too bad to receive grace? How could you be too bad to receive what is for the bad”.

Gertrude Behana said, “Lord, I’m not the person I want to be; I’m not the person I ought to be; I’m not the person I’m going to be; But thanks be to God, I’m not the person I used to be”.

Secondly, Paul explains the victory in Romans 8:11. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you”. In this life, we have mortal bodies, and there is no escape from the tension and the civil war. No inoculation from temptation, struggle, confession and repentance this side of heaven.

However, in the next life, there is total victory, total salvation, total freedom. Verse 11 is future. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead in the past, is the same Spirit that lives in us in the present, the same Spirit who will raise our mortal, decaying bodies from the dead in the future. The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate prototype. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, is the Spirit who will raise our bodies from the dead. Imagine! No more struggle with temptation; no more struggle with selfishness; no more civil war; no more struggle with mixed motives or shame or indwelling sin. The curse is lifted, death is defeated, decay is no more! Hallelujah!

Romans 8:9: If you are in Christ, then you automatically have the Spirit within you.
Romans 8:10: If you are in Christ, you will constantly live with civil war between indwelling Spirit and indwelling sin.
Romans 8:11: If you are in Christ, the struggle is now, but temporary. The resurrection is future, but permanent.

For further reference, see commentaries on Romans by John Stott; Christopher Ash; Dick Lucas; Martyn Lloyd Jones; Charles Hodge; Robert Haldane.

By Martin Morrison

“And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” Luke 12:10

Many a Christian has read these haunting words and feared that some sinful thought, word or deed has damned them forever. The irony is that if you fear that you have committed the unforgivable sin, your fear is proof that you haven’t!

Probably the most extensive discussion on the subject is found in Mark 3:22 – 30, to which we turn. The scribes were the religious lawyers of Judaism. They were implacably opposed to Jesus and his message. “He is possessed by Beelzebul and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons”. Notice, that they did not deny Jesus’ power to perform miracles, it was incontestable. But they attributed such power to Beelzebul rather than God.

The exact meaning of the name Beelzebul is difficult to recover. It could have reference to the god of Ekron, originally meaning Lord of the Flies, or Lord of the dung heap! In the Old Testament, the god Baal, was characterized as being the arch ruler of a dynasty of demons and evil spirits. And so over time, the name Beelzebul was a name given to Satan.

Jesus firstly shows how illogical such an accusation is. If the work of Jesus is diametrically opposed to Satan, then how can Jesus be empowered by Satan? Then Satan is clearly working at cross purposes with himself, which is illogical. “If a Kingdom is divided against itself, that Kingdom cannot stand”. Well of course not! The first encounter Jesus has with an evil spirit is in Mark 1, where the evil spirit not only recognized Jesus for who he is, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God”, but also recognized the mission of Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us?” It’s a contradiction in terms to say that Jesus casts out demons by the power of Satan! The mission of Jesus has no hint of compromise or coexistence. On the contrary, his mission is to invade and conquer Beelzebul.

Mark enlightens us in vs. 30 as to why this sin is called a sin against the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Jesus, which is the Holy Spirt, are one and the same. That same Spirit will quite obviously reside within the person of Jesus. The accusation of the scribe is that the spirit empowering Jesus is not in fact the Holy Spirit but an evil spirit, an unclean spirit. Hence, Jesus calling it a sin against the Holy Spirt.

What then is the sin against the Holy Spirit. Well, the statement of the scribe gives a perfectly good example of such a sin. He is so bitterly opposed to Jesus, his hatred of Jesus is so virulent, that he is willing to say that the deeds of Jesus are Satan inspired. He slanders or defames Jesus, by stating that Jesus is motivated by evil rather than good. That Jesus is empowered by the devil rather than God.

Isaiah warned his readers of such an event, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness”. Isaiah 5:20. This is not a person who merely ignores or rejects Christ, as serious as that may be. This is not a person who has fallen or sinned in one way or the other. No, this is a settled state of habitual unbelief and rejection of Christ. His hardness of heart is so developed, that he tells others, that they ought to avoid Jesus and his words or his people, for they are a danger to society.

I do wonder, whether the Christophobia growing in the United Kingdom and Europe, is not a clear sign of this particular sin. Where people not only reject Jesus, but see his words and influence as a danger to the good of the society. Where even the expression of Christian morals or beliefs is seen as hate speech or worse. Where the free expression of Christian conscience is seen as a criminal offence. Sadly, this has become more common than many realize in the western world.

As I said above, anyone anxious that they have possibly committed this sin, certainly has not. The person who has committed this sin, has no conscience in the first place. This anxiety would be the last thing on their minds.

And as we all well know, there is not a single record in Scripture, of anyone asking for forgiveness of God and being denied it!

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By Tawanda Masango

Article taken from The Gospel Coalition Africa (https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/is-this-the-end-of-the-world/)

In March 2019, Cyclone Idai swept through Southern Africa. It resulted in over 1200 deaths and hundreds missing. The estimated damage was around $2,2 billion and Idai was declared the deadliest tropical cyclone recorded in Southern Africa. At the end of 2019, Australia was battling uncontrollable fires that ravaged over 11 million hectares of bushland. They killed over 30 people and countless animals. We hear news of terrorist attacks, claiming innocent lives. Currently, East Africa is battling swarms of destructive locusts. This plague has destroyed over 25 million hectares of farmland in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Starvation threatens many. Now COVID-19 has caused over four hundred thousand deaths globally. No vaccine has been found yet and the virus continues to spread. Are we approaching the end of the world?

A quick look at the news will leave you with a gloomy picture of the world we live in. We all face big questions about the future. Is this the end of the world? Are these signs of the second coming of Christ? Given what the Bible says about the last days, it is appropriate to ask these questions in the face of disaster. It is likely that you have asked these questions.

The Bible and the End of the World

The Bible says a lot about the last days and Jesus’ second coming. Let us start with Jesus’ own words when his disciples asked him about these things in Luke 21:10-11, “Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” And later, in the same chapter, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

Although the issue is much too big to be thoroughly addressed here, it is my hope that we can set some principles to help us think biblically about the end times. This topic is the cause of much fear and confusion for both Christians and non-Christians. It is therefore important that we seek to hear what God has to say about it.

Are These the “Last Days”?

This seems to be the most pressing question. Are we in the last days? Is our world about to end? Well, our answer will depend on what we mean by the “last days.” We would do well to base that meaning on Scripture. Here are some examples of what the New Testament says regarding the “last days:”

• “The night is far gone, the day is at hand” (Romans 13:12)
• “You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the LORD is at hand” (James 5:8)
• “The end of all things is at hand, therefore be self-controlled, sober-minded for the sake of your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7)
• “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2)

Looking at these examples, it would seem that the last days have already begun. In fact, the last days started at the time that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven after his death and resurrection, and they will end when he comes back again. This is how New Testament writers viewed even their own time, centuries ago. We can therefore say: ‘Yes, we are in the last days. The day of the Lord is at hand. Christ can come any day. This has been the case since his departure.’

Is The End Nigh?

Many preachers are suggesting that COVID-19 is a sign that we have reached the end of the world. Some are referring to the coming vaccine and accompanying chip as the “mark of the beast.” One in particular claims that Revelation predicts Jesus will return before 2053.

Such predictions have caused much fear as many people wonder if they are ready. This has also resulted in unhealthy dependency on certain ‘Men of God‘. For these pastors can supposedly unlock the secrets of heaven, telling us when Christ will return. Maybe you are afraid as well, confused, perhaps you just don’t care? I will not bring another mysterious revelation in an attempt to calm fears and bring clarity. Rather, I would like to point us to three clear biblical truths to help us navigate this difficult topic.

1. Be Warned: No One Knows the Day
Many are spending their time calculating the years, trying to work out when the end will come. Some are searching hard for the Antichrist. For centuries false claims have been made about both. All predictions regarding the exact day of Christ’s return have been wrong so far. As for the Antichrist, significant candidates have included various American presidents, the Pope, wealthy global business individuals, and even celebrities.

Do not think this is new. Right from the first century some thought that Nero was the Antichrist, and since then the same has been said of Hitler, Mussolini, Barak Obama, Bill Gates, and recently, Donald Trump. Believers have never stopped assuming that the title “Antichrist” refers to a specific individual—usually someone living in their lifetime, who will usher in the end of the world. There is no doubt that those who claim to have the key to such secret knowledge will draw crowds. For many are scared and want someone to uncover the future so that they will not be caught unawares.

Security in Secrets?
While the search for such heavenly secrets may be fascinating, there are some real dangers. The disciples were no different: they wanted to know exactly when Jesus would return. But more than once Jesus told them that no-one knows the day or hour. In fact, he warned them to be careful of those who claimed to know, “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away” (Luke 21:8-9).

2. Fear Not: Jesus is Enough
Many people are worried that they will not be ready for Christ’s second coming. Have I done enough to ensure that I will go to heaven? Is my faith strong enough for me to survive judgment? Questions abound. But the answer is emphatically singular: Jesus is enough. It sounds too simple to some. Jesus said that he is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the Shepherd who laid down his own life for his sheep. Jesus prayed for you, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15). God will protect you.

But what about the mark of the beast, you might ask? Well, I’m not able to decode secrets and tell you who the Antichrist is; what the mark of the beast is; or when either will occur. What I do have is a confident and sure word that if you have put your trust in Jesus, he is enough to bring you to the new Heaven and new Earth. And yes, the Bible talks about strong and terrifying evil powers that will be unleashed before the second coming of Jesus (see Revelation 6). But rest assured because Jesus has absolute power over all of them. He is seated at the right hand of God, the ultimate place of power.

All Things Under His Feet
Paul prays that the church at Ephesus might understand: “The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:19-22).
How I pray that our eyes may be opened to this truth. The secret of thriving in these last days is not digging into secret numbers with which we cannot do much. Rather, this is the time to soak in the gospel of our Lord, so that we become more certain of his sufficient and powerful blood that was shed for us. In doing so, we will find assurance in him, that no matter what comes he will carry us through. No matter what comes next in these “last days,” what is required of us is timeless, confident trust in the person and work of Christ. In him our future is safe.

3. Be Expectant: Jesus is Coming
In Luke 21, after talking about the scary events of the last days, Jesus urges his disciples to be expectant of his second coming. You see, while the second coming means judgement to God’s enemies, it is good news to those who have trusted in Jesus. When Jesus comes again, he is coming to consummate his Kingdom and usher in the new Heavens and the new Earth.

Finally, the devil and all his subjects will be thrown into the lake of fire. Finally, believers will enjoy the full experience of their redemption. So, there is no need to fear the end of the world. On the contrary, if we know what the second coming means, we will long for that day to come sooner. Our confidence is not in our works, but the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb who was slain.

By Eddie Lombard

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Mark 8:34-35

Jesus had just finished predicting His death. He would be rejected by all, mocked and killed. Peter wanted none of that and Jesus had to speak strong words to him, reminding everyone that His way had to be the way of the Cross, for that is why He came. To the Jew it was weakness, and to the Gentile foolishness, but to God it was the power of salvation for the world.

It was with this in mind that Jesus turned to His disciples and spoke those momentous words: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. Once again, we have the imperative must. Jesus must suffer and die v 31, so also the followers of Jesus must deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Him. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world. He gave up everything for His kingdom and His people and so His followers must be willing to do the same.

“Deny himself” speaks to the heart of man’s problem of sin. We see in Peter a good example of this. In Mark 8:33 he is rebuking Jesus because he had his own idea of what Jesus must do. Peter had in mind “the things of man and not the things of God”. Sin is when we have ourselves and our own ideas at the centre and not God. Jesus demanded His followers to put Him first and not themselves.

“To pick up his cross” was again shocking to His disciples. He makes it crystal clear that following Him will not mean greatness in this world but suffering.

Jesus made a radical call on His followers: If you want to follow Me you must be willing to “lose” your own plans for your lives and if it comes to it, lose you lives for Me and My gospel.

Prayer points:
• Pray that God will help us see the cost of following Jesus
• Pray that in God’s grace He will give us the strength to follow Jesus

By Martin Morrison

Because of my job I have heard hundreds of eulogies at funerals. I’ve often wondered what is the most common word used in those eulogies? Perhaps one of these words: loving, devoted, compassionate, successful, family, role model, smart. Imagine if you could choose the words to describe yourself at your own funeral. That’s somewhat conceited, but what do you think they would be?

The great shock in our passage today, Luke 12:13 – 21, is how God describes this man a heartbeat away from his death. You fool! In the eyes of the world this man has achieved greatness. He’s one of those annoying people who has landed in the butter! Distinctions at university, captain of the soccer team, lots of friends and parties, top job in Sandton, married ex Miss South Africa, quickly climbs up the corporate ladder. At 50 he has a large house in Houghton, a flat in London and a farm in Dullstroom.

It’s Saturday afternoon on his Dullstroom Estate. He’s drinking cocktails with his wife on the patio, overlooking their vast property. Despite the recession, his company has had a bumper year with totally unexpected turnover and profits. As he looks across the estate, everything he sees belongs to him: his latest Porsche, the newly built guest cottage, the horses and stables, the rolling fields, all paid for. He says to his wife, “Darling, you know it’s been such an extraordinary year, I think I can start thinking about retirement. Don’t have to wait another ten years”. “How wonderful, darling” she says, “You’ve worked so hard, you deserve it. We could travel more, play some golf at St Andrews”. But of course, he doesn’t get the chance. There’s a sudden pain in his chest. The cocktail glass he’s holding shatters on the Italian tiles. He’s dead before they get him to the hospital.

At the funeral everyone is in black, everyone has dark glasses, everyone smoking nervously before the service. Everyone is devastated. He was so smart, such a success; such a role model; how could this happen, so long before his time?

You see how normal this story is.

But God’s assessment is totally different. In fact, the exact opposite. “You fool”. Can you think of any more devastating words, than the Creator of the world, the Judge of all men, should look you straight in the eye and say, “You fool”. How shattering, for God to say that about you. Perhaps it would be smart to work out what the man got wrong!

According to Jesus, his life was fraught with misunderstandings. Firstly, he misunderstood the purpose of his life. Jesus says to a man who wants Jesus to be arbitrator between him and his brother in a disputed inheritance, my mission is not to be your arbitrator, “…for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. I know of families who no longer talk to each other; the bitterness, the anger is so toxic that it has affected the children, the cousins, even the grandchildren. They never speak, not even at Christmas, and all because of a piece real estate. It’s quite pathetic, but it happens. There are certainly times, when it is far better to walk away from some antique or real estate, than to demand justice. Better to let the money go, than ruin your relationship. “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions”.

Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, put it so well.

“It’s not about you. The purpose of this life is far greater than your personal fulfilment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose”.

He also misunderstood that life is a gift from God, a loan from God. It’s quite possible that he went to church or at least knew his Bible. He certainly believed that he had a soul, as he spoke to his soul. He must have known the Bible well enough to quote from it. He actually quoted from Ecclesiastes 8:15, when he said, “Relax, eat, drink, be merry”. However, he chose to forget the second part of the verse, which would have reminded him that all the days of his life were on loan from God. One of the almost hidden truths of the Bible is that life is not a right, but a gift. If God gives five days of life to a child, we greatly mourn our loss, but are deeply grateful for the five days. We have no rights, neither for five days, nor eighty years. Each day is a gift.

He misunderstood what our great father Augustine taught us, “O Lord, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you”. He never understood that. He thought that his heart would be restless until it had an abundance of food, drink, and real estate. And God says, “You fool!” Do you realize how shocking that is to our modern culture! Isn’t the acquisition of things and money what advertising is all about? what marketing is all about? what shopping malls and retail are all about? what the JSE is all about? what casinos and lotto are all about?

Here in Gauteng, millions of people are devoted to the acquisition of possessions, the accumulation of wealth. Our culture looks at the wealthy man and says, He’s arrived! He’s made it! What a man! What a success! And God the Judge of all the earth, looks at his Houghton pad, his London apartment, his Dullstroom estate; he casts his eye on his new Porsche, his horses, stables and rolling hills, and says, What a fool! What a fool! “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”.

Sadly, this man had no idea that he would die that night. In fact, he thought that he had many years. “But God said to him. “Fool! This night your soul is required of you”. Almost everyone is like that. They make no preparation for eternity. And yet, there is nothing more certain than death. Of those reading this page, one out of one will die! The Bible is quite clear, “It is appointed to man, once to die and then judgement” Hebrews 9: 27. No purgatory, no reincarnation, no second chance.

Let’s cut to the chase. When we each stand alone before the Judge of all the earth, the only two questions which will really matter are, what did you do with Jesus and what did you do for Jesus? And the only way to be ready to answer those questions is to be rich towards God in this life. And the only way to be rich towards God, is to lay up treasures in heaven, instead of treasures on earth.

For further reading: Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle; Money, Possessions and Eternity. Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life.

All on Amazon Kindle.

By Martin Morrison

Our passage for today is Luke 12: 22 – 31. It may be better if you read it first! Is this just another Bible passage which may be fine for Sunday morning, but totally irrelevant for Monday morning?

Before the advent of prosperity theology, the church sometimes gave the false impression that the truly spiritual man is not a man of property but a man of poverty; a man secluded from the rough and tumble of the real world.

But that is not the New Testament picture at all. The New Testament picture of the woman or man of God is someone who has a family to raise, a home to maintain, a job to perform and a world to win. In fact, the passage in front of us could not be more relevant as we face an uncertain economic future, both individually and as a country.

In Luke 12: 13 – 21, Jesus addressed the sins of greed. The man who has too much. You’ll remember how Jesus exposed the Farmer of the Year as a fool, for having no eternal perspective, for living life by purely materialistic categories. “You fool, this night your soul is required of you”.

Now, in our passage today, Jesus turns the corner. He is not addressing someone who is rich, but someone who is battling to make ends meet. The followers of Jesus were no doubt mostly ordinary people, struggling to raise and feed their families, pay the monthly bond, keep up their medical aid. In a word they were battling to get through the month. It is to these people that Jesus now turns his attention.

Now before we understand what Jesus is prohibiting, we need to understand what Jesus is not prohibiting. Jesus is not despising the needs of the body, when he says in vs. 23, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on”. Though life is greater than the body and its needs, that in no way means that food or clothes have no value or importance at all. Jesus cared for the five thousand who were starving, by providing bread and fish when they had no food. Jesus made a yellowtail braai on the beach, when the disciples had had a long cold night on the sea. The point of the passage is in fact to reassure us that God will look after our bodily needs, and therefore we are not to be preoccupied with them. “If God even feeds the brainless ravens, how much more will he feed us”.

Nor is Jesus denying the need for planning. Some people may read this passage and infer that Jesus is teaching, Don’t be worry, be happy! The mentality which says, just live for today and give no thought to tomorrow. A perpetual teenager, or is that unkind! But clearly that is not what Jesus is saying. Jesus tells us to consider the ravens. Do birds not continually plan for the future. They build nests, they lay and incubate eggs, they feed their young, many migrate to warmer climates before winter, some even store food. Jesus is clearly not preventing his children from planning and making common sense provision for the future. He is not prohibiting forethought, but anxious thought!

Nor is Jesus absolving us from work. Jesus didn’t need to read Roberts book on Birds, to know that birds labour and work all day. From morning till evening, they are scurrying around to earn their daily bread. The birds know that there is no divine vending machine coughing out insects and seeds and grass. No, they are to search and find their food. God provides and they cooperate. Generally, God does not provide for our needs through supernatural methods, but natural. He uses the normal channels of hard work, production and distribution.

Listen to Martin Luther and his characteristic earthiness,

“God wants nothing to do with lazy gluttonous bellies, who are neither concerned nor busy; they act as if they just have to lie down and wait for him to drop a roasted goose into their mouth”.

Again, Jesus is not denying the needs of the body not is he despising the value of work. What he prohibits is not forethought, but anxious thought.

The first reason Jesus gives for not being consumed by anxiety is from the natural world. He points to the birds and ravens, he points to the flowers and grass around them. He argues, that just as God provides for the needs of the grass and the birds, can’t we trust him to provide our daily needs. Surely, we are more valuable than they are. There’s an inescapable logic in the teaching of Jesus. If he cares for the relatively less valuable, then surely we can trust him to care for the more valuable.

The second reason given for not being consumed by anxiety is from the supernatural world. God is the one who ultimately determines the date of your birth and the date of your death. Imagine, you and I are totally incapable of adding a single hour to our lives. Then surely, if God determines your birth and death, can you not entrust lesser matters to him as well!  Once  again, the logic is inescapable. Just as we leave the matters of life and death to God, is it not rational to leave less important things to God as well.

In the parallel passage, Matthew 6:34, Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. Jesus understand full well, that when you are raising a family, maintaining a home, paying off a bond, facing crises, tensions and demands at work on a daily basis, that all these things need to be faced and dealt with. As Jesus says, “Every day has enough trouble of its own”, and we are to deal with them each day. What he is prohibiting is that constant state of anxiety, nervousness and worry that starts to consume your life and eats you up. If we are honest, we so often worry about future events, that actually never happen!

So, what Jesus makes abundantly clear, to those of us who are his children, is that a constant state of anxiety is not only incompatible with common sense but is inherently incompatible with Christian faith.

Before lockdown, I was in a dentists’ waiting room. I picked up a glossy magazine on lifestyle. There were adverts for champagne, tobacco, food, clothing, motor cars and antiques. There was an article on having a Caribbean holiday, the delights of reindeer meat and Scotch whiskey, how to win a luxury cabin cruise holiday and the unique pleasure of a luxury watch. We have grown so accustomed to these magazines, that we no longer realize how absurd it all is. It betrays a distorted view of human beings, that the body only needs to be watered, fed, clothed and housed. It reduces life to the level of animals, plants and birds. Surely there is more to life than eating at the best restaurants, wearing the latest Calvin Klein outfits and going on the latest exotic holiday destination. Isn’t that what Jesus means, when he says, “Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes”.

You, however, are to be different. Seek first his Kingdom. Jesus is dealing, not only with our worries, but with our priorities, our preoccupations, our gods. So, either it is a preoccupation with yourself or a preoccupation with God. Either it is an ambition for your own Kingdom or an ambition for God’s Kingdom. It’s one or the other, there’s no middle ground.

As Bob Dylan so clearly sang, You’re gonna have to serve somebody. It may be the devil or it may be the Lord. But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Your call!

By Eddie Lombard

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man.“
Mark 8:31-33

We have come to the climax of the first half of Mark’s gospel. Peter recognised that Jesus was the Christ, the promised one that Israel had been waiting for, for a long time. So how could he get it so wrong that only a few verses later Jesus rebuked him so sharply: “Get behind me, Satan” vs 33? Jesus gives us the answer right away: Peter did not understand the kind of king Jesus was.

Peter had “the things of man” in mind. Men want a king who will rule with power that can be seen. His army must be big and his enemy must run at the sight of him, but not so with Jesus. Jesus must suffer vs 31. All His people must reject Him even His closest friends. He must hang alone on the cross. In man’s eyes this is a weak king, but with God this is the power of salvation, the Saviour Christ on the cross, rejected and killed. Jesus must suffer because these are the “things of God” vs 33. These “things of God” are the big things in life that have eternal consequences. The things that determine where we spend eternity. Peter did not get that. He still did not see the whole picture, but later he did. By God’s grace his eyes were opened fully and he saw the suffering Christ on the cross as the only hope he had.

Prayer points:
Ask God to help us see why Jesus must suffer
Ask God to help us find our hope at the cross

By Conrad Mbewe

Taken from The Gospel Coalition Africa: https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/video/am-i-cursed/

It is amazing how many people who are getting on in years without getting married begin to fear that perhaps, they have been cursed by someone. Or individuals who have been married but are not having children. And we can throw in there, as well, people who have difficulties getting a job or being promoted and so on. They seem to fear that perhaps they have been cursed.

People in the western world hear about curses, and for them, this is something they only see in movies. When witches and bad people curse those who are good and try to destroy them. In the end, it is merely a movie and consequently the bad people get defeated. However, for those of us who are Africans, curses seem to be very, very real.

Has my Uncle Cursed Me?

It’s the explanation that witch doctors and “prophets” give when you visit them with a malady that is not going away – despite having been attended to by the best of doctors. They will often tell you, that there is some relative, somewhere within the wider context, who is a culprit. He has put a curse on you. And often uncles are the alleged culprits in our world. They will tell you that your mother’s brother doesn’t love the progress that you may be making in your life. And that’s the reason why he has cast a spell or a curse on you.

For those of us who are Africans, curses seem to be very, very real.

Are you an individual that is thus fearful? That this might have perhaps happened to you? Well then, let’s take a quick look at this subject to see what the Bible really teaches about this.

What is a Curse?

It’s good to begin with definitions. What’s a curse? Well, a curse is simply the opposite of a blessing. Thus, the Bible says in Luke chapter 6:28, “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” In other words, with prayer you are wishing the best for other people. With a curse, you are wishing the worst for them.

Blessings in the Bible
The first time we come across these two terms is when God Himself used them to our first parents, Adam and Eve. We read in Genesis 1:27-28 these words. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them.” What was that blessing? Well, we are told in Genesis 1:28 these words, “Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the ground.” The blessing, was definitely a positive statement.

Curses in the Bible
As for the curse, we read that God said to Adam in Genesis 3:17 these words, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and eaten of the tree which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain, you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” Ultimately, what we’re learning is this. That for a blessing or for a curse to be effective, God must allow it to be so. He is the ultimate governor of all history. And for your comfort, God is a moral being. He will not allow the innocent to suffer from individuals who wish them ill, purely because of their own jealousy. Of course not. Always remember that.
Indeed, in Proverbs 261-2, we read these words. “Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honour is not fitting for a fool. Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that it causeless…” does not stick on them. “It does not alight.” it does not settle on them. In other words, blessings for fools, and cursing for the innocent do not stick. That’s an important lesson for us to learn.
Christians Cannot be Cursed
You should only worry about a curse being on you, if you are in bad books with God. There is no curse that is so powerful that it can defy the sovereign and living God and His omnipotent power. Not even one. He is the one who ultimately blesses, that is, He is the one who rewards. And He is also the one who ultimately curses. In other words, the one who ultimately punishes. Again, remember that reality.

No human curse will settle on anybody who is a Christian. Not even one.

In Galatians 3:13, we have good news for those individuals who are Christians. Listen to what this passage says. It says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” In other words, Christians don’t have to worry about any curses. Because the ultimate curse has been born by Jesus Christ on their behalf on the Cross. He is the one who has satisfied God completely through His personal sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. So, no human curse will settle on anybody who is a Christian. Not even one.

So, Why am I Still Struggling?

If you as an individual are not cursed, then the question must still be on your mind: Why are you sickly? Why are you failing to get married? Or even have a child? Another question might be why are you failing to get a job? Or to make your business thrive. Well, I may not have all the answers to that question. But one thing I am very doubtful about is that your uncle has anything to do with it. Trust me.
So, all I would plead with you is this, ensure that you are reconciled to God through the death of His son the Lord Jesus Christ. And then, whatever this thing might be that seems to be a weight on your shoulders, keep praying to God about it. And then thirdly, seek your pastor’s counsel. Through proper biblical counselling, you might just find an answer for that question. May God bless you.

By Martin Morrison

Death has always been an enigma for us humans. On the one hand we all know that it is inevitable. On the other hand it seems to be a mistake. Shakespeare’s King Lear voiced a universal reaction to death. When his daughter who had just died lay in his arms, he cried out, “No, No, No. Why should a dog, horse, a rat have life. And thou no breath at all”.

One of the privileges of my work, is to be with people at their time of greatest need, a death in the family. You never hear the family say that it was normal. No, it always feels abnormal. It feels abnormal because it is abnormal! But not only is it abnormal, it is often unexpected. We all know people whose lives were cut short in a heartbeat. That is what Jesus warns us about in Luke 12: 35 – 40. He says in vs.40, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”.

The metaphor that Jesus uses in this passage, is that of a large household. The master of the household is away and the servants are in charge. It is night-time. In this household, instead of the lights being put out at night and everyone in bed, the master expects the lights to be kept burning and the servants are meant to be working. In fact, it seems from vs.38, that the servants are meant to be working till after midnight. Obviously there were no labour laws or CCMA! So what Jesus is saying, is that even when the master isn’t there, even at 3.00am in the morning the servants need to be dressed for work and at work!

First, let’s apply this passage to the church. Verse 40 says, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. What Jesus is describing here is what we may call the church age. The period after the ascension of Christ and before the return of Christ. What is significant about the church age, is that Christ, our Master is not with us. Jesus is absent. The master is away from the household. And so of course, the church must function in his absence. It is true, that we have the Holy Spirit, but nonetheless, the Master is not physically present. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father.

So Jesus has handed over the responsibility of governing his church to us. It’s up to us. We are responsible. And the Master will hold us accountable. The metaphor is meant to draw a contrast between those servants who weren’t awake or working and those who were. Think of a bunch of school kids when the teacher leaves the classroom for a few minutes. It only takes twenty seconds before the class starts to stir and soon thereafter it’s chaos. No work is being done at all.

After the Master has been absent for 2,000 years, there is a marked contrast between the living church and the dying church. The living church has the lamps burning, the members are living godly lives, teaching the Bible, sharing the Gospel, reaching the poor, loving their neighbour. How extraordinary, despite the passage of time, the light of the Gospel still burns brightly. No wonder Jesus says,

“Blessed are those servants whom the Master finds awake when he comes. He will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them”. Vs. 37.

Sadly, in the dying church the lamps have gone out, and no-one even knows what their job description is! There’s no Bible teaching, no godliness, no evangelism and no outreach. Darkness has settled on the household and under the cover of darkness all the treasures have been stolen. If they’d known when the thief was coming, they would have been prepared and awake. The lights would have been on and ADT would have been waiting in the lounge!

But no, they weren’t awake and the house has been cleaned out. TV’s, laptops, silver ornaments, all the treasures gone. What a vivid picture of the dying church. All the treasures accumulated over the centuries stolen. Strong Bible teaching, missionary organisations, evangelistic projects, buildings filled with families, all gone! Stolen! Sadly, the servants were asleep, the lamps weren’t burning and all that’s left are ecclesiastical museums. There may be form, but no substance. There may be rituals, but the life has gone and the lights have gone out. And when Christ returns, judgement.

The answer for the church is not more strategic plans or more money or more buildings. No, it needs a return to the Bible, a return to the Gospel, to evangelism, to godly living and Gospel work. Perhaps the most important thing the dying church needs to do, is “…to open the door to the Master when he comes and knocks and let him in”. Vs. 36.

For the individual, the truth is the same. Though no-one knows when Christ will return, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. These words stand for all generations. Each one of us will die. Each one of us will face God on judgement day. This fact is inescapable. It is only the timing that is somewhat uncertain.

And therefore we must be ready. How? Jesus is knocking, will you let him in?

By Martin Morrison

In Jewish society at the time of Jesus, there was a common form of teaching called “haraz” or “a string of pearls”. Luke 12 would be a very good example of this teaching method, where pearls of teaching are strung together like a string of pearls. There are nine such “pearls” in Luke 12, and we will explore each pearl individually over the next two weeks, starting today with Luke 12:1 – 3. It will be most helpful if you can have that passage open in front of you.

You will notice in vs. 1, that Jesus is preaching to a crowd of many thousands. Perhaps the Orlando Pirates Stadium in Soweto comes to mind! What made it somewhat chaotic is that because there was no sound system or loudspeakers, everyone tried to get as close to Jesus as possible. In fact, there were so many that they were trampling on each other.

Jesus is teaching his disciples in the midst of this crowd. No doubt, what he says to his disciples, will be overheard by the outsiders. The dual purpose of Jesus’s teaching meant that many would hear and obey. Many outsiders in turn would become insiders.obvious purpose being that when they hear and obey, the outsiders in turn may become insiders. Which, incidentally, is a very good reason to invite your non-Christian friends to church or send them a Christian article, inviting their comments. Let’s never forget thatLike you and me, we were at one time outsiders who became insiders, when we were exposed to the words of Jesus, by a kind and patient friend.

Jesus starts this string of pearls with a stunning warning.
In vs. 1, he says, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”. Most of us know that the Pharisees, were a strict religious movement within Judaism. They were regarded as the custodians or interpreters of the law of Moses. They would have been regarded as the most religious, most moral upstanding members of Jewish society. Perhaps today, many in our culture would consider priests and ministers and rabbis in this category. Perhaps, someone like myself. However, most unexpectedly, Jesus was very often in conflict with them. He very often used them and their teaching as a foil to his own teaching. Almost always they were at loggerheads.

Jesus identifies the real problem he has with the Pharisees and likens their problem to leaven or yeast. Let me explain. The holy grail in breadmaking is Sourdough. Sourdough bread is unique, because it does not require commercial yeast in order to rise. It’s made with a live culture of wild yeast and bacteria, a sourdough starter which acts as a natural leavening agent. This culture or leaven permeates the entire dough and makes the bread dough rise. The key, is the sourdough starter. Trust me, we have a sourdough starter in the kitchen which needs to be kept alive with regular feedings like a pet! I have huge experience, watching my wife!
The problem with the Pharisees, is that their sourdough starter worked perfectly. Too well in fact. It permeated everything. Jesus called their sourdough starter “hypocrisy”. I think C S Lewis gets close to the heart of hypocrisy when he says, “How difficult it is to avoid having a special standard for oneself”. I think in recent days, the ex-Health Minister of Scotland or the special advisor to UK Prime Minister, Dominic Cummings would bear witness to the accuracy of Lewis! And that’s not even mentioning you or me!

For Jesus, it was much worse and significantly more serious. For instance in Luke 11:42 Jesus says, “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God”. I think in recent days, this would be someone, who is an upstanding member and lay-leader in their Bible-believing church, never misses a Sunday or a prayer meeting, but happily practises racism and profiling in their daily lives. So toxic is this hypocrisy, that Jesus pronounces an eternal judgement from God. They have majored on externals and simply ignored the two greatest commandments, to love God and love your neighbour. William Barclay correctly said, “No man is a Christian when he meticulously observes the conventions of religion and forgets the realities”. Jesus speaks eternal damnation on such behaviour.

In ancient Greek theatre, all actors wore masks. The purpose was to conceal the real person and take on the persona of someone else. The Greek word for actor was hypokrites, from which we get our word hypocrite. Meaning, someone who is play acting or assuming a counterfeit persona. The hypocrite is never genuine, always play-acting a part. Applying this to our church member and lay-leader, their religious life is simply a role they play. It bears no relation to the kind of person they really are off-stage.

Alexander the Great was born in Greece and lived around 350 BC. As King of the Greek Kingdom of Macedon, he conquered much of the ancient world. In one battle, he was disciplining a soldier who had turned away in fear from facing the advancing enemy. Condemned to death, the soldier was led away, until Alexander noticed that he was still only a young boy. Reversing his sentence, he asked the young boy, “And what is your name?” “Alexander, Sir” he timidly replied. Alexander stood up in surprise and then dismissed him by saying, “Change your name or change your conduct”.

Nowhere in all four Gospels do you find Jesus showing greater fury than towards the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. There is time and teaching for the woman caught in adultery; there is patience and kindness for Thomas and his doubts; there is even forgiveness for the spinelessness of Peter who denies his Saviour. But for habitual, hard- hearted, brazen- faced hypocrisy, there is only eternal damnation.

Jesus knows full well our weaknesses and failures. He knows full well our besetting sins. He knows full well our mixed motives, at best. There is grace for all of those who call on him for mercy and repentance. But play-acting to be a follower of Jesus, yet knowing full well that you aren’t, will unleash God’s full wrath upon your shoulders, with no mercy.
Change your name or change your conduct. Infinitely better not to call yourself a Christian, than to play the part! Believe me, the judgement will be lighter and possibly more bearable.