Author: Proud Mpofu

By Eddie Lombard.

29 “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
Mark 8:29

Who is Jesus? This has been and still is one of the biggest and most controversial questions you can ask. For Mark, the answer was clear:,

                         “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1

Jesus is the long awaited Christ and our response to Him has big consequences.

Mark spends the first eight chapters of his gospel showing us who Jesus is and the people’s response to Him. Some see and are commended and some don’t. In Mark 8 these themes come to a turning point as Jesus asks this question:

“Who do people say I am?”

The disciples answer that most people saw Jesus in the same light as one of the Old Testament prophets. Just like Israel of old did, with this view of Jesus you could keep Him  at arm’s length. In the past, Israel would listen to their prophets as long as they could help them in their needs but as soon as the prophets wanted more, like obedience to the LORD and His Word, they could reject them. This was the same attitude the people had to Jesus. They liked the one who could feed them. They flocked to the one that who could heal them from their diseases, but as soon as he exercised His authority to rule as the Christ , they did not want anything to do with Him.

Jesus did not allow his disciples to stay at arm’s length, so he made his question more pointed:

“But what about you?” Jesus asked his disciples. “Who do you say I am?” Mark 8:29

Jesus loved them so much that He did not let them get away with responding to Jesus in a general way. He is God’s long awaited and anointed King. The promised King who will rule for all eternity. There will be nothing worse than not seeing who He truly is and responding to Him in repentance and faith.

At the end of the day is there no bigger question to answer ? It will have eternal consequences. Rejecting God as King leads to death, but bowing the knee before Jesus Christ will lead to eternal life.

Prayer points:
That we would see who Jesus is?
That we would respond in repentance and faith to Him

By David Kobedi

Last week we saw that life without God is like a dead, shameful party. When we cut the Giver of Life out of the picture, we cannot experience the joy that God designed us for. This week we explore religion and Jesus as two options to restore life to this party.

Religion alone fails to bring LIFE back to the party.

One of the things that religion does is that it promises us a restored relationship with God. Whether is it through sacrifice or rituals, most religions have prescribed methods of trying to do this. Second Temple Judaism? was no different as it tried to provide answers to how a sinful human could have a relationship with God. The piety of the religious and their rituals reminded people that they needed to be devoted to God and to be cleansed. But one preacher said: no amount of hand washing can ever be enough to cleanse a dirty heart; because our problem runs deeper. So, at best what it did was to remind people of the reality of Sin and the need to be purified of it.

Now, the mention of the “six stone water jars (that were used) for the Jewish rites of purification” (John 2:6) gives us a clue that this is about cleansing. When Jesus used these jars to turn water into wine, He was connecting the feasting with ritual purification; and He sets Himself up as the one who can provide that purification.

Only Jesus can bring back life to the party.

When Mary told Jesus that the wine had run out, He responded that His hour had not yet come. Again, there is a clue here that a dead boring party was pointing to “deeper realities”. In John’s Gospel, “the hour” signifies the death of Jesus on the cross (7:30; 8:20 and 12:23). So, the turning of water into wine is only a taste of bigger things. It signifies Jesus bringing back the joy to this wedding party called Life. But for Him to do that, He has to deal with the very thing that cuts us off from experiencing our joy: human rebellion. Unless we are set free from our rebellion and our sin is washed away, we cannot have a relationship with God. And unless we have a relationship with God, we cannot experience LIFE as God intended us to. So, when His hour had come and He hung on the Cross, He made it possible for us to be restored to our maker and to experience LIFE in all its fullness.

By Martin Morrison

The Second Law of Thermodynamics says, in simple terms, that entropy or disorder always increases. Put another way, everything deteriorates over time. This principle explains why you can’t unscramble an egg. This principle explains why a mug of hot coffee placed on a kitchen table-top never gets hotter but always gets colder. Always.

The author of Hebrews warns his readers that it is possible for them to drift away from the message they have heard (Hebrews 2:1). We may want to call this The Second Law of Spiritual Dynamics! Put another way, if we are left entirely to ourselves, we are wont to drift away from the Gospel message that we have heard. Perhaps this principle explains why we can spend hours reading a novel in the evening and almost immediately feel exhausted the minute we pick up the Bible for our daily reading.

Even in spiritual matters, or specially in spiritual matters our default position is lethargy. Why is it such an effort to pray for five minutes and yet we can spend hours watching some mindless movie? The danger of The Second Law of Spiritual Dynamics is far greater than mere scientific matters pertaining to heat, energy or motion. The greatest danger is that we can fall away from the living God! There is no greater entropy or disorder than being God forsaken! According to the Apostle Paul, God’s greatest judgement is not necessarily fire and brimstone, as terrifying as that will be. No, God’s greatest judgement on earth is to abandon us to our own devices. Never thought that a movie or novel would come to that!

Having lived for a significantly long period of time, it has come to my attention that churches and Christian organizations more often than not have a life cycle. The first generation are passionate about the Gospel and strenuously affirm it. The second generation assumes the Gospel. The third generation denies the Gospel.

Generally, it is relatively simple to identify the first and third generations. However, the second generation are much harder to spot. You will find the Gospel in their Statement of Faith and their Official Documents, but it is substantially absent from their day-to-day words and actions.

It is there, but it is no longer primary. The second generation is in mortal danger. They are in danger of drifting away from the Gospel they first heard. They are in danger of falling away from the living God.

I have noticed that good accountants can very quickly identify whether an organisation is in trouble or in safe waters, by one or two key indicators in the financial documents. When it comes to Christian organisations or churches, there are also key indicators as to their spiritual health. The first is their view and handling of the Bible. The second, is the primacy of Christ and the cross in their teaching and preaching. When Christ and the cross are no longer central but assumed; when Christ and the cross are mentioned in passing but no longer primary, then it is most evident that they are drifting into troubled waters. They are not far from becoming the third generation and falling away completely.

This example can obviously be applied to individual Christians. When our view and handling of the Bible becomes perfunctory or dismissive; when our hearts no longer burn within us when the simple Gospel is preached; when we no longer rejoice when a sinner comes to faith in Christ; when we’ve graduated from Christ and the cross, it is self-evident that we are drifting away, neglecting a great salvation and in mortal danger of falling away from the living God! What a dangerous position to be in!

We are childishly naïve if we do not understand The Second Law of Spiritual Dynamics. Which is precisely why the author of Hebrews commands us to run the race with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12: 1 – 2).

By Roydon Frost

It happened last night at around 3am. I found myself, rather I caught myself, praying for a dog. Granted, he’s a beautiful dog, and he was in some distress. But even so, there are a number of problems. Firstly, he’s a dog, its just plain weird. I’ve been doing a series on prayer from right across the Bible for some weeks, and so far not a single hero of the faith has prayed for a dog (though I live in hope). Second, there might be one or two other things to pray for right now, like, say, the global pandemic, or the looming economic meltdown. If you were careful in your argument, you could make a case that they take priority over my dog. Third, I’m not sure this guy is worthy of prayer. The calling down of curses, perhaps. An imprecatory psalm or two… might be more appropriate. He chews the sprinkler, soils the lawn, jumps the wall, wakes the kids. He constantly needs to be fed, bathed, brushed, trained, taken for his shots. In return, he takes me for a run (I have the dislocated shoulder to prove it). When it comes to household accounting, he is very much in the liablity column. Worst of all, he has a romantic interest in dressing gowns and slippers (to put it politely). Praying for this dog, raises some serious questions.

And yet, there I was, 3am on a Friday morning, praying for my dog. How can it be? It could be the cabin fever talking. I’ve watched enough prison movies to know that after 50 days of solitary you start doing crazy things, like praying for your dog. But I’m not going to call for the straitjacket just yet. I think, in a strange way, for me, he represents stability. He’s always there when I get home. He’s always sad to see me go. He’s a loyal friend. So I think, at a time when change and upheaval is cutting so close to the bone, I just didn’t want to see him go. Our little bubble of normal that we are so fiercely defending, just wouldn’t be normal without him.

It was another small gracious reminder from God, of how we make our homes here on earth. Of how we cling to earthly comforts. Of how as pilgrims on a journey we are constantly battling an inertia in our hearts that makes us want to stop and sit and put down roots – to find our security in the here and now. In my more lucid moments, during ordinary office hours, I know this to be true. But at 3am on a Friday morning, the real state of your heart surfaces, and you are reminded that the truths of the gospel are truths we have to contend for.

All that said, I don’t regret praying for my dog. I would do it again. And I’m convinced that the God who knows when a single sparrow falls to the ground would hear my prayer.

David Kobedi

They say that first impressions last and I think that is spot on. Now, if you were Jesus and you wanted to show the world that you had come to earth to give people what they desperately need, what is the first thing you would do? In reading John’s Gospel, I would go with the resurrection of Lazarus in chapter 11. I mean, what better way to display your ultimate authority than to raise a dead person to life. In John 2:1-11 we have a record of Jesus’ first public introduction: the famous miracle when He turned water into wine. The evangelist, John, called it a sign. And “signs are significant displays of power that point beyond themselves to the deeper realities …”. So, there’s something profound that we pick up from Jesus’ first impression that points us to the “deeper realities” of what God was planning to do in Jesus.
We notice three connected realities from the eleven verses of John 2. Firstly, LIFE without God is a dead-boring party; secondly, religion fails to bring LIFE back to the party; and thirdly, only Jesus can bring back LIFE to the party.

Life without God is a dead-boring party.

“When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

In Middle Eastern culture, to run out of wine at a wedding was one of the most shameful things that could happen to a host. According to Carson’s commentary in John, the bride’s family could even go to the extent of suing the host (the groom) for putting them through such shame. One could compare it to the infamous FYRE Festival of 2017. Netflix recently released a documentary titled: the greatest party that never happened and it documented the horrors of a party gone wrong. Over 5000 people were promised luxury accommodation in the Bahamas, gourmet food, and performances from the biggest names in the entertainment industry. After a year of building up hype on social media, the guests were promised a party to end all parties. Come the day of the party, everything fell apart. Now, when Mary came to Jesus and said “they have no wine”, she was asking Jesus to rescue the host from a dead-boring disappointment.

In many ways, a life lived without God is like this shame-of-a-wedding feast. When we rebel against God and sin, it is often with the expectation of ultimate joy. But in reality, we cut ourselves off from the very source of life and joy. So, our rebellion and sin promise us what they fail to deliver: the party to end all parties.

Let’s explore the two other points next week.

By Martin Morrison

Hyssopus officinalis, or hyssop, is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. It is a shrub with dark green leaves, and during summer it produces pink, blue or more rarely, white fragrant flowers. The stalks are cut and dried, and as an oil it has antiseptic properties. In herbal medicine hyssop is believed to have soothing and cough suppressant properties.

Why on earth are we reading a botanical definition, when all you want is some relief for your weary soul! Well let me answer by asking another question. What in the world is hyssop? The question is asked by Paul Tripp as he reads through Psalm 51. King David wrote Psalm 51 after he coveted and stole another man’s wife, committed adultery with Bathsheba, lied, then murdered Uriah the Hittite, and deceived Israel, of whom he was the monarch and spiritual leader. That’s at least 5 of the Ten Commandments!

Psalm 51 is the most heart wrenching confession found in all of Hebraic or English literature. It is my go-to Psalm whenever I need to confess, which is no more than once or twice per day! If you want a balm for your sinful soul, go no further than this Psalm. David cries out in pain, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgement” (Psalm 51:2,4).

However, the question arises when you read verse 7, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow”. And so quite correctly you ask, what in the world is hyssop? Doing some botanical research won’t be of any use. Nor will Wikipedia help you!

What you really need to know is Old Testament history. David’s mind goes back to that original Passover, when every household in Egypt wept with the death of the firstborn. The only homes that escaped the wrath of God were homes which had the blood of the Passover lamb spread on the lintel and doorframes. “Take a one-year old male lamb without blemish. Kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood, and touch the lintel and doorposts with the blood. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12: 1 – 13). So David remembers the bloody paint brush of hyssop. He remembers how Israel was rescued from God’s judgement by the blood of the Passover lamb, so he cries for that same rescue when he prays, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean”.

Oh Lord, just as you saved Israel with the blood on the hyssop, please will you save me.

The words of David not only reach back into Old Testament history, but also reach into the future. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus, he exclaimed’ Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29). And then quite strikingly, three years later, that same lamb of God is found hanging on a cross. “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, “I thirst”. A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished”, and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” John 19:28 – 30).

It was hyssop that touched the blood of that first Passover lamb in Egypt. It was the same hyssop that touched the lips and blood of the ultimate Passover lamb in Israel. Hyssop is a vivid reminder that there is only one who can rescue us from the judgement of God. Hyssop is a vivid reminder that there is only one blood that can wash us clean from our sin: the blood of Jesus, the lamb of God. With David, you and I cry, “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean”.

David never knew that old classic hymn, “Nothing but the blood”. But perhaps one day he will hear it and remember his tear-soaked prayer of Psalm 51:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O precious is the flow,
That makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For further reading: Paul David Tripp, Whiter than Snow.
Available at Amazon Kindle.

By Martin Morrison

Do you know that there is one page in the Bible that is not inspired by God? Trust me, it’s in every Bible I have ever opened. In my ESV Bible it is an empty page between the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew. It is empty but for three words, “The New Testament”. In older printings, there is a fuller statement, “The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”. Those words werewas never inspired by God. The publishers of Bibles have included the pageit from time immemorial. And no-one seems to protest!

Now here is a childish game invented by Alec Motyer, but it’s actually very serious. You won’t actually want to do it, so just try it in your mind. The game is this:; suppose you tore that page out, where would you put it back? Well, for a start, not between Malachi and Matthew! Just think: Malachi foretells the coming of a forerunner (Malachi 3:1; 4:5). Matthew then announces that the forerunner has arrived (Matthew 3:1). Plainly, it is mistaken to insert a page holding these two books apart! In fact, there’s nowhere suitable to put it. This dividing page is a waste of paper and ink! It is separating the inseparable, dividing the indivisible. The Bible is one book.

Many years ago, Alec Motyer a British Old Testament scholar was speaking at a conference hosted by R C Sproul. At the end of a session, Motyer was asked about the relationship between Old Testament Israel and the church. After saying something about the discontinuities, he insisted that we are all one people of God. Then he asked his audience to imagine how an Israelite under Moses would give their “testimony”. Motyer respondedcontinued, and said that they would have probably have said something like this:

“We were in a foreign land, in bondage, under the sentence of death. But our mediator, the one who stands between us and God, came to us with the promise of deliverance. We trusted in the promises of God, took shelter under the blood of the lamb, and he led us out. Now we are on our way to the Promised Land. We are not there yet, of course, but we have the law to guide us, and through blood sacrifice we also have his presence in our midst. So he will stay with us until we get to our true country, our everlasting home”.

Then Dr Motyer concluded, “Now think about it. A Christian today could say the same thing, almost word for word”.

Perhaps that last paragraph will revolutionize your thinking about the Old Testament. Most people think that in the Old Testament, people were saved through obeying a host of detailed laws, but that today we are saved by grace through faith. But not so at all. In both the Old and New Testament, we are saved through the substitutionary blood sacrifice of a third party. In both Testaments, atonement is by grace, through faith. As early as Genesis, we find our father and patriarch Abram saved by faith, not works!! (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1 – 3). In addition, in both Testaments we respond in a pursuit of holiness and obedience.

So then, how do we understand the difference between the Old and New Testament? How do we understand Hebrews 1:1 – 4 that tells us that there are two stages of divine revelation?. And it’s obvious that these two stages correspond to the Old and New Testament. Well, the answer is that divine revelation is to be seen asto be progressive. But it is not the progression from the less true to the more true, from the less worthy to the more worthy, or from the less mature to the more mature. How can that be, if the author is the one and same God!

No, the progression is from promise to fulfilment. The promises in the first Testament are fulfilled in the coming of the long expected Old Testament Messiah, the Christ. So Jesus the risen Christ, spoke to the two despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). So Jesus walked them through the Old Testament and showed them how the Old Testament was pointing to him!! Jesus explained to them how he himself fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament. Which is precisely why, we always need to look for Jesus when reading the Old Testament.

The other day, I married a couple in my office. When it came to the rings, the bride, as is customaryper normal, already had a beautiful engagement ring on her ring finger. To that ring the groom added a wedding ring. We didn’t remove the engagement ring. No, the engagement ring signified a promise, made by the groom sometime back to marry his bride. Now on their wedding day, he added a wedding ring, which was the fulfilment of that promise. It is not that the engagement ring is less worthy or less important than the wedding ring. Not at all. The engagement ring is the promise, and the wedding ring is the fulfilment of that promise. Both are important.

In the same way, the Old Testament is the promise. The New Testament is the fulfilment of that promise. Both are important. In fact I’ll let you in on a secret. I, it is very difficult to understand the New Testament without understanding the Old. And vice versa. You see, the Bible is one book.

For further reading:
Alec Motyer, Loving the Old Testament; One Book; One God; One Story.
Graeme Goldsworthy, The Goldsworthy Trilogy – Gospel and Kingdom; Gospel and Wisdom; Gospel and Revelation.
Both at Amazon Kindle.

By Roydon Frost

ESV Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Rom. 13:1 ESV)

What do these verses mean for us today? What does it look like for us, right now, to submit to the authorities, or stated negatively, not to resist them? When do these verses apply? Is there ever a time when we can be released from the obligation to submit or even, in good conscience, oppose the government?

Let’s start with the last question first. It’s clear that our allegiance to the authorities is not an absolute obligation, it’s a relative obligation. Jesus reigns supreme now; Jesus will return. Our heart’s loyalty belongs to him. Our allegiance to God always comes before our allegiance to earthly leaders. Peter and John put it to the Sanhedrin (Acts 4.19), “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge…” Jesus himself said (Matt 22.21), “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” In both cases, our ultimate allegiance to God is affirmed. But the question remains, when is allegiance to the state no longer allegiance to God? Because what we must remember is that the same God who demands our total allegiance, also demands that we submit to the authorities in this transitional age.

So where do we draw the line? The context of some of these passages and others may help. While the paying of homage was reserved for God, Jesus could still allow for the paying of taxes to a corrupt and sometimes hostile government. In Luke-Acts, Luke goes to great lengths to make the case that the church is not a political threat to the secular government of the day. With the precious exception of worship, Daniel and his colleagues largely co-operated with secular emperors. The general principle of submission to authorities is well established in the Bible, and it is clearly for our good. History shows that the extreme alternative of anarchy is never for our good.

On the other hand, Peter and John could refuse allegiance to earthly authorities because they were calling for an end to gospel witness. Likewise, in Revelation, the Roman empire is depicted as evil and destined for destruction because it is corrupt and actively persecuting the church. At the other end of the Bible, in Exodus, the Hebrew midwives were commended and blessed by God for frustrating Pharaoh’s genocidal plan (Ex 1.16-21). These are the grounds for exception. They are clearly for our good. History shows that the extreme alternative of unanswered tyranny is never for our good.

It seems, as a general rule, that Rom 13.1-2 is binding up to the point where the Government is 1) openly persecuting the church and explicitly obstructing gospel witness; or 2) perpetrating a great evil against its own people. We have to remember that Paul didn’t write Rom 13.1-2 because he thought it would be easy. On the contrary, he knew the Christians in Rome would be tempted in the opposite direction. That’s why, as much as we may wish to, we don’t read the qualifying clauses: “submit to the government …when you think they are doing a good job, or …when you agree with their policy choices.” The qualification is not our whim, it is God’s will.

That brings us to our current situation. Do we see a government that is either persecuting the church or perpetrating a great evil against its own people? I know there is a lot of heated debate over where the balance between lives and livelihoods should be struck, but that’s not the question. The question is whether we see wilful, intentional, persecution of the church? Is there any evidence (conjecture and theory won’t suffice) of malicious, evil intent against the people of this country?

Let me ask a more pointed question to those of us in the middle classes. Why the change? Why the flip from praise to grumbling in a matter of weeks? Is there any chance our outrage is more related to inconvenience or personal interest than to our concern for the economy, jobs, etc? I don’t know the answer and I’m certainly not suggesting that’s necessarily the case. What I do know is my own heart. I have been justifying all sorts of breaches of Rom 13 on the basis of “gospel ministry”, or “caring for others”, or “it really doesn’t affect anyone,” when in truth it’s been about what suits me.

Disciples in every age must wrestle with the tension between now and not yet; between submission to temporary authority and submission to ultimate authority. It’s not a perfect science and we all have to listen carefully to God’s word and to our consciences. We must examine our motives. Given the complexity of the decisions and the weight of making them; given the absence of evidence of evil intent and until such evidence emerges, right now I would say that the President should find in the church a willing subject, not a petty rebel. I would say that the society should see a model of submission to God in our submission to government. There may come a time, perhaps soon, when society needs to see a model of submission to God in our opposition to government. Considering the biblical criteria laid out above, I don’t think we are there.

May God help us all as we seek to discern and obey his will in this age of complexity.

By Eddie Lombard

What is the greatest miracle?

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?”
Mark 8:17-18

When we get to Mark 8 we have one of Mark’s main themes coming to a climax:, ‘Who is this man, Jesus?’. Jesus has been with his His disciples for a significant time and they have seen many evidences of who he He is. In Mark 8 vs 11-21 the disciples are again warned by Jesus against unbelief. It starts with the Pharisee’s asking Jesus for a “sign from heaven” vs 11 to prove to them His claim. Jesus knew this was a symptom of the Pharisees’ unbelief and that no sign will would soften their hearts and so Jesus “left them and got back into the boat to cross to the other side” vs 13. This departing from the Pharisee’s was a sign of judgment on those who presumed to judge himHim.

Jesus continues this theme of warning to the disciples on the boat on their way across the lake vs 14-21. Jesus warns them not to be like the “yeast of the Pharisees and Herod”. Their hearts were hard. They refused to see the signs Jesus did and believe. The two big signs that Jesus did to show us who he He is, the Christ the Son of God, was were the two feeding miracles. We see these miracles again used by Jesus to jog his His disciple’s’ memories. He starts by speaking about the “bread” vs 14 but then, to erase all confusion, by asking them directly about every one of them vs 19-20. The answer to Jesus’ question in vs 21 ”do you still not understand?” iIs no, they don’t understand. Again, Mark wants to highlight that no number of signs, even signs from heaven, will break our hard hearts. It is only a miracle that can do that. That is why Mark sandwiches this miracle of Jesus vs 22-26 between man’s unbelief vs 11-21 and Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ v29. It is only in Acts 1 that God sends the Holy Spirit who finally does performs the miracle of giving sight and breaking hard hearts. It is at Pentecost that we see the disciples finally see, hear, remember and believe Mark 8 vs 17-18. The great miracle of God pouring out His Spirit on man so we can see.

I always like to say that the biggest miracle ever is the conversion of a person. Why do I believe what I do? In the face of everything I ever have ever seen, and experienced and learnt, I still believe in the supernatural death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Why?
The answer is a miracle of God. God the Holy Spirit broke my hard heart and opened my blind eyes and for that we can only humbly bow down and worship our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Prayer points
Thank the Lord for your miracle of sight.
Pray for those who do not yet see: family, friends, colleagues. Ask the Lord to do that greatest miracle also for them.

By Martin Morrison

The word paradox is a seemingly absurd or contradictory proposition which, when investigated, proves to be true. The Christian faith is full of paradoxes.if it is anything, is a distinctively Christian concept. What on earth do I mean? According to Dale Ahlquist, there are two definitions to the word paradox and both are important. Firstly, a paradox is something strange, uncommon, the opposite of what we would expect. Secondly, it is two statements, both of which are true, but which absolutely contradict each other.
G.K. Chesterton the prince of paradox, made the following statements, which all seem so strange at first, but on reflection are absolutely so true:

• The self is more distant than any star
• Nature worship inevitably produces things that are against nature
• Charity to the deserving is not charity
• A man in peril can only save his life by risking it
• The book, “Beauty and the Beast” is the embodiment of the unreasonable maxim which says to every mother with a child, you must love the thing first and make it lovable afterwards

The Christian view of human nature is in fact rooted in paradox. Whilst animals are only body, man is both body and spirit at the same time. Our body comes from the dust of the earth and our spirit comes from the breath of God. What an extraordinary paradox before the fall! After the fall, we are still both body and spirit, but now an additional paradox has been added. We are both very great and very wretched at the same time:. Very great, in that we are still made in the image of God, however flawed. Very wretched, in that we have rejected our Creator and thereby rejected any lasting purpose in creation.

This is of course another paradox! When you reject the authority of the Creator and his Word, you don’t get freedom and fresh air. On the contrary, you become enslaved to your own little ego and its vanities. The very oxygen of life is sucked out of you. What’s the point?

I recollect that it was Pascal who said, that no philosophy or religion except Christianity has taught that man is born wretched. Which means that none has told the truth. It is only the truth that will set you free. It is only the truth that can find a way out of the darkness and thin air. As we’ll see, it is Christ alone who can lead us from wretchedness to happiness. It is Christ alone and the worship of Christ alone.

Truth is paradoxical. It is strange. It is improbable. It is the opposite of what we expect. Truth is always stranger than fiction, because we have made fiction to suit ourselves. We have not devised made the truth and the truth is always wilder than we can conceive. Always paradoxical.
Once again Dale Ahlquist helps us. Think about it. The paradox at the heart of truth. The ultimate paradox. The absolute paradox. Jesus Christ. That God should come to earth as a humble servant is quite contrary to expectation. That he should suffer and die is not how we would have written the script. That he should rise from the dead is beyond wonderful. But there’s more. He is both eternal and temporal. Both infinite and finite. Both visible and invisible. Both the Creator and the creature. Both spirit and flesh. Here we encounter the God-man, the King who is a servant, the Spirit who is a Rock, the Lion who is a Lamb. Jesus Christ.

To meet all our needs, to fulfil our deepest desires, to answer all our questions, Christ had to be a paradox. It must be man and God combined in one person. We would accept nothing less. And nothing less would be able to accept us.

The cross and Christ is always the absolute ultimate in paradox. The vertical contradicted by the horizontal. Time contradicted by eternity. Wrath contradicted by love. Sin contradicted by forgiveness. Death contradicted by life.

What is left for us to do? Bow down and worship. Like Thomas we cry, My Lord and my God!. (John 20:28).
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For further reading: Pascal’s Pensees; Common Sense 101 by Dale Ahlquist. Both available at Amazon Kindle.