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Just been reading Ps. 139 once more – has to be THE most awesome psalm around in my view, especially in these days of abortion, where life is destroyed before it’s even begun. I’ve never forgotten hearing Michael W Smith relate this psalm at one of his large concerts in Canada (on DVD) about a year or so ago – he did so purely from memory without any aids whatsoever, and said in the ‘Making of’ section, that he had a mentor/Pastor who had done this and taught him the value of it so he had made a habit of trying it. Just blew me away to listen to it knowing that, as it’s a reasonably long psalm, and not quite so easy to just throw out there as Ps 23!! But even before then I’d had it marked in my bible as a beautiful one – verses that remind us that God is our creator, that he knows what we’re going to say before we say it, that he fashioned our innermost being in the darkest recesses of our mother’s womb, and that we can NEVER hide from Him, no matter what – nothing can hide us from Him, and so it’s utterly pointless trying to pretend we can do so.
He’s been teaching me a lot about that lately – and it’s not been easy going through his refining fire, but I can’t complain – I’ve constantly prayed for Him to break me, make me and mould me into the person He wants me to be, and I think this may be a bit of the breaking bit going on just now. Tough, but good, and very necessary, so I’m trying hard to embrace it.
Learning about fear too – something I never thought I had in me in respect of His Will for me. After all, he’s shown me so many times over the past few years, that His Will is not only perfect, but easy to walk into – not something I should ever fear, yet all of a sudden He’s shaking my boat of contentment, and I’m scared!! But again, that’s half the battle – recognise what’s happening, and act appropriately – for me, its facing the reality of my relationship with Him and how it should be – if I want to truly please Him, then I have to fully submit and allow Him full reign in my life, not just partial. I think many of us are quite good at submitting when it suits us, or in areas we are happy for Him to work in, but we all have one area at least I think, where we know in our hearts, it’s still our baby and we’ve not given it to Him, in case He moves in it, or changes it – we fear change, so prefer to control some things ourselves. Sadly that’s not how He desires things to be, and I’m just learning that lesson all over again!!
Our GOD that is! He is without doubt THE most awesome, incredible, mind blowing, incomprehensible, amazing, (want me to go on?) Being that we could ever have the privilege of knowing. Difference is that He is also our Creator – the One who x years ago granted us life on this incredible ball of earth, and gave us the free will to go and enjoy it yet with a huge desire for us to return to Him and acknowledge that most important fact – our freedom given by Him. And it is ultimately that free will that drives all of us in various directions for various reasons in life. Again, I look at the faith of Islam to make that point more tenable – Muslims are born into a religion that refuses to grant them the one thing we NEED and that the Judeo-Christian God alone provides – freedom to choose. Although Catholicism is perhaps similar in its inability to allow its members to consider another faith easily, it at least does still provide for the facility to a much greater degree. The huge Protestant diversity comes in part from that freedom to choose – only we’ve managed to perhaps go utterly overboard, to the extent that there now appears to almost be a church for every aspect of doctrine around. The danger there is that some churches get SO wrapped up in a particular doctrine they cease to be a true church, as they equally decry those who don’t accept that their doctrinal stance is the right one.
I’ve often thought that if you could merge together the Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists mainly, you might just have the making of a fairly solid church, but sadly that’s unlikely to ever happen, as I’ve only discovered recently (something others have known a long time, but I somehow managed to miss), that Methodists are “Arminians“ and Baptists are “Calvinists” and never the twain shall meet, merge or otherwise compromise on their fundamental beliefs. But although I’m a Methodist originally by choice, but laterally seemingly by God’s choice, I don’t hold to the fullest extent of Arminian doctrine in the least. While I would hold to certain precepts within it, I can also do the same with Calvinism too, and am thus what I fondly term a Calvinistic Arminian!!
However, more importantly, to get back to the original topic of the post. I have been contemplating a lot lately just what it is to know God – how utterly awesome He is, and how no matter how hard I try, I never feel like I give Him the reverence He is due. And I’ve been trying to learn more about how to treat Him with respect, honour Him and please Him as He is due. The one thing I have learnt to do is to go back to Jewish history – although even today, the Jews understand His nature SO much better than we can, and perhaps ever will.
Although sadly, I think today many of the ‘religious’ Jews are just that – religious – 
and their concept of reverence is continual ritual, and for some, totally meaningless, as they don’t know enough Hebrew to connect with what they’re reading (but that doesn’t stop them). The truly worshipful Jews of the early years of history understood to a greater degree how God required them to treat Him, and they did so appropriately. They still will not speak or write His name for fear of dishonouring Him although some of the Rabbi’s have overdone this concept too sadly. But it’s still a good one to take notice of, and one I’m certainly going to attempt to a degree. I’m not going to do it in the same way, as I think that in turn sort of dishonours the Jewish people who are His and His alone, and who have a totally unique relationship with Him as a result, but I am going to try and ensure I don’t speak about Him flippantly, or carelessly, but rather with careful intent. So perhaps something for you too to reflect on – this awesome Being who desired to create you with the intent and hope that you would accept Him as Lord and Master of your life, and maintain a strong submissive, and obedient relationship with Him. His Will IS perfect – I’ve learnt that 10 times over as I look back on my life, and His Love is eternal, and unlike any love you’ll ever have in any other way or from any other source in this life. So if you haven’t already considered meeting Him, PLEASE, please do before time literally does run out!
Having previously watched Bruce Marchiano’s Matthew film, it’s wonderful to hear that he’s now involved in the production of John as well as possibly once again going to be playing the role of Jesus (Yeshua). Unlike so many other Jesus productions floating around, the Matthew series was produced entirely by prayer, and with the scriptures themselves as the script. A truly challenging task, but the cast more than filled their roles superbly. Many lives on the set were changed by the making of the film, and countless more from watching it. Yet for whatever reason, it’s rarely mentioned in reviews of ‘Jesus’ films which I think is just utterly tragic. It is one of THE most awesome films around and for me, continues to provoke huge emotions every time I watch it, purely because it is scripture in motion – not someone’s interpretation of the Word, but the Word itself in action, and that makes it way more exciting. So I’m really looking forward to this new one, although I’m saddened they’re once again going to use the NIV – I was never a specific bible fan until last year, when I suddenly realised that my own Living Bible had totally changed verses when compared to the KJV. Was a time when I truly hated the latter because of its oldy-worldly English which I feel is invalid for modern times, BUT at least the Truth has been held to throughout unlike the NIV. When you compare the two versions, it’s actually quite scary how key verses or just vital words, have been removed in the latter which ultimately provide either a watered down or completely different meaning. And if you’ve equally never considered your bible version whatever it is might not be telling you the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, then check this out….
http://www.hissheep.org/kjv/a_comparison_of_the_kjv_niv.html
- not the one I was really thinking of when I started writing this, but perhaps even better in the way it shows very clear comparisons between the two versions.
But I digress. The important thing is that verbatim scripture is being preached in a more vivid manner than normally available and what God said is thus so much more important in this context – “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
And so it will be with the John film too – God will use it incredibly regardless of how it might be perceived by others – He’s used and still using heretical films like The Passion and occultic ones like the Da Vinci Code to bring many people to a greater realisation that there is so much more they need to learn and understand before rejecting their only prospect of salvation.
So if you’re interested in keeping tabs on this particular project, or better still – supporting it – head to: Making The Film: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN: Remember Hope – Bruce’s own Blog of the making process.
That’s the question tonight. I listened to one of the most challenging sermons I’ve heard in some time today which truly challenged my own ideology of salvation – http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=52906154239 . While admittedly I like to think I do have a firm foundation of my own salvation – in Jesus alone, much of the rest of what he talked about, hit a few sore spots with me.
He spoke at length about how you may have gained your Christian ‘badge’ by praying a prayer, and asking Jesus into your heart, and that was that. How, for many, it’s a case of once saved, always saved, and nothing to do in between. That unless you can SHOW you are saved and redeemed and truly in the Kingdom of God by your life, then you’re as lost now as you were before you did whatever it was that you claimed made you ’saved’!! And that is SO true. Becoming a Christian is sometimes an easy thing to do – especially here in the West where it’s almost fashionable in certain places to be able to say you are, unlike in many other countries of the world notably the Middle East, where to dare to state this was your belief, might just net you an early death and a nasty one at that courtesy primarily of the Muslims in that area, who take Islam more seriously than is sensible.
But Paul says the fruit of the true believer is shown by their lifestyle – how they act and interact with those around them, and how well they portray what Jesus spoke about, as well as much of what Paul also conveyed through his own writings.Here’s a small sample:
Eph 5:3 Since you are God’s people, it is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you. Eph 5:4 Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Rather you should give thanks to God. Eph 5:5 You may be sure that no one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a share in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Phi 2:4 And look out for one another’s interests, not just for your own. Phi 2:5 The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: Phi 2:6 He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he should try to remain equal with God. Phi 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, Phi 2:15 so that you may be innocent and pure as God’s perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. Loads more of course, but you can get the picture enough from those. The most important point is that if you DO consider yourself a Christian, that you then examine the reasons why, and further determine if it is indeed the life you desire to lead, because the road is extremely narrow, and many will fall off it before they get to the even narrower gate:
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
So you may also need to check out your relationship with the One before Whom, we who profess to be following Him (hence the title Christ-ians), will one day have to stand in Judgement (not for sins but for your life’s actions whilst ’saved’.). It’s not easy to do, but when you pray and ask God to reveal your true relationship with him to you, He will do so, and although equally not easy, and perhaps less so, you need to read what Jesus has said about obedience to Him AND His Word. The point is that it’s not just about making an initial statement of belief/faith and then assuming that’s it done and dusted – you are thus a child of the King, and have a role to play in ushering in His Kingdom by proclaiming the same good news you heard, to all those you know who either haven’t ever heard it, or have and just don’t understand it or perhaps want to be confronted with it. But you have to walk with the Lord closely to know when the right times are to do that. Just remember these words from Corinthians:1Co 2:10 But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purposes. 1Co 2:11 It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God’s Spirit knows all about God. 1Co 2:12 We have not received this world’s spirit; instead, we have received the Spirit sent by God, so that we may know all that God has given us. 1Co 2:13 So then, we do not speak in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit. 1Co 2:14 Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis. 1Co 2:15 Whoever has the Spirit, however, is able to judge the value of everything, but no one is able to judge him. 1Co 2:16 As the scripture says, “Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice?” We, however, have the mind of Christ.
Can’t quite remember it now, but there was a hugely useful similar saying (to the title of this entry) used in my flight training with respect to keeping the plane where you wanted it to be 
. Trying to keep your perspective appropriate sometimes isn’t always easy – take the recent demise of poor old Abu Musab al Zarqawi in Iraq – how rough was that – guy was just minding his own business, plotting more murderous schemes, and the Americans go and drop a bomb on him and throw him into a place he’s had well prepared for him – only it might not be quite what he was expecting. Without any doubt in the least, he’s firmly in the jaws of hell, as his religion denies the deity of Jesus let alone any need for atonement for sins other than by rituals and rigmaroles of no value. He served his master well, and now can spend eternity screaming that he was deceived and how was he supposed to know he was on the wrong side, and couldn’t appreciate that murder was a capital crime of the most major sense. He’s no doubt wishing he’d never listened to those who told him this was how he could obtain riches, power and GLORY (on earth that is), and if he was martyred well, there were all those wonderful virgins to play with so it wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Sadly, he’ll discover there may indeed be plenty of virgins alongside him but they’ll be the absolute last thing on his mind.
He’s right where he deserves to be and has no defence before a just and Holy God for his actions in any shape or form. Allah he will have discovered is a dire deception from the very place he now resides aimed at deceiving the masses and it’s worked extremely well. You disagree? Ok – ask yourself this. Why would the God of the Bible (who Muslims say they are worshipping – same God as us remember), say all the way through his Word, that He will never forget or leave His people (the Jews), nor forsake them in any way and that He would provide them a homeland forever, and most importantly is a loving God who condemns murder and sanctions life as being sacred, suddenly turn round and change his mind (something He has said he would not do with respect to promises made e.g. the Flood and the rainbow), and declare that now He thinks you should kill your children within years of having them, commit suicide (but never call it that), and kill as many others while you’re doing it – oh and the best ones to kill are Jews and Christians because if you’re not for Islam, you’re against it, and they’re all heretics, so best get rid of them? If you’re a Westerner or any other race than Middle Eastern/Islamic – would you consider the God you’ve grown to know over the years to be anything close to that??? While many shout about how a loving God could allow some of the atrocities that happen on this planet (in reality He should have wiped us out a long time ago!), most accept that in general their view of the true “Christian” God is one of love, not war and life not death! So do you REALLY believe that Allah is the same God as the One True God of Israel (Abraham, Issac and Jacob)? If you do, then you are being utterly deceived by the only one who stands to gain anything by it – Satan has from the very outset of history, striven to prevent God’s eternal plan from coming to fruition. And that plan revolves around the Jews and the Gentiles and the gift of salvation freely given to all. However, Satan knows that if the Jews can be annihilated or if somehow he can change or thwart God’s plan in any way, then he can prevent Jesus from returning and fulfilling the end time prophecies which include Satan’s final defeat eventually.Yes, I appreciate my views may be considered somewhat radical – but peacefully so. I certainly wouldn’t advocate or support ANY religion or faith which is so weak, it cannot allow its members to ever leave it or look at what another faith has to offer, and in the case of Islam, kill those who do! If the belief system is true (as true Christianity is), then it will speak for itself, and those who discover that truth willingly and by freedom of choice, won’t want to leave, but they at least can know that if they do reject the faith, they’re not going to be killed for changing their mind. After all God specifically gave us free will for us to exercise it FREELY. He has prepared a place for those who love Him, serve Him, and live according to His decrees (by repentance of sin and acceptance of Jesus as a one-time sacrifice for their sins), to live with Him forever. However, He has also prepared another place for those who have determined to follow false gods and choose dangerous, errant, human ideas and logic/beliefs, and who have totally rejected His awesome offer of salvation (because they don’t consider themselves sinners to start with), and it is in that place aka Hell, that Abu Musab al Zarqawi now resides in eternal torment. Reminds me of this parable Jesus told:Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Luke 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Luke 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luke 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
Luke 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Luke 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luke 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
I was watching another of David Attenborough’s (the great Atheistic Naturalist) programme’s this morning and this one was primarily about the life of birds – from feeding through nest building, egg laying and propagation of their species, and in one 40-minute segment I suddenly realised I’d just watched all of the various species of bird commit almost every sin known to mankind!!! There were thieves, adulterers, and murderers, alongside those who worked deception or were broke the commandment about not coveting your neighbour’s goods and many other facets in between. And obviously you could find the same type of examples all the way through the animal kingdom just as easily, so it’s easy to see how the scriptures about the fall are so true:
Some of the stuff shown was totally new to me and I’ve watched many of these programmes in the past as well as studied biology and birds in particular for much of my youth – did you know that Great Crested Grebes (UK) feed feathers to their chicks for quite some time – smart parents are doing so because they also feed the chicks complete large fish which they swallow head first, and the feathers line the stomach thus preventing the bones of the fish doing damage. The adults will eat their own feathers, but that’s not quite as strange looking as them feeding them to their young!! Another (unknown) type of duck commits a cuckoo type ‘crime’ but not like the cuckoo which tends to wait until the parent bird is off the nest to snick in and lay its egg – no, this duck’s far more out there in its approach – jumps on top of the parent bird on the nest (which doesn’t budge from its spot), and pushes itself underneath the parent laying its egg in a heartbeat, almost unnoticeably, and then jumping off again (nests tend to be out on the water). Sometimes the parent figures out what’s gone on and dumps the egg overboard, but sometimes not – equally the ‘cuckoo’ duck doesn’t just do this (like the true cuckoo who doesn’t build itself a nest) but rather it goes on to build its own nest and lay its own eggs, but the difference now is that should its own nest be plundered as often happens, the eggs on the other nests will have a 30% of survival which can be all the species needs to propagate.Anyone who’s ever watched any of this type of programme surely has to be in awe of the massive variety and complexity of the natural world. Those who insist (like Attenborough) on believing in the ridiculous evolution theory, haven’t a true leg to stand on, in the face of the multitude of true species within any section of the animal or plant kingdom – no matter how they try to get round it, there’s absolutely not ONE instance of any ‘evolving’ species on this planet today (nor in the past x number of centuries). It’s SO obvious to those who believe the bible as God’s Word that He created absolutely everything on this planet, and probably did so for Himself more than us. I mean – why else are the most beautiful of all the fish in the ocean to be found at depths that nobody other than man in the most specialised vehicles is only now (6000 years on) starting to discover.
One in particular has stood out for me -
the aptly nicknamed “Dumbo fish” – you have to really see his guy in action to truly appreciate the uniqueness and to some degree, hilarity of its looks – for me, only God could produce such a wonderful, unusual and equally beautiful creature that for the most part only HE can see!! What really angers me about people like David A is that he’ll often come off with statements questioning why such a thing should be (“…..amazing that some of the most colourful fish live at depths beyond man’s ability to see them….!”), yet he resolutely refuses to accept any more sensible reason for this, other than that x trillions of years ago, such awesome creatures started out life in some primordial soup which somehow managed to gain enough energy to diversify into what it is now – DUHHH! Tell you what though – takes a TON more faith to believe that rubbish than to believe in a Divine God!! But once again, that too comes down to people who absolutely cannot afford to entertain such a notion, because they know all too well that to do so, would, for them, open up the floodgates of personal responsibility issues, not the least of which is what to do about their sinful lives before a HOLY God!
I’m always fascinated by some of the bible stories that reveal the true nature of the problem of man. I was praying tonight and just marvelling once more at how little we truly, even as Christians connect with our salvation gift. Listening to how one person put it though was a great thought provoker – he asked – what if you had committed a heinous crime, one that required the death sentence, and then you went before a Judge, who heard your case, declared you Guilty, and conferred the death penalty on you. But then his son stepped up and said that actually he was going to take your sentence on himself and he would willingly die in your place, so that you could go free and live your life. You know where I’m going with this one, but just think of it in those terms – in human terms – how would you feel about that scenario? Do you reckon (as I did for a split second), that you’d be really quite selfish, and say “Great – ta very much” and leave him to it, or would you be grateful, but be racked with guilt over him doing that for you. Christian or not, that’s exactly what Jesus has done on the cross for every one (who is willing to accept the fact and repent of their sin), and I think many of us rarely really understand or appreciate his sacrifice in a way that would make us not only repentant, but eternally grateful beyond measure.
But it’s the reason why 2/3 of the world is split – because few wish to take responsibility for their crimes against God (sin) and say that they recognise their due punishment from Him as being just, and plead for His forgiveness and accept His plan (not ours!) for salvation into eternity. As one other sensible person put it – “strange how those who spend their entire life here running away from God and refusing to acknowledge Him in any way, shape or form, still think they’re going to heaven!!” DUHHHH! But too much of that attitude stems from an errant view of what heaven is all about, and few Christians really reeducate the masses when given opportunity to do so. Heaven is absolutely NOT all about peace, love, happiness and boredom for ever more – heaven is rather an eternity spent in the presence of the Almighty God, maker and creator of it and earth, and in worshipping that same God in recognition of the Awesome Person He is, and how you absolutely categorically don’t deserve to even contemplate being in His presence for a millisecond, let alone eternity, but for his grace and mercy in providing you the means to do so. Those who will be in heaven will ONLY be those who have loved Him, served Him and worshipped Him here on earth, and that’s not going to include a lot of Muslims, Hindus and even some Catholics I can tell you – too many nowadays think that we’re all talking about the same God – and that’s Satan’s best ploy yet. However, there is only ONE God, and that is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob who sent His Son Jesus into the world as a sacrifice so that many could accept Him and become partakers of His Kingdom.
Just remember this if you disagree – If ALL roads lead to God, then Jesus died in vain!
