Recognising the Fat Cat of Legalism.

  Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

                                            Mark 4 v 30- 32.

    We are fortunate to have a small wood backing on to our garden. Different birds will often be seen resting in the branches of the trees. When the neighbour's cat joins the party, the birds take flight. Birds rather wisely don't rest in branches alongside cats.
  The picture in this parable is of the birds of the air resting securely in the branches of the tree that grew from a mustard seed. There are no unfriendly cats lurking in the branches. As Christians, we are called to rest in the branches of the Kingdom of God, finding in Christ that 'yoke that is easy and burden that is light.'
   Why do so many Christians live outside that place of rest? Why do so many of us live in the branches of the Kingdom of God with agitation, insecurity, and unhealthy activism as the characteristics of our lives? What cat has got amongst the pigeons?
   I would like to suggest that the fat cat of religious legalism is the most destructive spirit which the devil has used to rob many of us of the joy and peace of resting in Christ. Many of us are more the slave to religious piety and human tradition, rather than the 'doulos' of Christ.
   At its heart legalism is the exaltation of law, formula, and red tape as a doctrine of justification by works, rather than a justification through faith alone in Christ. I have listed a number of ways in which this legalism appears, and some of the spiritual insights that can help us catch this cat and keep it off the back of our lives.

1. Promotion of knowledge over love.

     There are five references in the New Testament to 'knowledge puffing up, but love building up.' These are 1 Corinthians 4 v 6, 4 v 18, 8 v 2, Colossians 2 v 18, and 1 Tim 3 v 6.
      Knowledge is not a substitute for love. We can have great knowledge of the Bible, and have had great personal insights in the Holy Spirit, but without love we gain nothing. One of the characteristics of a knowledge or experience driven legalism, is the desire to impress others with what we know or have experienced, rather than inspiring people into a greater passion and personal revelation of Jesus for themselves.
    True spiritual knowledge is the fruit of love, and will in turn inspire others in their pursuit of Jesus. In the Colossians 2 v18 reference, the issue is a false parading of spiritual experience as a sign of the Lord's approval. If the temptation in more conservative circles is the displaying of Bible knowledge in a wrong way, in charismatic circles it can be the wrong displaying of experience and inappropriate use of spiritual gifts as a means of securing our authentication.
   A measure of true spirituality is how much is concealed, not how much is displayed. What we share needs to be the tip of the iceberg, not the hidden roots. The hidden life is the rewarded life, but the legalism cat will often tempt us in an opposite direction, that of performing and displaying our knowledge and experiences to win the approval of men. When we do this, our motive is not love, and we can become 'sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.' Birds won't rest secure for long in these type of branches.

2. Misunderstanding of covenant.

      The basis on which God accepts us is unconditional covenant grace. If the story of the Prodigal tells us anything, it is that we can't earn our passage or ticket to grace and favour. Even when we are in ' the distant land', far away from the Lord, His love for us is not based on our getting our act together. The Prodigal returns with a pre planned script of intent, only to see it effectively ripped up in the loving embrace of his father.
    The 'ifs' and 'thens' of scripture in relation to covenant are there to help us grow in the quality and depth of our relationship with the Lord. They are not contractual obligations that need to be kept in order to secure God's grace and love, but rather our invitation to respond to, and live in the benefits of, that love and grace.
    Take the verse in 2 Chronicles 7 v 14, often used as a rallying cry for prayer and revival.

'If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.'

     This promise is given to a people who are already redeemed. Israel had been set free from Egypt, not because they had kept the law ( it was given after their deliverance), but on account of the Lord's grace and mercy towards them. Promises like the one quoted in 2 Chronicles are given to an already redeemed people. Even if the Israelites ignored the Lord's word, (and they frequently did), it would not change the basis on which He loved them, beautifully defined in Deuteronomy 7 v 7-8:

' The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.'

     The foundation of our relationship with the Lord, is unconditional grace. We embrace the 'ifs' and 'then' clauses of scripture to grow in the depth and quality of that relationship, but not as a means of trying to earn our ticket or right of passage. God's love for us is not conditioned on whether we read the Bible, attend church meetings, pray, fast, tithe and so on. The subtle cat of legalism tries to convince us to the contrary. It is because God loves me unconditionally, that I can and want to change. I don't change in order to secure God's favour; rather His unconditional favour inspires me to want to change.

3. Preoccupation with externals.

   'Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using- according to the commands and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.'

                           Colossians 2 v 20-23.

   Legalism preaches external conformity and behaviour, without internal transformation of the heart by the Holy Spirit. Man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart. Legalism will disciple people into a system of living, but not into the Author of Life. The Psalmist cries out to the Lord, 'With you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.' Legalism sheds light on our behaviour, but does not impart the life that brings true light to all men.
   It is too easy to point a finger at outward behaviour and habits, and ignore the appalling pride and covetousness that can be hidden in our own hearts. We can forget how patient and gracious the Lord has been with us. We can easily fall into the trap of 'straining out a gnat, and swallowing a camel.' We can strain out a gnat on dress code in church, for example, but ignore the camel of injustice that endorses a theology that silences women from participating fully in the life of that church. The birds of the air will not rest in peace alongside these sort of cats in the branches.

4. The finger in every pie syndrome.

    One of the motives behind legalistic drive is the desire to be in a position of control and influence over people. Sometimes this can be insecurity; we simply want to be needed as 'God's Fixers', putting things right in a way that no one else can. Our identity is driven by the need to make ourselves indispensable, the very opposite of what we should be doing.
   Two of the signs of this syndrome are the inability to say 'no', and the inability to delegate to others who are better equipped to do the task in hand. Self protection often lies at the heart of the 'finger in every pie syndrome.'
   Why were the Jewish leaders so afraid of Jesus? What motivated Herod to have put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under? What motivated David's brothers to pour scorn upon him when he went to confront Goliath? What motivated Tobiah and Sanballat to ridicule Nehemiah? Why were Darius' officials so angry with Daniel? It was a combination of fear, self protection and insecurity.
    Fear that someone more important, or more graced than them was now on centre stage. Defending their own self interests, rather than promoting the interests of others. Insecurity, in that they would not necessarily know where they would now fit in to the overall scheme of things. We are the Lord's servant first, and only secondly the servant of men. The finger in every pie syndrome turns this principle on its head. We become a slave to what people expect of us, rather than prioritising what the Lord has called us to. We become more concerned with what others think about us, rather than how the Lord sees us. Saying 'no' becomes impossible, and delegating to others is seen as a potential risk too far.

5. Rose tinted view of history and tradition.

   Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not enquire wisely concerning this.

                                   Ecclesiastes 7 v 10.

   This is one that I particularly have to be careful of. In a nostalgic way, I often look back on the past through rose tinted glasses remembering all of the selective Match of the Day highlights, but conveniently overlooking the less attractive elements of history.
    It is only very recently that I took the plunge into social networking, emails and mobile phones. First class letters and landlines were my primary means of keeping in touch with anyone outside a one mile radius from my home. That has now changed. My regret is that it took so long to make the change.
    The primary reason I backed out of doing school assemblies back in 2005, was that all the schools I went into were replacing the old fashioned overhead projectors with laptops and projectors. I was intimidated by technology, and reasoning that the old ways were the best ways, I bowed out, and let others go in.
     I would justify not having a mobile phone, or not using email with all kinds of silly nostalgia. The reality is that I was getting caught in a time warp of my own tradition, and I needed to change. The rest is now history. I've even found myself going back into one or two schools to take assemblies with YouTube clips and the like.
   The reason I give this personal example is to illustrate how powerful and stubborn we can all be in resisting change, citing history and tradition as our convenient get out clause for change. You wouldn't be reading this short paper if I hadn't thrown off the shackles of my own prejudice against technology... I write these blogs on my smartphone during the in between moments of the day. If we are not careful we can become a slave to our own little institutions and mindsets, rather than be a servant of the Holy Spirit.
     What self made institutions and mindsets are perhaps preventing you from being a more fruitful servant of the Holy Spirit? Legalism is defined as the exaltation of a formula or red tape at the expense of life and grace. One of my potential red tapes and formulas is 'the past is best.' Getting progressively freed up from this is helping me to sit more comfortably on the branches of the tree. The legalistic cat of 'the past is best', is slowly being starved to death.... I hope!

PS.   This will be the last blog until September. Thanks.

Prophecy in the Local Church

An old man was relaxing at his hundredth birthday party when a reporter went up to him. "Sir, what is the secret of your long life?" The man considered this for a moment, then replied, "Every day at 9.00pm I have a glass of port. Good for the heart." The reporter replied, "That's ALL?" The man smiled, "That, and cancelling my voyage on the Titanic."

     Quite a handy insight! There are times when having inside information is helpful. Prophecy is one of the ways in which we get to hear the inside of God's heart.
      I have found the following principles helpful in navigating the waters of testing and responding to prophecy in the local church. These are coming from the perspective of someone who eagerly desires the gift of prophecy, and for that gift to be regularly exercised in our  discipleship.

1. The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.

    Taken from Revelation 19 v 10, it is always Jesus' life and testimony that is revealed in prophetic ministry, and not the channel of that blessing. John was so impressed with the angelic channel of blessing, he was tempted to worship the messenger rather than the Lord. We are no different. We honour those who serve faithfully in the prophetic, but it is the Lord alone who takes centre stage.
      The Testimony of Jesus is one of edification, encouragement, and comfort (1 Cor 14 v 3.) We are now under the New Covenant, and our prophesying should reflect that covenant of grace and truth (Hebrews 1 v's 1-4, 8 v's 7-13.) The emphasis in 1 Corinthians 12 is on gifts demonstrating the Lordship of Jesus, Chapter 13, the Love of Jesus, and Chapter 14, the Life of Jesus. So, for example in Chapter 12, the gift of healing is a demonstration that Jesus is Lord over sickness.
   Sadly, gifts can be used outside the remit of love, but 1 Corinthians 13 gives us the Mount Everest of motivational attitudes to aspire to in our use of spiritual gifts. Prophecy is to impart the Lordship, Love, and Life of Jesus. It is not to be used to try and wrongly correct or coerce people onto our wavelength. It is a gift to inspire greater love and worship of Jesus.

2. There will be different ways in which the gift is administered.

    There are different gifts, different ways of administrating those gifts, and different effects that those gifts have on people. Some will prophesy with a reflective and cautious tone, others will be very direct, others will offer a scripture, others might write down what they felt God was saying to them in a prayer time, and read it out.             There are a variety of different channels reflecting our different backgrounds and temperaments.
     We must not reject what the Lord is saying because we don't like the channel through which the prophecy is packaged. We are called to test, weigh and the embrace what the Lord is saying, and many a time the Lord has spoken to me through channels that I would not have chosen. It is a measure of His Lordship and grace that He can and often will use the least likely channel to bring blessing.

3. Resting in the Lord's Presence.

     One of the hindrances to hearing the Lord is being over worked and stressed. We need to cultivate rhythms of sabbath rest, where we intentionally seek the Lord in prayer. The Lord can give words in meetings without us having spent time in prayer, but growing in the prophetic is more the fruit of intentional prayer than anything else. Prayer is not simply the place where we speak to the Lord, but also where He speaks to us.
   Many of us who pray are probably a lot more prophetic than we think. How often have you heard someone pray and thought that what they were praying was as much a prophetic word from the Lord, as it was a prayer to the Lord? Jesus was intentional about prayer, and we all need to find the life rhythms that best fit our circumstances. Prophetic ministry is speaking out revelation rather than speaking out accumulated information. The Lord loves to speak to us and through us to one another, and a sustainable prayer life is foundational to that end.

4. Where we sit determines what we see.

    If you are sitting at level two in a block of flats you will see more than if you are on the ground floor, but less than if you were seated in the penthouse. The Psalmist asks the question, 'Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?' He then answers his own question by listing certain qualities that when established in our lives, enable us to ascend that hill. These qualities are:

Clean Hands
Pure Heart
Not worshipping idols
Not swearing by what is false

Psalm 24 v's 1-4.

   As we prioritise values that honour the Lord, we grow in spiritual sight. We begin to see prophetically at a deeper and higher level.
   It is also important that prophecy sits under rather than alongside scripture. As we submit prophetic insights, dreams, pictures, words, and visions to scripture we will get greater depth of clarity and insight. The prophetic gift is not in competition with the scriptures. The scriptures will help us get greater clarity in testing and weighing what is said.
    That clarity will also come as we sit alongside godly men and women who will help shape our understanding of the prophetic. No one has a monopoly of revelation. We all prophesy in part. Submitting to others what we feel God is saying is a safeguard, and they may add helpful insights to what we have seen (Proverbs 15 v 22, 18 v 17.)

5. Wisdom on timing and application.

   When we see or hear something, we need to ask for the Lord's permission to speak. Sometimes what we sense is to be kept in our own heart for further reflection. We sometimes need to know the right timing and context to share something.
   If what we are sensing is directional for the church, then we need to leave it with those entrusted with the pastoral oversight to weigh and, if appropriate, to implement. There are also times when we receive a word in one context, but its fulfilment is in the distant future and in a totally different context.
    Take the dreams that Joseph had in Genesis 37. He received authentic revelation in Canaan, but it would be over thirteen years later in Egypt that these dreams would come to fulfilment. Joseph had in mind being top dog in his family setting, but the Lord had in mind him being Prime Minister of Egypt.

6. We prophesy in part.

       We are panning for gold in prophetic ministry. There will always be packaging from the person that needs separating from the nuggets that are from the Holy Spirit ( Proverbs 25 v 4, 11.) Some of that packaging can be what I would call an old covenant fear factor, a fear that if I get it wrong I have become a false prophet.
    We will get things wrong. Preachers and teachers of the Bible will get things wrong as well. Our fear of being wrong needs to be displaced with a love, faith, and conviction that the Lord wants us to eagerly desire the gift of prophecy. We can learn from mistakes, in the safety that if we are following the way of love no real damage will be done.

The Hand that Signed the Paper

The hand that signed the paper felled a city;
Five sovereign fingers taxed the breath, Doubled the globe of dead and halved a country;
These five kings did a king to death.

The mighty hand leads to a sloping shoulder,
The finger joints are cramped with chalk; A goose's quill has put an end to murder That put an end to talk.

The hand that signed the treaty bred a fever,
And famine grew, and locusts came; Great is the hand that holds
dominion over Man by a scribbled name.

The five kings count the dead
but do not soften
The crusted wound nor stroke the brow;
A hand rules pity as a hand rules heaven; Hands have no tears to flow.

Dylan Thomas 1914-1953.

    The hand that signed the paper has often with the stroke of a pen changed the entire destiny of individuals and nations. Wars have been declared, death camps sanitised, racial prejudice legalised, religious crusades commissioned, political ideology imposed, and nation rebuilding rationalised, through the power of the 'five sovereign fingers'.
   Today a more subtle but equally sinister hand has signed the paper authorising a social reconstruction and redefinition of marriage. In the name of that all important cross party ideology 'Inclusivity', the Government has considered it necessary to change the whole meaning of marriage. Is it the responsibility of elected members of parliament to redefine what constitutes marriage?
    Marriage is sacred. It is an institution created by God that predates secular government. In Eden, the first marriage was between a man and a woman, who both reflected the image of God together. Adam and Eve were called, as joint image bearers to:

  'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

                                            Genesis 1 v 28

    Eve walking alongside Adam is the full expression of God's image, and a healthy reflection of that image to children growing up in the family. As two different but complementary image bearers, marriage defined this way becomes the primary foundation for a healthy society. This definition of marriage instituted by the Lord, preceded the introduction of government.
    Government is given as a gift of common grace after the Fall. It is part of the medicine that God injects into a fallen world to slow down the inevitable spread of sin and lawlessness. Sin is presented in the Bible as a spreading virus that will continue to mutate until the Lord's return. Paul spares no punches in painting a picture of what society will look like at that time:

   'But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.'

                               2 Timothy 3 v's 1-5.

   We are exhorted to pray for government and those in positions of civic authority in order that... 'we might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour' (1Timothy 2 v's 2-3). God's desire is for government to endorse His principles for life as part of the restraining order on the spread of sin and lawlessness.
     The inclusivity card played by the Government in relation to gay marriage is beyond that jurisdiction. Civil partnerships protecting their liberties and human rights as citizens is permissible, but not the redefining of that which is sacred. The hand that signed the paper has bred a fever, one that will mutate into something far more destructive as the years of reaping what has been sown evolve. What price would you give me on us discussing the plausibility of legalised polygamy in five years time?
     Whilst concerned at what the Government has legislated, of greater concern is the acceptance of this new arrangement within supposed evangelical churches. I can understand an unregenerate politician playing situation ethics with God's design for marriage, but not someone from within the Body of Christ.
     The problem I think is in a misunderstanding of the nature of inclusivity. We can be in danger of seeing universal inclusivity as meaning the same as the universal, conditional invitation that Jesus offers to everyone to follow Him. That invitation is conditional to all, irrespective of sexual orientation. The popular strapline that people need to 'belong before they believe' is only true to a certain point. All are welcome in a local church, but belonging to a local church is not necessarily an indication that anyone is following Christ. Some of the conditions to following Christ as His disciple include the following:

1. We are called to repent.

'From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
                              Matthew 4 v 17. 

    Repentance is far more than a one off historic act in our conversion experience. In 1 John 1 v 9, we read: 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' The word 'confess' is continual present tense, and conveys a posture of living continually under the renewal and cleansing of the blood of Christ. As we grow in grace we are sanctified through and through, and are grateful for the unlimited access to the Lord's mercy seat in Christ to ongoingly cleanse us from those attitudes, motives and actions that are not worthy of His Name.

2. We are called to take up our cross daily.

  'Then he said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.'
                                           
                                        Luke 9 v's 23-24.

    Paul spoke about carrying the death of Jesus in his body, in order that the life of Christ might be revealed through him ( 2 Corinthians 4 v's 10-12). Elsewhere Jesus spoke about entering the Kingdom of God through the narrow gate, 'for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.' He goes on to say that ' narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.'
     We are not promised an easy ride, and spiritual growth is often painful. It is not without reason that Jesus spoke openly about weighing up the cost before choosing to follow Him. David Pawson speaks of a number of things to look for in what he calls the 'normal Christian birth.' These include conviction of sin, repentance and regeneration, baptism in both water and the Holy Spirit, and a full and visible active serving in the Body of Christ. We can be far too hasty in accepting confessions of faith that are not genuine works of the Holy Spirit.

3. We are called to confess Jesus to others.

  'Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven.'

                               Matthew 10 v's 32-33.

  We are not called to some private hidden religion. Our faith is personal but not private. One of the ways of authenticating faith, is to go and tell people what the Lord has done for you. When you have met the Lord, you want to tell everyone about Him!
   In my own conversion, I can remember saying to my friend that I wasn't going to tell anyone that I had become a Christian, and neither was I going to church. Within a few days I was telling everyone who would listen, and the following Sunday began attending church. I had no church background, but when you have met with the Lord you want to tell others, and be around others who have experienced the Lord's grace.

4. We are called to change.

  'Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.'

                                  1 John 3 v's 9-10.

We shouldn't read into passages like this a striving for religious perfectionism. Pelagius was a British monk who wrongly taught that man can attain perfection through his own effort. Whilst most of us don't believe that, many of us still live as if it were true. What this passage means is that those who have become Christians will no longer have the primary desire in their life to sin, but rather to please the Lord. When we slip up it will be out of character with who we are. Living for sin is no longer the motivational drive in our lives, but rather living for the Lord.

5. We have to stumble over the offence of the cross.

'Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, " The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense" They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.'

                                    1 Peter 2 v's 7-8.

   Pride is the biggest obstacle to entering the Kingdom of God. All of us need our pride to be broken on 'the rock of offense'. The spirit behind the hand that signed the paper on redefining marriage is one of pride and arrogance. It is man effectively saying that we no longer need the Lord as our reference point, and that we have now come of age to go it alone without Him.

6. Entering the Kingdom of God is conditional on regeneration.

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

                            Colossians 1 v's 13-14.

   This has already been touched upon. Entering the Kingdom of God is a supernatural act, a transferring out of the darkness of satanic bondage, and into a place of forgiveness and belonging to Christ (Acts 26 v's 17-18.) Universal unconditional inclusivity is a political and social construction, and not in my opinion, a Biblical one.
   Sooner or later we have to recognise that belonging to the Kingdom of God is conditional on repentance and belief, irrespective of our social standing or sexual orientation. We are called to respond to the invitation of Christ, and we can all freely receive or reject that invitation. This conditional universal invitation is wrongly being reinterpreted to mean unconditional universal inclusivity.
     The cross is God's great boundary statement, and we would be foolish to ignore the conditional 'ifs' of scripture on the call to discipleship. Jesus includes all in His invitation to follow Him, but few seem to choose to live up to that invitation and calling:

'For many are called, but few are chosen'

                                        Matthew 22 v 14.

  Unconditional inclusivity is more the fruit of a social reconstruction of Christendom than it is a calling to discipleship. The language and culture of political correctness seems to be the motivational drive behind it. The hand that signed the paper has sown a wind that will reap a whirlwind. Thankfully the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God, can't be felled by the hand that signed the paper. In all the present confusion, God will still have the final word.

Jesus: Israel's Pearl of Great Price.

'Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it'
                       Matthew 13 v 45-46.

    The Parable of the Pearl would not have been lost on Jesus' Jewish audience. Israel as a nation was like the rich merchant in the parable, with a string of fine pearls in their spiritual history. In the Book of Romans, Paul cites a string of pearls that should have paved the way for Israel to have received Jesus as their Pearl of Great Price.
'What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God'- Romans 3 v 1-2.

Later in the book Paul recites these oracles as including 'the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises' - Romans 9 v 4. Despite having such a fine string of pearls, Israel rejected their Pearl of Great Price- Jesus.
    One of the consistent themes in Matthew's Gospel is that of fulfillment. With respect to Israel, Jesus is revealed as the one fulfilling all that Israel longed and yearned for, and all that she represented typologically as a type of Christ. These fulfillments include:

1. Jesus is now God's Presence with Israel - Matt 1 v 22-23.

   To know God now is to look to Jesus as the 'fullness of the deity in bodily form.' Israel was the womb preparing the way for Jesus to step into human history - Isaiah 49 v 1-3. Israel's calling as the servant to the nations is now fulfilled by Jesus, 'the true Light which gives light to every man' - John 1 v 9.

2. Jesus is Israel's Shepherd -Matt 2v 5-6.

    One of the greatest images in the Old Testament is that of God being revealed as the Shepherd of Israel - Psalm 23 v 1, Isaiah 40 v11, Ezekiel 34 v 11-31. Jesus is the Good Shepherd- (John 10 v 11), the one who fulfills all the pastoral imagery of the Old Testament. Jesus will  not only fulfill all that Israel longed for in a shepherd, but will also be a shepherd to the Gentiles as well. In John 10 v 16 we read: 'And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.' There is no division between Jewish or Gentile sheep.... one flock, and one new man in Christ.

3. Jesus fulfills Israel's Sonship- Matt 2 v13-15.

This quote is taken from Hosea 11 v 1, where the original quote is in relation to Israel - see also Exodus 4 v 23-23. Matthew sees Jesus as fulfilling Israel's sonship. The parallels are strikingly similar.
  Both Israel and Jesus were called out of Egypt. The infanticide that accompanied the birth of Moses under the tyranny of the Egyptian Pharaoh, mirrors the infanticide instigated by Herod around the time of the birth of Jesus. Israel had forty years of wanderings in the wilderness, Jesus forty days of fasting in the wilderness. Israel went into the land of Canaan with God's power and anointing on them, Jesus came out of the wilderness with the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit upon Him. Israel went through the Jordan into their promised land, Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and heaven opened over Him. Canaan is the earthly inheritance foreshadowing Israel's (and our) spiritual inheritance in Christ - (Ephesians 1 v 3, 1Peter 1 v 3-5). Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the promised land.
    When the woman at the well was conversing with Jesus about worship, she pressed the point on whether geographical location with respect to Jerusalem was important. -( John 4 v 19-20). This was a question of major significance. We are familiar with the phrase that 'all roads lead to Rome', but for the pious Jew living in Jesus' day, all the roads of spiritual reality pointed to the temple in Jerusalem. Temple worship and the Torah were the glue that held Judaism together, and would have been the focal point of regular Jewish pilgrimage.
     When Solomon's temple was dedicated, the Lord placed His Name and ownership on it- (2 Chronicles 7 v 12-22). Jewish pilgrimage to Solomon's temple would have been synonymous with seeking the Lord's Name for His favour and blessing. Solomon's temple was destroyed during the Babylonian exile, but the temple of Jesus' day ( called Herod's temple), was still seen by religious Jews as the place where you met with God. It was still, along with the Torah, the focal point that held Judaism together.
   What Jesus said to the woman at the well is ground breaking. His pronouncement that 'the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father' is seismic in its implication. The true sons and daughters of God will worship the Father 'in spirit and in truth', without the need for any geographical centre in Jerusalem. The physical temple would no longer be a place of mediation between God and man, but rather He, Jesus, would now be the temple - the mediator between man and God-( 1 Tim 2 v 5-6).
   In John's account of the temple cleansing Jesus makes reference to His own body as being the new temple where God dwells:
'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up' Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body.' ( John 2 v 19-21)
        The church is now the new temple where God lives by His Spirit-(Ephesians 2 v 19-22,1 Peter 2 v 4-10). One of the pearls that the majority of Israel held onto was the mistaken belief that they still had a privilege of sonship outside the new covenant that Jesus ushered in. Jesus is the fulfilment of their sonship.

4. Jesus fulfills Israel's calling as the Light to the Nations- Matt 4 v 12-1, Matt 28 v 16-20.

     In Isaiah 49 v 6, Israel is referred to as a 'light to the gentiles'. Israel was to be the elect nation that would reveal God's glory to all the nations. Israel's calling as that light foreshadows Jesus as the Light of the World. When Jesus declared 'I am the light of the world', he was taking that mantle off Israel and placing it onto Himself, rather like the Olympic torch being passed on from location to location.
    That torch has now been given to the church to be the light of the world, a point not lost on Paul. In Acts 13 v 47, he takes the very quote in Isaiah refering to Israel as the light to the Gentiles, and redefines its application in relation to his own church planting mission amongst the Gentiles.

  5. Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah's Suffering Servant- Matthew 8 v 16-17.

     Perhaps no race has suffered more persecution than the Jews. Jewish culture was all but wiped out in parts of Europe during the Holocaust. The word Holocaust means burnt offering, and to many that is exactly what was happening to the Jews in Nazi occupied Europe.
    For many Christians, that burnt offering resulted in God establishing them again as a nation in 1948. This remains a controversial claim, but no Christian could seriously doubt the depth of Jesus' empathy with the suffering and pain the Jewish people endured in those satanic years. On the cross Jesus' final words, 'My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me? ', reveal how much Jesus can identify with those who are suffering and feel God forsaken.
   Jesus is the only burnt offering that makes peace with God possible. Whatever our view of the land and the modern political State of Israel, it is only Jesus who can fully restore and heal them as a nation. Land for peace will never bring peace to the Middle East. Only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and Suffering Servant can do that for both Jew and Gentile alike.

6. Jesus is the fulfilment of Israel's prophetic calling as the Servant of Justice and Mercy to the nations- Matt 12 v 15-21.

    This quote from Matthew is taken from Isaiah 42 v 1-4, the first of four servant songs recorded in Isaiah. Despite the flaws in all of our theological systems, most would agree that a commitment to justice and righteousness are central to Jesus' life and teaching. Those who have surrendered their lives to the Great Pearl- Jesus, are to walk as He walked.
    The Jews of Jesus' day were offended by His commitment to righteousness, justice, grace and mercy. He extended privilege to women, honour to children, and respect for aliens and strangers that put Israel to shame. For example, He commends a Roman centurion for his faith, and in so doing exposes the unbelief and lack of faith within Israel (Matt 8 v 5-13). He is happy to receive financial support from women ( Luke 8 v 1-3), something unheard of for a rabbi to do. He honoured children and set them as an example of how we are to receive the Kingdom of God.
   Jesus demonstrates to Israel what it means to be the embodiment of justice and mercy, and in so doing fulfills the Law. Without Jesus at the centre, the pearls of the Law and the land lack both life and fulfilment.

7. Jesus fulfills the office of Israel's King - Matt 21 v 1-6, 27 v 37.

    Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant God made with David, that covenant bring summed up in the following verse: 'And your house and your Kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.' 2 Samuel 7 v 16.
  Did this ever happen in Israel's history? Where was their king and their kingdom when in exile? Who was their king in their post exilic return to the land? Where was their king during the four hundred silent years between the two testaments? The answer is that only in Christ is the Davidic Covenant fulfilled. There was no king in Israel after the Babylonian exile, and hasn't been ever since that time. It is Jesus alone who fulfills the office of Israel's king.
    Don Carson in his book 'Scandalous' points to the irony of the sign placed over Jesus at crucifixion, 'THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS'. He comments that 'this very Jesus who is being mocked as a king, is INDEED a king'. Israel was holding on to the pearl of a wrong hierarchical understanding of kingship, rather than surrendering to the servant king revealed in Jesus. How hard it can be for any of us to give up a wrongly entrenched belief system, when confronted with the opposite of what we were hoping for!

    Alfred Edersheim was a 19th century scholar, and messianic Jew. In his work 'The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah', he comments that Israel began with one man Jacob, and ended with the one man Jesus Christ. All of Israel's calling and election is fulfilled in Christ. In Christ, God is now constructing one new man, where there is no historic divide between Jew and Gentile -Ephesians 2 v 11-22. Jesus and His church are the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament temple was pointing towards. All who have faith in Christ, Jew and Gentile, are fulfilments of the promise given to Abraham, that he would be the 'father of many nations'-Genesis 17 v 5.
   The reason Israel rejected Jesus was because He didn't conform to their own theology of a messiah. There was no place for suffering and death in the Jewish concept of Messiah. When Jesus spoke openly about His pending crucifixion, Peter tried to persuade Him otherwise. Peter had no concept of a crucified Christ, and his well meaning but ultimately demonic wisdom had to be openly challenged by Jesus-Matthew 16 v 21-23.
   As a nation they had completely misunderstood the nature of Jesus' calling and election, as well as that of their own. Israel was called to serve as a light to the nations, to be the seed bed through which Abraham's Seed ( Jesus) would be born, through whom all the nations would be blessed. They were to be the firstfruits of what would ultimately be a harvest of 'all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands'- Revelation 7 v 9.
   When Jesus walked amongst them, they had 'eyes to see but couldn't see, ears to hear but couldn't hear.' We all have a selectivity switch, where we switch off from anything we see or hear that doesn't conform to our world view. The Jewish view of their messiah was of a conquering emperor, not a suffering servant dying on a cross. How could they have constructed that view in the light of such a clear portrait of the Suffering Servant recorded in Isaiah 53?
    The Jewish nation rejected their Pearl of Great Price- Jesus, clinging instead to the lesser pearls that were all intended to point to Christ. In Jonah 2 v 8, we read 'that those who cling to worthless idols, forfeit the grace that could be theirs.' In Jesus' day, Israel's religious system had become an idolatrous self serving system. The language and actions of Jesus couldn't be more explicit.
    He cleared the temple of those who had reduced religion to an opportunity for financial gain. He likened Israel to a fig tree having plenty of religious foliage but no spiritual fruit (Mark 11-12-19). Israel had a form of godliness, but no power. Rather than being the House of Prayer for all Nations, Israel's religious system had become a demonised, idolatrous, and self serving institution. Jesus was a threat to those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. It was the desire to preserve their own self interests that lay behind the Jewish religious leaders' decision to conspire with the civil authorities to have Jesus crucified.
   It is easy for any of us to relegate Jesus to being the 'best in the line of' pearls. He is far more than that. Jesus stands in a unique category of one. He is not simply the best in a line of options open to us, He is the Pearl of Great Price. Israel had a string of precious pearls, but without Jesus at the centre, those lesser pearls had no eternal value. My prayer for Israel today is that they discover Jesus as their Pearl of Great Price, and that the long suffering Jewish people come back to Christ as their true source of peace.

Why a dove?

    It was while listening to a download from teacher and theologian Ray Mayhew, that I was prompted to think around this question that he posed; 'Why did the Holy Spirit fall as a dove on Jesus at His baptism?' He went on to comment that John the Baptist had spoken of Jesus coming to 'baptise with fire', and that at Pentecost tongues of fire had come to rest upon the disciples in the upper room. However, at Jesus' baptism the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus not as a tongue of fire, but as a dove. Why a dove?
    With these questions in mind I have reflected on what spiritual realities those looking on at Jesus' baptism would have seen, and how we bridge cultures to apply what is relevant for us today. These reflections are not in any order of importance and are intended to provoke us to think what our lives could look like as men and women upon whom the Spirit rests.

   1. An image of mourning. -Isaiah 38 v14, 59 v 11, Ezeikel 7 v 16.

'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted' Matthew 5 v 4

    In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus promises that those who mourn shall be comforted. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and loves to respond to those who are aware of their need and dependency upon Him. He dwells with those who have the broken and contrite spirit of Isaiah 66 v 2, humbly responding to the Lord's word, the very opposite of self sufficient pride and man made religion.
    In recent weeks I have found myself mourning and lamenting the state of the nation. I have felt tearful, and at times angered over how much of our Christian heritage we have thrown away, and have found Psalm 11 v 3 a source of comfort- 'If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?'
   The answer is found in the next verse. As the church we are now the temple of God, ( 1 Cor 3 v 16-17, Ephesians 2 v 19-22, 1 Peter 2 v 4-10). We can pray and intercede for our nation, that God would continue to grant us grace and mercy. I am not one of those who subscribes to the doom and gloom school of prophetic intercession, and believe it is always God's desire for mercy to triumph over judgement, and that He wants to reveal His glory again in these islands. However, I have felt the Holy Spirit's grief over the pollution and destruction of so much of our Christian heritage.
      For example, I grew up in a school system where the Lord's prayer was prayed daily without any awkwardness. Prayer provides a covering over our governmental and educational ininstitutions, inviting the Lord's favour and blessing to rest upon them. Whilst acknowledging the pockets where this heritage still remains, the majority would now feel awkward having prayer at the centre of our government and education systems.
     As I pray and lament the apparent ongoing loss of our Christian inheritance, I am also inspired by the conviction that all is not lost. As I mourn and lament in the Holy Spirit, I am also convinced of the incredible grace and compassion of the Lord towards this nation, and firmly believe lamenting will be turned into the laughter and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

2. An image of atonement honouring the poor.

'And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons- one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean'

                                               Leviticus 12v 8

   Luke records that Mary offered the pair of doves for her purification after the birth of Jesus (Luke 2 v 23-24), the sacrifice of the poor. From the cradle to the grave Jesus is identified with the poor, and any serious move of the Holy Spirit will have the poor at the heart of it.
  The only cautionary note on this is to ensure that our serving of the poor is a response to the love that God has put into our hearts. That love will manifest itself in a variety of political and economic actions, from the micro level of caring for an elderly neighbour, to the macro level of confronting injustice and corruption in government.  
     My cautionary note of ensuring that we are responding to the love of God is because it can be easy for some of us to become zealots who end up cursing rather than praying for those who are the instruments of injustice. Our fight is not against flesh and blood,and we need to remember that Christ died once for all men. The one who died for the thief on the cross, and blind Bartimaeus, also died for the Herods and the Pilates of this world. Only when the dove rests on us can we love and serve the poor, and at the same time pray for the perpetrators of injustice.

3. Resting on a new creation and humanity.

    In Genesis 8 v 8-12, the dove that is released from the ark came to rest upon a new post flood creation. At Jesus' baptism the Holy Spirit found a place of permanent rest upon Jesus. In placing Jesus' genealogy immediately after His baptism, Luke deliberately makes a connection between Jesus, the second Adam, with the first Adam of creation.
    At His baptism Jesus is pointing to the cross where the old order of humanity in Adam will be buried with Him in death, and a new humanity ushered in through His resurrection. We are brand new creations in whom the Holy Spirit dwells (2 Corinthians 5 v 17).The old life of sin and death has been buried with Christ in baptism.
     We are now united with Christ in resurrection, and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now living in us! We live as joyful new covenant men and women, at peace with God and one another. Our emphasis  is growing into the new humanity that Christ has ushered in through His resurrection. We live as saints in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

4. Image of innocence and purity.

    'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God'.  
                           Matthew 5 v 8.

   Later on in his gospel Matthew records Jesus' words to the Twelve to 'be as shrewd as serpents, and as innocent as doves'. Purity of heart will attract the Holy Spirit.
    The lesson Samuel was taught when anointing the successor to Saul, that God looks at the heart not outward appearance, is one that can take a lifetime to learn. All of us can have an outward hit list of sin and behaviour that we find irritating, but how many of us have pride, carnal ambition , covetousness, lust, jealousy, manipulation, and self righteousness hidden behind a foliage of outward conformity to a right way of living?
    Jesus operated on a different playing field. He knew what was hidden deep inside the heart. A priceless passage for me personally, that has spared me time and time again is in John 2 v 23-25. It reads:
'Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and He had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in a man'.

    A caution and reserve in relationships is no bad thing at times, particularly with people you don't know very well. I have often been misunderstood for being aloof and one step back at times before committing myself to people. There are times when the Holy Spirit has simply been saying 'Not this one'.
God looks at the heart, through all the good and not so good outward behaviour, all the impressive and not so impressive testimonies. How discerning are we? Do we believe everything we see and hear, or do we probe a little deeper through the way things appear, not as self appointed sheriffs, but as watchmen growing in the insights of the Holy Spirit?

5. The dove is an image of sensitivity.

     Unlike a pigeon that will think nothing of eating of out of your hand, a dove will fly away at the slightest noise or movement. They are highly sensitive birds. Dr R.T. Kendall picked up on this comparison between doves and pigeons in an address he gave. He commented on how insensitive all of us are at times, practising what he coined 'pigeon religion'.
   He would quote amongst others the example of Samson. As Samson slowly gave in to the temptations of Delilah, he gave away the secret of his strength. When the Philistines attacked him, he got up and thought that he could shrug them off as he had done before. On this occasion he 'knew not that the Lord had departed from him' -Judges 16 v 20.
   We can easily offend the Holy Spirit, often with the type of unchecked motives and attitudes we have already touched on. Tongues and prophecy without love in our hearts soon become clanging gongs and clashing cymbals. Gifts of the Holy Spirit, lovely works of grace, can be seen to wrongly promote those we think have the Lord's favour over those we think don't have that favour. The dove that fell on Jesus remained on Jesus. We want the Holy Spirit to remain on our lives, not simply to touch us from time to time in meetings. The Holy Spirit found a permanent and sensitive place to rest and be at home with Jesus. That would not have gone unnoticed by those watching on at his baptism.

The Sociology of Knowledge applied to Biblical Interpretation

      'Our understanding of Scripture must always be open to refinement. All interpretations of Scripture need to be tentatively final. They have to be final in the sense that obedience cannot wait for the disciple to read yet one more technical article in biblical studies. At the same time, all efforts in biblical interpretation are flawed. Our interpretation of Scripture, therefore, must never be closed to correction and revision.'       
Ken Bailey -'Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.'

The Sociology of Knowledge encourages us to look at the influences that have shaped our thinking, and how those influences are then transfered on to our interpretation and understanding of the Bible. Ken Bailey goes on to quote Lesslie Newbigin's insights about the "plausibility structures" through which we see the world, so to quote again from Bailey's book: "What he, (Lesslie Newbegin), means is that each of us perceives reality through the lenses of our language,culture,history,politics,economic theories, religion and military."

  We often talk about the 'clear,objective meaning of a passage', but our problem as interpreters is that we are often very subjective in our exegesis, unaware of the subtle influences that our own personal contexts have brought to our interpretation. A young man growing up in a culture where women are dishonoured, patronized, and considered second best, could easily read into 1 Timothy 2 v 12 a convenient censorship on women taking a full and active role in the teaching faculty of the church. A theology of restraint on womens' ministry is then constructed, which is more the product of a skewed cultural lens rather than a commitment to Biblical integrity.
The illustration of attitudes to women is a helpful one. Jesus came into a Jewish culture that had the most appalling attitude to women. Jewish men of Jesus'day would be known to thank God that they had not been born a woman. Rabbinic schools were male only territory, with many embracing the often quoted motto 'that the scriptures would be better burnt than be handled by a woman.' Into this type of hostility, Jesus openly affirms women, even allowing them to support his ministry financially ( Luke 8 v 1-3). It would have been unheard of for a rabbi to openly receive this kind of support from women.
  He had no problem with Mary sitting at his feet, opening up a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well, or instructing a woman to go as the first witness of His resurrection and to inform the rest of the disciples. My point is that whatever our present conclusions might be on womens' ministry, the lens through which we interpret the scriptures needs to have Christ at the centre, and not any social or cultural stereotypes. This is true of everything we interpret in the Scriptures.
  A person may have grown up with an alcoholic parent whose alcoholism led to significant hardship in the family. Understandably, we might construct a temperance theology, but one that has more to do with our negative experiences than on on what the Bible actually has to say about the drinking of wine. Drinking to get drunk is clearly out of bounds, but the drinking of wine in itself is not.
     All of us have blind spots, where personal history has shaped our world view. What we might think is 'the clear objective teaching of the Bible', may actually be more a case of me reading into the Bible what I want it to say in order to legitimize my own personal preferences. A person born with a silver spoon in their mouth , growing up in an environment where they had everything they wanted on a plate, could easily misunderstand the nature of Christ like servanthood. Serving others in the spirit of Mark 10 v 45 is a lot more costly than giving people the time and resources from your life that you will not miss.
     The Western Church has been significantly shaped by Aggressive Capitalism. We can all quote the well known verse that 'a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions', but how many of us live as if the opposite were true? Why is it that a corrupt version of the 'Health and Wealth Gospel' can thrive in the Western Church, but would be laughed out of court in the North Korean or Chinese Church?
    I found this quote from Graham Johnson's book 'Preaching to a Post Modern World' more than struck a chord. He writes:

   "The Book of Job shows how God will not be pressed into an apology or explanation. Yet how often have Christians confused the living God with a vending machine? Are we looking to put in the coin and get the answer? When the machine fails, we kick it and demand 'Why?' "
   In the West we can so easily reduce our Christian faith to the vending machine illustration. When things go wrong, particularly in relation to life's comforts, we can be tempted to throw a tantrum. We read into the Bible that we are,as Christians,able to be immune from life's unpleasantries.
   A friend of mine observed that the persected church will pray courage prayers to see them through life's hardships, whilst in the West we will generally pray comfort prayers to get us out of life's hardships. Both types of prayer are fine- it's just that in our culture the comfort prayer rather than the courage prayer are more the norm.
  
      In one of the chapters of 'The Act of Bible Reading', edited by Elmer Dyke,the contributor Craig Gay,encourages us to have 'a little healthy suspicion toward all of those who are so anxious to tell us how we ought to read and understand Scripture.' The church pastor who is always talking about tithing, and whose salary depends upon the generosity of the church he pastors is an obvious example. Who is empowering who when the salaried pastor constantly reminds his church of the blessing that will come to them when they give their tithes to the local church?
    What is not so obvious are the subtle pressures that can be used to legitimise everything that the nation of Israel does and stands for in the Middle East. This will be the subject of a seperate blog, but suffice to say that the whole subject needs serious and objective rethinking. Who is empowering who when we are told that God will remove His blessing on the nation or person that doesn't pray for Israel? Where is that kind of fearful persuasion found in any chapter of the New Testament?
   I will leave the final word with Eugene Peterson. In his foreword to 'The Act of Bible Reading', he comments that 'Historically Christians have been concerned about how we read the Bible as that we read it'. He goes on to say 'that those who don't know the world of the Bible are likewise dangerous to themselves and others.'
  The world of the Bible is a far cry from the Western Culture that I live in. I couldn't determine the times and seasons for my birth and upbringing, but I can attempt to increasingly approach the Scriptures like a child, aware that I am so dependant upon the Holy Spirit, and the cumulative wisdom of others to find the life of Jesus within them.

Recognising Grace

       An important area of personal discipleship is the development of a spiritual faculty that will help us to distinguish between the Lord's grace on our character, from that which is on our works of service. The two are not necessarily the same. One only has to look at the disciples to see ample evidence that being used by the Lord to do amazing things in His service, is not necessarily a vindication of our character and personal spirituality.
       Despite being involved in many miracles, time and time again they are caught arguing about who is the greatest, who will be the leader, and who should and who shouldn't be included within their ranks. This dichotomy isn't limited to the New Testament. Jonah witnessed an amazing revival amongst the Assyrians in Nineveh, but was so angry with God for sparing them, he sat down in a sulk and wanted to die! Jacob plotted, schemed, and ultimately succeeded in deceiving his brother Esau out of his birthright. Aaron had a major architectural role in the construction of the golden calf at Sinai. In Jacob and Aaron's case, they would both go on to become men whose lives spoke as loudly as their works.
     One of the evidences of spiritual maturity is a growing self awareness and understanding that every calling on our lives is a calling of grace. With that in mind, I have listed a number of clues that can help us identify authentic grace operating in our lives. As already pointed out, we need to discern between the grace of God that is changing our lives, as opposed to that which is on our ministry or service. The two are not necessarily the same.
     Jesus reserved some of his strongest words for those who thought that the quality of their performance for Him would compensate for the lack of passion and desire to both know and become like Him.
  " Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. " Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" "And then I will declare to them, ' I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7 v 22-23.
      Grace is our teacher to change us into the image of Christ.
     'For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good'. Titus 2 v 11- 14.
     What are the clues to look out for in recognising authentic grace on a man or woman? I've listed a few that I look for, and I hope and pray people will see more and more of these clues in my own life and pilgrimage. I am very aware that I am still very much a work in progress.

   1. People of grace walk with a limp.

        There is nothing new in this statement, and many have used it in relation to Jacob walking with a limp after his wrestling match with the Lord (Genesis 32 v 22-32). Equally well known and quoted is the reference to Paul's thorn in the flesh ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 7-10).
   The point is that there is a humility and vulnerability in anyone who has had any serious encounter with the Lord. Isaiah was never the same man after his encounter, recorded in Isaiah 6. Peter was not the same man after the Lord's recomissioning of him in John 21. John on the island of Patmos, was left prostrate when he encountered a small glimpse of the Lord's glory.
    When our spiritual eyes are opened, we see how merciful and mighty the Lord is. Everything is put into a correct spiritual perspective. We echo the words of Isaac Watt's hymn, that 'All the vain things that charm me most, are surrendered to His blood'. Whatever giftings, abilities, riches, wisdom, or strength that we possess, all have been freely given by the grace of God. We are grateful recipients of undeserved privilege and mercy.

2. We walk as sons not slaves.

    One of the greatest enemies to true spirituality is false humility and its accompanying 'worm theology'. An encounter with the Lord will leave us in no doubt that we are undeserving recipients of grace and mercy. However, that same encounter will leave us in no doubt of God's love for us. God is Love! He has redeemed us, and has now 'blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ' (Ephesians 1 v 3).
     Humility that comes from God's grace working in us gives us a confidence and boldness to approach our Heavenly Father in prayer. True humility has a correct view of the Lord, and of ourselves as co-heirs and sons in Christ. We share the Father's house and heart. We were once alienated from God, but now we are his children.
    A child of God is a spiritual prince, not a pauper; a warrior of love and truth, not a worm begging in prayer like a modern day Oliver Twist for a morsel of spiritual blessing. Grace is the foundation upon which we access the full rights of sonship in Christ. Growing in sonship is one of the great clues of God's grace being evident on a person's life.

3. Success, Sacrifice, and Suffering converge in a servant lifestyle.

     One of the greatest passages that reveals the nature of Jesus' life and ministry is Isaiah 53. In this servant song, Jesus is presented as one 'familiar with suffering', and one 'stricken by God'. Through suffering and sacrifice, Jesus succeeded in 'bringing us peace..., by his wounds we are healed'. All three- success, sacrifice and suffering, converge together in the servant, Jesus. What an example to follow!
     We can't even begin to follow this example without the grace of God. However, I do believe that these outstanding qualities of sacrificial suffering servanthood, are part of the foundational grace that God ultimately declares successful. The radical Jesus models a completely different paradigm of a life given to the Kingdom of God. I am always a little cautious of anyone who carries the outward trappings of success, without any of the wounds and suffering that will naturally accompany our daily carrying of the cross.

   'In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persected, while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived'.      2 Timothy 3 v 12-13.

4. Security, Simplicity,and Submission converge in a self effacing lifestyle.

      Insecurity is something that we all struggle with, and the battles will be different from one person to the next. As a church pastor, I have observed that insecurity in church leadership will often manifest in the following ways:

- A desire to have a finger in every pie, so that one can keep control of everything. Those who are often saying that they are committed to team ministry are often the ones who in practice end up leading one man shows.

- A pre occupation with being given recognition and opportunity.The question 'Where do I fit in?', becomes more important than the positioning and serving of others.

- Commitment more to ideology and sociology as the glue to keeping the organisation together, rather than Christology. We become more concerned with the values that empower and protect the leadership and the movement/ organisation, than we do in promoting the values of the Kingdom of God.
  
     When we follow Jesus, we are not that bothered where we fit in or whether we are getting recognition. Our security is in the grace of God, and not whether people recognise our gifting or calling. We know God will be looking after the details of our lives. We don't take ourselves too seriously, and can see the tremendous security and healthiness in submitting to the grace of others around us.
    I often find that there is a simplicity of manner, life, and expression on those living out of the grace of God. Complex things are made simple; there is an ease in being in their company; you are free to be yourself without being judged; you find yourself wanting to follow Christ with greater passion.

5. Silence, Serenity, and Sufficiency in Christ, converging in a hidden life.

    In Proverbs 27 v 3, we read that the provocation of a fool is heavier than a stone. I know there are times when I have been provoked to speak or express annoyance, that has made me look more the fool than the person who has provoked me. Remaining silent when under provocation requires incredible levels of grace. Jesus remained silent before his accusers. How often have I regretted not doing the same when under provocation?
    A hidden life with the Lord is one of the keys to remaining silent under provocation. When we do need to speak, we will do so with poise and appropriateness, rather than reacting to the circumstances and people around us.
         All of our callings are callings of grace. Whether we have one, two, or five talents, they are gifts of grace that we exercise to glorify God. However, the grace of God on our service is not always necessarily a vindication of the Lord's grace on our lives. As we have seen, the Bible is full of examples of where people have been used by the Lord inspite of themselves. May we be those who are known for the grace of God on both our lives and our works of service. Where God's grace is on what we do, because of, rather than inspite of, how we are living before Him.