Absolute Truth

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”.  (John 8 30-32)

Jesus was speaking in the Temple courtyards of Jerusalem, during a discussion with ‘the Jews’ (John’s term for the religious elders of the day), who were starting to show their hand openly in their attempts to trap and destroy Him.

Erosion of Standards and Values

This scripture is especially applicable in today’s world. We are at a tipping point now in the history of mankind when there is a serious attack going on against the concept of Truth – not only in the ivory towers of philosophic discussion, not only in the Media, not only in the US electoral process: this attack is impinging on crucial aspects of real life: the education of children and young people being one of them.

The Pharisees of the present day – the ‘intellectuals’ – are hell-bent on denying the concept of absolute Truth. By their standards, absolute Truth is old-fashioned and outmoded, and has already been relegated to the trash. I kid you not – a highfalutin intellectual media website recently published such garbage in all seriousness.

This new thinking has already impacted on education, where students are now encouraged to give whatever answer to a question they think fit – and it seems that all answers will be marked ‘correct’.

WHAT?

Likewise one man’s idea is seen as being as good as any man’s – on any subject: a trend pushed even further by the entrenched Internet rituals of ‘liking’ and ‘commenting’ on anything and everything on Facebook, blogs and websites and, apparently even as part of the education process.

The ultimate outcome of all this can only be a complete erosion of standards and values.

Attack On the Values Of Society

Frankly, I view this as an attempt by the enemy to tear down the foundations of our society – and I use that word in an all-encompassing sense of societies in general (other than those founded on Marxist, Socialist principles, because that’s what this evil doctrine is based on). It is also, of course, a direct attack on God, who is Truth, and His Word.  If followed and allowed to run its course, this trend will produce anarchy.

We have already seen anarchy operating in the streets of America – the land of the free and the home of the brave:  unthinkable a few years ago!

No doubt about it – we are coming close to the end times. Jesus foresaw these events clearly:

“Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” (Matthew 24:11-12)

All this foreseen and recorded by the Prophet Isaiah  nearly 3000 years ago: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness…”  (Isaiah 5:20)   Woe indeed!

There Must Be “Truth”

Here we are in a world governed by strict rules of causality, set up by the Creator to enable life on earth to function in a predictable manner. If you leap from a seven story window, you will assuredly hit the ground in the most unfortunate way.  But at the same time, we can rely daily on the forces of gravity to make life on this planet livable for us and all other living creatures:  just one example.

I rather doubt those intellectual so-called ‘experts’ who put forward these ‘progressive’ ideas have thought of the logical outcome of the course they are steering in trying to nullify absolute Truth.

If they were to plant cannabis seeds and come up with a crop of marigolds, they might be somewhat put out: even more so if their own offspring turned out to be a bunch of jackal whelps one day.

They cannot have it both ways. Either there is an identifiable absolute Truth, or else all is chaos.

Jesus’ words and sayings throughout the New Testament are consistent with the importance of understanding the Truth – and His behavior throughout His life was an impeccable testimony to His words.

Note:  I am not an American citizen, but my aunt lived in Boston MA for many years, and I spent as few weeks there after her death.  That has brought me to a deep affection for the USA – the Home of the Free, and the Hope of the Free, worldwide.  Repent of your sins, Stand up and Return to your former glory, USA!

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Troubled Times

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:1)

The questions that people were struggling with in Jesus’ day were in many ways just like the big issues we deal with today – oppression, poverty, inequality, racism, rioting and lawlessness, making ends meet, the future, how to live uprightly – let alone how to stay alive at all.

Israel was under the heel of the Roman Empire – a regime of unsurpassed cruelty, foreseen by the prophet Daniel in one of his night visions as “a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7:7)

Roman rule of its subject nations was harsh and uncompromising. The presence of its military must have been a continual cloud of oppression on the people – made even worse by by the alien religious beliefs of Rome, and a coinage that displayed the emperor as a god.

Any form of protest or rebellion was stamped out mercilessly, and it was this aspect of Roman rule that the Jewish religious authorities appealed to in persuading Pilate to crucify Jesus.

Roman taxes were levied on a populace already obliged to pay a tax to the synagogue.  Under this double burden, many people struggled to eke out a living.    In addition, small farms and horticulture were being swallowed up or outmaneuvered by rich landowners who could afford to buy or hire workers. Chicanery and double-dealing were rife in the market-place – neither Rome nor the synagogue elders were even remotely interested in fixing THAT problem.

The Jewish people hoped the Messiah would come on a white horse and lead them in battle to conquer their enemies, like Joshua and Gideon of old.   Instead, the Messiah came preaching that change must take place from within the heart.   The passage of time has brought a perspective that was lost on most people of the day:

“Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and mastery; they echo the highest ideals of Jesus’ teachings on spirituality and compassion” (Wikipedia).

To many of His hearers, the style of Jesus’ ministry came as a total shock.  Indeed, many followers started to fall away when He began to reveal the hard truths of his coming death.  You can almost hear ‘the worldly’ saying, “What good is a Messiah who is going to be put to death?”

Yet, in the 2000 years since Jesus proclaimed His message, some of the world’s greatest and most influential humanitarian thinkers and activists have adopted and followed His teachings – Ghandi, Tolstoy, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela. 

Their examples, great as they were, have not been enough.

We need to return to the basic tenet of Jesus’ message – change must begin in the heart of every single one of us.  It is our individual responsibility – not someone else’s.

Blessings,

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Peace, Be Still!

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!”

And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:35-41)

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The Goads

“I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’” (Acts 26:13-18 KJV)

So began the momentous conversion from Saul the persecutor to Paul the apostle.

Saul was blind for 3 days. His release from blindness, both physical and spiritual, was brought about by his conversion through Ananias, a believer in the Damascus church that he had intended to destroy.

This would not have been the first encounter between Saul and Jesus. It is highly likely that Saul’s zeal in persecuting Christians was his attempt to overcome the first seeds of doubt in his own faith sown over months as the Jewish leaders heard and challenged Jesus’ teachings in the temple courtyard and the marketplace.

The brilliant argument put up by Stephen which led to his death by stoning drove yet another wedge into Saul’s belief in his faith.       And so he went on an all-out rampage to destroy Christ’s followers – even requesting a commission from the High Priest for this Damascus assignment to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial.

Jesus knew right well what state of mind Saul was in. Saul was in turmoil: the foundations of his faith, as a disciple of the great Jewish teacher Gamaliel, were under threat. Hence Christ’s reference to ‘kicking against the goads’ (pricks of conscience). Saul’s behavior in attacking the church was going to cause him greater pain even though he didn’t realize it. He wasn’t fighting against people, he was fighting against God.

He was the author of his own discomfort.

We bring about our own troubles by wrong beliefs and wrong behavior – the whole Bible (especially the Old Testament) is evidence of that. But God knows how to use evil to bring about good outcomes. Paul’s story is one of the greatest examples.

As one of the most highly educated men of his age, with dual citizenship and at least 3 languages, Paul became the main initiator of God’s purpose to bring Christianity to the Gentiles, and in the process wrote letters to the Gentile churches in Asia Minor, Greece and Italy, that form approx 28% of the New Testament.

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Ask – Seek – Knock

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:7-12)

One of the reasons Jesus was a disappointment to the worldly folk among those He ministered to, was their expectation that the Messiah would bring worldly success and earthly treasures – conquest over their enemies and wealth as a nation and individually.

Most of Jesus’ messages and parables on the other hand – and indeed the whole purpose of His life – were aimed at giving His followers something far more important: security in the eternity to come.

The importance of pressing into the REAL directive of this quotation cannot be given too much emphasis.  The quote expresses the supreme importance of seeking after TRUTH, as the main purpose of this life.

It is not the offer of a heavenly vending machine that will spit out the goodies of life on demand, as some modern churches are trying to have us believe. The ‘Prosperity Gospel’ is one of those highly dangerous end-time deceptions referred to in Matthew 24, the Lord’s final words of warning before He went to His death.

Indeed, it is one of the most wicked deceptions ever perpetrated by the enemy, all the more so because it is being offered from within the church.

“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many  …  But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” (Matthew 24:11, 13)

Beloved, let us not be deceived.

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Be Not Afraid

This quotation comes from one of the most loved of the Bible stories about Jesus’ miracles – the healing of Jairus’ daughter.

As well as being a great story for children, it was an awesome demonstration of the Lord’s power.  Yet we don’t always read it carefully enough to get every ounce of meaning from it.

“Be not afraid, only believe.’” He said. (Mark 5:36 KJV)  The events that led to this statement were very interesting.

Jairus, an official of the synagogue had come hurrying to Jesus to ask Him to save his 12 year old daughter, who was on the point of death.  Jairus was convinced that Jesus could save his daughter.

No doubt, Jesus could have performed a miracle of healing on this girl from a distance, as He did with the centurion’s servant in Matthew 8.  However, events were to occur that would bring about an even greater miracle.

They started off for Jairus’ house immediately, but a diversion cropped up along the way.  They passed by the house of a woman who had had severe bleeding for 12 years.  She too was convinced that Jesus could heal her and she struggled through the crowd with the thought that if she could only touch his cloak, she would be healed.

She did manage to touch His cloak, and she was healed immediately, but Jesus stopped, because He felt the power go out of Him.  He asked, “Who touched my clothes?”,  He knew that someone with strong faith had drawn upon His power. The response of His disciples to His question was almost comical:  “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?” – an interesting commentary on their lack of understanding.

Fearfully, the woman came forward and knelt at His feet.  Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

This diversion along the way brought about a situation set for an even greater miracle – somewhat similar to the raising of Lazarus.  As they continued towards Jairus’ house, people came to say that Jairus’ daughter had died. “Why trouble the Master any further?” they said.

“As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he said unto the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’” (Mark 5:36 KJV)

Jesus moved immediately to correct the worldly, negative thinking – natural as it was under the circumstances. His words were short, and to the point.

We could all do with remembering these words when the trials of life seem to overwhelm us.  All too often, we go through living with an underlying, almost subconscious, nagging fear and apprehension that saps our peace and makes us vulnerable to the works of the enemy.

Remember the words of Isaiah 41:10 –

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

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Catching Men

“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’

“For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

“And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’   So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him..”
Luke 5:8-11

The stunning miracle that Jesus performed in these verses caught the attention of all those present, and caused Simon Peter to recognize immediately who Jesus was.

This event can be interpreted as an illustration of the power of the Lord to bring prosperity to His followers. However, as Pastor John points out in a video on this scripture, the words hold a far more important message, and Jesus lost no time in delivering it.

As Pastor John says, “This story is not about how to get rich – it’s about how to get free from riches.”

It’s all about freedom – about getting free and about giving freedom to others.

How important that is! Here were four businessmen whose business had just been blessed with an enormous gift of business resources (perishable goods, incidentally, and ripe for selling at a profit). Yet such was the power of the Lord and of His presence, that having brought their boats to land, “they forsook all and followed Him.”

He had made it plain (as He would do many times during His ministry) that there are far more important priorities than riches, to be pursued in this life.

What a powerful story – and what a powerful lesson for us all.

That freedom is still available today, while most people are stressing and straining at this business of living – struggling with a changing and ever more difficult world.  While we focus our minds on the problems around us, we only magnify and increase them, and give them more power in our lives.

He holds the answer.

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