Interview 1 with Rev. Dr. Allan Demond, Senior Pastor at NewHope Baptist Church.
Source: BUV News
Monthly Archives: July 2020
The Marriage Course Online
Want to enjoy 7 Date Nights as a couple and in the process invest significantly in your relationship?
For seven Monday evenings, starting August 3rd, Bill and Julia Brown are again hosting ‘The Marriage Course’ online and invite you to join them on Zoom.
Here’s what they say,
‘Facilitating and participating in The Marriage Course has been a great opportunity to build our relationship and discover and sharpen tools that help us in every area of our marriage. It is fun, encouraging, challenging and well worth the investment of time.’
Recent participants comment:
‘… great course to improve communication and work at honest interaction and support for each other … great investment even for a healthy marriage … while looking at some big topics it’s gentle in the way it goes about addressing them … great way to nourish your relationship … gives tools to work on issues raised … sit in the comfort of your own lounge room and be guided through conversation and discussions to deal with all the important aspects of your relationship … helpful topics and good balance of instruction and structured discussion … talking about things in the privacy of your own home enabled conversation to go deeper .. we were more open and vulnerable as it felt completely private … enabled us to participate even though we have young children because we didn’t need to find baby-sitters … great for our kids to see us investing in our relationship.’
The Marriage Course is for any couple who wants to invest in their relationship, whether you have been together 1 or 61 years or whether you have a strong relationship or are struggling. Couples from different cultural or religious backgrounds have all expressed appreciation after participating in the course. Remember too, that perhaps the best way to build relationships for your family and community is to model what you want caught.
The online course provides couples the space to consider the following:
- Strengthening Connection
- The Art of Communication
- Resolving Conflict
- The Power of Forgiveness
- The Impact of Family
- Good Sex
- Love in Action
The course is free. There is never any group work and you will never be asked to share anything about your relationship with anyone other than your partner. There is a downloadable manual for every participant or, if preferred, a participant’s manual can be purchased for around $16 each (i.e. $32 per couple plus postage).
The sessions commence at 7.30 pm and are all over before 9.30 pm. With the course being online you will need to provide the mood lighting and whatever food and drink you would like.
Check the trailer for the course below:
How to register? Send Bill and Julia an email at bill.brown@buv.com.au and they will send you a registration form, the zoom details and a link to download the participant’s manual.
Source: BUV News
BUV Flourishing Churches Interviews
Interview 3 with Rev David Underhill, Senior Pastor at New Peninsula Baptist Church – Rosebud Campus.
Interview 2 with Rev Adam Hince, Senior Pastor at Essendon Baptist Church.
Interview 1 with Rev. Dr. Allan Demond, Senior Pastor at NewHope Baptist Church.
The Prophet to Nineveh: Why Study the Book of Nahum? Part 02
THEME OF BOOK OF NAHUM
Nahum is one of the 12 minor prophets in the Bible. Like Obadiah and Jonah, his prophecy is primarily directed to a foreign entity: Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, located in what is now known as Northern Iraq. Though this same city repented at the preaching of Jonah, 150 years later, its pride, arrogance, and sin made it ripe for irreversible judgement. It has passed the point of no return.
(Capernaum Church, near the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum means ‘village of Nahum.)
In Part 02, we will learn the key verses, summary, and outline of Nahum.
KEY VERSES OF NAHUM
Nahum 1:7: The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Nahum 3:5-7: Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. 7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
SUMMARY OF NAHUM
Like Babylon the Great, Nineveh was an impressive city. It had 200 towers, 30 metre high walls, wide enough to race 3 chariots abreast, with a 50 metre wide water-filled moat. It was meant to last forever. Yet, like Babylon, it came to a swift and final end. It was unknown to the world for centuries until an Englishman named Layard discovered it in 1820.
The Book of Nahum consists of three oracles, corresponding to its 3 chapters. The Divine Declaration: God gives Nahum a word for Nineveh: the Lord is just, righteous, good and powerful. Assyria, because of its sins, including idolatry and cruelty, will be destroyed and Judah will no longer under their imperial thumb. Visit the British Museum in London and see the carved reliefs of Mesopotamia – they show this cruelty in graphic terms.
Description: Nahum gives the vivid details of Nineveh’s destruction, as if he were watching it on a large screen, with the scarlet uniforms. Though the lion represents authority and strength, Nineveh will be the toothless lion, incapacitated and no longer a threat to anyone.
Why: Nineveh’s destruction was due to its cruelty and idolatry. Nineveh will be caught unprepared and its demise will be like Thebes in Egypt. Once destruction comes, the world will not mourn Nineveh’s passing.
Nahum prophesied in Nineveh and apparently never left. His traditional grave is on the west bank of the Tigris River. The city of Capernaum, on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus had His headquarters, may have been named after him (Kefar Nahum, village of Nahum), though this is only conjecture.
Lessons for Life: No earthly empire, no matter how powerful, lasts forever. Some of history’s greatest imperial realms have seemed to be invincible but in the end they all collapse. The only enduring kingdom is the one God builds and leads.
History is written by the victor: Since the kingdom is the Lord’s, it is His Word and kingdom that lasts forever. The entire Bible is inspired by the Great Victor, the first and last word on sacred history and divine destiny.
Peace: In this midst of judgement, conflict and destruction, God proclaims peace for His people (1:15). That’s the message of Jesus of Nazareth, who is the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6; John 14:27).
Promise: In this prophecy of Nahum, despite the horrors of judgement, is the promise that the Lord God is a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knows those who belong to him (1:7). Contrast this with Jesus’ warning ‘I never knew you,’ which is a judgement unto condemnation (Matthew 7:23).
Bottom Line: Get to know God personally (John 17:3), and make sure He knows you.
Your future depends on it.
OUTLINE OF NAHUM
I. God the Judge and His Judgement (1:1-15)
A. How God judges (1:2-17)
B. Demise of Nineveh is at Hand (1:8-11, 14)
C. Reassurance to Surviving Judah (1:12-13, 15)
II. Declaration of Nineveh’s Fall (2:1-13)
A. Introduction (2:1-2)
B. Military confrontation (2:3-5)
C. City destroyed (2:6-12)
D. God speaks (2:13)
III. Why Nineveh is Being Judge (3:1-19)
A. Nineveh’s transgression (3:1-4)
B. The justice of God (3:5-19)
Issues Facing the Church: Road to Mental Health Part 02
One of the much neglected but pressing issues today in society, and the church, is in the area of mental health. In Part 01 we defined mental health as a fully operative cognitive skills, sense of understanding one’s gifting and limitations, an ability to cope with stress, living a productive and fruitful life that contributes to society. The opposite of mental health is mental illness.
Causes of mental illness are numerous, but they have to do with personal challenges and adverse circumstances. While some people may need medication, all who suffer can gain wholeness through God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. At the end of this article we offer some Scriptures to meditate on.
Some Practical Solutions
On the practical side, we suggested a balanced diet as a help to mental wholeness. Here are some other helpful tips:
Sleep: Getting adequate sleep is important, though experts disagree on how much is enough. It is not just the quantity, but the quality that matters. A couple of points: try to unwind for 15-20 minutes during the day, and then again before bedtime. Smart phone, tablets, and PCs can stimulate the brain, so avoid using them before bedtime. If you wake up in the middle of the night, and cannot go back to sleep after 20 minutes, get up, do something relaxing (e.g. warm drink, reading, soothing music, etc.) for about 20-40 minutes, and then return to bed.
Managing your ‘body clock’ is very important, therefore go to bed around the same time, especially if you are sleepy, and get up the same time every day, including weekends. These proven suggestions will help you get a better night’s sleep.
As the old adage goes: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Vitamin D, Sunshine, and Exercise: Vitamin D is very important and it comes from sunshine and supplementation. It even builds up a cold-and-flu resistant immune system. Have your doctor check your Vitamin D levels. A recent study suggests that 45 minutes a week of vigorous exercise may be all that is necessary for fitness, but if you have time, more activity is good.
Activity: Be involved in meaningful and fulfilling activity, be it your job, volunteer work, or ministry involvement.
Attitude: This is very important – believing for the best, being grateful and positive, and avoid negativity and cynicism. Trust God and let Him dominate all thoughts. Jettison all vestiges of bitterness and un-forgiveness. Bad attitudes have a nasty way of holding back or even shipwrecking the holder. As the late Bob Gass said: A bad attitude is like a flat tyre. Unless you change it … you aren’t going anywhere.
Devotion & Discipleship: We who have come to Christ are new creation: the old passes away and the new takes its place. However, the lack of discipleship is causing people to live far below the Biblical standard of a Christian life. Discipleship is to follow Jesus with all of your heart, all of the time. Only by discipleship can you gain the full benefits of Biblical, Spirit-filled Christian living.
Your devotional life is not optional: incorporate Bible reading, prayer, confession the Word, praise and worship in your time with God. Meditate on Scripture promises and confess them aloud can do wonders. Find a spiritually mature, trusted friend, and pray with them regularly until you have your breakthrough. Finally, Scripture meditation is very powerful; practice it regularly and you will succeed in all you do (Joshua 1:8-9; Psalm 1:2-3). All these things will bring you on the pathway to wholeness. If you’re having trouble disciplining yourself to do these things, again, get a trusted person to work with you.
Scriptures to Meditate On
Psalm 34:4
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 42:11
Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the help (or health) of my countenance, and my God.
Isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You: because he trusts in You. 4 Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength:
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Why is 2020 Such A Crazy Year?
Street Riots. Looting. Student protests. Buildings occupied. Police attacked. A home-grown leftist rebellion shaking the institutes of power. It was a full-blown rebellion, even a cultural revolution. No, this is not about the George Floyd riots of 2020. It’s the key year of 1968. While China was having its own Mao-inspired cultural revolution at that time (1966-1976), the West was rocked by home-grown leftism, which includes communism, socialism, fascism, and Nazism (Note: while some say Nazism was ‘right-wing,’ not only were its methods leftist, but it used the words ‘National Socialism’ in is title).
On April 4th, 1968, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, a crime that spawned riots in over 100 American cities. Protests in Paris became frighteningly close to a leftist takeover. In June, US Presidential candidate Senator Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down in Los Angeles. Two months later the Democratic Party’s Presidential Convention was disrupted by violent protests and riots in Chicago. It was the apotheosis of rebellion, like the overflow of lava from a volcanic eruption.
The 1960s were the age of the contraception (birth control) pill, the sexual revolution, with ‘free love,’ banning of prayer in public schools, the Beatles, eastern religion, hallucinogenic drugs, anti-Vietnam War protests, rise of the New Age Movement, Age of Aquarius, and Woodstock 1969. Leftism was cool and trendy. Despite the potency of the rebellion, anti-communist Richard Nixon was elected President in 1968 and calm eventually returned.
Despite the rhetoric and eftism was exposed in all its horror:
1. 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union;
2. Repression in Castro’s Cuba, with a stream of boat people fleeing the island nation and landing on the Florida coast;
3. Backlash in Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in 1975;
4. Soviet clampdown on Poland in 1981;
5. Tiananmen Square 1989;
All these events, and more, made people think twice about utopian leftism, where 120 million people died under its banner in the 20th Century. Then the Cold War ended, the Soviet Union disappeared off the map, and it seemed Marxism-Leftism was truly dead and buried.
Not so. Leftism is having a revival and its is manifest by the on-going cultural civil war, as well as the unrest triggered by the death in police custody of George Floyd.
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Topic
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1960s
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2020s
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Villain
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Bourgeoise
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White privilege
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Area of Oppression
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Economy
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Culture
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Apostles
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Marxism-Leninism
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Gramsci & Marcuse
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Seminal Writings
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Das Kapital – Marx
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Repressive Tolerance – Marcuse
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Victims
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Working class – proletariat
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Minorities
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The Challenge
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Class Structure
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Ethnicity
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Rights Sought
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Worker’s Rights
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Transgender Rights
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Burning Issue
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Imperialism
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Racism
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Ethnic Focus
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Cuba’s paradise
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Palestinian victims
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Enemies:
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Western capitalism
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Western capitalism & Soviet totalitarianism
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Physical gesture
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Black power fist
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Taking the knee
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Focus of Hate
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President Richard Nixon
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President Donald Trump
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Celebration
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Rock and Roll
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Pride parades
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Status
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Left as Counter-culture
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Left as Dominant culture via media, academia, Hollywood, & judiciary
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Marxism-Leftism: 1960s and 2020s
Introducing Cultural Marxism
Back to our original question: Why is 2020 such a crazy year? The pandemic lockdown caused a bored, frustrated, confined population ready to explode. Yet there is a socio-cultural reason in understanding the crisis in America and the West. There are several streams flowing that support leftism and neo-Marxism: Progressivism, Postmodernism, and Cultural Marxism. The unrests and riots of 2020 are highly dominated by the latter, though they are influenced by the others. In some ways, there is a coalition of all three streams which is causing a volatile cocktail (another reason for the craziness is that there are potent spiritual forces at work – but we will address this issue in a subsequent article).
Cultural Marxism goes beyond the economic theory of classic Marxism in seeking the liberation’ of ‘oppressed groups’ in areas of gender, race, sexuality, and other identities. Notable Cultural Marxist groups include ‘Occupy Wall Street,’ ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘Antifa,’ ’Extinction Rebellion,’ ‘Safe Schools,’ ‘School Strike for Climate,’ and ‘Liberation Theology.’
The goal of Cultural Marxism is not reform, but revolution; not change, but chaos; not building up but tearing down. To them, the system is irredeemably broken and must be completely destroyed. The ‘system’ includes democratic government, authority figures like leaders, police and military, capitalism, small business, private property, marriage, family, and the Church.
Cultural Marxists see oppression in heterosexuality, the white race, cisgender (personal identity and gender corresponded to their birth sex), and Christianity. So they want to tear this all down and champion pansexuality, diversity, transgenderism, and Islam.
Social justice, feminism, transgenderism, neo-progressivism, post-colonialism are under the banner of Cultural Marxism. Key terms, like ‘tolerance,’ ‘justice,’ and ‘racism’ are subject to redefinition – you would not recognise the meaning of these terms today.
And there’s more: as individuals, every aspect of our identity like race, family, culture, sexual orientation, and gender is no longer taken as a given; it is questioned and traditional things are to be altered for the sake of liberating oppressed minorities.
A History Lesson
How did Marxism, which killed millions, failed in its mission of a worker’s paradise, and collapsed into a heap at the end of the Cold War, make such a virile and vicious comeback in the West? By a clever and patient strategy.
In the year Karl Marx died in 1883, the Fabian Socialists came into being. Their goal was socialism by evolution rather than revolution. The pathway to the worker’s paradise would be incremental and done ‘inside the system,’ in other words it would be quietly subversive. Of interest, their logo included a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.’
Following the Fabians was Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), who founded the Italian Communist Party. Imprisoned by Benito Mussolini, he had time to write 1000s of pages on ‘cultural hegemony’ of the bourgeoisie, which they used to control society. He was noted for advocating the undermining of Judaeo-Christian culture from the inside, thus a quiet neo-Marxist revolution.
Around the same time in the 1930s was the Frankfurt School. Their claim to fame was ‘critical thinking’ where every aspect of culture was criticised incessantly. One of the key intellectuals was neo-Marxist Herbert Marcuse, who taught on ‘repressive tolerance.’ The idea of the Frankfurt School was to translate Marxism from an economic theory into a cultural dynamic.
Then came Saul Alinsky (1909-1972), an American Marxist who wrote the playbook which is being used today.
Next time, we will learn how Alinsky’s methods have become standard procedure with Cultural Marxists, the role of education, and the best response to this rising phenomena. To be continued.
Beyond Covid-19: Is There A Word from the Lord? Prophetic Times & Signs
Whether in times of peace or pandemic, calm or crisis, weariness or war, it is of the utmost importance that we have ‘ears to hear’ what the Holy Spirit is saying. Fortunately for us all, He is saying a lot.
The Covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns, economic downturns, protests and riots are a societal shaking. One of the purposes of shaking is to get our attention. This is not to say necessarily that God instigated these things (much of it He did not); however, He can and will use the unsavoury to fulfil His glorious purposes.
So far, we have learned that God is always speaking (Hebrews 1:2) and we live in a time of increasing deception (Matthew 24:4; II Thessalonians 2:9-12). This creates a dangerous scenario of false messiahs / false christs (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).
The last thing you want to do is following the wrong Jesus; the first thing you should do is follow the right Jesus. And we learned that the right Jesus is the Son of David, Messiah/Christ, Son of God, and Saviour.
We Need the Prophetic
Amos 3:7: Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
From here, the Lord of Glory, as the Good Shepherd who guides His sheep, wants to give us a prophetic early warning service. In times like these we should cherish the prophetic books of the Bible, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the ministry of prophecy, more than ever. After all, prophecy is the brightest light we have in this planet until Jesus, the ‘light of the world,’ comes (II Peter 1:19). Prophecy provides a ‘heads up’ on the future, an ‘early warning’ service – what a priceless benefit.
God wants us to be the first to know, not the last to find out.
And there is more. Prophecy is an incentive for evangelism and holy living, and provides edification and comfort of the Church. We impoverish ourselves by deliberate or inadvertent neglect.
One the interesting concepts in prophecy is that God provides a way of escape, even salvation, throughout Scripture. Noah’s ark is the first major example: those who were found therein were saved from the judgement of the flood. Joseph’s storehouse saved people from famine. The blood of the passover lamb caused the death angel to pass over. Rahab’s scarlet coloured cord, tied in the window of her house, was a mark of salvation to all who came under her roof. Her faith and obedience converted her home into ‘God’s safe space.’
Word from the Lord?
We live in a period of Prophetic Times and Signs
In answer to the question of what will be the sign of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus offered some very practical advice in Matthew 24:6-13. We can summarise these in the following signs:
1. Wars: There will be the tumult of wars and rumours of wars. War is always a costly and deadly activity, yet there will be increase in frequency, cost, and lethality. Hebrew Christian scholar Arnold Fruchtenbaum says that the phrase ‘wars and rumours of wars’ is an idiot for world wars. If so, remember, it was only in the 20th Century that we had world wars. Each one slaughtered millions of soldiers and civilians, then creating a new world order once they finished;
2. Pestilences: Despite many wonderful breakthroughs in medical science and procedure, we still face the prospect of deadly diseases. The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic has cause more disruption to life on this planet than any other global health emergency since the 1918-1919 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed millions in the aftermath of the Great War;
3. Earthquakes: Whether earthquakes are increasing may be subject to debate, but earthquakes today have a greater potential of damage simply because everything is more costly;
4. Persecution: The God of the Bible is represented by two groups of people: the Jewish people and the Christians, hence the phrase Judaeo-Christianity. As we get closer to the end of the age, Satanic opposition will increase and he will be full of wrath, knowing his time is short. Since Satan cannot attack God, who is far more powerful, he targets those who symbolise God. Therefore, do not be surprised at the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Christian persecution, which are at levels higher than we have seen in living memory, except for the Holocaust;
5. False prophets: These guys (and a few gals) have been around a long time, but there will become more numerous, vocal, and perhaps potent, conjuring up signs and lying wonders. Ask God for the gift of discernment so you can detect the wolf from the sheep (hint:knowing the Bible and being led of the Spirit is the chief way to cultivate discernment. Jesus gives us specific keys to discernment in Matthew 7:15-20);
6. Increased sin: While we don’t hear much about sin like we used to, be aware: Sin is alive, well, and thriving on planet earth. The erosion of Judaeo-Christian values has resulted in an explosion of depravity and devilish behaviour. The salt has lost its savour. Prophetic-oriented people don’t dive into the cesspool, they keep their garments spotlessly white, for they are worthy;
7. Decreased love: The temporary flourishing of iniquity will cause love to grow cold. The exception: those who have the ‘fruit of the Spirit,’ which is love (Galatians 5:22), will not decrease in love, anymore than God’s love will;
8. Good news about the good news: By now, one would feel discouraged by the explosion of evil. Yet, take heart, the light is getting brighter on the ‘path of the just’ (Proverbs 4:18; Isaiah 60:1-2), just as the dark is getting darker. Along with the growing apostasy will be the greatest revivals ever. The gospel of the kingdom will go forth in growing power and platform during these days.
It has been said that when the moon goes down from the sky, the night becomes its darkest. Yet, the profound message is that the moon goes down just before the dawn. Take heart: God is still on the throne and He is preparing a light that can never be put out.
—To be continued
TAKE YOUR REST: THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT PART 02
Jesus and the Sabbath
As a Torah-observant Jew, Jesus certainly recognised the Sabbath; after all, He was regularly in a synagogue on that special day. Like a normal rabbi, He ‘worked’ on the Sabbath by reading the Law or teaching in the synagogue. Yes, Jesus observed the Sabbath day, but not the tradition of the elders.
Healing on the Sabbath
Jesus puts His critics on the spot: Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath, or evil? To save life or kill it? They simply said nothing, thus incurring His anger because of their hardness of hearts. No longer willing to wait for the slightest sign of compassion, Jesus gave the command to the man to stretch forth His hand and as he did, the healing occurred. Glory to God.
While most people were impressed, perhaps to the point of believing in Jesus as Messiah, the Pharisees and a rival Jewish sect called the Herodians, were incensed. They conspired together on a simple goal: How they could destroy Him (Mark 3:6)?
Other ‘Sabbath violations:’ Jesus healed the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:10) and the blind man at the Pool of Siloam (John 9:14); both of these miracles were on the Sabbath day. The legalistic interpretation of the 4th Commandment blinded the Pharisees and others from Messiah’s glory.
Theology of the Sabbath
Jesus’ theology on the sabbath was very simple: The Sabbath exists for the benefit of man; man is not there to serve the Sabbath. We will learn more about this soon.
We would do well to examine Matthew 12:1-8
Of course, it is the Sabbath day. Jesus and His followers are walking through the grain fields and they were feeling peckish. So they picked the heads of the grain and ate them. This would appear to be a harmless and understandable action for 13 hungry men. Yet, from the view of the Pharisees, they were ‘sinning by working’ on the sabbath.
How could this be? Their Sabbath work included harvesting, threshing, winnowing, and preparing the grains for consumption, all in one mouthful.
Over the centuries, the rabbis developed elaborate traditions on how one could and could not keep the Sabbath. There were regulations on how to carry objects, which hands to use, whether you could tie a knot, and even how to draw water from the well (or go thirsty), light a candle … the list goes on.
In defence of His conduct, Jesus uses two illustrations: one of David (I Samuel 21). The other was how the priests violated the Sabbath every single week and yet are blameless.
In the case of David, he and his followers were fugitives, fleeing from the murderous machinations of a frenzied Saul. They arrived at Nob and met with Ahimelech the priest, father of Abiathar (I Samuel 22:20). David asked for bread yet the only loaves are consecrated. Yet the once reluctant priest gave them the holy bread to eat. Even if the meeting was on the Sabbath day, which it possibly was, the surrendering the consecrated bread was justified because it was a humanitarian gesture; not to mention the fact that David was anointed as the next king.
What about the priests profaning the Sabbath on a regular basis? They lift up the animal sacrifice, slaughter, clean, remove, burn on the altar, sweep the ash, and other tasks. Sacrifices may have been twice as many on the Sabbath, hence twice the work. Yet no Pharisee, Sadducees, or chief priest would dare utter a word of criticism of the ‘work’ that was done at the temple. It was most necessary.Jes
Son of God
Quoting Hosea 6:6, which says, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ Ahimelech’s gesture to David regarding the shewbread was an act of mercy. For that matter, so was the plucking of the grain. Then Jesus makes two audacious statements:
1. Temple: ‘But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple’ (Matthew 12:6). Considering how important the temple of Herod was to pious First Century AD Jews, this statement would have been an outrage, if not a sacrilege. Beautiful a building as it was, the temple lacked several things:
A. The ark of the covenant: representing the throne and presence of God, His law and word;
B. Shekinah: The glory was not there, either;
C. Urim and Thummim: This may have been precious stones on the breastplate of the high priests in the Old Testament, actually representing ‘lights’ and ‘integrities.’ Not there in Jesus’ day.
D. Holy fire: None from heaven, either.
E. Found in Jesus: Yet all these things that Herod’s temple lacked, can be found in Jesus Christ – presence, glory, light, integrity, and fire.
2. Lord of the Sabbath: Like the previous statement, Jesus is attesting to His divinity and prerogative. Rule One: As Lord of the Sabbath, it is He, not the rabbis, who set the rules. Rule Two: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). The Sabbath is our servant, not our master, and was made for our well-being.
An obvious point that totally escaped the Jesus’ blind critics: if God was displeased with Jesus healing on the Sabbath, there would have been no miracles of healing on the holy day. Yet, on the contrary, healings abounded on the Sabbath because that was the day people were found in the synagogue, as well as the open air meetings. These healings were a sign of divine approval and validation of Jesus’ Messianic claims.
For the Christian, the Lord of the Sabbath has a higher and more glorious way besides the countless rules and regulations that were demanded in His day.
TO BE CONTINUED
What happens when we die?
Do we die and rot, or is there hope?
Hard lockdown – BUV churches together on mission
This week's hard lockdown of the Kensington and Flemington public housing estates has not stopped the People's Pantry from their mission. The Flemington People’s Pantry is a food rescue and redistribution project run by, and for members of the Flemington/ Kensington and Ascot Vale public housing estate communities. The Wednesday program is an activity of the People’s Place: Newmarket, a faith community of Essendon Baptist Community Church who seek to build community connections by initiating and supporting various local food initiatives. The programme has been operating since 2009 and they are committed to being in the community for the long haul, well after the immediacy of the current lockdown situation has passed.
A diverse group of local volunteers experiencing under/unemployment, order, collect and redistribute 1 to 1.5 tonnes of food to 75-100 households each Wednesday, in a festive, multi-cultural, multi-faith, ‘food swap’ environment.
Participants register over tea and coffee from 12.30pm in the old Newmarket Baptist Church Sanctuary in Flemington. After the ballot is drawn at 2pm, participants choose a hamper of food from fresh fruit and vegetables, fridge and frozen, dry goods, milk and bread between 2 -3.30pm.
The People's Pantry partners with other agencies to provide volunteer work for asylum seekers; people experiencing mental illness or intellectual disability, and under/unemployment. The Pantry exists to redeem waste, share food and work, dispel loneliness, reconnect neighbours, celebrate difference and subvert the status quo! The People's Pantry is also a registered charity agency of Foodbank Victoria.
Although most of the volunteers and participants and are in lockdown, and they cannot deliver food to the estates, Rev Marcus Curnow, Pastor of the Newmarket campus of Essendon Baptist Community Church, says those who are still able to, will continue to deliver food door to door to the vulnerable who are in immediate and surrounding suburbs that are currently under the Government's Stage 3 stay at home restrictions.
During the emergency lockdown this week, Marcus reveals that Foodbank Victoria were delivering bulk hampers through the night and that two of the agencies partnering with The People’s Pantry (Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and STR-EAT), have been contracted to provide catering for those in hard lockdown. “Although this immediate need is being funded by the Government, these agencies are both not for profits who we work with in ongoing ways to deliver food locally.”
Another of our churches, West Melbourne Baptist, is in partnership with the Hotham Mission and well before this emergency, has had food going into high rise towers every week. Rev Geoff Pound, Pastor at West Melbourne Baptist Church, says “Our focus during COVID-19 has been supplying food to 60-70+ asylum seeker families as they have been hit the hardest. Their casual work dried up fast and they are not eligible for JobKeeper or any Centrelink payment. Many have gone hungry.”
Geoff points out that during this sudden lockdown, the high-rise towers in Kensington and Flemington are getting lots of media attention and plenty of help. “The Sikhs are cooking each day and with the help of police and DHHS, are delivering 1325 meals. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre are delivering hot meals. There are long lines of cars on Boundary Road with people delivering supermarket bags of food.” According to Geoff, right now, they are getting overwhelmed with too many groups helping. What will be important is the ongoing support of the many vulnerable people living in these areas after the media attention has diminished.
If you would like to help, here are some practical things you can do:
- Prayer – First and foremost please Pray:
- Pray for the pantry volunteers and participants who are locked in… and out
- Pray for those who have contracted COVID-19 in the community – for speedy recovery, health and safety
- Pray for Essendon Baptist Community Church members and leaders – those who are locked in, those who are police and those who are part of the welfare response; that they may be able to bear witness to Christ’s love
- Pray that the Government and agencies can provide food and emergency relief quickly and efficiently
- Pray for peace and unity – that the people in lockdown can move beyond outrage, fear and criticism.
- Pray for a deeper spiritual awareness and transformation of the painful systemic issues of race, human rights, economic poverty and the need for accessible affordable and adequate housing that this moment exposes.
- Give
- For immediate donations of food, please contact Foodbank Victoria or make a donation here
- The People’s Pantry (run by Essendon Baptist Community Church Newmarket campus) has been and will continue to be committed to this community for the long term. If you would like to support the ongoing weekly local work of delivering 1.5 tonnes of food to 100 local families from the estates as things open back up after the immediate emergency, you can donate to The People’s Pantry, through Essendon Baptist Community Church. Bank details are as follows.
Bank: Baptist Financial Services
Account Name: Essendon Baptist Community Church
BSB: 704922
Account Number: 100005342
Reference: The Peoples Pantry
- The West Melbourne Baptist Church will also distribute food – you can donate for this specific group. Bank details are:
- For immediate donations of food, please contact Foodbank Victoria or make a donation here
The West Melbourne Baptist Church
BSB: 033132
Account: 960004
Reference: Hard lockdown donation
Source: BUV News