The Search for the Truth

When I was a young man I remember having a keen desire to know the truth. I asked myself many questions like, “Why do I exist? Is there a God? What happens after we die? How can we know the truth?” This search eventually brought me in contact with people who confidently declared that the Bible is the truth. They explained how the Bible could be proven to be true. They spoke about the amazing fulfilment of Bible prophecies and how when we believed what it promised we could receive answers to our prayers. I was hooked because of the weight of evidence that demonstrated the supernatural nature of the Bible. I could not deny the changed lives that I saw or my own personal experiences.

But after a while I hit a hurdle. I discovered that the Christians I was connected to disagreed strongly with other Christians concerning the truth. I started to see that the “truth” was setting Christians against one another. Using Bible verses both sides proved how they were correct and the others were in error. I even found that some of our “truths” separated us from our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I discovered that while the truth could liberate a person as Jesus said in John 8:32, it could also bind people and bring them into bondage. I went through a great deal of mental torment and frustration as I struggled to determine what was actually the truth. Since those days I have learnt some things that have really helped me to remain a vigilant searcher for truth without becoming too anxious when I couldn’t find it and too dogmatic when I thought I had it.

Important Discoveries

I discovered first and fore-mostly that the truth is not a doctrine but a PERSON. Jesus clearly declared in John 14:6 that He was “the truth”. If we know Him we know the truth; if we have Him we have the truth. What a relief this was! But I still was left with some confusion about various important Biblical doctrines. I then discovered that the Holy Spirit, the One who inspired the Scriptures, also reveals them to us (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10; 1 Peter1:12; John 14:26; John 16:13).

Throughout the ages God reveals truth to the church and as we walk on with Him He reveals truth to us personally. This is sometimes called “progressive truth”. As we are ready, open and able to receive it, it is revealed. In around 1520 Martin Luther had “salvation by grace through faith” revealed to him and it changed the church and millions who have believed it since that time.

God doesn’t change but our perception of Him does change. In a similar way God’s Word doesn’t change but our perception and understanding of His Word does change. There are some matters that that may be very clear to the majority of the church now, but go back a hundred years and those same things were not at all clear to the church. An example of this is Divine Healing and the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit which were hidden to most of the church up until the early part of the 1900’s

If we believe “the knowledge of the truth sets us free” we should be curious to seek the truth. It is also important that we have intellectual integrity when seeking for the truth. This means we approach the Word honestly and openly and as free as possible from preconceived ideas. It can be intellectually dishonest to search for verses to support our preferred conclusions. Rather we should seek to interpret the Scriptures in its proper context within the chapter, book and the revelation of the complete Word of God. (To be continued…)

I read this article and was amazed to see how in tune it is with what I have been thinking during the last few weeks. From what the Lord has been showing me, it will be only those who are standing on a solid foundation that will continue to stand in the coming days.

We have copies of “Solid Foundations” at the office. If you would like a copy please let us know. Even if you have done the course in the past it may be helpful for you to go through the teaching again. As Rick Joyner explains in the article it is important to fortify our foundations constantly.

Meat and Manna – Rick Joyner – January 2012

As we are now walking through increasingly intense and troubling times, it is more important than ever that we fortify our foundations. As a professional pilot, I was in continuous training to keep my skills sharp, and 90% of this training was fortifying the foundations. If my fundamentals were strong, they helped me to do the most important thing in dealing with an emergency in the air—fly the airplane. You have to keep flying the plane while dealing with the problems. Likewise, there are fundamentals in life that we must keep doing regardless of what else comes at us. This is why the most successful people in every field are those who do the basics best and devote themselves to constantly practicing them. This is why I unashamedly repeat certain truths and teachings throughout my writing and speaking and why I read the Bible every day.

There is the “meat of the word,” which is the illumination of the deeper truths. Every believer should be weaned from just milk so that they can eat this more solid spiritual food. We get this through our own in-depth studies, such things as going to conferences, maybe taking courses, reading books, or listening to the teachings of others on the subjects we’re pursuing. Every strong and advancing believer will have such studies going almost constantly, sinking their roots deeper and deeper into the Word and knowing the Lord’s ways.

Then we have what I call “the manna” of the Word. This is the lighter, daily Word we receive from the Lord. This can come from systematically reading a chapter or two of the Bible or a devotional. It may not be new revelation to us, but it will sustain us.

I once heard a pastor say that his wife had prepared him thousands of meals during their many years of marriage, and only a handful were so outstanding that he still remembered them, but all the rest kept him alive! It is the same with the manna that should be our daily diet. It’s not meant to be deep, or even new to us, but it sustains us in our Christian life.

In Exodus 16:4 we read, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.’” That is remarkable. This one thing and primary factor will determine if the people will walk in the ways of the Lord or not. Will we too get up first thing every morning to gather something fresh from heaven for that day?

If we value the Word of the Lord enough to get up a few minutes early to start our days by seeking something fresh from Him, it can be one of the things that most radically changes our lives. You’ll find that if you begin your day with Him like this that you will be much better able to abide in Him all day. We will be more prone to take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Him rather than wasting so much of our life in vain imaginations, frustrations, etc. This really could determine whether we walk in the ways of the Lord in a very practical, daily way.

In Deuteronomy 8:16-17 we read, “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power
and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’” Here He adds that He gave them manna to humble them. We should all have humility as one of our chief pursuits because “God resists the proud, but gives His grace to the humble” (see James 4:6 NKJV). God’s grace is more valuable than any other treasure we could have on this earth. One of the ways that the Lord provided to keep Israel humble was manna! How did this keep them humble?

It is the same with us. By getting up first thing each day to seek fresh manna from heaven we are acknowledging that we cannot make it through the day without Him and His Word. Because of this, the simple devotion to get up each day to do this could be one of the biggest conduits of His grace into our lives.

As Jesus related in His teaching, He is the Manna that comes down out of heaven. It is not just hearing the words of the Lord that we’re seeking, but it is hearing the Word, Himself. It is a personal touch from Him each day that we should be more addicted to than a junky is for his next fix. This is an addiction that does not put us in bondage but truly sets us free to be what He created us to be.

CONNECTIONS – Richard K.

Over the last forty years I have met many thousands of people. Most of them were passing acquaintances but some of them have been far more important than that. I often think of the many hundreds who have been connected to me through the congregations of which I have been a part. These are people who for a period of time I walked with in close, meaningful and at  times even challenging fellowship. I can think of Africans, Fijians and Burmese who have been gifts from God to me. Colour and langauge barriers faded away and a level of friendship developed.

Does God connect us? Are there such things as God-connections? There are people all over the world that I feel connected to in some way. They may not attend my church or be part of my denomination but we are connected. Whenever we meet it is good. I can think of people who were part of my school days, my very earliest Christian experience, part of the churches I have been in or members of churches I have pastored. It is like we were related – at least for a while. We don’t connect to everyone we meet but we do connect to some and I think that it is important that we recognise and appreciate those connections. They may not be close friends and we may not see each other often but when we do we appreciate that God connected us for at least a season. We lift one another, encourage one another and can receive from one another.  I have been pleased to re-connect with some of these on Facebook. I am sure that like me you re-connect at weddings, funerals, 21sts and 5oths and when you do you are glad.

“…the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working of every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love…” Ephesians 4:16

I also wonder if God wants us to be ready for connections He sets up for us – when it is purely to help some-one in trouble, heal a sick person or bring some spiritual gift to those around us. We may never meet them again but it may change their life.

What do you reckon?

When we say we have been damaged by the performance driven church, what do we mean? It has a lot to do with MOTIVES. Why do we perform? We perform to receive acclaim and applause. As children we continually perform to receive approval from our parents. “Watch me Mummy! Look at me Daddy!” The more we crave approval, the more we will strive to perform at a higher level. As we grow up we usually modify our loud and unashamed desire for approval but it can still continue just undeneath the surface. Children who have genuinely loving parents will grow to realise that they don’t need continual approval because they know they already have it.

Every church is performance driven to some degree. Even churches that have realised the destructive nature of trying to perform to please God and please people can still unknowingly judge people’s performance. Why is this such a problem? Here are some suggestions why we compete, compare and criticise ourselves and others.

Firstly, we fail to realise that God, our Father loves us unconditionally. He even loved us while we were still sinners. If in our mind we think of God as a distant, austere and judgmental figure, we will always feel unloved and unapproved. Every time we make a mistake or fail to live up to the standards we set for ourselves, we think that God will be extremely unhappy with us and that the only way we can make Him happy with us will be to DO MUCH BETTER.

Secondly, we fail to realise that through Christ’s suffering and death on the cross He has done ALL that was required to remove our sin and everything that separated us from God. If we will believe it, this means WE ARE ACCEPTED by God because we are in Christ (Ephesians 1:6) . Our Father accepts us  because of what JESUS HAS DONE. I cannot do anything to make Him love me more or to accept me more completely.

In a performance driven church there are many rules to be kept, ladders to climb and people to please. In a performance driven church there are more prayers to be prayed, more verses to be read, more meetings to be attended and more good works to do before God will answer our prayers, bless our lives or give us a greater ministry.

How sad this is for both us and our loving Father. Don’t get me wrong, prayer, Bible reading, fellowship and good works are great as long as they are done BECAUSE we are loved and accepted by the Lord and because we love Him. God doesn’t answer prayer because of our much praying. He does it based on our faith in what CHRIST HAS DONE.

A Crisis of Masculinity

The Women’s Weekly ran an article ‘Bringing up boys’ (Sept 2004). “Mark Latham, gave a landmark address to the National Press Club, spelling out what he described as the ‘crisis of masculinity’ now gripping Australia…..men and boys were now committing suicide four times more frequently than women and girls. (Suicides among 15-19-year-old males have quadrupled since the 1970s). Men were committing 90 per cent of the acts of violence and compromising 90 per cent of the inmates of jails. They make up 74 per cent of the unemployed….there was more obesity, homelessness, schizophrenia, substance abuse, binge drinking and attention deficit disorder than ever before. Young men were entering University in fewer numbers. In schools 90 per cent of children with behavioural problems were boys and 80 per cent of those with learning problems were also boys..” Teachers and parents were noticing that boys had lost their way…they were desperate to know how to make education more interesting for boys. One suggested way was to attract men back to teaching, especially in primary schools where 80 per cent of teachers were now female.  Such a
scarcity of men in the formative years of a boy’s life was leading many to conclude that the world of learning was inherently unmasculine.”

The article also quotes Steve Biddulph: ….He describes the widespread absence of fathers as ‘father-hunger’ – a deep biological need for “strong, humorous, tender, sweaty, caring, intelligent, masculine input” into a boy’s life. This, he says, is the most important concept today in male psychology ..Less than 10 percent of men are friends with their father…”

The older men, the dads and grandfathers need to have a heart for young men.  Elijah imparted to Elisha, Moses to Joshua, it’s a Biblical
ttern. Bishop Jakes writes in, ‘Loose That Man & Let Him Go’: “Father, prepare for your son. Pastor, prepare for your successor. If you dare
to become involved in the next generation, then you will always be a part of their success rather than intimidated by them…..Leave your children a spiritual and natural heritage. Whoever comes after you – whether it is your child or your successor – he or she should have it easier than you did because blessed people always leave a blessing.”

Make a decision to be the best dad you can be. Let me quote from a part of that article by Dr. Mel Levine and his book. ‘Ready or Not, Here
Life Comes’: “Avoid creating hyper inflated egos….that will burst in the early stages of a career when supervisors won’t care how gorgeous your kids are or what ‘cool dudes’ they’ve become or what great ballplayers they were in school…It is essential for strong family ties and trust to prevail throughout this trying period…Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them.”

Dads Of Australia –I Salute You – We Desperately Need You! Dad, we desperately need you, we need you to love our Mothers and you can do that by marrying them – not just shacking up with them. We need to know you love and approve for us.

Happy Father’s Day Dad – even though may not be recognised for your effort, we appreciate you, we value you AND we desperately need
you!

I call you blessed in Jesus name!

Col Stringer

Hitler’s ‘Fatherland’

Biblically speaking a father spoke positive affirmations over his son. Look at how Adolf  Hitler came to power in Germany after WW1. An
entire generation of boys was being raised without dads – vast numbers had been killed in the war. The first thing Hitler did was to call Germany ‘The Fatherland’, then he began to raise the self-image of the German youth. He in fact became a ‘father’ to them. Hitler, it will be remembered, swept into power through the ‘Hitler Youth League’. The principle works!

Even Jesus needed the affirmation of his father, as He rose from the waters of baptism a voice from heaven spoke and said. “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” God spoke several things of His son Jesus that day.(1) Identity . “This is my beloved son” God the father acknowledged His son and the love he had for His son. (2) Approval “In whom I am well pleased. If Jesus himself needed this affirmation from His father, how much do we as sons need the same thing from our earthly fathers today!

It works the same for our daughters. I have two beautiful daughters; the first man they ever laid eyes on was me! No, it wasn’t the doctor it was me – I helped deliver them both. I was at ‘home base’ when they arrived! They have grown up around me so naturally their ideas, expectations and understanding of men is based largely upon what I portrayed to them in their formative years. Much of what they looked for (and expected) in a husband was gained from their relationship with me – their father. When they entered into marriage they came into the union with many expectations they gained from me – their father. If I had been a liar, then the girls would tend to think that all men were liars. If our relationship was warm and loving, then again that’s what they would expect to find in their husband. That’s how important is
a father’s role. He is a role model!

The Word ‘Mother’ Ranked No.1 Most Beautiful Word

Some time ago I had the privilege (and honour) of speaking in the Great Hall of Federal Parliament at a ‘Forum on Fathering’. Other
speakers included Bill Muehlenberg who stated: “85 percent of single-parent families [in Australia] are fatherless families.” A study conducted by the British Council in which over 40,000 overseas voters and English language learners responded to a survey that asked them to rank a list of 70 words based on each word’s connotation of beauty. The word “mother” ranked as the number-one most beautiful word in the English language, with “father” not even making the pre-set list of 70 words. The Forum also touched on subjects as why young men were so violent today.

“That says something about fathers and about the lack thereof,” said Warwick Marsh organiser of the ‘Forum on Fathering’ “There is a deep father wound in our … Western societies that is really tearing the heart out of people. The greatest thing a father can do for his children is
love the children’s mother,” he added.

The Hebrew Father

In ancient Hebrew society it was the father who ruled the home, made the family rules, meted out the justice and punishment and represented God to the family. A father’s word was law. He was respected and honoured, in fact to dishonour ones parents was punishable by death. With such authority came great responsibility and the father provided for the needs of the family. He taught his children about God, virtue and righteousness, and made sacrifices to the Lord on behalf of his family. The father also provided economically for his family, through cattle, land and commerce. Those who had no father were pitied and considered greatly disadvantaged. Today our fatherless homes are a major problem for modern society and I believe these absentee fathers are a direct result of the immaturity of some males today. Any male can conceive a child, but only a man can father that child. That’s why Paul wrote to the Church leadership in his letter to Timothy and said that a minister must first prove himself as a father and leader of his own family before he is qualified to lead the Church. “It’s the basic plea of every male child.” Bishop T. D. Jakes writes: “Chosen by my heart or fathered by my loins, he is all that I invest in him today for the challenge of tomorrow.”

True Father Or Just A Sperm Donor?

That brings me to my next question. Are you a father or just a sperm donor? We are only now beginning to realise how a father holds such awesome power – both for good and evil – over his son’s life. Girls don’t seem to suffer in this way, anywhere nearly as badly as boys do. For most girls have their mother and role models, even in a broken home. However, the father not only calls forth the masculinity of sons, but he also calls forth the femininity of his daughters as well. Boys who lack input from a father usually display some classic symptoms; they are also twice as likely to end up in prison and four times more likely to develop emotional and mental problems. This is a very stressful and vulnerable time in a boy’s development and nothing threatens him more than the breakdown of the family. So much rests on the
underpinnings of father and grandfather and with the horrendous break down of the family unit no one suffers more than the sons.

Dr. James Dobson writes;“….I believe the future of Western civilization depends on how we handle this present crisis. Why? Because we as
parents are raising the next generation of men who will either lead with honour and integrity or abandon every good thing they have inherited. They are the bridges to the future. Nations that are populated largely by immature, immoral, weak-willed, cowardly, and self-indulgent men cannot and will not long endure. These types of men include those who sire and abandon their children; who cheat on their wives; who lie, steal and covet…and who serve no god but money. That is the direction culture is taking today’s boys.”

The majority of Australian men do not have satisfactory relationships with their fathers and it can affect them throughout life. It works the same way in ministry. I know ministers that have little or no respect whatsoever for older men in ministry. Many of their problems stem from their failed relationship with their fathers. To quote Steve Biddulph’s book ‘Manhood’: “How your father colours your life. One of the ways your father will ‘hang around’ is by colouring your attitude to all older men. Perhaps you don’t trust older men because you couldn’t trust your father. Perhaps you are rebellious to authority in general because your father was unloving and harsh. Perhaps you try to impress older men because you couldn’t please your father. Perhaps you have been feeling superior to older men, that you can do without them, or can put it over them. The fact is, until you reach a place where you can feel love and respect for your father and also receive the love and respect of older men, you will remain a boy.” (Page 35). Biddulph continues: “Don’t pretend things are Okay ….Respect (love mixed with admiration) is the food of the male soul. (Page 39).

Father’s Day – We Need You Dad! Col Stringer (Part 1)

“……And the glory of sons is their father.” (Proverbs 17:6).

I  am hoping that this article (presented in parts over a number of days) by Pastor Col Stringer will be read by fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. With Fathers’ Day close at hand I wanted to say something about the great need we have for good and godly fathers in our land. Col says a whole lot of things that I would have said if I had written something. We will have Col preaching at Liberty on Sunday 6^th November – R.K.

Father’s Day holds a special place for me, I am a father of four, two masculine sons – one’s a detective and the other a weight lifter. I also have two beautiful daughters and 8 wonderful grandchildren. I also come from a line of long marriages, my Dad and Mum were married to each other for 72 years.

One thing I know is that children learn more by example – watching more what their parents do – than what they are taught. If the father is a man who treats his wife well, is honest, faithful and trustworthy, then chances are the kids will follow his example. But the opposite is also true! Like it or not – we fathers are role models for our children. “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers…Therefore I urge you, imitate me….”  (1 Cor. 4:15-16)

A father’s word and influence can have a huge effect and life-long impact on their kids. Many men never get over the hurt and humiliation their fathers have caused them! Gordon Dalby writes: “I have discovered that inside every business suit, every pair of faded overalls, every stay-press sport shirt, lies the wounded heart of a boy longing for his daddy.”

In a survey of 6,000 students over 80% listed their parents as their biggest moral influence. No one even came a close second, not sports stars, coaches, teachers or friends! I guess the Apostle Paul understood this principle when he wrote: “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (1Thess 2:10-12).  Proverbs 20:7 adds to this. “A righteous man who walks in integrity – how blessed are his sons after him.”

Developing Friendships

There are some people who make major mistakes when developing friendships. For example there may be husbands who sow their time and effort into their “drinking buddies” or workplace “friends” and neglect their wife and children. The “mates” at the pub or at work will come and go but their family will be there for the long haul. Those people who have developed strong bonds of  friendship with their spouses, parents, children and other close relatives are far more likely to live a more fulfilling and secure life – and also have healthier friendships outside their families.

Within a church, especially for those who don’t have strong family ties for various reasons, it is important to establish close friendships with people who can counsel them and help them develop as a person and a Chrisitian. Friendships in church can be a strange thing. The church is full of people who although saved, are still “under construction” in certain areas of their lives. This means we shouldn’t be surprised if there are times when our brothers and sisters in Christ disappoint us or even leave us. This happens in any family. The one thing we can be certain of is that our Father will never leave us or forsake us. Also there will be brothers and sisters in the church who will be there for you when you need them. Isolating ourselves because we have been hurt by someone is never the way to health and healing.

Within the body of Christ there are many preachers you can listen to and many programs of which you can be a part. There are some churches that have amazing worship and others where there are miracles, signs and wonders. Some churches are reaching the nations and others are ministering to the poor. However, we need to realise that in all these types of churches there are people who need friends. We don’t all have the types of friends a close family gives. People can end up looking for close friends in all the wrong places if they don’t find them is the right places.

When thinking about friendships it sometimes is a good idea to stop complaining about our lack of friends and how people may not want to be our friends.  Look around and see who else needs a friend. It doesn’t mean you will have to become their life-long close friend. They may just need a friend for today or for a season in your lives. If we have close, committed, loving friends we are blessed! We above all people should ask God to help us to notice others who may need a friend.

Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly

Different Types of Friendships

(Continued from Part 1)

All the levels of friendship have their place in developing us as people. Even a fourth group (more aquaintances than friends) have their place. I have this conection with other Essendon Bomber  supporters. When we meet we can be friends as long as we stick to the things we have in common. I am a Facebook Bomber fan but I have no preconceived idea that the vast majority will ever be anything more than someone I cheer with and get excited with at a football match. This is an example of a very “short season friend”. We can have been “best of mates” as we sat close together at a football match; but then if I never see that person again it won’t matter. However it was fun while it lasted. It is good for us to be part of a group all cheering for a good cause.

Close, lasting  friendships are especially important and usually include close relatives and maybe a few others. Many young people become quite upset if they don’t have lots of friends. They worry needlessly and need to realise that people don’t really have very many close friends. Out of all the school friends, church friends and work friends, only a very few will ever be a close friend and not many more will be part of the dozen or so wider circle friends.

People also move from one group to another. I sometimes hear a person say, “If you were a good friend you would do…for me.” That is manipulation and probably indicates they are not a level one friend but that they want to be. You can’t force friendship. It is a mutual thing that can only exist at the level both want it to exist. Within the three or four main levels there are a whole lot of variations that change with time and circumstances. Di and I have some really close friends that we meet up with every few years. We realise that distance prevents us from meeting more regularly but that when we do meet we really enjoy it.

Let me finish with this thought. We are commanded by the Lord to love another; but this does not mean that we should or can be friends with everyone. There will be some in our lives who are close inner-circle friends, either all our life or during certain seasons of our life. These are the ones that “stick closer than a brother” and these are friendships that deserve our time and effort to develop.

(To be continued)