FAITH FOR FELLOWSHIP

Time with Jesus - 14 Sept 2013

Hi all,

In the late 1970’s early 1980’s, a change came to South Africa concerning what was believed. The “Faith” movement, which had begun in the USA, was preached and introduced here. It was not so much something new. Rather, it was something which had been known in the past, reintroduced into our land. This new introduction came largely as a result of the teaching of the Hagen’s, Copeland, Savelle, McCauley and members of the Rhema organisation. 

In many ways, it was like a breath of fresh air into the stiff formalism of many of the traditional denominations. Suddenly the Gospel of Jesus Christ became alive to many people. Men and women began to believe, what was written in the Bible, applied as much in the 20^th century, as it did in the days of Jesus and the church fathers. 

Many of us, Phyllida and I included, were swept up in the euphoria of the moment. Suddenly, Christianity took on a vibrancy that had been missing for many years. 

Sure, there had always been small pockets of Christian enthusiasm dotted round South Africa. But the “Faith movement” in RSA seemed to unite our people and gave us a common focus. It was a very exciting time. One we look back on with great fondness.

HEBREWS 11:1
ASV	Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.
ESV	Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
GW	Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.
KJV	Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
MSG	The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.
NASB	Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
NIrV	Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.
NIV	Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
NLT	Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

On reflection it seems clear that although we all said we knew what faith is/was, we didn’t really understand much of what was being spoken. The problem is/was that although we could see how faith worked, we didn’t really know much about it. Many of us thought we did and used Hebrews 11:1 as our definition of faith.

For convenience I’ve listed 9 versions of Hebrews 11:1 from various translations which all indicate that faith is more “abstract” rather than a noun or a verb.

However vs. 1 is not really a formal definition of faith. It’s more a description of what faith does for us. In some respects it’s like electricity. You can see it working as you turn lights on and off. You can hear it “buzzing” in the overhead power lines. We’re told of the movement of electrons and other things. But we can’t see it.

Faith, electricity, wind and time are all “abstract". You can’t go into the local supermarket and ask for R10,00 of faith. The same is true of wind and time. You can buy electricity because there are methods of measuring what it does. That’s what we pay for. If you buy batteries or put money into your electricity card, you are paying for what it does and not the actual “thing”.

Faith makes things hoped for as real as if we already had them. It provides unshakable evidence that the unseen, spiritual blessings of Christianity are absolutely certain and real. In other words, it brings the future within the present and makes the invisible seen.

Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. It is the conviction that what God says is true and that what He promises will come to pass.

Faith must have some revelation from God, some promise of God as its foundation. It is not a leap in the dark. It demands the surest evidence in the universe, and finds it in the word of God. It is not limited to possibilities but invades the realm of the impossible. Someone has said, “Faith begins where possibilities end. If it's possible, then there's no glory for God in it.”

Courtesy Believers Bible Commentary

At the same time, Faith is something that can increase or decrease. Yet it depends entirely on God! Having “faith” in “faith” is pointless. That doesn’t work. 

Listen for His Voice and
DO what He Says

People have “thrown away their medicine” on the basis that if they do so, they will be healed. That’s presumptuous. Healing doesn’t come by throwing away medicine. Healing comes from God. It comes through hearing from Jesus Christ. Paul writing to the Romans stated, ¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Rom 10:17 NIV In other words, when Jesus tells you to throw away the medicine, you may confidently do so.

One of the errors we so often stumble into is mistaking the reading of the Word for hearing a word from Jesus. At the same time, unless you read the “Word” and assimilate it, you will not hear a direct word from Jesus. 

The second depends on the first. Faith depends on your hearing what He says to you now! When He has spoken, you can be confident of the outcome. If He hasn’t, your “faith” is useless. The only way to journey into faith is to spend time listening for His voice. In simple terms, “If you don’t, He won’t!” In engineering terms we say, no input = no output. Faith is just the same! No input with Jesus = no output from Jesus!

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 14 Sept 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	FAITH FOR FELLOWSHIP
“Friendship with Jesus, fellowship divine, Oh what wonderful communion. Jesus is a friend of mine”. Do you remember singing this song or one of its slight variations? A good friend told me that the tune was that of an old “Negro Spiritual”. We shouldn’t be surprised. For many years, “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs” have been put to the tunes of the day. I’m told that the Wesley brothers used the tunes of their day and composed wonderful hymns of praise and worship to God. The people sang them with great gusto. It’s not quite so easy today. We find that the words and tunes are copy-right protected. I’ve sometimes wondered what the words were before the Wesley brothers “saved” the tunes for God’s glory! It does happen. I understand that Cliff Richards had a small problem along these lines. He took the song “I Did It My Way” and wrote the words, “I Did It His Way” He was only able to sing it once. He was informed that he had infringed copy-right and that was the end of that. I wish I had heard back then. I like Cliff’s singing anyway. I’ve done the same thing now and then. But I’ve never had an opportunity to sing my version in public. Just as well I suppose. One song I distinctly remember was called “Vincent”. It was the tribute to Vincent Van Gogh and was very popular at the time. The version I composed was a tribute to Jesus Christ. The words are different. The tune is the same. If you put your ear right next to the speaker of your computer, you might hear me sing it for you. Probably not! This whole copy-right thing is a bit of a problem. I know that writers and composers should be entitled to some form of financial return for their effort. What that should be and how it should work, is a horse of a different colour. How do you reward someone for what they like doing? We are all confronted with this to one degree or other. Many people love their job of work. They are so devoted to it, they are willing to commit all their time to it. I know this because I’ve met people who have made their passion in life their means of employment. Professional football players and their ilk fall into this category. I suppose great orchestra conductors are similarly devoted. At the other end of the scale we have those who dislike their job with a passion that is hard to understand. Those who are forced to work in sweat shops fall into this category. Being free and with the right to choose your own destiny, appears to be very much a by-product, of those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s simple to see why. The fact is no one can be compelled to love. Freedom and love go together as a unique combination. They are a by-product of a relationship with Jesus Christ. This was one of the great tragedies of apartheid. For it to “work” it had to be enforced. It was an unrighteous and illegitimate concept in the first place. There was no room for love in such an environment. There was no way it could continue indefinitely. Ultimately it would implode at the expense of the people it sought to control. That’s what happened. Today it is part of SA’s dark and tragic past. There was a popular song that describes what had happened so well. The words are, “The song has ended, but the melody lingers on”. Our country will only know fellowship & enjoy peace. when we are united in Jesus Christ. It could happen! Will it? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV	Jesus Christ is faithful. That’s how He’s always been. He’s utterly reliable, regardless what we’ve seen. We don’t know why He does it. He’s always been this way; And even if we ask Him, we know what He will say. “Right back at the creation, We knew what was required. A creature that would follow us and do what was desired. We didn’t want a robot. Some strange automaton, Without a mind to think with, but would just carry on, Doing what we told it. We’d make them by the score. Not one of them can love you. That is their fatal flaw. The purpose was to fellowship with people who were free. To choose that which they wanted and turn away from Me. We wanted men and women, whom We would not control. A people who would love Us with all their heart and soul. We knew that it was dangerous. The whole lot could rebel, And choose their independence; But would they love as well? It could have taken ages. But not for Deity. We knew the best solution, instantaneously! And that’s when We decided that We could then proceed. And so We put in motion that first creative deed. The rest of it is history. It isn’t a mere tale. We know how it will all work out in minuscule detail. Realise We love you; you’re children of the Lord. Please do not be frightened; do not be overawed. Our love is given freely There isn’t any charge. We’ve made it all available to all the world at large. Many folk don’t know us. It really is a shame; They can find salvation by calling on My Name! Be an imitator and copy My lifestyle. That’s the way that You should go to make Our Father smile. None of you are servants. You are joint heirs with Me. Moulded in My image, from sin and death set free! No! You cannot feel it. Believe it is a fact. You will only know it when you begin to act, And live within the compass of that which I have said; Following My Spirit, the way that He has led. Put aside timidity. Let your light be seen; Other folk will see you, and know where you have been. Then they’ll praise My Father for all that He has done; And want to be a follower of Me, His Holy Son. Soon I will be with you. Shortly I’ll return; Bringing the reward for faith that nobody can earn! Freely I have given. Freely do the same. And you’ll know the fellowship of those who love My Name. Jim Strickland Written 14th Sept 2012
			17 Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight." 2 Peter 1:17 MSG
			1 How great is the love the Father has given us so freely! Now we can be called children of God. And that's what we really are! The world doesn't know us because it didn't know him. 1 John 3:1 NIrV
			1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children Ephesians 5:1 NIV
			17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17 TNIV
			3 This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God's nature. He holds everything together by what he says--powerful words! After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honoured place high in the heavens right alongside God, Hebrews 1:3 MSG
			16 "In the same way, let your light shine in front of others. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will praise your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIrV
			2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 ESV
			13 "I am coming to you now. But I say these things while I am still in the world. I say them so that those you gave me can have all my joy inside them. John 17:13 NIrV
			5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5 TNIV

THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Time with Jesus - 13 Sept 2013

Hi all,

For a change, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at one of the most widely used substances in daily use - Salt. Jesus said His people should be like salt. ¹³ "You are the salt of the earth! But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Mat 5:13 NLT 

Based on the fact it’s so commonly used, we think we know all about salt and what He meant. So let’s look at “salt”.

Salt, also known as table salt or rock salt (halite), is a crystalline mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound. It is essential for animal life, but can be harmful to animals and plants in if used excessively. It’s one of the oldest, most ubiquitous food seasonings. It’s an important method of food preservation. The taste of salt (saltiness) is one of the basic human tastes.

Salt for human consumption is produced in different forms: unrefined salt (such as sea salt), refined salt (table salt), and iodized salt. It is a crystalline solid, white, pale pink or light grey in colour, normally obtained from sea water or rock deposits. Edible rock salts may be slightly greyish in colour because of mineral content.

Because of its importance to survival, salt has often been considered a valuable commodity during human history. However, as salt consumption has increased during modern times, scientists have become aware of the health risks associated with high salt intake, including high blood pressure in sensitive individuals. Therefore, some health authorities have recommended limitations of dietary sodium, although others state the risk is minimal for typical western diets.

In the Old Testament, thirty-five verses mention salt. One of them is the story of Lot's wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:26) as they were destroyed. When the judge Abimelech destroyed the city of Shechem, he is said to have "sown salt on it," probably as a curse on anyone who would re-inhabit it (Judges 9:45). The Book of Job contains the first mention of salt as a condiment. ⁶ Don't people complain about unsalted food? Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg? Job 6:6 NLT

In the New Testament, six verses mention salt. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus referred to his followers as the "salt of the earth". The apostle Paul also encouraged Christians to "let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt" (Colossians 4:6).

Koshering salt, usually referred to as kosher salt, is a variety of edible salt with a much larger grain size than some common table salt. Like common table salt, kosher salt consists of the chemical compound sodium chloride.

Courtesy Wikipedia

One of the best known verses in the New Testament, if not in the entire Bible, is John 3:16. Most Christians are able to quote it. ¹⁶ "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT There is one word in the verse few of us consider meaningfully. It’s the word “perish”. 

According to Collins Thesaurus of the English Language, one of the definitions of the word is, “rot, waste away, break down, decay, wither, disintegrate, decompose, moulder. e.g. The rubber lining has perished.

Those who have used rubber hot water bottles know that if the rubber perishes, it is useless as a hot water bottle. It looks like a hot water bottle, but cannot be used for that purpose. It has to be thrown away as useless. It could perhaps be thrown on the rubbish heap or into a land fill site or even into hell. So a perished hot water bottle has to be discarded or recycled, if possible. 

Think for a moment about “salt which has lost its savour”. It may look like salt, but cannot be used for that purpose. What can be done with it? Nothing at all! It too must be thrown away as useless. We might say it has perished! 

However, salt which has lost its savour can be put to a different use. It’s no good as a preservative but could be spread on foot paths or dirt roads much in the way it was done in Jesus’ day. In this way its use would be for people and animals to walk on. Could it be recycled? Perhaps science can do so. Otherwise it has no further value.

Junk Yard for Perished Perishables
and Other Useless Trash

There is a strong association between people who have “perished” and Christians who have lost their “saltiness”; their savour. Certainly, Jesus is in the business of “recycling” people who are of no further use to God. These are the ones who have perished. He is able to recycle them. But what about Christians who are no longer “salty”; those who have lost their “savour”? It seems they have lost the very qualities that mark them as a Christian. It seems they have only one purpose. To be “thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Mat 5:13 NLT

Trampled On

If we lose our Christian identity; our saltiness, we are hopelessly lost. Can we be recycled again? Don’t ask me! Ask the Lord Jesus.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Thrown on Pathways to be trampled underfoot

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 13 Sept 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE SALT OF THE EARTH
If I asked you what you thought was the biggest problem which most Christians have to face today, I rather suspect that most people would say “Embarrassment”. It’s a sort of off-shoot of the fear of man. One of the best examples I can think of is what happens in the local restaurant when the staff gathers round you and sings, “Happy birthday to you!” Most of us blush. We don’t like this sort of attention. There are times I’d like to crawl under the table and hide rather than face the knowing stares of others. Like a tortoise I’d like to pull my head and feet into the shell and play dead! At the same time we revel in it when we send the staff to sing “Happy Birthday” to others. I rather think many of us are like this. I’ve tried to avoid it by keeping my birthday and anniversary dates under lock and key. I could always find a good reason for not telling enquirers the “incriminating evidence”. As the years go by it becomes increasingly difficult keeping this a secret. I’ve often wondered how a person can stand at a pulpit and deliver an inspiring sermon in front of dozens of people, without a second thought. But when your birthday is in the church notices for the purpose of asking people to phone you, the day becomes something of a nightmare. The phone rings. You’d like to ignore the incessant ringing. But in the end you pick up the receiver sheepishly knowing what’s going to happen. There is a cheery voice gushing over with the news that you are a year older. At times I’d rather forget! Sadly, embarrassment carries over into everyday life. We would like to testify to the goodness of God and our commitment to Jesus. But we are too embarrassed to do it. It’s stupid, but many of us are like this. We all want to be different. But we also want to be well liked and well thought of by others. We know we have become a “Jesus Freak”. But nobody likes a freak! So we sort of gulp and say nothing. The same attitude is reflected in what we wear. The idea of wearing a brightly coloured tee-shirt with the words, “Jesus love you” is somehow worse than singing an aria from Carmen! The good news is that Jesus knows and understands. The bad news is that He wants us to grow up and get over it! He expects our light to shine brightly and not be hidden under a pot. In simple terms He expects us to influence society in much the same way as salt changes the “society” into which it is placed. If the salt in you and me is not changing our society in some way, our salt is tasteless and useless. Notices how He describes its final end. “Thrown out and trodden underfoot by men”. There are two ways to look at this. One is to see the salt as not serving a useful purpose. There is another and, in my opinion, a worse outcome. The “useless salt” gets thrown onto the pathway of life and is walked on by the people of this world. Oh it does serve a purpose. The feet of men trample on it and it becomes more useless than it was. People do not know what its purpose was. How can they? It’s hidden under their feet. Things will not change until you and I “rise up” from beneath their feet and allow our saltiness to be seen. There really is no choice. Somehow we must ask Him to give us the strength to provide the flavour of Jesus to change the world. He will not use compulsion. But if we do nothing, that pathway could be a grave from which nothing will ever escape. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it  again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Matthew 5:13 NLT	Salt is a preservative, it also disinfects. It also is a flavouring a master chef respects. When it isn’t present, your food you cannot taste. This means, that on occasions, the food will go to waste. But there are other purposes. In fact there’s many more. Which one was Jesus meaning? I think we should explore, What many people used it for, way back in Jesus’ days. To help us come to grips with what we find the Bible says. One of the surprises was to fertilize a field. When mixed with other minerals, it caused the ground to yield, A larger crop of vegetables than any they had known. So for the local farmer, a bigger crop than sown! Its antiseptic uses, the midwives knew quite well. They “washed” a new-born infant with salt. The child would yell And tell the anxious fathers the child was doing fine. But in the drier areas, they used camel urine! They couldn’t waste their water; they needed it to drink. So salt mixed with the urine. Worked just as well – I think! They also had a ritual; a Covenant of Salt; Was often celebrated for family feuds to halt. This covenant was permanent. It wasn’t put aside. It was a lasting guarantee, like husband to his bride. It never could be broken. The only way was death. And people swore to keep it, until their final breath. We cannot live without it. I had a long-time friend; A very helpful fellow on whom you could depend. He had a “pet aversion” to that which he could taste. A very “fussy eater” whose actions were misplaced. He couldn’t stand salt’s flavour. He’d push his plate away, If he could even smell it. This happened till the day, They thought that he was terminal; they all wanted to know, The reason why this person’s health had reached an all-time low. They did a special test on him, to find the reason why, And found his low salt content was causing him to die! They put him on “salt tablets” and in a day or two, He was restored to normal; the man whom they all knew. Now Jesus is omniscient. He knows about these things. He knows what lack of saltiness, to many people brings. And that’s what He was saying when speaking on that day. He meant if you’re not salty, you will be thrown away. If salt has lost its usefulness, it isn’t any good. Where can you dispose of it? You’d use it if you could. But it will not cause damage if its throw upon the road. If people walk upon it, it helps to spread the load, So folk will not fall over and sink into the ground. There is no better purpose than ever to be found. So keep on being salty, that other men may know, That Jesus is the only way a person ought to go. Jim Strickland Written 13th Sept. 2012
			4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:4 NLT
			23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 TNIV
			25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, John 11:25 ESV
			36 And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection. Luke 20:36 NLT
			23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Romans 1:23 NASB
			9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:9-11 ESV
			42 It will be like that with bodies that are raised from the dead. The body that is planted does not last forever. The body that is raised from the dead lasts forever. 1 Corinthians 15:42 NIrV
			0 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." Mark 9:50 ESV
			29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Ephesians 4:29 NLT