The Road to Emmaus

We all know the account in Luke of two disciples walking the road to Emmaus. It may seem an unremarkable story: two disciples walking together, obviously getting a little more exciting when Jesus enters but they don't recognise Him, then they do when they reach their destination. However, I see it as a phenomenal account, full of nuggets of truth and revelation that truly blesses my socks off.
I believe we all need to take the road to Emmaus at some point in our lives.

I hardly know where to begin with this little study, it could just run away with me, so let's start with Emmaus first. It is thought to come from the Hebrew 'Hammath', meaning warm, and Josephus described it thus: "Now Emmaus, if it be interpreted, may be rendered `a warm bath' for therein is a spring of warm water useful for healing."

Getting straight into the account then, it's resurrection day, the disciples have spent the last 2 days thinking Jesus is dead (which indeed He was), but now they've had reports that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb He was in, the tomb is empty, and the angels have declared He's risen. Some are in complete disbelief, Peter's ran off to the tomb to see for himself, and two of His close circle (Cleopas and another unnamed one), are taking off from Jerusalem and heading to Emmaus, seemingly in discombobulation. What they are travelling for, we are not told. But as the name of the town suggests, perhaps they were off for some healing for their grieving souls? On the way, they're chatting about the events that have taken place. Who can blame them - the last 3 years must have been astonishing, and a culmination of the last 3 days will have been difficult for anyone to get their head around.

There soon appears to be two huge problems though. From Luke, 24 and verse 17 - 23, we can quickly identify a couple of issues. At this point, Jesus has just appeared to them:

And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”

(Emphasis added by me)

Problem number one, which Jesus calls out - their conversation as they went along was sad. When you're sad you're often negative, the two just go hand in hand. So this conversation although it was about Jesus and the recent events, was sad and likely negative, or not faith-filled. The word sad in the verse is the Greek skythrōpos and means sad, gloomy and its root word means to appear sullen. So these were not really two people you'd want to walk with on a long journey. They were miserable, and they looked it too! Jesus was listening in to their conversation, as He clearly makes known. Now I love how God always asks us questions. Have you noticed? He knows full well the answer, yet He always gives us the chance to tell it in our own words.

"Where are you" ~ God to Adam in the garden (Gen 3 v 9). He knew where Adam was!
"What is this you have done?" ~ God to Eve a verse later. 
"What are you doing here, Elijah?" ~ God to Elijah in 1 Kings 19

I could give more but you get the idea.

God likes to ask us questions because when we answer, we can hear our own words. Very often we have no idea of what we are doing, so God calls us out and says 'Hey, what are you up to?' and we can take stock, and admit we've wandered off the path.We can either answer with words of faith, or words of unbelief (or downright stupidity in some cases!). We are accountable to ourselves when we speak out, and our words make us accountable to God too. He also loves talking to us, and to show us it's a two-way street.

Back to the question, the very simple question that Jesus asks: "What things?"
He's saying, think about it guys, what has happened? Spell it out, piece by piece and look at it. So they do, and we encounter the next problem. Jesus of Nazareth, the Prophet. Now what a problem they have here, they only see the recent events through the lens of Jesus being a prophet. No wonder they're melancholy, no wonder they're sullen and running away! No wonder they're going round in conversational circles. They won't make any sense of what has happened if that's their view of Jesus.

What's your view of Jesus? Is He just a prophet? Or is He something that you've made Him into - a version of Christ that fits in with your life, and within your comfort zone, a more palatable version that fits in with your religious persuasions? Or is He what He says He is - the Great I AM?
If He's the former, your life will be just like the journey of these two disciples so far in the account: frustrated, sullen, trying to head for some warm refreshing springs, but never fully being satisfied. If however, He's the latter, the great I AM, Jehovah Jirah, Saviour, Redeemer, El Shaddai.... then you will experience the downright miraculous, the unexpected, the unimaginable; burning bushes, oceans parting; multiplication and abundance in your need; joy inexplicable, and a peace that passes understanding.

Now the word hoping where it says "we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel" is the Greek word elpizō which means to hope and trust in, and the very same word is used many places throughout the NT, and it conveys a meaning of a confident expectation of good. 

So they had hope, they had some faith, but there's something very wrong in that their hope has lead to them being so sad. These do not go hand in hand for if we have a confident expectation of good, and we have faith in God, why should we look so sullen? Yet this is how so many of the church look to the world! We profess to be His disciples, we profess that we have hope in Him, we even talk of Him.....but to what end? Is our knowledge of Him faulty, or insufficient and do we know Him truly as Lord; though our words may be of Him, they are not faith filled and as such they are as empty cups: useless, powerless and devoid of true faith.

These two could recount the events that had taken place, but there was no deeper understanding and no personal knowledge. They could tell a story, but they could give no meaning to it.

Now, if you think I'm being harsh on them, I'm allowed to because Jesus was harsher. "Foolish" He called them! They saw miracles, were around on the very earth Jesus was, stepping where His feet walked and hearing all His teaching directly, yet they still had this warped vision of Jesus as merely a prophet, and had no faith in their hearts. Jesus was being kind just calling them foolish - I'd have been a lot harsher.

The first thing He does is set out the primary error - the prophets and the Christ are very different. The prophets are people, acting on behalf of God, towards the people for instruction and warning. The Christ is God Himself sent to the people, for the people for their salvation.

Then He said to them,

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."

This is the beginning of the road. Jesus sets forth one of the most missed truths in Christendom - He is found in the Scriptures, from beginning to end. He may have started at Moses for these two, but we can clearly see Him from Genesis, right through each book, like a thread woven by each writer; even though the bible was written by around 40 different men, over a period of around 1000yrs, certain truths and revelations lay hidden in each book with clear themes, and amazing accuracy. Each word is divinely inspired and God-breathed to make a supernatural tapestry of prophecy, history and poetry that all beautifully points to Jesus. 

Until we see this in His word, we're walking blindly on the road like these two were. Once they saw the Deity of Jesus, their faith could grow and their hearts could be lifted. Spiritually their eyes were opened and they saw Jesus properly, in Spirit and in truth, even though they didn't see Jesus physically yet. There's a powerful message here: to see Him spiritually, to see Him in the Word, is much more important than seeing Him physically. I'd love to see His face, as I'm sure millions of Christians would, but to see Him through the scriptures is more important. Seeing Him face to face will not invoke faith - these two are a prime example. They walked along the streets of Jerusalem with Him just says before, yet still didn't see Him as Lord and Christ! Seeing is NOT believing. This is clear throughout scripture, just take Mark 5 for example. Jesus heals the man at the tombs who was possessed. The people of the town nearby all saw Jesus, they saw the man now healed and in his right mind, yet they told Him to go away! They wouldn't accept Him. Then there's the people of His own town where they couldn't get past the fact that He was Joseph's Son, and although people who had been miraculously healed where there in the crowd, following Him around and they could see the evidence of His works, they wouldn't accept or believe in Him.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the WORD. It doesn't come from seeing miracles, or seeing Jesus face to face even. It was only after they'd broken bread with Jesus, accepting His forgiveness through His blood, and taking His broken body - the Bread of Life - true healing that comes from Him, that they were then able to see His face.

Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; 

We must take our bread daily to see Him daily through the Word. The importance of this daily aspect is becoming more and more apparent to me. It really doesn't matter if we start with a few crumbs, a few moments daily, we just must start with something daily.

There are two other key points I drew out of this before I sign off. Firstly, I mentioned Emmaus means warm. Look at what they said when they realised it was Jesus with them -

“Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Does your heart burn for Him? That's the reason for the road to Emmaus - to change you from your doubtful state, to give you a revelation into Who Jesus REALLY is (and this will be via the Scriptures and your personal communication and relationship with Him), and to set your heart ablaze for Him. Your healing comes when you see Jesus as He really is - The Son of God Most High. The road to being "warm" or burning with zeal and love for Him begins with taking the steps in the right direction. But they didn't stay where it was "warm" (Emmaus), they continued to where they should be, back to Jerusalem to receive the fire of the Holy Spirit!

The second thing I also found which I thought was interesting was the name of the disciple we are given - Cleopas. The name derives from two Greek words - Kleo meaning to make known, to tell of, or to make famous. Cleopas is possibly a shorted form of the male equivalent of Cleopatra (Cleopatros) and this name means to make famous the Father! (Patros is father).  But the actual Greek word "pas" means everything. So his full name might mean to make famous the Father, but Luke has referred to him specifically as the shorted Cleopas - which means to make known everything, which is incredibly apt as this is exactly what Jesus did. He made known everything about Himself to these two very fortunate people. And of course, when we know Jesus, we can then know the Father.

Our road to Emmaus may be tough to begin with, a place where unbelief and doubts pave the road, where sadness and sullenness mars our countenance, a place where our first steps find us beholding Jesus as something He isn't. But our journey should end with a revelation of Him as He truly is; however that requires us to let go of our preconceived ideas of Him and see Him in His Word.

To get to know Him truly, we must see Him though His Word. We must put aside our own ideas and desires of reaching our own destination as it will never bring healing; only partaking of communion with Him will bring healing. When we open our hearts to Him truly, and when we really see Him and our hearts burn for Him, we will reach a place where we can echo with Job:

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You

Job 42 v 5.

The road to Emmaus is one of the most exciting journeys we will take. But remember, it is only the beginning of a longer road to our own 'Jerusalem' or promised land of God's will, wherever that may be for us.

Character under fire - pt 4

Looking at David in such depth is a revelation. Last time I posted about how David was in a cave, hiding from Saul, not yet in his rightful position as king, yet he drew to him those in distress, debt and discontentment. It parallels Jesus, Who drew the sick, the poor, the sinners and the lost to Him wherever He went. People who are desperate and broken, people who are hurt and rejected, they're looking for answers, they're looking for comfort and the only true answers and true comfort is found in Jesus. If we look at Acts, we see that the people were drawn to the apostles, they sought them out to get healed, and they thought that they were gods! They had something that drew people to them. That something is God. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and they operated in His power and love. David was annointed and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him mightily (1 Sam 16 v 13) so he operated with the same kind of power and love as the apostles and Jesus did. Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, expect to see the sick, the broken and the lost gathering!

But it's not the person that is drawing them, it's the annointing working in and through them, and this power dwells in us! So does that mean we will draw the sick and the lost and broken to us? Well, yes it should. We have the best news to tell in the whole universe. We have the honour of personally knowing the wonderful God of the universe. If we're walking in the Spirit of the Lord like David, and like the apostles in Acts, then we should find that people come to us for answers, because we know the One Who can heal, restore and save. Are we seeing this? If not, why not? Are we stifling the Spirit of the Lord?

Taking all this into account, we need to ask ourselves what are we doing, and how are we conducting ourselves? Are we being good stewards of God's word and God's annointing? Are we being faithful in what God has given us to do, and standing faithful in where He's put us?

David stood in the fields with his flock of sheep faithfully whilst his brothers were set apart for more honourable duties. He didn't rebel against his father and decide to do his own thing. The way we conduct ourselves in church and towards our church leaders needs careful consideration. The man of God (or woman of God) will not always get things right. They won't always make the right decision in certain areas, and we might not even agree with them on every single detail in scripture. However, there's a clear pattern that Christ laid down for us that we should be aware of, and that is - each church has leaders appointed and we are told to honour them. Whether we agree on every matter or not, if we are planted in a church, we should be yielding to the ministry and the leadership, and being a faithful and supportive member of the body of Christ. Rebellion, strife, divisions, quarrels and gossip all weaken and split churches. Paul often warned against this, and he urged people to be respectful and to honour the leadership they were under. We would do well to take a leaf out of David's book who whole-heartedly respected the position that Saul was in, regardless of Saul's actions. David refused to dishonour him, and refused to take his life, even though Saul was seeking to kill him! The respect that David had stemmed from his respect and reverence for God. He understood that God appoints the position, even if the person fulfilling it isn't doing it well. How many times do we see David honouring Saul, telling his men that he won't attack him when he was given ample opportunity to? He wouldn't do it because he respected God. Yet how many people gossip about their leaders? How many criticise their pastor - a hardworking man or woman of God who are probably doing their best?! We need to take a good look at David's conduct because  the way he honoured Saul was impeccable, especially given as Saul was seeking to kill him.

I have digressed somewhat, so back to the point. Whatever we've been given to do, we should do it in the right spirit, wholeheartedly, as if for the Lord. That extends from our jobs, to our home life, to our church life. Whatever we do for the Lord is not in vain if it is done with faithfulness, love and a pure heart. David was serving his father, tending his sheep to his best ability and he was being prepared for greatness. God is preparing us for our next victory just like He did with David. Even in our own "cave days", God can use us for blessing, like He did with David. We'll always have a choice to make - remain or give up. Anyone could understand if David gave up; being on the run from a mad man wanting to kill you isn't the easy road. It takes a lot of heart, courage and faith in God. He could very easily have acted in dishonour by complaining, murmuring, cursing God, yet He didn't. Instead he constantly called out to God, worshipped Him and honoured Him - and Saul. Many of the psalms were borne out of David's struggles and actually we see his heart growing closer to God in worship. David was a true worshipper with a heart for God, and renowned for his faithfulness (1 Sam 22 v 14).

What will we be renowned for? What is borne out of us when we go through trials and tough times? Songs of worship? Or a stream of complaints? A determination to bless the Lord, no matter what and to continue honouring the leader? Or curses and backbiting and strife?
I think this quote from John Holt sums it up very well:
 'The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do.'

Cave Gathering - Pt 3

Even though God has a plan and purpose for David, it took a while to actually achieve that position God had for him. The thing is, David knew what that was and he knew the man holding his intended position was not in the will of God. This put David in difficult position and I often wonder how others would deal with this situation. You can compare it with someone having a job that you have been promised, but the person currently in the role not doing it very well. What do you do whilst you're waiting for the role to become yours? How many of us would try and speed the process along? How many of us would make the person look bad or incompetent, or rally the other staff members in our favour and try and turn them against the other person? David did none of these things and the very way he handled himself just proves even more how competent he is, and how much reverence he has for God.

David was a wise man. In 1 Sam 18 v 5 it says So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he acted wisely and prospered; and Saul appointed him over the men of war. And it pleased all the people and also Saul’s servants.
This was just after the Goliath victory, David was still a young man - probably in his late teens, yet he was placed in charge of the army of the king, and there was no one who objected to it. No one said "Oh he's too young and inexperienced to do that job!" Because of the way he handled himself, because of the anointing of God on him and the wisdom he walked in, he was a successful and well liked man. He's still not in his rightful place - Saul's still king, but he did the job he was appointed, and he did it well.

If you're not familiar with the story, the king gets insanely jealous of David because the people rejoice over the victory, and are basically singing the praises of David for defeating Goliath;  Saul gets cross that they're praising David, not him and he tries to throw his spear at David twice but David evades it. Despite the fact that now the man who had his job was trying to kill him, David continued just doing what he was doing -v 14 David acted wisely and prospered in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. When Saul saw that he was prospering greatly, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he publicly associated with them.
David was wise, he acted with integrity and what he was appointed to do, he did well; he also got to know the people. He was a people person, he was very likeable. He formed a close friendship with Saul's son Jonathan and they became best buddies with Jonathan looking out for David when his own father wanted him dead. The men that he commanded were faithful and loyal to him.

Saul's jealousy became so overwhelming that he sought to kill David, who ended up having to evade Saul by moving around and hiding out in caves. Many may have given up on David at this point, for who would want to hang around with a guy the king wanted to kill? And you may start to question whether this guy really was called to be the king. He's not had it easy so far, and things are getting worse for him now the king was seeking his life. What would you do? Furtively go on the run with him? Help him out? Hide in caves with him? Or give up on him?

I just want to show you what happens if you follow the man (or woman) of God. We're in ch 22 now, verse 1.   So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s house heard about it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was suffering hardship, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him.
Let's just analyse this for a moment. Adullam means refuge or sealed off place. So David's hiding, he's on the run but somehow his place isn't very secret as lots of people from his hometown heard of it!
But look who was gathered to him -now remember, he's in a cave, on the run from an insane king with a vendetta - everyone who was suffering hardship, everyone who was in debt, everyone who was discontent. Look at that....those in distress, debt and discontent gathered to David, the man of God. Doesn't matter where  - a big fancy building or a cave -  if God's presence is there people will gather. People need God, people need a refuge or a safe place. And a lot of people are in distress, debt or discontent so they will be the ones that will run to a cave to get to the place God is.

Isn't that a beautiful picture right there of God's heart? People need relationships and as I said earlier, David was a people person. He built relationships because he has a heart for God, and God loves people! David truly was a man after God's own heart, and because of that, the people were drawn to him. 400 men in a cave, just to be with the man who exuded God's personality.

The lessons from David's life are beautiful. We should all have a person like David in our lives. Some of you might be that person, you might be the David that those in debt, distress and discontent are looking to for some refuge. If you have a person like this in your life - maybe it's your pastor or a church elder, you need to pray for them, you need to get around them and you need to listen and learn from them. If you are that David figure, then you need to make sure you are continuing to act in wisdom, gentleness, compassion and love. Don't be surprised if your churches draw those in debt, distress and discontent, you're in good company! Those people shouldn't be remaining in those states, of course, but if those are the people you are drawing, you're doing a David! Amen.

David - the Giant-Slayer (pt2)

In my last post I talked about how those called by God very often will not have worldly or visible qualifications or credentials. Year on year on a hillside, tending sheep, David was being prepared for a battle that no soldier or warrior would be bold enough or equipped enough to take on. A battle that freed his people from the oppression of the Philistines. David's life is an astonishing study, and I'm continuing with lessons from David's life.

Jumping straight in from his declaration to Saul that he could take on this "uncircumcised Philistine" David made sure that God got all the glory. In verse 37 David says "He will deliver me" (talking of the Lord). And this is key to our lives - will we trust in the Lord wholeheartedly to deliver us from whatever giants face us? And more importantly, will we give the glory to God, or take the credit ourselves when He does so? We come across example after example in David's life of Him glorifying God. He wrote a vast majority of the psalms, many in times of trouble, yet He never stops calling out to God, thanking God, worshipping God and seeking Him with his whole heart. David makes mistakes, but his early life especially, is a beautiful picture of not only a man after God's heart, but a great leader and a humble man best known for defeating Goliath, but that was just the first step into his destiny. While everyone else is concentrating on the great stature of this man, his physical appearance, David sees something different. He sees him as as uncircumcised Philistine. Now this isn't just a polite put down. In fact it's quite the opposite. Whatever your views on circumcision, we must remember that circumcision was a physical and outward sign and reminder of covenant. Covenants have lost their real meaning in this day and age, but back then, when you made covenant it was a bond, and it had huge significance. I won't go into the rituals and procedures here but if you research it, it is fascinating. Circumcision was more than just a sign of covenant, as it was covenant with God! So David is seeing something the others aren't - he's seeing that this man has no covenant with God! He sees beyond the physical appearance and strength of the opposition, he sees that the real weakness is that this man has no covenant with God. What a mindset David has! He's spiritually minded.

For reference, here are the verses to read from 1 Sam 17 as the story progresses

Then Saul dressed David in his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and put a coat of mail (armor) on him.  Then David fastened his sword over his armor and tried to walk, [but he could not,] because he was not used to them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, because I am not used to them.” So David took them off.  Then he took his [shepherd’s] staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the stream bed, and put them in his shepherd’s bag which he had, that is, in his shepherd’s pouch. With his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

David was prepared for this battle, but he didn't look prepared in the outward so Saul clothed David with his own armour, but David found it too cumbersome. It's a practical precaution for any soldier to wear their armour, and everyone saw this as a death sentence for David anyway. The whole army of Israel - burly, strong, trained men - were too afraid to go up against the Philistines. A young boy going alone was preposterous. Putting armour on is just good plain common sense, you'd think. David, however, found the armour so cumbersome and took it off. He's mad they must have thought. He's not even taking his sword or his shield! He's taking a Shepherd's staff and 5 stones. Now, most normal people skim over these details and carry on with the story. But I'm not exactly a normal person when it comes to God's Word. Every word in the Bible is God breathed, and every detail is significant. So first we'll look at why he took his staff because we see in the following verses that Goliath approached with sword, spear and javelin. In comparison, a shepherd's staff is not much use. The shepherd's staff had 3 uses :
1) It's used as a walking stick as hillsides are often rocky, uneven places so it keeps you steady
2) It keeps the sheep in line, and heading where you want them to go. The hooked shape at the end is used to gently steer wayward veering flock members. It's not used as a weapon against the flock - it's simply a steering tool to keep them on the right path
3) It can be used as an offensive weapon - to those that are a threat against the flock. But the staff was also a symbol of status and shows the responsibility of the shepherd to his flock. As we know, it's not an easy life as a shepherd. There's the elements to contend with, the flock to keep in line, the solitary, the long hours, and the predators to keep at bay. A staff is a symbol of the protector status, and many staffs will bear the scars to testify of this element of the job.
Just like our Great Shepherd - He keeps us steady on our feet, He gently corrects us and if we wander too far off, He will willingly come and find us, and He is our protector.

Now (assuming you know the story - David uses a stone in his sling shot and knocks out Goliath) one could assume he took 5 stones in case he misses. But why 5? Why not 10? Why not 7? Well, if you know your bible, you'll recall that Goliath has brothers (or certainly close relatives of similar physical stature, and David and his men later encountered them)! It seems that David was prepared for the whole entourage to appear! So secure in His God was David, that he may have thought the giant would call for back-up!!
We are not sure exactly how old David is, but when the Philistine sees him, he's just an adolescent, and he taunts David, trying to put fear in him. But the giant has met his match, because David remind us that it doesn't matter what weapons the giant is armed with, it doesn't matter how much he threatens, the power is in the Lord - v 45 “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted." 

From v 48-

When the Philistine rose and came forward to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand into his bag and took out a stone and slung it, and it struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck down the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.

There's a bold confidence in God here that we all need to learn from. This is not David's battle - it's the Lord's. When the moment came, and the talking was done, Goliath rose up and David wasn't fearful. In fact he confidently ran towards the giant.

Sometimes we have to run towards the giant in our lives, whatever that giant may be, in the boldness and surety of the Lord. We can do all the talking and confessing of scripture we like, but the giant doesn't fall until we run towards the battle line and use the skills God has given us. We can dilly dally about trying to arm ourselves with the world's protection or the world's common sense, but if we're not clothed in His armour, we're defenceless. The giants in our own lives will keep taunting us and mocking us until we rise up and look them straight in the face and declare that the battle is the Lord's.
If there's one thing I've noticed about the examples we have in the bible, it's that people who triumph don't hang around. They don't say they'll see how it goes, or pray about it for a few weeks. They go and do what God's called them to do.

David won renown among the people for his victory that day but in reality his journey is just beginning. His destiny wasn't actually giant-slayer, his destiny was king.

The forgotten son (pt 1)

We can look at people and come to all sorts of conclusions and assumptions because of their outward appearance, social standing, education, attitude or status. This is what Samuel did when he was sent to anoint a new king of Israel. He was sent to Jesse's house, and God had told him one of his sons would be anointed as king. Not just any king - as there was already a king, Saul. But this was God's choice of king.
So when Samuel got to Jesse's house and he met Jesse's eldest son, he was tall and held the most esteemed position as firstborn. His name, Eliab, even means God is Father! Could he be any more qualified? He fits the bill, but we encounter one of the most reassuring verses in the bible in 1 Sam 16 v 7:
Look not at his appearance or the height of his stature.....For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 

Do you know Who said this? God! I'm really glad God looks not upon the things people look at, because I would be disqualified for pretty much everything if we were going by man's standard. So although it seems like Eliab has everything going on that would make him fit the bill perfectly, God sees something different. He sees the heart of man and this is going to end up being such a poignant verse because (spoiler alert!) we will find that the king God chooses, David, is described as having a heart for God.

I find the next few verses quite comical, as I see in my mind's eye the scene playing out as Samuel dismisses son after son of Jesse (who parades 7 of his lads before Samuel), and Jesse getting more confused and frustrated as we go down the family line. In my head, Jesse has a huge white beard and he's scratching his head and stroking his beard, getting more and more irate as the rejections from Samuel keep coming. I can imagine Samuel himself wondering if God's got this right - He'd told Samuel His king would be a son of Jesse, but here He was rejecting each one of them. But as the story gets to verse 11, the amusement turns a little to sadness for me. There's a son who is an afterthought, only considered when his father is pressed on the matter of whether he has more kids. He does - he's a young lad, out in the fields tending sheep alone. Forgotten and overlooked by his own, but not by God. David, unqualified, unheard of, not honoured to be called along with his brothers by his father - but divinely called to greatness. David, the Giant Slayer.

His years in obscurity weren't wasted however. This boy has a boldness of spirit, and a servant's heart. He has been faithfully looking after the flock in his care, and doing it with zeal. You see whilst his brothers were all training for battle, taking up positions of esteem and honour, he's unknowingly been preparing all those years in the field for his destiny. His seemingly lowly position of shepherd boy was actually a practising ground and preparation for his future, and the paths that God would lead him in. As a quick background, Samuel anointed David as king at the great parade of Jesse's kids scene, but the position of king was still Saul's for now. David was sent to Saul, became his armour-bearer and was favoured by the king. God's people had a bit of a problem with some their neighbours, called the Philistines who were opposed to Israel, and they had in their army a giant (not a tall man, we're not dealing with hyperbole here or some exaggerated folklore. We're talking 10ft deformed (in many cases), violent and not so nice beings, or nephilim, or giants. I'm not going into this matter here, but see Genesis 6 for the origins of these beings. The giant in the Philistine camp was 10ft tall). 

All of Israel were understandably terrified of this soldier - his armoured coat alone weighed 12 stone! Anyway, the giant, called Goliath, was taunting the Israelites and said they'd surrender and be their servants if anyone could take him on. David heard of this and wanted to take him on. So, King Saul challenged David on this ridiculous request of a young, untrained lad to take on a 10ft killing machine. Let's see what David says - 1 Sam 17 v 34-36

But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,  I went out after it and attacked it and rescued the lamb from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I seized it by its whiskers and struck and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God.”

Now that's fighting talk. But see how his seemingly lowly position on the hills has actually been his practise run for this very moment. The boy's been fighting bears and lions! He's a young kid, yet he's been fighting wild savage animals, and he's still around to tell the tale.
Not only that, he's been fighting them to protect a flock of sheep!! Not to save a person's life, but just for some daft sheep. If you're not seeing a parallel with Jesus, and His love for His sheep, take a moment and consider the picture here that God's painted for you. He's showing us His love for His sheep is worth seizing a lion or bear by its whiskers for. He'd go to any lengths to protect His beloved flock. For anyone who thinks the bible doesn't display God's love, I just want to encourage you that it does, and it's full of beautiful pictures of His love for us. He is the Great Shepherd Who leads His flock by the still and restful waters, protecting us with his rod and guiding us with His staff (Ps 23). 

The brothers of David were more qualified and equipped that him; they were soldiers, trained, prepared for battle, held the position of being further up the ranks in their career and family status but the world's ways can not prepare us for greatness the way that God does.

Maybe you're on your own 'hillside', doing your own seemingly lowly job, fighting all sorts of battles, getting no thanks or recognition and wondering what the heck life's all about. Maybe you see people every which way around you more qualified, better looking, taller, smarter, richer, more popular....

If we can learn one thing from David, it's to do what we're doing with all our heart as if we're doing it for the Lord. It's to act with integrity even if we feel overlooked and forgotten, as God may just be preparing us for greatness right where we are, doing the ordinary, the mundane, the jobs no one wants to do. But the lessons we learn on the hillside are the lessons that we'll use to step into God's plans for us.

A Trip Back in History?

Have you ever played the dinner party game? The one where you have to choose 3 people, alive or dead, whom you would love to have dinner with? This was on social media the other week. Many people choose a famous actor, or someone like Shakespeare or Einstein (I actually think he'd be a character and a very interesting dinner party guest). Sometimes people ask what period of time you would go back to if you could time travel. I'd want to go back to the day Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and then follow Him through His ministry. A bit pointless though really, as I wouldn't understand a word what with them all speaking another language!


But, language barrier aside, how many of us would long for a little trip back through history, to catch a glimpse of that era, meeting Jesus, seeing miracles, listening to Him teach, watching Him touch the outcast lepers, and heal the broken-hearted? How many would love to be high-fiving Him when He called the Pharisees a brood of vipers! It would have been a pretty amazing time. To be there for all those amazing miracles and wonders had to have been tremendous, but to actually sit and listen to Jesus teaching, I think that would have been the most phenomenal teaching I'd ever experience. Those few years when Jesus walked our planet must have been the earth's and mankind's most sacred and special point of history, surely? Don't we all want Jesus here on the earth? Yet He said it's better for us if He goes. Wait a minute....how could anything be better than Jesus being with us on the earth?


John 16 v 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]



Jesus said that sending the Holy Spirit to us was better than Him being here with us. Now Jesus doesn't lie, and He doesn't exaggerate either. When Jesus was here on the earth, He was limited by the physical - His physical body, the laws of physics. Although He operated via the Holy Spirit, He still was only able to be in one place at a time. Just like when He was on His way to Jairus' daughter, but He was delayed by the woman with great faith with the issue of blood. He still healed, but He could physically only be in one place at a time. When He taught, He taught to many different types of people, and many didn't understand His teachings. Not even the disciples understood much of the time! He was able to further expound afterwards in His private time with them.

But the Holy Spirit is in every single believer. Everywhere. At the same time. All over the world. His role is to help us, to comfort us, advocate for us, intercede, strengthen us and teach us in all things (see John 14 v 26). He is there to help each one of us understand the scriptures where ever we are in our understanding and revelation, He will pitch it just right for us individually. He will encourage us daily, in every moment if we let Him. He is always with us, and doesn't need to leave us to help another as He's not bound by a physical body. He is our ever present help. Basically, He's the power that worked through Jesus and now He's not limited to just one Body (Jesus), but He's ALL OVER THE WORLD!

Really think about that for a moment. The same power that operated in Jesus when He walked the earth - healing, teaching, working miracles, displaying the love of God - is within you, me and all the rest of the Body of Christ all over the world. No wonder Jesus said it was better that the Holy Spirit come! Imagine 100,000 apostle Peters or Pauls all over the world. Imagine all those people in every country, in every city, in every town just loving people the way God loves, serving people the way Jesus served, ministering to people the way Jesus did - healing those who were sick, and telling broken people the good news that God loves them, and forgives them!!! Imagine how amazing that would be.

Well that's what supposed to be happening, right now, through every Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit!! The prophets in the old testament would have revelled in what we have in Christ today! The power that has been bestowed upon the Church, and the very Spirit of God Himself dwelling in us - it's utterly phenomenal. They had the Holy Spirit come upon them - but He didn't dwell within them continually like He does the church. They would have loved to step in our shoes.

So how many Christians are there in the world? A quick google for an estimate says around 2.19billion. How many of those are filled with the Holy Spirit? I don't know. But even if it's only half, that's still over 1 billion people filled with the same power that Jesus was filled with. Yet how many of those 1 billion are walking their lives like Jesus? Or Peter or John or Paul? Jesus didn't send the Holy Spirit so we could leave Him dormant within us. He didn't send Him so we could occasionally pray in tongues once a week on a Sunday morning. Church, we are Jesus' body, here on earth, each one of us filled with His power. It's like Jesus walking about on the earth today still through us. That's the point. That's the vision. That's the purpose. Amen! We're here to display Jesus to the world - His love, compassion, power and glory. Not because we are special, but through the Power and grace He's bestowed upon us.

If every Christian was doing this, in every town, in every city, in every country all over the world, then the world would be transformed. People's lives would be transformed. We wouldn't long to go back to the days when Jesus walked the streets of Capernaum, we'd be living it right here and now. The Lord is calling His church to be His hands and His feet. He has chosen you to reach out and show HIS love and kindness to that person who needs it today. Amen.

We need to tap into the power within us. We need to walk in the vision and purposes that Jesus has for us. When He said it would be better for the Holy Spirit to come, He meant it because everyone who receives the Holy Spirit should be walking in the power and grace of that Spirit. That doesn't mean forcing things upon people, or being "bible bashers", it means being sensitive to the guiding of the Holy Spirit, listening to His counsel and following His lead. Jesus healed those who came to HIM. He never forced Himself upon people. The very reason people were drawn to Him was the love that He walked in. No one had heard anything like it before. But that wasn't supposed to end with Jesus, it is to continue through His church walking in the Holy Spirit.
Let's do it. 
AMEN!

AMEN!

3 Types of wedding guests

John 2 v 1  - 11
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine was all gone, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no more wine.” Jesus said to her, “[Dear] woman, what is that to you and to Me? My time [to act and to be revealed] has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification (ceremonial washing), containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.  Then He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter [of the banquet].” So they took it to him.  And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had turned into wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew) he called the bridegroom,  and said to him, “Everyone else serves his best wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now.” This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him].

In John chapter 2, we have the first recorded miracle of Jesus performed: water being turned into wine. It's quite a strange little passage as we have Jesus at a very "normal" social scene with His mother, Mary, and we see a very rare interaction with Him and His earthly family.  Mary seemed to know that Jesus could fix any problem. The wine had run out, but notice she didn't actually ask Him to do anything  - she simply told Him, "they have no more wine". I can imagine in my mind's eye that Mary would have had a "mum" look on her face, eyebrows raised as if to say 'come on, Son, do Your thing'. There appears to be a knowledge that Jesus could do something about this situation. So although He tells her that His "time has not yet come", one could conclude that He has displayed miracles previously to some degree given the interaction between the two.

However, I think it's fascinating to look at the three types of people displayed in this small passage of scripture. First we have Mary as discussed. She tells Jesus there's a problem, and we know it's not just a passing observational or conversational comment because then she tells the servants, "Whatever He tells you to do, do it". I absolutely love this phrase from her, as this is the epitome of faith. She hasn't even asked Jesus to do a miracle, or fix the problem or even to toddle off and get some wine from the off licence. She knew Jesus well enough to just have to tell Him that there was a problem, and her personal knowledge of Him told her that He would do something about it because it mattered to her. Then she had the assertive faith to make ready for Him to act - by telling the servants to do whatever He said. You may say, 'well of course she had intimate knowledge of Him, she was His earthly mother! She raised Him'. That is true, but she represents anyone who loves and trusts Him relentlessly. She could have just told Him there was a problem as a passing comment as one may do in normal conversation. She could even have asked Him to do something about it, but the extra step of putting her faith in action is beautiful. This is how we know it applies to us, and this is a lesson for us to take on board. Put your faith into action, and it comes through intimate knowledge of Him.

We then have the servants. They've been pre-warned that they need to follow the orders of Jesus by someone with bold and strong faith, and they do so. I believe that if Mary had of not been sure whether Jesus would be intervening here, she wouldn't have been as assertive and her message to the servants would not have been effective. Had she said, "You may get some instructions from Jesus....but you may not. But if you do, would you do what he says?" A wishy-washy faith may have completely changed the events!  But these servants were prepped, made ready for the word of Jesus because of Mary's faith and certainty in Jesus. If He'd simply come up to them with a command to fill the ceremonial pots with water, they may have given in to their initial thoughts and said "No, we aren't authorised to do that" but because of Mary's faith in action they were ready to receive the Word of Jesus.

The servants are now in a position to follow Jesus' instruction. Now let's not sugar coat this, the instruction Jesus gave was weird. Fill the jugs with water. What? These are not any old water jugs! These are the ceremonial jugs, they're used for a Jewish ritual not for some Man trying to appease the guests! And what has filling jugs with water got to do with a social faux-pas of running out of wine at a wedding reception?

These servants probably thought that they were filling these jugs for the sake of it, maybe thinking Jesus might add something to the water to make it look like wine to try and fool the guests. They may have thought He was being disrespectful by asking them to even touch the ceremonial jugs. Whatever they secretly thought, I'm willing to bet that when they poured out the water they just poured in, they never imagined it would come out as wine! And certainly not even better wine than had previously been served!! I can't imagine the looks that passed between them as that liquid was tasted. It must have been a priceless moment.

These servants were on the front line, obeying Jesus (as ridiculous as His order may have sounded), and they were the only ones who saw this wonderful miracle....water in, wine out! How on earth could that be? Imagine the honour and wonder of seeing that amazing miracle right before their very eyes.

Then there's the headwaiter, the man in charge of overseeing the party and keeping all the proceedings running smoothly. He and the guests are the beneficiaries of the miracle, completely unaware of what has gone on, but reaping the benefit by enjoying the great wine and the lovely wedding party.

Being in the presence of Jesus, everyone gets blessed and that's fantastic because that's the nature of Jesus. You can't really be around Him without something wonderful happening. But I don't personally want to just be in the wedding party enjoying the blessings by default. I want to be a Mary and I want to be a servant! And I believe that we can be both. Sometimes we'll be the person putting our faith into action and making the way ready, and sometimes we'll be following His commands and seeing the unbelievable happening in front of our very eyes.

We can choose to be the people of great faith, intimately acquainted with Jesus, so much so that our faith sets up a blessing or a miracle. We can also be on the front lines, serving Him and obeying His commands, and being a part of the blessing and the miracle. It doesn't matter where or who we are, He can and will use your faith and willingness to serve Him to do great things. But if we sit back and enjoy the party without being really connected to Him, we're missing the true blessings which are found in knowing Him, loving Him, and doing His will.

Blessings x

Clarification

I heard a bible teacher recently use this phrase in relation to good bible study and exposition: hermeneutic hygiene. I have to admit, although it sounds technical, and is the kind of overly eloquent, slightly pretentious language I usually try and steer clear of, I do love this phrase. It really sums up what I try and do whenever I talk about the bible. It basically means being really careful to ensure we don't take God's word out of context, or use conjectures or suppositions about the scriptures. It means being precise in our language that we use when we talk about God's word. I believe that God is incredibly precise, and we should be too. It's very important to be clear and stay 100% true to the Word of God.

That being said, I wanted to expound on one aspect of my previous post. I talked about rekindling the fire, and in the post I talked a little about a verse from Revelation 3 v 16.  A friend of mine pointed out that something I wrote didn't sit well with them in regards to this verse, so they did some research of their own, which I think is brilliant - we should definitely test what we see and hear and make sure it all aligns to the Word of God. I wholeheartedly implore people not to just take anyone's word for something, always check things out with God's Word.

An article on a web page was brought to my attention that also discussed this same verse and it made some really good points but it takes a completely different view on what the verse means. I'll post the page at the end so you can read it in full.  I'll admit, at first read-through it made me wonder whether I have given this passage enough study of my own to really comment on it. Do I really understand it? Have I misinterpreted the Word of God? Have I misrepresented God's Word? This has bothered me immensely because there's a warning in Revelation - it's a special book that has its own little caveats of blessing to those who read it, and conversely it has its own little warning too. In Rev 22 v 19 it says  "and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book" 

Eek, I definitely want to make sure that what I'm writing about God's Word is accurate, and I don't want to be taking away anything from its true meaning. Now I don't profess to understand a lot of Revelation. I'm fascinated with it though, and I've done some study on it, so for myself I want to ensure I'm being as true to it as I can. I apologise in advance as this is a really long post. I have poured my heart into this matter the last few days, and given much prayer and study to this little scripture, because I take God's Word so seriously. God's Word is worth the time and the effort to me. God even gave me a very rare, completely unexpected, child-free morning to dedicate to prayer and devotion. It is important to me and I wanted to be sure in my understanding, so it was important to God too. He's truly amazing. 

So here goes. If you read to the end, well done! You've got stamina!  :) 

First thing I do when I don't understand the bible is ask the Author. 

What are you saying Lord? Have I misunderstood this verse? This was my immediate cry when I read the article and then thought about how it differed to my own understanding. In agony of heart, I was pained that I may have mis-represented Jesus because my sole desire is to please Him. So, I want to disregard my own suppositions, and indeed anyone else's interpretation of it, I just want to hear from Him Who wrote it, and Revelation is written by Jesus Himself. 

So as a recap, this is Jesus speaking to the Laodicean church, and the verse is :

I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth

The article's standpoint is that it is because of their works or deeds the Laodicean church are deemed lukewarm. We are not saved by deeds or works, we are saved by grace, therefore the being spewed out of His mouth does not relate to losing one's salvation (which I agree with, but personally am not convinced it means we will lose our salvation. I'll briefly come back to this later).  It purports that a state of not being hot or cold, or rather being lukewarm, does not in fact relate to a spiritual matter of the heart or our zeal for God or being "superficial Christians". Moreover, it suggests that lukewarmness, is actually mixing law and grace. 

I'm not writing this to tear down another brother or sister in Christ, the article makes some really good points, and I completely respect that we all have different opinions. What I want to do is offer a different perspective of the points raised in the article based on the way I approach bible study and how I understand the text. I am laying out perspectives based on my study here. This doesn't mean I am right, they're just my take on it after my own study. I have been guilty in the past of inserting my own understanding and assumptions into passages and I've later realised I've been way off the mark in some areas of understanding and interpretation. It's so easily done, so I want to approach a few of the points raised and strip away as much of the human assumption as possible, and stick to the scriptures and the context. We must look at the bible in context to understand it more fully.  

I want to stress that if I had read the verse in isolation, and then read the said article, I would probably agree with the points raised in the article, perhaps not even giving it a second thought. It is only because I have recently studied Revelation myself, that I have felt that the points, although on the whole are  biblically sound, and make a lot of common sense, in my opinion they don't quite line up with what I understand from the context of Revelation 1-3.  It highlights for me how important it is to check everything up through the lens of God's Word. People make mistakes. I make mistakes. We're not always right, but thank God, He never changes and His Word is true.

That being said, I would earnestly encourage you to later read the article for yourself, then read the first 3 chapters of Revelation, then do your own research and study and come to your own conclusions. I simply want to offer my interpretation from my own studying. I feel responsible for ensuring that what I say and write is as biblically correct as possible, so for my own sake, I have studied further.  I am referring to this article in this post simply as it has been brought to my attention and it is the thing that made me re-examine my own understanding and re-check what the bible says. 

Right, so let's start.  The article argues that there are a few problems with interpreting the passage relating lukewarmness to our spiritual condition and zeal (as I believe it does refer to this). [My analysis and findings relating to the article's points are in blue text from here for clarity]

They argue that zeal is:

a) Subjective i.e. we all have a different interpretation of zeal or being on fire and even if we do lots  of stuff for God, if we compare ourselves to another we may feel we're actually not hot or on fire.

This issue seems to be a good point at first glance, but it is a very human viewpoint and when looking at whether it is biblically accurate we run into many problems. This argument limits God, and it assumes we all compare ourselves to other Christians, or suggests that we should be comparing ourselves to other Christians. It looks upon zeal for God as some measurable or quantifiable element that is only displayed through "things" we do like tithing or fasting.

What does the bible say? Christ tells us to be imitators of Him, He is our example and being transformed to be more like Him is the object of our lives as Christians. We are encouraged to work out our own salvation, and run our race. The more transformed we are into His image, the less self there will be anyway. Passion, fire or zeal  is inward, a spiritual state; it is between the individual and God, driven by the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and its outward reflection is a life lived wholly for and through Christ. The amount we tithe or the number of times we fast is not a measure of someone's zeal. A non believer can give money to the church or indeed fast! What differentiates fire or zeal then? It is a matter of the heart, and it is a God-to-individual relationship, and certainly not a comparison game.

Do we see Paul comparing himself to other Christians and comparing who is more on fire for God? We know that for all he did for Christ, he considers himself the least of the apostles, he knows he's is saved, but he never addresses his personal level of zeal; he certainly doesn't give us any indication in his epistles that we are to compare ourselves and our zeal-level to each other. Paul never comments on the level of anyone else's hotness or coldness, he just urges Timothy to ensure that he stirs the inner fire. There's no example of one Christian comparing their zeal for God with another. 

Christianity is never portrayed in the Bible as something of a competitive sport; we don't compete or compare, we walk in the paths God has for us. We are continually reminded that God has set out a plan for us, so if He gives one a gifting and calling to minister to thousands of people as a travelling evangelist, yet to another He gives the gift of serving in a small local church, one could argue from a human perspective that the former has the more influence, the better "works" and thus more zeal for God as they're doing more, which is what the article implies. Somewhere there'll always be a person doing more spiritual stuff, fasting more, praying more, bringing more to Christ than you - that's what the article is saying. The bible never measures us against our brethren though. We are always accountable to God in the calling and paths He calls us to. He is concerned with the manner in which we do things - using our faith, acting in love - not how big and fancy the things we do are. 

God measures everyone with the same yardstick: faith and love. Whatever we do, whatever His calling for us, be it big or small in human viewpoints, it's the faith we exercise the tasks with that determines how pleased He is with us, and how we outwork those tasks in His love.  We can't measure someone else's faith level, and we can't measure the depth of someone's love, only God can.

God is personal and He deals with each of us as individuals. If we were measured by our works, then the less fortunate and less wealthy would be at a huge disadvantage. For example, take Luke 21 - the widow putting the two mites in the offering bowl, we can see how Jesus always looks at our heart, not the "good work" we are doing. The widow gave the equivalent of a few pence. Others gave the huge gifts - substantial amounts of money. Yet her offering, as tiny and insignificant as it was, was borne out of her love for God, and her faithful heart to God by giving everything she had, even though it was only a few pence. A few pence can do little practical good in the offering tray. It can't fix a roof, or feed the hungry. If we measure her by human standards she was the least zealous, and the person who put in the highest amount was the most zealous. Yet we know that isn't so because Jesus tells us that actually in His sight, to Him, she put the most in, and she was the only one there He personally commended.  Others were putting in sizeable donations we are told, yet they don't get mention or recognition because it was her spiritual condition - her love, her faith and her passion for God that Jesus was concerned and pleased with. He pointed this out to illustrate how men look outwardly at good works (giving to God is good!) but Jesus is always concerned with the person, and the heart. He's personal.
God is God, and He is the one who searches hearts and sees our faith and love. Only He can look upon the heart, so zeal/enthusiasm/fire, passion....whatever you want to call it, it is between the individual and God. It is the Holy Spirit's job to search our hearts - not other Christians. Zeal is not measurable or quantifiable in human terms. However God is infinite and one could say that the human heart is His speciality. So I ask, is zeal or passion for God supposed to be subjective? Why would it be when we are all in personal relationships with Him? Everything we do, we are told to do as if unto the Lord - not for others to compare themselves to, or us likewise to compare ourselves to them.
In the context of the scripture, look at Jesus' epistle to Ephesus in Chapter 2. They're doing great - they're being patient, enduring, they're testing those who claim they are apostles, they are having trouble with wicked men, and have toil and trouble in their lives; amidst all this they're not growing weary or faint. All good. Great attitude. Doing what they should be. Yet Jesus calls out that they're neglecting their first love, Him. Who can measure that defect visibly amidst all the good they're doing? No one, except Jesus. Outwardly it's an A grade for them. They're passionate for the things of God, keeping true to His Word, doing what they should be, they've just taken their eyes and attention off the personal love relationship with Jesus. Seems an odd thing - how can you be doing so well, bearing up in the strength of God, enduring trials and troubles so well that Jesus commends you for it, yet still have neglected your first Love? This church, Ephesus, was the apostolic church! These guys should know better, you'd never assume that they would neglect their personal relationship with Jesus. So we're not immune to it either and we need to ensure that we don't put our own assumptions into God's Word and our interpretation of it. 

 b) It means salvation is related to works - the zeal argument implies that more zealous or "hotter" Christians are saved from being spewed out of His mouth because of the works they do that makes them hot or zealous; yet we are not saved by works, we're saved by grace. It states that zeal is related to things we do, "works" - therefore we cannot ascribe the verse as meaning zeal for God.

We're not saved by works I completely 100% agree, although I personally don't think that the verse in Revelation is referring to a loss of salvation here, so if we interpret the "spewing" bit as something else, the point in the article becomes redundant anyway, unless the author thinks we can lose our salvation which is a whole other discussion entirely.   Jesus was talking to the church - saved people. If they weren't truly saved, would He have bothered to write to them or address them as His church? Would He make the promises to them that He does? Possibly not. 

What do we know? We know Jesus says what He means, so when He's talking to His church, they're His and they are saved. Thus, if we park the idea that spewing out of His mouth means a loss of salvation, and instead it means something different, let's look again.  They're already saved - the issue of salvation is dealt with when we accept Jesus as saviour, that's what the bible teaches us. So, no matter how many good works they do or don't do, it doesn't affect salvation. Salvation is a free gift. 

If works are related to a measure of zeal in terms of hotness and coldness, then I have to refer back to my point above, because we're back into comparing one person's works against another's. That's not how God's kingdom works otherwise the apostle Paul and the Billy Grahams and Kenneth Copelands of this world would be the ones having all the zeal. Compared to how much good they do and how much God-influence they have, us average Joe's would be up the creek! We'd all be plunged into the 'lukewarm' or 'cold' camps by default.

The book of James explains to us that once we are saved, our faith will lead us into good works. These works don't lead to salvation, as we're already saved, but they are simply an outpouring of what's on the inside of us. We have a well on the inside of us bubbling up with God's loving-kindness, we have the gifts of the spirit operating through us, and our lives ought to be overflowing with the fruit of the spirit. If we aren't producing good works as a by-product of our faith and love in and for God, then we're completely missing the point. Now clearly that's a hugely paraphrased version of James, but it is is what the essence of the book says. Please, read it for yourself and check it out. Ephesians 2 v 10 says that we are: 

His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

So we are to do good works, but we aren't saved by them, they don't earn us our salvation - the bible makes that more than clear. But they should be a product of our love and faith.
I'm going to come back to 'works' shortly. Jesus is concerned with the works we do. Not because our good works can earn us righteousness - they can't. But He is looking at what we do with our lives. That should become more evident in a moment when we delve into the context of the first 3 chapters of Revelation.

c) Jesus says He prefers us to be cold rather than lukewarm, and He couldn't possibly mean that He'd prefer us to have no enthusiasm for Him. Some zeal or enthusiasm must be better than none? 

"If Jesus was referring to the things we do for him, why would he say it’s better to do nothing than something? This doesn’t make any sense." The article then ascribes lukewarmness as a mixture of law and grace. 
This has to be called out as supposition and conjecture as far as I can see, and it's a contradiction of the actual bible. To assume it can't mean what is says and therefore ascribe a different meaning to it is not something I can do or agree with without sound biblical proof. As I said previously I'm not here to be pulling down someone else's posts or opinions, I'm not attacking someone else, in fact I have the utmost respect and joy that people love God and post things online to teach, exhort and encourage people in the faith. 

It actually seems a fair and logical assumption - mixture of grace and law for lukewarm, Jesus can't mean he prefers no zeal to a bit of zeal, or some works to no good works? But an assumption it is, as there's no biblical backing for this statement so we can't accept this point as valid as it even contradicts the text itself. We can't escape black and white. Jesus said "would that you were cold or hot!" It states that He prefers hot or cold to lukewarm. Let's be clear and precise - it does not say He wants us to be cold, simply that He finds hot or cold more palatable than lukewarm. 

How do we deny the text that says he prefers cold or hot to lukewarm? Reading the text it is undeniable in my eyes.  Admittedly it is unexpected maybe unsettling even, but just because it's not what we expect to hear, or what we want to hear, doesn't mean we can deny the text when it is plain or that we should change the meaning to something we feel more comfortable with. To assign a meaning of mixing law and grace when this hasn't been mentioned, isn't even alluded to or hinted at, and has no bearing on the language and words used, sits very uncomfortably with me. 

I would welcome comments on this. Of course we agree that generally as humans, we feel that some enthusiasm must be better than none, but that does not necessarily mean we can conclude God thinks the same way. He tells us in Isaiah 55 v 8-9   For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts

Because it's not stated or implicitly implied in the Bible, or in this passage, I have to immediately dismiss the article's reasoning on this point as it is purely a person's opinion which appears to contradict the text. We do not know why or how Jesus finds a small amount of enthusiasm worse than no enthusiasm at all (or lukewarmness worse than coldness to be more accurate). What we do know is that is what He said because it's written down for us.  You and I may feel that the absence of any zeal at all is worse than a bit of zeal, but does God? I certainly do not want to be putting words in God's mouth that He hasn't spoken. The text appears plain enough that to Jesus, lukewarmness is less preferable to being completely cold. If anyone can find some biblical truth contrary to this, then please feel free to share it; I'd be happy to come back to this point and study more. 

So, a quick summary so far - I do agree that we are under grace; Jesus fulfilled the law, and the law was given to show man that without God he cannot. Cannot what? Cannot anything! He can't save himself, he can't live up to the standards God requires as a just and holy God, and he cannot escape the curse by any works or deeds of his own doing. We need Jesus. If we can live up to God's standard by following the law, then Jesus' death would have been in vain. 

We are saved by grace because of HIS goodness and no goodness of our own is sufficient. We need Him. We deserve nothing, yet we get everything. That is grace. 

I am whole-heartedly in agreement that mixing law and grace is not what we should be doing because as soon as we do that, we are into the realm of man thinking he doesn't need God's grace, which is pretty much the story of Israel throughout the old testament. They came to God, then they went it alone, going their own way. He pulls them back to Him, they wander off doing their own thing again, on repeat! Paul in his letters talks a lot about mixing law and grace, and he calls it falling from grace (Galatians 5 v 4). So far however, there's no biblical backing to the 3 main points made in the article by looking at them in the light of their context and focussing on the words of Jesus. 

The article goes on and states that the work God is looking for is our faith in Him - which I agree with, but as they're already saved, they're already His church, that is is a given that they believe in Him. We do know from the letter that there is an element of self-reliance because they consider themselves in need of nothing, so they are possibly not exercising their faith in God's provision. Jesus deals with that element separately though asking them to purchase the gold from Him  - not to rely on earthly treasures. There is much truth in the article, sound biblical truths, but again there's an obstacle of putting words in the bible that aren't there. It says  "Jesus wants to spew out the self-righteousness in you so that he can remove the hypocrisy from you" but when I look in my bible it just doesn't say that, it doesn't imply that, and the context doesn't suggest that, and I am only interested in God's words. 

Given all this, I asked the Lord, "is this what it means?" [referring to hot /cold / lukewarm meaning a mix of law and grace].  In my own spirit I feel that this is not the meaning of the verse.

If your love or interest wanes, you say it waxes cold. If you love passionately, or you have great zeal for something, you describe it as being on fire. 

So, let's look up the original words used and see what their meaning is to gain more understanding and be in no doubt as to what we are dealing with. We must always go to the bible and study in context. 

The Greek words used:  

Cold - Str 5593 - psuchros = Chilly, cold. Literally and metaphorically. Sluggish, inert.  From 5592 which means coldness. Root from 5594 = psuchro = breathe gently and voluntarily; blow cold; to cool by blowing; waning zeal or love, to chill, to wax cold. 

Hot - Str 2200 - zestos = boiling hot, hot, fervent. From root 2204 = Fervant, zeal, boiled. 

Lukewarm - str 5513  - chliaros = tepid, lukewarm, of the condition of the soul wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor and a fervour of love

I had to look up a definition of torpor - it means lethargy or a state of physical or mental inactivity. 

Spew  - str 1692 emeo = vomit, spew forth, throw up. 

Mouth - str  4750 stoma = mouth; figuratively, an opening (in the earth); specially, the front or edge (of a weapon):--edge, face, mouth. The edge of a sword

The definitions seem quite clear. No hidden meaning, no deeper meaning that the translators haven't been successful in conveying. Hot means hot, and cold means cold. Lukewarm means tepid, and implies a fluctuation in temperature.  There's no hint that it relates to mixing law and grace, or anything else.

Wanting to ensure my study is as thorough as possible, I felt directed to write down in a bullet point form what the context of the book was so far. Get the facts, put it in context - this is what the Holy Spirit always leads me to do when I study the bible. Being only 3 chapters in, I started at the beginning. The italics show how the Holy Spirit has directed me to look at them. I've included them for clarity. 

• The book is Jesus' revelation. His revelation, from God the Father that He is conveying to His people. His words, His story
• There's a special blessing for those who read it
• It is revealed to John
• There are 7 churches which are addressed. (Interestingly, in the bible, 7 is the number of completeness or perfection! And there are lots of 7's in Revelation)
• He is talking about the things which are to come
• Jesus is talking. He uses different terms to describe/name Himself
• John explains what happened to him
• Jesus addresses 7 churches and asks John to write a special letter to each of them
• Each church is dealt with in order
• Each letter contains a similar construction / pattern.
  
  Describe these patterns
• Jesus uses a particular and unique way of describing Himself to each church (drawing on the ones He spoke earlier of to John)
• He comments on what they've been doing or what He's seen of them (I've seen your industry/activity/labours/toils/troubles/afflictions/distress/poverty/where you live/ record/ what you're doing / works - this is universal to all the churches)
• He says what is good (2 have nothing good)
• He says what they're not doing very good (another 2 have nothing bad!)
• He gives an admonition or warning if they don't repent
• He tells them how to improve
• He gives a similar and specific signing off of the letter ("he who has ears to hear...")
• He gives a unique promise to each church of a reward that awaits them

Look at the admonitions each church has if they don't repent

Ephesus - He will remove their lampstand

Smyrna- all good, they have no need of an admonition

Pergamum - He will come quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth

Thyatira - He will throw Jezebel and those who commit adultery with her on a bed of anguish; there will be pressing distress and severe affliction; her children will be struck dead

Sardis - He will come upon them like thief in the night

Philadelphia - all good, they have no need of an admonition

Laodicea - Spew them out of His mouth

Look at the remedies 

Ephesus - repent and do the works you did previously (they had deserted their first love)

Smyrna - n/a 

Pergamum - repent (they have people clinging to false teaching of Balaam and the Nicolations)

Thyatira - He will reward those for what they have done (doesn't state what reward that is, but the next verse indicates that those who are not followers of Jezebel He spares any obligation and tells them to hold fast). No specific remedy but asking them to hold fast  -  they've been doing well other than those who follow after Jezebel

Sardis - Call to mind the lessons they have received, rouse themselves, be awake, be strengthened, obey, keep awake and watch  (He said they are supposed to be alive, but are dead! Clearly this is spiritually as if it is physically there's no church to write to...they'd all be with Him in heaven. None of their work meets His requirements)

Philadelphia - they're just told to hold fast, they're doing great

Laodicea- purchase gold refined from HIM to be truly wealthy, and white clothes to clothe them from being naked, to purchase salve for their eyes so they see, be enthusiastic and earnest and burning in zeal and repent   (He said they were lukewarm, they proclaimed they were rich and in need of nothing, but actually they were wretched, poor, pitiable, blind and naked)

Each time He gives to the church a remedy, it directly relates to what He said they weren't doing very well in. For each church the admonition and command on how to remedy connects back to the thing that he reprehends them for. The Laodiceans are not told to stop mixing law and grace. Indeed they are told to be enthusiastic, earnest and burning in zeal, and he addresses their materialism and how it affects their spiritual state. The verse, and in fact the entire letter to the Laodiceans deals with their spiritual state - spiritually they are lukewarm, spiritually they are blind, spiritually they are wretched and poor. We know this isn't literal as the whole church isn't physically blind, they're well off in the natural, but Jesus looks not to the physical, He looks on the heart and He sees that they're poor. 

The next chapter (chapter 4) is "after this" dealing with new issues, new surroundings, new place. A clear change of pace and subject. But the first 3 chapters have to be taken all together as a whole; if you read them in one sitting they make much more sense than reading them in isolation.  

I just want to draw back to the fact the for each church, He comments on what they're DOING with their lives - their works or deeds if you will. Jesus refers to them as works and deeds more than once in these first few chapters to different churches and they relate to the outward works of faith. The article suggests that the Laodiceans were being called out by Jesus due to their works - but look at each letter -  each church was! This wasn't unique to Laodicea. Each letter is like a progress report.

• If the Laodiceans were being judged by works and mixing law and grace by trying to do good works (which is what the article suggests), then surely each of the 7 churches should have had the same comments because 5 out of 7 were doing something good (good works) and some things not so good (not so good works)? Yet they didn't get judged the same way.  
• He said to the Philadelphian church and other churches that He saw their works, yet He had NOTHING bad to report about that church (Philadelphia). 
• The same Greek word is used for "works" for both the Philadephian church and the Laodicean church yet, one has nothing bad reported, one has nothing good reported, thus trying to argue that the meaning of the whole verse relates to this word is false. In fact the same Greek word for works is used 11 times in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation - the chapters covering the epistles of Jesus to the seven churches!
   (Gr 2041-  érgon (from ergō, "to work, accomplish") – a work or worker who accomplishes something. 2041 /érgon ("work") is a deed (action) that carries out (completes) an inner desire (intention, purpose) 
• If the Laodiceans are being called out for doing works to earn salvation, or relying on their works for position with God (mixing law and grace - doing things to be good in God's eyes by keeping the law and not relying on God's grace and supply), then why didn't Jesus say any good things about the good works they were doing, like He did about the Philadelphian church, and other churches? 
• Context is king. If the Philadelphian church and others were given a good report by Jesus for works, then we would have a similar scenario for the Laodiceans by default. There is a clear pattern in the letters, the language is clear. The Philadephian church had a glowing report
• Jesus is also quite clear on the issues within the churches. He has been direct in naming their problems. In the context of the text, one has to ask why He would be vague and not use plain language for the final church, like He has been for the other 6 churches?

My study conclusions are that
* when looking at the whole epistle and taking the prior chapters into account, the mixing of law and grace can not be ascribed as a metaphor for being lukewarm, otherwise by default the other churches would have had the same comments.

* Each church was being addressed about their works, their hardships, their troubles, their record etc.

*In light of the context, the very similar and clear pattern put forward by Jesus, it is more than evident that it can not possibly mean mixing law and grace. If it did mean that, Jesus would surely say it more clearly? 

*He patently tells the Laodicean church "be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent" (verse 19). 

* Working through the text, looking at the patterns, the language, the syntax, the original Greek, and a careful, prayerful and thorough reading of the whole context of the chapters surrounding the verse, I remain certain that the verse is relating to the church's spiritual condition of their passion and zeal for God and His Word. 

*I find no evidence of it relating to mixing law and grace, nor can I find any other interpretation of this verse. 

However, I would urge you to do your own study and come to your own conclusions with the help of the Holy Spirit for guidance; Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16 v 13). 

Before I sign off from this very long post, I want to end with two things. Firstly, I mentioned earlier that the term being spewed out of His mouth doesn't necessarily refer to loss of salvation. That's my personal opinion and I have no biblical evidence to back this up. My reasoning is that there was another church mentioned with no good to report, yet there doesn't appear to be an indication of a loss of salvation for them. There's no pattern to suggest that bad reports = loss of salvation.
However, I am searching the scriptures, and seeking more understanding of this phrase. It makes for interesting discussion, but I want to make it clear, I'm not saying it does or doesn't mean that. As there's currently no other passage that I can find so far to authenticate that it means losing salvation, and given other scriptures we all know and love (such as no one being able to snatch us out of His hand - John 10), it is simply my belief it may refer to something else. 

Secondly, because it is so important, I want to stress once more just to make it completely clear that good works do not earn salvation, as we've already established that we are saved by grace. As Christians we can't shy away from "works" like it is a dirty word. Good works don't produce or earn us salvation. Our salvation doesn't depend on our works, it the confession of our faith in Jesus as the Son of God, coming to earth, dying for us, and being raised from the dead that is our salvation. But salvation doesn't stop there. We are to put Jesus as our Lord, live for, in and through Him, letting Him transform us by the renewing of our mind. It is a progressive personal relationship that develops and buds and is.... wow. I don't have another word to describe it, just wow.

Our lives should be filled with faith, love, hope, and with zeal, fire and passion for God, and these result in good works. We are not measured against other Christians in some kind of Christian leaderboard of who has the most faith, love or good works either.
I fully believe that we are saved by grace. We don't live under law, and we can't mix the law and grace and think that by doing good works we will earn some kind of righteousness or good standing with God. We all deserve the punishment that Jesus took for us, yet we are participants in His great love and grace. Thus, our lives should be a reflection of His goodness and grace, and this is what produces good works or good deeds. It's like a beautiful by-product that blesses others as well as ourselves. 

In earnest I have searched, prayed about and studied these 3 chapters of Revelation for my own sake but also because I feel a sense of responsibility by posting publicly to ensure I am speaking the uncompromised truth of God's word.  I appreciate anyone who reads my posts, and I want to ensure it is as sound biblically as possible.
I know there's lots more to learn, but I hope I have provided some clarity to the verse in question and how I approach interpreting and studying the Word of God. The link to the article is below, and my intent is in no way to discredit the source/author of it, but to put forward my findings from my prayer and devotion time. Please study it all for yourself and only take God's word on the matter. 

I really welcome comments and if you did read this far, you deserve a medal! Go give yourself a medal or at least a cuppa! Be blessed

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