Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Angels from the Realms of glory.

Luke 1v11 “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to [Zechariah]” (NIV)

As we approach Christmas, I intend to focus each week on key participants in the account of the birth of Jesus. First: the angels!

Angels are fascinating persons, and some have an unhealthy interest in them. God tells us in his word that they are spiritual beings, created by God to serve Him. They sometimes take on a physical resemblance to appear to or serve humans.

Angels appear to 4 different people during the birth of Jesus:

• Zechariah – Gabriel appears to him about 15 months before Jesus’ birth while he is in the “Holy Place” of the temple. He announces that Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, is about to bear a son “John”. He will be “filled with the Holy Spirit” and “prepare the way for the Lord”.
• Mary – Gabriel appears to her in Nazareth about 9 months before Jesus’ birth. He announces that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and she will conceive a son “Jesus” whose kingdom will never end.
• Joseph – An angel appears to him in a dream about 7-8 months before Jesus’ birth.  The angel tells Joseph to marry Mary as her baby is of “the Holy Spirit”, and to give the baby the name “Jesus,” because he will save his people from their sins.
• Shepherds – An angel appears to them in the fields on the night of Jesus’ birth. The angel tells them that “a Saviour has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord.” And then a whole host of angels sing praise to God.

We discussed about angels some months ago in our family time on a Sunday morning, and I recall there were at least a couple of us who seem to have encountered angels in some form. Notice how the intervention of the angels is precisely timed for the situation!

An angel’s fundamental calling and purpose is to serve the Lord God Almighty. This may involve being a messenger to humans, serving us humans (Hebrews 1v14), to protect God’s people (Psalm 91v11 and 34v7), worshipping God (Psalm 103v20) or even for us to serve (Hebrews 13v2) but not for us to worship (Revelation 19v10).

God’s angels always point to God and watch over his people. Opposed to them are the fallen angels of Satan (who is also an angel); they always work against God and his people. The presence of angels in the birth of Jesus reminds us of the spiritual battle that is going on that extends beyond the physical world – and God has plenty of resources to ensure the outcome of that battle. We may only know in eternity the role angels have played in our lives.

Let’s live with confidence in God and his resources to protect us and provide for us, and let’s worship our God with the angels.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Brotherly Love.

Hebrews 13v1 “Keep on loving each other as brothers.” (NIV)

While sin and other issues can get in the way, in most families there is an affinity between siblings that runs deep. There are the shared parents, a high level of commonality in genetic make up, common experiences, and a lot of time spent together. This means that there is a desire for the well-being of the other, a desire to help when issues arise, and a priority to continue to relate together.

“Love” in the New Testament, is most often a translation of the Greek word “agape” which means a sacrificial love. However, on five occasions in the New Testament, the Greek word “philadelphia” is used which is translated “love as brothers” or “brotherly kindness”. The word is applied to the love within the church family based on our common spiritual heritage, journey and destination. The love derives from our common parent in God the Father, our common rescuer in Jesus the Son, and our common enabler in the Holy Spirit.

This strong spiritual affinity in Christ naturally leads to a love, care and kindness for one another.

This applies not only within a particular church family, but also to those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world. The writer expands on what this love means as he continues, “Do not forget to entertain strangers … Remember those in prison … and those who are ill -treated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13v2-3 This would most naturally relate to those who are brothers and sisters in Christ who are visiting or who are suffering.

Through BREADTrust, many of us are familiar with Igor, who leads churches and humanitarian effort in Ukraine. He send a message yesterday evening which summarises much of what we see in the news, but is fed to us personally as brothers and sisters. Let’s continue to remember, pray and support in practical ways those who are so suffering at this time.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God the consuming fire.

Hebrews 12v28-29 “…  let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’ ” (NIV)

Often in Christian teaching there are things which appear on the surface to be contradictory, but in practice need to be held together. One example is here in Hebrews 12.

In verses 18-21, the writer compares our interaction with God with Israel’s experience at Sinai in the book of Exodus, saying, “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire … The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’”

And then, in what seems to be a contrast, the writer continues v22-24, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God .. to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant …”.

But we find that the writer does not bring out a contrast of opposites, but of degree, (v25) “See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape then they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?” If you thought God interacting through Moses at Sinai was awe-inspiring and needed to be obeyed, how much more awe-inspiring is God interacting through Jesus who came from heaven.

In the verse we started with, the writer considers that if there was reason for Moses-followers to worship God in an acceptable way, how much more reason is there for us as Jesus-followers to worship in a way of reverence and awe. Is this talking about the style of songs that we sing or the way that we pray? Well, Hebrews makes no reference to praying or singing at this point. Rather he continues with ‘love each other’ (13v1), ‘be hospitable’(13v2), ‘be sexually pure’ (13v4), and ‘be content’ (13v5). This is exactly in tune with Paul when he writes in Romans 12v1, “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable act of worship.” Or take the prophet writing in Amos 5v23-24 “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.”

Is my life a reasonable act of worship to God given what he has done for me?

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God our Father.

Hebrews 12v10 “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” (NIV)

I can’t imagine that many of us like discipline.

Discipline can take different forms:

Restriction of what is unhealthy. When parenting, discipline could be exercised in the restriction of what a child wants. For example, a parent may tell their child that they cannot have an icecream. Why not? Maybe because they have had enough unhealthy food today. Maybe because it is not a good time. Maybe so the child can learn patience and the practice of deferred gratification. Maybe so the child learns that they cannot have everything they want and resources are limited. Yet, however good the long term reasons for discipline, the child may still express frustration and unhappiness at not getting what they wanted.

Expansion of what is healthy. Discipline can also be positive such as, with children, an encouragement to eat vegetables or to do their homework! Of course the child can see it as negative despite the positive nature of the instruction.

Correction of error. Additionally, discipline could be exercised as a response to a child doing something wrong. Such discipline could be the withdrawal of a privilege, or the implementation of some form of punishment, or the direction into something positive. Either way, good discipline is exercised not so much as a retribution, but as a way to teach and encourage the child to not repeat the error and to choose to do what is right.

So it is with our God. He is our Father. As a father he wants what is best for you. You might disagree with him, but he is your dad. He is shaping you and changing your attitudes to be like those of Christ Jesus. Unfortunately, knocking off the rough edges is painful. And so Hebrews reflects our experience when it says, “No discipline is pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (12v11)

Our identity can easily be wrapped up in our own correctness; in that case we will struggle with discipline and correction, but again Hebrews says, “Do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves.” (12v5)  Here is the thing, a mark of our knowledge of God’s love towards us is our capacity to receive his rebuke positively. Over the page in James 1, he goes further, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

As an aside, there is of course a lesson for those of us who develop others through the exercise discipline – discipline is always best when exercised out of love.

But here is the main point: What are you struggling with right now? What is your loving heavenly Father training you in at the present time?

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God the Architect.

Hebrews 11v10 “[Abraham] was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  (NIV)

A few days ago, I was meditating on this verse, just thinking about what it meant for God to be the architect and builder …

If you want some building work, you appoint an architect who you expect to specify the design of the building so that it is optimised for your use. He considers:

• The aesthetics – how does it look from both inside and out.
• The layout – does it suit how you want to move around in and use the building
• The climate – what temperature and change of air best suits you
• The structure – ensuring it is strong enough for all circumstances and yet also adaptable as use may change.

God is the architect of the city Abraham was anticipating. It is the new city in the new creation and God the architect knows exactly what is needed. He has designed it perfectly for all of us to enjoy. He has taken into account every aspect of the resurrection life. It will look beautiful, be enduring, be comfortable and be perfect for what we need to do.

God is also the builder. Builders sometimes misunderstand instructions or simply do not do things perfectly. But, God is the builder and there is no misunderstanding between himself!

Knowing this, Abraham was prepared to live in tents as a “stranger in a foreign country” (11v9). So, our security is not in the things of this world, but in the solid foundation of the future city of God.

May you know that hope and security in the future city of God,

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Abraham’s Reasoning.

Hebrews 11v19 “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.”  (NIV)

Abraham was a man of faith in God. His faith was not irrational, but reasoned. There are three things to note about the situation Abraham faced:

• Abraham’s purpose in life was God-given, but it depended on his son Isaac.
• If Abraham obeyed God, his son Isaac would die.
• No one had been raised from the dead before Abraham.

Thinking naturally, the conclusion of this would be that Abraham’s life would be hopeless going forward and so it must be best not to obey God.

But there was and is a higher logic. The logic based on God. I imagine that Abraham’s reasoning went something like this:

• I know God exists because of what I see around me, and also, I have met with God and interacted with him.
• For God to be God, he must have created life in the first place and have all power and authority
• Therefore, he must be able to bring the dead back to life.

This higher logic, this greater reasoning, gave Abraham the faith to obey God’s command even when, from a worldly point of view, it seemed ridiculous.

Does God’s command seem ridiculous to you? Is there something that seems dead in the water? Believer in God, focus on Him! What is God capable of doing?

May God enable us to live our lives on the basis of this higher reasoning “God can …”.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Jesus the Constant.

Hebrews 13v8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”  (NIV)

What can you rely on when things change in this world?

A key message of Hebrews as a whole, and the above verse in particular, is the constancy of Jesus and therefore his complete provision for us. The writer of Hebrews compares the temporary nature of those responsible in the Old Testament (whether powers and authorities, or the persons and policies) with the eternal nature of Jesus.

From this particular verse, I receive the following:

Yesterday and today

– As I read the gospel stories, the Jesus I read about is the same Jesus today. He still has a heart of compassion; he still cares for the lost; he still loves his sheep; he still goes out of his way for the lost; he still teaches with both authority and love; he still has power over nature and over sickness; he was appointed by God, not by man; he is still able to provide all our needs. In fact, he is even more able as he does it through his church and His Spirit, not just in Israel, but all over.

– As I read the book of Acts and the stories of saints through the years, the Jesus they relied on is the same Jesus I can rely on today. The Name that they spoke in power, I can speak in power; the forgiveness they knew, I can know; as they risked their comforts and their possessions for him, so Jesus is worth just as much today.

Forever and today

• As I read the prophecies of Jesus’ return in his glorious kingdom, I know that his heart is for that kingdom now. And he is implementing it in you and I. He is ushering in the reign of love, joy and peace in our hearts as a mirror of what is to come. I can rest my heart in the joy of the Kingdom.
• As I know that Jesus will ultimately deal with all evil, I know that I do not need to respond to evil with evil, but with good. He either deals with it through the cross where he took the punishment and brings forgiveness, or through the final judgment where he exercises justice for what is not forgiven. It is therefore not for me to judge and condemn, it is ultimately up to Jesus.

The sea of external circumstances do not ultimately matter. They may be whipped up and rise and fall, but the only thing that counts is the Rock on which I stand; and the Rock of Jesus stands well above the sea and will endure forever. Keep your feet on solid ground and your eyes up!

Lord, you are the one I count on above all other.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Drinking in the Rain.

Hebrews 6v7 “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.”  (NIV)

Just a little pondering on this verse using the image of farming for our spiritual lives …

Firstly, “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it”:

• The context (v4-6) indicates that the “land” symbolises you and I and the “rain” is the heavenly gift of God’s forgiveness, His Word and the Holy Spirit
• This rain is often falling. It is not withheld, but is available frequently.
• The issue is not the “rain”, but whether the land is hardened in any way and is not able to “drink” it in.
• How is the “land” of my heart? Am I soft and ready to receive the “rain” of God?

Secondly, “and produces a crop useful to those to whom it is farmed”:

• To produce a crop requires the soil to not only drink the rain, but also be fertile.
• Is my heart fertile to produce a crop? (consider also the parable of the sower in Mark 4v1-20)
• It is the landowner who typically receives the crop from the labourers farming the land.
• Who is my “landowner”? Who is the crop of my life most useful to?

Thirdly, “receives the blessing of God”

• There is a sense in which the land has already received God’s blessing in the rain and the fertile nature of the soil.
• But God is one who adds blessing to blessing. (See also Matthew 13v12, “Whoever has will be given more” ) Blessing is not something me manufacture, but is the gift of God.

Lord, all we have is yours; may we be fertile, drink deep and receive your blessing.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

God & Evil.

1 Corinthians 5v6 “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast.”  (NIV)

The presence of evil in our world is our number one problem. It is manifest in a whole manner of ways around us. God knows this and God is going to get rid of all evil when he finally throws Satan and his demons into the fire. We know that God made the way for this victory in Christ’s death and resurrection.

In the Bible, evil is sometimes symbolised as yeast. For example, in Exodus 12, the Israelites are to celebrate the Passover for 7 days with “bread made without yeast”. Then in the New Testament, Jesus uses this imagery when he tells the disciples “I am not talking to you about bread”, but “guard against the yeast of the Pharisees”: then Paul, in the passage above follows on with, “not with … the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread made without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” The message of the yeast analogy is that evil easily spreads through what is otherwise good and so spoils the whole.

And so, the yeast analogy is a call to get rid of evil in our own lives and in the life of the church just as God is going to get rid of evil on that final day. We are called to be disciplined and determined, and so bring God’s certain future into today’s human fragility.

Of course this is only possible as God “pours out his love in our hearts” (Romans 5v5) and as we are “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5v18). Changing the analogy, it is easier to get rid of darkness with light than with anything else!

Lord, fill us with your light.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Prayer for Workers.

Luke 10v2 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.”  (NIV)

Our Vision: What do you see when you look out at the world? – Do you see a great harvest for Jesus? People who desperately need his forgiveness and empowering? People who can be encouraged to respond to His message? Despite the opposition, Jesus saw a great harvest. Lord, open our eyes to what you see.

Our Limits: What boundaries and obstacles do you see? Jesus could see limited resources. A great harvest needs lots of workers to gather it in. If there is a great “combine harvester” in this field, it is the Holy Spirit – but it would seem most of the time, the Holy Spirit uses us, God’s children. Do you feel overwhelmed at the task? If you can see the harvest Jesus sees, you probably do.

Jesus’ solution: God is not limited and he has no boundaries. All creation belongs to him. He is not short of resources. In the previous chapter (Luke 9), Jesus has fed over 5000 from just five loaves and two fish. So Jesus’s clear instruction is to turn to God and ask for the resources necessary for this task. Most pertinent amongst the resources is “workers”. Leaders and managers are great, but what the harvest most needs is workers: people who will get out in the fields equipped with the Holy Spirit (That is the one requirement – Acts 1v8). Jesus tells us to pray for God to send them.

Do you see the harvest here in Telford? In your street or workplace? Do you feel inadequate for the task? Are you praying for God to equip and send out workers? This is definitely a prayer that is in line with the will of God.

Lord of the harvest, send workers into the harvest field of Telford we pray.

With love and blessing,

Roland