I Believe: What Do You Believe?

I Believe: What Do You Believe?

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“I believe there is one salvation
One doorway that leads to life
One redemption, one confession
I believe in the name of Jesus Christ,”

I Believe, Phil Wickham

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Acts 2:42, NIV

I grew up in well established churches with properly and clearly expressed statements of faith.

These churches focused on equipping their congregants theologically.

Being in worship ministry, over the years, I have found myself all over the place. From reformed churches to charismatic churches and all the grey areas in between.

In studying the New Testament it becomes clear to me that there was an established and approved understanding of the Gospel – even if it was perhaps haphazardly and informally compiled – which we can refer to as the Apostles’ teaching. In the centuries that followed the church, through various councils and committees, would attempt to organise this into more formal categories and confessions.

One of the biggest pushbacks I have experienced, especially in the charismatic movement, is the idea that an emphasis on good theology is pharisaical and puts unnecessary restrictions upon the working of the Holy Spirit and the life of the believer.

It seems to me that many believers would rather ‘live by the spirit’ – but by which spirit?

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus did not come to do away with the law and the prophets, but to fulfil it. Living by the Spirit of God leads to a deeper understanding, greater appreciation and better application of the Law and the Prophets in our own faith journey.

One of the things most disconcerting about those involved in certain ‘moves of God’ is the idea that there is no set confession or statement of belief. One of the most troubling revelations is the fact that even leaders in the Body – preachers and teachers – have little or even no understanding of even basic concepts like the Godhead, the divinity of Jesus and the personage of the Holy Spirit and are tossed to and fro by every new wind of ‘revelation’.

And it is because of a lack of proper theological exposition and meditation in the church.

The legendary physicist Richard Feynman is quoted as saying that if you can’t explain an idea to an 8 year old, chances are you don’t understand it yourself.

C.S. Lewis said: “If you cannot translate your own thoughts into uneducated language, then your thoughts are confused. The power to translate is the test of having understood one’s own meaning.”

And that is exactly what the creeds and confessions of old attempted to do: to take vast amounts of theological exposition and condense it into easy to read, easy to understand – almost viral – statements of what we as Christians believe.

The fact is this – the Bible is actually really easy to understand. So is theology.

And yes, good theology can be a great source of unity in the church but it is also divisive. It is divisive because it makes clear the separation between the sheep and the goats, the wheat and the chaff, of our own minds.

It is easy for the Gospel and our understanding of spiritual things to become complicated and tangled up like a pair of earphones in a junk-drawer – but with just a little effort on our side we can keep it simple, clear and concise.

I want to challenge you today to clarify your own understanding of your faith.

What is your confession?

What do you believe?

And would you be able to translate even the more complex aspects of your faith into language that an 8 year old could understand?

A good place to start is by looking at the creeds and confessions of those who have come before. As a starting point I would recommend that you take a look at the Nicene Creed. Read it. Memorise it if possible. Commit it to mind and take it to heart.

If you are up to a challenge I would urge you to start a journal and put your thoughts down on paper – this way you will have a record of your own growth in understanding, and hopefully a map you can use to explain and describe the landscape of your faith to those in your personal mission field.

This is the first step in embracing proper, healthy theology in the church. This is the first step towards growing in your own understanding of the faith (the application of the Bible as the source of what we believe) and in helping others grow as well.

Good theology does not put restrictions on the life of the believer, but rather creates the space in which to grow.

These statements guard the purity of our faith. They guard our minds and hearts by establishing us in truth and keeping us away from controversy.

What do you believe?

And how will you share these simple, unadulterated truths with others?

Prayer: Lord, help me to have a clearer vision of what I believe. As I read Your Word, as I listen to the preaching of Your Word, and as I strive to share and live Your Word – help me to stay true to Your Word. Give me understanding. Help me express truth boldly and concisely. Help me bring across the Gospel of Your Kingdom clearly. Let me never wander or stray, but let me stay faithful to Your Word in everything I do and say. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Behold: The Light of the World

Behold: The Light of the World

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

Behold the King has come, divinity incarnate
Creator of the world, breathing our air
Behold what light has come, and the dark cannot contain it
The Savior of the world is finally here”

Behold, Travis Cottrell

“4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

John 1:4-5, NKJV

There is a famous C.S. Lewis quote where he compares the rising of the sun to Christianity.

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

The Psalmist says: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to guide my path…” (Psalm 119:105:)

Jesus, as the Word made Flesh, is the Light of the World (John 1, Isaiah 42:6) – comes to illuminate – to demonstrate The Way to us as believers. To SHOW us The Way as a lamp unto our feet and a light to guide our path.

John says the following: “In Him was life and this life was the light of men. The darkness could not comprehend it.”

‘Comprehend’ here, in the New King James version, is translated in many other translations as ‘overcome’, ‘overwhelm’, ‘overpower’ and some other variations – which seems to be a more accurate translation of the Greek word ‘katalambanó’.

Yes, the darkness – the ignorance and arrogance of the world – could not understand the light that was in Christ, but it also could not overpower and overwhelm it.

This is important for us as believers in this current age to understand.

Where many are being brainwashed by the culture of our day – where even basic definitions such as ‘man’ or ‘woman’ – basic biological, scientific terms – are being blurred by wilful ignorance, we need to stand up for truth.

Where definitions of ‘justice’ are being twisted, where ‘good’ and ‘evil’ have become nothing more than arbitrary grey areas – we need to understand that truth is not subjective. Truth is found in Christ.

As Christians it is easy for us who know the Truth to get discouraged by the state of affairs around us.

I look at the younger generations and my heart breaks. There is so much confusion…

There are often talks about taking Christianity out of schools, keeping it away from and out of Government with a ten-foot pole and barring it from the workplace.

In these trying times we must stand strong and know that those who came before us in the faith faced

St. Patrick, in the spirit of the Gospel of John, draws the following comparison between Jesus and the sun:

“The sun which we see rising for us each day at his command, that sun will never reign nor will its splendour continue forever; and all those who adore that sun will come to a bad, miserable penalty. We, however, believe in and adore the true sun, that is, Christ, who will never perish.” (Conf., 60)

The World does not ‘recognize’, ‘comprehend’ or ‘understand’ the Light that is in Jesus, turning instead to the sun of their own intellect. This however will lead them, as Patrick said, to a bad and miserable penalty as they find even their truth being folded up and perishing in the greater scheme of eternity.

We however, believe in and adore the True Sun, the Risen Son, Jesus Christ – the one who will never perish – and most importantly will never be overwhelmed by the shadows cast by an inferior source.

So, keep true to the faith – even when darkness tries to overwhelm. Even when the arrogance and ignorance of this world tries to silence us. We will stay true to Jesus and The Way He came to demonstrate.

Let us endeavour to keep our lights shining – let the moon of our lives reflect the light from the Sun of His Righteousness – the confusion of this world will eventually pass away, but in Him we have our eternal reward.

Prayer: Lord, help me today to know where the line is drawn and to not cross it – let there be no compromise in my life when it comes to the truth. I am called to be in the world, but not like it. If I have, in my thinking or believing strayed from Your path, right my course dear Lord. And let me hold fast to the promises of Your Word, let me hold fast to the Truth, even when a multitude of voices around me sow confusion. Let me find refuge in You and what You have ordained. Jesus, be my center. Be the light that guides my path so that I might have life eternal with You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

This is Our God: Those Walls Called Sin And Shame

This is Our God: Those Walls Called Sin And Shame

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Remember those walls that we called sin and shame?
They were like prisons that we couldn’t escape
But He came, and He died, and He rose
Those walls are rubble now”

This is our God, Phil Wickham

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners…”

Isaiah 61:1, NIV

Good news.

Much of the Bible is about the good news of the Kingdom come.

This is the Gospel. That Jesus came to give hope to the hopeless, show the Father to the orphan, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and our release from the darkness of our sin and shame.

Shame is probably one of the most vicious, heaviest chains we carry.

Shame is the very definition of a vicious cycle. Not only is it rooted in sin – both sins committed by and against us – but it also inevitably becomes the root of further sin as we dig the hole in our hearts deeper.

I need you to realize today that you can be a model Christian and live a near perfect life, especially in the eyes of others, and yet be struggling with some aspect of your ‘private life’. You can be a good, Jesus-loving, God-fearing Christian, and still have a room in your heart that you have not yet surrendered to Christ.

It took me years to finally let go of the shame of my addiction, and it might not be easy for you either – but there is hope. As you build your prayer life… As you read about Jesus… As you allow the Holy Spirit to breathe life into the text of the Bible and let the Word come alive in you… As you surrender that room in your heart to God and let Him in you will find that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, but instead a superior hope, a peace that surpasses understanding and a joy unspeakable and full of glory.

The solution to every sin-problem and shame-condition is the unconditional and absolute love of God found in Jesus Christ.

I want to urge you to let Jesus into that area of your life where you are experiencing shame and hurt. Whether that shame was caused through something you did or something that was done to you – there is healing in Jesus.

Don’t let shame force you to live a life of fear, insecurity and hopelessness.

There is hope. There is Jesus.

You are loved. You are His. He loves you and He will never stop, no matter what!

Prayer: Lord, help me today to see the areas of my life where shame has a hold of me. Help me see the vicious cycles in my life for what they are. Where they might feel never-ending, where it might feel like I am perpetually going in circles, help me see that You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. You are my way out of this slow of despondency. You are my way out of the cycle of shame. Help me, Lord, to see that I am not who my shame says I am, but rather who You say I am. I am loved. I am Yours. Help me recognize the areas of my life where I need to repent. Come into my heart Lord and rearrange my furniture. Come and show me what I need to keep doing and what it is I need to stop doing so that You may be glorified in my life. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Praise: Sometimes It’s A Sacrifice

Praise: Sometimes It’s A Sacrifice

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

I’ll praise when outnumbered
Praise when surrounded
‘Cause praise is the water
My enemies drown in”

Praise, Elevation Worship

“15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Hebrews 13:15-16: NIV

It used to be, in the Old Testament, that a sacrifice would inevitably cost something its life.

The first thing that comes to mind is the two Shofars sitting in my living room. I have one made from a Sabel horn, and another, made by a dear friend who has since passed on to be with the Lord, made from the horn of a seemingly large Kudu.

These are instruments of praise and warfare.

In Ancient times these horns would serve to sound a warning or signal an attack.

As a ritual instrument the Hebrew peoples used it to announce the New Moon, sound the Sabbath and celebrate the anointing of a king, It was a call to worship and rejoicing.

At Rosh Hashana every year the Shofar is sounded to call the Jewish people to spiritual reawakening and revival.

It is a powerful instrument with some very powerful connotations attached to it.

At the Sinai Revelation in Exodus 19 we read that the coming of the Lord was accompanied by thunder, lightning, fire and smoke – but also the loud blast of a trumpet that made the people tremble.

The Psalmist writes that God is enthroned, triumphantly, amidst the loud shouts of His people and the blasting of the trumpets. (Psalm 47).

And the trumpet – made from the horn of a ram – is the product of sacrifice.

A life was given for the worship to sound.

The Sacrifice of Jesus upon the Cross, much like the blowing of the shofar, is a call to worship.

We are called to worship Christ, not just by paying lip service, but by living a life worthy of the one He gave.

We are called to follow in kind by laying our lives down upon the altar of His love.

One of the definitions of sacrifice is to give up something valued for other considerations. We are called to give up the things we value and value Him above all else – give what He considers valuable priority in our lives.

This is what true worship is – it’s not a song or a reading on a Sunday morning – it goes far beyond. It is a lifestyle.

We have often made very arbitrary distinctions between praise and worship – but in a lot of cases they are the exact same thing. Praise is an expression of admiration, reverence, respect and gratitude towards another.

When the Shofar sounds it often sounds like crying or wailing.

Even in our darkest days we are called to worship. God is worthy of our praise and our adoration no matter what it is we are going through. And often this is where praise is a sacrifice.

When we worship God in our crying and our wailing – when in sorrow we turn to song instead of despondency.

We are often surrounded by situations and circumstances. We often feel outnumbered – overwhelmed – but in all these things, if we can adopt a posture of praise, we will see Jesus come in our situation.

I have suffered from clinical depression for a very long time, and on my bad days – when I don’t even feel like getting out of bed – the best thing I can do is grab my guitar and sing my love to the Lord. The best thing I can do is get up and go and love my neighbour – as the author of Hebrews says – to do good and share with others.

And when we do this, when we carry the light of our salvation out to others, we see the light of Christ shine all the brighter in our own lives.

The depression lifts. The darkness dissipates.

And this often feels like a sacrifice. What the carnal mind and body wants in that moment is a pity party. I want to wallow in it. I want to hide in my cave. I want to bewail my situation.

The last thing on my mind when something horrible happens is to praise God, much less to go do good to others.

But when we adopt the posture of praise even in our darkest days and make this sacrifice of praise we will see God enthroned amidst the loud shouts of our hearts and the sounding of the trumpets.

When we adopt this posture of perpetual praise we will see God enthroned amidst the loud shouts of our hearts and the sounding of the trumpets – and your bad days will seem less and less – as your focus shifts from staring into the abyss towards looking up towards and beholding the beauty of His grace.

God is worthy of our adoration and worship no matter how we are feeling – and when we make the sacrifice of praise, even in the midst of our misery, we will see God turning graves into gardens as He revives, reawakens and restores us.

Prayer: Lord, help me praise You in the storm today. Give me the wisdom to set my eyes upon You. Let me not look to the left, nor to the right. Do not let my feelings come between us, oh Lord, for You are worth more than my feelings – You deserve my praise and my love on my good days and my worst days. You deserve all of me – whether on the mountain or in the valley. Let me rejoice in hope even when I feel hopeless. Open the eyes of my heart Lord and help me see that there is no shadow of turning with You – you are unchanging and eternal – and though my feelings might be fickle, Your promises are trusted and true. You have promised to never leave me nor forsake me. Let me dwell in the house of the Lord forever, postured to praise, no matter what my situation might be – be enthroned in my life. In the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Trust in God

Trust in God

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine
He’s been my fourth man in the fire, time after time
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough”

Trust in God, Elevation Worship

“Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”

Psalm 40:4: (NKJV)

Trust and faith seem to be inextricably intertwined, so much so that they can be used interchangeably in most cases. In my experience the only real difference is the context in which they are most often employed. Faith implies some sort of mysticism or spirituality where trust just feels more tangible and material in a lot of ways.

In Psalm 40 David explores this concept of trust, contemplating on what it means to trust in God.

Trust is most often used to describe a relational situation where we have confidence in the reliability, truth and ability of someone or something.

David had a relationship with God. He was a friend of God. He loved God, and God loved him – flaws and all.

I like David. I feel strongly linked to him and relate to him on a level that I cannot explain. For a long time I thought it was because of a shared love of poetic and musical expression – but the truth is it is because we are both extremely broken people who go through valleys, fight giants, hide in caves and make huge mistakes – and yet… God, with His infinite love, mercy and grace picks us up every time, dusts us off and puts us back on solid ground.

David starts Psalm 40 with “I waited patiently on the Lord…”

It is easy for us to get discouraged in our waiting. The journey sometimes gets too long, the road winds too much – in the valley we look up at the mountain and wonder how we are going to get there.

I am no stranger to discouragement.

At a recent outreach I was talking to a young man who was struggling to get up in the morning – he just didn’t see the point in living any more.

I am no stranger to that kind of depression and existential anxiety – the kind that makes you want to crawl into a cave and hide there.

In all of this though, I have never lost trust in God.

I came to faith in a time and in a church where the Gospel was preached. Not prosperity, not promises of wealth and good health – but the Gospel. And yes, God promises all kinds of good things in His Word, but the moment these things become the centre of our faith we have lost sight of Jesus.

The Gospel is this: God so loved the world that He took on flesh and hung on the cross for us – so that we may be free of our burden of sin and the sting of death.

The Gospel is this: God loved us while we were still His enemies. He saved us from an eternity of fire and brimstone and restored us to proper relationship and right standing with Him.

In this life we will have trouble. There will be times when we are in the fire – He will be the Fourth Man in the inferno. There will be times when we feel we are sinking, but He will extend His Hand and help us take the waves in our stride.

Jesus is not a get rich quick scheme. Jesus is not some kind of quick fix or a band aid for what ails you.

You will still mourn. You will still grieve. There will still be situations and circumstances in your life – no matter how much ‘dominion’ you take over it.

But in all of this – in the sorrow and in the despair, in the pain and the anguish, in the trials and tribulations – we still rejoice. In the fire and in the flood we stand strong in the knowledge that we are not alone. He is with us.

I particularly like the way the NIV phrases Psalm 40:4: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.”

If there is one thing I have learnt from looking at the life of David it is that we all go through ups and downs – but God never fails.

His love will always be a balm to the broken heart, a comfort in sorrow and a firm foundation for us to stand upon. His love will always be more than enough for me.

Let us look towards the exalted Christ today. Let us look upon His beautiful face. Let us leave our idols in the fire where they belong. Let us leave our pride in the flood.

Let us look towards Jesus and trust Him, fully confident in His truth, reliability and ability to carry us through.

In perfect submission to His will and His purpose we find rest, peace and contentment. In perfect submission to Him – whether rich or poor, sick or healthy – we will know the God that David knew. This God in whom we can charge an army. The God in which we can jump over even the highest wall.

In perfect submission to His heart, will and mind for us we can rest easy knowing that He never fails. We can endure all things, do all things, make it through in Him – when we stand firm in the knowledge that He loves us.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your love today. Thank You for never giving up on me, even though sometimes I feel like giving up. Thank You Jesus for seeing past all my flaws and failures, all my mistakes and for loving me regardless. Thank You Lord that in You I am made strong. Even when my bank account is empty, even when my pantry has run dry – when the fig tree does not blossom, and the vines carry no fruit – I will trust in You. Even when the flock is cut off from the fold – even when my heart faints and my body fails, I will trust in You! Give me the strength to endure, Lord. Give me the strength to wait patiently on You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Hosanna: Come Save!

Hosanna: Come Save!

by | Apr 25, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees, we’re on our knees”

Hosanna, Hillsong

“14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.“

2 Chronicles 7:14: NKJV

When Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowds went ahead of Him shouting: “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!”

Hosanna is used for the first time in Matthew 21:9: and is derived from a Hebrew phrase: Hoshiya Na – which is a desperate and heartfelt cry for help – “please, save!”

In the Triumphal Entry of Jesus, coming into Jerusalem, the crowds cry out: “Hosanna, come save!”

A few days later they are condemning Him to the Cross.

In our modern Christianity we have very often forgotten the meaning and significance of not just specific phrases and passages of scripture, but even the meaning and significance of certain individual words in their original context.

Hosanna is a prayer, in the tradition of many of the Psalms, a plea for salvation.

Our modern interpretation of the word is more a shout of joy and excitement – instead of being a call for salvation it is a rejoicing in the coming of salvation. Instead of “come, salvation”, we cry “salvation has come!”

But are we perhaps losing something in the process?

In this fastfood, instant gratification culture that we live in, faced with the ills and evils of a society calling for the ‘death of God’ it seems that we can learn a thing or two from the original context.

Yes, we who have Christ have much to rejoice about – certainly it is right for us to cry out “hosanna, salvation has come’ – but I turn again to the great revivalist Jonathan Edwards and his sermon “On the Preciousness of Time”:

“Christians should not only study to improve the opportunities they enjoy, for their own advantage, as those who would make a good bargain; but also labor to reclaim others from their evil courses…”

How then shall our labour look?

In the second book of Chronicles we see a heartfelt prayer – a plea for the salvation and habitation of God – as Solomon dedicated the Temple to God.

God answers in the next chapter:

”13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-16: NIV)

We as the church find ourselves in a place of dryness. There is a very real drought.

Yes, in some pockets of the world we have seen what looks like revival, but in many of these cases it is not an outpouring of restoration, but rather a cistern of emotion breaking open and we find that it is short lived and evanescent in nature.

Real revival can only be birthed from the womb of prayer.

Our music – filled with jubilant shouts of salvation has come – will not turn the world around. We have been singing this happy hosanna for decades now and yet we see only the most shallow change.

Eloquent preaching, although moving, can only move us to a point – but what do we do when we find it is not enough? Many fall away from the faith because of pretty promises based on bad theology, or even worse, when the preacher falls the parish falls with him…

We rejoice in our salvation – but it is as Edwards implies – a little flock focused on improving the opportunities they enjoy. We sing the happy hosanna but forget the other side of the coin.

There is a dying world. And if their burden is not our burden we are doing something wrong.

It is not enough for me to seek my healing and forget the world. I need to get up and seek my Father’s Heart and Will – I need to get up and seek the restoration of His people.

And what does that look like? Big churches built with silver and gold? Seeker-friendly worship? Program upon program to attract and entertain? No!

The restoration of our communities is found on our knees. It is found in the taking up of arms – the weapons of our warfare, prayer and intercession – as we take hands and pray, giving God no rest as we take no rest in seeking Him!

As we cry, restore us oh Lord! As our heart breaks for what breaks His heart! As we cry out, Hosanna, come and save!

If we do this, if we will humble ourselves and pray, we will see God move in our midst again.

Prayer: Oh Lord, let me answer this call to arms, this call to take up the station of intercession, with a yielded and unrelenting ‘yes’. Move me Lord, through the unction of Your Spirit, to pray for revival. To pray for my community. To pray for my friends, my colleagues, my loved ones – and even those who I don’t get along with. Give me eyes to see what You see. Give me eyes to see deeper so that I might grow in my discernment and know what to pray. Lead me deeper Lord in Your Word. Teach me how to wage war like You taught David. Put Your Word in my mouth as I pray for real revival to come again. Not a flame that flickers faintly before dying out, but a raging forest fire – uncontained, unrestrained and burning up our enemies of doubt, fear and unbelief. In Jesus Name. Amen.