Grace and Truth

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The Lord Looks After His Own

Friday street-preaching I encountered a hostility which I have never encountered before.  It actually left me a little flinders stdisturbed all weekend.

I was there with my little group, 5 of us, and my new PA, graciously provided by God. Because it was raining we set up under the shelter at the train station.

Before long I was preaching and praise the Lord, the anointing fell down on that place. People were listening, some were recording on their mobile phones. One of the ladies with me said it was so amazing that she felt to repent all over again.

But then out came the cops. One of them said that I can’t preach there, I need a permit , blah blah etc. I had done my homework and so very respectfully I told him that I am allowed to preach without a permit as it comes under the Freedom of Speech Act. He acquiesced but told me to turn the PA down, it was too loud (I’ve never had that problem before!).

So we kept going. We had many good conversations with people – a syncretistic muslim who simultaneously is reading the Bible and the Q’uran. He said he is going to come back again to continue our conversation. A confused Christian who thought that his occult gifts had been given him by God in order to help others. He left saying that he is going home to get rid of all his astrology etc books and tapes, renounce it all and repent. I pray that he did.

woman preacherThen preaching again. Then the anointing again. Then the cops again.

This time he was agitated.

“No, you cant keep doing this! You have to go now!”

I didn’t know what to do to be honest, as I am of the opinion to respect authority. However I knew he was on Satan’s errand and that I was perfectly within my rights to be there.

However, God stepped in on my behalf and the policeman’s partner, whom previously had said nothing, quietly said, “Just turn it down a bit more.”

So I did and I never saw them again.

But that’s when the real fun began. I went around handing out tracts to people and came to a bloke who was physically huge with a long, white beard. He looked like a biker. I tried to hand him a tract and immediately he started blaspheming Jesus. As I could see that the conversation was going nowhere I started to move away from him. That’s when he started on me.

“You crazy, deluded lady! You are crazy.  You think you know Jesus.  Oh you’ve met Him have you?” He said this while looking me in the eye and then openly laughed a mocking laugh at me.

I’ve been called many things before, actually things a lot worse than what he called me. I’ve had horrendous swear words, blasphemies thrown at me while preaching. I’ve had people laugh and shake their heads at me, but somehow this was worse than all of that. I think it’s because he looked at me in the eye while he said it and laughed. It was disturbing. I realised that this man was full of demons.  A mocking spirit was very obvious and I took myself away from him.

It entered my mind that he was so big he could probably kill me with one punch. Now this is not a typical thought for me on the street. I rarely ever feel unsure or threatened out there because the presence of the Lord is so real.

Anyhow I started preaching again and he stayed to heckle me. This was ok by me though. Strange as it sounds I enjoy a good heckle. I find the Holy Spirit anointing is so strong when I am being heckled. Also, it draws a crowd, and therefore more people hear the gospel.

He was screaming at me while I preached. You know – crazy lady, blah blah blah. He was trying to drown me out and he almost did because my PA had been turned down so much. He shut up for a little while until I preached about the coming day of wrath and to flee to Jesus from the wrath that is to come. Well, that set him right off again.

“You are preaching hate!! Hate preacher. I’ll get you for religious vilification.”  For a while all I could hear was the word “hate”.

I realised he was waving around a Q’uran. Aha – not a biker dude, an Aussie muslim convert.

Well he kept going and I kept going. There was a crowd. It was quite fun.

Every now and then though a thought would pop in my mind that he may come over and break my arm with one flick of his wrist. He really hated me, that much I knew.

To my left then I noticed were two men standing there. They looked like workmen because they were wearing orange high-vis vests. They were standing in the rain, although they could have easily fit under the cover. They stood together and quietly talked whilst intensely watching the big man screaming at me.

They never once looked at me, nor even in my direction. They kept their eyes firmly planted on him, and I immediately knew that they were there to protect me. I just knew that my Father had sent them to watch over me and that if screaming man took one step towards me they would intervene.

I wonder if they were angels? I have no idea if they were or not, but I knew like I knew that God had sent them there.

After I finished preaching and started packing up to leave the big man was still screaming at me. He was still saying that he was going to get me for religious vilification.

The two workmen were still standing watching him.  When he finally shut up and started losing interest I looked back and they were gone.

cropped-jesus.jpgAnyway then we went to McDonalds for lunch and praised God for an awesome time.

One thing I know for sure : that when we obey the Lord He will provide for us and He will watch over us. I left there with the sense that Jesus is happy with us.

God bless you my dear brothers and sisters,

Belinda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Jesus and the Golden Lampstand

TabernacleLeaving the Outer Court of the Tabernacle of Moses, we now enter the Holy Place, the place of fellowship with God.

 

The contrast between the Holy Place and the Outer Court is immediately apparent.

 

The Outer Court The Holy Place
The Outer Court is outside, lit by the daylight. The Holy Place is enclosed, lit only by the Golden Lampstand

 
The furniture is made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze The Holy Place’s furniture is made of gold or acacia wood overlaid with gold

 
The Israelites were free to bring offerings here Only the priests were allowed to enter the Holy Place to minister to God and for fellowship with Him.

 

hpThe Holy Place

Imagine stepping from the daylight, through the heavy door and into the Holy Place. Here there was no daylight, only the light from the beautiful golden candlestick to your left casting a soft glow over the Golden Altar in front of you and the Table of Showbread to your right.

It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust but when they do, you see that it is positively luminous within the Holy Place. Everything is shimmering gold, reflecting the light of the candlestick. In fact the wood-panelled walls are overlaid with gold and so the whole room seems to glow in the soft, golden light.

The Golden Lampstand

The Golden Lampstand was made from solid gold. It was not cast in a mould, neither was it made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. It was hammered from one piece of pure gold. The only other piece of furniture in the Tabernacle of Moses that was made of pure gold was the Mercy Seat with Cherubim, which was in the Most Holy Place.

“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, lampstandits branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece….It shall be made of a talent of pure gold” Exodus 25:31, 39

 

The Beauty of the Lampstand

The Lampstand had a main shaft with six branches protruding out of it, three on each side. At the top of each branch was a small gold bowl in the shape of almond blossoms which held the olive oil for burning. So in total there were seven branches and seven bowls. Each branch had ornamental knobs and flowers hammered into it.

“And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side.  Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand.  On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower.  And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand.  Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold.  You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold.  It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils.”

What a stunning piece of artwork! God certainly doesn’t do anything by halves, He is the ultimate artisan. And He is still creating beautiful artworks today in His church, ie, you and me.

Of course, not only was this lampstand beautiful, but it also shows forth significant truths.

 

How the Materials of the Lampstand Point to Christ

As we have seen from our previous studies, every single item contained within the Tabernacle had a purpose and a divine pattern. God uses the Tabernacle to reveal His precious Son; and the Golden Lampstand’s purpose is no different.

Gold: always points to deity/divinity. This shows us the divinity of Christ. The Lampstand was made of one piece of gold and hammered into shape.

Hammered: the hammering of the gold points to the sufferings of Christ

Seven: is the number of divine perfection/completion. It is the number given to the Holy Spirit, ie. “The seven spirits of God” (Rev 1:4; Rev 4:5, Isaiah 11:2-3) whom Jesus has, “He who has the seven Spirits of God…” Revelation 3:1

Almond blossom: were hammered into shape on the branches of the lampstand. The significance of the almond is also pictured in the story of the blossoming of Aaron’s rod in Numbers 17.

 

The Significance of the Almond Blossomalmond blossom

Moses’ brother Aaron was the High Priest of Israel. This was a position to which God Himself called Aaron. When others rebelled and contested Aaron’s High Priestly role, God commanded Moses to :

“Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house.  Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom” Numbers 17:1-5

The next day it was Aaron’s rod that had “sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.” Numbers 17:8

The miracle of a long dead piece of wooden rod sprouting new life was God’s confirmation to all of Israel that Aaron was the man he had endorsed to be in the High Priestly role.

But this miracle pointed to something even more significant.

Aaron as High Priest of the Old Covenant foreshadows Christ as our great High Priest now in the New Covenant:

“…We have such a high Priest who is seated at the right had of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man.” Hebrews 8:1,2

Jesus is the Man whom God has ordained to be His Great High Priest. And God’s approval of Aaron’s High Priestly role foreshadows His endorsement of Christ’s High Priestly role. That is, through the resurrection.

You see, the almond tree was the first to blossom in Israel after the cold, winter months. The first tree to bring forth life from death. So Aaron’s dead rod physically brought forth life from death to show God’s approval of him. And of course, the anti-type is God raising Christ physically from the dead after His sufferings, being God’s ultimate seal of approval.

jesus tombThe Golden Lampstand’s branches have almond blossoms beaten into their golden shape to show forth Christ’s resurrection from the dead after His sufferings.

 

Next ….

 

 

 


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Street Preaching and the Homeless

Friday we went into the city to street preach.  flinders st

Unfortunately my PA didn’t work properly, on every third word or so it would cut out.  So I couldn’t preach as my voice isn’t naturally strong.

But God sent Tony, the homeless man whom we met two times ago.

Tony used his God-given, very loud, male voice to open-air preach. Thank God for men.

Tony has no home, no money, hardly any clothes.  But I tell you what – he is one of the best preachers I’ve ever heard.  Not just one of the best street-preachers, but I mean, any preacher.  That includes pastors, televangelists, you know, the ones who’ve grown rich on Churchianity.

On the street, his home, Tony shares his testimony. He was a drug addict who’d done time in prison.  He was a murderer of the heart.  But one day he met Jesus.  And Jesus changed him.

“You may think I’m crazy!” he cries, “Well I am!  I am crazy for Jesus!”

Praise God for that.

open airWhere are all the pastors, the ministers, the ones who get paid to stand up in front of a nice, middle-class congregation on a Sunday morning?  Where are they?  I have not seen them on the streets.

Instead God is using us, a ragtag bunch of women, and one homeless guy.

“In that day I will assemble the lame and gather the outcasts and those whom I’ve afflicted.  I will make the lame a remnant and the outcast a strong nation.” Micah 4:6

 

Truly God uses the lame, the weak, the outcast.  Btw, of us women:

1 is an ex-muslim, ex-alcoholic, ex-agoraphobic (see From Muhammed to Jesus)

1 is an ex-atheist

1 is an ex-Christian cult

All glory to the Lord Jesus Christ!

 

So Jesus used us outcasts to save “D”, another homeless man, on Friday.  He came up to us and told us he is a thief and a drug addict. No hope for him.  I told him about the thief on the cross.  He said he shot up ice that morning.

Tony sat with him on the ground and talked with him.  He ended up leading him to Christ.

I have rarely seen a more beautiful sight than two homeless guys sitting together talking about the love of God.  One in the love of Christ leading the other to Christ.

“Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread”

(Oh – and the Lord sent me a Christian after we finished on Friday who provided another PA for us! He is a good God.)

Blessings,

Belinda 🙂

 

 


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I Believe in Brokenness

hisloveThis vessel

broken by

anxiety

depression

 

This vessel

broken by

persecution

rejection

 

This vessel had been hard,

callous

and full of Self

 

But this vessel needed to be

used

and taken from the shelf

 

God knew it would take

some major breaking,

even some smashing-

 

For the Self-life

to be conquered

’twas so secure there

in its bastion

 

And oh I’m glad He did

that He cared enough for me

to take me and break me

pastorsponderings.org

pastorsponderings.org

 

From Self to set me free

 

It hurt, it killed

at times too hard to bear

but my God – He did it

For Himself He had to share


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Missionary Quotations: A.B. Simpson

AB Simpson

AB Simpson

“The chief danger of the Church today is that it is trying to get on the same side as the world, instead of turning the world upside down. Our Master expects us to accomplish results, even if they bring opposition and conflict. Anything is better than compromise, apathy, and paralysis. God give to us an intense cry for the old-time power of the Gospel and the Holy Ghost!”  A. B. Simpson


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Our Kinsman-Redeemer

From the blog   http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/lev25v25.html

The “nearest kinsman” or “kinsman redeemer” is a “Goel”. The word means to redeem, receive or buy back.

What is a Kinsman-Redeemer?

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Provision was made in the Law of Moses for the poor person who was forced to sell part of his property or himself into slavery. His nearest of kin could step in and “buy back” what his relative was forced to sell (Leviticus 25:48f). The kinsman redeemer was a rich benefactor, or person who frees the debtor by paying the ransom price. “If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold” (Leviticus 25:25; cf. Ruth 4:4, 6).

The nearest of kin had the responsibility of redeeming his kinsman’s lost opportunities. If a person was forced into slavery, his redeemer purchased his freedom. When debt threatened to overwhelm him, the kinsman stepped in to redeem his homestead and let the family live. If a family member died without an heir the kinsman gave his name by marrying the widow and rearing a son to hand down his name (Deuteronomy 25:5; Genesis 38:8; Ruth 3-4). When death came at the hands of another man the redeemer acted as the avenger of blood and pursued the killer (Numbers 35:12-34; Deuteronomy 19:1-3).

“Goel” was used of things consecrated to God (Leviticus 27:13“31), of God as redeeming man (Exodus 6:6; Isaiah 43:1; 44:22; 48:20; 49:7), and those redeemed by God (Isaiah 35:9; 51:10; Job 19:25). The right of redemption and the office belonged to the nearest kinsman, or “near of kin, near relative” (Leviticus 25:25; Ruth 3:12; 4:1, 6, 8, etc.). Yahweh is the great Kinsman of His people. When their liberty was lost in Egypt, He rescued them from bondage. “I am the LORD . . . I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6).

 

“Goel” in the Bible

The ancient patriarch Job complained that no one came to redeem him! His faith is seen reaching out and proclaiming that Yahweh will provide His Goel! “As for me, I know that my redeemer (kinsman) lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth” (Job 19:25). Job’s hope looked to the coming Messiah. He affirmed his faith that his redeemer will come to the earth.

One of the most beautiful passages where the word Goel is found is in the life of Naomi in the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth is a story about Naomi’s Goel. Naomi was the poorest person in Israel, but her kinsman was the richest man in Israel. Because of the death of her husband and two sons, she and her daughter-in-laws lost all income and their homestead. Naomi was living in a foreign land and sensed the loss of her homeland and relatives. She became bitter. The secret of all her daughter-in-law Ruth had was in union with Boaz. The nearer kinsman had the first right to the property and Boaz came next after him. If Ruth’s closer relative would not redeem or purchase it, Boaz was prepared to do so. The man who was nearest of kin agreed to redeem the piece of land until he found out there was a young widow involved. He graciously backed out! That left Boaz as the rightful nearest of kin who had the privilege of redeeming her land and her with it. The Moabitess and the Jew became one. Boaz was nearest of kin to her deceased husband (Ruth 2:1). He was able to redeem by paying the price of redemption (2:1), and he was willing to redeem the land (4:4). That is what makes this epic so beautiful.

Four things were required in order for a kinsman to redeem:

  1. He must be near of kin. (Leviticus 25:48; 25:25 Ruth 3:12-13)
  2. He must be able to redeem (Ruth 4:4-“6). He must be free of any calamity or need of redemption himself.
  3. He must be willing to redeem (Ruth 4:6ff)
  4. Redemption was completed when the price was completely paid (Leviticus 25:27; Ruth 4:7-11).

Jesus Christ is my Goel.

  1. Jesus is my nearest kinsman through the incarnation.”For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). He was like us in every way except that He never experienced sin. “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). In order to identify Himself with us He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). “Jesus you are my kinsman redeemer. You had the right to redeem me.” Thank God, He has the right to redeem all that I have lost.

2.  Jesus has the power to redeem me. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). He assumed our debt and paid it with His life. Cf. Hebrews 1:2-3).
3. Jesus is willing to redeem me. Jesus Christ “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14; cf. 1 John 1:7; 2:2; Hebrews 10:12; 4:16; 2:17). Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus is referring to His voluntary, sacrificial, vicarious, and obedient payment to effect the release of slaves or captives from bondage. “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (John 10:17-18).

4. Jesus has paid the price in full and I have received my redemption. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The invitation is still open. Jesus is the sinner’s nearest kinsman. It is our responsibility to lie at the feel of our Goel, and say, “Cover me with your blood and grace” (cf. Ruth 3:9). “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). “I have believed,” is in the perfect tense in the Greek text. Paul is saying, “I have believed and my faith is a firmly settled conviction.” God is keeping guard over him. “Persuaded” is also in perfect tense, therefore Paul had come to a settled persuasion regarding the matter and was fixed in an permanent position. You could not move him. There are some things of which I am absolutely sure.
Our redemption is precious. Our salvation has been purchased at a great and personal cost because the Lord Jesus gave Himself for our sins in order to deliver us from them. Our forgiveness is based on the ransom price of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Ephesians 1:7). The redemption work of Jesus Christ delivers believers from the slavery to sin. The means of redemption is the substitutionary death of Christ as a sacrifice for our sin. It is “through His blood” which is the ransom payment (cf. Eph. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Only the death of Christ completely satisfied God’s justice (Rom. 3:24-25).

Go back to ancient Israel in the time of the Judges. Can’t you see Naomi holding her grandson in her arms? Her neighbors said, “A son has been born to Naomi!” They named him Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of King David (4:17), of the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). God had redeemed her.

The words of Naomi’s friends are a fitting reminder of God’s grace in our lives. “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer (or closest relative) today, and may his name become famous in Israel” (Ruth 4:14).