The Lion roars

September 2008 - even more relevant today 2019

Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah stands over this nation

He roars over the land      

Strongholds tremble and fall

Arise church and take your place

Declare the goodness of God to an unbelieving generation

Declare His love, His mercy, His forgiveness

The lion shakes his mane and gold dust falls over the land

Each fleck of gold is a glint of glory

Every speck is a miracle, a healing, a sign.

Gold falls as snow on the nation

Glory covers the land.

Church arise, declare the goodness of God to an unbelieving generation

Declare victory over the enemy

Declare the Lordship of our King over this land.

The Lion breathes over this nation

His breath warms cold hearts and cold lives

Apathy turns to passion

Indifference becomes a fire; an intense love for Jesus

A zeal for His Kingdom

A passion for His name.

The Lion swishes his tail

Strongholds tremble, falter and fall

Cracks appear in major institutions

Those built on power and greed totter and fall.

Governments tremble

The people fear, their knees shake

Hearts melt, bile arises in their throats 

‘What will become of us?’ they ask.

Church arise, declare the goodness of God to an unbelieving generation

Speak peace to fearful hearts 

Show love to those who have no hope

Do not fear for Our God reigns 

Let God’s people arise

Let His enemies be scattered

Let mercy like a tidal flow sweep this land

Grace will wash away greed and selfishness and cleanse the land

Love like a never ending stream 

Will cause righteousness to blossom and flourish

Church, arise, declare the Lordship of the King over this land.

The authentic Christian life?

We were driving in one of our favourite places on the planet. Not just the Kruger National Park in South Africa but the Pafuri area in the far north of the park.

The beautiful Luvuvhu River

The whole area has a beautiful atmosphere.  The peace of the African bush, the gorgeous lush vegetation, amazing baobab and fever trees and everywhere exotic birds flitting through the foliage and along the Luvuvhu River. Animals may have been in short supply but the beautiful environment with the Luvuvhu Gorge as a backdrop was breath taking.

I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for showing us this amazing part of his creation that a relatively small number of people have experienced. Gratitude flooded my soul and a deep desire never to take this for granted.

On our return to our accommodation I continued to read my novel,Safely Home by Randy Alcorn, which concerns the house church in China, and depicts the persecution that many of these secret believers face from the Chinese government.

The Communist government tolerates the official churches, sanctioned by themselves and which have to tow the party line but the Bible believing house churches are persecuted with believers and especially leaders of the churches imprisoned, tortured and even martyred if they will not renounce their Christianity.

I was shocked by the contrast I had experienced that day. On the one hand I had been blessed amazingly and on the other many, many Christians throughout the world are suffering terribly for their faith – not my experience at all.

What is even more shocking is that it is the Chinese Christians who appear to be experiencing a more Bible based Christianity that I am.   Jesus himself said ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5: 11 – 12.

His brother James wrote, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1: 2 – 4

The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. 2 Thessalonians 1: 4.

There are many New Testament references to persecution and trials. 

In China and the many other countries where Christians are routinely persecuted for their faith, they have nothing to cling to but Jesus. They have to be 100% convinced of their salvation and their Christian beliefs. 

What is more, Christians persecuted in this way seem to regard it as an incredible honour to suffer as Jesus did. They are overjoyed when Jesus is glorified by many coming to salvation and they consider their lives as nothing as long as the Kingdom advances. 

In fact this seems to be the normal life for the Christian.  All the apostles with the exception of John, were martyred.  Many Christians believe death to be something not to talk about as it means dying and that is morbid. Death as a believer however is not morbid but glorious. It brings us into our eternal destiny. It takes us to our true home.

Jesus himself encouraged us.  ³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

So how on earth do I reconcile my Christian faith with those of my brothers and sisters living in poverty, hardship or under persecution? Do I just thank God for the abundance of my possessions and carry on? I believe we owe the persecuted Church a lot more than that. 

Christians who are persecuted and even those living in poverty say that what they really value are our prayers and Bibles.  Generously supporting charities that help distribute Bibles, as well as helping lift people out of extreme poverty, is a wonderful way to show love to the suffering part of the Body of Christ. And prayers. The Church that is being persecuted or living in poverty love to know that they are not forgotten and people are thinking and praying for them. 

We have a vital role to play in supporting and strengthening our persecuted Christian brothers. Let’s rise to the challenge because we have been blessed to be a blessing. 

Not letting our history define our destiny

It can be a real stumbling block in our Christian walk if we believe that our history, where we’ve come from, our family, our education, our work, even our successes and especially our failures are the defining factors in fulfilling God’s plans for our lives. 

The reality is that when we became believers and offered our lives into God’s service, the Bible assures us we became a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5: 17). In fact Peter tells believers that they are now a chosen people, a royal priesthood … 1 Peter 2: 9

A royal priesthood is quite a promotion for us ordinary folks. Here in Britain we have a pretty good grasp of what royalty means. We have a Royal Family who, since the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936, have modelled to the nation what royalty means. It is a life of privilege and wealth which some people get a bit hung up on, but it is also a life of service, duty and responsibility to the nation. Her Majesty the Queen has modelled this for 67 years now and she has passed on this life to the next generations. 

So what does that mean for us – this royal priesthood?  It means we have been born into royalty with all the privileges and responsibilities that brings.  Jesus is our King of Kings and our role is to promote his Kingdom and bring His will, plans and purposes into those areas that we are responsible for. Our background is not the defining issue in our lives.

Our areas of responsibility start with our own lives, then our families, our church, workplace or neighbourhood. We do this through a life of worship offering sacrifices of praise, worship and prayer – the role of the priest - then performing acts of service into those areas of responsibility. 

King David is a great example of this.  He was not born into a life of royalty, indeed he was the youngest brother of a large family of brothers. When Samuel the prophet came to anoint one of the brothers king, David was not called to the line up. He was out with the sheep and more than one commentator has said this may be because he was actually a half brother, born to Jesse but not Jesse’s wife. He was the despised youngest brother. 

This can be seen in Eliab’s response when David went down to the Philistine battlefield where Goliath was holding sway.  Eliab was plain nasty to him.

David was not deterred by his brother’s hostility, all those years of looking after the sheep, worshipping and fellowshipping with God, had prepared him to overthrown this uncircumcised Philistine who is defying the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17: 26). David wasn’t frightened – he knew who God is – and holy zeal for his honour rose up and the enemy of the Lord was defeated.

The Bible is full of stories of the least becoming God’s man or woman of the hour, throwing off their background and circumstances and stepping into their God given destiny.

Judah, the fourth son born to Leah, the despised wife of Jacob, and yet he rose to be leader of the whole family. His history is very chequered and yet from his lineage came both King David and the Messiah – Jesus Christ – the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Joseph, the second youngest son, sold into slavery, imprisoned on a false charge and yet rising into his destiny at God’s appointed moment to save not just the nation of Egypt but also his own family. 

Gideon, the least of the least, yet when God called, he too was able to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites.

Even the great prophet Moses, the younger son, so fearful after years looking after the sheep that he was terrified of facing Pharaoh, became in God’s hands one of the mightiest men of all time.

The Godly annals of history will not be filled with kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, emirs or any other national leaders. They will be filled with the names of the royal priesthood, faithful men and women of God who have served loyally, no matter what their background, their education, or situations and entered into their destiny. 

They have trusted God despite their weaknesses, real or imagined and believed that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3: 20 – 21.

No exemption from troubles

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33

Unfortunately for the Christian, we are not exempt from troubles and difficulties in this life but the one thing we can be absolutely sure of is that God is with us in the midst of all our difficulties and he is fighting for us. 

Whilst I would never happily embrace trouble, I know that it is in the hard times that my character has been shaped and my dependence on God and his goodness deepened. I have no problem donning my armour, resisting the devil and enforcing the victory Jesus won for us at the cross but sometimes it seems we have to walk through a long, hard valley of the shadow of death.  It is important that we never forget: 

‘I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.’ Psalm 23: 4

God is with us.

I had the great pleasure of listening recently to a message preached by a young lady who I used to teach. It was incredible. It was prophetic, full of Scripture and truly inspirational.

However this young lady went through some tough times whilst at university. She plays the violin and was studying music. She hurt her wrist and was unable to play her violin for quite a while, something she both loves but was also essential to her gaining her degree. All the time she couldn’t play, she studied hard but also did all she could to help with concerts that others were playing in and that she would have loved to be participating in. She didn’t stay away, feeling sorry for herself, she sold tickets and programmes, served refreshments and helped out in any way possible. That is character building. That is what lays foundation blocks in our lives that become essential to being able to preach inspirational messages later. 

 Another lady that has had terrible trouble but is also truly inspirational is Joni Eareckson Tada. At age 17, she foolishly dived into the water and broke her neck on a hidden rock. For 50 years now she has been unable to move any part of her body from her neck down. She is in constant pain and has to rely on others for every single thing to do with her body. 

Does she regret her foolish dive? Of course but has she given up on her life? Never. She now has a worldwide ministry of speaking engagements, radio and TV broadcasts and books inspiring others both able and disabled. God has opened doors for her that would never have been opened if she had been able bodied. She is a mighty champion for the disabled, influencing governments, and involved in all manner of programmes worldwide.

 If you ever need a bit of encouragement, find one of her programmes on YouTube or read one of her books. She really epitomises Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

Troubles will come and find us and we must do all we can to fight the devil and all his works because that is what Jesus came to do- For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3: 8. 

However we know God is always with us and sometimes we must walk through hardships, letting our Lord form his character in us, shaping us for the journey ahead, trusting that our lives are in his hand and that he is working out his plans and purposes. 

The reality of eternity

I have just watched again the film, The Bucket List which is about two men, played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, who are told they have just six months to live. They decide to spend those six months doing the things and visiting the places they would love to do and see before they die.

Inevitably some of their conversations concern what they think will happen when they die. Jack Nicholson’s character is of the opinion that when you die that is it, whilst Morgan Freeman’s character has some faith in God and belief that he will be going to heaven.

What is frightening though is that underlying these conversations which often reflect what most people believe, is that you can select whatever hereafter you fancy and that determines your eternal destiny. If you believe your good works will give you access to heaven or you think re-incarnation is a possibility or that eternal oblivion is the reality after death, that is what will occur. 

Personally I would say that is wishful thinking at best and frightening deception at worst. There is of course no evidence one way or the other for this thinking which I believe we need to challenge. I prefer to base my eternal hopes on something more solid than my vain imaginings. My eternal destiny is too important a reality to trust to anything other than a reliable source material.

The one thing of which I am assured is that life is 100% fatal. We will all die.  For my eternity, I’d rather trust in the Bible and what Jesus says through its words than hope it will all turn out alright on the night. Many people are very sceptical about the Bible and its authenticity.  However there are no other works that were written several thousands years ago, that are still in print, let alone freely available in Western society.  On the other hand Bibles are feared by dictators and repressive regimes of other religions ban it and imprison those who either have one or try to give the book to others.

That in itself must be some evidence for its veracity. Why would people be prepared to die to get their hands on a copy if it was the just the writings of a few good men that are irrelevant today? I used to be sceptical about the authority of the Bible but after 35 years of being a Christian, I am utterly convinced it is the Word of God.

Having said that, I take very seriously the words of Jesus found within its pages. Jesus was in no doubt that when we die there will only be two destinations – heaven or hell.  I find no mention of eternal oblivion or re-incarnation and the Bible is very clear that no one can enter heaven by their good works. 

I think as Christians we have been very slow to counter balance the pick-and-mix eternity that is so prevalent in Western society. At too many funerals we are assured everyone is in heaven with absolutely no basis for these supposedly comforting words. All this does is perpetuate the lie that we can do what we like in this life and everything will be alright. Jesus’s death on the cross to open the way to heaven for all who call on the name of the Lord, has been reduced to an optional extra. 

Jesus said ‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’ Matthew 7: 13 – 14. That’s frightening. 

Jesus had so much to say about hell that even as Christians we conveniently ignore. 

And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘“the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Mark 9: 47 – 48 

Jesus referred to the fire of hell on various occasions and told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16: 19  - 31 which is just about the clearest story about the two destinations that await everyone after they die.

This is too important a topic to put on the shelf to await a day when we are older and death is more imminent. No one knows when they are going to die, unless like the two men in The Bucket List, they are given a set time to live but that is not an exact science. 

As Christians we need to sort out our own thinking, first of all about the wonders of heaven and an eternity with Jesus that is really worth talking about and the alternative – the fires of hell. As I get older, more people are dying around me. I am trying to be bolder to speak about eternity and what the Bible says. Wishful thinking will not get anyone into heaven. The narrow way is only through Jesus. He paid the price and there is no other name by which we can be saved. 

Pushing the boundaries

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22: 6

For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him. Genesis 18: 19

Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ Matthew 19: 14

I have just been watching and thoroughly enjoying a television programme called Race across the World.  Five couples left London to travel to Singapore using any mode of transport except flying. They were given only the price of two airfares to Singapore in cash and had no access to their credit cards or smart phones and they had to check into five checkpoints along the way.

It was fascinating watching them travel through Europe, all across Asia through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and into China before entering Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia then arriving in Singapore, 50 days after they started. 

Each couple knew each other well and they worked well together. However one couple – a father and his estranged 20 year old – had not been together for a long time. The most amazing part of the story was watching Alex, the 20 year old, change from a immature, self centred lad who easily gave up to a confident, charming and capable young man who had to carry his dad through one of the final parts of the journey when dad had a dreadful tummy bug.

It took two to bring about this transformation. First of all dad had to encourage him to ‘man up’ and stop being so feeble and then he had to let his son start making decisions on the route to take, whether they needed to work to earn more money and then haggling for the cost of the journey. Alex stepped up to the mark, making his dad incredibly proud and transformed his life. He now has the life skills to succeed in any field he chooses.

All this reminded me of the need to help our children and young people grow in life and in the Lord to be all that God has created them to be. It may well mean them having to face circumstances well outside their comfort zone, to deal with difficulties and not prop them up when things are hard.

Previous generations in our Western culture had to face all manner of hardships whether it was poverty, unemployment or war. Young men and women were catapulted from home to the battlefield or had to fight hard to get a job and climb the ladder to succeed. 

It is so important that we do not pamper and over protect our youngsters so they never have to face any challenging circumstances. It is no wonder we have such a highly entitled generation when their every desire is met, often straight away. Learning to wait, to save, to persevere in prayer and reading the Bible, to keep going when you are not the most popular person but you are doing right when everyone else is pleasing themselves are life skills of immense value. It builds character, perseverance and teaches resilience. 

Race across the World put the contestants literally in completely unfamiliar territory and culture. Letting our young people go on mission to unfamiliar countries and letting them pray and raise the necessary money are great faith builders. However there are training grounds much nearer to home; serving well at church or school, helping those less fortunate than ourselves or getting out on the street for evangelism or praying for healing are very challenging but faith building.

Putting faith into action is essential and preferable before young people leave home and face the fresh challenges of university or jobs. Strengthening the younger generation and not protecting them from difficulties and hardship, though keeping them safe is essential.  Our young people will thank us for helping them push their boundaries to fulfil their God given destinies.  

Praying in unity

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! Psalm 133: 1

As I wrote yesterday, the Body of Christ – the Church – has a high calling to dwell together in unity to bring about God’s incredible plans and purposes.  

I was reminded this morning that when we stand with others in heaven, either when we leave this life, or when Jesus returns, we will stand in perfect unity. Our focus will be on one thing and one thing only, our Lord and Saviour, the King of the Universe, Jesus Christ. 

Everything we do in eternity, and I firmly believe we will busy about the King’s business, will be for him and for his glory.  Our training ground is our life on this Earth. All that we have learned and accomplished here will be carried forward into eternity. Everything from our days on earth will be tested in his fire (1 Corinthians 3: 12 - 15) and those things that withstand the fire will be rewarded. Everything else will be burnt to ash. 

C S Lewis wrote If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. 

With this thought in mind, dwelling together in unity now, will yield incredible treasure in heaven.  It prepares us not only for our life in eternity but also brings about what God desires in our lives, churches and nations now.

Jonathan Edwards said When God is about to do a mighty new thing He always sets His people praying.

If there is one thing that Brexit has achieved in the Body of Christ in UK has been prayer. I do not think there has ever been as much prayer for the nation since the Second World War. However for our prayers to be truly effective we must ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ Ephesians 4: 3. 

The only way to do this when praying about this highly contentious issue is ‘to fix our eyes upon Jesus’Hebrews 12: 2.  When we focus on him, not on our wishes and opinions, I believe we will move closer and closer together and will find ourselves praying ever more effectively for his will and his Kingdom to come. 

Desiring and praying for God’s plans, laying aside our personal opinions on the subject, no matter how much we believe we are right, will release a mighty outworking of Kingdom power that will startle us, our nation, and the world. 

The unity of the Spirit

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4: 1 – 6

When Paul wrote these words to the church at Ephesus it was in the context of unity in the church between Jew and Gentile.  He was showing them how to live in the unity that God was calling them to.

Never have these words been more appropriate recently than in the UK where the country appears to be tearing itself apart over Brexit.  

Within the Church there are as many different opinions over Brexit as outside and no matter how much we believe we have heard from God, our attitude to those who may differ is vital. Having a condescending, superior, patronising attitude to those we disagree with will only reinforce divisions but the Church is called to live and work in unity. The Church in the land needs to model and show a different way and not join in the highly opinionated, wholesale anger and frustration that is so evident.

God has an incredible plan and purpose for the UK but it involves bringing his Kingdom and his will into the land. Brexit is part of that process but not the destination. The Church has a great calling to rise above the divisions and dissent and focus on the Lord and his designs. 

I don’t think any part of the Body of Christ does not earnestly desire God to move in sovereign power and bring revival to our land. All of us want to see loved ones saved. All of us, I am sure, long for God to breakthrough with miracle working power to bring healing, restoration and reconciliation but for our nation to benefit from this, it requires the Church to arise in unity; to deal with jealousy, personal and selfish ambition, to show love and grace to those we disagree with. The Brexit process is a great learning experience. 

Paul shows us the way. First we must be humble and gentle. That is a million miles away from the worldly sense of entitlement especially to personal opinion that is so prevalent. Being humble means considering others before ourselves, listening calmly even to things we would never agree with and not shoving our opinions, no matter how Biblical, down the throats of others even if they are trying to do this to us.  

Secondly we must be patient, a quality most of us struggle with. We want things now, we want our opinion heard and we get frustrated when others do not see the sense in what we are saying. The key here is prayer. God can change opinions, even our own, in a microsecond with his divine revelation. Asking God to intervene, to show us where we may be in the wrong and to grant us patience with others of different opinions, will achieve far more than half an hour’s carefully crafted argument, let alone ten minutes haranguing. This will help us bear with others in love.  

Finally Paul exhorts us to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.This excludes loud arguments, flouncing, huffing and puffing and nasty looks. Instead we must focus our eyes on Jesus, looking to him to and trusting him to work out his plans and purposes for our lives, for the Church and for the nation. 

As the Body of Christ, we have a high calling to pray and bring in God’s Kingdom and will for our nation. But this will only be achieved as we model unity in the Church to the nations.

Father, I pray that you would show us the way of unity, to love those we disagree with and to be one, even as you are one. Forgive us for our jealousies and pride that drive divisions into your body and the nation and help us look to you who loves us all. We declare you have a high calling on United Kingdom. Show us how to participate through prayer and attitude in your plans. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The inspiration of Simeon and Anna

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord Luke 2: 22 

Jesus had been born in Bethlehem as prophesied and eight days later Mary and Joseph went the five miles to the temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice in keeping with the Law of Moses. 

In the temple they met a pair of elderly, devout people who had been waiting patiently for the Messiah. Simeon was a devout man waiting for ‘the consolation of Israel’ - the Messiah and he had been promised that he would see him before he died. He rejoiced that this day had come and very accurately prophesied to Mary that ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’  I wonder if Mary remembered that as she watched the horror of her own beloved son being beaten and crucified. 

Mary and Joseph marvelled at what was said but more was to come. The very elderly Anna, a lady whose life was devoted to prayer and fasting also came up ‘at that moment’ and told anyone who would listen that this child was the Messiah (the redemption of Jerusalem). 

I love the patient faithfulness of these two elderly people, devoted to the Lord. They had not given up as the years passed by. They had not settled down to a passive, inactive, elderly lifestyle. They were as fervent in their faith as ever. The Bible is full of the very elderly being significantly used by God; Abraham, Moses, Gideon’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. So often the elderly laid the foundation for the next generation to build on. 

Simeon and Anna are a source of inspiration for us. They had been waiting for years to see the fulfilment of their dreams, not just for themselves but for their nation. They hadn’t given up nor had they doubted and they were not disappointed. Their hope was placed firmly in God. 

Perhaps today you have been waiting for years to see the fulfilment of your dreams – the salvation of a loved one, a healing, a miracle or for revival and a great outpouring of God’s love and miracle working power in your church, community or nation. 

At the start of a new year, may we, like Simeon and Anna, not give up but with fresh faith believe again that God is working on our behalf, that he has heard and is answering our prayers.

‘And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not’ 

Galatians 6: 9 KJV

Glory to God in the highest

I have frequently written about how Mary might have felt when Jesus was born in a stable and her precious baby was placed in the only cradle available, a manger, a feeding trough for the animals. However this unusual circumstance became a sign for the first group of visitors.  

You might imagine that the religious leaders or the synagogue rulers of Bethlehem would be first to visit the baby Messiah but no. God chose shepherds as the first visitors; uneducated, straight from the fields, probably dirty and smelly working men. But God loves shepherds – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and now his Son who would become the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5: 4). Jesus spoke of himself:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10: 1

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10: 14 – 15 

So it is not surprising that the shepherds were the first to hear the news and what a way they heard the announcement. This is surely one of the great events of history. Here we have shepherds possibly looking after the temple sheep (more symbolism) and suddenly into the darkness an angel appears with the words, ‘Fear not.’ The Bible is full of angels telling people to ‘Fear not.’ Obviously a glorified angel is a terrifying sight. These men would have been used to fighting off wild animals, rescuing silly sheep from their own predicaments, even dealing with sheep rustlers but an angel appearing – and they are terrified.

The angel then made the royal proclamation. Today, a baby has been born, a Saviour, the Messiah. The shepherds were given the sign. This baby would be found wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. However there was more.

A royal birth requires the royal choir of heaven to rejoice over the Son of God entering the world of men. Suddenly – I love God’s suddenlys. Suddenly heaven was torn open and the heavenly choir stepped forth. What a sight that must have been! A choir of angels singing glory to God. How amazing! You can imagine the shepherds either lying terrified face down on the earth or standing with their mouths hanging open.

When the angels had gone back into heaven, the shepherds decided to investigate.  You can hardly imagine them settling down round the fire again. They ‘hurried off’ and found everything as it has been described to them. What Mary and Joseph thought of this group of uneducated, uncouth men turning up to coo over the baby we do not know but whilst the shepherds went out and evangelised the whole area with the good news of the birth of the Messiah, Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2: 19). She didn’t need to tell the world that her baby was the Messiah, the shepherds did that. 

Jesus wasn’t born in a palace in splendour to come and spread beneficence to his lowly subjects. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1: 14). Literally it means the Word tabernacled amongst us – just as God had done with the Israelites in the desert ‘dwelling’ in the midst of the encampment. 

Jesus didn’t come to hob nob with the rich, the famous, the religious. He came and dwelt with ordinary people – shepherds and fishermen, tax collectors and sinners. And he will come and dwell with each one of us – if we will only ask him. Then we will be those ‘on whom his favour rests’ and we will know his peace – ‘the peace that passes all understanding’.

Come and see what God has done

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

As we re-acquaint ourselves with the Christmas story through carol services, singing those beautiful songs and reading the Scriptures, we can become almost a little blasé at the familiarity of the story.  We have lived with this story and the Scriptures every year of our lives. We can feel we have understood the significance of the prophecies and the events of the Christmas season but it is good to pull back and wonder afresh at how it all felt for those at the heart of the story.

We are told that Mary ‘treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart’Luke 2: 19.  I bet she did. So much had happened to her. She had gone from insignificant young lady about to be married to Joseph the carpenter to mother of the Son of God. She had been through labour and delivery in a stable not a palace or even a clean room. The first visitors were shepherds, the lowest of the low with tales of angels singing ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests Luke 2: 14.

Joseph too must have wondered what had happened to him; the disappointment of Mary’s pregnancy followed by an angel visitation and at the end he had been charged with protecting and raising the Son of God.  I am sure there were times when both he and Mary felt hopelessly inadequate for the task.

As Mary looked at her baby and gazed into the face of God I am pretty certain she wasn’t remembering ‘For to us a child is born. To us a Son is given.’ But maybe she was.  Maybe as the years went by and they raised their extraordinary son Joseph was impacted by the Messianic prophecies as he worshipped in the synagogue.

However for us familiarity can dull the edge of the wonder of Christmas. That God became man and dwelt with us. Emmanuel. God with us.  I love some of the more recent Christmas songs. One of my favourite is Noel by Chris Tomlin.  It has the line ‘Noel. Noel. Come and see what God has done.’It gives me the shivers.  God has done the miraculous. He has become a man to dwell with us, his sinful creation so in need of a Saviour.

Matt Redman has written in his song ‘ Joy to the world. Joy to the world. The Lord has come, The Lord has come to us.’ It’s a miracle. 

With hindsight, we do get the significance of the events of Christmas.  The prophecies, the virgin birth in Bethlehem in poverty, the arrival of the shepherds and the visit of the Magi. My prayer is that this Christmas we will get fresh revelation of just what an incredible things God has done in bringing Emmanuel – God with us.  

The cost of Christmas

The birth of Jesus was a shocking event.  

Mary, a beautiful virgin betrothed to Joseph, was found to be pregnant before they married. This would have been a major scandal in small town Nazareth.  It is hard to realise today just how shameful and disgraceful it was in that culture to be an unmarried mother.  

However the criticism would not just have been reserved for Mary but also for her parents. People would have thought her parents had not brought her up correctly nor had they watched over her.  I expect Mum and Dad were hugely disappointed in their daughter.  They would have hoped she knew better.  Her parents would have greeted with great suspicion the story that she was still a virgin and that this baby was conceived by the Holy Ghost. It was certainly not something to share with the neighbours. That would have added ridicule to condemnation. 

Joseph was also no doubt sceptical about tales of an immaculate conception. In fact he was mindful to divorce Mary quietly to avoid further public humiliation for her until the intervention of the angel.  Having confirmed that this baby was indeed conceived by God, Joseph being righteous, married her.  This would not have stopped the wagging tongues though. It would just have pulled Joseph into the public disgrace as everyone would have assumed the baby was his.

Four people would now have been criticised and suffered public humiliation even though no one had done anything wrong. In fact they had been selected for the highest honour of all - being parents and grandparents to the Son of God.  Who would believe that?

I wonder if as Mary and Joseph discussed the upcoming birth they deliberated if they would have to go to Bethlehem. After all that is where the Scriptures said the Messiah would be born. It doesn’t appear so because it took the intervention of an ungodly Roman Emperor to get them to the right place at the right time. They left for the weeklong journey to Bethlehem when Mary was almost full term, not recommended in any culture let alone one with modest health care facilities.

I am sure Mary and Joseph were optimistic that God would provide somewhere suitable for the baby to be born.  If nothing else, they must have both had extended family in Bethlehem.  Perhaps there was no room anywhere because news of the pregnancy outside marriage had gone before them?  We can only imagine the disappointment turning to despair when all they were offered was a stable. 

So Mary gave birth to her precious first born, the Son of God, in a stable with the animals.  Under any circumstances that is shocking.  

I think it is all too easy to romanticise and sanitise the Christmas story as we lustily sing our favourite Christmas carols.  However it is good to remember how much it cost the key players to fulfil their destiny so that God could become Man and live amongst us.

Today there are many, many Christians suffering for their faith all over the world. For many becoming a Christian can mean being ostracised by their family or even society, losing jobs or access to good education.  Just like Mary all those years ago, too many Christians today are treated shockingly. Let’s remember and pray for them as we celebrate again the wonderful Christmas story.

Prayers that change nations

As Winston Churchill famously said during the Second World War ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’ 

I believe that when the books of heaven are opened at the end of time when Jesus returns, these words will be aptly applied to praying Christians. These are vital days in our nations and the people need our prayers. Our friends and relatives need to be saved. People need to be healed, lifted out of debt, marriages restored, families become places of love and nurture. 

But over all these we need to raise our eyes to the bigger picture. Our nations need God. In these uncertain times we must lift our eyes from our personal preference to what does God desire for our nation. And what God desires is that his Kingdom come and his will be done because he has great plans for them.That is what our nations need. The Kingdom of God and it is the prayers of faith filled Christians that will accomplish this.

Your immediate response may be that this is too big, too hard but if we as a faith filled church and praying Christians don’t do this, what is the alternative? One that is too awful to contemplate. 

The prophet Isaiah said, ‘Here am I Lord, Send me.’ It starts with a willing heart and time carved out of our busy schedules. It begins with a life of devotion to our amazing, loving God, worshipping, reading the Word and praying. 

If 120 praying Christians on the Day of Pentecost could shake a city and 3000 were saved, think what a praying church could do. 

Simple, earnest faith filled prayers will change a nation.