A Few Thoughts
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The Axe Head Fell Into The Water - 2 Kings 6:1-6
Have you lost your edge? This man did in 2 Kings 6. When a head falls off an axe, there are usually warning signs before it happens. The fact that the axe was borrowed suggests that perhaps he wasn't used to using tools, and didn't recognise the signs of the head coming loose. Be encouraged! Our faith is not borrowed! It was bought for us by our Lord Jesus Christ at the Cross. So let us use the tools of our faith in God, and look for the answer to losing our edge. First 'Elisha' took a stick - let us recognise the wood of the Cross in this. Go to where you think you lost your 'edge', and reach out into the water of His Word, and in 'Jesus' name take it up again.
Ernie Williams, February 2012.
Holiness - The Promised Land When the children of Israel were taken out of slavery and invited into the 'Promised Land', they refused to enter in.They refused to enter because the saw 'Giants in the Land' and 'we are as grasshoppers to them'. The Promised Land spiritually is holiness. We need to enter into holiness because 'without holiness no-one will see the Lord' (Hebrews 2:14). When we ask people to enter into holiness today they will often say 'I'll wait until I'm older' or 'I will when I have cleaned up my act' or 'It's too late for me, God could never forgive me' etc. These things are their personal giants. In scripture, we read of a young David. He encountered his personal giant. It's interesting to me that he faced up to his giant by choosing a smooth stone which, when applied to the giant, solved his problem. Also in scripture, we read that there is a stone that will do this for all of us. It is, in fact, Jesus Christ 'the stone that the builders rejected' (Matthew 21:42 and Psalms 118:22) We can enter into holiness by accepting Jesus Christ into our lives. We are choosing a smooth stone that will help us to deal with problems, giants, whatever and wherever they may be. The words of Jesus say, in John 14:27 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid'.
Ernie Williams, January 2012.
The Resurrection Body The holy scriptures teach us that the physical comes before the spiritual, such as:
ADAM JESUS Old Testament New Testament Promised Land Holiness Jew (Olive Tree) Christian (Grafted In) Sin Righteous Born Born Again Baptised in Water Baptised in the Spirit Physical Body (see Corinthians 15:35-55) Spiritual Body Circumcision of the flesh Circumcision of the heart
Last winter, I planted - not too ceremoniously - some rather rough looking rustic bulbs, making a hole in the soil. I put the bulbs into the ground and covered them up and left them. I waited and waited. The frosts came, then the snows, still there was nothing to see for a long time. Then the warming rains of Spring came. The conditions were beginning to change, green shoots appeared. The new season was upon us - wow! The most beautiful, glorious, golden daffodils appeared. Praise the Lord for his word in 1 Corinthians 5:35-55. I didn't plant a daffodil flower, but that is what emerged, a beautiful body had developed from an ugly and rough rustic bulb. Such pleasing splendour to behold! 'Sown in dishonour, but raised in glory. Sown in weakness, but raised in power'.
Ernie Williams, January 2012.
PHILIPPIANS Chapter 4 v. 8 . . . whatsoever things are noble . . . think on these things. Why does Paul tell us to think on such things? It is because he deems them worthy of our attention – not merely a passing consideration, but a concentrated focusing of our thoughts. Nobility is defined in the dictionary as: the state or quality of being morally or spiritually good, or of being exalted in character. There is another word which in one sense is very close to nobility and that is valour. The dictionary defines valour as not only bravery and courage but also gallantry, which itself means nobility of spirit. The Book of 1 Samuel closes with the story of King Saul’s defeat at the hand of his enemies and his ignominious end by his own hand. The Philistines strung up his body, and the bodies of his sons (including Jonathan), on the walls of Bethshean. But the final three verses record how “. . . the valiant men of Jabesh-Gilead arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshean . . . and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.”. The Lord had long since rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience [1 Sam ch.13:8-14 & ch.15]. Saul had even sunk so low as to use the offices of the witch of Endor to recall the prophet Samuel from the grave [1 Sam 28]. But here is a story, just three verses long, telling of the valour, the gallantry, the nobility of the men of Jabesh-Gilead. In 2 Samuel chapter 2, we are told that when David found out that the men of Jabesh-Gilead had buried Saul he said to them: May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. Now therefore let your hands be strong and be valiant . . . Proverbs 23:7 says: “as a man thinks in his heart so is he”. The reason Paul wanted the Church at Philippi to think upon whatsoever things were noble was because he wanted them to be noble. So, behaviour such as that of the valiant men of Jabesh-Gilead was not only something finding favour with King David (a man after God’s own heart) but something advocated by the Apostle Paul. The point of all this, as with all Scripture, is to take these three little verses and ask ourselves what is in our own hearts. Do we recognise our own need to strive for nobility, for valour? Do we recognise what these men did as being the heart of God? Do our hearts swell with gratitude toward the men of Jabesh-Gilead for being faithful in this commission? Margaret Roberts – 24 December 2011
What do I give him?
We all know the Scripture from Ephesians 2 verses 5 and 8, usually translated as: By grace you have been saved . . . In fact, the Greek phrase in both cases is chariti este sesoesmenoi, which properly translated is: by grace you are being saved. Now, this does not mean that we as Christians are on some sort of continuum, with “Not Saved” at one end and “Completely Saved” at the other. We do not start off at one end and make our way along, so that at any one time we might be say 15% saved, or 30%, then perhaps to slip back to 25%, before making headway to 45% and so on . . . No, what it means is that at any one point in time, as we are “in him” [Eph 1:11, 2:21, 3:12; Col 2:11], we are fully and completely saved, “to the uttermost” [Heb 7:25]. Jesus’ work on the cross was perfect and complete in every way. As we believe and confess this truth, we are saved [Rom 10:9-10]. And tomorrow, as we are in him, as we believe and confess the truth, we are saved to the uttermost. So we are continuously being saved by grace. In the same way, Hebrews 10 v. 14 tells us that “by a single offering he has perfected for all time hoi hagiazomenoi”, i.e. those who are being sanctified. Note: it is the offering on his part which perfects for all time; while the being sanctified on our part is an ongoing, continuous work. Again, we are not on a continuum, somewhere between “Unholy” and “Holy”. At any one time, as we are in him, Jesus’ sacrifice fully takes effect to make us fully holy before a God whose very name isקדש קדש קדש [qodesh, qodesh, qodesh, or Holy: Holy: Holy – Isa 6:3 (also Rev 4:8)]. In him, we are not those who are becoming sanctified, but those who are continuously being fully sanctified. This need for a sacrifice on our behalf, Atonement or Propitiation (appeasing God’s anger for sin and reconciling us to him) was made clear when God instituted the Day of Atonement, as described in Leviticus chapter 16. Once a year, the High Priest, and he alone, went into קדש הקדשים [qodesh ha’qodeshim, or the Holy of Holies], the very inner sanctuary of God, within the veil. Jesus rent that veil in two through his death on the cross [Matt 27:51; Mk 15:38; Luke 23:45] and now because of him, in him, we have full access to this inner sanctuary of God at any time we choose. Notwithstanding the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the need for us to respond in faith to this work of grace, nevertheless Jesus, our Sanctification, our Righteousness, has wrought a perfect work. There is nothing lacking and nothing that we can add. Indeed, if we were to try, “. . . all our righteousness is as filthy rags” [Isa 64:6]. However . . . In Leviticus 16 God told Aaron to bring not only the blood of the sin offerings, which had been sacrificed on the bronze altar in the outer court of the tabernacle, to be sprinkled on the mercy seat within the veil, but also sweet, fragrant incense from the golden altar of incense, which was just outside the veil – 12And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the [bronze] altar [used for sacrifices, which is] before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small [from the golden altar of incense], and he shall bring it inside the veil 13and place before the Lord the [censer with the] incense [that he has put] on the [coals of] fire [from the bronze altar], that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. I have read somewhere that this was to provide enough smoke so that Aaron would not be able to see God clearly enough to cause him to die – “. . . no man can see me and live” [Ex 33:20]. But God had already said in v. 2 of Leviticus 16 that he would “appear in the cloud over the mercy seat”. God had appeared in the cloud regularly to the people of Israel. Exodus 13 tells us that the people were led through the wilderness by the Lord in the cloud by day and the fire by night. Exodus 33 tells us that the cloud would descend at the door of the tent of meeting every time Moses went in to speak with the Lord, and the people would rise up and worship at their tent doors. So, the people of Israel were well acquainted with the presence of the Lord with them in the form of the cloud. Aaron would not have died simply because of this (though he did have to follow the Lord’s instructions very carefully). So, what then did the sweet, fragrant incense represent? Revelation 5 v. 8 tells us about the “golden bowls of incense which are the prayers of the saints”. And chapter 8 tells us about the angel with a golden censer, who is given much incense to offer on the golden altar that is before the throne of God in heaven. Both verses 3 and 4 of chapter 8 specify that this incense is given/rises up tais proseuchais toen hagioen, which is commonly translated as “with the prayers of the saints”. This is misleading as it suggests that the incense is accompanied by (and so separate from), the prayers of the saints. The meaning is better conveyed for us in English with “by (or, by means of) the prayers of the saints”*. So, Aaron’s being asked to bring sweet, fragrant incense with him into the Holy Place, within the veil, can be seen to represent us as saints (or, the continuously being made holy ones), bringing our prayers before the throne of God. And you can even imagine the smoke of that incense in Leviticus 16 to some extent mingling with the substance of the cloud itself. (The fact that “Moses entered the cloud”, at that time covering Mount Sinai in Exodus 24 v. 18, shows that the cloud was not somehow impenetrable for earthly purposes.) Can it be that the rising up of our prayers mingles with the very glory of the presence of the Lord? Let us look at the life of Jesus. What did the three wise men from the Orient bring with them at the great occasion of the Messiah’s birth? They brought gold [c.f. the golden censer], frankincense and myrrh [fragrance and sweetness]. In so doing, they were symbolising that this was his due. Yes, he was born in a lowly stable, son of a carpenter who was not even married to Mary at the time of conception, but these were the earthly, the transient things. The reality was that Jesus was the King of kings and the Lord of lords, born of the Holy Spirit, and this sweet, fragrant offering with gold was his due tribute at his earthly incarnation. And what of Jesus’ travail in the garden of Gethsemane? He told his disciples to pray and, when they slept instead, he asked them: Why do you not pray; can you not pray with me for even one hour? And these were the people who loved him. He did not condemn or cast off his disciples (though they, by their own actions, were severed from him at this time [Mk 14:50-72] – severed from their very life source, c.f. Lev 16:13 above); but he was genuinely and greatly sorrowed by their lack of prayer. Again, this prayer, represented by the sweet, fragrant incense offering, was his due as he embarked upon his Passion. So, I am not advocating any kind of legalistic or ritualistic prayer life, and I am not suggesting that our prayers are needed to make good any deficiency in Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf – far from it! But let us be stirred up, let us be encouraged: as we pray we bring a sweet, fragrant offering to him; our prayers rise up to become enmeshed with the very glory of his presence; we strengthen the bond or relationship or oneness (!) that we have with our very life source [“. . . death is failure of correspondence”**]. And may we ever remember to bless השם [ha’shem, or The Name] for the insight and understanding offered us by the rituals of התורה [ha’toerah, or The Teaching] – “. . . give me understanding that I may live” [Ps 119, צ (tzadei), v.144].
Margaret Roberts 11 November 2011
*[dative as instrument for those conversant with New Testament Greek] **[Herbert Spencer – see Rees Howells Intercessor by Norman Grubb, ch2]
COLOSSIANS Chapter 1 v. 27
. . . Christ in you, the hope of glory.
What does this mean, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”? Well, first of all, Christ in us is the inhabiting, the infilling, of these earthen vessels by the very Spirit of the Living God – made available to us through the blessed atonement of the Lord Jesus when his blood was poured out at the base of that altar, i.e. the cross, as a perfect, once-for-all, sin offering for us [see Leviticus 4:7 & Hebrews 7:27].
But what about the hope part? Does it mean that we hope one day to see God’s glory revealed? Or perhaps we might even say that we confidently expect to see God’s glory revealed in our own lives in the here and now, this very day. But if this is what Paul was actually saying, then his words in the classical Greek language were rather loose and imprecise for a man who always knew exactly what he wanted to say, and said exactly what he wanted to say [or made sure that his secretary did!].
Paul does not use a verb: the hope of seeing the glory, or the hope of obtaining the glory, or the hope of finding the glory. He does not use a preposition: the hope towards the glory, or the hope into the glory. What he does use is what is known as the “genitive”. What this means is that he was literally saying: the hope that is of the glory, or the hope that belongs to the glory.
So, what Paul was saying was that this hope within us by the infilling of God’s Holy Spirit is of the very essence of the glory of God. It is not just a hope that can be described as glorious, though indeed it can. It is not just a hope of seeing God’s glory revealed, though indeed it is. It is a hope encapsulating and yet encompassed by the glory of God. It is just a part of the glory of God and yet it is the very essence of the glory of God. Am I confusing you?
When you think of Ezekiel’s first vision, where he talks about the likeness of four living creatures, each accompanied by a wheel within a wheel, having eyes all around, moving this way and that without turning, you start to get the idea [see Ezekiel 1:5-21]. First of all, this demonstrates the inadequacy of us as humans trying to describe a picture of God’s glory; but, secondly, it shows that something [hope, or an all-seeing wheel] can encompass and yet be encompassed by something else [God’s glory, or another all-seeing wheel equally capable of impetus and direction].
Not only is this hope something to apply as the antidote to disappointment or depression, it is something of the very nature and essence of the indefinable glory of God in our lives!!!
Blessed be God forever. Amen. Margaret Roberts – 22 October 2011
COLOSSIANS Chapter 3 v. 15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts . . .
It says in Proverbs chapter 1 at verse 32 that “the complacency of fools destroys them”: while at verse 33 it says that “whoever listens to [wisdom] will dwell securely and will be at ease from the dread of disaster”.
So there is a difference between on the one hand complacency, which is defined in the dictionary as “a feeling of satisfaction, extreme self-satisfaction, smugness”; and on the other hand being at ease, which is defined as “being in a relaxed attitude or frame of mind”.
And, of course, we as Christians need to discern the difference in our own lives.
The tanakh tells of Hezekiah, king of Judah, who faced the onslaught of the mighty armies of Assyria, and yet was delivered when he called out to God, just as Isaiah prophesied. But the people of the northern kingdom, ruled at that time by King Hoshea, had not heeded the prophecies of Amos, who had told them that God was not pleased with their ways, and they fell to the armies of Assyria. They had thought that the peace and prosperity they were enjoying was a sign of God’s favour and blessing; but in fact they were guilty of complacency.
So, how do we ensure that we discern between genuinely being at ease and enjoying God’s favour and blessing in our lives, and complacency – which as Proverbs 1:32 tells us will destroy us? And the verb used in the Hebrew, “to destroy”, is avehd, which has the meaning of: to perish, to die, to be exterminated – so it’s pretty categorical to say the least!
Our faithful apostle Paul gives us the guiding tenet in Colossians 3:15, to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. When we have the Spirit of Christ in our lives, the Holy Spirit of God, then we have that wisdom and discernment within us. We can look inside our hearts and ask ourselves: am I at peace about this decision, this reaction, this relationship, this habit, this opinion, this way of treating people or someone in particular . . .
Jesus said in John chapter 14 v. 26 that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father would send in his [Jesus’] name, would bring counsel and teaching and a quickening of God’s word to our hearts. This is exactly what Isaiah said in chapter 11 v. 2, where he described the Spirit of the Lord as the Spirit of Wisdom and Discernment, the Spirit of Counsel and Might, the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord.
Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need [Psalm 23:1].
Margaret Roberts - October 2011
ISAIAH Chapter 28 v. 10
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little . . .
A “precept”, for those who aren’t sure, is simply an instruction. God’s way of doing things is very often as it says here: line upon line, here a little and there a little. And sometimes it is good for us to remember this principle when we seem to be confronted with something that appears too big or too hard for us.
I am reminded of a pair of Scholl sandals I bought recently. They are bright yellow leather, with cheerful yellow flowers painted on the wooden insole. The reason I bought them was to wear when I get out of the shower. I don’t like wearing slippers with wet feet. Even if they are washable, I don’t ever feel that they come up really fresh. So, these Scholl sandals were literally to wear from the bathroom to the bedroom, bedroom to bathroom – a journey of some 20 feet!
The problem was that when I first bought the sandals the left one really hurt my foot. The leather strap and the fitting were really digging in. But the point is that I persevered. Day by day, 20 feet by 20 feet, bedroom to bathroom, bathroom to bedroom, and no more – suddenly I found that I did not even notice any difference at all with the left sandal. The leather had softened and moulded to the contour of my foot and there was no longer any discomfort. This literally took no more than a matter of weeks, certainly less than a month.
And sometimes it’s like this for us in our daily life. Whether it’s an especially challenging task, a difficult relationship, a commitment we’ve made that we know we cannot keep without God’s help. Perhaps God has spoken to us about reading the Bible in its entirety, praying in tongues for a certain amount of time each day, giving a certain amount on a regular basis . . . Maybe we say, “That’s just not me, I would find that really difficult”. But the point is that, when we persevere, even if we can start with only a very small step – a few verses, 7 minutes, £5 – suddenly we find that it’s not hurting, it’s not too challenging, it’s not too hard.
So, let’s all be encouraged. Whatever is before us, God’s principles are sure and certain. If we persevere, the anointing oil of his Spirit in our lives will “soften that leather” for us – precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little.
God bless you
Margaret Roberts - 3 October 2011
All Creatures Great and Small I saw the first flight of geese of the winter today, high up in the darkening sky. When you observe the geese in flight, they have a marvellous technique - they have a leader bird, and they sweep back in shape like a V-shaped bow in the sky. This leader bird is rested by the changing of position every so often by other birds who then take up the lead to cause the lift, which is then aerodynamically created by each individual bird's flight, and is beneficial to the flock in making flying easier. If a bird has to stop and land for any reason - sickness, injury - then its partner will stay with it until it can resume the journey; Canada Geese mate for life. Also, as the flock are flying, they call out to each other with encouraging sounds. Experts have stated that because of all this, and their staying in formation while in flight, the birds have something like a 73% chance of reaching their destination. So, as a church, what can we learn from God's creature, the humble goose? 1 - To help each other; 2 - Share the work; 3 - Encourage each other; 4 - Stay in formation (fellowship) Then we have a better chance of reaching our destination!
Ernie Williams - October 2011
The Tanner Was A Social Outcast Not Accepted In Society.. ...Do you know of people, or someone like that? Someone who is perhaps scruffy in appearance, or 'minging' as they say nowadays? A bit difficult to deal with maybe? Well, because of their job, that's what it was like to be a tanner in Bible times. Leather was used a lot for sandals, belts, bags, tents, armour shields, helmets and parchment for writing. After scraping and washing the hides, the leather was softened by soaking in oil, spread into the street to be walked on, or beaten and treated with dog dung, it was washed and dried again, then beaten with a hammer to make it thin, before being cut to make the various leather products. Parchment was salted and treated with flour. A Tanner was not accepted in society because of the stench of the materials, and the dead animals he was forced to touch, all forbidden under Jewish Law. A Tanner never had time to purify himself for acceptance into society - he therefore remained an outcast. The fact that he collected dung with his own hands was grounds enough for his wife to divorce him if she so chose. Jewish Law also required that a tannery be built away from towns. 'Joppa' (Jaffa) is a seaside town (Acts 10:6). In Acts 9:43, it states that Simon Peter stayed with the tanner Simon for some time - not just a smile and a quick move on. This is a lesson for all of us to take note of, isn't it? Ernie Williams - August 2011
God's Phone Number - Jeremiah 33:3 Do you feel lost without your mobile phone? I do. When I use my mobile phone, I can imagine a parallel to my praying to our God. I can make the call - there is no operator. there are no wires, and I can talk to or text my friend. There are times, I must admit, when I can't make a connection, and it's because I am in a 'no reception' area - sometimes it's because THERE'S A MOUNTAIN IN THE WAY blocking my call or my receiving of an answer. Then IT'S UP TO ME TO MOVE and get my position right. Some calls are delayed but come through eventually. There are some great texts from God in the Bible! You see, nothing is impossible or new to our God, because I have read in the Book of Daniel (5:25-28) about a king called 'Belthshazar' who was disrespectful and ignored God, and misused the holy implements and vessels from the Temple. This King Belthshazar received a text from the Holy God of Israel. It was to be God's judgement on the King. So God wrote on the wall of the King's Palace - the message read 'mene, mene, tekel, upharsin', which means that he had been tried and found wanting. He had ignored God's call. CU L8R LOLV :) Ernie Williams, August 2011.
A Quiet Place? Towards the end of the day, I went to this peaceful place to talk to my God. The weak sun shone on the chlorophyll green fields, making them look cool and fresh. Pheasants moved about freely, and hares chased each other in their own mad, dashing game. A ripple, and a curious snipping sound, coming from the narrow waterways that run each side of the lane gave away the presence of the water voles that swam to and fro, and fed among the young grass shoots. A faint chucking sound and a rather irate moorhen swam out from the near bank to take up cover under the over-hanging brambles on the far side. The sky above was active with lapwings, diving and twisting about like crazy pied-jesters, their criesechoing across the quiet place as though heckling the larks, whose sweet, watery song was washing through my ears. I watched in wonder as , with great majesty, a heron rose and took to the air. This act was heralded by the haunting call of the curlew grazing in the flat meadows. I finished my walk with one last pause to watch the darting swallows and listen to the distant call of the cuckoo. I went to this 'quiet' place to talk to God - BUT I COULDN'T GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS!
Ernie Williams, August 2011
Free Indeed The 'Newer Testament', in the gospel of St John (chapter 8, verse 36), says 'so who the Son sets free is free indeed'. There are some sign posts to this statement in the 'Older Testament' - signposts are excellent guides to reaching a desitnation... In Exodus 12:31, the Pharaoh ordered the children of Israel to go. They were set free from slavery, and went into 'The Desert Wilderness'. Leviticus 6:8 talks of the 'scapegoat' - in verse 22 it says 'the goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place, and the man shall release it into 'The Desert'. In Leviticus 14:7, and also 14:53, two pigeons were brought forward. One was killed; the live bird was dipped into the blood of the one that had been sacrificed (killed), then the live bird was taken and released into 'The Open Fields Outside The Town'. There is an emphasis on the freedom each time, so if the Son sets us dree, we are free - WE ARE VERY FREE!
Ernie Williams - June 2011
Searching for Leaven ('Bedikat Khametz')
Searching out the leaven in us- Jesus said, in Matthew 16 verse 6, 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees'. Paul, in Corinthians 5 verse 7, said 'Get rid of the old yeast, that you may be a new batch without yeast as you really are, for Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed'. Chapter 8 says 'Let us keep the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast - THE BREAD OF SINCERITY AND TRUTH'. In Jewish homes at Passover, they make a big display of clearing their homes of yeast ('khametz'). What is so often overlooked by us at Passover time is that it is also 'THE FESTIVAL OF UNLEAVENED BREAD'. So, it stands to reason that, at the Last Supper - which was a Jewish sedar meal - the bread being served would be unleavened bread. When Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread, then said 'Take and eat, this is my body', it was a pointer to the fact that we should realise that the bread was free from leaven, just as Jesus was free from sin.
'Passach Shalom'
Ernie Williams - April 2011.
The Church - The Bride of Christ - The Mikvah (Baptism)
The Jewish 'Mikvah' bath is a bathing by immersion for ceremonial and cleansing purposes. It is a very ancient practice, and the married women are expected to take the bath every month. What is noticeable about this practice is that the only unmarried women expected to take the 'mikvah' bath are those women being prepared to become a bride!
WE ARE BEING PREPARED! We, the 'Church', are a bride in waiting! We are waiting for our bridegroom, that is Jesus Christ. So, with our baptism by immersion, we are like the 'mikvah' brides being prepared. HALLELUJAH!
Ernie Williams - March 2011
The Waters of Separation - Baptism?
1: NOAH'S FLOOD - Genesis 6 and 7 God saw that the people on Earth were corrupt, but Noah walked with God. He was a righteous man, so the waters of The Flood came and SEPARATED Noah and his family from the sinful people of the Earth.
2 : EXODUS CHAPTER 1 - The Children of Israel were being treated harshly and cruelly as slaves to the Egyptians. God took pity on them, and Moses came and led them out of slavery. They crossed over the Red Sea, and were SEPARATED from slavery.
3 : JOSHUA CHAPTER 3 - The Children of Israel were in the Wilderness for forty years, being disciplined by God. When they trusted Him and were strong, they were led into the Promised Land by Joshua. They crossed over the River Jordan, and were SEPARATED from the Wilderness.
So when we acknowledge our slavery to sin, and we want to leave the Wilderness of God's Judgement, and our old lives, and acknowledge that Jesus is, to us, THE ARK that rescues us, He leads us from that slavery, and through the Wilderness. By accepting immersion in His name, this water of SEPARATION brings us to a NEW LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST!
Ernie Williams - March 2011
A Parable about God's Guidance (Amos) God has built a wall true to plumb : God's Word is like a plumb line. The plumb line is very low-tech, but it is spot-on, a plumb weight (plumb being Greek for lead, as in a plumber - a person who works with lead) on a length of string, held steady, allowing the supernatural force of gravity to hold it down, is all you need. This was used in building for centuries. But then lo and behold! There came a Pentecostal happening in the building, and the 'Holy' Spirit level came along, it is a great tool, not blown about by every wind and draught, used for plumbing and levelling. But things are moving on again. A new thing has come among us. If you haven't seen the light come to guide us, soon you will - the 'Laser Light'. It can be used for levelling, and as a guide it's a very bright light - remind you of anyone? So three things to remember : ONE - the plumb line : GOD'S WORD TWO - the spirit level : GOD'S SPIRIT THREE - the laser light : GOD'S SON.
Ernie Williams. Healing Our City from the Negative and Bad Things Liverpool's Past and Present - twinned with Jericho?
Evangelising our City- The Old Testament is a very physical book, and I can't help spiritualising some of its stories into parables for today's use. 2 Kings 2:19 tells of the people of Jericho. Their city is well situated, but the water is bad, and the land unproductive. In the letter to the Ephesians, it says in chapter 5, verse 26 : 'Husbands make your wives holy by the washing with water through the Word'. So we need to replace this bad water with the Holy water of God's Word. How Elisha did it (2 Kings 2 : 9-22) was to call for a new vessel (we are new vessels in Christ). He then said put salt in it (we are the salt of the earth) and salt is a description of God's Word flavouring wherever it is applied. He then applied the salt to the source of the problem and healed the bad water. So if we are the carrier of the salt (The Word), we need to get our feet wet like Elisha did (and let's remember Jesus turned water into wine) and EVANGELISE OUR CITY!
Ernie Williams. The Washing with Holy Waters of Scriptures continued.. As a Christian believer, I have, and do, read the Scriptures regularly (daily). But if you, dear reader, are anything like me, the problem is that I can't always remember the exact places in Scripture that I may require - so I have to look them up again - although you may now the general meaning and teaching. It's good if you can remember the exact places by memory, but I haven't been blessed with that ability. So maybe this story will encourage you as it does me : It is related that a king once gave his servants buckets, and instructed them to draw water from the well, when they began to notice that the buckets had many holes, and the water leaked out by the time the buckets were drawn to the top of the well. They stopped. When the king later asked them if they had done as he had told them, they replied that they had stopped because of the holes. 'You should have continued,' the king said, 'I didn't ask you to draw water because I wanted the water, but because I wanted the buckets cleaned'. And so it is with Scripture - we may not remember the exact place that we read something, but the process of studying is itself purifying. (Story by Rabbi Nathaniel Bushwick).
Ernie Williams. The Lovely Duckling
I wonder how many people, and children, feel unhappy, lonely, sad.. They feel like a square peg in a round hole, and uncomfortable with the people they mix with. There is a story of a little bird like that. He was doing his best to fit in and be accepted into a society to which he wasn't suited. He felt ugly about himself. Wrong!! Then one day, he met a lovely snow white swan who spoke wise words to him. The swan reasoned with him that he wasn't ugly, but he was striving to be a duck in a duck society, when all the time he too could be a lovely white swan. So, then, why be a sad duck? Ask the Lord Jesus into your life (it's a personal relationship), and your sins will be forgiven - 'they will be as white as snow before him' (Isaiah 1:18). Then why not join a Swan Society? Find a church that teaches and preaches the Bible, become a swan, and help to spread the wings of the Good News, that through Jesus water becomes wine.. because through Him, change becomes possible.
Ernie Williams. |
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