Barnabas Ministries UK

Rev. E. Anderson

KNOWING GOD THROUGH HISTORY

Reading Matthew 1

Introduction

SUBJECT: History is a subject that most people are interested in. It is mainly taken up with records of what has taken place of significance.  Each nation has its chronicle of events of things that have occurred of note, of people and epoch moments that have shaped their destiny. What has taken place nationally has impacted and affected in some cases the world at large. Most people look at such and interpret it from merely a human angle. That is all they know.

DIVINE HISTORY: When the Bible is read and investigated it puts a different aspect on it altogether and reveals that God has an agenda and program running. He is to be seen and known within such happenings. Primarily history is HIS-STORY, because he is outworking a fantastic eternal purpose which has to be understood, believed and for all to know an integral part.

From Genesis 1-11 there is the introduction of man’s historical beginnings and how things turned out, regretfully man failed God his Creator which resulted in chaos, disaster and judgment as evidenced in the Flood in Noah’s day – another historical fact – Genesis 6-8. Man got into further difficulty through pride and so the dispersion took place and the further break upon – Genesis 10-11. Although man had made a mess of things and was in a mess, God was not prepared to give mankind up. He was to begin a process of regeneration in a unique way.

    1/. HISTORY REVEALS GOD CHOOSING AND WORKING IN AND THROUGH A MAN

The name of Abraham has gone down not only in Bible history but world history, too. His contribution to mankind has been massive and quite extraordinary.

His life and history reveals a person who came to believe in God and the impact of his faith made upon his life. At the first, he was more or less polytheistic in his beliefs – believing in many gods. But then in supernatural and radical manner the true God was made known to him that as a result he, his life and his future was to be different and unique – Genesis 12: 1-4.

God did special and supernatural things thus showing His existence, love and power on his behalf. He was to give a son when it was no longer possible for Sarah to conceive and be pregnant and to be a mother – Genesis 15: 1-417: 15-19; 18: 10-15; Romans 4: 17-21. God was written into this man’s life and history beyond any doubt.

   2/.  HISTORY REVEALS GOD CHOOSING AND USING A NATION

God made known the prophetic fact of a unique people who would come into being through this seed and through whom He would make evident greater things for all mankind. They were simply to be a starting point and agency of something significant for humanity. He foretells their history in prophecy and so it came to pass.

·          He predicted they would become a nation of slaves – Genesis 15: 13

·          He proclaims ahead of time that they would know an amazing deliverance  - Genesis 15: 14

·          He announces that they would be possessors of a unique land – Genesis 15: 18-21

·          He foretells that He would make a great nation of them – Genesis 12: 2

·          God used this people to produce the sacred Scriptures, the writes all came from Israel – Romans 9: 4

·          God revealed that the main reason for their existence would be to prepare for the birth of a world Messiah and their prophets spoke of this unique person in their ministry – see Isaiah 53

   3/. HISTORY EXPRESSES THE BIRTH OF A UNIQUE PERSON WHO WAS TO IMPACT HUMAN SOCIETY

There is little doubt that this has reference to Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the man who invaded human history and the world has never been the same every since. Even the chronicle of time was affected – BC and AD.

The biographical and historical accounts of His life, work and accomplishments have been permanently recorded in the New Testament and such knowledge is at hands for all to read, understand and believe. God is to be known in the advent of Christ and it is to be realised it was all God-planned and produced.

 4/. HISTORY INCLUDES THE APPERANCE OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST THAT WAS AND IS TO AFFECT THE WORLD

The New Testament further attests the information of how the Christian Church was birthed and progressed and it cannot be seriously and studiously looked at without sensing that it is a vital part of human history that has certainly had a dynamic effect upon the world – see the book of Acts. The centuries have passed and it has continued in spite of all efforts to suppress and extinguish it. It has been a formidable factor and still is a growing concern. No one can deny that this agency and divine institution has had a big bearing upon this world. Those who have a mind to consider must surely see God in her being and working in spite of certain factors concerning her practices at times.

CONCLUSION

The simple but sure point that is being made is this: a perusal of history will throw up the fact that there is a unique design that has been working something important in the affairs of mankind. It is nothing less than the mind and will of God and this is to be appreciated and believed in.

Rev. E. Anderson

EXTRACTS FROM LIFE  

When you have lived a considerable number of years in relationship with God one gathers a tremendous amount in testimony to God’s grace and goodness in life. One discovers that He does some amazing things with ordinary people and through the course of this page I would share some of the wonderful and interesting experiences He has wrought. And all is to His honour and glory.

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION

This is one of the acute factors that our modern society faces. Many people appear to suffer from this dreaded condition of mind and spirit and remedies are sought to provide a satisfactory solution. Even good and positive people are attacked with it and have great difficulty in overcoming the evil. It certainly takes the joy out of living and relationships.

During the early time I was in the Bible College in the 1970s I came across the passage in Lamentations that rather surprised and challenged me. It definitely is a book of conflict and sorrow and reveals the depths of despair that the prophet Jeremiah experienced. This choice, faithful servant of God was evidently subjected to this awful evil and he shares his experience in quite detail. Whilst reading chapter 3 I gave some thought and study to it and prepared an address on it little realising the impact it would make on me and others.

Before we come to the memorable words of ‘Great is Your faithfulness’ in v23 there is quite an introduction of difficulty and melancholy and gloominess expressed in vv1-19. These verses appear to contain some of the most miserable and despondent statements uttered by a man of God. But the latter part takes on importance because of them. The prophet had dealt with a very dark period and experience of life but came through on top. He came through untold negative conditions to enjoy a place of spiritual and mental conquest.

In examining the first part it would seem as if this man felt that God was against him and that even his praying was futile. It didn’t matter what spiritual steps he took he was thwarted and the situation deteriorated. But in spite of such he manages to deal with it and emerge triumphant.

I was away speaking in Ripon in Yorkshire one Saturday afternoon and was inspired to speak from this passage on the subject. It was evident that the people listened well and that they were helped to understand a little o the subject. During the break the minister’s son approached me to ask if he could send the recorded message to a minister who was passing through this kind of experience. Gladly I consented to his requested and the tape was duly sent. It was to prove an answer to this man’s need.

Very recently I met this ministerial colleague and he reminded me of this incident of how the Lord used the message to deliver him from this wretched state. His wife was busy ironing and they were listening to the tape and as they heard God’s Word it immediately ministered, relieved and set him from the dark state he was in. He recognised the Lord’s voice and answer and believed and was set free. It became a memorable moment in his career and from day moved on to succeed in fulfilling a ministry career for God.

Little did I realise that this would serve again in another way to bring a solution to someone else who was to traverse this pathway.

One of our students was afflicted with this condition and was taken to a near by hospital to receive medical help and treatment. He was a beautifully disposed married man with every thing to live for, yet this thing hit him most powerfully. The attack left him in a very vulnerable state of mind and he found it difficult to cope.

Two of the students had been to visit him and they came to me to tell me how low in spirit he was and that how they had tried to minister and to bring some relief. They felt helpless as they did their utmost. They kindly asked if I would go and see an seek to bring an answer into this forlorn condition of being. I consented to go in the evening, which was Friday. On arrival at the hospital ward and seeing him in bed it was obvious he was in a desperate situation. I think I sat on the bed for at least half-an-hour speaking into his being and sensed I was assisted by the Lord. The students were encouraging and said to me they felt it was the best they had seen him. Before leaving I assured I would be in again on the Monday on my return from being away for the week-end on ministry.

Returning home on the Sunday evening I received a telephone message from him saying he was down to zero. He was as low as could be. The situation was pressing and urgent. I immediately contacted his wife and she informed me she would be at the hospital the next day with her father who was a church elder. I also assured him I would be there to see him the next morning.

It was whilst travelling to the hospital that the Lord reminded me of this passage from Lamentations and that I had to immediately minister it to him. On arrival at his bedside one could see there was a need for a spiritual miracle. The Lord aided me in communicating this word and then I prayed and sensed that he must sign himself out and trust the Lord. I did not mention this to him at that moment but believed this was the course of action to be taken.

When I got outside, it was providential that his wife and father-in-law had just arrived and I mentioned my conviction to them. They were of a similar mind and judgment. Travelling back by car to the college, I came to a certain spot in the road and the Holy Spirit assured me that he would sign himself out of hospital that day, and he did.

In arriving at the Bible College, the Lord challenged me to take him into flat that night and share the same bedroom. I was to believe that God would more than answer the situation. Well do I remember saying to the Lord that night in prayer: ‘Lord, I am sure you have undertaken therefore I will not need to get up in the night season.’ It was an undisturbed night and the student immediately recovered. To God be all the glory!

It is assuring to know that when we pass through these deep waters of darkness and depression that the Lord not only cares, He can bring the need cure. One verse of Scripture has been a blessing to me and it is this: ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble: and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me’ – Psalm 50: 15. And He will and you will be able to say: ‘Great is your faithfulness’.

Rev. E. Anderson

THE SMILE

“Smile at each other; smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children; smile at each other-it doesn’t matter who it is - and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other”.

Mother Teresa

Many Americans are familiar with The Little Prince, a ‘wonderful book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This is a whimsical and fabulous book and works as a children’s story as well as a thought-provoking adult fable. Far fewer are aware of Saint-Exupery’s other writings, novels and short stories.

Saint-Exupery was a fighter pilot who fought against the Nazis and was killed in action. Before World War II’ e fought in the Spanish Civil War against the fascists. He wrote a fascinating story based on that experience entitled The Smile (Le Sourie). It is this story which I’d like share with you now. It isn’t clear whether or not he meant this to be autobiographical or fiction. I choose to believe it is the former.

He said that he was captured by the enemy and thrown into a jail cell. He was sure that from the contemptuous looks and rough treatment he received from his jailers he would be executed the next day. From here, I’ll tell the story as I remember it in my own words.

“I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly ner­vous and distraught. I fumbled in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes which had escaped their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those.

“I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. After all, one does not make eye con­tact with a thing, a corpse. I called out to him ‘Have you got a light, por favor?’ He looked at me, shrugged and came over to light my cigarette.

“As he came close and lit the match, his eyes inadver­tently locked with mine. At that moment, I smiled. I don’t know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, per­haps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very hard not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human souls. I know he didn’t want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips, too. He lit my cig­arette but stayed near, looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.

“I kept smiling at him, now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension, too. ‘Do you have kids?’ he asked.

“’Yes, here, here.’ I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his ninos and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I’d never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes, too. ‘Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out. Out of the jail, quietly and by back routes, out of the town. There, at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town.

‘My life was saved by a smile.”

Yes, the smile-the unaffected, unplanned, natural con­nection between people. I tell this story in my work because I’d like people to consider that underneath all the layers we construct to protect ourselves, our dignity, our titles, our degrees, our status and our need to be seen in certain ways-underneath all that, remains the authentic, essential self. I’m not afraid to call it the soul. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other, we wouldn’t be enemies. We could­n’t have hate or envy or fear. I sadly conclude that all those other layers, which we so carefully construct through our lives, distance and insulate us from truly contacting others. Saint-Exupery’s story speaks of that magic moment when two souls recognize each other.

I’ve had just a few moments like that. Falling in love is one example. And looking at a baby. Why do we smile when we see a baby? Perhaps it’s because we see some­one without all the defensive layers, someone whose smile for us we know to be fully genuine and without guile. And that baby-soul inside us smiles wistfully in recognition.

Hanoch McCarty

Rev. L. Goodwin

QUOTES

FAMOUS LEADERSHIP QUOTES FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE LEADERS

 “The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.”
- General Colin Powell

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.”
- Lee Iacocca

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”
- Sam Walton

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”
- Winston Churchill

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
- John Maxwell

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”
- Peter Drucker

“There is something that is much more scarce, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability.”
- Robert Half

In Pursuit of Fairness

by Jon Walker

“The Lord is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love.” Psalm 103:8 (NLT)

My kids are obsessed with fairness. They argue over who gets the biggest piece, who gets to play the computer game longest, who gets to sit next to the window. I suspect your children or the children you know are the same way.

One night during dinner, my kids were arguing over who would get the last slice of pizza and out popped the oft repeated phrase, “That’s not fair!”

Okay, it had been a long day and I was tired, so I looked at my children and said, “Fair! You want fair? Since you didn’t pay for the dinner, you shouldn’t get to eat. Are you sure you still want fair?”

But, honestly, it’s not just the kids who argue over fairness. I’m sure this doesn’t happen at your house, but sometimes my spouse and I argue over what is fair – who will change the baby’s diaper, who should make dinner, who gets to drive the “good” car.

This obsession over fairness seems to be in the human DNA: “Let me have the bigger slice;” “let me have the better salary;” “let me get away with it this time.” After all, it’s only fair, right?

We make the same arguments with God. We plead for fairness when we’re really asking for special treatment. But the truth is, God can say to us in true fairness, “I’m a Holy God and you’ve done some very unholy things. Fair would mean I can stay angry at you forever. It would mean I can punish your for the horrible things you’ve done and I can give you every bit of what you deserve. Are you sure you still want fair?”

But God, in his compassion, is not like that at all. David, the ancient poet/king, sang this song of God: “The Lord is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.” (Psalm 103:8–9, NLT)

When David sings about God’s “unfailing love,” he uses a Hebrew word that implies God is in loving pursuit of us. Yahweh chases after us with such persistent grace that he refuses to let us get away. His pursuit is energized by his compassion, not only feeling what we feel, but also with the intent to help us: “He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.” (Psalms 103:10–11, NLT)

While we’re in pursuit of fairness, God, knowing fair will mean our inevitable destruction, remains in compassionate pursuit of us.

Communicating Compassion:

     · Yahweh’s unfailing love – God’s compassion flows from his unfailing, undying love for you. His love for you is so vast it extends from the earth to the heights of heaven, and his compassionate pursuit of you brings Jesus from heaven’s heights to an empty tomb on earth. If you truly trusted God’s unfailing love, how would you live your life differently? Ask God to guide you to a place of true trust.

     · Do a Fairness Flip – Start practicing compassion by flipping the angle of any fairness argument. In other words, say, “You, my friend, can have the bigger piece of cake.” “Let me change the diaper again.” “Because of your addictions, you may deserve to live on the streets, but God has shown me compassion, and I want to extend the same compassion to you.”

     · From fairness to unfailing love – As God develops compassion within you, he will bring you to a place where you’ll need to give up the “argument of fairness” and replace it with unfailing love. God is patient, so don’t panic or beat yourself up. Ask God to guide you toward unfailing love.