“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves
to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one
another, and be clothed with humility for
“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand
of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting
all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the
same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood
in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called
you us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you
have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen,
and settle you.”
1Peter 5: 5-11

This passage, coming as it does at the end of Peter’s first epistle, is a wonderful reminder of what it takes to be a victorious Christian. We would do well then to give it close attention.

We note the following:

1.    Be Humble V5-6
Humility is not something weak and cringing. It is strong and confident but recognizes the dignity and place of those who have authority over us. It treats these people with respect and honor and can be called good manners from the heart. My father always told us that “manners cost nothing but will take you a long way in life.” He was right! Humility, evidenced by submission, is not humility until we have to “give honor to whom honor is due” even though we may disagree with them. It is important to note that this is vital for the well being and blessing of the local church for in submitting to those over us we actually are submitting to God. Authority structures are important to God because they carry His blessing and power! Young people are particularly singled out for encouragement in this regard because the young heart can so easily resist authority and become rebellious. It is true to say that much of our life’s destiny is settled in our young years! God exalts those who walk the road of humility in life.

2.    Be focused V7
The God you serve loves you and cares for you. He takes responsibility for every part of your life because you belong to Him. (1Corinthians 6:20) Peter therefore encourages the believer to cast all his or her cares upon this God. The image is one of throwing off one’s concerns and dumping them on God! What a blessing to know that He cares for us in such a wonderful way. We often have not because we ask not and do not cast our cares upon Him.

3.    Be sober and vigilant V8-9
The Christian is to be alert and watchful because the devil is constantly looking for a way to trip him up. He prowls about watching and waiting for his opportunity to strike. This is not a game and is not fictitious. We give him this opportunity when deliberately embrace sin, harbor unforgiveness, have broken relationships and neglect our devotional lives. We must resist him by keeping our lives clean and being firm about what it means to have faith in God. We must not allow trials and sufferings to discourage us so that we open the door to his attack. Peter wants us to know that all Christians pass through very difficult periods in their lives. We must be patient because God knows and will in due time deliver us. Never fall prey to the idea that your troubles are bigger than anyone else’s. This idea is demonic!

4.    Be assured V10
God’s grace will always settle you down and assure you of His love. He has, by Jesus Christ, called you into a place of eternal glory and He will never fail you. Of this you can and should be assured. The words here are beautiful in that Peter says that God will perfect, establish, settle and strengthen you. Our trials lead us to His grace and His grace will always transform and bless us. You must always fight discouragement and trust the God of the Bible who loves you with a love that can be experienced but never fully comprehended!

No wonder the passage ends with a eulogy to the glory of God because in constitutes a recipe for success.

Many blessings in Jesus,

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

Leviticus 23: 23-24; 1Corinthians 10:11

(A)    The Three Great Pilgrim Feasts of the Lord
1.    The Feast of Passover…The entrance to the Kingdom of God.
2.    The Feast of Pentecost….The power of the Kingdom of God. (The Word and the Spirit of God)
3.    The Feast of Tabernacles….The triumph of the Kingdom of God.
Paul attended these; not as an obligation but as a celebration. (Acts 20:16)

(B)    The High Holy Days
1.    Rosh Hashanah……The “head” or beginning of the year.
2.    Yom Kippur…….The great Day of Atonement.
3.    Tabernacles…..The triumphant dwelling of God with man. (Rev 21:3)

(C)    Rosh Hashanah………….The New Year!
Passover constitutes the beginning of spiritual life. God says, “This will be the beginning of months (new life) for you.” (Exodus 12:1-2)
Rosh Hashanah constitutes the preservation of spiritual life! It is a trumpet or wake up call to God’s children to take stock of their spiritual lives. It is therefore characterized by the blowing of trumpets (Shofars). Or, it is God’s alarm clock calling us to awake from our spiritual slumber! (Ephesians 5:13-21) It mirrors the coming day of the judgment of believers. (Romans 14:10-12)(1Corinthians 3:13-15)

It’s all about how much we love Jesus. If we truly love Him with our first love we will happily and easily live out His life within us. (Rev 2:4) I loved my wife so much that when I was courting her that I happily cycled 12 miles to see her for twenty minutes and then cycled back home a further twelve miles!!

Are we cycling for Jesus?

(D)    Yom Kippur
The wonder, awesomeness and beauty of the message of the cross. (Gal 6:14) Yom Kippur takes place ten days (2times 5) after Rosh Hashanah. Five is the number of grace in the Bible. So, David picked up five stones by which to slay Goliath and the church is beautified by a five-fold ministry of Apostles, Prophets, teachers, Evangelists and Pastors. (Ephesians 4:11) God’s work in us from beginning to end is one of grace! (Ephesians 2:8)

On Yom Kippur two Goats are brought into focus; the Lord’s Goat and the Scapegoat or Azazel. The Lord’s Goat is sacrificed and its blood placed on the Mercy Seat in the Temple by the High Priest for atonement. A beautiful picture of Christ’s finished work on the cross! The Scapegoat has the sins of the people confessed over it and it is released into the wilderness; a picture of our freedom from sin and guilt but also of our freedom from the oppression of the Devil. Azazel in Hebrew means, “the one that opposes” and is considered by Jewish theologians to be a
reference to the Devil and Demons! Jesus not only delivered us from our sins but also from the hands of the Devil! (Hebrews 2:14)(Acts 10:38)

We have much to praise Him for!

(E)    Tabernacles
The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of God’s sovereignty, provision, care and triumph for His redeemed people. It recalls the wilderness wandering of the Israelites and how they lived in unstable booths with leafy coverings and were thus exposed to the elements and many enemies. God cared for them, filled them with joy, delivered them from their enemies and brought them to the Promised Land.

It is a Feast for the entire world to celebrate as God in Christ has redeemed for Himself a people from every tribe and tongue (Revelation 5:9-10) and will shortly, by Jesus’ coming, gather them all to His visible Kingdom. (Zechariah 14:16-17; Acts 1: 11). It is primarily a Feast of joy and gladness since it exhorts God’s people to rejoice in all that He has done for them. Until that day arrives we will trust Him for everything, be thankful and joyful and remember that, before Him, we are giants and our enemies are grasshoppers!

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“So I sought for a man among them who would
make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on
behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it but
I found no one.”
Ezekiel 22:30

At first glance this is a very sad and disheartening verse of scripture but actually it is very encouraging and quite exciting. This is so for the following reasons:

1.    God is looking for a way to save our nations from judgment.
The Lord we serve is not some bully in heaven with an arsenal of deadly weapons in his hands ready to be cast upon the earth. No, He is seen in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and He is thus nothing more or less than what we see in Jesus on the pages of scripture. No one has seen God at any time but Jesus the only begotten God in the bosom of the Father has made Him known. What a wonderful God He is! This God is looking for a way to have mercy upon His fallen world!

2.    God is looking for just one man.
That is, God is looking for just one dedicated man! One dedicated person can rescue a nation from judgment and disaster. This is amazing and should stir us to pray for our nations in this closing time of history. There is no doubt that the wickedness of this world, at every level, is attracting the judgment of God especially as we witness nations demanding of Israel that she give up land and even Jerusalem to the interests of radical jihadists! This coupled with perverted notions about sex and marriage is sending our countries into conflict with God. The world will laugh at this notion but they weren’t laughing after the Second World War. We have not learned from and will repeat history but God is still looking for just one man or woman!

3.    God is looking for a wall builder.
That is, someone who will stop the march of wickedness. God is looking for men or women who not only know how to pray but also know how to act. We must use our sphere of influence to impact others with righteousness. The Book of Esther is interesting because it does not mention God once but it records the deeds of those godly persons who were prepared to do something about evil. Esther and Mordechai were “wall builders.” We must be a praying people but we must also get busy and do something about wickedness. After all, the Bible calls us salt and light! Salt makes people thirsty and light shows the way. This is what God is looking for.

4.    God is looking for intercessors.
An intercessor is someone who fills a place before God on behalf of others. God is looking for
Christians who will step forward between Him and a sinful world and pray for mercy. Just as
Abraham did on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. Our nations and peoples deserve God’s
judgment but if He can find intercessors He will relent and give us time as nations to repent and
mend our sinful ways.

Who will hear this challenge and pick it up?

Ezekiel 22:30 is therefore a sad commentary in that in Ezekiel’s day God found no one to answer His call and judgment was the result and it was a terrifying judgment at that. Today, we have arrived at the same place and the signs of God’s displeasure are everywhere. We can turn this sad state of affairs into a blessing if we have ears to hear. To be sure, we have a short time and must now stand up, build walls of righteousness and intercede.

If not now; when?

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!”
Joel 3:9

For some time now I have written about the turbulence in the Middle East region. Something of great significance is unfolding before our eyes and one can also feel it by the in dwelling  power of the Spirit of God. A new order is emerging in the Middle East that will challenge Israel and the world. Hitherto the Western World has chosen to dismiss this reality but now it is beginning to wake up to the possibility of a newly established and armed Islamic Caliphate. this new Islamic order will challenge Israel! Israel remains a serious obstacle to the credibility of its Koranic revelation and it stands in the way of completing the contiguous Islamic regional empire. Conflict is thus inevitable and this why the Prophet Joel, speaking of our time exclaims “Prepare for war!” Where then is the God of the Bible in all of this?

The answer is threefold:

1. The God of the Bible is orchestrating it.
This may be hard to understand initially but when one understands His purpose one can appreciate why He is bringing the world and Israel to conflict. He will not allow wickedness to go unpunished and He has waited patiently for the nations and even Israel to repent. The same Prophet Joel declares that in the days of Israel’s restoration God will gather all nations to the land of Israel for a great battle. (Joel 3:2)

Christians who love Israel must come to terms with this reality and quickly!

2. The God of the Bible is pursuing His plan.
That is, Israel needs to be saved, not only physically but spiritually. Her restoration process must conclude with her spiritual recovery which means that she must come to terms with her King, Jesus. It is through great weakness and the threat of destruction that she will do just this. This is Joel’s message, Israel will call upon the Lord and be saved. Note Joel 2:32. This redemptive call of desperation will trigger God’s intervention on her behalf and so Joel also writes that “for in Mt Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance.” God will deliver Israel and deliver a crushing judgment upon the nation who have divided up His land and persecuted the children of Israel. (Joel 3:2) this is God’s plan and we cannot change it but we can pray that its objectives will be attained and we should!

This is the prayer battle that God by Jesus Christ invites us into.

3. The God of the Bible will reveal Himself.
The approaching conflict in the Middle East will vindicate the God of the Bible as the only true God. Once again Joel declares, “So shall you know that I am the Lord dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.” (Joel 3:17) This conflict will humble the nations and their false gods and much of the Church which has denied God’s ongoing attachment to Israel and the great city of Zion. Indeed the nations, Israel and the Church will be humbled before this great God of heaven and earth.

So, as we face the days before us we must know that those who say “peace, peace” are propagating a delusion. The proper but unpopular message is this, “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!”

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”
2 Peter 3:10

The Day of the Lord is a subject that is written about in almost every book of scripture. It is therefore not an isolated or obscure subject and yet it is largely ignored by preachers and expositors of scripture today. Scripture has all of history moving toward this great day. There have been types of it in history just as there have been types of the Antichrist in history but, for sure, God and the human race have a final appointment that will be kept. This will be the Day of the Lord!

So, what can we learn about it from the Bible?

1. That it will come when the world least expects it;
its arrival will be like a thief in the night. In fact the world will declare a new and unprecedented order of peace and safety and then the Day of the Lord will befall it. (1Thessalonians 5:2-3) As I write it is clear that the conflict unfolding in the Middle East will escalate, shake the world and stampede it toward global government. Sadly the new world order will finally banish the God of the Bible from its domain and those who continue to revere Him and His Son Jesus Christ. They will “rage” against anything biblical and against Israel. (Psalm 2) Their victory will appear complete but like the coming of a thief in the night the Day of the Lord will overtake them.

2. That it will be a terrifying Day of judgment.
It will engulf the whole world and ultimately consume it with fire. Many great passages of the Major Prophets refer to it and Isaiah 24, Zechariah 14 and Joel 3 are examples of this. All of them have the luminaries failing and falling; a theme that Jesus, Paul, Peter and John pick up on. (Matthew 24:29; Acts 2:14-21; Revelation 6:12-17)

3. That it will be a Day of undetermined length.
That is, since the luminaries fail it will not be your usual 24 hour day. It is the unique Day of the Lord. ( Zechariah 14: 6-7) The leaders of the earth will be caught out completely by surprise by its arrival and have enought time to gather their weapons in a last ditch effort to resist the purpose of God. (Revelation 19:19) they will fail!

4. That it will be a Day of salvation. ( Acts 2:21)
Millions of people, all over the world, will be overcome by a spirit of repentance and call out to God to save them by the once for all finished work of Jesus on the cross. This will truly be the “last call” for the human race. The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord will shake them free of sin and bring them to the grace of God and yet millions more will continue in their hatred of God and all things Christian. Such is the wickedness of the human heart.

5. That it will be the Day of Jesus’ second coming.
On this Day, as it breaks, Jesus will come for His Church and save her from the wrath to come. The Day of the Lord and thus the Day also of His coming is like a “thief in the night”. (Revelstion 16:12-16) Both events are wound into one and so as He comes in flaming fire to judge the world we will behold Him for the first time and marvel at His glory and magnificence. (2Thessalonans 1:3-12) 
Even so Lord Jesus come!

Given the above it is no wonder that Peter concludes his words about the coming Day of the Lord by writing that, as a consequence, we should live holy and godly lives and do everything possible to hasten its arrival. Note verses 11-13 of 2Peter 3. We should all live in the light of the coming Day of the Lord and take every day as a gift from God to love Him and do His will on earth. The Day of the Lord is surely coming and we must be ready and waiting for our Lord. This is why Jesus gave us the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25. Look it up again and read it carefully for it warns us not to be spiritually asleep in these days.

Blessings in Jesus,
Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will Reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;
People shall worship Him, each one from his Place, indeed all the shores of the nations.”
Zephaniah 2:11

Here tucked away in a little known book of the Bible, is a reference conveying some remarkable truths.

We note three of these:

1. God is Awesome. (Overwhelming in power, majesty, presence and essence) 
This awesomeness of God is presently hidden, except to those who know Him, but a day is coming when He will be awesome to all the peoples of the earth. That is; He will unveil, by the coming of Jesus Christ, the true nature of who He is. Needless to say the world will be overwhelmed by this revelation. How wonderful it is to have come to this revelation by the presence of Jesus in our lives!

2. God is without a rival. (Having no equal) 
Much of the process unfolding in the world today and particularly in the Middle East is orchestrated by the God of the Bible in order to reduce the gods of this world to nothing. It may appear to be a confused picture but a sovereign God is handing the nations over to their bankrupt decisions so that ultimately His reality will be the only one. All the false gods of this world will be vanquished just as Dagon; the god of the Philistines who was humbled before the Ark of the living God!

3. God is worthy of adoration. (Having such glory that automatically induces worship) 
The God of the Bible made the heavens the earth and the nations. He will not bring in a new heavens and a new earth until He is vindicated and all the nations and all the peoples of the earth acknowledge His existence and sovereignty. This wonderful “day” is coming soon! In fact we are most happy when we worship God with our lips, lives and resources. God made us like this! However, a day is coming when every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is best to come now and do this in love, because if we do not, we shall surely do it in judgment!

May the awesome God of heaven bless you richly!

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals
His secret to His servants the prophets.”
Amos 3:7

There is no doubt that there is a feeling everywhere amongst God’s servants of repute that very challenging and difficult days are ahead.  Paul had this feeling in his days as he wrote about what he called the “impending distress.” He was so convinced that some overwhelming issue would befall the world that he cautioned about the wisdom of getting married in the light of it. (1Corinthians 7:26) He was right because some years later the Roman armies marched east and conquered Jerusalem and just before this Nero, the Roman Emperor, unleashed a terrifying persecution against the Christians in his realm. God in His love had warned His people.

As I travel the globe and have the privilege of sharing with wonderful men of God there is a single message that filters through all of our conversations and that is get ready for difficult times! We must understand that Jesus is determined to purify His Church and before He deals with the world He will judge His Church. (1Peter 4:17) That is; He will beautify it and separate it from the world. This will be a painful process and may even involve intense persecution but most certainly we must get ready for it. The Spirit of God warns of this everywhere!

Essential to making it through these approaching days are the following:

1.    Make sure that your relationship with Jesus is real and dynamic.
This effectively means that one has to live in the Word of God and that one’s prayer life is solid. By this I mean that we recognize that we cannot get by on what I call “two minute prayers” and short readings of the Bible. Jesus craves our fellowship more than anything and this is why He died for us; in order to bring us into a living relationship with Him and the His Father. In John 15 He reminds us that we are to abide in Him just as a branch has to abide in the main body of the vine for life and vitality. There is no short cut to this and apart from it we cannot experience real joy and fruitfulness in our lives.

Real prayer is like setting out to exercise by running; once you get through the “determination and pain barrier” you realize that you cannot do without it. So many Christians never enter into the real blessing and power of prayer because they will not push through! Be sure of this; the days ahead will require that we have spiritual resources within us. If we do not strengthen our spiritual lives by good spiritual habits we will fail and many have over the centuries!

2.    Make sure that you are living in the will of God.
The safest place in the world is where God wants you to be. Some people ask me how I could leave Jerusalem and live in Tennessee? The contrast seems so amazing to them that they cannot conceive how one could leave Zion for a small town in America. The answer is simple; this is precisely where God wants me to be at present! It’s not only where He wants me to be but it is where He will bless me. If I stayed another day longer in Jerusalem I would have disconnected myself from His will for my life and therefore from His blessing! I choose His will all the time and so must you. In seeking to find the will of God for your life remember that He is more eager to speak to you than you are to hear him. The will of God is always found by those who are near Him.

I once saw a plaque on a wall that ran as follows: “Those who walk with God will always get to their destination.” If you cannot find the will of God for your life then take stock of your relationship with Him. It’s as easy as that!

3.    Make sure you are in fellowship.
No follower of Jesus can afford the luxury of not being in fellowship with God’s people. This will definitely disconnect you from the full voice of Jesus and leave you spiritually impoverished. You cannot afford this and you must integrate yourself into the day to day life of the local Church. This is not my teaching but that of the Bible’s. Difficult days are coming and you will face them more resolutely with your brothers and sisters in the faith around you. The Bible has much to say about “body life” and we should heed it. (1Corinthians 11-14) The early Church became powerful and unstoppable because they constantly gave themselves to corporate prayer, Bible study, fellowship and the Breaking of Bread. (Acts 2:42) We should do likewise!

So then, as we approach days of upheaval, uncertainty, financial instability and war we must draw near to God and seek, more than ever, to have the life of Jesus entrenched in our lives. Holiness is an inward desire that becomes a reality by the grace of God working in us. Let us pursue this holiness for without it we shall not see God. (Hebrews 12:14)

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“Be saved from this perverse and crooked generation.”
Acts 2:40-47

As Peter brings his great sermon on the Day of Pentecost to an end he exhorts his hearers to be saved from the wickedness of their day. Theirs, like that of our day, is a “perverse generation.” That is, it is a generation that willingly and actively gives itself to pursuits that further the proliferation of evil and everything that offends God. No doubt, with all our sophistication, we live with a generation that is just as wicked and probably more so. Indeed we employ our sophisticated technology to accelerate our perversity. Today the internet is a very dangerous place for children and even grown- ups who surf around at will. It has ensnared millions of unsuspecting souls and will continue to do so.

Peter’s words are then appropriate when he calls his hearers to repentance and faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. What follows is an interesting insight into how churches grow and the steps they should take to facilitate this growth. To put it another way, it tells how men, women and children disconnect themselves from an evil generation and set out to become dynamic Christ followers. We should take note of the following:

The sacrament of Baptism V41
Water baptism is a declaration of what you believe to be yours by virtue of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. It is a public confession of one’s faith in Jesus and a visible demonstration of being united with Jesus in His death burial and resurrection. (Romans 6:4) For the early church this was a very important step and it most often involved public repentance, the renunciation of all occult practices and prayers of deliverance being said over the candidates. Baptism was considered the doorway to the Church and thus the candidates had to be sincere and very public in their confession of sin in order to protect the “cleanness” of the Church. Until they took this public step they were generally not allowed to assume any position of responsibility in the believing community. Baptism was held in very high regard by the early Church and every effort was made to ensure that those who underwent it did so properly. (Acts 19:1-5) It strikes me that much of the modern Church could learn from this. The Book of Proverbs declares that “he that has high gate invites destruction”; meaning that the door into the Church must be low!  Baptism ensures this as it sets apart those who have truly exercised saving faith in the cross. It will not save anyone but it will protect the Church from spiritual charlatans!

The sacrament of faithfulness V42
The early followers of Jesus “continued steadfastly.” That is they were faithful to a man to the public pursuit of spiritual things. Today if ten percent of the local church gathers faithfully the preacher can consider himself “lucky.” Evangelical believers have little knowledge of the dignity of the local church and have drifted into the heresy of the “Jesus and me” syndrome. The truth is the fullness of Jesus’ life can only be experienced in the collective fellowship of God’s people and until we get the matter of faithfulness right our churches will not grow. And, for the record, one cannot attend church by watching one’s TV on Sunday mornings! This is a delusion that has gripped many lives. The evidence of salvation is dependability or faithfulness. Churches grow because of it! Christians are to get involved in local church life and so God never gave anyone the gift of being a spectator!

The sacrament of contributing V42
At the very least Christians should regularly and faithfully attend prayer meetings, Bible studies, fellowship gatherings and they should break bread or hold Communion. All Christians should contribute in this way to the life of the local church. The first two enable them to grow, fellowship gives them a sense of real community and the breaking of bread keeps the Church clean. That is, it gives the believer an opportunity to reflect on his or her spiritual life and make adjustments where it is in contradiction to the will of God. The Table of the Lord is not just a mere ritual or formality. What we remember is Jesus’ death for us and what this means for our lives. If we do not judge ourselves properly when taking the cup and the bread we bring God’s judgment down upon our lives. Paul writes that “for this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” (Meaning have died prematurely)(1Corinthians 11:23-31) Notice that in terms of the latter he does not say “a few” but “many.” The local church is very often riddled with sickness etc only because Christians are not living according to their confession! The Church will not grow in circumstances like this.

The sacrament of sharing V44-45
The local church should be a caring community; meaning that those who embrace it should be without need. The Bible states that before turning our attention on the world we should “should do good to the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) When God finds a Church that is caring He rejoices, fills it with His love and presence and causes it to grow. In reality the principles of church growth are quite simple but we find them so hard to implement. We are too interested in sharing our special revelation than with caring for those who genuinely have not. The early church, with little sophistication, became a sharing community and this greatly pleased the heart of God.

Finally we note how God responded to all of the above. We are told that He filled the Church with His presence and with a great fear (Godly respect) for Him (Acts 2:43a). Secondly, He performed many signs and wonders through His people (Acts 2:43b); fourthly He gave them favor in the community; fifthly He filled them with joy and praise (Acts 2:46-47a) and sixthly He added to them “those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47b) This is really quite incredible and no doubt every preacher would give anything to have all this happen in his Church. Well it’s possible if we just follow the simple recipe given in this passage!

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of
Our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me
In the suffering for the Gospel according to the power
Of God, who saved us and called us with a holy
Calling, not according to our works, but according
To His own purpose and grace which was given to
Us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now has
Been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus
Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and
Immortality to light through the Gospel, to which I
Was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher
Of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these
Things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know
Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He
Is able to keep what I have committed to Him until
That Day.”
2Timothy 1:8-12

A.    The eternal purpose of God. (V8-9)
The eternal purpose of God for each one of our lives is:

1. Holy- that is, we should become like God in character. (2Peter 1:4)

2. Unique-Jesus has something incredible in mind for us; not merely in the present but in the eternal future. The fullness of this destiny is hidden from us but it will unfold when we reach the eternal shores of Heaven. (1John 3:2-3)

3. In Christ-Jesus is the door for each of us to the eternal purpose of God. To live one’s life without Him and to die without Him is to relegate one’s life to the garbage dump of the universe. Many have chosen this broad road to destruction. (Matthew 7:13)

4. Eternal-the plan that God has for our lives began before time began and will unfold after time has disappeared. This is amazing and beyond our ability to fully understand. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

B.    The eternal focus of God. (V10)
Is Jesus! Who, being the eternal pre-existent God:

1. Became flesh. He appeared amongst us; displaying completely what God the Father is like. (John 1:18) I often hear people praying, “Lord Jesus teach us about your Father.” This is a pray that should be, “Lord Jesus teach us more about yourself!” Phillip made this self same petition when he said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus then answered, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me?’ (John 14:7-9)

2. Abolished death!!! This is incredible. Just think; the fear, dread and darkness that death holds over the human race has been removed from over our lives in Jesus. Thank God.

3. Brought life and immortality to us. This life is ours now and, according to Jesus, will be abundant and filled with joy if we truly follow Him. (John 10:10; 16:24)

C.    The eternal call of God. (V11-12)
God is ever looking for “vehicles” that will be prepared to carry His eternal purpose message into the world. Is it at all possible that God, this very day, will appoint you a preacher? Obedience to the call of God will involve you in suffering, trial and faith. You may lose your freedom and reputation but you will never be ashamed and lose your eternal reward! An eternal Day is coming when you will be the recipient of all that which you have committed to Him. God is faithful and will not fail you, just as He did not fail Paul.

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

“And men were scorched with great heat, and they
blasphemed the name of God who has power over
these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him
glory.”
Revelation 16:9

The events surrounding the “Super Storm Sandy” have captured the interest of millions of people all over the earth. It was with great horror and sadness that we witnessed the mighty power of the storm as it literally crushed homes as if they were paper and blew cars into ditches as if they were mere sticks in the wind. Hardly have we ever witnessed a super storm of this magnitude. Across the oceans a similar storm hit Port Alfred, a coastal city on the east coast of South Africa. Like Sandy, it tore apart everything in its path and left the community decimated. In both cases the devastation was unimaginable and returned the inhabitants to 19th century living conditions since they had no means of energy and support other than that of candles and fires to keep warm. How weak and puny we really are!

But, we may ask, what of these events? According to the Syrian regime Hurricane Sandy was a secret Iranian weapon; but then, why did a similar storm batter the east coast of South Africa; which, by the way, is an ally of Iran? This is all nonsense. For others; it all happened because someone in the USA said something bad about Israel! A few years ago we had the “Katrina Zionists” coming out of the “wood work like worms” and now we have the “Sandy Zionists” trying to forge a linkage between the USA, Sandy and Israel. Of course for Al Gore and his “green pals” it’s all the fault of global warming and, should they be re-elected to power, they will put it all right and save the planet. I think not and none of the above.

No, this has nothing to do with global warming and everything to do with global warning!

A Word from Heaven
Sometimes we only perceive the mighty moving of the Spirit of God by times of renewal, revival and great blessing; but this is not always true. Isaiah states that when the Spirit of God moves He sometimes brings death!! (Isaiah 40:6-8) The God of the Bible has recently moved mightily by His Spirit in judgment. The problem is; we prefer not to acknowledge this because it challenges us profoundly and calls us to change. The devastating storms that have lashed the east coast of South Africa and that of the USA are manifestations of God’s great love for His lost world because all other means of reaching this world have failed and now He is seeking to get the attention of a people who have repeatedly turned away from Him. In His great love for the two regions He has brought devastation upon them. To be sure one weeps with those who have been led through such hardship and so does all of Heaven but what else can a loving God do in order to get His world to turn to Jesus and be saved.  The eternal loss will be even more devastating! This is the context of the scripture quoted above from the Book of Revelation.

To be sure, these awful judgments are not falling on a people who are especially sinful and wicked. No, we will all perish if we do not finding the place of weeping and repentance for our personal and national sins. I fully recognize that this message is very unpopular but it is indeed the truth. Jesus made this clear to those who questioned Him about the Tower of Siloam that collapsed and killed eighteen people. (Luke 13:1-5) The truth is, God is speaking but who is listening? And then, what will God do next to get our attention?

A Word to the Pharisees
We have so demonized the Pharisees that we do not think that we are ever affected with their spiritual problems. The truth is, we are! They saw no danger coming; did not call the nation to repentance and considered the routine of religious life to be enough to ward off any prospect of God’s displeasure and judgment.  They were wrong, hopelessly out of touch with God and so just a few decades later the Romans over-threw Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. The Pharisees resisted spiritual change, made no attempt to warn the people and scorned those like Jesus who saw the danger approaching. It was Church as usual with no prophetic voice giving meaning to the danger signs that were flashing all around them. Indeed they shut these voices up for fear that the people might just respond appropriately and thereby challenge their positions of comfort and prestige.

Since the “Super Storm Sandy” devastated the east coast of America with millions left homeless and some dead I have watched with great interest the Christian channels on TV in order to find out what message the Church would give to the nation in this regard. After all “Sandy” did not take place “in a corner.” Remarkably, it was “business as usual” and listening to them one would never have known that a calamity of huge proportions had hit the nation! So, the question must be asked, “Where are the spiritual gatekeepers of the nation; and who will stand up to be God’s voice in this moment of extreme agony?”

A Word to the Listeners
You cannot pass by as if this never happened. Are we hearing God for most assuredly He is speaking? If we do not hear there will be more to come and already the USA has suffered a number of devastating, very unique, and unprecedented catastrophes. It is surely time to listen and to start humbling ourselves before Almighty God. These events are not the consequences of global warming but that of global warning! Who is taking notice and what will it take to avert a greater tragedy? The God of the Bible is most certainly speaking and we should all fear and humble ourselves with repentance before it is too late.

The following passage from the Book of Proverbs is most worthy of our attention, prayer and meditation:

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries