Believing – Week 21 / May 18th

Believing – Week 21 / May 18th

2015Devotional

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

 

“Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory…” 1 Peter 1:7-8

 

Believing is knowing that certain facts are true even though they cannot be verified by sight, touch, taste or smell. Jesus recognized this truth when He said, “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) The truth then is that the reality of Christ’s existence is brought to us by the unseen power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Again, the Holy Spirit moves and works in unseen ways just like the wind and yet His impact is real and vital and indeed crucial. (John 3:5-8) Crucial because, if we have tender hearts that are open to Him He will lead us to Jesus and show us what He is like. All of this takes place in an unseen way and yet for those who have been impacted by it, it is more real than the visible world around us. Believing is then a gift of God and we should treasure it and if we feel challenged by it we can always cry out, “Lord help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

 

Once it impacts our lives it has a certain quality. That is, believing from a biblical perspective does not mean that one gives intellectual ascent to certain truths. No, believing means placing your life into the care of another. It holds the idea of dedication and commitment and this means that the one who believes is totally dedicated and committed to Christ. He places himself into Christ! The result is a dramatic regeneration of his life that imparts to him eternal life and a thirst for more and more of God. Jesus also reminds us of this when He cried out on the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, ” If any man thirsts let Him come to me and drink and out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water,” (John 7:37) This constitutes a dramatic encounter with God but then John qualifies it by saying, “But this He spoke of the Holy Spirit who those who have believed would receive.” (John 7:39)

 

Believing then is Holy Spirit initiated but then it is defined for us by the pages of scripture. That is, the Holy Spirit leads us to the scriptures and we have a deep knowing that they are inerrant and true. (2 Timothy 3:16) Many parts of it we struggle at first to understand but we nevertheless know that it is true and worth believing in. This in a way defies logic but it certainly is the pathway of belief. Clarity comes with the passing of time and so we enter into a life of believing God. This is well pleasing to Him and nourishing to the person trained by it.

 

Paul said, “We believe therefore we speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13) So believing is so convincing to the heart that it drives us to speak out about what we know to be true. This is not to say that we kiss our brains goodbye when we determine to follow the unseen. No, it means that more than ever we employ our minds in the great adventure of knowing God’s truth and sharing it with others. Those who believe, as I have pointed out, discover that the Bible is their guide and text book for life. Jesus declared that it was true (John 17:17) and the means by which our minds and lives would be purified and Paul states that the Word of God washes our minds making belief more powerful. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

 

If we stop believing God by His Spirit and Word we stifle our capacity to know God and we shall descend into cynicism and neglect. We become more critical of all things in the Church than a catalyst for good and if we are not careful a “root of bitterness” grips our lives and infects others. (Hebrews 12:14-17) We must thank God every day that we are a people who believe Him and therefore trust him fully because outside of the Kingdom of God will be the cowardly and unbelieving. (Revelation 21:8)

 

Malcolm Hedding

 

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

Seeking – Week 20 / May 11th

Seeking – Week 20 / May 11th

2015Devotional

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these
Things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

The word “seek” in scripture means “earnestly desire” or “desire intensely.” Those who follow Jesus must then earnestly desire the Kingdom of God. In the context of Matthew five, six and seven this means desiring that God’s rule and righteousness be established in one’s life. Our rebellion in the Garden of Eden led us to forfeit the likeness of God in our characters. This rebellion not only turned us into enemies of God but it also caused us to die or be banished from his presence. We became reprobates (sinful no-goods) deserving only the wrath of God. (Ephesians 2:1-3)

Jesus came looking for us; He demonstrated what the Kingdom of God looks like and His redemptive work on the cross opened up for us a way back to God. Those then who hear His voice calling them are infused with a desire to appropriate what was lost in the garden. They earnestly seek to have God crowned as King of their lives. This becomes their ambition and priority in life. It’s not as if they are searching for something. No, by repentance and faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross they have it but they desire more of it because they have tasted and have found out that The Lord is good. They are thus satisfied but unsatisfied because they want more of the riches of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul put it this way, “If then you have been raised up with Christ keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1)The healthy Christian has his or her priorities right in that from day to day the matters of the Kingdom of God are paramount in their lives. Character transformation is the chief purpose of Jesus for each and every one of us and when “walk like Him” then the Kingdom of God has come to our lives and we please Him. This is a process that unfolds within us day by day and we should always seek for this to happen by the power of the Holy Spirit. Once again, Paul tells us that he was driven by one desire and one desire only and that was to attain to Christ’s character perfection. He saw every day as a new opportunity to push forward to, or seek, this goal. (Philippians 3:8-14)

Those who live by this rule will have life’s other issues in place. God will see to this! This is why Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.” The “other things” are the issues of life: provision, finance, housing and health. There is no short-cut to these; one must put God first in everything and then He will care for you in everything. It’s as simple as that and yet many Christians struggle constantly because they simply will not seek first the Kingdom of God. The price they have to pay is just too hard for them even though God will truly meet with them if they just surrender to His will.

Seeking the things of God is a practice embraced by the truly saved and Jesus Himself underlined this when He invited His disciples to keep seeking for and knocking on God’s door. (Matthew 7:7) In due course God our father will open the door and reward us but He wants to see intense desire or, as Jesus put it on another occasion, we must thirst for the things of God. (John 7:37)  The question is; are we really infused with such a hunger for the Kingdom of God? We should examine ourselves carefully in this regard.

Malcolm Hedding.

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

Standing – Week 18 / April 27th

2015Devotional

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore………..”Ephesians 6:13-14

Christians need to learn how to walk, talk and stand. Quite clearly, when Paul refers to standing he is not referring to the physical act of getting up on your two feet! No, he is referring to standing your ground as in a battle or, to put it in modern day terminology, to “holding the line.” This reminds us that we have enemies that are fully intent on our failure, capitulation and destruction. The Christian life is not for sissys or wimps!
Our constant battle is in three areas:

1. Against ourselves
That is, we are aware of a struggle that is unfolding within us as our old carnal nature is at war with the Spirit of God who indwells us. This is a real struggle and Paul writes about it extensively in Romans seven. Also, in Galatians he refers to it again and describes it thus:
“I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16-17)
Quite obviously then, standing, in this context means learning to walk in the Spirit or learning how to let God have His way in your life! Essentially this in turn means changing your attitude in a way that you obey what God’s word says about you. Obedience is the “switch” that turns on the power of God in your life. Again, Paul says:

“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)

It remains a sad truth indeed that many Christians cannot stand against themselves!

2. Against the world
By the world we mean the world system built by fallen humanity. This is a real danger for every Christian as what the world offers is instant gratification that is attractive to our carnal natures. The world is a good employer but a very bad paymaster; its wages are misery and destruction. We have to learn to stand against it as it constitutes a serious threat to every child of God and even preachers. As to the latter, Paul writes:

“For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica….” (2 Timothy 4:10)

Both John and James warned about the dangers of the world (1 John2:15-17; James 4:4) and the former reminds us that “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) Christians must then stand against the world and this means embarking upon a rich devotional life by which we see the glory of Christ. A glory that surpasses anything that the world may have to offer. When we see this glory, as John did on the isle of Patmos, we recognize that standing against the world is easy because “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world!” (1 John 4:4)

3. Against the devil
We have a serious enemy who is intent on our destruction and, whether we like it or not, the moment we yielded our lives to Jesus he began plotting against us so that we would not stand. Scripture warns us that the Devil “prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) We must therefore be vigilant and watchful because he is determined to knock us off our feet!

It is to this end that Paul gives warning in Ephesians six. We have to stand against the wiles of the Devil and we shall only accomplish this if we adorn ourselves with the full armor of God. This armor, in the final analysis, comes down to knowing the truth about all that Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. We must understand our right standing with God, we must fill our minds with salvation truth, we must know how to use the Word of God effectively, we must love sharing the Gospel, we must walk by faith and we must constantly search for truth. (Ephesians 6:13-17) Christians that are not equipped in this way will be found wanting as the Devil will certainly find a chink in their armor and fully exploit it. Literally, thousands of Christians have fallen in this way and we should take this call to stand and keep standing very seriously.

In the end Paul calls upon the Ephesian believers to be a people of prayer. (Ephesians 6:18) The lesson is clear; we must have a vital and real relationship with Jesus if we are ever going to stand. Knowing Him and walking with Him every day is crucial to the goal of standing. May this be true of us!

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

Talking – Week 17 / April 20th

Talking – Week 17 / April 20th

2015Devotional


“But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it
not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, but rather giving of
thanks.”
Ephesians 5:3-4

The way we talk as Christians says a lot about us since the words we speak arise out of the heart and are thus a reflection of what is really within us. Jesus knew this and said as much when He said, “…….out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) He also noted that our hearts are filled with an abundance of things and these “bubble” out of us from time to time to our own shame and amazement. The truth is therefore, our talking is a true reflection of the nature of our spirituality or growth in Christ. This we cannot hide and we should therefore think carefully about it. So, from scripture we should note that:

1. Our talking can cause a lot of trouble James understood this well and wrote about it in the epistle bearing his name. He then makes this remarkable observation:

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” (James 3:5-6)

These are very strong words but history proves them true and we should be reminded that he is writing to Christians! Much of God’s work through the centuries has been torn apart and destroyed by the tongue. Our talking has serious implications and we should be mindful of this and most of all prayerful about it. May God help us to think more about our words than we do.

2. Our talking should be regulated by regenerated hearts Being born again means that something radically wrong within us is changed dramatically and made subservient to a more powerful influence; that of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-7) This new influence has the capacity to bring our hearts under control and consequently our speaking or talking as well. Some time ago I badly kicked my toe, in fact so badly that it broke and turned black. When it happened the pain was excruciating and in such circumstances your mouth will talk spontaneously but I never did curse or talk badly as I agonized in much pain. My wife walked into the room and I said to her, “Now I know that I am really saved because no coarse word or swearing word came out of my mouth!” This is just the grace of God in my life and indeed yours.

Christians are changed from within and this means that they talk differently. If this is not the case then one has to wonder, at the very least, about the nature of their commitment to Jesus. Some years ago I was asked by a very well-known Christian lady to accompany her and her husband as they drove to a town in Israel to attend a ceremony in their honor. The traffic was heavy and congested and the going was hard but, to my amazement, as she encountered the difficulty she kept on swearing. This astonished me as I knew then that her spiritual life was weak and carnal in spite of the impression she had created. Pressure caused her heart to speak and the truth about her was out. James also wrote of this when he said that, for Christians, it is not good for bitter and sweet water to come out from the same mouth. (James 3:9-12) Brethren, he says, “This ought not to be so.” Yes truly, but very often it is so!

3. Our talking should be uplifting
The changing power of Christ transforms our hearts and tongues and therefore our talking has a particular character. This character is defined by Paul in the following way:

“And do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another is psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Ephesians 5:18-20) 

It is to be noted that uplifting talking begins in the heart; we are to make melody in our hearts. As Christians our words should be encouraging and uplifting and we must be real and not fake. I sometimes meet Christians and ask them, “How are you” only to be met with a barrage of scripture quoting that is supposed to impress me of their spirituality. It doesn’t because the answer is not real and the truth about them is camouflaged by this type of response. We should be ourselves, be sincere and uplifting and talk plainly with our speech seasoned with salt. (Colossians 4:6)

May Jesus help us to talk in a way that He is pleased and His people are blessed and encouraged.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

Walking – Week 16 / April 13th

Walking – Week 16 / April 13th

2015Devotional


“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things.” Philippians 3:17-19

For Paul the Apostle living the Christian life meant walking it out. That is, the beliefs we embrace and hold dear and to be true should impact our lifestyle or, way of walking. Walking is of course an interesting illustration of what it means to be a true follower of Jesus as it denotes three things:

1. Consistency
The Apostle does not say “run” but rather walk. Living for Jesus day by day means being disciplined and faithful. To some degree there is routine to the Christian life, and those who make out that they are living a miracle every day or hearing the voice of God every day are quite simply not telling the truth. God our Father desires that we should learn to trust Him by building His word into our lives and this is a process that requires much patience and consistency. Christians must learn to walk in the light of the Bible and not in the expectation of the sensational. This is not to say that God, by His Spirit, doesn’t break into our lives, from time to time in dramatic ways. He certainly does but He first of all requires that we learn to walk!

2. Validation
Once again for Paul, the way you walk denotes the way you believe. Those who have surrendered their lives to Christ behave or walk in a new way of living. This new way of walking speaks of the character of Jesus. Or, as Paul puts it in his second epistle to the Church at Corinth, we must become living epistles for people to read. (2 Corinthians 3:1-3) Our behavior must reflect the pages of scripture. Paul knew that this is in the reach of every professing Christian because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross for all men. He therefore confidently invited the believers at Philippi to model their lives on him! He was a walking pattern for them to follow. We should be the same; meaning that we should invite our fellow believers to follow us as we follow Christ. It’s time for the so called followers of Christ to “man up” and be the real thing.

The antagonists of the early Church took note of the believers and recognized that they behaved like Christ. (Acts4:13) Their way of walking validated their belief system.

3. Difference
There are many in the Church who are actually “inside outsiders.” That is, they speak the language, dress correctly, give generously and even live decently but they are going to hell! This is so because they live to satisfy their own personal desires. Paul says that they are “enemies of the cross” because the true Jesus follower will seek to live out the desires of Jesus. Jesus called these people “Tares” that grow up with the wheat and even look like the wheat and have a following that asserts that they are wheat! The truth is they are not and the only way you will know it is to look for what holds first place in their lives. In other words examine their walk carefully. Paul wept over these people while acknowledging that they were in the local church. He therefore says “note those who so walk, as you have us as a pattern”. This “noting” means look carefully for the difference.

To claim to be a Christian and not have all your desires submitted to Christ is a contradiction and designates one “an enemy of the cross” and sadly, as it was in Paul’s day, our churches are filled with people like this today. Their god is in fact their bellies, (never ending cravings), and their destiny is destruction. Powerful words indeed.

So, let us walk as Jesus walked (1John 2:6) and let us invite others to follow us. We should at the very least give this invitation since it is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

The Power of Reformation – Week 15 / April 6th

The Power of Reformation – Week 15 / April 6th

2015Devotional

“……the Holy Spirit indicating this, that they way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.” Hebrews 9:8

“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.” Hebrews 9:11

Reformation is that work of the Holy Spirit whereby God’s purpose in the world is improved upon. This is biblical reformation because it gives voice to the biblical process of reformation. Jesus, we are told by our text brought in a time of reformation in that, what was hitherto a shadow, seen in the Temple Ritual, became a concrete fact by His death.

Reformation is also that work of the Holy Spirit whereby what was lost to the church by neglect and apostasy is recovered. The supreme historical example of this is Luther’s reformation of the 16th century. Also, the now famous Azusa Street revival (1906) restored to the Church the truth of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Restoration Movement of England, in the nineteenth century, restored the truth of Israel’s modern day recovery from the four ends of the earth to the Church.

It is evident then that biblically there are a number of divine instruments that empower Reformation.
The first of which is: The Holy Spirit

Our text above clearly refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in renewal or Reformation. Luther was empowered by the Holy Spirit as he dared to take on the Catholic Church and its huge temporal power. Today, we need to find a new relationship with the Holy Spirit if we are going to confront the world with Jesus’ truth. Our reception of Him is conditional upon three factors:

1. That we thirst for God. (John 7:37)
2. That we seek to obey God in all things. (Acts 5:32)
3. That we are willing to go. (Acts 1:4-8)

Many Christians have a weak encounter with the Holy Spirit because they have no thirst for God, are not obedient to His will and have no intention of going into the world with a message of His redeeming love.

Secondly, a new wave of Reformation will only overwhelm us when we are prepared to:

Saturate ourselves with the Word of God.

The Bible states that we must:

1. Rightly divide it! (2Timothy 2:15)
2. Know its times and seasons of fulfillment. (1 Thessalonians 5:1)
3. Know its parameters. (2 Peter 3:14-16)

Thirdly Reformation will come:

When we align ourselves with God’s purpose for Israel Israel has not as yet appropriated biblical reformation in that she has yet to embrace “the good things to come” in Jesus. However, this having been said, a process of reformation is under way in that, as witnessed to by all the Prophets, the Jews have returned to Zion from the four corners of the earth. This remarkable restoration is evidence of a very powerful Reformation that is impacting our world. It will in fact have grave and very blessed implications for the world. So then, Israel’s reformation:

Is by the will of God.
God Himself has “blinded her in part” and God Himself will open her eyes! (Romans 11:25-26)

Is by the purpose of God.
Her blinding in part has opened the door for Gentiles to join the family of God, or as Paul puts it, the “commonwealth of Israel.” Biblical reformation has come to us by Israel’s unbelief. (Romans 11:28-30)

Finally Israel’s reformation:

Is by the testing of God.
Given that Israel’s blinding in part has brought God’s love and grace in Christ to us (Romans 11:30) we should be careful how we relate to the Jewish people since our salvation constitutes “their spiritual things.” (Romans 15:27) True love for Christ will impact our hearts with a true love for Israel. Paul says that we should not despise the Jewish people or treat them with arrogance. (Romans 11:17-23) God is testing our characters and sadly history affirms that we have mostly failed!

In the end we must recognize that true reformation is upon us because God has promised to save Israel and bring to the whole world the final triumph of Christ. The Church must itself undergo a Reformation that will enable it to see the unfolding purpose of God in Israel and flow with it. Failure in this regard will disconnect much of the modern Church from experiencing one of the greatest acts of Reformation in history.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

The Essence of Reformation – Week 14 / March 31st

The Essence of Reformation – Week 14 / March 31st

2015Devotional

“…the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience- concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:8-12

Definition:
Reformation is that work of the Holy Spirit whereby God’s purpose in the world is enhanced or improved.
In the context of the passage above we have biblical reformation in that the purpose of God is advanced only because of a foundation or truth that has become obsolete. One “good thing” is replaced with a “better thing.” So, as an example, the temple ritual or sacrificial service was replaced by Jesus’ death.

Historical reformation is that work of the Holy Spirit whereby the “better thing” is constantly renewed to the Church. Jesus is the “good things to come…..” Luther’s famous reformation of the 16th century is the supreme example of historical reformation. The “good thing” of justification by faith was brought back to the people of God, indeed at a very high price in that countless Christians were burned at the stake for believing that salvation was only experienced by exercising faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

The Azusa Street outpouring of the Holy Spirit was another example of historical reformation in that by this revival in 1906 the truth of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was restored to the people of God and great Pentecostal movements are the evidence and abiding fruit of it. The Restoration movement in England in the 19th century brought back to the Church the truth about Israel and her coming re-gathering to Canaan in the purpose of God.

Since Jesus is God’s last word to the world, reformation will always restore the nature of His voice, work and person to the Church. (Hebrews 1:1-2) This is at the very heart of the Holy Spirit’s work in bringing restoration and reformation to us. He must be at the center of the Church’s life and practice and He must therefore be the head of the Church and enjoy preeminence in everything (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 4:15-16). For this to happen, reformation will only take place when:

1. We have a high view of scripture
Scripture is the life, ministry and person of Jesus reflected in words. For this reason it is and has to be fully inspired and without error (2Timothy 3:16; 1Peter 1:19-21) and an attack against it is an attack against Jesus! The word of God is absolute truth and Jesus affirmed this when He said, “Thy word is truth.” (John 17:17) For this reason, as Paul exhorted Timothy, there should be in all our churches the public reading of scripture (1Timothy 4:13). It is worth noting that the reformation brought about by Josiah, the king of Judah, was sparked by the rediscovery and the reading of God’s word (2Chronicles 34: 14, 19-21).

2. We have a high view of the cross
The meaning of Jesus’ finished work on the cross is at the very heart of the biblical revelation. When this meaning is lost to us we are in need of reformation. It is also worth noting that the reformation work of Ezra and Nehemiah began with the rebuilding of the altar. This altar is a picture of Christ’s atoning work. (Ezra 3:1-3) Luther’s message of faith was based solely upon the merits of Christ’s spilt blood and Paul made the cross the central plank of his preaching. (1Corinthians 1:17; 1Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 6:14) We would do well to do the same.
Finally, for Jesus to be at the center of the Church’s life and bring us reformation:

3. We must have a high view of his work in the Church.
This work is pictured by the gates that Nehemiah repaired when he embarked on his reformation work as recorded in chapter three of the book of the Bible bearing his name. So, reformation means repairing:

(A) The Sheep Gate (3:1)
The local church must be properly constituted and brought into the life and power of the Holy Spirit. The Sheep must be cared for! (Acts 20:28)

(B) The Fish Gate (3:3)
The local church must be mobilized to reach the lost.

(C). The Old Gate (3:6)
The local church must be built on the foundations of the Apostles and Prophets but also on the traditions handed down to it by great spiritual leaders. The people should be encouraged to read the stories of great reformers through history.

(D). The Valley Gate (3:13)
The local church should exemplify a way of living that separates it from the world. The New Testament church was called the “people of the way” Acts 9:2.

(E). The Refuse Gate (3:14)
The local church should live in inward holiness and purity (2 Corinthians 7:1).

(F). The Fountain Gate (3:15)
The local church must be filled with the Spirit and walking in His power.

(G) The Water Gate (3:26)
Every Christian should be able to rightly divide the word of God.

(H) The Horse Gate (3:28)
The local church should be taught “the how’s and why’s” of spiritual warfare. The horse is an animal of war and we are definitely at war with an unseen enemy that seeks to constantly neutralize and harass us (Ephesians 6:10-20).

(I) The East Gate (3:29)
Nothing keeps the local church healthy like a good understanding of Jesus’ soon coming. This is the blessed hope of the church and the early church lived its life in the light of it. We should do the same! (Titus 2:11-13)

(J) The Inspection Gate (3:31)
Every believer will one day appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of his or her life on earth or, as the Bible puts it, to be scrutinized for “the things done in the body.” This being so we should live out our days close to God, in prayer and in faithfulness (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Given this vital work of repairing the gates, it is clear that we need a reformation that will restore much of what we have lost over the years. May the Lord enable us to experience it.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

The Challenge of the Jews – Week 11 / March 9th

The Challenge of the Jews – Week 11 / March 9th

2015Devotional

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance
will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s
house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the
kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14

On the eve of Purim the Prime Minister of Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu, at the invitation of Congress, addressed the American people and the world on the dangers Israel and the world will face if Iran is given a pathway to obtaining nuclear weapons. The festival of Purim records the heroic deeds of Esther 2500 years ago when she intervened to save her people from certain destruction in Persia at the instigation of Haman; the vicious Persian anti-Semite. Today the Persians of Iran are again plotting for and planing the destruction of Israel. They affirm this almost every month and have led the P5+ 1 nations down the road of artful deception as they have rapidly worked towards nuclear weaponization. The folly of the west in this regard has been laid bare for all to see as one dead-line after another has been extended giving the Mullahs of Tehran more time to advance their wicked schemes. Bibi Netanyahu rightly called them out for their weak and dangerous engagement with Iran. In fact he has done this for years. The “day of reckoning” has however now arrived and it appears that a deal will be made by the end of March that, as Netanyahu said, will pave the way to a nuclear armed Iran. This is truly catastrophic and if true brings the world to a place of impending conflict and upheaval.

This conflict is really spiritual in nature since the nation of Israel is the custodian of the will and purpose of God in the world. That is, in a world that is essentially filled with darkness and evil and that ” lies in the power of the evil one”, as the Apostle John put it in his first epistle. The Jews have from Abraham onwards challenged the darkness of this world and have therefore been in un-ending conflict with it. Balaam, though attempting to curse Israel, recognized that they were indeed a “a people apart” from the other nations of the world and greatly blessed of God. This”apartness” of Israel will either draw one to her in love and support or provoke hatred and antagonism against her. Pastor Niemoller, the second world war preacher in Germany, recognized this truth when he said, “They came for the trade unionists and I was not a trade unionist and so said nothing, they came for the communists and I was not a communist and so said nothing, the came for the Catholics but I was not a Catholic and so said nothing, they came for the Jews and I was not a Jew and so said nothing and then they came for me and there was no one left to speak.”

Another commentator on the long road of suffering that the Jews have walked through the centuries has written the following about the challenge they have placed before the world and, in the main, the worlds antagonism to it; ” We at first said you cannot live amongst us as Jews, then we said you cannot live amongst us and finally we said, you cannot live!” The nation of Israel reminds the world of God and that it is sinful and in need of repentance. This never ending challenge in the main engenders hatred and rejection especially if the Jews continue to live and thrive in spite of every attempt to destroy them. This “living Israel” casts doubt over every other religious movement, like that of Islam in particular because it claims a superior revelation, and this can only be proved and substantiated if Israel is liquidated; it cannot and will not be destroyed. Jesus said, “Salvation is of the Jews” and Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed that Israel will exist before God just as long as the sun, moon and stars are in the skies above us.The challenge of the Jews will thus continue and reach a place of desperation and the Ayatollahs of Iran have now reached this place and have decided that an apocalyptic battle with Israel must be played out to safeguard the integrity of Islam. It is chiefly for this reason that they wish to acquire a nuclear weapon, and they have said as much. The weak and gullible west is facilitating their thirst for Armageddon and Israel’s Prime Minister gave solemn warning of this in his speech to the two houses of Congress this week. The response to this speech has thus far been one of hysterical opposition and one of applause and approval but the antagonists are sadly those dealing with Iran and so the outcome will be ominous, I fear.

And so the challenge of the Jews continues and has now been heightened as it will impact the whole world. Another writer this last week stated that as far as he sees it, whether Israel is right or wrong is irrelevant as her existence has now “become a nuisance” and threat to world peace. In other words, the Jews should not be allowed to live and the world would be better off without them!

The situation in the Middle East is a very dangerous one and appears to be insolvable. My friends the God of Israel will step in and solve it just as He did at Purim 2500 years ago and of this we must have no doubt. He has used the challenge of the Jews to ripen the nations for judgment and to prepare those who have embraced it with love and thankfulness for blessing. We must therefore pray for our nations and their leaders as never before and we must pray for Israel because she is no nuisance but in fact the hope of the world because by and through her modern day restoration great joy will soon come to the all the peoples of the world. This is so because the God of the Jews will soon put His King on His holy hill in Zion, despite the raging of the nations, and in that day the nations will learn war no more and finally live together in peace.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

Advice for Our Times – Week 10 / March 2nd

Advice for Our Times – Week 10 / March 2nd

2015Devotional


“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in
Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me
Among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who
will be able to teach others also. You therefore must
endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one
engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of
this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a
soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not
crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The
hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understand-
ing in all things.”
2 Timothy 2:1-7

Paul’s words of encouragement to Timothy are important, not only because they give us an insight into his relationship with his young protégé’ but they also remind us of our priorities as we seek to follow Christ. This is really good advice and we too should then embrace it as, no doubt, Timothy did. We note then that the serious and dedicated follower of Jesus should:

1.    Be strong (V1)
That is, it is important to cultivate one’s relationship with Christ on a daily basis. This means seeking to really know Jesus through prayer, fellowship, Bible study and the Breaking of Bread (Acts 2:42). Those who neglect these things will always be weak in many spiritual matters and they will never be able to free themselves to do the will of God. At some point in our spiritual journey we have to “get finished” with concentrating on ourselves and make ourselves available to Christ in order to advance His purpose in and for the world.

2.    Be able to teach (V2)
This does not mean that we all have to embrace the gifted ministry of being a teacher; no it means that we should be able to teach others, at the very least, the essentials of our faith (Hebrews 5:12). The Bible expects us all to know and teach the foundations of our faith; in this regard note Hebrews 6: 1-2. At the very least we should understand that the Bible teaches us about the character and will of God. Being fully inspired it provides us with written boundaries that guard and protect our relationship with Jesus; so teach it!

3.    Be tough (V3-6)

The truth of God will always collide with the darkness of this world and therefore be resisted. Jesus knew this battle and frequently commented on it. His light was so bright that it did by its very nature set up a great battle against darkness. A battle whereby the powers of darkness drove Him to the cross but in so doing destroyed themselves. His way was the way of hardship and this will be true of us if we are really filled with His light. Paul here reminds Timothy that he must likewise endure hardship and he uses three illustrations to underline his point:

a.    Timothy must be like a soldier and this means that he must be well equipped and fully focused upon the battle awaiting him.
b.    Timothy must have the discipline of an athlete and therefore be spiritually fit and “play” by God’s rules…….and;
c.    Timothy must be like the hardworking farmer who diligently plows his field, sows in season and then finally reaps.

4.    Be thoughtful (V7)
We have one shot at life and therefore we need to make our lives count. Paul appropriately exhorts Timothy to think about his advice carefully and so should we. Our daily purpose should be to please God and only a life totally lived for Jesus will be able to do this.

This is why Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians four and verse one are so important:

“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort you in the
Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more,
just as you received from us how you ought to walk and
to please God…….”

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries

The Martyrs of the Faith – Week 9 / February 22nd

The Martyrs of the Faith – Week 9 / February 22nd

2015Devotional

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them and judgment was
committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had
been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word
of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and
had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their
hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand
years.”
Revelation 20:4

We have recently heard about the thousands of Christians, including little girls and boys, who have been beheaded and thus murdered by ISIS. These wicked and evil deeds have now been compounded by attacks on freedom of speech in Europe and on Jews. More shocking still was the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians by ISIS in Libya. This medieval form of Islam is determined to exterminate the Church and indeed said as much in their preamble to the video showing these horrific deeds. They, not the the Church, have declared a holy war against Jews and Christians. This cannot be denied. It is also true that they have declared a similar holy war against all Muslims who do not practice their brand of Islam. Nevertheless, radical Islam is murdering Christians all over the Middle East and in Africa and the international community has been slow to challenge and confront these new fascists. The sad truth is that there is more to come and liberal politicians in Europe, driven by the crazy notion that Muslims will integrate into the fabric of European life, have provided a doorway for radical Muslim extremists to penetrate the region with murder and mayhem in mind.

Nevertheless, the images of Christians quietly lining up to be beheaded have traumatized us all, not only because we abhor such wicked deeds, but because we wonder what we would do? The manner in which they have died has been inspiring because they rejected the ” mark of the beast” in the Nineveh plains and chose death rather than life. In fact they chose life because they had put their faith in Jesus and what He did for them on the cross and they knew with a certainty in their hearts that they would live eternally and rule ad reign with Him. I fear that many more Christians in the Middle East and beyond will be called to lay down their lives for their Lord. This is the testimony of the book of Revelation. It is interesting to note that the quote from it above refers to beheading. It’s as if the prophet John saw our day and the wickedness of these radical Islamic groups.

Indeed, as I have written before, scripture refers to two end-time beasts and not one. The “second beast” of Revelation thirteen is the one that ruthlessly applies the genocidal agenda of the first beast against those who know and love Jesus. According to Daniel 8 this second beast arises out of the area we now call Iraq! And then, according to Daniel 11, he will forsake all gods except a god of fortresses. That is, a god of war or jihad! We have been forewarned but in reality the Lord God of heaven, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is purifying His church and getting her ready for the return of His glorious Son. Just beholding these terrible atrocities that God Himself will avenge makes us examine ourselves to see whether we are truly walking with Jesus as we should. Our brethren, by their suffering are preaching to us and a glorious crown awaits them because, as Paul put it, they are filling up in their flesh “what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ.” That is, their sacrifice inspires the Church in the world to live fully for Christ.

For sure the suffering Church needs our help and prayers but the Church at ease in the west needs to wake up because the same wickedness is slowly approaching it. Let us not be found wanting! Revelation 6, gives us a picture of the living souls in the presence of God who have been martyred for their faith. They cry out to God to avenge the spilling of their blood but the answer God gives them is to be patient until “both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
The way of the cross is before us and we must follow it in order to be purified from sin so that, whether in life or by death, we may glorify Jesus and bear powerful witness to Him. It is by this process that He calls more “Sauls” to His purpose (Acts 8:1) and these will “turn the world upside down!” ( Acts 17:6) So then, let us be strong, filled with the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord with joy.

Malcolm Hedding

©Malcolm Hedding Ministries