GodisLove1John416's Blog

Have we ever finished watching the evening news with all the violence and injustice in the world and in frustration asked, Why isnât God doing something? Why do the wicked and the dishonest people prosperï¼True, Sadam Hussein paid for his crime against humanity, so did Hitler. But why did Idi Armin, who committed countless atrocities in Uganda lived to an old age before dying? Why did Pol Pot who killed more than a million of his own people escape justice and died through natural causes? Why are innocent Iraqis killed daily through suicide bombs, kidnappings and senseless killings? Why Robert Mugabe still oppressing his own people in Zimbabwe?

Well, our frustrations are nothing new. A prophet named Habakkuk felt that way. Israel was facing political and social upheaval about 620 B.C. Habakkukâs name means to âembraceâ or âwrestle.â As is usually the case, his name has something to do with the message of the book. It probably relates to the fact that he was wrestling with a difficult issue.

Habakkuk expresses the attitude that many righteous people have. He was outraged at the violence and injustice in his society. He lists six different problems in the book that bore his name. His emphasized just how bad things were. There was sin, wickedness, destruction and violence, no justice in the courts, and the wicked outnumbered the righteous. Does this sound like our society? In verse 4 he says, that the law was ignored. God's word was no longer the standard.

Habakkuk was preaching against injustice but he was having little effect. Habakkuk raised a good question. Why does evil go unpunished? Why do the wicked prosper? Why doesnât God do something? Look back to verse 2. Habakkuk has been praying. Evidently, he has been praying for a long time because he says, âHow long, O Lord, will I call for help, And Thou wilt not hear?â He also thinks God is indifferent and inactive.

Some people think that men of faith never question God. They just sit and wait faithfully and patiently. But one thing we can learn from Habakkuk is that this is a misconception. Those who trust in God can and do question God because they know God intimately and want to ask the tough questions. But such questioning is not as a result of lack of faith but a desire to know God intimately.

In Isaiah 41 verse10, God says that He will uphold us with His right hand. In the same chapter, verse 13, God says that He takes hold of our right hand. So here we have our Lord holding our right hand with His right hand. God is not known in Scripture to use His left hand. So how does God lead us by holding our right hand with His right hand - unless of course, He faces us. Try picturing how this is done in our minds. If that be the case, then as He guides us, He walks forwards to lead us and we walk backwards. As a youth many years ago we used to live near a convent. I am always fascinated when I saw nuns going for their evening walks. They will walk in pairs, facing each other. The one walking backwards never need to look behind to see where she was going because she was guided by the eyes of the one going forwards in front of her. If God is leading us this way, we need not look backwards. Just look into His eyes through our eyes of faith and trust Hims for the path He is leading us. Praise be to God for His leading hands.

John Wesley gave a description of what Christian Education is in his Sermon 94 on Family Religion:

The person in your house that claims your first and nearest attention, is, undoubtedly, your wife; seeing you are to love her, even as Christ hath loved the Church… use every possible means that she may be freed from every spot, and may walk unblameable in love. Next to your wife are your children; immortal spirits whom God hath, for a time, entrusted to your care, that you may train them up in all holiness, and fit them for the enjoyment of God in eternity. Every child, therefore, you are to watch over with the utmost care, that, when you are called to give an account of each to the Father of Spirits, you may give your accounts with joy and not with grief.

There is spiritual transformation involved in Christian education – to train them up in all holiness, and fit them for the enjoyment of God in eternity. There is accountability before the Father over what we have taught or did not teach our children.

Christian education is transformation education for eternity. Lives are changed and prepared for eternity. Wesley spoke of you training people for holiness, and fit them for the enjoyment of God in eternity.

Every church of God is essentially, a teaching centre for Christian Education.
We need to ask ourselves a couple of evaluative questions concerning church ministry:

a) What have been taught to the congregation the past year?
b) How do we know what we have taught have been successful?

The first question deals with the curriculum. The second question can only be answered through the observed transformational change in people’s lives.
So when we look at the curriculum of the church Sunday School, the Bible Studies, the youth ministry, the adult ministry and any ministry having to do with teaching and training the congregation, including the pulpit ministry, we need to ask ourselves to basic questions in order that our Christian Education program is transformational:

a) Are lives trained in holiness?
b) Are lives fitted for eternity?

In other words, lives must be transformed; biblical truths must not be just in the head, they must be in the heart; skills imparted must be skills (in Wesley’s words) of piety and of mercy. A transformed life progresses towards increasing devotion to God (works of piety) and develops social and missional concerns for the community God has put us in (works of mercy).

There are two kinds of rivers mentioned in Scripture. The first kind refers to the rivers of Babylon (Psalm 137 verse 1). Here the psalmist lamented the misfortune of Judah. Jerusalem was destroyed by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar and the people were deported to Babylon. There by the rivers of Babylon, a captured people wept. The rivers of Babylon speak of depression, of failure, hopelessness and defeat. It is a picture of a people lost in sin and held captive by satan. But there is another river. This is the River of Life mentioned in Revelation 22 verses 1,2. This is the river of hope, of victory and eternal life for those whose bondage to sin are broken through the power of the Cross. Praise God that there is hope and freedom through Christ. We need not despair by the rivers of Babylon. There is hope, freedom and eternal life and a bright future for those who are in Christ. This is the blessed hope of every believer. We have the River of Life to look forward to.

Forty years ago, Caleb had already seen a piece of real estate he wanted for himself and his family (Joshua 14:12). By the time Caleb approached Joshua about the land he wanted, he had already done a far greater share of all the fighting, claiming territories NOT for himself, but for others. Here is a man who had a talent for warfare and who used it for others. What would we do given a time period of 40 years of waiting? Caleb exercised his stewardship of time wisely. The chapter prior to this episode tells us that the children of Israel were already dividing the land. Caleb was last to claim the land for himself and he had to fight for it. It was not an easy territory because of the fortified cities and the presence of warriors but what good is a God given talent when one only takes the easy way out? For Caleb, it was a talent for warfare utilised to the maximum. He fought hard for one of the toughest territories and he got it. We learn a little bit more about him in Joshua 21:9-12. Caleb lived to fight for the land of Hebron, later to give the city and its suburbs to the Koharthites. The Koharthites were the descendents of Levi. Caleb had witnessed their rebellion against the leadership of Moses (Num 16:1-4). We live on borrowed time and as we pass each milestone of our lives, there is always a tendency to carry forward bad memories of the past to the present. Such experiences do cloud our judgment and decisions. Caleb did not protest when Israel decided to give what he had fought for to an infamous family line with a bad history. He had not allowed the past to cloud his gift for the future. He gave away his treasured possession ultimately to the Lord, for the city of Hebron became one of the Levitican cities of refuge (Jos. 21:13). In summary, Caleb used the time of 40 years that he had to exercise his talents for others. He maximised his talents to claim one of the toughest territories. Finally, he gave away what he had dreamed of, and fought so hard for to the Lord.