What we can learn from a prostitute

You may not think that there is anything you could or would want to learn from a prostitute. If that is the case, let me introduce you to a prostitute called Rahab. Her story is found in the Bible, in the second chapter of Joshua.

Perhaps you are already familiar with her story. Rahab lived in the Amorite city of Jericho right at the time when the people of Israel were returning to the Promised Land after their Exodus in Egypt. Because of the extremely godless and sinful lifestyle of the Amorites, God was about to judge them for their wickedness. But the city of Jericho had built up its defences, including a massive city wall as protection against any foreign attacks.

Rahab, the prostitute, lived inside the city wall. And one day, two Israelite spies came to her house. She had the opportunity to hand them over to the city officials for them to be put to death and possibly would have received a great reward for doing so. But instead of doing that, she protected the Israelites and hid them, probably at the risk of her own life. Both she and the whole city had heard about the Israelite conquests and were afraid. Therefore, Rahab asked the spies to show mercy on her and her family when they would return to destroy the city of Jericho. You can read this story in full in Joshua 2:1-24 and the following chapters.

(Picture: Public domain)

But what can we learn from this prostitute called Rahab?

In the New Testament, Rahab is praised for her faith. In Hebrews 11, the chapter of the great heroes of the faith, we read the following:

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. (Hebrews 11:31)

I believe there are at least four things we can learn from Rahab's faith:

1. Learn to fear God.
   
   Psalm 111:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."
   
   Now, it was not only Rahab who feared God in this story. All of the inhabitants of Jericho were afraid! Rahab says, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you." (Joshua 2:9)
   
   But there was a difference in how Rahab feared God and how the other people in her city feared God. The people of Jericho feared God and as a result, they ran away from God and built up walls against God. But Rahab's fear of God made her run to God and let God inside. That is why she lets the spies find a refuge in her house. She realises that there is no use fighting against God as she acknowledges His supremacy. Rahab says, "... the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath." (Joshua 2:11b)
   
   If you fear God, how does that express itself in your life? Do you try to run away from Him and build up walls against Him or do run to Him and let Him into your life?
   
   
2. Learn to trust in God.
   
   Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
   
   Rahab realised that she has no chance fighting against God. But she still has hope - hope in God's mercy! Therefore she begs the spies, "Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." She acknowledges her own helplessness and expresses her hope in a cry for mercy.
   
   What are you placing your hope in? Yourself or your own achievements? Or in God and His mercy?
   
   
3. Learn to repent from sin.
   
   The message of Jesus to the people of His day was, "...repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15b).
   
   Repentance is a turning away from sin, but not just that, it is also a completely new way of thinking about sin. Repentance and faith always go together. This is how Charles Spurgeon explained it:
   
   The repentance which is here commanded is the result of faith; it is born at the same time with faith—they are twins, and to say which is the elder-born passes my knowledge. It is a great mystery; faith is before repentance in some of its acts, and repentance before faith in another view of it; the fact being that they come into the soul together.
   
   Rahab's faith was also accompanied by repentance. She turned away from her old, sinful lifestyle and was accepted into the community of the people of Israel (Joshua 6:25).
   
   You, too, must repent in order to be saved! Otherwise your professed faith is not worth anything - no matter how many good works you do!
   
   Jesus warned the people of His day who were trusting in their own good deeds:
   Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:31-32)
   
   
4. Learn to do good works.
   
   Finally, just as much as faith goes hand-in-hand with repentance, so it also goes hand-in-hand with good works. James makes this very clear in his letter:
   
   What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (James 2:14)
   So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:17)
   
   Rahab's good works are seen in her hiding and protecting the Jewish spies. She would possibly have received a good reward if she would have delivered the spies. Instead, she risks her life by protecting them!
   
   A true faith will be seen in good works, just as in the case of Rahab:
   
   You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:24-26)
   
   How does your faith show itself?

Meditations upon an Egg

(by John Bunyan)

The egg's no chick by falling from a hen,

Nor man's a Christian till he's born again;

The egg's at first contained in the shell,

Men afore grace in sin and darkness dwell;

The egg, when laid, by warmth is made a chicken;

And Christ by grace the dead in sin doth quicken;

The egg when first a chick the shell's its prison,

So flesh to soul who yet with Christ is risen.

Who cares about the doctrine of the Trinity?

Today is Trinity Sunday. This morning I had the privilege of preaching on the subject of the Trinity. But who really cares about this doctrine? The German philisopher Immanuel Kant certainly didn't see any benefit in knowing about or holding to the doctrine of the Trinity. He argued that "the doctrine of the Trinity provides nothing, absolutely nothing of practical value, even if one claims to understand it; still less when one is convinced that it far surpasses our understanding..."

I believe that the opposite is true. The doctrine of the Trinity is fundamental to the Christian faith and is also of great practical value for the Christian. But before I proceed, let me briefly state what I mean when I speak about the Trinity.

The doctrine of the Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity consists of three parts, each of which are vital and cannot be left out:

1. There is only one God.
2. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all equally God.
3. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are different persons.

One attempt of illustrating this is the following diagram:

Picture: Public domain

While the word "trinity" is nowhere to be found in the Bible, the Bible is clear that there is only one God (e.g. Deut. 6:4), that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are different persons (e.g. Lu. 3:21-22) and that each of them is fully God (e.g. Eph. 4:6; John 1:1; Acts 5:3-4).

Can you understand this or explain this? No. Nobody can. What makes you think you would be able to? God is the one who created us - not vice versa. So He understands and knows all about us, but we are limited in our understanding and cannot explain everything about Him.

But we can believe what the Bible teaches us and accept it as God's truth, even though we may not understand it fully. Martin Luther said,

Now, when you are asked to explain the Trinity, reply that it is an incomprehensible mystery, beyond the understanding of angels and creatures, the knowledge of which is confined to the revelations of Scripture. (Second sermon on Trinity Sunday in: Luther's Epistle Sermons, Vol. III)

When we look into Scripture, we find the Trinity in multiple places, starting with the creation of the world in Genesis.

The Trinity seen in the creation of the world

The very first verse in the Bible reads,

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Gen. 1:1)

What is interesting here, is that the Hebrew word translated as "God" is "elohim", a noun with a plural form ending but which takes a singular verb form. This already hints at a plurality in God, but it becomes even clearer a bit later on in the narrative:

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." (Gen. 1:26)

Who is God talking to here? Who is the "us" and the "our"? This again points to the other persons in the Trinity.

The Gospel of John also starts out by telling us about the "beginning":

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." (John 1:1-2)

Later in the passage (v. 14), it becomes clear that the "Word" refers to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus was in the beginning, He was with God and He was God. He is a different person, but the same God.

Now, who created the world? Was it God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit? Or the Trinity together?

The answer is given in John 1:3, where it still speaks about the "Word" i.e. Jesus Christ:

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

Jesus Christ is the one who created everything. The fact that God the Father created through His Word is also seen in the way the creation is described in Genesis 1:

"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (Gen. 1:3)

And what about the Holy Spirit? Not much is said about the Holy Spirit's role in creation, except the following:

"And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Gen. 1:2b)

So we see the Father as the one who speaks or ordains, the Son as the one who acts, and the Holy Spirit as the one who has been sent from heaven to earth.

Let us consider two more examples to see if these roles of the Trinity can be seen elsewhere in Scripture.

The Trinity seen in the baptism of Jesus

Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Lu. 3:21-22)

Here is another passage where we see all persons of the Trinity together. Once again, we see Jesus acting (being baptised and praying), the Holy Spirit descending and the Father speaking.

The Trinity seen in the salvation of people

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ... (1 Pet. 1:2a)

God the Father's role in the salvation of people is electing those who are to be saved (cf. Eph. 1:3-5). He declares whom He wants to choose to be a part of His family. But it is not the Father who accomplishes the actual work of salvation. God the Father sends His Son to the world to die on the cross for our sins so that God's wrath against sin is absorbed and we can be forgiven. (John 8:42)

God the Son's role in the salvation of people is His obedience to the will of the Father (John 6:38) and His death on the cross for the sins of mankind (Eph. 1:7).

God the Holy Spirit's role in salvation is being sent by both the Father and the Son (John 14:26; 15:26), giving new life (regeneration) to people so they believe the gospel and trust in Christ (Tit. 3:5), and sanctifying (Rom. 8:13) and empowering (Acts 1:8) these people for service.

Differences in roles do not mean differences in divinity

So in all of these instances in which we see the Trinity involved, we see the Father as the one who plans, determines and speaks, the Son as the one who obeys and acts, and the Holy Spirit as the one who confirms and brings to completion.

We clearly see that the persons of the Trinity have different roles, but this does not mean that any one of the persons of the Trinity is somehow less "God" than another. Each is fully God.

Practical implications of the doctrine of the Trinity

I believe that we can practially apply the doctrine of the trinity in at least three areas:

1. Humility
   
   The doctrine of the Trinity is not a mystery or a riddle that God gives us to see who is clever enough to understand it. Quite the opposite - the doctrine of the Trinity should show us how incapable we are to fully grasp the greatness of God and His being with our small and limited minds. Thomas à Kempis wrote, "Of what use is it to discourse learnedly on the Trinity, if you lack humility and therefore displease the Trinity?" Let us learn from this doctrine to be humble.
   
   
2. Worship
   
   The more we learn about the different persons of the Trinity, especially in their different roles in accomplishing salvation for us, the more we should naturally stand in awe of God's great wisdom and power and love. If there were no Trinity, there would also be no salvation for us, because somebody was needed to act as a mediator between God and man, and this could only be done by Jesus Christ, who "being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:6-8)
   
   
3. Community
   
   The Trinity is the perfect community. God is love and each person of the Trinity loves and complements the others. This should teach us something about marriage. Marriage is a community of one man and one woman who serve one another in love. The husband and the wife have different roles in marriage. These different roles should not conflict, but rather complement one another. The church is also a community where unity is to be seen among the different members of the one body. Jesus prayed that those who believe on Him "all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." (John 17:21)

2773 miles across the UK and Ireland

From the end of March until the beginning of May, we were on a big road trip. We had the opportunity to visit various friends and churches in the UK and Ireland with whom we were able to share about our future work in Mexico. We travelled some 2773 miles in our car and on ferries. It was a wonderful time for us seeing old friends and making new ones in various parts of the British Isles. Thank you to all of you who invited us to come, hosted us, and took care of us so well! Thank you for all your love, friendship, support and prayers! You were and are a real blessing to us!

As we visited various locations, we also got to see some nice places along the way. Below are some impressions from our time in the UK and Ireland.

Who is JESUS CHRIST really?

No other name is so well-known and at the same time so controversial as the name JESUS. Many people worship and love him, but others despise, hate or completely ignore him.

Today’s historians accept it as a proven fact that JESUS CHRIST really lived.  There is hardly any other person in the ancient world who has such a good historical record as this JESUS from the town of Nazareth. But who is JESUS CHRIST really?


There seem to be a thousand answers to this question. Some say he was a wise teacher, a revolutionary, a philosopher or simply a good person. Others consider him a deceiver or a lunatic. Muslims call him a great prophet and Christians believe that JESUS is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. But which of these answers is actually true?


JESUS himself once asked the people who were with him, "But who do you say that I am?" (Gospel of Matthew 16:15) How would you answer JESUS’ question? Perhaps you have already made up your own opinion about JESUS. But when you talk about someone, it is only fair to also hear what that person has to say. What then does JESUS say about himself?


What does JESUS CHRIST say about himself?


JESUS CHRIST lived about 2,000 years ago in Israel. Some people who witnessed JESUS at that time were careful to keep a record of his words and deeds for future generations. These writings can be found in the most famous book in the world, the Bible. It is here that we find what JESUS said about himself:


I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Gospel of John 14:6)


Here JESUS claims to be the only connection to God the Father and therefore the only true way to a relationship with God. This fellowship with God is the meaning of true life.


I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. (Gospel of John 10:9)


With these words, JESUS claims to be the only entry-way to salvation.


I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (Gospel of John 8:12)


JESUS promises to give life-saving orientation to all who follow him. Those who stand by JESUS are therefore brought out of all the lostness, fear and darkness of human existence and find a life full of security and hope in him.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Gospel of John 10:11)


Here JESUS compares himself with a shepherd and those who believe in him with a flock of sheep. A shepherd guides, protects and provides for his sheep. As a good shepherd, JESUS even dies for his sheep.


I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. (Gospel of John 6:35)


Food and drink are vital for every human being. JESUS claims to be everything that a man depends on for life. This includes the human hunger for love, acceptance, joy, justice and peace. JESUS promises to satisfy this and much more forever in fellowship with him.


I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. (Gospel of John 11:25)


Here JESUS assures us that everyone who completely trusts in him is not destined to die. If JESUS himself is the source of life, this means that those who live in fellowship with him have a new life – now and for all eternity.


What kind of person is this who so confidently claims such extraordinary things about himself? While on earth, JESUS CHRIST was severely criticised and even attacked for making such statements. His enemies contradicted him by saying that no man on earth has the right to think – let alone speak – about himself in this way. Are you of the same opinion?


Even though JESUS was treated with such great hostility, he unwaveringly stood by his statements and also announced that he was commissioned and sent by God from heaven (Gospel of John 8:42). But why should God send someone to earth? JESUS himself also gives an answer to this question.


Why did JESUS CHRIST come?


JESUS says, I have come ...


... to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. (Gospel of John 18:37)


... to seek and to save the lost. (Gospel of Luke 19:10)


... not to be served but to serve, and to give [my] life as a ransom for many. (Gospel of Mark 10:45)


... into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. (Gospel of John 12:46)


... that they may have life and have it abundantly. (Gospel of John 10:10)


It is striking that the motives for JESUS’ coming are connected to fearful things such as darkness, lostness, death, sin and judgement. What makes this frightening is that JESUS uses these serious words to describe the sad condition of human beings.


What went wrong?


You surely know the unpleasant feeling of having left a trusted partner such as your spouse, friend or neighbour in an argument. What a joy it is to be reconciled again! Every person has serious relationship problems and this is precisely what JESUS drew attention to.


But the relationship problems to which JESUS refers are much more dramatic than an interpersonal conflict. Again and again, he draws attention to mankind’s greatest problem: We live separated from God, the Father, the creator of all life. God created human beings as persons so that they can live in close fellowship with him.


The first human beings spoke with God and ordered their lives according to his purposes. In doing so, they found that God gave them complete joy and true fulfilment in life. This changed, however, on the day they thought they did not need God anymore. They believed the lie that they could also find a fulfilled life apart from God by having their own say over their lives. So they turned their backs on God and deliberately rebelled against him (see Genesis 2-3).


Have you ever asked yourself what gives or what should give fulfilment to your life? Inside every person there is a longing for personal fulfilment in life. Until this day, most people seek this fulfilment everywhere except in God. By neglecting God, man misses his true happiness in life and offends God who is the source of true joy. With such an attitude, man becomes hostile to God – whether he intends to or not. Such a lifestyle of ignoring God and his purposes is described in the Bible as sin.

God is completely good and righteous; therefore he detests evil such as murder, adultery, unkindness, gossip, envy, falsehood, theft, greed, quarrels, meanness, shamelessness, treachery, dissipation, injustice, schemes, violence, pride, boasting, disobedience, disloyalty, mercilessness, egotism, love of money, ingratitude, unforgiveness, obscenity, deceit, cruelty …


Everyone who honestly considers this will have to admit that human beings do precisely those things which God detests. And this is the great problem: man is not good because his life contradicts what God has declared good and righteous. Since God is holy and takes responsibility for all life, he cannot accept this behaviour, as it mocks him and harms mankind. Therefore God is justifiably angry with all men. In the Bible, God unequivocally says that every person must give an account before him after this life. On a determined day, God will judge and punish men for all their sins.


Is there a way to end hostility with God and avoid the eternal judgement of God’s wrath? Yes, thank God, there is! To be precise, this is the good news of JESUS CHRIST, the reconciler of the world. Especially when you understand what your condition before God is, you will also see who JESUS CHRIST really is.


JESUS CHRIST, the reconciler!


When JESUS asked his followers who they considered him to be, a man named Simon gave the only right answer.


"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (Gospel of Matthew 16:16-17)


Without exaggerating, JESUS was able to call himself the source of life, the only way of salvation and the truth in person because he is none other than the Son of God who came down from heaven to give his life as a sacrifice. Many people know that JESUS CHRIST was killed by being nailed to a cross, but only few people know the true reason for his death. God the Father sent his Son JESUS CHRIST with a very specific purpose into the world: he was to become a man and pay with his life for the guilt of many sinners. Completely voluntarily, JESUS suffered what we as human beings have deserved – God’s righteous judgement for sin. The Bible says,


... he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)


We as humans have turned our backs on God, but JESUS’ back was whipped. We had the bad thoughts, but JESUS’ head was wounded with thorns. We acted against God and our fellow humans, but JESUS’ hands were pierced. We went our own wrong ways away from God, but JESUS’ feet were nailed to the cross. We deserved to die, but JESUS died in our place. Instead of punishing us, God opened the way to reconcile us to himself by sacrificing his own Son to die.


For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (Gospel of John 3:16)


Through his sacrifice on the cross JESUS CHRIST has become the reconciler. He alone mediates between guilty men and the righteous God. By paying with his life for the sins of men, JESUS leads men back into a relationship with God.


Be reconciled to God!


God the Father confirmed that he had accepted the sacrifice of his Son by raising him from the dead three days later. JESUS CHRIST lives and has the power to forgive sins and give eternal life. Those who completely trust in JESUS CHRIST to be saved from guilt, death and judgement, and entrust themselves with their whole life to this reconciler, have peace with God and eternal life in close communion with him. This message of reconciliation – which is also called the gospel – is addressed to all people. But only those who believe in JESUS CHRIST are also reconciled to God. Those who think lightly of this great love of God and despise and reject JESUS CHRIST’s sacrifice of reconciliation have no other hope. God’s wrath and his eternal judgement remain for those who do not want to be reconciled to him.


Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (Gospel of John 3:36)


Dear reader,
Thank you very much for reading this far. Do not wait any longer, but come with your entire burden to JESUS CHRIST, who can give you forgiveness and true peace with God. JESUS says,


Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Gospel of Matthew 11:28)


Whoever comes to me I will never cast out. (Gospel of John 6:37)


Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (Gospel of John 5:24)


Come and confess your sins in prayer to JESUS CHRIST and ask him to save you and reconcile you to God.


Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)


(This text was originally written in German by some friends of mine for the website www.jesuschristus.de, an independent and interdenominational ministry for proclaiming the good news. I was very pleased to translate this text into English for them.)

Picture: sxc.hu

Pop goes popularity

Who has not ever wanted to be popular? We like to be liked by others. But how long does this popularity last? If one does not keep up striving to be pleasing to others, then it's one day a hero, the next day a villain. Just for being one's self and not following the crowd. You are only popular as long as you say and do the things that others want you to do.

Earlier this year, I read a statement about popularity that once again reminded me of the title of this blog:

Nothing is so fickle and uncertain as popularity. It is here today and gone tomorrow.

These are the words of J.C. Ryle, the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool, who lived in the 19th century. The statement is made in his book Expository thoughts on Matthew, as he comments on the events of Palm Sunday as recorded in the Bible.

In the 21st chapter of Matthew, we read about the Lord Jesus Christ entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy given in Zechariah 9:9 (ESV):

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

As the Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem on this donkey, there was a crowd to welcome Him and this is what they did and said:

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:8-9, ESV)

Jesus Christ had become the most popular person in town. The Jewish people thought He had come to deliver them from their Roman oppressors and they gave Him an unprecedented welcome.

But only a few days later, the crowds would be calling for Him to be crucified. The true King and Saviour was no longer a king and saviour in their eyes.

In his commentary on Matthew, J.C. Ryle writes:

Let us notice in these verse a striking example of the worthlessness of man's favour. Of all the multitudes who crowded round our Lord as He entered Jerusalem, none stood by Him when He was delivered into the hands of wicked men. Many cried, "Hosanna!" who four days after cried, "away with Him, crucify Him!"

But this is a faithful picture of human nature. This is a proof of the utter folly of thinking more of the praise of men than the praise of God. Nothing is so fickle and uncertain as popularity. It is here today and gone tomorrow. It is a sandy foundation, and sure to fail those who build upon it. Let us not care for it. Let us seek the favour of Him who is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever." (Heb. 13:8.) Christ never changes. Those whom He loves, He loves to the end. His favour endures forever.

Picture: sxc.hu

How to pray for Christians - part 2

This is a continuation of last week's post about the apostle Paul's two prayers for Christians in his letter to the Ephesians. In the previous post. we considered his first prayer found in Ephesians 1:15-23 and we saw that it was mainly a prayer for Christians to be built up in their knowledge of God.

But Paul does not leave it there. In his second prayer, we now see that he also wants this knowledge of God to be worked out practically in their lives. Let us take a look at what he says in Ephesians 3:14-19:

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.


In this second prayer in Ephesians, Paul prays five things for Christians. We, too, can pray these things for other Christians (and also for ourselves!):

1. That God will strengthen them with power (3:16)
   Not just to know God's power as in his previous prayer (1:19) but to actually live in this power. Just as Jesus lived His life on earth and acted in the power of the Holy Spirit, so we as Christians also need to live in the power of the Spirit. We are too weak in our own strength, but God can strengthen us with His power so that we are strong in the faith.
2. That Christ may dwell in their hearts (3:17)
   As we know from other parts of Scripture, the Lord Jesus Christ already lives inside of Christians. But is He really "at home" there? Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:23)
3. That they may be rooted and grounded in love (3:17)
   Being rooted in love means receiving nourishment from love in order to grow. And the more we are rooted in love, the more we will be grounded in love, i.e. become more stable and secure and able to endure and withstand many storms and trials.
4. That they may know the love of Christ (3:18-19)
   For a proper understanding of what love is, we must look to Christ. We will never be able to understand the immense greatness of His love, but the more we know the love of Christ, the more we will know how to share this love with other people.
5. That they may be filled with all the fullness of God (3:19)
   Finally, Christians are to be as much like God as possible. In some ways, Christians will never be like God, because God is unique - there is nobody who is like Him. He alone is almighty, all-knowing and present everywhere. He is perfect and holy and worthy like nobody else. But as followers of Christ, all Christians are to be like the Son of God. All Christians are to reflect the character of God in their lives: holy, righteous, loving, merciful, gracious, compassionate, faithful and much more. Christians need prayer not only to better know these characteristics of God but also to live them out better in their own lives.

When we pray for other Christians, it is always good and helpful to return to these two prayers of Paul in Ephesians in order to pray for those things that Christians really need more than anything else.

Picture: sxc.hu

How to pray for Christians - part 1

If you are a Christian, then you are a person of prayer. There is no such thing as a prayerless Christian. A.W. Pink says in one of his sermons,

A prayerless Christian is a contradiction in terms. Just as a still-born child is a dead one, so a professing believer who does not pray is devoid of spiritual life. Prayer is the breath of the new nature in the saint, as the Word of God is its food.

As a Christian, you are called to pray for those who are saints, i.e. those who have been set apart with you by God as His people, His children.

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we are told to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." (Eph. 6:18)

But how are Christians supposed to pray for other Christians?

In this same letter to the Ephesian Christians, the apostle Paul includes two prayers. Both prayers are for the Ephesian church. Both prayers are for Christians. Both prayers serve as good examples how we can pray for other Christians.


In this first blog post, we will take a look at the first prayer, found in Ephesians 1:15-23:

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

This prayer clearly is for Christians, those who have "faith in the Lord Jesus" (1:15). So what does Paul pray for them?

Paul prays that

1. God may give them a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him (1:17)
2. God may enlighten the eyes of their heart (1:18), so that they may know three things:
1. God has called them to hope (1:18)
2. God will have a glorious inheritance prepared for them (1:18)
3. God is working his immeasurably great power in them (1:19)

This first prayer is a prayer for knowledge. This is also how we can pray for other Christians, including ourselves. All Christians desperately need to know God more and more.

• Knowing that God has acted for us in the PAST by calling and drawing us to Himself will give us hope and assurance. We can have assurance that we are saved and belong to Him.
• Knowing that God has prepared something wonderful for us in the FUTURE, namely a glorious inheritance of everlasting life without sin, without suffering and with Christ, will give us the right perspective in life and its trouble and pain.
• Knowing that God is working with is immeasurably great power in us at PRESENT will help us do His will and withstand the attacks of the evil one, despite our fears and weaknesses.

So we can pray for ourselves and for other Christians to come to a greater knowledge of God and what He has done for us in the past, what He will have prepared for us in the future, and what He is doing for us in the present.

This knowledge of God is the basis for living the Christian life according to God's will.

Perhaps some of you have prayed or will pray along these lines for my wife and me. If that is the case, thank you very much for your prayers! We, too, certainly need a greater and deeper knowledge of God.

Picture: public domain

What's so amazing about hell

There are many things that are amazing when we think about hell. Surprisingly to many, out of all the persons in the Bible, it was Jesus Christ who spoke most about hell. In fact, Jesus spoke more about hell and judgment than He spoke about heaven. As Son of God and Creator of all things - including hell - Jesus speaks with complete knowledge and authority on the subject.


On numerous occasions, Jesus tells us that hell is a place of fire (Matt. 5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:43, 48; Luke 16:24) and that it is a place of torment (Luke 16:23-28). What makes this all the more terrible is that the suffering in hell will be eternal The fire of hell shall never be quenched (Mark 9:48). And there is no escape from hell (Luke 16:26).


These are all shocking facts that Jesus warns us about. But none of this is what is most amazing to me.


What's so amazing about hell is that it is God's JUST punishment for sinners.


I believe this is what most people and even most Christians - including myself - have the hardest time understanding. People ask themselves, "Isn't God supposed to be a God of love? How can He then send people to hell? And why is there such extreme suffering in hell and why does it need to be eternal?"


Before I attempt to point out a few truths that will help us deal with these questions, let me say that I do not have the ultimate answer. I do not understand the mind of God. And I don't expect anyone else to do so. God Himself tells us:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Take this as a starting point for dealing with the difficult doctrine of hell. God assumes that you will not understand all of His thoughts and all of His ways. And if you are honest, you will have to admit that this is true.


But I do believe that there are three truths that we need to understand better and that will also help us understand why hell exists and why it is just:


1. God's holiness is much greater than you can imagine


"Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy." (Rev. 15:4a)


Even though some people and angels are called holy, there is none who is holy like God. God is in a category for Himself. His holiness is incomparable. In Job 15:15 we read, "Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight". For example, what we regularly watch on TV - even if it is only the news - is an abomination to God: war, murder, abuse, deceit, pride, lies... God cannot even look at it - His eyes are too pure to behold evil. We have gotten used to these things. It is the world we live in and we consider it normal. But God has not gotten used to it. He cannot accept any of it, because it goes against His holy character.


2. Your sin is much greater than you can imagine


"O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens." (Ezra 9:6)


It seems that Ezra had a better picture of his own sin than most of us do. Generally speaking, we do not consider our sins - or even those of others - to be that great. That is why we are prone to think that hell is an unfair punishment for sinners. But the fact that hell is God's just punishment for sinners should make us realise that the problem is not with God, but with us. The just punishment you would have to pay for your sin is an eternity of torment in hell. How great must our sin be in the eyes of God! Much more than we can imagine!


There are no innocent people. All have sinned (Rom. 3:23) and on numerous, even countless, occasions. And even though you might think that your sins are against other people or against yourself, the truth is that every sin is against God. And since God is infinitely worthy, any sin against Him requires an infinite penalty. That is why hell is eternal. Besides that, who says that people stop sinning once they enter hell? From what I can see, they will continue in their sin even in hell and add more guilt and punishment on themselves.


3. God's love is much greater than you can imagine


"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)


There actually was one innocent person in this world. Jesus Christ, the holy, pure, perfect Son of God, came to this earth as a man and was judged and condemned to die on the cross - for us who were sinners and enemies of God. It was our sins that nailed Him to the cross.


Now the question: What is more unjust - hell or the cross? The punishment for sinners who rebel against and reject God, their Creator, or the punishment for the sinless Son of God who did nothing but good?


Jesus Christ was not punished for our sins against His will. He voluntarily died in our place. Therefore, even His death on the cross was just. God did not reduce the penalty once His Son stepped in as our substitute.


The cross therefore shows us the ultimate expression of God's justice and of God's love.


Because God is just, He will punish all sin. But because God is love, He saves people from an eternal hell. God offers this salvation freely to all who will have faith in Christ.


Don't ask yourself, "Why does God allow people to go to hell?" Rather ask yourself, "Why does God allow people to go to heaven?" This is the real question. This is amazing grace.

This is Britzingen

Last month, Lisa and I moved to the small village of Britzingen...

Britzingen is a small village of roughly 1,000 inhabitants in the Black Forest in the south of Germany. It was first mentioned in records in Charlemagne's fifth year as King of the Franks (A.D. 773) before he later became emperor in western Europe.

The main industry in Britzingen is wine ...

... and it is surrounded my numerous vineyards. No fruit on the vines yet, though...

Many of our neighbours also have different kinds of animals. On of our neighbours has goats and sheep:

Just across the road from where we live, there are a number of chickens, which we often hear during the day... ;-)

And another neighbour has horses:

Our apartment is in this house. The two windows on the top left side of the house belong to our apartment.

We are very thankful to God for the nice apartment we can live in here and the nice little village in the countryside we can live in. Would you like to come visit us sometime while we are still here?


This place is not our home - we are just passing through. In the autumn, we hope to leave for Mexico. Here today and gone tomorrow...


Above the door of one of our neighbours, we read some words which remind us of our reason for our living and moving and being:

It says:

Those who pass through this door

Are to remember evermore

That our Saviour Jesus Christ

Died on the cross for our sins

This is the message we want to see proclaimed in all the world for the joy of all peoples and for the glory of God.