Under Axe and Musket

In his autobiography, John Payton, a missionary to an island of cannibals in the South Pacific in the 19th century wrote:

"But my enemies seldom slackened their hateful designs against my life, however calmed or baffled for the moment.  Within a few days of the above events, when Natives in large numbers were assembled at my house, a man furiously rushed on me with his axe; but a Kaserumini Chief snatched a spade with which I had been working, and dexterously defended me from instant death.  Life in such circumstances led me to cling very near to the Lord Jesus; I knew not, for one brief hour, when or how attack might be made; and yet, with my trembling hand clasped in the Hand once nailed on Calvary, and now swaying the scepter of the Universe, calmness and peace and resignation abode in my soul.
"Next day, a wild Chief followed me about for four hours with his loaded musket, and, though often directed towards me, God restrained his hand.  I spoke kindly to him, and attended to my work as if he had not been there, fully persuaded that my God had placed me there, and would protect me till my allotted task was finished.  Looking up in unceasing prayer to our dear Lord Jesus, I left all in His hands, and felt immortal till my work was done.  Trials and hairbreadth escapes strengthened my faith, and seemed only to nerve me for more to follow; and they did tread swiftly upon each other's heels.  Without that abiding consciousness of the presence and power of my dear Lord and Saviour, nothing else in all the world could have preserved me from losing my reason and perishing miserably.  His words, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," became to me so real that it would not have startled me to behold Him, as Stephen did, gazing down upon the scene.  I felt His supporting power, as did St. Paul, when he cried, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  It is the sober truth, and it comes back to me sweetly after twenty years, that I had my nearest and dearest glimpses of the face and smile of my blessed Lord in those dread moments when musket, club, or spear was being leveled at my life.  Oh the bliss of living and enduring, as seeing "Him who is invisible"!

Romans 7 and Future Sin

Romans 7 has been on my mind a lot recently, especially verses 14-20 where Paul has his famous "what I hate I do" speech.  This is a passage that has been used by many to explain how the Christian life is one where we want to do good, but because of sin inside of us we do evil.  They then go one to explain that we will sin in the future and that we "aren't perfect, just forgiven."  The problem is, that is not what this passage is about.

Paul begins this passage, really, in Romans 6 when he says, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." (6:17-18)  He makes is pretty clear that before you know Jesus you are a slave to sin and once you know Him you become a slave to righteousness.

Then Rom 7:14 begins with, "I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin."  Now, that's weird.  Isn't Paul a Christian?  If he is why would he say that he is a slave to sin since Christians aren't slaves to sin?  What Paul is doing is reverting back to his old self and talking about himself as if he hasn't come to know Jesus yet.  The "I" Paul is using is pre-Jesus-Paul.

So, after he reverts to pre-Jesus-Paul he explains the problem faced by all humanity: we cannot do anything but sin, even if we want to do good.  Romans 7 isn't about the Christian life; it is about the fleshly life.  This is the human dilemma.

But, after he explains the non-Christian life, he has a beautiful declaration of the salvation found in Jesus.  "What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me thought Jesus Christ our Lord!" (7:24-25)  We have been saved from the human dilemma though Jesus Christ.

And what is is the result of this salvation.  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because though Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (8:1-2)  There are two results of this salvation: 1) There is no condemnation; we have been forgiven. 2) We have been set free from the law of sin and death and obey the law of the Spirit.  The human dilemma is no longer a reality for us because we have been set free.

It is an amazing truth that we no longer have to sin.  The cross has forgiven us of our sin, yes, but more than that it has enabled us to live according to the Spirit.  We no longer have to sin because Christ has set us free.

This idea is all over Scripture:
Eze 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you."
Rom 6:7 "Anyone who has died has been set free from sin"
Rom 6:14 "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."
1 Jn 3:6 "No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning."

Now, I don't mean to say that we cannot sin after we are saved.  The grace that we find at the cross covers all of our sins, past, present, and future.  Nor do I desire for us to become legalistic about making always making "the right" choice.

But, I do want us to stop living with a defeated attitude toward sin.  If we think that we are destined to sin in the future then we will.  But, if we have deep faith that the cross has changed us and that we have died with Christ (Gal 2:20; Col 3:1-4) then we can live in righteousness for His glory.

May we be a people who always live in the Gospel so that we can live a life worthy of the Gospel.

Moravian Missionaries

I recently heard the story of the two Moravian Missionaries, John Leonard Dober and David Nitschman.  In 1732 they left their homes and families to preach Christ to a plantation in the West Indies of 2,000-3,000 slaves.  These slaves lived on a single island and were owned by an atheist slave owner who had publicly declared that no pastor or preacher would come and share Jesus on his island.  When John and David heard this they tried to sell themselves into slavery to this man so that they could preach Christ among the slaves (but they found out they could not because it was illegal for white people to be slaves).  It gives a whole new meaning to Romans 6:18, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." 


When they were on the ship, pulling away from home on their way to the West Indies, with their church and families lined up on the docks, one of them shouted form the boat, "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering."  As they leave friends and family al behind, on their way to what might be their death, their minds are fixed on Jesus and ensuring that when He returns His reward will be large and pure.  When we participate in the mission of Christ, are we really doing it for the glory of Christ?  Do we want to be able to present Jesus with the reward He deserves?  Or are we in it to make a name for ourselves?


I pray that in the midst of your ministry and your struggles you focus will be on the slain Lamb receiving the reward of His suffering.

"I will be with you"

There is a passage in Exodus 3 that has been on my mind a lot recently.  God has come to Moses in the burning bush and has told him that he will go and lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt.  Moses first question to God is "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

Now, I've heard many sermons and teachings on Moses that tell of how God prepared him.  How Moses spent 40 years in Pharaoh's household so he knew Egypt and how to work there.  And how Moses lead sheep in the wilderness for 40 years so he knew how to lead large groups.  These teachings say that Moses was prepared and ready to lead God's people out of Egypt.

But when Moses asks God, "Who am I," God's response is not, "Well, Moses you're actually really prepared."  God's response to Moses is, "I will be with you."  And what we realize is that Moses was completely incapable of doing this task, but all that he needed to know was that God was with him.  And that was enough.

It's the same story in Judges 6.  When the angel of the Lord comes to Gideon and tells him that he will rescue Israel from the Midianites Gideon asks, "How can I save Israel...I am the least in my family?"  And the Lord's response is not about how qualified Gideon is.  His response is, "I will be with you."


Take heart, friends, because what you are doing for the Lord is beyond your ability.  Because of your brokenness and sin you are incapable of any task God gives you.  But know that if He is with you, then you need nothing else.  If He is with you, you have all the power in the universe.  If He is with you, then you can shake the nations for His glory.  If He is with you, then all things are possible.

So, today claim His promise, "I will be with you."

David Platt on Prayer

I was listening to this sermon by David Platt and this one part really struck me.  Am I going to live in such a way that I risk everything for the kind of Christianity where I need prayer?  Are you?

I am not a grasshopper.

“But the men who had gone up with him said, ’ We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’  And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.  They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it.  All the people we saw there are of great size.  We saw the Nephilim there (the desvendants of the Anak come from the Nephilim).  We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’” - Num 13:31-33

God had promised the land of Canaan to Israel.  He promised it to Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses.  But even after this long standing promise and just 2 years and 3 months after the Exodus they had forgotten the power of God and fear prevented them from moving forward.  When they saw the people in the land they declared, “We seemed like grasshoppers.”

When I was given a tour of Campus Crusade they showed me Bill Bright’s office (the founder of Campus).  On his desk was a plaque that said “I am not a grasshopper.”  It was a reference to this passage in Numbers.  The idea was that because the infinite, glorious, everlasting King of the Universe who delivered Israel from Egypt with a mighty hand and great wonders was with him, he would not look like a grasshopper in his own eyes or anyone else’s.

Take heart, friends.  The Almighty King of Glory is with you.  You are not a grasshopper.

Am I who I am and do I do what I do because of the circumstances around me or the character of God?

There is an incredible story in Acts 4.  Peter and John were incarcerated and persecuted for speaking about Jesus, and upon their release the church prayed together.

·      “Sovereign Lord, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them…”

When we go through straining situations or troubling transitions our prayers often begin with, “Where are you God?”  But when Peter and John went through prison their prayer was, “God, you are in control.”  This causes us to ask a pretty profound question:

·      Am I who I am and do I do what I do because of the circumstances around me or the character of God?

Too often our circumstances dictate who we are.  At Wheaton, I am hard-working college student.  At home, I am a fun-loving friend.  With friends, I am passionate about the Gospel.  When expectations are not met, I am grumpy. When people don’t understand my passions, I am quiet about the truth.  When my context is new, I am insecure.  When suffering is all around, I am overwhelmed.

But what if, in every circumstance, we were because of and we acted out of God’s character.  At Wheaton, I seek after the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and the earth.  At home, I press on toward the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth.  With friends, I reflect the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth.  When expectations are not met, I hope in the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth.  When people don’t understand my passions, I glorify the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth. When my context is new, I rest in the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth.  When suffering is all around, I serve the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth.

He is good, and He is in control.  And I’ve learned from my semesters off that sometimes you have to live in the suck of a situation.  But in the midst of it we must continue the affirm that He is the Sovereign Lord who made the heaven and earth.  And as we do so that truth will become more and more foundational to who we are.