Spiritual Armour

Despite allegations that I have been very quiet this year, I would remind you that I did in fact have a lot to say during Lent.  Just not here. That’s because it was on my other blog.  FISH for Lent is where I try to post a daily thought for the whole period from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. 

This year I chose the theme of The Armour of GOD.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6)

I found the experience of preparing each day’s ruminations so valuable in terms of my own learning and growth, that I decided to do the series in my Cell-Group.  So for the last two months we worked our way through each item of the armour. 

We asked ourselves (and GOD):
1.Why was that characteristic or item important?
2.Why was it compared to that item of armour?
3.How do we put on that item and use it to defend ourselves?

It was actually quite a valuable series, and there was a lot of discussion around each week’s lesson.  I think sometimes we gloss over this passage in Ephesians, and don’t focus on what it really meant to Christians of the day, and still to us today.

It went so well, that I am actually considering turning the lessons and daily devotionals from the blog into a booklet, and seeing who else is interested in doing the course.

What about you?  Do you ever think about the Armour of God?
Do you find it useful?  Or is it just a pretty metaphor?

Here again.

I realise I have been a little scarce lately. 

You probably haven’t heard from me for a while.

Blame it all on Dori.  I can’t help it that I have such an awesome girlfriend.

Jesus Freaks

There are more Christian martyrs today than there were in 100 AD-in the days of the Roman Empire. According to a study done at Regent University, there were close to 164,000 Christians martyred around the world in 1999. Their stories must be told.

 

 

I might be the last Christian in the world to actually read this book, but I finally have read it.  For the last ten years I have been putting it off, because I knew that it would be hardcore. 

It was.

The book tells the story of dozens of Christian martyrs, most of whom died for their faith - many quite painfully or horrifically.  It covers children still in their teens, as well as entire families who lost their lives for their beliefs.  It is quite scary stuff.

I have always found stories of martyrdom and persecution quite scary, because I am always afraid that I would never be able to measure up to these people.  Some of them stared their torturers in the eyes and said “I will never renounce my faith, do your worst.”

I have the privilege of living in a country where I will probably never face torture or prison for my beliefs.  I never have to live in fear.  And sometimes I wonder if that is a good thing. 

There is a reason why the word “Martyr” actually means “Witness.”  Our faith has always been at it’s strongest when we are persecuted; and our witness at it’s most powerful when we are seen to stand up under suffering. 

Reading this book reminded me about the other face of my faith.  The side I don’t often think about.  The side where people lose everything in a heartbeat, and do so gladly, because of what they gain.

Is it wrong that I thank God daily that he has called me to minister to people who are receptive to the Gospel, instead of putting myself in harms way? 

Quite a challenging book, and not for the faint of heart, or faint of faith.

Book Review : The Jesus Inquest

The Jesus Inquest : The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ
An unbiased examination and compelling courtroom presentation revealing the undeniable facts of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Or so says the book cover.

Unlike most books which will take one viewpoint or the other, this book spends 50% of the time and space arguing against the resurrection, and 50% arguing for it. Both sides are well researched, and fairly well presented.

This book is not for everyone. And I don’t think it should be.
Foster argues both sides of the question with great skill, and his points are well researched and thorough. At times however I found that his arguments for the resurrection were a little… wishy-washy. I kept wanting to shout out “No, don’t say it like that. There’s a better argument.” I suppose it is the natural inclination of every lawyer to give his best effort to the version he has the least faith in.

I am concerned that many of the queries raised by his doubting “X” persona are not adequately responded to by his faithful “Y” persona, and that those without a thorough knowledge of the points raised might be led into further doubt or confusion.

I was also concerned by his constant refrain of “Of course no Christian actually believes that” and similar phrases. He seemed to be trying to portray all Christians as logical rationalists, whereas some of the points raised are in fact believed by Christians, myself included.

An interesting academic work, but not one I would recommend for light reading.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.

Psalm 22 (For Good Friday)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
       Why are you so far from saving me,
       so far from the words of my groaning?

² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
       by night, and am not silent.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
       you are the praise of Israel.

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
       they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
       in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
       scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷ All who see me mock me;
       they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
       let the LORD rescue him.
       Let him deliver him,
       since he delights in him."

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
       you made me trust in you
       even at my mother's breast.

¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
       from my mother's womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
       for trouble is near
       and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;
       strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
       open their mouths wide against me.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
       and all my bones are out of joint.
       My heart has turned to wax;
       it has melted away within me.

¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
       and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
       you lay me  in the dust of death.

¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
       a band of evil men has encircled me,
       they have pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
       people stare and gloat over me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
       O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
       my precious life from the power of the dogs.

²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
       save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
       in the congregation I will praise you.

²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
       All you descendants of Jacob, honour him!
       Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
       the suffering of the afflicted one;
       he has not hidden his face from him
       but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
       before those who fear you will I fulfil my vows.

²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
       they who seek the LORD will praise him—
       may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
       will remember and turn to the LORD,
       and all the families of the nations
       will bow down before him,

²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
       and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
       all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
       those who cannot keep themselves alive.

³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
       future generations will be told about the Lord.

³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
       to a people yet unborn—
       for he has done it.

St Patrick

Today is the feast day of St Patrick.  Although for most people it is is just an opportunity to drink green beer, and pinch people who don’t dress in the appropriate colour, it is also the day we remember Saint Patrick.

Interestingly enough, today is the day scheduled for me to start my week of talking about the Breastplate of Righteousness over at FISH for Lent.

Why is that interesting?

Because apart from driving all the snakes out of Ireland, and using the shamrock as a symbol of the trinity, Saint Patrick is possibly best known for a poem called…

ST PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,

Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,

Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,

Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs,

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of holy virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of sun,

Radiance of moon,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of sea,

Stability of earth,

Firmness of rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to save me

From snares of devils,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who shall wish me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness,

Of the Creator of Creation.

So, today we remember a very Faithful FISH, and the prayer named after him.

Ash what?

Lent?  Ash Wednesday?  Fasting?

Do you do any of it?

As a member of a fairly traditional mainstream church, I grew up assuming that everyone followed the same traditions as I/we did.  It was only as I got older that I realised that many (most?) believers and churches don’t bother with things like Lent.

The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, meaning ‘Spring’, and also was the word for ‘March’ when lent was usually held to begin.  In the early church, new believers were baptised on Easter Sunday, and so they observed a time of fasting for 40 days prior.  It became traditional for the whole church to fast with them, recognising that they were being baptised into the Church as a body.  From this we have the modern tradition of 40 days of lent.  The 40 days were supposed to represent the 40 days that Christ fasted in the desert before beginning his public ministry.

It was also common for believers who were returning to the church to be re-admitted on the Easter Sunday.  They would traditionally make a full confession of their sins before beginning lent, and would make a mark of an Ash Cross on their forehead to symbolise their repentance.  Again, members of the early church chose to do the same thing, and began signing themselves with a Cross of Ash to symbolise that they also needed to repent and return to the Lord.

This is the origin of Ash Wednesday, where believers may choose to have a cross of Ash imposed on their forehead as a reminder of their decision to turn from sin, and follow Christ.  Tonight I will be attending an Ash Wednesday service at my church, and will be beginning a time of Lenten discipline. 

I will not be talking about Lent, or my journey, on this blog, because for those who do not follow it, it might be pretty boring.  Instead, I will be doing a daily post on my other site, FISH for Lent.

It would be great if you came over and visited me there.