ON THE CHURCH

 Out now in paperback & eBook! - See Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y9o5qtbg

PREFACE

Unlike the Church in Glory, the Church on earth always has its problems. Therefore, if you are looking for the perfect Church you will need to visit Heaven to find it. However, the Lord in His written Word has given us clear instructions for His Church on earth.

Whereas the Church on earth is the Church Militant, the Church in Glory is the Church Triumphant, also known as the Church Visible and the Church Invisible respectively. These are not separate entities. And, whereas the former is engaged in spiritual warfare, the latter is at spiritual rest. Yet the two are one Church. Those in the former can look forward to joining with those in the latter.

The history of the Church, in brief, is that it was formed, became, deformed, and then was reformed. The Church began with one man, Adam, became a family with Abraham, a nation with Jacob (a.k.a. Israel), and international, even cosmic with Jesus Christ, the Church’s only Head. Optimistically, therefore, the Church is ever-expanding.

The Reformation brought with it a return to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, reasserting the crown rights of King Jesus in every sphere of life. Regarding the sphere of the Church on earth, it is Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda (The Church Reformed, Always Reforming). To continue reforming the Church is to continue to assert the crown rights of Christ therein. On the Church seeks to assist this assertion.

‘When they saw the star, they rejoiced’

 (Except from my book A Stick in Time - Purchase a copy at Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yb9c4vh4

Virgin Rock was rapidly disappearing behind the curtain of darkness that was being lowered into place. A ‘Bush Band’ was tuning up as the people plunked themselves down on and around the strategically placed logs that were to serve as seats. There was some electric power to amplify the musical equipment. They began to play the well-known Christmas Carols, all of which Bram and Thomas had never heard before! They sat in silence while everyone else joined in the singing.

After a while Erin was invited to sit down and play the clarsach or Irish Harp which some called the ‘musical tree.’ As her nimble fingers strummed the harp, unseen angels began to gather in the surrounding trees like birds coming home to roost for the night. The stars in the bright sky began to twinkle in time to Erin’s voice as it softly echoed off of Virgin Rock. When she slowly sang Child in a Manger to a Gaelic melody, though there was no breeze, the leaves in the trees began to rustle, especially when she got to the line,

Prophets foretold Him,

Infant of wonder:

Angels behold Him

On His throne;

Worthy our Saviour

Of all their praises;

Happy for ever are His own.

I could not help myself, but my own voice began to blend in with voices of the angels on High as we sang a (silent to the human ear) descant. Bram and Thomas sat wide-eyed with no sound issuing from mouths open. They could not believe the sweetness that came from the lips of Erin. It was nectar dripping from a flower. Indeed, angels began invisibly hovering around her like humming birds! Her face glowed as the burning embers of the camp fire reflected off of her perfect complexion.

There was no applause when she finished. Instead the audience was awe-struck, angels included. They praised God for the gift He had given Erin. One of the band members handed her a violin from a wooden case. She lifted it and pointed the bow to the stars, stabbing at the Southern Cross formation. With the rest of them Thomas and Bram lifted their eyes to the heavens. There was no moon this Christmas Eve, nor were there city lights stealing the constellation’s bejewelled lustre. Yes, the stars were especially bright tonight. Indeed, many of the surrounding towns and homesteads bore the names of stars and their constellations: Comet, Arcturus Downs, and Orion, for example, so named after the explorer Leithart’s nocturnal visions.

Erin tapped the back of the violin with the back of the bow. All eyes were now upon her once more. She started slowly. It was Vivaldi’s ‘Summer.’ She played a short portion of the Adagio then she speeded things up a little with the Allegro. Next it was full on with the Presto!

Thomas and Bram could not believe their ears. They wanted to rise to their feet and applaud before she had finished! After this she began slowly to transform the violin into a fiddle with an air, a jig, and then a reel. The people were on their feet dancing around their partners as if they just had to express the joy of life! As Erin put the violin down the band struck up. However, it was unanimously requested that the band accompany Erin as she sang Fear a’ Bhàta, (a Scottish Gaelic song about a woman whose heart yearns for her love, a boatman). Of course Bram and Thomas had never heard of this song. Interestingly, the last word in the title, depending on whether the first vowel is stressed or not, can mean ‘boat’ or ‘stick’.

‘Boatman?’ Bram’s ears pricked up. ‘Does she mean me?’ he thought to himself.

‘The Man of the Stick?’ This is what Thomas thought he had heard the song called.

Bram said to Thomas, ‘Is there no end to this woman’s talent?’

‘Get your eyes off of her. I saw her first!’ he replied half seriously.

A MASTERPIECE OF SCOTTISH ANGST

 Shuggie Bain is heart-rending. This reader is thankful that it’s just a fictional story but is left to wonder how much of it is autobiographical. Set in 80s Glasgow, bleak, bleaker, and bleakest sums up the harrowing tale. The story, like the Glasgow Subway (The “Clockwork Orange”), travels full circle, ending where it starts.

As one who grew up on the west of Scotland and had worked in Glasgow, it was a delight to be able to read something written primarily in unashamed Glaswegian, (though a few Americanisms here and there, such as aluminum and ladybugs, have found their way into this masterpiece of Scottish angst). For those who grew up in Scotland’s industrial west in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, a lot of the story’s content will painfully cut to the bone, and cause unwelcome flashbacks.

I admit to being like one of those rubberneckers that ghoulishly gawk at a serious car smash, causing traffic to backup for miles behind them. I recoiled at much of the book’s subject matter, but couldn’t help but keep on reading to see what terrible thing would happen around the next bend.

I think the following line sums up the whole book: “Shuggie felt the noodles in his belly turn into worms.”   

Stuart is the master of metaphor. The book is full of symbolism, (especially in its final chapter). Like losing your dinner money doon the stank, Stuart’s visually descriptive language always lends itself to embellishing the dank, dour, and dreich subject matter with the added notion of a sense of hopelessness.

The dark and damp subterranean subject of the entrapment of alcoholism in social housing schemes is brilliantly depicted by Stuart’s painful but skillful use of the (tattooist’s) pen.

A friend described the book as brutal. I agree. It is full of foul language and gross sexual description and innuendo. It’s not for the fainthearted.

COUNCIL ADVICE

 COUNCIL ADVICE

They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. Galatians 2:10.

Introduction

I remember this friend of mine told me about his English cousin. We lived in Scotland at the time. Anyway, the English cousin said to my mate, “I know what a wean is. A wean is a Scottish word for a child, but what on earth is a greetin’ wean?” My friend and I had a great laugh at this! A greetin’ wean is a child or baby who is crying.

Now that I’m living in Australia, I too have a question: What’s a whingeing Pom? I think I’m right in saying that it’s someone from England who complains about living in Australia. But what does anyone have to complain about in Australia? This is the “Lucky Country”, isn’t it? If you’re a Christian. you’d probably like to change that a little to say that Australia is the “Blessed Country”. When you look around at some of our Asian neighbors you can see clearly that Australia has been truly blessed by God. We have modern medicine, modern hospitals with all the latest technology, child immunization programs, and every sort of vaccine you could ask for, etc., etc., etc. Truly, Australia is the Lucky or Blessed Country.

In the following, I hope that you’ll deepen your understanding somewhat as to why Australia has been blessed. It’s all to do with the Gospel.

We’ve already seen that Paul in Galatians 2, has gone to great lengths to demonstrate that his gospel is the same as that of the Jerusalem council. In other words, the gospel he preaches is the same as that of the Apostles and elders of the true church. They all have the same message which is different from that of the false brethren whom we looked at above.

In the following, our focus is on Galatians 2:10, which, speaking of the Council says, “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.” The general theme of what we’re looking at is: We must remember that the gospel is good news to the poor of this world. 

The Nature of the Gospel

What is the nature of the gospel? In its most basic sense, the gospel message is good news. Everyone knows that. But does everybody know who this good news is for? Well, we’ve already learned that it’s good news for sinners. We’ve learned that the gospel is good news only for sinners. This is not to suggest, of course, that there is a class of people who are not sinners. Jesus illustrates this very thing where He says, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” Luke 5:31-32. So, we begin to see that the good news is good news only to certain people in particular. It is good news only to those who know they need something.

If you’re crawling on your hands and knees through a sun-scorched desert you know you need water. If you’re stuck in a concentration camp during a war and your ribs are showing,  you know you need food. Well, the very nature of the gospel is that it is good news for those who have a need such as these.

The gospel is in particular for those who are thirsty, for those who are hungry. Therefore the nature of the gospel is that it’s for those in time of need. “Remember the poor” is the Council Advice given to the Apostle Paul. Keep in mind those in need.

Paul has met with the council of elders. They have discussed the doctrinal issue of what the gospel is. They are all in agreement that the gospel alone is sufficient for salvation. They’ve made a covenant by giving each other the right hand of fellowship (Galatians 2:9). It’s kind of like a student at college or uni. They’ve all sat the exam on the theory of the gospel. And now they’re preparing themselves for the next exam, how to put the gospel into practice. “Remember the poor”. In other words, “Remember that you have another exam ahead of you! Be a doer of God’s Word and not just a hearer only.” We see that this was Paul’s desire anyway. And we’re not suggesting that Paul was a novice when it comes to the gospel. For the Council didn’t teach him anything he didn’t already know. For he says at the end of Galatians 2:6 that they “added nothing to me”.

So then, the Apostle Paul has passed the examination with flying colors. He has passed with distinction, with honors. He argued brilliantly that nothing may be added to the gospel. And by the same token, in Paul’s estimation, the Council has passed with flying colors too. They all know what the nature of the gospel is. It is a message of hope with no strings attached. It’s a message of the great freedom that is to be had in Jesus Christ. It’s freedom from all man-made religions. It’s freedom from the shackles and bondage of false religion.

The very nature of the gospel is the freedom to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. It is the freedom to love your neighbour as yourself! “Remember the poor! The very thing which I also was eager to do!

“Love your neighbour as yourself!” “Lord, who is my neighbor?” “Your neighbor is any person who needs a neighbour!” Would you like the good Samaritan as your neighbour? Of course, you would, because you know he would fly to your assistance in your hour of need. “A friend in need is a friend indeed!”, so the modern saying goes. So then, in simple terms, the gospel good news.

We live in an age when we’re bombarded with news. This is the age of information. Once upon a time, it used to take hours, weeks even months for news to travel. Now we watch it live as it happens. News on the TV, news on the radio, news on the Internet. News! News! News! And more News! “We interrupt this news bulletin to bring you this news...” We’re all full to bursting with news, like the man who ate the New York Times for breakfast.

Well, I’m afraid too many Christians have been treating the gospel as just another piece of news! I know that’s the way the non-Christian views it, just another piece of news. And quite frankly, we don’t need any more news. It’s good news we need. And who needs a piece of good news more than those who are poor? Those who are the rejects of society.

The news is full of stories about the rich and famous. But What about the poor? “Remember the poor!” is the Council Advice. “But we would rather hear about the exploits of the rich and famous!”, cries the world. And, “Who wants to hear about a bunch of good-for-nothings?” And so the poor, in general terms, are shunned by the world. But there is good news for the poor. The gospel. The gospel is good news to all who believe, including the poor.

Didn’t Jesus say, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” Luke 4:18a. Almighty God has a soft spot for the poor, doesn’t He? James in  2:5 asks this rhetorical question, “Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”

God, then, wants you and me, He wants His church, to take His gospel to the poor. Is this some news teaching? Is this some new doctrine we find only in the New Testament? Of course not. Try Deuteronomy 15:11 for a start, “For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.” Jesus reaffirmed this when He says in Luke 26:11a, “For you have the poor with you always.”

Let’s move on, we know the nature of the gospel is more than news. It’s good news.

The Nurture of the Gospel

The gospel isn’t just words. It’s also action. We need to be well-balanced here. We need to know why we’re doing what we’re doing. We need to understand the nature of the gospel as well as the nurture of the gospel. We need to understand the gospel message as the expression of the kindness and compassion of God.

Did the Lord not provide a beautiful creation with food in abundance for all His creatures? Did the Lord not clothe the naked Adam and Eve in the Garden after they sinned? Did the Lord not feed Israel in the wilderness? Did the Lord not feed His worn out and the weary prophet Elijah? Did the Lord not send in ravens with food for him? And the Lord cares about the widows and orphans. He commands His people to look after them. We are to make sure they have food enough to eat, e.g., Deuteronomy 14:29.

And what about the widow and her son who lived during a famine when the great drought was upon the land? Elijah the Prophet asked her for some food and she replied, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” So the Lord took care of things and made sure the bin of flour never ran empty nor was the oil to run dry until the day the Lord would send the rain.

When I was serving my apprenticeship as a plumber in Scotland, one time I was sent on my own to an elderly lady’s house. I can’t remember what the plumbing problem was. But I remember having a cup of tea with this old woman who lived all alone. I can even remember the chocolate biscuit she offered me. It was a Kit Kat. We sat and we chatted. An elderly lady and a sixteen or seventeen year old. She didn’t have much. All she had was the bare necessities. Her husband was long dead and her family had all moved away. The poor old woman just wanted some company. It seems that no one ever visited her at least that’s the impression I got from the Kit-cat. As I looked at the wrapper I could see that there was a contest you could enter. But there was a time limit. The offer had expired about eight years before! Oh! “Remember the poor!” The gospel is especially good news to those in need.

What did Jesus do when He preached the gospel to the five thousand? How did He apply what He was teaching them? He fed them, didn’t He? “He was moved with compassion for them” Matthew 14:14. No one knows the nature of the gospel more than Christ. And neither does anyone know the nurture more than He. To nurture something is to care for it. It’s to maintain it. It’s to feed and nourish it. And we’re being told to nurture the poor, be they poor in wealth or poor in spirit.

But who are poorer in spirit than those who have little or nothing? The rich man thinks he has it all. He thinks he needs nothing. That’s why Jesus says, “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” Matthew 19:23-24. This is not to say the rich man can’t be saved too. With God, nothing will be impossible. I’m sure little Zacchaeus was a rich man.

But the thing about the poor is that they know they are poor. And paradoxically, those who are rich generally don’t know how poor they are. The Lord rebuked the church at Laodicea because of that very problem. He said to them, “I will spew you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and need for nothing’ and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” Revelation 3:17. Therefore the Lord would have His gospel preached to those who know themselves to be poor. To those who are hungry and thirsty, He says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” John 6:35. Therefore, the gospel is for the nurture of those in need. The poor recognize their need.

So how come so few seem to be listening to the gospel in Australia? Do you think maybe it’s because this is the “Lucky Country?” We want for nothing in Australia. Or do we? We have the gospel, don’t we? I put it to you that Australia had the gospel and that is why she was so blessed. That is why she was the “Lucky Country”. But the gospel has just become another piece of news. It is no longer good news. Why? Because people have been convinced that they are well off when they are not.

Think about it, half of all marriages in Australia end in divorce. People just shack up together and the government calls it marriage. At the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras people dance around half-naked making lewd gestures in public, and what do the police do? They pose for photographs with them! The gospel was the thing that made Australia great. The gospel was what set the people free from their bondage to sin, the sin of adultery, the sin of fornication, the sin of practicing homosexuality.

In Australia, we think we are so rich when in fact we have nothing! We are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. The reason the gospel has little success is that the people of Australia cannot see their needs. If you think the church is any different then what happened to the diaconate?

Where are all the deacons in the Presbyterian Church of Australia? We don’t need deacons to look after our poor anymore. The Government (i.e., the taxpayer) takes care of that. But does the government send them the gospel when it sends them their welfare payment? It’s not even a cheque in the mail anymore, is it? It’s just a bunch of digits in a bank account. And now you don’t even need to see the bank teller. All you have to do now to receive your gospel blessing is look at your reflection as you punch some numbers into a computer!

What has happened to the “Lucky Country”? I know a disabled lady who used to drive a great distance out of the city to a small town just to put petrol in her car. All the service stations in Brisbane are self-service stations, no good for wheelchair-bound people. “Remember the poor”.

The Lucky Country has forgotten her poor. She tells her poor to buy a Scratch-It. Come out to the casino. Pick up your welfare payment at your local ATM. No, don’t even do that. Just swipe your credit card.

The gospel is about bringing liberty and freedom to those who know they are poor. That’s why there are to be no additions to the gospel message. Could you picture yourself saying to someone in dire straits, “The Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to remember you? We can see that you’re wearied and burdened. We see you’re hungry and destitute. We’ve got some good news for you. If you are willing to undergo circumcision, it’s a simple operation, then you’ll never have to go hungry again. You’ll receive eternal life just for believing in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. But you have to be circumcised, baptized, stop your smoking, drinking, gambling, etc., etc., etc.” And this is what many Christians believe Christianity is all about. No! The Gospel is about liberty.  It’s about being set free to love God and your neighbor as yourself. It’s not about placing shackles on people. It’s about setting them free. The gospel is good news to whom? Especially to the poor.

What was the message the Judaizers wanted to take to the world? “Here! God wants you to put these handcuffs on. See if you can squeeze into this straitjacket while you’re at it!”

I mentioned the whingein’ Pom earlier. What is a whingein’ Pom but a homesick migrant? He’s comparing Australia to jolly old England. He wants Australia to measure up to his expectations. But he’s had it too good where he came from. But if you came here from a Third World country you’d be saying, “Australia is the Lucky Country.” Yet more and more people are saying, “Let only those who are rich, and those who are skilled come to Australia!” Canada is the same way. So is the USA.

To be sure, there’s a difference between receiving migrants and refugees. When it comes to migrants, it makes sense to seek to receive only those that are self-sufficient and self-supporting. However, when it comes to legitimate refugees, it seems that all the countries the gospel made great may be turning their backs to the gospel. Instead of “remember the poor”, it’s, “Don’t bother coming here unless you’ve got something to offer us.” Yes, there are many “economic refugees”, those who are not fleeing persecution per se but are simply wanting to come to Australia because our economy is better than where they are leaving. And, it goes without saying that. of course, our government must consider which refugees would best fit into a Christianized nation, such as Australia. However, we must not forget God. We must not forget the nature of the gospel. Or forget the nurture of the gospel.

The USA had it right. And God blessed America. Could you imagine what it would be like to leave a country where there is no freedom of speech? We take all the freedom we have for granted. Well, some countries shoot people for complaining about government policy. It must have been great being a refugee from one of these countries, sailing into New York for instance. There’s the Statue of Liberty up ahead. You’re on a boat full of people fleeing the bondage of persecution. Then someone on the boat tells you about this great statue you see growing taller and taller as you grow closer. They quote to you some of the words written on it:

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Oh, you may think that’s hackneyed and corny but it perfectly illustrates the theme of what we’re looking at. We must remember that the gospel is good news to the poor of this world.

Conclusion

Australia isn’t America. It’s not Canada. Neither is it Scotland. However, it was the gospel that made all these nations great places to live. Don’t let the light of the gospel be extinguished in Australia. Lift up the lamp beside the golden door as it were. Show the people Jesus, the gateway into the land of liberty.

And remember the poor. “Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom”? For, didn’t Jesus say, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30.

KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM

 Knowledge & Wisdom

Deep in thought, Knowledge and Wisdom were walking home one night from a Bible study somewhere in country Australia. Knowledge cracked the silence, ‘According to Dolbear’s Law the temperature is 25C. I’ve tallied the cricket chirps.’ Wisdom responded, ‘You’re full of facts and figures. So handy to have at Bible study groups. The Study leader just seemed to rush over the bit where the Lord said to Abram, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” How many stars are up there, Knowledge?’ They looked up at the night sky. Instinctively their eyes locked on the Southern Cross. They nodded in humble thankfulness.

Knowledge spoke, ‘There’re literally billions of stars. However, only around 5,000 can be seen by the naked eye, and, because of the shape of the earth, only about 2,500 can be seen from where anyone stands.’ Wisdom asked, ‘Then God promised Abraham only 2,500 descendants?’ ‘No’, replied Knowledge, ‘Abraham’s offspring were to be as numerous as the sand on the seashore, Genesis 22:17.’ Wisdom asked, ‘Who wrote Genesis and when was it written?’ How would Abraham, living around 2,000 BC, know that the number of stars is comparable to the number of grains of sand on the seashore? How would Moses know? How would anyone before the invention of the telescope, including the Hubble space telescope, know?’ Knowledge replied, ‘Good point! But what does it all mean?’ Wisdom took a deep breath and responded, ‘It means that our Bible Study sessions are superficial. We just deal in facts and figures without considering what the details mean. The very hairs on your head are numbered. The grains of sand are numbered. The stars are numbered. Abraham’s descendants are numbered. Numbered by whom? Us? No! But by the One who wrote the Bible, the One who has numbered every letter in the Bible, every jot and tittle no less! Don’t you see, Knowledge? God cares about the minutiae of His revelation to us. In the Egyptian plagues, after the swarms of flies, “Not one remained.” None of the stars are missing. Of all those whom the Father gave to the Son, including you and me, “None of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” as Jesus said. The Psalmist says, “He counts the number of the stars, He calls them all by name” Psalm 147:4.’

Knowledge considered what Wisdom had just said, ‘I can count the number of a cricket's chirps over 25 seconds and work out the temperature, but I cannot count the number of stars, or grains of sand on the seashore. Therefore, neither then can I work out the number of Abraham’s descendants.’ Wisdom replied, ‘That is exactly what God meant when He said, “Count the stars if you are able to number them.” Abraham was unable to count the number. He just took God’s promise on faith. And what does that remind us of? Those surrounding the Lamb on the Throne in the Book of Revelation, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” As it was for Abraham, so it is for us, “And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”’

Knowledge and Wisdom lifted their eyes and looked once again to the Southern Cross and thanked God that He had numbered them among Abraham’s descendants (Galatians 3:29).

COUNCIL ANTAGONISTS

 COUNCIL ANTAGONISTS

Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. Galatians 2:3-5.

Introduction                                                                                                                                                 

Nobody likes a spy. Spies are despicable, unless, of course, they’re on your side! But even when they’re on your side they’re still sneaky. They go behind enemy lines. They gather intelligence. Perhaps the most famous fictional spy is Ian Fleming’s, James Bond. Then right after him must come Maxwell Smart of Get Smart fame. But then there are the real-life spies. One famous one from WWI was the Dutch woman Mata Hari. She used sexual exploitation and got men to whisper more than sweet nothings in her ear. Then she would report the information she attained back to the Germans.

There are spies mentioned in the Bible. There were those sent in to spy out the land of Caanan. Joshua and Caleb were two of them (Numb. 14:6). Rahab hid the spies Joshua sent in to spy out Jericho (Joshua 2). King David sent spies into Saul’s camp to case the joint (1 Sam. 26:4).

Whether a spy is good or bad depends on whose side he or she is on. We’re looking at some bad spies in the following. Paul wants the Galatians to hold fast to the truth of the Gospel. He doesn’t want them to give up the great freedom the gospel has brought them. He’s pointing to the spies that were at the council meeting in Jerusalem. He wants them to see that these are the same breed as those infiltrating Galatia.

I believe the Holy Spirit is giving us the following exhortation in this text: Don’t give an inch to antagonists of the Gospel lest you return to captivity.

The Spying

We need to note the false brethren in our text. They are pseudo-brethren. They had infiltrated the Assembly Meeting at Jerusalem. And they had begun infiltrating the church at Galatia. They have come into the church by stealth. They are spies. They are on a recognizance mission.

You’ve seen those “Stealth” airplanes that are designed to avoid radar detection? Well, the stealth bombers in our text have failed to avoid the Apostle Paul’s radar detection. How is it that he spotted them so easily? Well, it’s because Paul is a stickler for the purity of the Gospel. He also can recognize prison jargon as soon as he hears it. He knows how to speak jail-talk. You see, Paul used to be in bondage along with these spies. Paul used to be one – been there done that. So he knows how they operate. They operate by stealth.

So, what are these spies after? They’re collecting intelligence, aren’t they? Paul says in verse 4 that they “came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.” They plan to bring them into bondage. These spies are hunting down escaped slaves, aren’t they? They want the Galatians back on the Plantation, don’t they? But these Christians had been given their freedom papers. Christ the Abolitionist had set them free from their bondage to sin.

Christ the Emancipator had given them new citizenship. These Christians were now citizens of His kingdom of heaven. No longer do they have to make bricks without straw for Pharaoh. They’re now free to serve their new Master. i.e., a Master whose load is light. They could say the words of Martin Luther King and mean it, “Free at last, free at last, thank God I’m free at last!” But there were spies in the camp. They were spying on their God-given freedom.

Maybe you’re thinking what I thought? Why would the devil have to send in spies? You’d think he could just hide behind a tree and just listen. He is the master spy after all, isn’t he? He came to spy on the freedom Adam and Eve had in the Garden. He came to bring them into bondage. He came by stealth. He spoke through a serpent. He’s that sneaky that he’ll even pose as an angel of light. Darkness dressed up to look like light.

But the devil is not God. Nor is he omnipresent. He needs to collect intelligence. So he operates clandestinely. He is furtive. Surreptitious. Sly! So, he has his minions, his expendables, do his dirty work. The devil’s so sly that he has people doing his dirty work without their even knowing it. This, however, doesn’t give people any excuse if they are used by him. We can’t ever say, “I’m innocent. The devil made me do it!” Why? Because God holds each one of us responsible for our own actions.

As Christians, we need to be on our guard against the wiles of the devil. We need to be familiar with his devices and strategies. The Apostle Paul knew all about the devil’s tactics. Paul knew that “walls have ears”. Paul, it seems, knew that there is a time to proclaim the gospel in public. But he also knew there is a time to proclaim it in private. Back in verse two, we’re told he “communicated...[the gospel] privately to those who were of reputation”.

It’s all a bit “cloak and dagger”, don’t you think? But we should be reminded that there is an invisible war going on. The devil knows he is a defeated foe so he sometimes uses Kamikazes. Judas Iscariot was one of his Kamikazes. He was a spy. He operated by stealth. He pretended to be a disciple, one of the twelve. But alas he was just the devil’s lackey. And an expendable one at that.

The Lying

A spy lives a lie. Judas spent three years with Jesus and his disciples living a lie. He didn’t believe a word of what Jesus was saying. Not a word of it. At the end of his spy mission, he became a Kamikaze. He killed Jesus in his heart by kissing Him on the cheek. He went and hanged himself. He denied the Lord, and then he brought swift destruction upon himself.

Look at 2 Peter 2:1-3, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”

Spies tell lies! Did you see that? “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words...” “Deceptive words” NKJV, “feigned words” KJV, “stories they have made up” NIV. “Dirty black lies!” Neil McKinlay Version. Is it any wonder that those employed by the devil tell lies? According to Jesus, the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). So what we’re really talking about here is hypocrisy in the Church. We’re talking about people pretending to be something they’re not. We’re talking about people who pretend to be Christians. It doesn’t matter whether the person has deluded himself into thinking he’s a Christian when he’s not.

Just think about it, there are a few Judas Iscariots around. Think of all those who claim the Bible only “contains” the Word of God in our churches. Then they conveniently miss out on those portions of Scripture that they think are offensive, so that “Christians” can carry on practicing sodomy and lesbianism. Make no bones about it, these people are liars. And others call God a liar by saying that there are portions of the Bible God never wrote when God’s Word says He did. How many times do people have to be told that, “ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God”? 2 Timothy 3:16.

The Spirit in the Book of Proverbs issues this warning, “Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar” Proverbs 30:6. Even my own Denominations has had its fair share of those who pick and choose from God’s Word as if they are at the salad bar in some restaurant – a little bit of this and a little bit of that. “Oh! I don’t want any of that on my plate. I don’t like this Hell stuff! And I don’t like this bit about homosexuality being unnatural.”

How did these people get into the Church? They came in by stealth. Which makes them every bit as much hypocrites as Ananias and Sapphira. They were zapped on the spot for their lies! “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit...you have not lied to men but to God” Acts 5:3-4. It was the same with Judas when he betrayed Jesus, “Then Satan entered Judas” Luke 22:3. They are Satan’s spies. They were in the church. And they still are. But God didn’t zap Satan. He zapped those who were lying to Him i.e., the Holy Spirit. Therefore we all have to accept responsibility for our actions.

Whether you’re conscious of your hypocrisy or whether you’re just plain deluded, it’s your responsibility to live and act in accordance with God’s truth and nothing else. This goes for all preachers too, for elsewhere in Philippians 1 Paul mentions men who “preach Christ for selfish ambition, not sincerely...” He was rejoicing in the fact that Christ was being preached regardless of what was going on in a man’s heart. But if there’s one thing the Lord Himself hates in His church it’s a hypocrite, hypocrites who want to bring everyone else into bondage with their lies.

In Matthew 23 Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees, “hypocrites!” at least seven times. In the same chapter, He calls them “Fools and blind guides” at least five times. And also, “Serpents, brood of vipers” at least once. So we get the distinct impression of the Lord’s righteous hatred of hypocrites in His church. And what is a hypocrite but one who wears a mask, one who acts?

There were spies in the church, and there are spies in the church today. While they are spying they are lying, but they are also tying!

The Tying

They lie in order to bring us into bondage. Everything they say has certain strings attached. They are puppets, or more correctly, marionettes, operated by the devil.

When we were kids one of my older brothers used to put on puppet shows. He used to charge a ha’penny or a penny or something to see the show. Then you got to see Judy punch the living daylights out of Punch! Or was it the other way around? Anyway, my dad got him one of those marionettes, you know, a puppet on a string! However, it lasted about five minutes! Before you could say, “Thunderbirds are go!” it’s strings were all in a tangle. It was impossible to loosen all the knots. Well, the spies in the church want to entangle us. They want to tie us in knots. They want to string us up. But look what Paul says in verse 5, “We did not yield submission for an hour that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” In other words, whether the spy is acting seductive like Mata Hari, r is acting as a smooth-talking James Bond. or even acting the clutz like Maxwell Smart, don’t be fooled.

Don’t give an inch. Be an Athanasius who stood against the whole world over one iota. That iota meant the difference between the church being in bondage to the heresy of Arius, i.e., whether Jesus actually was God or just like God. Be a Martin Luther who stood against the false teaching of Rome saying “Here I stand! I can do no other!” God honored Luther’s stand, didn’t He? Scripture says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” 2 Chronicles16:9.

If you stand firm on the truth of the gospel as did Paul, as did Athanasius, as did Luther, as did Calvin, as did Knox, as did all the Reformers, if you stand firm on the truth of the gospel and do not yield, even for an hour, what do you think God will do? Do you think the Lord will show Himself strong on your behalf? If you don’t think He would, then are you sure you’re not one of these false brethren? Are you sure you’re not an actor? A hypocrite?

What about the gates of Hades? Are they going to prevail against Christ’s church? No? What is it that stops the devil? It’s only “the truth of the gospel”. Paul knew it. Martin Luther knew it, for he wrote:

And though this world, with devils filled,

should threaten to undo us,

we will not fear, for God has willed

His truth to triumph through us.

The prince of darkness grim,

we tremble not for him;

his rage we can endure,

we know his doom is sure,

the Word of God shall fell him.

The devil has no ties on us. The Word of God has set us free. “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. We, in the churches, are engaged in warfare, and Paul says to Timothy, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” 2 Timothy 2:4.

Are you an enlisted soldier in the Lord’s army? Or are you a spy? Surely no Christian wishes to hogtie the feet that carry the Good News? But how are we to know who’s who in the church? Jesus says by their fruits you shall know them. Would it help you to understand that if I changed the metaphor slightly and said, “By their strings, you shall know them”?

When we watched puppet shows as kids you could always see their strings. The idea of a spy is that he or she remains undercover. Once his or her cover is blown he or she has to use new tactics. It is surely some of these that John speaks of in 1 John 2:19, when he says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” Jesus said to His remaining disciples after many had deserted Him, “Do you also want to go away?” Simon Peter answered the Lord for all true Christians when he said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” John 6:68.

So, as we begin to tie things together (no pun intended), the gospel is the revelation of Jesus Christ which is all the Scripture. That if we know ourselves to be sinners and turn our backs on our sins, and believe in Jesus Christ and in everything He has done, we have eternal life in Him. To believe in Him alone for salvation is to be set free from your bondage to sin.

The spies in our text, and if there’re any in our midst plain and simply want you to compromise on the gospel. They sneak into the church by stealth. They even become ministers and elders. But you will spot them in our church at a hundred paces. It’s that easy. And it’s all to do with integrity.

As, I’m sure you know, or should know, that the Presbyterian Church of Australia traces its source back to the sixteenth-century Reformation, which, of course, was the time when the church in the wilderness got back to the Bible. At the Reformation, the Reformed churches formulated their creeds, ie., their “We the undersigned believe!” In the Presbyterian of Australia the “We the undersigned believe!” is, of course, the Westminster Confession of Faith. It’s been our church’s creed since it was compiled in 1647. To bring this home to you, you should know that every elder in the Presbyterian Church of Australia has been asked this question:

 

Do you own and accept the Westminster Confession of Faith as amended by the General Assembly and read in the light of the Declaratory Statement contained in the Basis of Union adopted by this Church on the 24th day of July 1901, as an exhibition of the sense in which you understand the Holy Scriptures and as a confession of your faith; and do you engage firmly and constantly to adhere thereto, and to the utmost of your power to assert, maintain and defend the same?

After answering in the affirmative, they sign their names to the “formula”. They are now under oath! I put it to you that it’s the easiest thing in the world to spot the hypocritical leaders in our church. You can see their strings a mile away. They are the ones who deny our Confession, i.e., our “We the undersigned believe!” They have sworn under oath to defend it. But they don’t! Therefore they are the spies with lies and ties! Or plain and simple, they have no integrity.

Did Judas have integrity? Did Ananias and Sapphira have integrity? Did the false brethren in our text have integrity? Yet I’m sure they all came across as nice, warm, loving, caring, compassionate Christian people. They moved among the people of God, but they were doing the work of the enemy, spying, lying, and tying. But we have to keep reminding ourselves of what the Scriptures are saying: Are the gates of hell going to prevail against the church?

Proverbs 11:3 has this to say, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.” This verse could be applied to Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira, who were destroyed.

No one likes a spy. Spies are despicable. Don’t give submission to them, even for an hour! But stand firm, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you!

Conclusion

“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” Jude 3-4.