The Rats of Tobruk 72nd Anniversay

Dorothy and I had the pleasure of dining with The Rats of Tobruk in Brisbane. The following was my contribution to the speeches:

Let us come before God to read His Word and to pray.
We find the following in Psalm 124,

 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say—
² “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, When men rose up against us,
³ Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;
⁴ Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul;
⁵ Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.”

6Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
⁷ Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

 Let us pray: Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth and all therein, who gave His Son Jesus Christ to redeem all who would believe in Him, who gave us the Holy Spirit to enable us to believe, we thank You for Your grace and mercy towards us.

 On this the 72^nd Anniversary of the Siege of Tobruk we thank You for all who served there in the cause of freedom and justice. We thank You for the gallant fight these men gave in the face of evil and insurmountable odds. For those who were wounded and maimed in their bodies, those who were afflicted in their mind and soul, we thank You that You in Your Word provided them with hope of a better, safer and peaceful future.

 For those loved ones who remained at home during these stressful times, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters – we also acknowledge the pain and suffering they went through and while praying for You to protect their loved ones as they sought to cut off the ugly head of evil that was raised in that foreign and sun-blistered land.

 Lord, war is Hell – Hell for those on the front lines and Hell for those who keep the home fires burning. Father, we long for that Great Day when You will cause all wars to cease!

 We pray for health and continued safety for all involved with the Rats of Tobruk. We pray for all the innocent who are suffering from the effects of wars. Ease their burden. Heal their wounds. Comfort the grieving. Be with the widows and orphans. And, today, be especially with those who are remembering fallen mates, family members, dearly loved ones. We come before You through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Let us pray together the words the Lord taught has us:

 Our Father, which art in heaven,

Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom,
the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

As you know, the Rats of Tobruk valiantly held the Libyan port of Tobruk against the Afrika Corps led by Rommel. The Siege of Tobruk began on 10 April 1941. Holding Tobruk was crucial to the Allied war effort. And this was the first time that the advance of the German Panzers, (i.e., Rommel’s tanks and other armoured vehicles), had been halted in their double tracks.

Because of their remoteness the Rats of Tobruk had little air support. Therefore, supplies had to come by sea. Ships had to arrive, unload and depart under the cover of darkness. Arrival or withdrawal of troops had to be done under the cover of darkness. During times of war moonless nights, the cover of darkness, may be your friend. One is reminded of the old song, “Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again.”

As an Army Chaplain I have been involved in the occasional training exercise. I don’t know how many gum trees I’ve walked into in the dark. One time as I was trying to saw some logs in my sleeping bag our little platoon had to “stand to.” We were awakened by someone on piquet duty yelling, “Halt! Who goes there?” or words to that effect. So we all scrambled out of our scratchers and into our defensive positions only to be stood down. False alarm. The intruder turned out to be a curious big red kangaroo!

Darkness? I hate it! But again, sometimes darkness can be your best friend; especially in times of war. What is darkness anyway? What do you tell little Johnny when he asks, “What are shadows made of?” It’s not like we can put darkness in a bottle and uncork it and pour some into a glass! What is darkness? Can we fill potholes with darkness? Can we spread it like vegemite on a sandwich?

It’s a little easier when it comes to figuring out what light is made of. Isaac Newton advocated that light was made of particles. James Clerk Maxwell relied on a model of light as a wave. Albert Einstein called light particles “photons.” Nowadays quantum physicists believe that light is both particle and wave. But what is darkness made of? Is it some sort of sludge? Is it like bilge-water sloshing around in the bowels of a rusty old ship? Well, the Bible has a lot to say about darkness. Darkness gets a mention early on.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:1-5.

So we see that darkness was present when the earth was still shapeless and empty, back when God was forming the heavens and the earth. God introduced light and He called this light “good.” It would seem therefore that light has a big part to play in giving form to the formless and filling the void. Darkness therefore is the opposite of light. It is the absence of light.

Also, in the Bible darkness at times represents the forces of evil. Light is equated with the forces of good. Satan’s Kingdom of Darkness is at war with Christ’s Kingdom of Light. During WWII Germany under Adolph Hitler had been engulfed in darkness. And who would deny that Hitler was a puppet of Satan? The last we hear of Hitler is that he’s hiding in a bunker.

The Bible says that Jesus is the Light of the World. And Jesus says, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:19-21.

The idea then is that though at times we might have to work under the cover of darkness to accomplish something that is good, we don’t remain in the darkness. Rather we come to the light where our deeds can be plainly seen. Our deeds are wholesome not formless. Our deeds are of substance not void.

And so it is for the Rats of Tobruk. They bravely fought the forces of darkness so that we could retain our freedom. They were a light in a dark place in very a dark time. War is hell. Hell is the place of utter darkness. Thank God for the Rats of Tobruk and the part they played in retaining our freedom!

There’s a verse in the old hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy” which goes, “Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee, / Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; / Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, / Perfect in power, in love, and purity.” It was God who made the light in the beginning. May we enter into that light and remain in His light that we may see His glory! May we never use the cover of darkness to try to hide from God.

Let me conclude by reading Psalm 139:7-12,

^7 “Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
¹² Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.”

 May the Lord be pleased to keep us in His light! Amen.

THE DEVIL?

Who is the devil? Why the confusion? The devil makes an early entrance in the Bible, in Genesis chapter three, to be exact. Then he pops his ugly head up all the way through Scripture. So, what’s the problem? Why don’t people just simply believe that the devil exists? Well, that is part of the problem, a huge part of the problem. The devil likes to keep humanity in the dark. Listen to the following, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. People don’t believe what the Scriptures say about the devil because the devil has blinded them to what the Scriptures say about the devil (and whole lot of other things)! If we believe God’s Word we’ve seen already that the devil is “the god of this age” and that he has “blinded” those who are perishing.

Jesus believes what the Scriptures say about the devil and He even used the Scriptures to defeat the devil in the wilderness. “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:3-4. Here Jesus referred the devil to Deuteronomy 8:3. The devil didn’t come back at Jesus with, “Well, surely you don’t expect me to believe something from a book written by a bunch of ignorant sheepherders thousands of years ago?” No! As Jesus stood on the top of the Temple with the devil urging Him to jump. But instead of the usual remarks of unbelievers the devil quoted Scripture (albeit selectively), “It is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over You,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’” Matthew 4:6. Failing here too the devil showed and offered to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would only fall down and worship him. In other words, the devil was offering to Jesus what the Father had promised the Mediator if He would live a perfect life and die on the cross. Notice then that the devil is rightly called “the tempter.” What have learned about the devil? He is the god of this age, he has blinded all mankind, and he tempts us to do things?

The devil is a spirit being. And as such he is invisible. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 2:1-2. The devil doesn’t walk around dressed in red tights jabbing people with a pitchfork. He operates invisibly. At times he may even us e a prop such as the one he used when he tempted Eve in the Garden. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5. The devil here was not trying to help Adam and Eve but rather hinder them. Like Adam the devil knew that the penalty for eating the forbidden fruit was death. Therefore, the devil was out to murder Adam and Eve. Jesus said to some of the devil’s offspring”, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44. What do we now know about the devil? The devil is the god of this age, he has blinded all mankind, he tempts us to do things, he is a murderer and he is the father of lies.

The devil has children and they look just like you and me. “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning … In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.  For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. ” 1 John 3:8&10-12. Note that there are two types of people on the planet today: children of God and children of the devil. The latter are dead to God and under the influence of the devil while the former are dead to the devil and under the influence of God. Therefore, the children of God, i.e., true Christians ought to expect friction in the world. “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.” 1 John 3:13. Jesus says, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” John 15:18. We’re learning lots about the devil! He is the god of this age, he has blinded all mankind, he tempts us to do things, he is a murderer, he is the father of lies, he has children and they hate Jesus and His brothers and sisters.

Is the devil as powerful as God? Are the devil and God locked in combat? God alone is almighty, He is the Almighty. God alone is Creator. The devil, like us, is a creature (albeit a powerful creature). Unlike God, but like us, he cannot be everywhere at once. Look at this little exchange between the devil and God: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Job 1:6-7. Note that the devil moves “to and fro on the earth.” He walks back and forth. Therefore, unlike God, but like us, he cannot be everywhere at once. And notice too that he is called “Satan.” “The word means “Adversary.” The following speaks of the devil being cast out of heaven: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” Revelation 12:9-10. Let’s build on what we know about the devil thus far. He is the god of this age, he has blinded all mankind, he tempts us to do things, he is a murderer, he is the father of lies, he has children and they hate Jesus and His brothers and sisters, he is our Adversary and he is the accuser of the brethren.

Should Christians show any respect for the devil? Well, Michael the only Archangel mentioned as such in the Bible respected the devil when disputing with him over the dead body of Moses. “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”  Jude 1:9. Therefore, the devil ought not to be mocked. It ought to be left to the Lord to rebuke him. Even though he is evil the devil has an important role to play in the redemption drama. Like Joshua the priest in the following passage all true Christians are brands plucked from the fire: “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Zechariah 3:1-2. And we see that the Lord used the devil to keep humble the Apostle Paul post conversion: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” 2 Corinthians 12:7. Who is the devil? He is the god of this age, he has blinded all mankind, he tempts us to do things, he is a murderer, he is the father of lies, he has children and they hate Jesus and His brothers and sisters, he is our Adversary, the accuser of the brethren, he is an instrument of God in redemption and he is to be respected.

Why did the Word become flesh? “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” What is the devil and his children’s fate? Jesus refers to it where He says, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41. The Apostle John speaks of the same fate in the Book of Revelation: "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:10.

What did we learn about the devil? He is the god of this age, he has blinded all mankind, he tempts us to do things, he is a murderer, he is the father of lies, he has children and they hate Jesus and His brothers and sisters, he is our Adversary, the accuser of the brethren, he is an instrument of God in redemption, he is to be respected, Jesus is destroying his works and he will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented day and night foever.

THE LIFE EVERLASTING. AMEN

When John the Baptiser was imprisoned he sent a couple of his disciples to Jesus with a question. “‘Are You the coming One, or do we look for another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.’” Matthew 11:4-5. Notice that one of the signs that Jesus was the promised Messiah or Christ was that He would raise the dead.     

Jesus said to Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died four days before, “‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’” John 11:23-24. Keep in mind that the New Testament Scriptures were far from being completed at this point. Belief in the resurrection at the last day had been drawn out of the Old Testament Scriptures which of course was tied to the Messiah or Christ who was promised in the same Scriptures. Without Him there would be no resurrection.

A very important and probing question was put to Martha just before Jesus raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26. What was Martha’s response? “She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’” John 11:27. Jesus then went on to raise Lazarus from the dead. So we see then that Jesus is the resurrection and the life because He is the Christ. It is He who will raise all the dead at the last day. As He said, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” John 5:28-29.

The resurrection takes place at the last day. However, as we can see, there will be two types of resurrection, “the resurrection of life” and “the resurrection of condemnation.” The Creed is focusing on the former. Thus, to believe in the life everlasting is to believe that your body will be raised from the dead and will never see any decay or corruption. The Apostle Paul describes it, “‘Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” 1 Corinthians 15:51-54.

For the Christian “incorruption” and “immortality” go hand in hand. I heard a radio interviewer say to his guest that immortality would be a curse. Of course, he was thinking of things as they are now, and not as they will be after the resurrection at the last day. What he said would also apply to those involved in “the resurrection of condemnation.” However, it does not apply to those who own the Apostles’ Creed. These believe in the life everlasting. And they already have it! For Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29.

Everlasting life begins the moment a person is in Christ’s hand, which is the very moment the Holy Ghost regenerates and converts the individual. We have everlasting life and we have it now! To be sure, we must never presume upon the grace of God. However, as Jesus says, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:34. Therefore, we should be experiencing a measure of the bliss of everlasting life even on this side of the resurrection at the last day! We should be walking around as those who have heard and have believed some really good news, i.e., the Gospel! For the believer, like a scorpion without its tail, death has lost its sting. We look forward to our resurrection, which is the completion of our bliss. “But we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:23.

God made us in His image, and, as Creator He is eternal. We reflect His eternality on a creaturely level in that we are unannihilatable, i.e., we are everlasting. Our resurrection bodies will be suited for eternity. We will dwell on the New (i.e., renewed) Earth. And Jesus will dwell with us and us with Him. The fact is that it is all about Him not us! However, the beautiful thing is that the perfect image of God that became marred by our sin will be restored in us. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2.

Jesus went to great lengths to demonstrate that the body that was resurrected from the grave was the self-same body that had been nailed to the cross. After His resurrection He had Thomas examine His wounds (John 20:27). He said to His disciples, “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Luke 24:39. “He said to them, ‘Have you any food here?’ So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence.” Luke 24:41b-43. We can see then that Jesus’s resurrected body was physically solid and He was able to eat solid food. Therefore, if after our resurrection “we shall be like Him,” then too we shall have solid physical bodies and be able to eat food and most certainly enjoy it!

Some think that the Bible teaches that the resurrected Jesus walked through solid objects, and, that if this is so, so will we after our resurrection.[1] They usually point to John 20:19 which speaks of Jesus coming and standing in a room of which the doors had been locked. John Calvin comments on this verse,

We ought to believe that Christ did not enter without a miracle, in order to give a demonstration of his Divinity, by which He might stimulate the attention of His disciples; and yet I am far from admitting the truth of what the Papists assert, that the body of Christ passed through the shut doors.

Their reason for maintaining this is, for the purpose of proving not only that the glorious body of Christ resembled a spirit, but that it was infinite, and could not be confined to any one place. But the words convey no such meaning; for the Evangelist does not say that He entered through the shut doors, but that He suddenly stood in the midst of His disciples, though the doors had been shut, and had not been opened to Him by the hand of man.[2]

A careful reading will demonstrate that nowhere does this verse say explicitly that Jesus passed through a solid object. We are left simply to wonder at how Jesus managed suddenly to appear in the midst of His disciples. However, like Calvin, I choose to leave it there, i.e., to remain in wonder of my Saviour!

We will be able to hear our footsteps in Heaven. We will feel the soft breeze in our faces. We will smell delightful scents in the wind. We will smell the perfume of flowers and hear the buzzing of bees. We will taste food and drink and our taste buds will excite us to thank and praise God for His provision. We shall see wonderfully awe-inspiring vistas, soaring mountains and deep verdant valleys, full to overflowing flowers and fauna, waterfalls with leaping salmon. But we shall also see the City of God, the Garden City. And we shall see the resurrected and glorified Jesus! We will cast our crowns before Him.

Charles Wesley (1707-88) long ago summed up the idea of the life everlasting for us in his hymn Love Divine,

Finish then Thy new creation;

Pure and spotless let us be;

Let us see Thy great salvation,

Perfectly restored in Thee,

Changed from glory into glory,

Till in heaven we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before Thee,

Lost in wonder, love, and praise.  

The word “Amen” appended to the end of the Creed simply means that we affirm that we believe all that the Creed has stated.

(Excerpted from my e-book "I Believe!" at: http://www.amazon.com/I-BELIEVE-ebook/dp/B00BPXXD00/ref=la_B006NTVAWY_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362608551&sr=1-18
 

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[1] See my own On the Lord’s Table e-book in which I tackle this controversial issue in more detail.

[2] John Calvin, Commentary on John

THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH...

The first vitally important thing to note about the Creed’s statement here is the use of the word “holy” rather than “Roman.” There was no “Roman” Catholic Church when the Creed was formed! The Church of the New Testament is not Roman Catholic. Says Church historian Philip Schaff,

There is a vast difference between Catholicism and Romanism. The former embraces all Christians, whether Roman, Greek, or Protestant; the latter is in its very name local, sectarian, exclusive. The holy Catholic Church is an article of faith; the Roman Church is not even named in the ancient Creeds. Catholicism extends through all Christian centuries; Romanism proper dates from the Council of Trent [1545-63]. Medieval Catholicism looked towards the Reformation; Romanism excludes and condemns the Reformation.[1]
 

As we shall see, though it is hard to pinpoint an exact date when the Creed was finalised, it can be seen that it was formulated long before the Council of Trent, and, as we shall see shortly, before the formation of the universal papacy. Alan Cairns says,

Apostles’ Creed: A statement of faith put in its final form around the end of the second century. It was not written by the apostles, but is a summary of Christian doctrine.[2]

            However, the Oxford English Reference Dictionary enlarges on the date where it says,

            Apostles’ Creed: a statement of Christian belief used in the Western Church, dating (with minor variations in form) from the fourth century.[3]

            While we are on it, the Oxford English Reference Dictionary defines the words “holy” and “catholic” as follows,

Holy 1. morally and spiritually excellent or perfect, and to be revered. 2. belonging to, devoted to, or empowered by God. 3. consecrated, sacred.

Catholic 1. of interest or use to all; universal.[4]

The Church therefore is holy or sacred because it belongs to Christ and it is catholic because it is universal. Thus to the unbiased the Creed mentions nothing about the Church being universally “Roman.” To be sure this is a contentious issue for some, but in this book I am only dealing with what the Creed says and not what some might wish to read into it. Roman Catholicism was developed by the papacy. And, for the record Francis Nigel Lee sets the record straight in bold terms where he says,

"There was no Papacy in the Early Church. As predicted in Holy Scripture, it would arise only later – and to test and strengthen True Christians. Daniel chapters 7 to 12; Second Thessalonians chapter 2; First John chapters 2 to 4; Revelation chapters 11 to 18.

"This occurred especially from about A.D. 600 onward. It climaxed around A.D. 1215, when the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation was enunciated officially."[5]

            The Reformation of the Church began on October 31, 1517 with Martin Luther posting his Ninety-Five Theses. Luther (and the other Reformers such as John Calvin after him) sought to bring the Church as it was then back to the clear teaching of the Bible, away from the errors that had crept in over the centuries. What could be wrong with that? The Council of Trent began pronouncing curses on any who dared differ from its general consensus and adherence to Church tradition – even where those traditions (such as Indulgences, Purgatory, and Transubstantiation)  contradicted the clear teaching of God’s Word! Loraine Boettner brings things into perspective where he says,

"Roman Catholics often attempt to represent Protestantism as something comparatively new, as having originated with Martin Luther and John Calvin in the sixteenth century. We do indeed owe a great debt to those leaders and to the Reformation movement that swept over Europe at that time. But the basic principles and the common system of doctrine taught be those Reformers and by the evangelical churches ever since go back to the New Testament and to the first century Christian Church. Protestantism as it emerged in the 16^th century was not the beginning of something new, but a return to Biblical Christianity and to the simplicity of the Apostolic church from which the Roman Church had long since departed."[6]

            Let us again look at the words, “The Holy Catholic Church.” We have seen that word “holy” refers to the nature of the Church and the word “Catholic” refers to the extent of the Church on earth. Let us now focus our attention on the word “Church.” Says Alan Cairns,

"The word ekklesia is derived from two words ek, “out,” and kaleo, “to call.” In its broadest and basic sense, it refers to any assembly of people (cf. Acts 19:32,39,41), but its usual application in the Scriptures is, of course, to Christian assemblies of the kletoi, “the called ones.”"[7]

The Holy Catholic Church in the Apostles’ Creed therefore is not referring to a building but to a people, holy, and called by God. “As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” 1 Peter 1:15-16.

This “calling” is in line with what we looked at earlier under the head, “I believe in the Holy Ghost,” where we read,

"All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ."[8]

We have already noted that the Church, like in the parable of the field of wheat and tares, also includes some who may not be true Christians. However, God, by the proclamation of the Gospel, calls those who belong to Him. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God” Romans 10:17. I have listed the three crucial “Marks of the Church” in the following,

"The particular churches that go to make up the holy catholic or universal or visible church are governed by Jesus Christ through church representatives, i.e., Presbyters, a.k.a. as Elders. These Elders, Preaching and Ruling, are to ensure that the doctrine of the Gospel is preached and embraced in their respective churches. And, that the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are duly and properly administered. And, that public worship is performed in accordance with the Scriptures.

"Therefore the health of the church(s) on earth may be measured by these three things: 1. The purity of the Gospel. 2. The purity of the Sacraments. And 3. The purity of worship. The checks and balances in the Presbyterian system of Elder’s courts (e.g., Acts 14:23 & 15:2) serve to preserve the purity of these three items. These are crucial for a healthy church."[9]

(Excerpted from my e-book "I Believe!" at: http://www.amazon.com/I-BELIEVE-ebook/dp/B00BPXXD00/ref=la_B006NTVAWY_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362608551&sr=1-18
 

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[1] Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, Volume 1, The History of Creeds, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, First reprinted 1983 from the 1931 edition by Harper & Row, (reprinted 1996), pp. 83-4.

[2] Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms, Ambassador Emerald International, Belfast & Greenville, 2002, p. 37.

[3] Oxford English Reference Dictionary, University Press, Oxford, 2003.

[4] Oxford English Reference Dictionary, University Press, Oxford, 2003.

[5] Francis Nigel Lee, Calvin on the Papacy, 2000 http://www.dr-fnlee.org/docs/cotp/cotp.pdf

[6] Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, The Presbyterian and Reformed  Publishing Company, Philadelphia, 1962 (reprinted 1977), p. 1.

[7] Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms, Ambassador Emerald International, Belfast & Greenville, 2002, pp. 88-89.

[8] Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter X, Of Effectual Calling, para 1a.

[9][9] Neil Cullan McKinlay, Holding Fast Our Confession, e-book, 2012.

Tristan Rescues the Girl with Golden Hair

“Granddad,” said Tristan with a concerned look on his face. “I need to swim out to ‘Pirate Island!’”

 

“Why? What’s wrong?” asked the boy’s grandfather.

 

 

“The pirates have got Lanna!”

 

“Do you mean Lanna, the girl with golden hair?” asked the little boy’s grandfather, looking worried too.

 

“Yes, grandad. The pirates have her!” he said excitedly.

“Well, Tristan. If you are going to swim all the way over to ‘Pirate Island’ I had better keep an eye on you.” Granddad loved his little Tristan and did not want anything to harm him.

“Don’t worry, granddad. I’ll be careful. I’ll just scare any sharks and stinging jellyfish away! I got stung by a jellyfish before and I didn’t even cry!”

“You’re so brave, Tristan!” said his grandfather with an approving smile.

“And I’m not scared of those pesky pirates that have got Lanna either!” Tristan could be so bold at times!

So, off they swam to ‘Pirate Island’ to rescue the girl with golden hair. Tristan’s grandfather was keeping a close eye on his grandson. Tristan swam with all his might.

 

Tristan arrived at ‘Pirate Island’ first. His grandad offered to help Tristan climb up the rocks and onto the island but Tristan said, “It’s okay grandad. I can manage myself!” Tristan could be so independent at times.

 

Soon they were on the island. Tristan said to his grandfather, “Grandad, you stay here and I’ll go and rescue Lanna from those pesky pirates.”

 

Tristan walked up to the pirates and said, “Do you have any treasure?”

“No!” they replied.

“Then what are you trying to hide under your foot?” he asked bravely.

“There’s nothing but sand under my foot,” replied the pirate.

 Tristan had a plan. He pointed his finger and said, “What’s that over there?” The pesky pirates turned their heads to see what Tristan was pointing at. When they were looking the other way Tristan grabbed the girl with golden hair and ran away with her. When the pirates turned back to see what had happened it was too late. Tristan had rescued Lanna!

“Okay!” said one of the pesky pirates. (It was really Tristan’s grannie! and the other 'pirate' was his mum!) “It’s time for ice-cream. Tristan, I’ll swim back to shore with you.”

So off they went, Tristan swimming as fast as he could. Tristan loves ice-cream!

 

 

And they all lived happily ever after. THE END.

Australia Day

Many people become new Australians on Australia Day. Australia had been my home for some fifteen years before I became an Australian citizen (or should that be ‘subject’?) Yes, Australia’s system of democracy is a Constitutional Monarchy. At this time of the year it is common to hear that some wish Australia to become some sort of a republic. I suppose I wouldn’t mind so long as an Australian republic was the same as that which America’s founding fathers had in mind, i.e., a Christian republic, i.e., founded on the rule of law as per the Bible. However, I fear that some sort of anti-Christian republic model would be foisted on us, like, for example, the one envisioned by the revisionists in America. These either ignore or reinterpret their Constitution and all mention of God and Christ is blotted out from and forbidden in the public arena in their effort to separate God and State. So, best let sleeping dogs lie, I say, lest we end up a Secularist (read Atheist) Australia. Well, Secularists are trying to distance Australia from its Christian heritage, aren’t they? Some even want to change the Australian flag. ‘Why give Britain (read ‘England’) free advertising?’ So, they wish to remove the picture of the Union flag from the top left of our Australian flag. I reckon the Australian flag would look great with just the white stars on the blue background. I love that Southern Cross! However, some people want to change these colours and put weird-shaped kangaroos and all sorts of critters and things on the flag. So, best let sleeping dogs lie, I say, lest we remove the reminder of our Christian heritage from our flag. And those crosses in the Union flag, they are Christian symbols, aren’t they?

Before becoming an Australian citizen I began to contemplate what Australia is as a nation and who the Australian people are. What is the glue that holds Australians together? Down Under it is called ‘mateship’. What is mateship? It is doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. Mateship is to love your neighbour as yourself. If the Secularists have their way will mateship still be the rule of life in their Godless republic? So, best let sleeping dogs lie, I say, lest we end up following the ‘survival of the fittest’ philosophy or some other anti-Christian rule of life.

Where did Australian mateship come from? In other words, what philosophy has impacted Australian life so much so that the whole nation as a nation has adopted it? Well, I’ve already mentioned the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule of what? Islam? Buddhism? Secularism? Humanism? Socialism? Communism? Atheism? Jedi Knightism? Which of these has most influenced the Australian way of life? None of them! Where do we find the Golden Rule? It’s found in the Book our Constitutional Monarchy is based upon – the Holy Bible: ‘As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise’ Luke 6:31. This rule is not about sitting on your comfy couch and watching the news. It is about actually ‘doing’ something. It is about actively loving your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31). The Jesus who spoke those words is the same Jehovah who said (way back in Leviticus 19:18), ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.’ Thus Jehovah-Jesus.

It is great that Australia has adopted the teaching of Christianity, the belief system she inherited from Great Britain. Australian Law goes all the way back to the Bible from Sir William Blackstone (1723-80) through King Alfred the Great (871-99) who codified large portions of the Bible as Common Law. It is great those times when Australia puts the spirit of the law into practice! By way of example, during the Queensland floods of 2010 (in which at least 35 people lost their lives), Australians demonstrated true love for neighbour. Whole houses with people’s belongings were washed away. Cars were piled on top of each other by the power of rushing water. In Brisbane City whole suburbs were awash. I heard someone on the radio say that when the floods hit New Orleans all the city’s roads were blocked with people trying to leave the city. But when the floods hit Brisbane all the city’s roads were blocked, not with people trying to leave, but with people trying to get into the city to lend a hand! Television pictures of thousands of volunteers lining up to help brought tears to my eyes! I am proud to be called an Australian! What a people! What a nation! ‘Mateship’ in action!

The Queensland State Premier at the time, went from zero to hero(ine) and then back to zero in the space of a few days. Before the floods her ratings were the lowest of the low. During the floods she demonstrated great leadership – even asking for prayer for the flood victims! After the floods her ratings plummeted when she and her government wanted to ‘means-test’ flood refugees before they could receive our voluntarily donated monies! There was a great hue and cry. The people voiced their opinion that the government ought to ‘butt-out’ when it comes to our donations! Don’t governments just spoil things when they overstep their God-given mandate? (Romans 13:1-10)

I love Australia as it is – a nation greatly influenced by Christian teaching. Let us not change it except to influence it for good with more of the Bible, not less! So, lest we become a Secularist/Atheist Republic, best let sleeping dingoes lie…

Morning Coffee at Redcliffe

Had a couple of hours to kill at Redcliffe. I ordered a large coffee. “Would you like an extra shot with that?” I respond with a puzzled look. “It makes the coffee stronger.” I wonder about the logic of this but nod the go-ahead. I order a blueberry muffin as an afterthought. I sit outside with a view of Moreton Bay. The usual morning people are enjoying breakfast. A table of six women are giggling and laughing. I immediately glance to see if my fly is secure! A pigeon lands at my feet looking for crumbs. I devour the muffin before my coffee arrives in a cup that looks more like a soup bowl with a handle! I sip my coffee as I read some of “Leaving Alexandria” on my Kindle. I finish my coffee and feel the hair on my scalp rise as the pseudo-adrenalin caffeine-hit raises my alertness. I hear a guitar being gently strummed. There’s a man quietly serenading us breakfasters. I stroll out on the Redcliffe jetty. The air is warm and the tide is in. So peaceful. So relaxing. I look into the water. Portuguese man-o-war, “bluebottles,” gently flap their wings as they drag their chemical-tentacles through the clear liquid. A flock of seagulls stand together looking out into the bay. I hear crows calling to each other from the tall and proud Norfolk Island Pines. A fish leaps. The ripples fade. All becomes quiet. Still. The objective becomes subjective. I am left alone with my thoughts. I silently distil the chemicals produced by the synapse impulses in the refinery of my mind. Beautiful morning! I thank the Lord for life, for everlasting life.