Keith H

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the

Why do we give up so easily? Perhaps the answer is simply that we do not realise our dependance on God and while we believe that most of our desires are being met by the world around us, we loose some interest in frequent, fervent prayer. I have seen very often that people begin to pray more and with more earnestnes when they feel that they are in some kind of trouble - financial, personal relationships etc. Then, as circumstances start to change for the better and things settle down and the need dissapears, they return to a more casual approach. Anyone identify with that?

Q2. (Matthew 6:33) What does it mean in verse 33 to

Q1. (Matthew 6:24) Jesus seems to make it sound like you can

Repentance is at the heart of our seriousness about Christ. Our first step is to acknowledge that we are sinners - it is a state of the human heart, God will hold us accountable but has provided a glorious Way of salvation and fellowship. Once we have fully accepted Christ as the Messiah, saviour, Son of God, we beging a journey, which should be walked in close fellowship with Jesus. Each time we fall by committing sin, we harm the fellowship we have with Jesus and we grieve the Holy Spirit. It takes ongoing humility to face up to and admit our sinful deeeds, thoughts, attitudes and accept again His forgiveness. There is no fooling the Lord: we have to come with the heart that is fully committed to turning from that/those sinsful acts and turn TO The Lord Jesus, Merciful Saviour and Judge.

Water baptism was like an object lesson. It was a tangible example of baptism in His Spirit. When you subject yourself to emersion in water, in a sense, you have subjected yourself to the control that the water has over you. E.g. if you remained under water, it would eventually take your life. In a similar way, when we subject ourselves to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are surrendering to His control over our life. As Christians, we know that to surrender to God and to be baptised in His Spirit is the way to go but I think it is always a struggle to give up control of one's life, one's lifestyle, popularity if necessary, source of means... ego. Remember that it is a spiritual battle (Ephes 6:12). Therefore, it is won on our knees. DO I REALLY LONG TO BE OVERWHELMED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT? Perhaps not all the time. I know in my head that there is no other way yet, somehow, I still tend to compartmentalise my thinking and my life. I need to reach a point of Absolute Surrender. (See book by Andrew Murray entitled Absolute Surrender for a really challenging read on the subject. ISBN 1-86920-112-4)

Anyone who attracted attention from the masses on the subject of religion was a potential threat to the Jews. If they found their followers, which was essentially their power base, following another leader, they could lose their power and influence among the people. In the case of John the Baptist, he brought a message that conflicted with the Pharisee's beliefs in the practice of the law ('repent from original sin' and 'the kingdom of heaven (God) is at hand) and attracted many people to be baptised. Therefore, the Jews could not give support to such a practice as baptism & repentance.

Perhaps some see 'faith' as something that we possess, as a means to access God. In a general sense, having a faith means having a belief or a religion. Having faith (not 'a' faith) means having a belief or trust in someone or SOMETHING. In the Christian sense, faith can only mena faith in God; trusting and believing God and worshioing Him on His terms. When one does not repent, it is an indication to me that one has chosen to be selective about how they will worship God, making it a practice on their terms only. While we accept that it is OK to continue in a way that is not pleasing to God (NB: God has provided a way out of sin) we can't claim to have a very vibrant, vital relationship with God as our continued, unrepentant state of mind and attitude will hinder our communion with God. In a way, we would be playing to the Devil, allowing him a foothold in our lives. If we are not prepared to repent, we are not prepared to die with Christ (John 12).

We do not naturally (automatically) follow the Lord. We need to read the Word and hear His will for us e.g. 'that we must love one another' and then be sure to act on that,which is obedience. Sometimes you may not want to love someone (in the SAME way that Christ loved us--to the point of laying down His life for us) so, you have to decide: Will I obey Christ's instruction to love or will I follow my will at the time. So it is with forgiveness. I may want to take revenge and may want the person to know that they have done me wrong and make them grovel but that is not the way of thE Lord. We are to forgive and in so doing bring glory to the Lord. Again, it is not natural or automatic for humans to forgive one another... otherwise, I think there would be very few wars. We have to make a conscious effort in obedience to forgive.

If we walk closely with the Lord then, to some extent, all circumstances refine our faith. This is the walk of faith, where each decision is considered after specific or general pray and meditation, on God, on His Word and on His great works. When we are tested through difficult circumstances, it seems like we are pushed to a limit, which more than encourages - even forces us - us to turn to God and submit to His ways, always trusting Him. In my case, moving from an unpleasant situation in a large company, where life became very difficult, I started my own business. This brought much uncertainty and a 'big unknown' to me but I realised that God is not surprised by anything so it became a matter of much prayer and trying to centre myself and submit to Him. It required surrender, as taught to me, when things did not go as smoothly as expected. All the way through the difficulties of starting one's own business, while I did not always get what I wanted, the Lord provided encouragement along the way through many people who came across my path. He is able; He is faithful. As a results of this, I feel that I know him better and that my daily communication and communion with Him is closer. I have developed more confidence in that I am able to say, with some excitement in my heart, "Lord, I wonder what you are doing now?" when things look like they are going bad, instead of worrying in case I get hurt or loose out somehow. To me, God is glorified in our weakness. When we are weak or incapable of doing something and God brings it about, He is glorified, not us. When we are tested and feel vulnerable and perhaps not succeeding in what we are endeavouring to do, and the result is positive, the results can only be ascribed to God and He is glorified. In all my attemps at finding work in my own business, much of it came through other's approaching me, not me, them. I realised and so did my familiy realise that God was at work and it was He who should be recognised and receive the glory; not me. He must receive all the glory! That means I have to get out of teh way, lest I or anyone else start applauding me above God.