The intensity of spiritual warfare is real and needs to be recognised by us as Christians which I reminded us about in my message last Sunday morning. Satan is not interested in opposing sleeping Christians and churches, why bother, they’re already asleep “in the light” as the singer Keith Green used to put it. Christianity is not for the faint-hearted or those who can’t trust in God and His power to protect and deliver. Jesus repeatedly warned His followers of the battle they were in and how they needed to trust Him through every circumstance they encountered. The disciples struggled with this again and again as they relied upon the flesh to get them through. While Jesus was seeking to save souls by presenting the message of life, they were battling with each other over who was greatest and the most important amongst them.

Humanity doesn’t change and today we often find ourselves wrestling with all sorts of things except that which matters most: the salvation of souls. What does it matter who has the greatest influence, what one is called, how much one receives in wages, what office one has, where one lives or where we work or what vehicle we drive? All of these things are temporary and distract us from what is eternal, “so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

The gospel is what is on God’s agenda! Telling people about Jesus and living exemplary lives before them, so as not to discredit the gospel, is what is of greatest importance. The New Testament overflows with Scriptures calling us to give attention to these things, to demonstrate love and acceptance to all. Remember Jesus went to the downcast, the rejected, those who society had no time for and it was to these ones that God’s love and message of hope was communicated. In short, God wants us to Impact Adelaide with ‘the message’ and ‘the kind of love’ that can only come from God. Satan doesn’t like it and will oppose us but God is our constant source of strength and inspiration.

Put on the full armour of God and don’t forget your gospel shoes! (Eph 6:15) They are what allow us to go to others, to make the effort and get out there and connect with unbelievers in the world. We have nothing to fear in Christ as the victory is already ours through Him. Let us put our time, energy, and resources into seeing men, women and children come to faith in our wonderful Saviour. To know Him is true life!

Please remember to pray for Dina Bellas whose husband (Arthur) of 49 years passed away last week. I would ask that you also pray for Enid Philbey and all her family: on the first anniversary of Harry’s passing last Monday Enid learned that her grandson had been killed in a truck accident. Pray for Marj Murdoch as well as she recovers from a fall and several serious injuries. May God extend grace and peace to those who have recently lost loved ones or are going through difficult times at the moment.

Continuing the battle for the gospel

When we think about the incredibly complex process of becoming a mother, it is truly amazing. A mother’s womb becomes the vessel in which each person is shaped in preparation for their birth into the world. What a strange method God has chosen to bring us into the world, to be formed and carried inside the body of another! Would we as human beings have ever thought of that, let alone been able to design a woman’s body so that she is able to act as host for another human being? It is altogether bizarre, incomprehensible and quite simply mind-boggling! Yet our God has done just that! Sadly many give credit for such a miraculous process to the randomness of nature. Some, recognising the wonder of nature, foolishly elevate the works of nature to a position reserved for the Creator alone.

Diana was a goddess worshipped, both by Greeks (who called her Artemis) and Romans, as a mother and foster-mother. She was seen as a fertility goddess and was honoured by many groups of people in the ancient world including the Ephesians. The Apostle Paul encountered their absolute devotion to this false god in Acts chapter 19. It is sad to think that even in the Christian faith, some, professing the Christian faith, have gone overboard in their acknowledgement of Mary as Jesus’ mother. Marian veneration teaches that Mary is the Mother of God and also the Mother of the Church. This belief elevates Mary to a position of authority and honour in the church that goes beyond the teaching of Scripture. 

Motherhood is an amazing blessing and it is obvious that humanity recognises the wonder of the biological process of motherhood. However it is also obvious that our appreciation of motherhood can become twisted, and as Romans 1:25 says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever blessed.”

I’m thankful for Mothers’ Day and I’m thankful for my mother, an ordinary person, who became a vessel to incubate and give birth to another human being. Thank God for mothers and motherhood - what a truly amazing thing being a mother is! I am also in awe of God who is the Master Designer - no wonder King David, when he reflected upon these things was filled with awe at God and wrote: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.” Psalm 139:14-16a

Praise God for our mothers!