Vindicate Me, O God

Vindicate Me O God

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 04:00 AM PDT

By Erik Retallick

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!

Psalm 43:1-5

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A short while ago I wrote an article about Psalm 42 and mentioned that Psalm 43 follows on very closely with its thoughts and tone.

However, on taking a closer look, I think you will see a much brighter spirit emerging from the gloomy preoccupations of Psalm 42 with its small glimmers of hope here and there.

Those who have suffered depression or mental health disorders which have become so prevalent in our modern world know that it can sometimes seem like a long tunnel they are going through, and at first there appears to be no light at the other end.

After a few bends in the road and maybe some lighter moments, it is glorious to emerge once again into broad daylight, to feel God’s love, peace and joy returning as a reality in our daily experience.

God has been there all the time of course, but we’ve been looking in the wrong direction or become too preoccupied in a cycle of gloom and negativity.

The first thing the Psalmist asks for in this Psalm is vindication and defence, emanating from God. He knows that he has to constantly deal and cope with ungodly people, just as we have to in our contemporary world.

He requests deliverance from the unjust and ungodly man, something which many of us long for when dealing with the current ways of carrying out business.

Some would say it has ever been thus, but I have noticed a definite slippery slope as money becomes scarcer and business becomes harder to maintain. Honesty and integrity, certainly in the UK, seem to be very much lacking in so many areas of business, but especially in the worlds of finance and politics.

Isn’t it a comfort to know that we have a God in whom we can take refuge (verse 2), yet despite this it is still possible to feel that God has abandoned or rejected us.

When the Psalmist asks the question, “Why do I go about mourning because of of the oppression of the enemy?” I believe it is because He feels something of the way God must feel when people abandon His commandments and decide to do things their own way.

It makes us feel oppressed and as though we are swimming against the tide when we try to follow and keep to God’s laws in a society where they have been abandoned.

Verse 3 is a prayer which all those who know and love Jesus, desiring to follow Him, must want to echo. “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!

The nearer we draw to God, the nearer He will draw near to us (James 4:8). We will then reflect His light towards others and they will see that we have been with Jesus and the radical difference it makes to us as His chosen people.

The Psalmist is then led to go to the altar of God, the place where sacrifices are made and where thanksgiving and praises are said and sung.

Do you enjoy praising and thanking God, for who He is and what He has done by saving us from the world, the Devil, flesh and the last enemy, death itself ?

In Psalm 122, David begins this Psalm of ascent by saying “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” You’ve probably heard the story about the husband who wakes up on a Sunday morning and says to his wife “Oh no, it’s Sunday again, I really don’t want to go to church,” to which his wife replies, “but you’ll have to go, my dear, because you’re the pastor and you’re taking the service!”

I don’t know whether it’s because of the (polite British) persecution we are experiencing here now, or people’s apathy to anything that is spiritual, but I always go to worship God together with His people with a sense of excitement and anticipation, because I know He is going to meet with us, to love and enjoy our praises and hearts being led out to Him in praise and worship.

We can bring the needs of our world, friends and brothers and sisters to Him and hear and put into practice what He has to say to us! To me it is party celebration time, and the way things are going, we don’t know for how much longer we will be free to have this privilege, which is a foretaste of Heaven, where we shall be able to praise and serve Him for ever!

Although Psalm 43 ends with the sad “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” refrain which we see several times in Psalm 42, we see an amazing positive outcome.” The Psalmist ends by saying that if he hopes in God, He will praise Him again and know His salvation.

Salvation, wholeness and healing are still available to all who put their faith and trust in Jesus, seek His forgiveness through confessing their sins (1 John 1:9) and choose to follow Him as their Saviour and Lord.

You can know God’s salvation today, maybe by inviting Him into your heart and life for the first time. In John 1:12 it says “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."

My prayer for you is that you may know with certainty today that you are a blood-bought child of God through knowing that Jesus died to save you from sin and have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

If you already know Him my prayer is that you will walk ever closer with Him and draw others to Him. As St. Augustine said, “preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

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Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

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Psalm 42

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul

by Erik Retallick

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
”Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Many people can probably identify with many of the anguished feelings the Psalmist expresses here, with all the turmoil going on in the world at large, the Middle East and African unrest and their own personal uncertain circumstances and relationships.

Do these things give us a thirst for God, as expressed here (verses 1-2)? Or do we become bitter and say, why should this be happening to me? As one of my mother’s Christian friends who is very ill, and has been for many years responds when people say, “Don’t you question why God lets all these things happen to you?” with the reply, “Why shouldn’t these things happen to me? Like Paul, she seems to count it a privilege to share in the sufferings of her Lord, to be counted worthy enough to suffer.

In between the overwhelming moments of feeling downcast and depressed, the writer of this Psalm expresses some wonderful thoughts, which we would do well to take to heart in these turbulent times.

1) In verse 2 he longs to come and appear before God, to be in His presence, to take delight in being with Him!

2) In verse 4 he recalls the days when he felt liberty in praising God, making his way with a crowd of God’s people singing with joy as they anticipated a forthcoming festival celebration. Do we feel like that on our way to worship the Lord with our brothers and sisters, or is it a case of sighing and thinking, “it’s that day of the week again, I suppose I ought to go.”

3) Verse 6 brings in the hope factor, that essential ingredient of our lives, that helps us to get up in the morning and motivates us to serve the Lord with gladness! He obviously had a real sense of God’s presence in the land of Yarden and the Peaks of Mount Hermon and the hill of Mizar. It does us good when we are downcast to recall those precious moments in our lives where God has touched us in a special way and reminded us how special He is to us and how important we are to Him; even the very hairs of our head are numbered.

4) In verse 9, even though the Psalmist questions why God has deserted him, he refers to God as his Rock, the one and only firm foundation in his life. Again, it does us good when we are going through overwhelming problems, to recall that God is our Rock, whose ways are perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 says “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, he is righteous and straight.”

5) This amazing Psalm, which expresses so many depths of sorrow and anguish, ends with a reaffirmation of faith in our trustworthy God, our Rock. “Hope in God, since I will praise Him again for being my Savior and God.”

Without the walks through the dark valleys and the steep climbs up the rocky mountainsides, how would we ever get to appreciate the mountaintop experiences in our lives? Sometimes the mountaintop experiences may seem far and few between, but they are then all the more precious. Even when his friends and family questioned “Where is your God?” the writer of this Psalm knew deep in his heart that He was there all the time. Likewise, He has promised to “never leave or abandon us” (Hebrews 13:5)

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I'd Rather Have Jesus

"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways." Proverbs 28:6 (ESV)

Billy Graham preaching the Gospel

George Beverly Shea in action!

I remember as a young 11 year old in 1966, Billy Graham came to London, capital of the UK, where he held a Crusade, I think it was for 10 days, in the great exhibition centre, Earls Court, the last night moving to Wembley Stadium, our largest football ground. Night after night, people came in their thousands to hear the Good News of Jesus preached simply and plainly, with an appeal at the end for people to come to the front of the hall to commit or recommit their lives to Jesus. Many people came to know Jesus as their Saviour as a result of that great event.

It was my privilege to be taken by my parents to hear this great American preacher. There was no reason for me to go forward after the appeal at the end. I had already committed my life to Jesus at the age of 8 and been baptized at the age of 10. What made a tremendous impact apart from the fact that the man who spoke seemed so normal even though he came from America and said a lot of things that seemed to relate to a young boy living on a tiny island thousands of miles away, was the music. There was a singer called George Beverly Shea who sang the following words with great feeling and an obvious 100% commitment to their message.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,

I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain

And be held in sin's dread sway;

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.

The simplicity of the tune was such that it didn't detract from the words being conveyed by a man in his mid 40's who was well dressed and obviously meant every word which he sang. It certainly made an impact on someone who came from a poor background in a small village where we lived a contented and care-free life playing outside without any fear and knowing that we were safe and loved by our parents and extended family.

I think something became ingrained in my thinking at that point, and that is that there are two very distinct sets of values, involving earthly treasures and wealth and heavenly treasures. During our life time on earth, which is short, we have to make a choice about which we are going to set our hearts on, because, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 (ESV).

So the choice we have to make in our life is to follow Jesus who took on Himself the form of a servant and owned nothing or to hanker after the things that are for this life only. We have been taught a salutary lesson about earthly investment in the last few years, and many of our bankers, financiers and wise investors are looking for alternative investments.

Those of us who follow Jesus as our Saviour and Lord have effectively chosen an alternative investment, one that involves laying up treasures in Heaven. The way in which this is contrasted with the world's way in the opening Proverb quoted is very stark, it is better to be poor and walk in integrity than rich and crooked in our ways. I have to challenge myself on a regular basis, with the last two lines of the verse in this hymn. Can I honestly say today, here and now, "I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today?" If we are involved in the King's work, serving Jesus and reaching out to others with our hearts and lives to share His love and compassion, then the King will provide for our needs according to His riches, and He owns everything.

"The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (ESV)

John the Baptist with Jesus in the River Jordan

John the Baptist preaching

John the Baptist was a cousin of our Lord Jesus and was sent to prepare the way for the coming of our Lord. He baptized people in the river Jordan and his baptism was a baptism of repentance. The word repentance simply defined is "to change your mind about something." I think a more satisfactory definition is to make a 180 degree turn around to face and move in the opposite direction. Certainly, when you become a Christian you find yourself moving in the opposite direction to most of the world around you. This baptism John offered, in water, was for the turning away from sin, the baptism Jesus offers, with the Holy Spirit (verse 33) is turning to Christ and being filled with His indwelling presence.

What an amazing declaration John makes here when he sees Jesus walking towards him. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The word "Behold" is translated from the Hebrew word "hinneh" and the Greek word "idou" which means something like "Pay careful attention to what follows! This is important!" Although in some contexts this word could be replaced in modern English with the word "look!" "see!" or "listen", in many instances these modern equivalents do not carry sufficient weight or dignity. This is especially the case here, when referring to our Lord Jesus, who is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."

Why does John refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God, when in other places we see Him referred to as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." To understand this, we need to look in the Old Testament at Exodus 12, the Passover Feast, where a perfect spotless lamb had to be slain and its blood applied to the two doorposts and lintel of the door of each house in order to prevent the killing of the firstborn of each family, including flocks and herds as well as people. The lamb was eaten as part of the Passover feast the night before the plague, and the Israelites celebrated it at the ready with shoes on to escape from slavery in Egypt early the next day. This was all a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to take away our sin by having His blood spilt in order that we could be forgiven, delivered from slavery to sin and saved for eternity.

Have you beheld Jesus, the Lamb of God, confessed your sins to Him in order to receive forgiveness and eternal life with Him in Heaven? Earlier in John 1, in verse 12 we read, "to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (ESV) Note that in the Passover it was only those who applied the blood to the doorposts and lintel who were saved. Likewise, it is only those who put their faith and trust in and receive Jesus who become children of God, heirs of salvation and citizens of Heaven. There is still time for you to behold Jesus, and once you do you will know His peace and joy in your heart and mind and His presence with you through the storms and trials of life. He will give you a whole new sense of purpose, direction and fulfilment and He will never leave you or forsake you.

A Love Song Psalm (45) set to "Lilies"

PSALM 45

1 For the leader. Set to "Lilies." By the descendants of Korach. A maskil. A lovesong: My heart is stirred by a noble theme; I address my verses to the king; My tongue is the pen of an expert scribe. 2 You are the most handsome of men; gracious speech flows from your lips. For God has blessed you forever. 3 Warrior, strap your sword at your thigh; [gird on] your splendor and majesty. 4 In your majesty, succeed, ride on in the cause of truth, meekness and righteousness. May your right hand teach you awesome things. 5 Your arrows are sharp. The people fall under you, as they penetrate the hearts of the king's enemies. 6 Your throne, God, will last forever and ever; you rule your kingdom with a scepter of equity. 7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy in preference to your companions. 8 Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia; from ivory palaces stringed instruments bring you joy. 9 Daughters of kings are among your favorites; at your right stands the queen in gold from Ofir. 10 Listen, daughter! Think, pay attention! Forget your own people and your father's house, 11 and the king will desire your beauty; for he is your lord, so honor him. 12 Then the daughter of Tzor, the richest of peoples, will court your favor with gifts. 13 Inside [the palace], the king's daughter looks splendid, attired in checker-work embroidered with gold. 14 In brocade, she will be led to the king, to you, with the virgins in her retinue. 15 They will be led in with gladness and joy, they will enter the king's palace. 16 You will have sons to succeed your ancestors; you will make them princes in all the land. 17 I will make your name known through all generations; thus the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

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This is a Royal Psalm and is a love song celebrating the marriage between the king and his bride. It therefore has a flavour of the Song of Solomon about it. Allegorically it is therefore a reflection (as every marriage is intended to be) of the relationship between Christ and His beloved Church. Paul exhorts husbands to sacrifice and dedicate their lives to their wives as Christ gave His life for the Church (Ephesians 5:25) "that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her with the water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." I still haven't learned to be such an effective husband as God would have me to be after over 33 years of marriage, but I still tell my wife I love her and even (not often enough) give her some flowers.

The Psalm also is an enlargement of the scope of of the Messianic prophecy we read in Psalm 2. Whoever the king is that this Psalm was originally written about, He depicts one greater than any Davidic king and definitely speaks of Our Lord and Saviour.

Read the Psalm again and allow God to speak to you about marriage and the wonderful relationship we can enjoy with Him as being part of the Bride of Christ. My favourite section is verses 6-9: "Your throne, God, will last forever and ever; you rule your kingdom with a scepter of equity. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy in preference to your companions. Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia; from ivory palaces stringed instruments bring you joy."

What an encouragement and gracious privilege it is to follow and serve one whose throne lasts forever, rules with justice, is beautiful beyond description and delights to hear the music and worship of His true followers.

The Future Glory of Israel

ISAIAH 60:1-6

The Future Glory of Israel

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Epha; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD!

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From the events we have witnessed in so many of the countries surrounding Israel during the last few weeks, we can see the truth of verse 2, darkness covering the earth and thick darkness the peoples. Let us pray that God's people will enable God's light to be seen across the world and shine out even brighter as the days grow darker. It is generally believed that the darkest part of the night is just before dawn breaks through.

It is wonderful reading these words to see people coming from all over the world to see and worship the King of kings, king David's greater Son. We can witness this happening and long for the complete fulfillment of this part of Isaiah's amazing prophecy to the people of God. Don't we just long to see God's glory filling this place as we offer our gifts and sacrifices of praise and worship to Him for all that He has done in and through the work of Jesus!

If you were put on trial for your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Within the huge community of Christians living throughout the world, said by some to number more than 1 billion people (the Lord alone knows how many are truly His) there are many who live comfortable, middle class lives, suffer no particular hardships materially or spiritually and lead what we would call a “normal” life according to the cultural environment in which they live.

One thing characterizes the lives of true followers of Jesus Christ, and that is that they have turned around (repented or made a 180 degree turn) to leave this world’s relative values behind to follow the one who is King of kings and Lord of lords. Imagine what would happen if you were driving along a major road in heavy traffic and decided to do a U turn and drive against the oncoming traffic on your side of the road. There would inevitably be a clash or crash of vehicles with very severe repercussions. It reminds me of the story of the man who was driving along a major road. His wife phoned him on his mobile phone to warn him that there was a report on the travel news that someone was driving the opposite way to the rest of the traffic on the road where he was travelling and he should take care. Looking out from his car he replied to his wife, “hey dear, there’s not just one car, but loads of them!”

Ever since the Church was born at Pentecost about 2,000 years ago, Christians have been called to be witnesses to their Lord, a word which translated from the Greek means the same as martyr, one who is prepared to die for what they believe. We know that Stephen was the first Christian martyr and Saul, who later became known as Paul was there, giving approval to the event, was standing there keeping watch over the coats of the men who stoned Stephen to death. Paul was one of the greatest persecutors of the very first Christians before his dramatic conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus, on his way to arrest Christians and take them in chains to Jerusalem. He later says that at the time he was convinced that he was doing the right thing.

Throughout the history of the church there have been those who have been called on to suffer for their faith because their values are in opposition to those of this world and today we know them as the persecuted church. There are currently many Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus, in places such as Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan and North Korea, to name just a few places.

It is Pakistan I wish to talk about, because I am in daily contact with Christians there and have recently been made aware of a serious humanitarian situation involving persecuted Christians in a remote region of the country called Gojra. In 2009 a very serious confrontation occurred there, now referred to as the GOJRA INCIDENT. This was a very serious clash between Christians and Muslims which resulted in a church being burned to the ground, 40 Christian houses being destroyed by fire, the death of 7 Christians and the injury or harm of a further 18. There are many videos providing evidence of these events. If you go to YouTube and type GOJRA INCIDENT in capital letters you can see much graphic footage and images of what took place there.

I read an article a few days ago which indicated that somewhere between 100-200 million Christians are currently suffering or being persecuted for their faith around the world. We are told when we come to Christ that we are to take up our cross daily and follow Him, and that Christianity is not the road to health, wealth and prosperity or the instant solution to all our problems as some preach so eloquently in their designer suits on their dedicated TV channels. Our great Lord and master was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. His life was one of service to the poor, needy and suffering and we are called to follow in His footsteps.

The situation in Gojra has deteriorated to such an extent recently, not helped by severe flooding in Pakistan, that I was recently asked by a Christian living in Gojra to ask if we could help to provide funding for food and clothing. They are currently living through Winter conditions in that region of the world and suffering from food and clothing shortages, producing a very accute need for humanitarian assistance. I immediately put the organization working on behalf of the Christians in Gojra in touch with Barnabas Fund and later Open Doors, also contacting these Christian ministries myself. Both these organizations are active in Pakistan.

Let me describe a few things I have been told about what it is like to declare your faith in Christ if you live in Gojra. You would be unable to get a job with an employer unless it was a menial one like sweeping streets or doing domestic chores, even if you were highly educated and qualified. Many Christian women work in Muslim households and are paid a pittance, but have to do this work as it is the only source of income for their families because their husbands can’t get jobs.

Donations can currently be made to help the extreme needs of our brothers and sisters in this area. We are told that when one member of Christ’s body suffers, we all suffer with him or her. This is how I have felt during the past few weeks. I have felt the weight of the problems of these persecuted brothers and sisters so heavily and at times almost moving me to tears.

Then, a few days ago I was contacted by a Christian pastor in Lahore, which is apparently only 4 hours drive away from Gojra. He knew nothing about my involvement with Gojra or the needs of the brothers and sisters there. I believe God led Him to me to bring his awareness to the needs of fellow Christians on his own doorstep. He has indicated that his church can provide some funding to help the Gojra Christians in their current circumstances. I believe we are beginning to see God break into this situation and bring Christian brothers into contact who can work together to help this part of the persecuted Church.

Once we establish contacts with Barnabas Fund, Open Doors or both, we hope to be able to send donations more easily and efficiently to where the needs are greatest through one or both of these ministries. Until then, please give as the Lord leads you through the channels open to us currently. The good news is that the Pakistani Rupee is very devalued and continues to devalue very quickly at the moment, so your donation, however small it may seem to you, could meet a lot of needs!

Please visit my open group “Help for Christians in Gojra, Pakistan” on Facebook if you want to receive updates on the Gojra situation and sign up to the group if you feel you want to declare your support for this small part of the persecuted church.

We may be grateful to them in the near future for their help to us when we are being persecuted for our faith in Christ. They have already told me that they are praying for us!

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” ~ Matthew 5:11-12

Just a closing thought. “If you were put on trial for your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

GRACE, POWER AND MARTYRDOM

The stoning of Stephen

A pirouetting ballerina is graceful; a charging bull is powerful. We do not often think of the terms "grace" and "power" as going together. To refer to a martyr as "full of grace and power," as Stephen is described in Acts 6:8, may seem strange. A martyr is powerless, a victim of those who hold the power of life and death. Also, martyrdom is far from a graceful affair. Bones are crushed under a hail of stones, limbs are severed between the teeth of Colosseum lions, flesh melts in the heat of a blazing fire. It is far more gruesome than graceful.

In the book of Acts, there is more to martyrdom than may at first be apparent. The Greek word "martyr" means, literally, "witness." That is precisely what Stephen was, even before his death, and when he preached grace, he did so with power. Luke describes him as a "man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" Acts 6:5. Jesus had promised His followers, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Acts 1:8. They bear witness to God's grace and bear witness by God's power. In the person of Stephen-and in all witnesses and martyrs of the Church - we see this central theme of Acts.

WITNESSES TRUE AND FALSE

As the events of Stephen's death make clear, all witnesses are not equal. When Stephen gave testimony of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, the human wisdom of his opponents could not refute him. So, Luke tells us, "they set up false witnesses." Acts 6:13. They falsely charged that Stephen had blasphemed against God and His prophets and rejected the divine law of Israel. But as Stephen narrated to them the history of Israel, it quickly became apparent that his accusers were the ones guilty of rejecting God's Law and prophets. Stephen's testimony exposed them, so they killed him.

The sham trial of Stephen bears remarkable likeness to that of his Lord. As Christ stood before Caiaphas, "the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward, Matthew 26:59-60. When Jesus finally opened His mouth to confess truthfully that He was the Son of God, He was promptly charged with blasphemy and sentenced to death.

Jesus before Caiaphas

Just as false witnesses are found throughout Scripture, so false martyrs abound even today. From suicide bombers, in the Middle East to imprisoned terrorists starving on hunger strikes, we are often led to believe that all who commit suicide in the name of a cause, even when wrong or misguided, deserve a certain amount of respect for the strength of their convictions. Many would argue that they at least deserve a headline. They are, we are told, martyrs. However, we do well to recall the sentiment of the early Christians. Death does not make a martyr, they would agree, but the content of one's testimony while still alive does.

THE SEED OF THE CHURCH

Tertullian

Basil the Great

The early Christian writer Tertullian (c160-c225) asserted, "The blood of Christians is the seed of the Church." Through the spectacle of martyrdom, he meant, the Church gained victory over those who would destroy it. The patient suffering of Christians inspired more people to follow Christ. Basil the Great, another ancient Church teacher, wrote: "the blood of the martyrs, watering the Churches, nourished many more champions of true religion, each generation (preparing) for the struggle with the real zeal of those that had gone before."

However, other Christian writers recorded stories of zealous but confused believers who went to great lengths to seek out martyrdom. For example, the mother of a young man named Origen was forced to hide his clothing in order to prevent him from leaving his house in search of a martyr's death.

But Scripture is clear, the death of sinners, even the death of those who are also saints, is not the foundation on which the body of Christ is built. The Church is built on one foundation: Jesus Christ. Only the proclamation of His death and its saving benefits is responsible for the Church's growth on earth. And only those who by the Spirit's power proclaim God's grace in Christ are truly His witnesses, or martyrs. This is so even if they do not meet death for their faithful testimony.

SEEING HEAVEN OPEN

Though you may not experience the dramatic death associated with martyrdom, you certainly cannot expect to escape death itself. Death entered our world on account of sin St. Paul reminds us. "Death spread to all men because all sinned." Romans 5:12. The fact of your mortality is a constant reminder that you are a sinful being living in a sinful world. Nothing within your power can change that.

But you, like the witnesses and martyrs of the earliest Church, have not been left to your own power. God bestowed on you His own grace and power when you received Him as your Saviour and Lord. Like Stephen, even you are "full of grace and power." By His grace, you are saved and by His power you can now testify to the salvation He has provided for all. This, in fact, is precisely what you have been called to do. This is what the Holy Spirit has empowered you to do. You are to be a witness. You are to be, in the original meaning of the term, a martyr.

You may not, as Stephen did, see heaven open as you fall under a hail of stones. That is probably good news to you! But what is certainly good news is that you will indeed see heaven open when you depart this earthly life. And there you will see the Saviour in all His power and glory, graciously welcoming you home.

Adapted from the Lutheran Study Bible

Some Thoughts and Comments on Psalm 145

David playing the harp

PSALM 145

1Praise. By David: I will praise you to the heights, my God, the king; I will bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is ADONAI and greatly to be praised; his greatness is beyond all searching out. 4 Each generation will praise your works to the next and proclaim your mighty acts. 5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on the story of your wonders. 6 People will speak of your awesome power, and I will tell of your great deeds. 7 They will gush forth the fame of your abounding goodness, and they will sing of your righteousness. 8 ADONAI is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and great in grace. 9 ADONAI is good to all; his compassion rests on all his creatures. 10 All your creatures will thank you, ADONAI, and your faithful servants will bless you. 11 They will speak of the glory of your kingship, and they will tell about your might; 12 to let everyone know of your mighty acts and the glorious majesty of your kingship. 13 Your kingship is an everlasting kingship, your reign continues through all generations. 14 ADONAI supports all who fall and lifts up all who are bent over. 15 The eyes of all are looking to you; you give them their food at the right time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 ADONAI is righteous in all his ways, full of grace in all he does. 18 ADONAI is close to all who call on him, to all who sincerely call on him. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 ADONAI protects all who love him, but all the wicked he destroys. 21 My mouth will proclaim the praise of ADONAI; all people will bless his holy name forever and ever.

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I was greatly blessed by hearing some excellent exposition and comment on this Psalm yesterday whilst visiting my mother's church and what a wonderful Psalm it is in uplifting and exalting our great God high above everything and all principalities and powers that ever have been, are now or ever shall exist. David declares here that he is resolved to bless God every day for ever and ever. As followers of Yeshua, are we resolved in our hearts to do the same as the example set by the Psalmist King of Israel who most likely wrote the original musical setting to this Psalm? How I would love to have heard that original performance, but unfortunately the CD hadn't been invented then.

We learn from this Psalm that David praised God for His work in Creation, abounding goodness, compassion and righteousness. Here David declares in verse 10 that all God's creatures and faithful servants will bless Him. He then goes on to declare His kingship and the fact that His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, in stark contrast to the passing and fading governments of the kings and presidents of this world. Do you know and recognize the Kingship of God in your life today?

We then discover in verse 14 that God is a support to all who fall and lifts up those who are bent over or stooped. In verses 15 and 16 we see that He is our provider of food and clothing and satisfies the desires of every living creature. Have you experienced His provision in your life, particularly during hard times?

In verse 19 we see that He fulfils our desires and hears the cries of those who call out to Him, and responds by saving them, as He did when the Israelites needed deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Have you known His saving hand and deliverance in your own personal experience? Do you know what it is to be set free from sin and slavery to sin, addictions or bad habits of one kind or another?

If you cry out in your need, whatever it may be today, God will bring deliverance, salvation, healing and wholeness through the perfect sacrifice of Yeshua who died to take away our sin and reconcile us to God. You will then be only too willing and prepared to praise God and bless His holy name for ever, day after day, just as David declared he would in this wonderful Psalm.

This article was originally written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy group on Facebook.