<![CDATA[LIVINGSTONE FELLOWSHIP

<![CDATA[LIVINGSTONE FELLOWSHIP - Bible Teaching]]>Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:55:41 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[Rescue at Jabesh-Gilead]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 06:00:33 GMThttps://www.livingstonefellowship.co.za/bible-teaching/rescue-at-jabesh-gilead

Now the people of Jabesh-Gilead were Israelites, but they were on the wrong side of the Jordan. They were on the East bank of the Jordan, and therefore they were cut off from the main body of the people of Israel, isolated and vulnerable to attack. They suddenly found themselves encircled, outnumbered and threatened by the forces of Nahash the Ammonite.

“Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you. And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.” Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.

So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, What troubles the people, that they weep? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said to the messengers who came, Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’

Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you. So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.”
1 Samuel 11:1-11

Jabesh-Gilead
Now the people of Jabesh-Gilead were Israelites, but they were on the wrong side of the Jordan. They were on the East bank of the Jordan, and therefore they were cut off from the main body of the people of Israel, isolated and vulnerable to attack. They suddenly found themselves encircled, outnumbered and threatened by the forces of Nahash the Ammonite.

Perverted
The Ammonites were Humanists - much like the Baal worshipers. Like modern-day Humanists, the Ammonites placed man at the centre of all things and made man the measure of all things. Their worship was centered upon human symbols. They had a pornographic religion - the Ammonites worshiped statues of human sexual organs publicly displayed, perverted and distorted. This was the focus of their worship. They had temple prostitutes and orgies resulting in perversion and the abuse of women and children.

Child Sacrificing
The Ammonites also had a child sacrificing religion. Their pagan god, Molech, required human sacrifices of babies. Generally the first born child would be taken and placed in the arms of an idol of Molech. Their brass, or stone, statue of Molech had his arms held out to receive the babies which would be presented into the arms of the pagan idol. Fire underneath would consume the infants. This was the climax of their religious ceremony. As a fertility cult, the Ammonites believed that sacrificing their children would lead to increased crops and herds and therefore prosperity.

Man centred
We can identify with this. We have the modern-day Ammonites, called Humanists, who have a very similar religion. The religion of Hollywood is Humanism. Modern-day Humanists, like the Baal worshipers and the Ammonites, have a religion where man is the centre of all things and man is the measure of all things. They rebel against the authority of God and reject God’s law.

Those Who Hate God Love Death
Modern-day Humanists also have a pornographic religion. They use pulpits and altars made of paper, electronics and celluloid. The television set, magazines and films - these are now the modern temples of Baal and Molech where they portray perverted orgies and distorted sexuality as the centre of their worship. Pornography today seems to be an essential part of the religion of the Humanist. The modern-day Humanists also
have a child sacrificing religion. The Bible says that those who hate God love death. The atheists who hate God love death. Therefore the modern day Ammonites legalize abortion; the killing of the most innocent and helpless of all -pre-born children.

Killing Innocent Children
What difference does it make if child sacrifice is done in a primitive environment; in a mud hut by a witchdoctor wearing skins with sharpened bones; or in a hospital down the road in a clinical environment with sophisticated sterilized equipment by a well-qualified doctor, with academic qualifications, in a white coat? There is no difference between abortion and child sacrifice. Both are the sacrificing of innocent blood; the killing of innocent life. In fact, abortion is just the sacrifice of children to the satanic god of convenience, valuing prosperity higher than posterity. We can understand what the people of Jabesh-Gilead must have felt like when they saw themselves encircled and out-numbered by this vast body of child sacrificing, pornographic, humanistic Ammonites.

Compromise Cripples
Yet the incredible thing is that the men of Jabesh-Gilead went out to Nahash, saying “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you”. Let’s just have some negotiations and we will be subject to you. You can rule us. You can ruin our society.

Craven Cowards
What were they saying? The men of Jabesh were saying that they were willing for their society to be infiltrated, invaded and inundated with pornography and for their children’s minds, morals and marriages to be destroyed by this mind rotting, brain-dulling, sickening, exploitative industry of pornography. They were even willing to have their children or their grandchildren sacrificed to the satanic god of Molech!

Sadistic Cruelty
But Nahash the Ammonite was not so reasonable: “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israeli” No doubt Nahash the Ammonite was a sadist. Bear in mind that this would not have been a surgical operation done under anaesthetic. No. They did not even have local anaesthetic. They did not even have pain killers. This would have been a very painful operation to gouge out their right eyes.

Painful and Dangerous
That is not all. They wouldn’t have had antibiotics either. They certainly wouldn’t have sterilized their instruments. You can be sure that the chances of infection were great in this kind of operation. We are talking about an exceedingly painful and dangerous operation.

Ensuring Enslavement
Yet, Nahash the Ammonite was not just a sadist. He had another good reason for this mutilation. He wanted to ensure that the people of Jabesh Gilead remained slaves of the Ammonites. He wanted to destroy their ability to fight. He wanted to cripple their ability to defend themselves. Gouging out the right eyes of the fighting men, would ensure that they wouldn’t be as effective as soldiers. In the chaos of battle you need a full field of vision. Not having your right eye would certainly be a hindrance to a swordsman. Archers with bows and arrows and slings men would be at a disadvantage in their marksmanship if they lost their right eye. This would have meant that the people of Jabesh-Gilead would have been crippled and enslaved. Nahash was ensuring that at least the next generation would be slaves to the pagan idol Molech.

Spiritual Disarmament
The modern-day Ammonites are still seeking to do that. They want to gouge out our right eyes - spiritually speaking. In America, where Humanists took over the public schools, they made the Bible a forbidden book and prayer illegal. Teachers were forbidden to present scientific evidences for creation in the classroom. The only theory of origins allowed to be taught in the classroom, is the unproven, unprovable nonsense of
evolution - “once upon a time there was nothing, and that nothing became something, and that something became everything!” How did this work? “A whole lot of nothing and a whole lot of time made everything!” From goo to the zoo to you. From mud to monkeys to man. They call this science. This was the only theory of origins allowed to be taught in Humanist schools.
Not only that, but the Ten Commandments could not be placed on the walls of a school Classroom. How terrible if a child should learn to honor their parents, or not to steal or murder, or not to covet or to bear false witness! You may have pornographic videos or posters in some classrooms, but not the Ten Commandments!
School teachers have been dismissed for reading the Bible during their free period in a public school. In America school children were forbidden from reading the Bible on school buses on the way to school.
You may have trouble believing all this, but this is what Humanists have done. They so hate the Word of God that they want to gouge out both eyes of the children so that they can not discern right from wrong. Without the Bible we are spiritually defenseless before the pagans; they destroy minds, morals and pervert everything with their sex education and values clarification. When the Bible goes out, sex education and situation ethics comes in. Like the Ammonites, they have a perverted direction for worship. They do not worship God, instead they worship images made to look like mortal men. They worship not the Creator, but some of the things that have been created (Romans 1:21-25).

The Forbidden Book
I experienced this on my first speaking tour to the USA in 1988. I had been invited to speak to a school about Africa, without the principal realizing I was a missionary. When the principal saw my Bible he asked,
“What’s that?”
I said, “It is a Bible.”
He looked most alarmed and warned me: “You are not allowed to read from the Bible, or quote from the Bible, or say anything about God or Jesus! Nothing religious! And you mustn’t pray! Do you understand?” He looked dead serious. I understood.
After he introduced me I greeted the students and staff in the Name of Jesus Christ - as I always do whether I am speaking in a mosque, a terrorist camp, or Parliament. Then I told them that their principal had forbidden me to mention God, or Jesus, or read from the Bible. I smiled and said: “I spend my whole life breaking those laws in Communist countries!” I went ahead, read from the Bible, preached Christ and even closed in prayer. I have not been invited back since, but that is not so important.The point is that the modern-day Humanists also want to gouge out our children’s spiritual eyes. In South Africa, they are working in a more insidious way. The first step is to get Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam into the schools on an equal basis with Christianity. New Age Interfaith is already in the schools through many text books. The next step has been to kick Christianity out. There are people involved in the Education Department who, at this stage, are working on getting the Bible out of South African schools; and all Bible education out as well. We have people trying to take out our spiritual eyes so that we cannot discern right from wrong. They are trying to make our children defenceless by prohibiting the Sword of the Spirit in schools.

Second Thoughts
At this point the elders of Jabesh-Gilead suddenly had second thoughts about this negotiation process. They responded, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.” What is happening here? The elders of Jabesh are saying, “We do not mind you flooding our society with pornography; with the resultant child abuse and exploitation of women. We won’t stop you sacrificing our children, our grandchildren, or our great-grandchildren to the satanic god of Molech. But do not inflict bodily harm upon ourselves!” These men of Gilead were so backslidden, so lacking in the fear of the Lord, that they were willing to sell their children’s future and eternal destinies before they were willing to suffer any bodily harm.

Cruelty and Cowardice
You may also ask: “Why would someone as evil and sadistic as Nahash the Ammonite give these people the opportunity to seek reinforcements from the rest of Israel?”
First of all, warfare in those days adhered to a different code of conduct than today.
Secondly, Nahash was a Humanist and Humanists are cowards. Anyone who has been involved in combat against the modern-day Humanists and Atheists can testify along with me that these people are spineless bullies. They never seem to want to face real soldiers in battle. Communist terrorists could out distance armoured cars. They could run so fast, breaking Olympic records to escape from a firefight.
The Communists we opposed in Angola and South West Africa had no courage in standing up to real soldiers. That is why they almost never attacked the S.A.D.F. or S.W.A.T.F. soldiers. Instead, they attacked civilians. Their weapons of choice were bombs in shopping centres and landmines in the roads at night. They were brave when they were killing disarmed, defenceless civilians, but cowardly when facing real soldiers.

Confronting Communists with the Gospel
The reasons behind this were expressed well by Colonel Jan Breytenbach. He was the Founder of 32 (Buffalo) Battalion, the South African Special Forces and 44 Parachute Battalion. When he came to Christ, he joined Frontline Fellowship. Colonel Breytenbach and I walked into Angola and preached the Gospel to Cuban troops and M.P.L.A. Communists during the UN 435 Cease Fire in 1989.
Colonel Breytenbach declared: “My men and I, we have killed thousands of you - we never had any trouble killing you. Our trouble was catching you. You ran so fast. Why did you run so fast? Why were you so afraid? I know why. You are afraid of dying. You people have no assurance of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Your god is Karl Marx. Your religion is Atheism. You are all lost. You are damned! You are doomed You are en route to an eternity in hell. No wonder you run like the cowards you are. You are afraid of death. You should be afraid of death. If you knew what was waiting for you on the other side of eternal judgment, you would come across the border, fall on your knees and beg 32 Battalion troops to lead you to salvation in Christ.” It was a dramatic outreach surrounded by shocked and hostile Communists, fingering their weapons.

Considering Their Options
These Ammonites had three options. If they attacked the people of Jabesh Gilead in a frontal assault, they would have lost a substantial amount of men. The second option was to besiege the city. To besiege the city could be a time-consuming exercise. It could take many months or even years of sanctions to starve the people into submission by destroying their economy.
His third option -to talk them into surrender. Negotiations. The prospects of gaining Jabesh-Gilead without a fight excited Nahash. Then he could gouge out eyes and sacrifice babies to his heart’s content, which was every Ammonite’s dream.
Thus he allowed the messengers to go out. Nahash the Ammonite was confident that the Israelites were as backslidden as the people of Jabesh Gilead, and that they were too spineless and selfish to be concerned to come across the river and support their brethren on the wrong side of the Jordan.

Servant Leadership
The messengers came to Gibeah, the capital of the new king, Saul. They reported these terms to the people. The people wept aloud. There was much sentiment - but no sacrifice. Many hearts were moved - but no one’s feet were moved to action. Perhaps the people were saying, “Why does not someone do something about this?” But apparently nobody asked, “What can I do?”
Out of the fields - behind his oxen - came Saul. You may ask, “What is the King doing in the fields behind his oxen?” Why is he doing something useful and productive? Why isn’t the king in his palace devising more legislation to complicate the lives of his people or imposing heavier taxes? Well, perhaps it would solve a lot of our problems if we put more politicians behind the tractors in the fields where they could do something productive! Shouldn’t the heads of state receive the same benefits as other civil servants? Ministers in the church are ministers of grace. Ministers in the government are ministers of justice. They both are ministers of God. The same word used in Romans 13 for civil government is used for ministers in the church - deacons. The state is the deacon of God. That is where we get the words “civil servant”, “prime minister” and “cabinet minister” from - a minister is a servant. They have forgotten that. An enormous amount of power, prestige, status, influence and financial reward has been attached to these political positions. As a result you tend to get power-hungry, money-grabbing, status-seeking individuals seeking after those positions. It attracts the very worst kind of people. They climb over one another’s heads, stab one another in the back, lie, cheat and deceive, doing anything they can to get into (and stay in) those positions of power.
Perhaps we should withdraw the incentive for such undesirable elements to seek such high office. What we should do is actually give presidents, cabinet ministers and members of parliament, exactly the same salary, privileges and fringe benefits as what teachers, policemen, firemen and nurses receive! Nurses, teachers, firemen and policemen often do a far harder and more important job as civil servants. They deserve the same rewards as a cabinet minister. First of all, if you were to link their salaries, you would see that the teachers, nurses, policemen and firemen would be better paid. Secondly, you would find that the status-seeking, power-hungry, money grabbing individuals would then choose to rather become chief executive officers of some corporation - where at least they would create some employment and pay taxes instead of the opposite.

Love and Anger
King Saul returns from the fields behind his oxen and asks, “Why are they weeping?” The people explained the drama to him. The people were treating their brethren across the river as a very interesting story - a soap opera. They were emotionally involved in it; they were crying about it; but they had not the slightest intention of getting out there and doing anything about it. As Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power and he burned with anger.You may say, “Wait a minute. That does not sound right. Surely if the Spirit of God comes upon someone, he would not burn with anger. Anger is a sin!”
When the Spirit of God comes upon a person, his heart is filled with warm fuzzy feelings. His heart would overflow with love for the Ammonites and he would go out and buy a bumper sticker for his ox-cart - “Have you hugged an Ammonite today?” Yet the Bible says that when the Spirit of God came upon Saul, he burned with anger.

Christian Responsibility
The Bible says we must not let our anger lead us into sin (Ephesians 4:26). Anger is not necessarily sin. Most anger comes from pride and leads to sin, but there is such a thing as righteous indignation. There is such a thing as a holy anger. Our Lord Jesus Christ experienced this when he went into the temple and He saw God’s house turned into a den of thieves. A place of prayer had been turned into a market place of corruption.

Corruption Desecrates the Temple
At that time, worshipers had to bring a blood sacrifice. They would come along with a sheep or if they couldn’t afford that, then a pigeon at least. What the priests had at that stage was some kind of Temple Bureau of Standards rip-off at the door. The priests would find some flaw with the sheep and reject it for not meeting the “Temple Bureau of Standards” requirements. These sheep would have to be left outside. Temple Bureau of Standards approved sheep were available inside the temple precinct. Once inside the worshiper couldn’t use his secular, worldly shekels. They had to convert their money into holy, sacred, sanctified temple shekels through a money changer. The weights and measures were rigged so that one always somehow lost something on the deal.
This corruption was a big business for these people. The Lord saw not only the House of Prayer turned into a den of thieves, but He also saw that they were stealing from God’s people. The Lord in anger, with a zeal for God’s house consuming Him, made a whip and chased these criminals out of the temple, overturning the tables, setting the pigeons and sheep free. It must have been pandemonium there. Maybe you have asked yourself why nobody tried to stop our Lord? Where there is corruption, there often are body guards and bouncers.

The Wicked Love Darkness and Hate the Light
When we have conducted outreaches outside the escort agencies (brothels) we have been assaulted, threatened, beaten up, with guns pushed into our necks. I was physically picked up off the ground by a man at least twice my weight and thrown over a vehicle into the road. On another occasion I had a bucket of beer and urine poured over my head. When you threaten people’s corrupt business by standing outside their brothels handing out Gospel literature; when no customers are coming in any more; they tend to become vicious and violent.
First they start swearing at you, then they try to inflict bodily harm. “Light has come into the world, but men love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light. . .” John 3:19-20.

Neither Weak nor Mild
Why did none of these corrupt money changers in the temple physically stop Christ and throw Him out of the temple? Surely if Jesus was the anorexic figure with delicate fingers depicted in pictures, comics and so called art of Christ, they would have stopped Him. However, Jesus Christ must have been extremely physically strong to have been a carpenter in Palestine. Carpenters in the first century couldn’t just phone up Timber
City to order a delivery of plywood. He couldn’t just drive a pickup truck over with a chain saw to chop down some trees. He had to walk to the forest, chop down the trees with an axe and physically carry the timber home. Very tough, back-straining work.

Physically Strong
In fact, if you look at a map of Israel, and compare it to the Gospel narratives, you will see that the routes Christ marched over were some of the most inhospitable territory. Our Lord must have been physically strong to have walked the distances He did, in that heat; and to have withstood the tortures inflicted upon Him with the whipping and with the crucifixion. Anyone who can fast for 40 days and 40 nights must be physically strong to survive that.

Distortion and Blasphemous Idolatry
Our Lord was most certainly not the long-haired hippy so much art depicts him as. I Cor. 11:12 teaches that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace. Why would the Bible condemn long hair on a man if our Lord was the Renaissance figure which so many artists have imaginatively depicted Him as since the Middle Ages? We do not know what Jesus looked like. It is a blasphemous breach of the Second Commandment to try to portray Christ in this way.

The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
We do not know what He looked like, but we know this much: He must have been strong. Not only spiritually strong, but physically strong. These Temple guards and these money changers did not dare stop him. I know why. I think that those eyes that were so full of love and compassion for the repentant, blazed with fury and anger that He struck fear into the hearts of the wicked on that day. I think the reason no one stopped Christ in the Temple is because they were falling over themselves to get out of the way of His whip and to escape the penetrating glare of His eyes that were blazing with holy anger against the desecration of His house.

Zeal for God’s House Consumes Him
If the Lord took such drastic measures to cleanse the temple from mere financial corruption, what do you think He would do if He walked into many churches and church conferences where scenes of apostasy and deception abound? What would He have done if He had walked into the World Council of Churches Conference in Canberra where pornography was openly displayed and two women delegates were raped by other delegates; where they opened with pagan rituals such as passing through fire; calling up spirits of the dead; comparing Christ with Qwan In - an East Asian goddess of pity? What would He do if He walked into denominations today who are members of the World Council of Churches, claiming to be the Bride of Christ, but are actually whores of the world?

False Brethren
When I was ministering outside the escort agencies, one of these pimps, a woman who ran the brothel, came to us and said that she was a “Christian”. Also, her brother was a minister and saw nothing wrong with what they were doing. All of her girls were “Christians” and “in church every Sunday”. I conceded the possibility, although I am sceptical, that some of her girls may well have been in some church every Sunday.

Apostate
I said to her: “That is possible madam and I can tell you what type of churches they belong to. Most probably the churches you go to are members of the World Council of Churches. They serve as brothels of the devil anyway. You might as well all become temple prostitutes and turn your churches into brothels because you could not possibly invite the wrath of God upon your congregations any more if you did than that which you already are doing with the World Council of Churches; promoting abortion, homosexuality, perversion and interfaith apostasy.”

Blasphemy
When you think of what is going on in South Africa, that you could actually have Kruis en Kroniek (Cross and Chronicle) -a religious programme -promoting abortion, pornography and blasphemy. They promoted abortion as “the best choice” and pornography as “Christianity in practice”! Leaders of the South African Council of Churches actively campaigned for The Last Temptation of Christ to be allowed into this country! When churches promote abortion, pornography and blasphemy as the SACC and the WCC do, then you know there is good reason for righteous indignation.

Righteous Indignation
God forgive us if we do not feel anger at the evils of abortion, pornography and blasphemy as Saul felt at this occasion here. There are times when we need to feel a godly anger - a righteous indignation - a holy anger. If we cannot feel angry about the murder of innocent people even in a church service; if we cannot feel angry about perversion and pornography being legalized; if we cannot get angry over the killing of pre-born babies -then there is something terribly wrong with us. “To fear the Lord is to hate evil,” Proverbs 8:13.

What Angers God?
Notice that in I Samuel 11:6 it is God who was angry. Saul was so in touch with God’s heart that he shared God’s anger. What was God angry at? God was no doubt angry at the Ammonites and their man-centered, pornographic, child sacrificing, humanistic religion. Surely He was angry at their wicked plans for mutilating and oppressing the people of JabeshGilead. This would have aroused the wrath of God upon the Ammonites.

The Curse of Compromise and Cowardice
However, these matters are not the focus of God’s anger in this Scripture passage. It isn’t the wickedness of the wicked that has offended the heart of God in this instance. It is the passivity of God’s people that is the real target of His displeasure. It becomes quite clear as you read this passage that the pagans weren’t the greatest problem. It was God’s people who were the main problem. Once God’s people were mobilized to deal with the pagan threat and to deliver the people of Jabesh-Gilead, the Ammonites were dealt with quite decisively.

Do You Care?
The real problem in 1 Samuel 11:1-11 is the passivity, fatalism, defeatism, inactivity and neutrality of God’s people. The thought that they could stand by and do nothing while their brethren across the river had their eyes gouged out; their children sacrificed; their society corrupted with pornography; that they could stand by and do absolutely nothing - this is what angered the heart of God. The core problem was the heartless inactivity and passivity of God’s people. The message of l Samuel 11 is very much the message of the Good Samaritan. You cannot be neutral. You cannot just pass down on the other side of the road. Not to help is to harm. In the message of the Good Samaritan, you are responsible to get involved and help those in need (Luke 10:27-37).

Lack of Compassion
I think of a certain illustration of a Christian who reported: “Only this week I was on my way to a luncheon appointment. I saw a man bleeding in the gutter. People were passing by on both sides of the road and no one stopped! No one was doing anything to help this man. And when I came back from lunch an hour later, he was still there! No one had helped him!”

Why Does Somebody not Do Something!
Often when we hear of desperate needs, we react: “Why does not somebody do something?” We hear someone talking on a problem or sin and say: “I am so glad so-and-so is here. He needs to hear that.” When we hear mission messages, we respond with, “Here am I Lord, send my sister!”

Failure to Care
Very seldom do we think that the Lord could actually be speaking to us. It becomes quite clear in the Lord’s description of Judgment Day of Matthew 25, we are not so much judged for what we have done as much as for what we have not done. “You did not clothe the naked, you did not feed the hungry, you did not care for the sick, you did not visit those in prison for their faith Go to hell. I can never forgive you. You did not care.” That basically is what Matthew 25 is saying. If we do not care enough to step out and meet the needs of the brethren in need, that heartless attitude invites God’s wrath upon us.

A Shocking SermonIllustration
As the Spirit of God came upon Saul, he burned with anger, and chopped up an ox into pieces. He sent the bloody pieces by messengers throughout Israel and warned, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul or Samuel.”

Galvanised into Action
Soon a vast force of 330 000 men had volunteered. There were no volunteers before when they had heard of the threat to Jabesh-Gilead. But when they heard of the threat to their oxen, they all turned out! This means that the people of Israel were more concerned about their material possessions than they were for the well-being of their brethren across the river.

What Would You Do?
Let me give you an example. Your pastor stands up on Sunday and says, “We are going to stand for the right to life for pre-born babies! Next Saturday let us as a congregation gather outside the local abortion clinic. We ‘re going to have those who are trained in counselling to be sidewalk counselors, to try and persuade those mothers who may be coming in this time of crisis and considering taking their baby s life, not to abort their child but rather to consider adoption. We are going to, through our church, support the local Crisis Pregnancy Centre. Some families will open their homes to look after unwed mothers until they carry the baby to full term. We will help them. We will have literature available to distribute to let the people know about the right to life of the pre-born , when life begins, that the baby’s heart starts beating at three weeks, and the brain wave at six weeks. Meanwhile the rest of the congregation will have placards and will physically stand between the potential victims and the potential murderers. Next Saturday we will meet at 9:00 o ‘clock at the abortuary.”

A Matter of Priority
Next Saturday comes and nobody turns up! On Sunday, your pastor stands up in the pulpit, pulls out a chain-saw, starts it up, walks outside and chops a motor car into pieces. He says, “This is what I am going to do to the motor cars of anyone who does not turn out for next weeks pro-life demonstration. Those of you who do not have cars, I will get your television sets!” The next Saturday, everybody turns out. Now if that happened, that would mean we are more concerned for our material possessions than we are for the lives of pre-born babies.

Would Money Motivate You to Action?
Let us give another illustration: As we live in a materialistic society, forgive me for making a very materialistic illustration. What if your church said that for every person you lead to Christ through evangelism and counseling, you would be given R1 000. For every hour you spend in prayer, you will get R100. If this was seriously offered, and if you prayed more and evangelized more as a result, that would mean that you loved money more than you loved Christ.

Christian Responsibility
It does no harm for us to search our hearts and ask ourselves: really and truly, am I caring for my neighbor, or am I actually more concerned for my own material wealth and comfort?

The Fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord fell upon the people. In fact, it says, “The TERROR of the Lord fell upon the people and they turned out as one man.” This is the real problem in the Church - there is a lack of the fear of the Lord. Once the people experienced the fear of the Lord, there was no problem mobilizing the army. What was needed was for one individual to be open to the Spirit of God and to be sensitive to God and then to communicate God’s will adequately enough to mobilize the people. But the people were only mobilized when the fear of the Lord fell upon them. That is the missing dimension in most of our churches today. In fact, the fear of man seems to dominate most of our churches. Spinelessness, cowardice and compromise have allowed the great escalation of evil in our society. We aren’t being Salt and Light if we fear what man says rather than what God says.

We Need to Call for Help
We need fellow-believers to rally to our aid. There is a time in every one of our lives when we cannot handle the pressures on our own. When we are out numbered, out-gunned, and we can not handle it - then we need to call for brethren to back us up. We need to be ready to do that. We mustn’t try to do it all alone like Rambo or the Lone Ranger. We have got to be willing to say, “I need the Body of Christ to help me.” Maybe you need counseling, or to seek practical, spiritual help. We can not handle every fight and problem on our own. We need fellow-believers to rally to our aid. We also need to keep our ears and eyes open, sensitive to the needs of other people who need fellow-believers to rally to their aid. This is the essence of the message here.

“You Will Be Delivered!”
As the people gathered together, Saul told the messengers from Jabesh Gilead, “Tell your people that by the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be delivered.” How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bears good news. It’s wonderful to bear good news! Especially to captives.

Setting Captives Free
As someone who has been a prisoner in Communist prisons in Mozambique and Zambia, I believe there are few experiences better than getting out of those rat-infested, disease-ridden, filth-filled cells; to be able to have a hot bath; some real food; and to be out of the control of sadistic people without any consciences who can inflict whatever torture they desire upon you. To tell a prisoner, “You will be delivered,” is a wonderful thing.

Incarcerated
When I was a prisoner in Zambia in Lusaka Central Prison, there were over a thousand prisoners in a very confined area without a single toilet or a single tap that worked, with no running water, no plumbing, and no sanitation. It was a stinking disease factory. The cells were 25 ft. x 15 ft. There were 60 prisoners per cell. Some cells had 65. There were no beds, no mattresses, everyone was just sleeping on the floor, and no windows. There was just one little opening in the door. You can just imagine the suffocating heat, stench and degradation.

Tortured
There was a prisoner I met who was a South African soldier. Isaiah Moyo - an ex-Rhodesian African Rifles and Selous Scout operator. He had been working for 5 Reconnaissance Commando and had been spying out terrorist bases. He had been working to stop several car bombing attempts that would have hit our streets. A brave man. He was in prison and he had been there eighteen months. All over his body he had red-hot poker sores where they would pressed metal pokers straight from the fire into his body. He had these pussy sores all over his body. He had been electrocuted repeatedly. He had been drowned upside down in buckets of water repeatedly, and so on. He was a dedicated Christian who loved the Lord. His knees were calloused from the amount of time he spent on them in prayer on that concrete cell floor. Isaiah was a wonderful brother - we had great times of fellowship with him.

Set Free
Our Mission was well organized. Within a few days of us being imprisoned, they had demonstrations and prayer vigils outside the Zambian Embassy in Washington and London. Literally thousands of phone calls and letters were received by the Zambian Embassies in London, Washington and in other parts of the world. The Zambians wanted foreign aid more than foreign prisoners. So after a couple of weeks they let us go. When I was freed, I felt bad to leave Isaiah.

Abandoned
Poor Isaiah only had the South African government to get him out! He was still there after eighteen months, even though 85% of Zambian imports and exports came through South Africa. All their railway locomotives and their airways were serviced by South Africa. Despite all that Zambian dependence on South Africa, this South African soldier was still in a Zambian prison. He only had the government to back him; we
had a little mission that managed to get us out.

Speaking Up for the Prisoners
As I was leaving I said to him, “Isaiah, we will get you out. You will be delivered.” I went overseas; I went to the International Society of Human Rights convention; I spoke on radio and T.V. in Germany, England and America. I also spoke on BBC’s Africa Service.
A Zambian prison guard rushed into Isaiah’s cell with a radio and said,“That missionary who was here - he is talking about you!” Isaiah was able to hear me giving his testimony over the Africa Service of BBC. What a big encouragement! Soon they were dragging sacks of letters and parcels into his cell. The moment we started publicizing his plight, the torture stopped, he became popular and they treated him properly. He startedgetting better food - and eventually we organised his release.
By God’s grace, we managed to get a lot of other prisoners out too. When I was locked up in Mozambique I found three Reconnaissance Commando operators who had been there five years. One black soldier and two white soldiers -they had been locked up for five years in Machava Security Prison, in Maputo. When we were released, I had their details memorized.
I went to the Foreign Affairs’ people asking, “Did you know about them?” “Yes we did,” one responded.
I said, “They have not received a letter, a parcel , or a visit in five years. What have you been doing?”
“Oh, we did not want to endanger their lives,” they said.
I responded: “You cannot get more endangered than in the hands of SNASP Security Police in Machava Security Prison. Why did not you send them some soap? Some biscuits? Some antibiotics? Some malaria tablets? Some vitamin tablets? Why did not you send them some books to read? Why couldn’t you send them a letter? These men have been there five years. Do you know what five hours are like in that prison?”
The Foreign Affairs’ official just looked at the ground and mumbled: “Oh, it’s so difficult. . .”

Mobilising Prayer and Action
We got their story published. Very small articles, in fact. Yet they were released soon afterwards. People rot in prisons not so much because of the wicked. They rot in prison because good people are doing nothing.
Whenever we have mobilized to get prisoners out, we have succeeded in seeing them released. Sometimes it’s been a hard battle for many months. In some cases it went over a year to campaign to get them out. But we got them all out. If we could do it with our miserably small resources, our tiny little mission, you can be sure that governments could do it. But they generally do not do it. Why? Because Christian citizens do not seem to care enough to pressurise them to do it. Publicity provides protection for the persecuted.

You Cannot Be Neutral
What it also tells me is that if we had tried harder, if we had known more, we would have had other prisoners out even earlier. What it says to me is: all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Do we realize the power that is within the Church and within our grasp?
Do we realize how much suffering occurs because of the inactivity and the passivity and the heartlessness and the neutrality of God’s people who sit by with limp hands saying,

What Can I Do?
“Why does not somebody do something about it?” When they should say, “What can I do about it?”
The people of Jabesh-Gilead were told, “Tomorrow you will be delivered,” and they were. Saul used wise strategy, perfect timing and he broke into the camp of the Ammonites when they were least expecting it in the early hours of the morning. He totally destroyed the wicked and completely delivered God’s people.The message is that we need to rally to the aid of fellow believers. We need to listen and respond when fellow-believers are needing aid. The message, ike the message of the Good Samaritan is: you cannot be neutral. The message is that we need the fear of the Lord. We need to be so open to the Spirit of God that we feel what God feels. That we love those whom God loves and that we hate that which God hates.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 12:30: “He who is not with Me is against Me. He who is not helping Me gather is scattering.”
In I Kings 18:21, Elijah challenged the people of Israel: “How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, serve Him. If Baal is god, serve him.”
The Lord God challenges us in Psalm 94: 16: “Who will rise up for Me against the wicked? Who will make a stand for Me against the workers of iniquity?”
We need to answer in the words of Joshua 24:15: “Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
We need to put feet to our Faith.
Dr. Peter Hammond

]]><![CDATA[THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED]]>Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:12:19 GMThttps://www.livingstonefellowship.co.za/bible-teaching/the-greatest-man-who-ever-lived

THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED

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“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty.
Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never had a family or a home.
He didn’t go to college.
He never visited a big city.
He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where He was born.
He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.
He had no credentials but Himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him.
His friends ran away.
One of them denied Him.
He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He has on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race.
All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not effected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life.”

There is no doubt that Jesus Christ is the greatest man who has ever lived in all of history.  He changed the world forever. When He was born, He transformed the very way we measure time. He turned aside the river of the ages out of its course and lifted the centuries off their hinges. His birthday, His Incarnation, touched and transformed time. Now the whole world counts time as Before Christ (BC) and AD (Anno Domoni – in the year of our Lord). Jesus Christ is the central figure of history.  More books have been written about Jesus Christ than any other person in history.

The world before Christ was a world without hospitals, a world without charity, a world without respect for the sanctity of life.  Hospitals were an innovation of Christianity. Hence the healing symbol of a cross represents hospitals. The nursing profession was founded by Christians such as Florence Nightingale out of devotion for Christ. One of history’s greatest humanitarian movements, the International Red Cross, was founded by Christians in response to the Scriptural injunctions to care for the sick and the suffering. Christians such as Dr. Louis Pasteur have fuelled some of the greatest practical advances in medicine. Pasteur has probably saved more lives than any other individual in history through his inventions.

The whole concept of charity was a Christian innovation. Benevolence to strangers was unknown before Christ.  The teachings and example of Jesus Christ have inspired the greatest acts of generosity, hospitality, self-sacrifice and service for the poor, sick and needy over two thousand years.

Before the advent of Christianity every culture-practised slavery and human sacrifice – even the highly esteemed Greek and Roman civilisations. Child sacrifice was common among the pagan religions. The Aztec Empire in Mexico and Inca Empire in Peru engaged in slavery, ritual rapes and mass human sacrifice. Suttee, the burning of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands, was common practice in Hindu India before the missionary William Carey arrived.

Slavery was eradicated as a result of tireless efforts of Christians such as William Wilberforce and David Livingstone. Respect for life and liberty is a fruit of Christianity. Those promoting abortion, euthanasia and pornography are not offering us progress, but only a return to pre-Christian paganism.

The positive impact of Jesus Christ on the world cannot be overstated. Everything from education to human rights, from public health to economic liberty – the things we cherish most and many of the blessings we take for granted – all can be traced to the spiritual and the cultural revolution begun by Jesus Christ.

The irrefutable fact is that Christianity gave birth to modern science. The scientific revolution began with the Protestant Reformation and the Bible played a vital part in the development of scientific discovery. Every major branch of science was developed by a Bible believing Christian. The Bible essentially created science. When we get into a car, start the engine, turn on the lights, drive to a hospital, receive an anaesthetic before an operation, and have an effective operation done in a germ-free environment, we need to remember that we owe it all to Jesus Christ.

“Every school you see – public or private, religious or secular – is a visible reminder of the religion of Jesus Christ. So is every college and university.” Dr. James Kennedy.

The phenomenon of education for the masses has its roots in Christianity. The pursuit of the knowledge of God in a systematic, philosophical and in-depth way gave rise to the phenomenon of universities all around the world. It was the Christian faith that gave rise to the idea of higher learning.

Most of the languages of the world were first set to writing by Christian missionaries. The first book in most languages of the world has been the Bible. Christianity has been the greatest force for promoting literacy worldwide throughout history.

The Christian missionary movement in the 19th Century pioneered tens of thousands of schools throughout Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands – providing education for countless millions, even in the remotest jungles, giving the gift of literacy to tribes which had never before had a written language.

There is no doubt that Jesus Christ was the greatest Teacher the world has ever known. When He spoke, “They were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority…” Mark 1:22. The life, teachings and example of Jesus Christ have profoundly influenced the whole development of education worldwide. The Great Commission of our Lord Jesus was to “make disciples of all nations…teaching them…” Matthew 28:19-20.

From the very beginning Christians were establishing schools. Amongst the many innovations in Christian Education was that these Christian schools taught everybody, including girls and women. Formally educating both sexes was a Christian innovation. The Greeks and Romans before the birth of Christ did not formally educate girls. Only boys from the privileged classes obtained an education.  Christianity revolutionised education by making it available to all classes and both genders.

Saint Augustine observed that Christian women were better educated than the pagan male philosophers.

Every branch and level of education was pioneered by Bible believing Christians. The concept of graded levels of education was first introduced by a German Lutheran, Johan Sturm in the 16th Century. Another Lutheran, Frederick Froebel introduced kindergartens.  Education for the deaf was also pioneered by Christians.

Before Jesus Christ, human life in the Greek and Roman world was extremely cheap. Infants born with physical defects such as blindness, were commonly abandoned to die in the wilderness. In Greece, blind babies were cast into the sea. Those who survived their blind infancy, or became blind later in childhood usually became galley slaves, and blind girls were commonly assigned to a life of prostitution.

However, Jesus Christ showed particular compassion for the blind, healing many blind individuals during His ministry on earth. When the Roman persecution of the Church ended, in the 4th Century, Christians established asylums for the blind. In the 19th Century, Louis Braille, a dedicated Christian who lost his eyesight at age three, developed the worlds first alphabet that enabled blind people to read with their fingers.

Sunday schools were begun by Robert Raikes in 1780 to provide boys and girls from the poorest homes with the gift of literacy and the riches of the Scriptures.  The first universities grew out of the monastic missionary centers, which had discipled Europe. The first university lecturers were the missionary monks who had collected books, accumulated libraries, copied manuscripts and were uniquely equipped for advanced academic study.  Most universities began as Christian schools, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, Heidelberg and Basel.

The greatest invention in the field of learning, the printing press, by Johannes Gutenberg, was also a fruit of the Christian faith. The first book to be printed was the Bible.

The very name “university” testifies to its Christian origins. University means “One Truth”. Isn’t it time that teachers, lecturers and professors took an in depth look at the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, the greatest Book ever produced and the Faith with inspired and pioneered every major branch of education and science?.

Just consider some of the every-day things, which have been inspired by the Bible. The word “breakfast” comes from the concept of breaking the fast.

The word “restaurant” comes from Jesus’ promise in Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” The first restaurant founded in Paris in 1766 placed that verse from Matthew 11:28 in bold letters outside this first public establishment dedicated to providing meals in a pleasant atmosphere.

The fact that our week consists of seven days is a testimony to the fact of God creating the world in six days, resting on the seventh.

The practice of Sunday being a Day of rest dates back to the Christian tradition of honouring the first day of the week as the Lord’s Day, a testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week.

Every time a newspaper publishes the date, it is a testimony to the centrality of Christ. When we call this the year 2006, we are acknowledging that Jesus Christ is the central focus of history. This is the year 2006 AD, ‘in the year of our Lord’.

The very word “goodbye” comes from a parting prayer: God be with ye.

The word “holiday” comes from holy day.

The Bible, particularly the Ten Commandments, laid the framework and legal foundations of Western civilisation. The very first statute, the first written restriction on the powers of government was the Magna Carta of 1215. It was written by a pastor and thoroughly saturated with Scriptural principles.

The Bible has inspired the greatest literature, the greatest art, the greatest examples of architecture, the age of exploration, world missions, the rule of law, the separation of powers, checks and balances, representative government, the sanctity of life, and so much more that we take for granted.

Christianity introduced a respect for life and liberty that was completely unknown before the coming of Jesus Christ.

In the ancient world, the teachings of Jesus Christ halted infanticide, liberated women, abolished slavery, inspired the first charities and religious organisations, created hospitals, established orphanages and founded schools.

In the medieval times, Christianity built libraries, invented colleges and universities, dignified labour and converted the barbarians.

In the modern era, Christian teaching has advanced science, inspired political, social and economic freedom, promoted justice and provided the greatest inspiration for the most magnificent achievements in art, architecture, music and literature.

Christianity has been the most powerful agent in transforming society for the better across 2000 years. No other religion, philosophy, teaching, nation or movement has changed the world for the better as Christianity has done.

Jesus Christ is the greatest Man who has ever lived, and the Bible is the greatest Book ever written.

The Bible is the number one best selling book in all of history. It is estimated that well over 30 million Bibles and 100 million New Testaments are printed every year. The Bible has also been translated into more languages than any other book in history.

Wise men still seek Him.

He became like us – that we might become like Him.
He was rejected – that we might be accepted.
He was condemned – that we might be forgiven.
He was punished – that we might be pardoned.
He suffered – that we might be strengthened.
He was whipped – that we might be healed.
He was hated – that we might be loved.
He was crucified – that we might be justified.
He was tortured – that we might be comforted.
He died – that we might live.
He went to hell – that we might go to Heaven.
He endured what we deserve – that we might enjoy what only He deserves.

There is one appointment not one of us will miss. In fact none of us will even be able to be late for this appointment.  “It is appointed unto man once to die and after this to face judgement.” Hebrews 9:27

We do not know when, or under what circumstances, our lives will come to an end. But we do know that when we die we will stand before Almighty God, our Creator and eternal Judge, and we will have to give an account of our lives to Him.  “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
       2 Corinthians 5:10

“Only life, it will soon be passed – only what’s done for Christ will last.”

We need to work out our priorities in the light of eternity. We need to invest out time, talents and treasure into those things that are going to last for eternity: the people of God, the Word of God and the Kingdom of God. These are what are ultimately important.  “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”  Matthew 6:33.

In the light of eternity, knowing that you are going to stand before the Creator and eternal Judge, you need to review your life’s work, your family relationships, habits and activities. Imagine: On that great day when you will stand before the judgement seat of Christ and give an account of your life, do you really believe that any of us will be thinking:  I should have watched more TV! I was too generous! I should have held on to that grudge for longer! I was too spiritual! I spent too much time studying the Bible and praying! I was too evangelistic! I sacrificed too much for God’s Kingdom!

Seriously, in eternity: Will any of us regret praying too much? Studying the Bible too intently? Being too forgiving? Being too generous? Sacrificing too much for God’s Kingdom?

If you knew that you would die next year – what would you do differently this year? We need to work out our priorities in the light of eternity.

If I were to ask you:  What is the greatest sin that anyone could commit? What would you answer? Would you say: Murder? Idolatry? Adultery? Perversion? Hatred or blasphemy?

If I were to ask:  What is the greatest need and priority of your life? What would you think?: Academic achievement? Promotion? Marriage? Political advancement? Success in business? Money? Career? Or evangelism?

When our Lord Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was He replied:  “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…you shall love your neighbour as yourself.”  Mark 12:30-31

It follows then that the greatest sin would be to fail to love God with all our heart. Failure to love God is the root sin that leads to all others. You cannot truly love your neighbour unless you first love God. The Scripture makes clear that even more serious than the bad we have done, evil as that is, is the good that we could have done, but did not do (Matthew 25:41-46).

“Therefore to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17

What really matters? To know God and to make Him known. To know the Word of God and the God of the Word. Our greatest priority is to love God above all else and more than anyone else. This is what really matters.

There are three ways of rejecting Christ:
- Blatantly – like Atheism, denying God and openly rejecting Him.
- By apathy – knowing the truth, but not caring enough to do something about it.
- By procrastination – knowing the truth, being convinced, caring, but not actually getting around to making a decision.

It is not enough to know the truth of Gospel in our heads, we need to believe in our hearts. With all our heart. It is not enough to know about God, we must know Him personally, we need to have a personal relationship with Him. We need to trust Christ, love Him, follow and obey Him.

Our Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations. Biblical repentance involves far more than feeling sorry for our sins. Sometimes we are only sorry because we got caught. That is not repentance, that is remorse.

Biblical repentance involves: Conviction – a change of mind
Contrition – a change of heart
Conversion – a change of life

We need to respond to the Gospel of Christ in repentance and faith. “Trust and obey, there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”

You do not want to settle for just knowing the truth in your head, and failing to respond wholeheartedly with trust and obedience in your heart. Jesus Christ came to this world in order to die for our sins. We need to respond in repentance and faith. We need a change of mind, a change of heart and a change of life. This is what Biblical repentance is all about.

Do you want to be one of those wise men who seek Him?

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
P O Box 74
Newlands, 7725
Cape Town
South Africa
E-Mail: info@frontline.org.za
Website: www.frontline.org.za

]]><![CDATA[The CHALLENGE of MISSIONS]]>Wed, 17 Aug 2022 09:51:06 GMThttps://www.livingstonefellowship.co.za/bible-teaching/the-challenge-of-missions

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Never have there been so many incredible opportunities for missionary work worldwide, yet there are tens of thousands of vacancies waiting to be filled on the mission field today. The harvest has never been so large – and the workers are frustratingly few.

Finding suitable missionary volunteers has never been easy – nor is it likely to get any easier. Missionary service demands dedication, determination and discipline – and these qualities are basically rejected by the smart-phone generation.

Crippling Attrition Rate
Every mission leader I know has had to grapple with an almost crippling shortage of staff and a serious shortage of long-term commitment. The increasing attrition rate of first term mission volunteers giving up is destabilising missionary endeavours worldwide.

Existential Short Sighted Disposable Culture
Most churchgoers today are secular in their mind-set and lifestyle. They have few convictions, more questions than answers. They are reluctant to make long-term commitments. Our society is existential (concerned primarily about my own personal experience, now!) This throwaway, disposable culture is short-sighted, cynical and short of faith and vision for the future. Our present generation has become selfish, sloppy, soft, spoiled and self-indulgent, unaccustomed to personal sacrifice, unwilling to endure hardship and unlikely to exhibit loyalty to any mission, devotion to duty or courage in the face of danger.

Unwilling to be Inconvenienced
Bill Bathman – a missionary who devoted over 67 years to missions, mainly serving persecuted churches in Eastern Europe – put it this way: “It is not that Christians in the West aren’t willing to suffer persecution for Christ - they just do not want to be inconvenienced!”

Technological Advantages
In this computer age our technological advantages over previous generations of missionaries are astounding. Instead of weeks of travel by boat and months by ox-cart and on foot, today we can literally reach almost any location in the world within a few days by aircraft, trains and 4-wheel drive vehicles. The advent of radio, computers, desk-top publishing, photocopiers and fax machines made communications, Bible translations and literature production incredibly accessible to all.

Extended Missionary Life Expectancies
Also medical advances now mean that missionaries to West and Central Africa are not being sent to almost certain death. Malaria once made Africa the missionaries’ graveyard – whole families perished planting the Gospel in this continent. The average life expectancy of a missionary to Africa was 8 years and to West Africa 2 years. Some died within 3 months of arriving.

Single Minded Determination
CMS Missionary to Uganda, Alexander Macay, expressed the single-minded determination common to 19th century volunteers: “I want to remind the committee that within six months they will probably hear that one of us is dead. But… when that news comes, do not be cast down, but send someone else immediately to take the vacant place.” Within three months one was murdered, two had given up, another had contracted fever. Within a year two more had been killed. Within two years Mackay was the only one of the eight missionaries left alive in Uganda. He actually survived 12 years, dying of malaria at age 40.

Missionary to Nigeria, Rowland Bingham, vowed: “I will open Africa to the Gospel or die trying.”

Integrity and Perseverance
Yet such devotion to duty is extremely rare today. With all our technological advantages we still lag far behind the 19th century missionaries in terms of actual effectiveness. It is not that we lack the tools – but the tenacity. Inventions are a poor substitute for integrity, initiative and innovation. Computers cannot make up for a loss of character. We have lots of programmes, but it is persistence and perseverance, which fulfil the Great Commission.

Challenges from the Past
Listen to these voices from the past, from missionaries who backed up their words with their lives:

Nate Saint, MAF pilot who was killed by the Auca Indians to whom he was ministering in Ecuador wrote: “The way I see it, we ought to be willing to die. In the military, we were taught that to obtain our objectives we had to be willing to be expendable. Missionaries must face that same expendability.”

Dr. Ludwig Krapf, missionary to East Africa, lost his wife and two children within months of arriving in Africa. He wrote: “Though many missionaries may fall in the fight, yet the survivors will pass over the slain into the trenches and take this great African fortress for the Lord.”

C T Studd, the famous cricketer turned pioneer missionary to China, India and the Congo, declared: “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

Another missionary put it this way: “Our God bids us first build a cemetery before we build a church or dwelling house, showing us that the resurrection of Africa must be effected by our own destruction.”

Sadhu Sundar Singh, missionary to Tibet, declared: “I must obey my Master and preach His Gospel, regardless of the threats or suffering.”

Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia, wrote: “To all appearance the present year will be more perilous than any I have seen, but if I live to complete the Persian New Testament, my life after that will be of less importance.”

Elizabeth Freeman, missionary to India, declared: “I hope you will be a missionary wherever your lot is cast… it makes but little difference after all where we spend these few fleeting years, if they are only spent for the glory of God. Be assured there is nothing else worth living for.”

Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravian missionary movement, declared: “I have one passion – it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.”

Action is Eloquence
These are the inspiring words of Christians whom God used in wonderful ways. Their positive impact upon their world was incalculable. They literally affected the course of history. Not because of what they said, but because they put feet to their faith. As William Shakespeare said: “Action is eloquence.” Our actions are, in fact, the best interpreters of our thoughts and priorities.

Where can we find such Christian volunteers today? Or more to the point – how can we produce such self-sacrificing disciples in our churches?

If the Church in the Twenty First Century truly wants to obey the Great Commission, then we must produce tens of thousands of such disciples. To effectively evangelise the entire Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist populations in the final missionary frontier, the 10-40 window, we will need an army of dedicated disciples. They will need to be like the missionary volunteers who made the 19th Century the greatest time of missionary advance and revival in history. The prayer support base that sends them out will need to be just as dedicated.

What kind of disciples does the mission field demand?

An effective missionary needs to be a person who diligently studies the Bible to discover God’s Will and who is determined to obey it. Obedience is the best commentary on the Bible and as Professor Martin Luther stated: “I had rather obey than work miracles!”

From this foundation of prayerful study of God’s Word needs to develop true Christian character. This cannot be hastily done. Steadfast Christian character is the product of years of prayer and Bible study and the cultivated habit of responding to God’s Word in repentance, faith and obedience.

It involves a teachable heart and a willingness to accept rebuke and discipline. This is absolutely essential in missionary service because of the difficult tasks required, in the often-harsh climates and inhospitable terrains, with the inevitable cross-cultural confusions and misunderstandings, mistakes and failures are inevitable. Resolving inter-personal disputes, overcoming obstacles and enduring criticisms are all part of our job description.

The measure of a person’s real character is how he works when no one is watching. Referring to temptation, C H Spurgeon advised: “Learn to say: ‘No’ It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin.”

Choices Habits Character and Destiny
If you choose an act, you create a habit, if you create a habit, you shape a character. If you shape a character, you determine a destiny. As D L Moody said: “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.”

One of the marks of Christian character is integrity – the unshakeable commitment to be true to one’s word. This is important because missions are built upon relationships of trust. We have a sacred trust to honour – with God, the churches and supporters who send us out and those to whom we are sent. There must never be any doubt that you as a Christian missionary will be true to your word, keep your promises and fulfil all your obligations.

Another vital aspect to be cultivated is one’s attitude. Charles Swindoll has stated it most eloquently: “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% of how we respond to it… This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failure, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that ‘single string’ that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.”

There is no doubt in my mind that a missionary volunteer’s attitude is far more important than his abilities – or apparent lack of them. We all have preconceived notions of just what type of person will succeed in missions – yet time and again God surprises us and challenges us by using some of the most unlikely candidates in the most unexpected ways. The only common denominator is – a willing volunteer with a positive attitude! I have seen many talented, gifted, promising people – with impressive resumes – fail and give up. I know of many others – with far less apparent abilities – persevere and overcome disappointments, delays, discomfort, defeats and difficulties to succeed!

There is a major difference in people; the big difference is whether their attitude is positive or negative! As Leo Tolstoy wrote: “We lost because we told ourselves we lost.” Peter Daniels often challenges his audiences: “If you think you can or you cannot – you are right!”

Pessimists Have a Problem for Every Solution
Pessimists will not make the most effective missionaries – certainly they would not be very happy in the uncertain and difficult situations, which so often prevail in the field. Pessimists have a problem for every solution. A pessimist is one who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both.

Mind-sets Determine Destiny
How we steadily and habitually think – that is what we tend to become. Negative people feel trapped by the past and helplessly look backwards at what might have been. Positive people feel inspired by the future and confidently look forward to what can be accomplished.

Secrets for Success
There are always many reasons why a certain task cannot be done. Those who succeed are those who are willing to learn, to work hard, to adapt, innovate and persevere to overcome all obstacles to complete their mission. This requires an inspiring vision of what God wants done and an optimistic attitude towards how God could use even me – in spite of myself – to accomplish His Will (2 Corinthians 3:5). The Bible reading Christian must eventually become an optimist: “I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

Job Description Includes Enduring Criticism
An essential aspect of a missionary’s job description is a willingness to endure opposition and criticism. In fact, it would be very helpful if missionaries were sensitive enough to hear the still small voice of God’s guidance whilst learning to adapt to foreign cultures and thick-skinned enough to be unaffected by either flattery or unjustified criticism (the latter is far more common)!

A Sense of Humour is Essential
A willingness to submit to authority and an openness to receive rebuke and criticism is essential. However, one also needs to discern between constructive and destructive criticism. As C.T. Studd said: “Had I cared for the comments of people, I should never have been a missionary.” Of his time in China, Studd wrote: “For five years we never went outside our doors without a volley of curses from our neighbours.” To cope with such hostility, a sense of humour is essential - as is seen in these examples.

John Paton, missionary to New Hebrides (where the first attempt to introduce Christianity resulted in missionaries John Williams and James Harris being clubbed to death within minutes of landing in 1839), related the following: “Amongst many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, ‘The Cannibals! You will be eaten by Cannibals!’ At last I replied, ‘Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms’.”

Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary to China, was confronted by a man who contemptuously chided him: “Now, Mr. Morrison, do you really expect that you will make an impression on the idolatry of the Chinese empire?’ ‘No sir,’ responded Morrison, ‘but I expect that God will!’”

C.T. Studd, missionary to the Congo, presented this parable:
“Remember the miller’s donkey …the miller, his son and donkey went to the market. The miller rode the donkey all the way and people exclaimed, ‘Cruel man, riding himself and making his son walk.’ So he got down and his son rode; then people slanged, ‘What a lazy son for riding while his poor old father walks.’ Then both father and son rode and people then said, ‘Cruelty to animals, poor donkey.’ So they got down and carried the donkey on a pole, but folks said, ‘Here are two asses carrying another ass.’ Then all three walked and people said, ‘What fools to have a donkey and not ride it.’ So let us go ahead with our work for God and not care what folks say.”

What are You Investing Your Time and Talents Into?
Of course, those who endeavour to submit to Bible College or theological training and apply to join a mission will be told by well-meaning relatives and friends that they are wasting their lives. Nate Saint’s response to this should be our own: “And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.”

Live in the Light of Eternity
David Brainerd, the 18th century missionary to North American Indians, declared: “As long as I see anything to be done for God, life is worth living; but O, how vain and unworthy it is to live for any lower end!”

Available and Teachable
Many reading these testimonies may feel inadequate to follow in the footsteps of such pioneers. It is worth remembering that none of them felt either worthy or capable in and of themselves. However, they were willing to learn and they trusted in God’s power, not their own.

Gladys Aylward, missionary to China, expressed her view in this way:
“I was not God’s first choice for what I have done for China… I do not know who it was… It must have been a man… a well-educated man. I do not know what happened. Perhaps he was not willing… and God looked down… and saw Gladys Aylward… and God said - ‘Well, she is willing!’”

Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China, issued the following challenge:
“I believe that (in) each generation God has ‘called’ enough men and women to evangelise all the yet unreached tribes of the earth… everywhere I go, I constantly meet with men and women who say to me, ‘When I was young I wanted to be a missionary, but I got married instead.’ Or, ‘My parents dissuaded me,’ or some such thing. No, it is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond.”

Where are the Men?
Which raised the point: Over 80% of all missionaries today are women. Where are all the men? What kind of army sends its women into the frontline of battle? Financial considerations, family responsibilities and career demands no doubt play a major role in pre-occupying men and their personal involvement in fulfilling the Great Commission seems to be “Mission Impossible”!

Where are the Mission Minded Churches?
However, this need not be so. If our congregations would truly make missions a priority then the financial constraints that hold back so many eager volunteers would be swept away. Less than 10% of Evangelical churches have any missions programme at all. Less than 1% of total church income is spent on foreign missions! If churches would set aside at least 10% of their budget to support missionaries and especially those sent out from their own congregation, then literally thousands more volunteers could be mobilised. It is a sad commentary on the average congregation that more is spent on carpets, heaters and parking lots than they allocate for fulfilling the Great Commission.

What Openings are There?
There are so very many ways to serve the Lord in Missions today: Bible translations, radio broadcasts, medical work, church planting, literature evangelism, education, administration and so on.
We need teachers and technicians, preachers and printers, computer programmers and church planters, artists and artisans, Bible teachers and bricklayers and many more.
You will not need to worry about “an opening” - there are thousands of kilometres of opening and you can take your choice as to where you will establish yourself.

But you may ask: What constitutes a call?

The Need:
“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few.” Matthew 9:37

The Command:
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

The Love of Christ:
“The love of Christ constrains us, because… One died for all…” 2 Corinthians 5:14

The Will of God:
“The Lord… is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

The Great Commission:
“All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded…” Matthew 28:18-20

Who Will Go?
All Christians must pray, most can give and some can go. We must all serve God somewhere. Whether we are called to go across the street or across the world, our mission is the same - to make disciples… teaching obedience. “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?’ Then I said: ‘Here am I! Send me.’” Isaiah 6:8

One who answered the call was David Brainerd whose journal included this prayer: “Here I am, send me; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness, send me from all that is called comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in Thy service and to promote Thy Kingdom.”

“That Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” Psalm 67:2

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
PO Box 74 | Newlands | 7725 | Cape Town | South Africa
Tel: +27 21 689 4480
website | email

Frontline Fellowship News
Frontline - Behind Enemy Lines

This article was adapted from a chapter of The Greatest Century of Missions book (224 pages with 200 photographs, pictures, charts and maps), available from: Christian Liberty Books, PO Box 358 Howard Place 7450 Cape Town South Africa Tel: 021-689-7478, Fax: 086-551-7490, Email: admin@christianlibertybooks.co.za, Website: www.christianlibertybooks.co.za.

See also:
The Greatest Century of Reformation
Victorious Christians – Who Changed the World
How the Greatest Century of Missions was Derailed into the Worst Century of Persecution

]]><![CDATA[Missions in the Old Testament]]>Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:02:17 GMThttps://www.livingstonefellowship.co.za/bible-teaching/missions-in-the-old-testament

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All Nations in God’s Purpose
After our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He revealed God’s eternal purpose to His disciples.
“And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself... He said to them, ‘this is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His Name to all nations’” Luke 24:27,44-47. Most of us have closed minds and we need Jesus to open our eyes to see Him in all the books of the Old Testament, in the Law of Moses, in the writings of the Prophets and in the Psalms. Jesus broadened the vision of His disciples to see all nations in God’s purpose.

The Protoevangelium: Genesis 3:15
Salvation is initiated by and achieved by God – “I will...”
Salvation will destroy satan – “He will crush your head.””
Salvation will come through a Mediator who is related to mankind – “The Seed.”
Salvation will involve the suffering of the Redeemer – “The enemy will bruise His heel.”

God’s Missionary Call to Abraham
The first eleven chapters of Genesis are sweepingly universal. God created the whole world. He created all mankind. All mankind fell into sin and rebellion against God. God judges the sin of mankind. God deals with all the world as a whole. Then in chapter 12:“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and GO to the land I will show you, I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you’” Genesis 12:1-3

This principle of Divine election for universal service is stated and re-stated time and again in Genesis.
“Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.” Genesis 18:18

“And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me.” Genesis 22:18

The Missionary Call to Isaac and His Sons
God re-stated this Divine call and commission to Abraham’s son, Isaac: “through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” Genesis 26:4

God also re-confirmed this missionary call to Isaac’s son, Jacob:
“All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring” Genesis 28:14
The Missionary Call of Israel
“Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now, if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out of all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for Me a Kingdom of priests and a Holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.’” Exodus 19:3-6. Israel was being constituted as a nation of unique position among the nations. All the earth belonged to God. What made Israel unique was its missionary call, its priestly position, its mediatorial mission as God’s bridge to the nations.

Saved to Serve
Israel was not meant to be a storehouse of God’s blessings but a channel. God did not choose Israel so that she could be selfish. Israel was saved to serve. She had received God’s Word in order to proclaim it. The descendants of Abraham had been blessed only so that they could be a blessing to “all the families of the earth.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

To Bring Salvation to the Ends of the Earth
Israel was never meant to live for herself alone. Israel’s call was to be God’s chosen instrument to bring God’s Word to the nations. “I will also make you a light for the gentiles, that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

For Every Nation
Called to be God’s witnesses to the nations, Israel’s commission was both prophetic and missionary. They were to receive God’s Word and to proclaim that Word as God’s priests to the nations. The recorded messages of the prophets of Israel and the recorded history of the people of Israel continue to speak as God’s Word to us today. In this way the descendants of Abraham have been a “blessing to all nations on earth” - through the Bible.

But God has used Israel in an even greater way, for not only did God’s Word come through Israel but God Himself. Not only did He send His prophets through Israel, but He also sent His Son. Israel was the channel for God’s Word, God’s Son and God’s Salvation for the world!

Now, God’s Word comes to all God’s people everywhere:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” 1 Peter 2:9

Missionaries in the Old Covenant
While Israel as a whole generally failed to fulfill this missionary calling she did produce some exceptional missionaries, including: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Esther, Jonah and many others. More than this, through Israel, God spoke. He spoke through the prophets, He spoke through Israel’s history and, ultimately, He spoke in and through His Son - Jesus the Messiah.
Through Israel, God’s royal priesthood, the world has received the Bible, which is God’s Word, and Jesus Christ, who is God’s Son. “May Your ways be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations... May all the peoples praise You… all the ends of the earth will fear Him.” Psalm 67

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
021-689-4480
mission@frontline.org.za
www.FrontlineMissionSA.org
www.ReformationSA.org
www.LivingstoneFellowship.co.za

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