Foundations F17 follow-up Bible School 1 Preparation
A People Prepared for the Lord
Part 1
Preparing – for what?
Ever had the experience of anticipating a difficult situation or conversation that you have to face, and going over it over and over again in your mind, thinking what you’re going to say, what they might say, how you will answer that, etc., etc.? And then, when it happens, it’s nothing like what you expected and all your preparation amounted to was a sleepless night or two? I wondered how much time we spend preparing for the wrong things!
Several times recently, I have heard people say that we ought to read books like Foxes Book of Martyrs, and stories from the persecuted church, etc. in order to prepare ourselves for persecution. And while we should study the faith of these saints, as Heb. 13:7 says: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”, your experience of persecution will be different to theirs – in fact, it will be tailor-made for your situation, so studying how others were persecuted may not be helpful – in fact it may induce fear. However, studying their faithfulness and response, can be very encouraging! The writer goes on to tell us what the outcome of their faith was: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” v. 8. Or consider Peter’s response to Jesus indication of his future death – he points to John and asks Jesus: “And what shall this man do?” Jesus reply is so relevant: “What it that to thee? Follow thou me” (John 21:22)
I want to expand the topic beyond preparing for persecution, as our general preparation as disciples is an essential part of preparation for persecution! David Andrew was obviously thinking along similar lines to me, as for me the standout thought at F17 as expressed by him was: The worst preparation for persecution is to think about persecution! We need to keep our focus on Jesus and things above.
What else should we be preparing for?
Suggestions from the group:
Ourselves
For the next life
Sanctification
Storing the Word
The devil’s wiles
Isolation or being underground as church
Financial meltdown
To give an answer
Make disciples
To make a stand
For meeting our Bridegroom
To help others
Other possibilities:
The war with our flesh 1 Pet. 4:1
The war with the enemy 1 Pet. 5:8-9
Discipline Heb. 12:7
Testing of our faith James 1:2-5
Delayed fulfilment of God’s promises Rom. 4:20; Heb. 11:13-16, 24-27
Persecution and opposition Heb. 10:32-34; 2 Tim. 2:8-12
Rejection and betrayal Heb. 12:3
False teaching in the church Rev. 2:2-4)
Boards from F17
- Is the current church in the UK a persecuted church?
- How can we see persecution coming to the UK church
- What can we do personally to equip ourselves to cope with persecution?
- What can the UK church do to equip itself to deal with Persecution?
- What can Foundations do to equip itself to deal with Persecution?
Studying the responses, there were a number of themes that came up across the boards:
More time with God
Know the Word
Listening to the Holy Spirit
Learning from history
Learning from trials/experiences
No pre-occupation with pleasure
Better discipleship
Relationships not buildings
Know who your real friends are
Chris Hill picks up a number of these themes in his “commissioning” message for the F17 delegates – remarkable when you consider that he wasn’t able to be there so was quite unaware as to what would come up (as were the rest of the organisers!). I hope that you’ve listened to it already, so I just want to pick out one or two main points.
He turned to Paul’s experience when he went to Corinth – a situation as challenging as what we face today and in many respects so similar – hedonism, sexual perversion of all kinds, individualism, tribalism. Chris asked “What was it that worked so well in Corinth?” (I ask – did Paul start social movements, organise protest rallies, present petitions to the authorities?) He preached the Gospel – Christ and Him crucified.
Chris points out that Jesus is Lord, and is in complete control of events (including when, where and how we are persecuted – so He is not taken by surprise by any of it!) and that should give us such confidence in Him:
“We can’t be afraid when we have such a massive revelation of the glory and power of the Lord Jesus. We might be apprehensive of course. We, none of us, like to face difficult times but we need not be afraid. Why not? Because our fear of God is greater than our fear of man.”
After summarising the Gospel in 10 points (that you can memorise in 15 minutes and be ready to share with anyone who asks you), he concluded with the thought:
“Now this wonderful gospel is the secret of victory in our conflict with the world, in our conflict with the flesh, and in our conflict with the devil. It was this wonderful gospel that transformed people in Jerusalem. It was the self-same gospel that transformed the people of Corinth. Now that gospel has not changed and it never will change because no other gospel can meet the need of the world. Our gospel can; our gospel does!”
So preparation
Luke 1:17 Make ready (prepare 1) a people prepared (2) for the Lord
We’ll look at the words for prepare in a minute, but first, suggestions as to what that meant in John the Baptist’ ministry READ Luke 3:2-18 – suggestions from the group
Not comfortable – camel hair! But not a comfortable message to give
Preparing people for Yeshua’s requirements
Repentance shown in actions
To be generous – dying to self
Humility
Pointing to Christ
Get the attention of the crowds!
Let’s take closer look at the two words for prepare in this verse
- Word 1 hetoimazo Strongs G2090 is about internal fitness
- Call to the people to ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’ i.e. to sort themselves out in repentance and right living in readiness for the coming of the King (Matt. 3:3
- The Lord is also preparing for His people– He went back to heaven tio prepare a place for us, but Her first went to the Cross to prepare is for the place! salvation (Luke 2:31); a kingdom (Matt. 25:34); rewards (Mark 10:40); a place to dwell for ever (John 14:2-3); things beyond our comprehension (1 Cor. 2:9); a city (Heb. 11:16)
- He has also prepared a place for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41)
- But we are to prepare ourselves (2 Tim. 2:21; Rev. 19:7; culminating in Rev. 21:2)
- 1 Pet. 3:15 always be ready to give an answer G2090 + before = foreordained (here and Rom. 9:23 prepared for glory)
- Eph. 2:10 Good works that the Lord has prepared beforehand
- Ready for every good work Titus 3:1 G2092 fitness, adjusted, that is, ready, prepared
- As our salvation is ready to be revealed in the last time 1 Pet. 1:5
- Ready for the Lord’s return – expect the unexpected! Luke 12:40
In each instance, our need for preparation is couched in terms of the future – the Lord’s return and all that that implies, e.g. the judgment seat of Christ and a review of our works
- Word 2 kataskeuazo Strongs G2680 to prepare thoroughly by external equipping
- John the Baptist’s ministry (Mark 1:2; Matt. 11:10) –a people
- The preparation of the Tabernacle (Heb. 3:3; 9:2,6) – a place of worship
- Noah building the ark (Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20) –a place of safety
God honours our preparation and delights in our obedience! Jesus followed John, the Shekinah glory followed the completion of the Tabernacle, and salvation in a time of judgement followed completion of the Ark – God said “come into the ark”!
The time to prepare is now and it’s running out!
Prepare for what?
- Death?
- Life? John 10:10 – look at Paul’s abundant life!
- 1 Cor. 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
- Rom. 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
- Acts 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
- 2 Cor. 11:23-28 (Speaking of those who were trying to lead the Corinthians away from Paul) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
- What is the goal of our Christian life? To be like Jesus Rom. 8:29. (Heb. 2:10). In a word, Discipleship. Community – takes a village to raise a child; takes a community to disciple a Christian
- To meet our Bridegroom! Loving His Appearing 2 Tim 4; Looking for Him Heb. 9, The Blessed Hope Titus 2 purifying hope I John 3:3.
This is getting better and better! Things can only get better? Deceptions abound. Is the church sleepwalking into what’s coming? Boiling a frog
- Persecution?
We have been warned! 2 Tim. 3:1 Perilous times will come – are they here now?
Progress of persecution:
- Mockery of beliefs
- Then ridicule of those holding them
- Then attacks on those beliefs
- Then segregation of ideas and pushing the ‘non standard’ beliefs to the margins
- Then exclusion of those holding those beliefs from places of influence, e.g. teachers, government
- Then segregation of all those holding those beliefs
- Then banning of those beliefs
- Finally, persecution
Circles of persecution
In Luke 21:12-19 Patrick identified 6 circles of persecution. We may not know in what way we will be persecuted, but we should be alert to its sources!
- The world
- Secular authorities
- The religious establishment
- Our community
- Our friends
- Our family
He said it was “essential that we understand the times” (not the chronology but to have discernment – our topic for 2 weeks’ time). “We have to transcend the material and physical, as we have bought into a secular humanistic culture which has made God unnecessary.”
All the above is essential to the spiritual battle we are in – We are “Born for battle”, to borrow Arthur Matthews book title, so we had better be prepared!
- They that will live godly shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 3:12 – see the editorial from David Andrew in the latest issue of Sword (Jul/Aug 2022)
- Remember that persecution is always aimed at Jesus (by hell’s forces) Acts 9:4
- Jesus identifies Himself with us in our persecution John 16:20; 17:14-16
- But He also identifies us with Him in His victory! “In this world, you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” John 16:33. As Paul says in Rom. 8:37 and 1 Cor. 15:57
- We are not of this world John 17:14-18 – sent forth as sheep amongst wolves – for the sake of the wolves!
We are privileged to live through the dying days of western culture, and may yet be sacrificed on the altars of the gods of this age, like millions of the unborn have been, in a vain attempt to delay the inevitable decline into chaos.
But there’s a glorious hope set before us – the return of our Lord Jesus, our being caught up to be with Him forever, and the establishment of His Kingdom on the earth with all that that entails for the restoration of Creation and the glory of God! Rom. 8:16-23
Let’s keep our eyes focused on the One, “Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the Father!” And that’s the secret of our preparation.
Next week – Spiritual Gifts as tactical weapons in our spiritual warfare (Be being filled with the Spirit – OT experience of the Spirit or NT experience?) Read Rom. 12:3-16 & 1 Pet.4:9-11 – somewhat neglected Scriptures regarding Spiritual Gifts as they focus on how they are to be used, rather than what they are, and what sort of people we are to be.
Then week 3, focussing on Discernment as a spiritual discipline, not a gift of the Spirit as such, but the application of several of them
Finally week 4, discerning the times – not the ‘what’ but the ‘why’ and the ‘how’
Additionally week 5, discerning the Ekklesia – how we can find, and be, the church that the Lord Jesus is building
