⁸ The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.⁹ Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” ¹⁰ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. ¹² When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. ¹³ So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. (Exodus 17:8-13 NIV 84)

On the ground the Amalekites are lifting up their hands against God in battle. By striking out against God’s people it is as if they are assaulting God himself. But up on the hill Moses hands are lifted out to Yahweh in an appeal to His throne.

Imagine the picture – when Moses hands drop from fatigue the Amalekites gain the upper hand; so Hur and Aaron come to Moses’ assistance. When Moses holds the staff high it is a symbolic act. In the Egyptian army the divisions were named for various gods and the standards or banners would identify the army division through a representation of their god. Moses was raised as a prince in Egypt and would have been familiar with the organisation of the armed forces so it is likely that in this battle Moses staff acts as God’s battle standard. A sign that the Israelites are appealing to Yahweh for help and strength; a sign that Yahweh is above this world.

In Exodus the staff is prominent in all the great redemptive acts of God:

• the ten plagues
• the crossing of the red sea
• the water from the rock
• and now in battle;

it is the symbol of God’s authority.

Where is the battle won? On the mountain! In the acknowledgement that God has the power and authority and that is exactly what prayer is about; remember the Lord’s prayer?

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

(Mattthew 6:9-13 NIV 84)

In this prayer Jesus teaches us to acknowledge God’s authority as: Father, Ruler, Provider, Saviour and Deliverer. The visual symbol of God’s authority raised high over the battlefield enabled Joshua and his men to win a great victory. As we express God’s authority over every aspect of our lives through prayer we too will be able to stand firm (Ephesians 6:11, 13, and 14)

It is when we forget God’s authority over our work, our families, our friends, our health, our financial affairs, and our nation, that we run into trouble. In prayer we lift up the authority of God over all these things and more besides. What a reminder to us to pray!

Christians in the UK face an increasingly hostile culture which sets itself against the supreme authority of Jesus Christ’s claims. Our response should be that of the Apostle Paul:

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

In other words the offensive strategy of the Christian is to persuade others of the truthfulness of Jesus’ words and the trustworthiness of the gospel message. We will certainly need to lift up God’s authority over this nation in prayer as we engage with those who aggressively lift up their hands against Jesus.

I find it very reassuring that the Lord has had His hand on my appointment. Over the last four years I have been prepared for this role through my training at Cornhill and experience of writing pastoral answers to Word@Work readers questions.

I will be continuing as Assistant Minister of Banstead Baptist Church and Publishing Director for BeaconLight.

We pray for the War-torn peoples of Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.

Almighty God, full of compassion & love:
There are many, this Christmas time, for whom Joy and Peace seem an impossible dream, because their nations have been ripped apart by violence, hatred and aggression.

We hear of wars and rumours of wars: where peace is pushed aside in the pursuit of power.

We remember those who are now refugees,
the wounded;
the orphaned,
the bereaved,
those experiencing hunger and poverty;
and all who are now suffering as a direct result of war.

We lift them to you and pray that in your mercy you would protect the victims of war from bitterness and hatred. Instead we ask that they will learn how to forgive through Jesus Christ your Son.

Sovereign Lord; you reign at the Father’s right hand. You have been given the name above every name and the rulers of the nations are in Your Hands:

We pray for peace in Iraq & Afghanistan, between North & South Korea and in Africa – especially Somalia and Sudan which have been much in our news.

In your grace please bring good government, an end to hostilities, and a desire for peace in these lands.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will convict the consciences of men and women who commit acts of violence and lead them to repentance.

Open the way for medical aid to reach the casualties, for supplies to be given to the hungry and for gospel workers to bring the good news of Jesus Christ.

Father God; We thank you that you sent your son Jesus Christ into this world to bring all men to peace with you.
We now pray for our servicemen and women who dedicate their lives to work for peace, freedom and justice.

Merciful God; We ask that you will sustain those in active service and their families at this time when husbands are separated from their Wives and children from their parents – far away in distant lands.

May they know your love and peace this Christmas.

We thank you for those who in death have given themselves for others, following the pattern of Your Son –
the Lord Jesus Christ.

In His name we pray. Amen.

You can read the full report at the following location: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11711228

Gwendolen. [Sitting down again.] Ernest never mentioned to me that he had a brother.

Cecily. I am sorry to say they have not been on good terms for a long time.

Gwendolen. Ah! that accounts for it. And now that I think of it I have never heard any man mention his brother. The subject seems distasteful to most men.

It was on the Mountains of Ararat that Noah’s ark came to rest after the Flood (see Genesis 8:4). God made a covenant with Noah there.

On one of the mountains in the region of Moriah God asked Abraham to make a sacrifice of his only son Isaac and God provided the Ram as a substitute (see Gen 22:2). Later Solomon would build the temple on Mount Moriah – the place where substitutionary sacrifices would be offered until Jesus came.  See 2 Chronicles 3:1.

On Mount Sinai (also known as Mt. Horeb) God revealed His character to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 19:16-20:12).

On Mt. Carmel Elijah challenged the false prophets of Baal to a contest to see which God would answer by fire. Of course it was the Lord who demonstrated His power that day (see 1 Kings 18). And after the great contest when Elijah ran for his life he travelled to Mt. Horeb and God met with him there in the “still small voice” (KJV) or “gentle whisper” (NIV) see 1 Kings 19.

Jesus taught His disciples on the Mount of Olives (see Matthew 24:3) and He was transfigured on a Mountain (see Mark 9:2). It shouldn’t surprise us that Moses & Elijah (who both had their own MTEs) were seen talking with Jesus on that Mountain.

And of course there is Mount Zion – the place where King David built his city (later called Jerusalem). Where God is said to dwell (Isaiah 8:18). Mt Zion figuratively points forward to the new heaven and new earth where all true believers will one day be welcomed into God’s dwelling place forever. See Hebrews 12:22 and Revelation 14:1.

So Mountains are symbolic of God’s revelation to man. God gives the “mountain-top experience” in order to sustain His people as they go down into the valley! His revelation is always intended to help us journey with Him more closely on the road ahead. For Moses that journey was to lead God’s people to the promised land. For Elijah it was to confront wickedness in the land and appoint the next prophet. For Jesus it was the journey to the cross. And for us it is a journey from the cross to the new Jerusalem. May every revelation of God spur us on our way.

If you’ve ever wondered what the bible says about these questions then look below!

Who is Christ?
Christ means anointed one – (it is the Greek word with the same meaning as Messiah). The New Testament reveals that Jesus is the Christ as it says in Acts 2:36 God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Jesus was “anointed” for the specific purpose of dying for the sins of the world in order that we might be able to have a restored relationship with God.

What or Who is God?
The Bible says God is the creator and ruler of the world (see Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.), The Bible says He is gracious, compassionate, patient, loving, faithful but that He also punishes sin (see Exodus 34:6-7).

God is trinity – one God in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit (see Galatians 4:6 God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^ Father”).

We learn from the Bible that God seeks to enter into relationship with all people through Jesus Christ (see John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life).

Why do we need Jesus between us and God?
We need Jesus because without him we are enemies of God.  The Bible says God is angry with us for our rebellion (see John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him).  But Jesus turns aside God’s anger at us by taking the punishment for our sins in our place. See 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;

It is only through Jesus that God can be at peace with us (see 2 Corinthians 5:19 God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them)

What is salvation?
Salvation means being forgiven by God and reconciled to Him.  We can be saved from God’s righteous anger against our sinfulness through Jesus (see Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ^5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.)

So the salvation of God through Jesus saves us from God’s anger and eternal punishment of us for our sins and enables us to be made new.

In John’s gospel we learn that that Jesus himself baptised people (Jn 3:22), His disciples baptised people (Jn 4:2) and in Matthew’s gospel we read Jesus’ instructions to His disciples to continue to baptise those who have repented and trusted in Jesus (Mt 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (NIV)).

The apostle Peter treated Baptism as the outward sign of the inward act of repentance (see Acts 2:38-41: ^38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ^39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ^40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ^41 Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (NIV)

However Baptism does not have power to save – it just makes the believer wet!  But Baptism does represent what has happened in the believers heart & spirit – they have died to their old way of life (represented by going under the water) and they have been raised to new life as God’s Holy Spirit has come into them by faith in Christ (symbolised by the baptised person being raised out of the water again!).

Often, as people are obedient to Jesus words to “be baptised”, they find a deeper, richer confidence in their new life with Christ that simply wasn’t there before. That is a natural result of obeying the Lord!

Thank you for the joy of Christmas morning,

The excitement of the children,

The early presents we’ve already opened

Friends and family with us

A time of love

A time to celebrate the love you’ve shown us by giving us Jesus!

So we thank you that we can come to church this morning and think about your love.

The love that made Jesus leave Heaven and come to earth;

To be born in a animals manger

            To be found by the shepherds

            To be worshipped by the wise men

Lord Jesus

You loved us so much you gave yourself to us.

You came and lived among us

You welcomed all who came to you with an open heart

So Lord Jesus we remember that today is all about you.

Because you came.

Father God

As we give and receive gifts please help us to be really thankful for all that you’ve given to us in this world.

            For our families and homes,

For our friends and our neighbours.

For all the good things we’ve been given.

We think about some of the people in the world who have so little and we know we are very blessed here.

Help us remember that every present we receive today is a sign of love.

When we are given things today please help us remember the greatest gift ever given.

Given because you loved us enough to pay for our sins

Given so that we could be made right with you and be with you in

            Heaven

Given because of your Great Love

Lord Jesus – please help us be thankful this morning and praise you for all you’ve given to us.

In Jesus’ Name.

Amen. 

The Fire at Waitrose Banstead Surrey

This last weekend Waitrose in Banstead went up in flames. The fire started at about 8.45pm on Friday night and was first noticed by a CCTV operator who notified the authorities. Staff and customers were quickly evacuated and there were no casualties.

Shortly after the Fire Service arrived, there was a large explosion and the windows at the front of the store were blown out. The force of this blast was felt a considerable distance away and was significant enough to shatter the windows of the shops on the opposite side of the High Street. The fire then spread quickly and was fanned by high winds. Fire-crews worked through Friday night and Saturday morning to extinguish the blaze but the store was described as a “Total Loss” by Assistant chief fire officer Peter Guest.

During Friday night Banstead Baptist Church was opened as an emergency evacuation centre as the risk of the fire spreading to homes near Waitrose put residents lives in danger. Some 60 to 80 local residents and a number of their dogs sought refuge in the church and were served with hot drinks and refreshments. Later the local authority set up emergency dormitories in the Day Centre in the Horseshoe and bussed over these residents.

The church remained open through Friday night and all day Saturday and was staffed by a team of volunteers who served the emergency services with hot drinks.

Cllr Mrs Joan Spiers, Leader of Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, said in a statement:

“I would like to thank the emergency services for their handling of the incident and Waitrose for the speedy evacuation of customers from their store.” “Special thanks must go to the volunteers from the Baptist Church who took such good care of the fire service, police and others assisting with the incident”

In the aftermath of the incident roads including the High Street itself were closed until 4.30pm Saturday so inevitably this has made a huge impact on the residents of Banstead. For many in the community there is a real sense of loss. Waitrose was a place where friends would meet each other shopping. For some elderly residents shopping at Waitrose had almost become a social event as check-out staff knew customers on a personal level.

And it is that sense of loss that we find so hard in our modern world. For those who had passed by or had actually been in store earlier that evening we are shocked that a few hours later it was destroyed. We like things to go on as they are. We hate to see the damaged ruin of a place we have fond memories of.

It will be sometime before the fire is investigated and the process of rebuilding can commence. In the meantime we should take stock and remember that the Bible describes a fire that is to come that will make this look like a small spark. 2 Peter 3:12  describes the Day of the Lord in the following terms: That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. (NIV)

As we consider the fire in Banstead this weekend we are grateful to God that there were no casualties and that everyone was accounted for. My heart’s desire is that all who we know and love will take refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ to save them from the fire to come.