A Test

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:1-4 NRSV)

Curious, I did a bit of research to find out how long before wood begins to burn. I found out that it’s between 5 and 15 minutes. I’m guessing then that it must’ve taken Moses from 5 to 15 minutes before he realized that this bush was no ordinary bush.

We are not privy to the type of bush, it may have been dry since “Horeb” means “dry place” and according to Exodus 17:6, that’s where Moses hit the rock to get water. So, it could have been that it wasn’t unusual, in this area, to see bushes burning. It’s clear that this one was strange though, as the fire was not consuming it.

Moses was probably looking at this oddity for quite a while before he realized that even though it was ablaze this dry bush wasn’t burning up. And he literally “turned aside” to take a closer look.

Oftentimes God will use the most curious of situations to test our readiness for an assignment.

I recall that someone near and dear to me had to jump in her car and drive to a particular location at the same time every day for weeks; it was a test of her obedience. Will you be obedient even though everyone thinks you’re crazy?

I am sure that some of you can relate.

And that’s how it was with Moses, as miraculous as this was, it was also a test.

Could God use Moses for the assignment at hand? An assignment that would require Moses to look closely at things, to pay attention to detail, to follow God's instructions to the letter.

Did you notice that it was only when Moses decided to take a closer look, that God called out to him?

What might have been the outcome had Moses not gone in for a closer look? Suppose Moses had the attention span of a puppy, about to head towards this burning bush, hear a sheep bleat and immediately turn away, running off in the direction of the sheep, distracted?

Like a puppy, we are sometimes so distracted that we miss the opportunity to be used by God. We start off paying attention to what is before us, then get distracted by this and that and fail the test.

Of course, there is much more to this burning bush curiosity that we can delve into but meditate on this aspect of it for now, remembering, as you go along your way, to pay attention to the unusual for it just might be God showing up in the middle of your test.

Amen!

Shelley Johnson "A Test" © January 18, 2025

 

A Necessary Disruption

 “Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants.” – Matthew 21:12 (MSG)

How does that prayer go?

“Gentle Jesus meek and mild…”

Certainly not in this instance. Jesus was not making any skylark with those who had transformed His house, “designated a house of prayer for the nations, into a hangout for thieves” (v 13)

With this act, Jesus had interrupted the normal course of things.

If you think about everything that Jesus did, you would realize that He was inherently disruptive but all for good reason. His disruption was a necessary disruption to bring about a necessary change.

Jesus had come to announce a counter-cultural way of life. His words and actions were disruptive to the status quo. He opposed the scribes for their misinterpretation of Scripture, adding their own manmade traditions to it thereby nullifying God’s Word (Mark 7:13). He questioned the practitioners of the Law and exposed them for their lack of truly understanding the Law (Luke 15:45-52). He rebelled against the Pharisees, vehemently criticized and rebuked them for their hypocrisy, selfishness and greed (Matthew 23:1-39). Jesus disrupted the religious hierarchy of the day.

Today, we as Christians, feel that Christianity is all about being meek and mild, stepping lightly around hard topics, and not showing any sort of force.

Christianity and Christians are supposed to disturb the norm. Our words and actions, like Christ’s, should disrupt the world.

What we do and say is supposed to be impacting those around us in such a way as to bring about change so positive, that it disturbs their psyche and everything they thought they knew.

We can either be passive observers or actively participate in this Christ-like disruption.

Jesus did not allow things to continue as they always were, and if we claim to be His followers, neither can we.

The disruption, even if it makes the “this-is-how-we-have-always-done-it” posse uneasy, is necessary!

How could you, claiming to be an authentic follower of Christ, leave the norm to continue in its dysfunction, knowing full well that it’s resulting in thievery of all forms because you don’t want to step on anyone’s toes or have a confrontation with the elders?

There must be a necessary disruption!

How long will you simply look on? Isn’t it time for you to stop being a bystander and start being a table over-turner?

Okay, yes, I agree that change can be difficult, so we avoid it, fight it and rail against it. We don’t want to get out of our comfort zones, we don’t want to be displaced, we don't want to kick over tables, we prefer not to have to be discommoded in any way. Change can be uncomfortable and takes effort, so we opt to leave things as is, how it’s always been, because that requires no effort whatsoever and things remain the same, bringing no positive results, no growth, no forward movement, no new mindset, only stagnation.

Beloved, Jesus did not allow things to remain the same. That’s not why He came. He did not say, “Oh that’s how it’s always been? Okay, well come on you twelve, let’s move on to Sidon” No, Jesus left nothing unturned; He even made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the Temple, animals included (see John 2:15). Jesus was disruptive. His disruption was necessary, it has been to our benefit. Let us follow His lead, but not the whip part, we’d be arrested.

There’s got to be a necessary disruption!

Shelley Johnson "A Necessary Disruption" © January 18, 2025

Real Good News

When last have you received real good news?

When that long-awaited promotion at work finally came through, good news.

When, after years of trying, the doctor says, “You’re pregnant”, good news.

When the office bully gets transferred to some obscure branch far from civilization, good news.

When your filthy rich great uncle who was kind to you passes away, bad news; then you get a call saying he left everything for you, that is good news.

Apostle Paul was commissioned to go into the Gentile world to announce better news than all that, he had real Good News to share.

“For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), a teacher of the gentiles in faith and truth.” 1 Timothy 2:7

What was this news and what qualified it as real good?

Surely this news, being this good, would have already been known? But in those days and even now, many people had not heard of news so good that it is life transforming.

Something wonderful had happened and people were invited to be a part of this different way of life. This real good news would create a new and radical change in anyone’s situation. Apostle Paul was announcing that something had happened that resulted in the world and in particular, your world becoming a different place.

Paul was appointed to offer real good news about a God who was alive and active, a God who wanted to be in relationship with man. A God who, because of His love for all of mankind, Himself became a man, so that all mankind can know Him intimately.

Paul had first-hand experience, not that he had known Jesus when He was on earth but had surely experienced Jesus on the road to Damascus. It was an encounter that altered Paul’s, then Saul's, life forever. The light literally went on in Paul’s life and everything made sense, and after his transformation, he became eager and energized to share this real good news.

The real good news of Jesus Christ empowers us and enlivens us. It creates a whole new reality because we now see things in a different light. A light which brings things, once blurred, into focus. In the light of this real good news everything else is seen in a new way.

Jesus Himself put it this way, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Jesus was talking about a reality of heaven right here on earth, life eternal (John 10:10), not to be confused with life in eternity. Jesus came so that we may experience eternal life, a slice of heaven, provided that we believe. And this life, in all its fullness, is not just for a select few but for whomsoever will believe.

It is a little scary when you first encounter Jesus present in your space, with you, personally, and realize that His sacrifice for you was real and you now understand that the Kingdom of God has come upon you (Matthew 12:28) in a tangible way.

Accepting Jesus and all that's been made possible by and through Him, makes us more in harmony with all of creation, and as we step into this new reality, the process of transformation begins by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) and that’s when we are in the world but not of the world (John 17:14-16). Set apart, separated, with the ability to draw from heaven’s reality, to partake of something far beyond the world’s façade.

Now that is Real Good News!

Shelley Johnson "Real Good News" ©January 15, 2025

 

The Big Stick Approach

 “You young people!!!” was how the preacher started her sermon, shouting in decibels not easily measured, she glared at the youngsters in the congregation at the Youth Service.

It was at that point I believe the young people stopped listening. I looked first at my two teenaged children seated next to me, they certainly had, as I’m sure did the others who were scattered throughout the church.

How to lose your members in 3 seconds or less should have been the title of her sermon.  She continued her onslaught. Condemning, chastising, blaming, as far as she was concerned there was no such thing as innocent until proven guilty. In her eyes, every one of these teens and pre-teens were all guilty of all the “crimes” she was accusing them of.

“Sinners!!!” she screamed, stressing unnecessarily on the second n and the last s.

“We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), including you up there behind the pulpit” I was so tempted to scream that back at her.

Trying to frighten people into salvation is never a good idea. The Word of God clearly states that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The big stick approach will always make people feel utterly condemned and outside the reach of Jesus Christ and what He purposed on the cross. The big stick approach makes people feel that there is no point in salvation since they can’t achieve the unattainable high standards that these preachers claim that God expects.

Preachers who insist on portraying God as an angry, unforgiving, unreachable, abusive, unloving father who you dare not approach are practicing fear-mongering theology. They are not showing us God’s true nature; a loving, caring, forgiving God, full of grace and mercy.

Brandishing their religious big sticks, these fear-mongers distort the Gospel by their continuous perpetuation of this false narrative, not only in their sermons but sometimes in the way they treat others. And sadly, this type of approach is not unique to the clergy but infiltrates the laity as well.

I truly believe that the words and actions of some in church, have caused many people to stay away from church, leave the church, hate anything to do with church, and worst of all, be weary of God as they misunderstand Him and His Word. To these people the Good News is not good.

Beloved, your life does not have to be un-messy for you to qualify for God’s salvation, for it is “while we were still sinners” that Jesus sacrificed His life for you. God meets you where you are and as you are. God has declared a presumption of innocence over you. He has already made you innocent through His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. God is able and willing to make you free!

Amen!

Shelley Johnson "The Big Stick Approach" © January 16, 2025

 

Spiritual Warfare

 

What comes to your mind when you hear the words, spiritual warfare?

Perhaps you think of people gathered together binding the devil? A preacher casting out demons from a frenzied congregation? A group of believers with their hands reaching upwards and pulling down strongholds? What do you picture?

Spiritual battles are real but spiritual warfare has been made to look like some kind of a pappy show because there are so many persons going overboard with gimmicks and antics, and teaching things regarding spiritual warfare that are not scriptural.

Spiritual warfare is a topic that requires much more time and study than this platform allows. All I can do this morning is give you food for thought. I will just barely scratch the surface as I briefly talk about how living a submitted life, having a pure conscience and the fullness of Spirit is connected to good warfare, according to first Timothy one eighteen.

I pray that we will all delve deeper for ourselves.

Spiritual warfare can present itself in many different forms. The devil is a very strategic and conniving being. He studies his prey, and he knows exactly which buttons to push, when to pounce, what thoughts to place in our minds…what to suggest, what will provoke…

It is a war and like all other warmongers, he studies his enemy.

But there is really great news…in one word and one name…Jesus…the heart of spiritual warfare.

The warfare of the New Testament is not like that of the Old Testament…we are under a new dispensation, we are not the aggressors, it is the devil who is roaming around like a roaring lion and seeking whom he may devour. In this battle we must have a pure conscience and a clear mind; remain sober and vigilant.

We are soldiers in hostile territory, and with Jesus we are more than conquerors. Our warfare is about helping to rescue the perishing. That is our mission. The devil’s goal is to side-track and distract us from the work we have been called to do.

You see, as it is written in 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NRSV),

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

We need to remain focused, steadfast in our resolve to ensure that the blind see the light of the Gospel, ignoring the taunts of our opponent.

Jesus taught us, “Thy will be done” We are tasked to do God’s will but in order for us to do that, our will must be in line with the Father’s…how do we achieve that?

Complete submission…living a submitted life.

It’s all too easy to bandy about halfway memorized Bible verses without truly understanding their meaning and the power the words hold; we tell people, “resist the devil and he will flee from you” okay but some things are missing, crucial parts have been left out…

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." – James 4:7-8

See the difference?

In those two verses, James has covered two of the things I want to touch on. It is time for us to think outside the box we’ve become accustomed to…

In Ephesians chapter six, verses 10 to 18, Apostle Paul outlines exactly what we need to conduct spiritual warfare.

I want us to keep in mind that even though the battle is not ours but the Lord’s, we get caught in the middle. So, we must be appropriately dressed.

Out of the six components Paul lists, five are defensive and meant to protect us; here are the three that apply to today’s devotion.

1. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. – Ephesians 6:10
   
   
2. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God – Ephesians 6:17; can’t have the helmet without that sword.
   
   
3. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. – Ephesians 6:18

What is Apostle Paul telling us? Warfare is about having a strong defense…without a strong defense our offense will be worthless.

We are to submit to God, resist the devil, be watchful and spiritually alert. (1 Peter 5:8) This is a defensive tactic.

First and foremost, surrendering to God’s will is fundamental to waging good warfare.

I’d like you to understand that at the time that Paul was writing this letter to the Ephesians, he was in gaol, observing the Roman soldiers’ physical armour, he used it as an analogy for spiritual armour.

That helmet is not just for our heads but our hearts too.

And the sword, which is the Word of God is a two in one weapon, used both defensively and offensively. Who is the Word of God?

Just by virtue of being in Christ, we are protected from the wiles of the devil.

The Gospel is the heart of our spiritual warfare; it is the power of God unto salvation.

Our ultimate goal is to win as many as we could to Christ and in so doing defeat the devil’s kingdom.

Prayer is the binding agent that holds the armour together but not just any sort of praying.

Ephesians 6:18 clearly specifies that we are to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. It’s in the fullness of Spirit. A very significant weapon in our arsenal.

These are not self-centred, religious, long-winded, empty prayers. These are prayers rooted in Spirit, passionate, heartfelt, fervent, earnest, and full of meaning; a crying out to God in desperation not caring about what anyone thinks or how it will look. This is prayer that cannot be taught. It’s from our heart to God’s heart.

Pray and keep on praying to the Lord of the harvest…God-centred prayers; praying for our mouths to be opened boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel, to see the lost come to Christ; praying for those who are serving God and building His Kingdom, for leaders to be saved, for the freedom to share the Gospel, and praying for each other to move as a single unit and not individual soldiers in this war.

The devil will still attack; the trials will still be grievous, but they will not succeed because the truth is…

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Amen.

 

Shelley Johnson "Spiritual Warfare" © 21/3/2023

 

The Good Samaritan

Who does not know the story that’s entitled “The Good Samaritan” found in Luke 10:29-37? Okay, here’s a refresher...

A guy, heading from Jerusalem to Jericho, is robbed, stripped naked, beaten badly and more or less left on the side of the road to die. First a priest then a Levite, come walking up the road but upon seeing the half dead man laying there, both do the same thing at different times; they cross over to the other side of the road and pass the guy straight. Imagine that. Then, a Samaritan, who by the way, Jews despised, on his way to somewhere, sees the poor guy and immediately makes a detour. He bandaged the guy’s wounds, poured oil and wine, put him on his donkey, took him to an inn, took care of him overnight, yes, overnight; then next morning because he probably already missed the first day of his conference, had to leave, so he paid the innkeeper to continue to take care of this Jewish stranger…the guy was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, so we can confidently deduce that he was Jewish…until his return.

Okay, good, that is the story in a nutshell. This, one of Jesus’ parables, is meant to teach us a lesson.

Now, I know that when we read or hear a sermon on this Samaritan, we are often told that we should be good like the Samaritan, showing mercy and compassion to others, and not be like the priest and the Levite who did not.

But, like the priest and the Levite, everyone just bypasses the guy. All of us, including preacher, pastor and Bible Study teacher, leave him on the side of the road. We completely ignore him. After reading the passage we do not mention the guy ever again, we only focus on the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan and sometimes the innkeeper gets a bit part but never the guy. And you know what I think, out of all the characters in this parable, it is the guy with whom we should all be identifying.

Yes, that wounded, beaten, side-stepped, ignored guy is you and me. Oftentimes we find ourselves in such a messy situation, downtrodden and broken that even when we try to get back on our feet, we feel so beaten up that we just cannot seem to stand. We simply cannot do anything for ourselves and the persons we think we can depend on, upon seeing our state, just keep on walking. They prefer not to get involved; they want no part of you when you are down. But not Jesus. He attends to all our needs. He bandages our wounds and takes good care of us. Jesus is the Good Samaritan. He picks us up and takes us into that place where we can feel safe, heal and re-gain our strength.

We have to trust Him and not rely on our own efforts. We have to trust Him and not place so much dependence on others. We have to trust that when we are attacked, Jesus will show up.

Beloved, no matter what, Jesus will not pass you by.

Amen

Shelley Johnson “The Good Samaritan” © January 13, 2025

Made in the Image and Likeness of God: Food for Thought

In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,” (NIV)

Have you ever thought of what that really means? God’s image and likeness…what is that? How does that look?

From all accounts, God isn’t constrained within a body like we are. In John 4:24 we read, “God is spirit”, and Deuteronomy chapter 4, verses 12 and 15 tell us that God has no form. If God is “formless”, then Genesis 1:26 is not speaking about the physical characteristics as we know them. So, it’s possible that it has nothing to do with the tangible image and likeness of a body with its head, arms and legs but goes much deeper than what we see on the surface.

After God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, He then breathed living Breath, Neshamah - spirit (see Genesis 2:7), into Adam. Was Adam birthed a spiritual being in a physical realm?

In Genesis 3:7 we read, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked” (NIV)

Hmm, they, Adam and Eve, mankind, became aware of their physical attributes. They saw themselves; each other and their own self. Mankind noticed their embodiment, they became self-conscious.

What changed, not just outwardly but inwardly, for us to become aware of what we look like? What caused mankind to shift his focus from God to self?  From a completely spiritual existence to a physical reality?

Before sin made its way into the Garden, mankind was unaware of “self”. Adam and Eve weren’t self-centred, self-ish, self-reliant, or self-conscious. The tangible qualities of “self” did not factor into their lives until the snake slithered into the Garden.

Our progenitors, in their formless state, were nothing in their own eyes before consciousness of the “self” entered. After that, Adam and Eve lost the ability of their unawareness. They were no longer in the likeness of God, no longer able to communicate with the animals that Adam had named, no longer able to understand the language of the cosmos…they lost the image and the likeness, for themselves and for all mankind.

Now corrupted, they were stripped of their spirituality and made aware of their vulnerability.

In this new state of being, this state of self-consciousness, they would never be able to survive in the divine supernatural atmosphere of Eden. So, out you go!

But God had a plan for His creation and so, there was, and is hope for us but only if we are willing to participate in this plan. It will take some hard work on our part. It won’t be easy, but it will be rewarding.

We need to become unaware of ourselves.

Jesus put it this way,

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25)

Deny your “self”. Lose your “self”. Lose your way of life, and embrace Jesus’ way of life and you will find the Life that God intended for you to have.

To regain the image and likeness that was lost, you must deny your “self”, then immediately thereafter, take up your cross. In other words, denying the “self” is a daily, constant, continuous sacrificial crucifixion of the “self”.

We have to become utterly unaware, disembodied, so to speak. We have to recognize that we are nothing, not in a negative sense but utterly unconscious of our “selfs” in order that we may properly follow Him.

Are you ready to experience a taste of Eden – a state of simply being nothing, without the burden of the attachment of “self”, to be re-made in the image and likeness of God?

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Made in the Image and Likeness of God: Food for Thought” © January 12, 2025