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Pastors Pages
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Written by Rev Bert Weenink
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Thursday, 01 July 2010 10:09 |
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However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. (Acts 20:24)
On Tuesday the 13th of July at 6.30am, Maria and I will start our 6th four day walking event in Apeldoorn, Holland. From Tuesday to Friday we’ll be walking 25 miles each day and, as I am writing this, I am looking forward to it, but not without a measure of trepidation. Will I be ok? Will I be able to complete each day? Of the 4,000 people who start, walking 12, 18, 25 and 30 miles per day, I would expect about 300 not to finish. Will I be one of those? At this point I am quite to determined to last the pace, but I know that there will be difficult moments. The first day everyone starts with a lot of enthusiasm, but after the morning coffee break at around 10 mile, you get up and feel sore. After 20 miles you can feel your hips, knees, ankles or feet, if not all of those at the same time. After day 1 at around 4 in the afternoon you can see me in the local supermarket, leaning on my trolley, wondering how I will manage to do day 2 and 3 and 4!
All of this is a good picture of the Christian life. The apostle Paul compares following and serving the Lord with a race and his ultimate purpose was to finish that race. He knew that he would need to be fully committed in order to keep going until the end.
The theme of the book of Hebrews is perseverance as well. The recipients were believers who felt the Christian life hard going and some of them wanted to give up, but they were challenged not to:
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We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (2:1)
- We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. (3:14)
- We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (6:11,12)
- You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (10:36)
In the last chapter of Hebrews God shows us a number of things we need to persevere in:
When the author of Hebrews wrote 'Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees (12:12), it almost seems that he had some understanding of walkming 100 miles in 4 days. But I know that, compared to the challenges we face as Christians, the event in Holland is a stroll in the park!
I will give the last word to the inspired author of Hebrews: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily enthangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (12:1-3)
May God help us to run the race and finish it!
Pastor Bert
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Last Updated on Monday, 09 August 2010 16:27 |
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Written by Rev Bert Weenink
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Tuesday, 08 June 2010 15:46 |
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Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches." (Luke 13:18,19)
Most of you know that Maria and I enjoy walking. Over the last 2 years or so we have been ‘doing’ the Thames Valley Walk, which has rapidly become our favourite walk ever. The total distance is 184 miles and as we tend to use our car, park it, walk, turn around and walk back, we are doing double the distance! On a recent bank holiday we walked from Shiplake (near Reading) to Marlow (and back again), and we passed some delightful towns and villages such as Henley-on-Thames, where yearly Regatta is held at the beginning of July. It seems a long time ago since we stood at the source of the river near Cirencester. It is difficult to imagine that this glorious river has such a small beginning.
In the Bible we see regularly how God can make something great out of that which is small:
Take for example the man Abraham. He was childless and advanced in years and yet God told him "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Gen. 15:5)
Consider this prophetic word that came through Isaiah: The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly." (60:22)
Above you can read what Jesus said about the nature of the kingdom of God. It begins small, like a mustard seed, yet it grows in something large enough to host birds.
Think of what happened on the day of Pentecost, when a small group of 120 believers where filled with the Holy Spirit and saw 3,000 and then a few days later another 2,000 people come to Christ.
I find this so encouraging as we serve the Lord in these days when, on Sundays, the number of people at sports grounds and shopping centres far exceed those who are worshipping the Lord. We should be concerned about these things, but not downcast. We should not panic, but quietly persevere in our service of The Lord.
When the disciples were faced with a crowd of 5,000 they wondered how they could be fed. They said: Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (John 6:9)
Yet, in the hands of Jesus, the little they had was multiplied and, besides feeding the 5,000, they had 12 baskets left over!
Through His servant Zechariah, God challenged His people: "Who despises the day of small things?" We shouldn’t despise what God is doing today either and, at the same time, pray for growth and believe that our God can do greater things than we can think or imagine.
Yes, this may be a day of small things, but it is a day of potential. And even a day of small things is a day the Lord has made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Bert Weenink
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Last Updated on Thursday, 01 July 2010 10:08 |
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Sunday: The best day of the week |
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Written by Rev Bert Weenink
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Monday, 01 March 2010 18:38 |
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"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 58:13-14)
Just as the Saturday was (and still is) the special day for the Jews, so the Sunday has been the Christians’ special day ever since Jesus rose from the death on the first day of the week. Throughout church history Sunday has been the day when believers would come together to worship their Lord. It is also be right to say that throughout history the practice of meeting together has been under attack, as the enemy knows that there is such special power and blessing in the gathering of the people of God.
Today is a day when it seems to be increasingly difficult to get believers to be consistent in their church attendance. Family commitments, Sunday sport, the opening of shops and the pressure of jobs all contribute to this decline. To me, the worrying thing is, that these pressures are accompanied by a more relaxed and laidback attitude towards what believers should or shouldn’t do general, and on Sundays in particular.
Is going to church really that important? Does it make such a difference whether you are there or not? Listen to what God says.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 June 2010 15:55 |
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Let your light shine before men! |
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Written by Rev Bert Weenink
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Monday, 08 February 2010 10:11 |
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“…..so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.... (Philippians 2:14-16)
In seeking to be ‘green’, I recently replaced my outside electric light by solar panel lighting. It may be that I haven’t got the right sort of quality solar lighting, but I have been very disappointed in the quality. When it is dark, the only thing that this new light does is to spread a glimmer of light that looks cosy, without having any effect on its environment. The garden remains dark, the path can’t be seen, so for me it is back to the drawing board.
I wonder if this solar light is a little bit how Christians can fail to make a difference. Jesus warns His disciples against hiding their light. He challenges them to let their light shine before men, that “they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Jesus said: YOU are the light of the world
I find this amazing. It is easy to accept that God spreads His light, that Jesus is the light of the world, but you? Me? Us? As believers we have an awesome task. To shine for God in a dark world is an incredible privilege and a solemn responsibility.
Jesus said: You ARE the light of the world
Jesus did not present this as an option, a possibility. No, this is God’s plan for all Jesus’ followers, to shine, to make a difference, to be a blessing.
Jesus said: You are the LIGHT of the world
It is not surprising that this challenge of our Lord follows straight after the beatitudes. To be light is to be humble, meek, merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers. In the same sermon Jesus speaks later about morality, loving your enemy, being trustworthy and generous. In this world we can only make a difference if we are different.
Jesus said: You are the light of the WORLD
That really means right where you are. You are the light of your family, of your school, of your place of work, of your street, of your friends.
The world is in an awful state. The only hope for this world is Jesus. It is our task to introduce and show Him to this world by spreading light. You ARE the light of the world.
Desiring to shine with you,
Pastor Bert
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Last Updated on Monday, 01 March 2010 18:37 |
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Where does your help come from? |
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Written by Rev Bert Weenink
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Friday, 08 January 2010 16:21 |
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Psalm 121 is part of the ‘Songs of Ascent’ (Psalms 120-134), which the Jewish pilgrims sang on their way up to Jerusalem. This psalm begins with a question: “I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from?” As we are facing a new year with all its challenges and concerns, where does our help come from? The psalmist doesn’t hesitate with his answer: “My help comes from the LORD...”
There are at least two things that we can learn from the God of this Psalm:
1. God is Great
Remember that children’s chorus: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do”? This pilgrim psalm is mindful of that: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven en earth”. Psalm 124:8 comes to the same conclusion: ”Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth”. And in psalm 134:3 we read “May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion”. Psalm 146;5,6 also reminds us of these truths: “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever”.
This is not just any god, this is the great Creator. In Genesis 1 we find an earth that was formless and empty and there was darkness. For God these things were not problems, they were challenges and opportunities to manifest His glory and power. He said “Let there be light”, and there was light.
Are you mindful of God’s majestic power? Your needs may be great, but God is greater!
2. God is near
There are believers who do not doubt the greatness of God. They acknowledge His holiness, His majesty, His glory, His power, but they find it hard to see or to accept that this great God can be mindful of them.
The psalmist didn’t have that problem.
His God was nearby, not far off: ”The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand…”
His God was concerned about every detail: “He will not let your foot slip…The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life…” (lit. ‘soul’)
His God was always alert: ”He who watches over you will not slumber …. nor sleep”.
Notice how the writer of this psalm was so convinced of God’s help that he became a witness of God’s faithfulness to others. The pronouns I and my from verses 1 and 2 change to you and your in verses 3 to 8. He speaks with great assurance to other believers. He addresses them in their fears and worries, he encourages them. There are no uncertainties, there are statements of faith: He will not, He shall, He is!
May we in 2010 grow in our knowledge of God. May we be convinced that our God is great and that He is near. May we with great assurance encourage one another to trust in Him.
“My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth”.
Pastor Bert
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Last Updated on Monday, 08 February 2010 10:09 |
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