"In the Presence of a Giant"

“In the Presence of a Giant”

One of the most familiar incidents in the Bible is David’s encounter with Goliath (all 9’9” of him) recorded in 1 Samuel 17. Despite the Philistine’s boasts David faced him “…in the name of the Lord Almighty….” (Verse 45) and killed him with a sling and stone. The shepherd boy was in the presence of a giant but with God at work the giant became a midget.

Without realizing it I was in the presence of a giant in 1969. The church in which I was serving as youth pastor hosted an event in which Rev. Richard Wurmbrand spoke. I’d never heard of him--he had only recently come to the U.S.—but the lead pastor had me pick him and his wife up at the Syracuse airport and take them to lunch. I later learned his story of 14 years’ imprisonment and torture in communist Rumania for refusing to renounce his faith, told in his book Tortured for Christ. Shortly after his release from custody he founded a ministry to promote awareness of persecution of believers called Jesus to the Communist World, now known as The Voice of the Martyrs. He traveled the world (often with his wife who’d been in a labor camp) telling of his experiences and raising prayer and financial support for suffering believers. Pastor Wurmbrand not only towered over me spiritually as a man of faith and courage—he also did physically (6’3” to my 5’9”). I’ll never forget being in the presence of this giant of a man!

The Scripture tells of the first martyr for Christ (Stephen) in Acts 7. Since then (according to Researcher Todd Johnson of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity) 70,000,000 Christians have died for their faith (current estimates are 100,000 per year even now). We as believers living in the relative safety of the U.S. need to take the plight of our brothers and sisters seriously (“If one part {of the body of Christ} suffers, every part suffers with it….”—1 Corinthians 12:26).

What can you and I do? First and most importantly, pray for Christians being persecuted (“Remember…those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”—Hebrews 13:3, emphasis added). Second, become knowledgeable (information is available from VOM, Open Doors and similar organizations). Finally, financially support ministries giving assistance to those whose resources are limited due to their Christian testimony (“If anyone has material possessions and sees {brothers or sisters} in need but has no pity on {them}, how can the love of God be in {him or her}?”—1 John 3:17).

Those who stand for Jesus in the face of challenges are true giants. How tall am I?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Key Little Words"

“Key Little Words”

I while back I posted some thoughts (“All?”) about apologist Ravi Zacharias’ assertion, “Words have meaning”. While many terms have multiple definitions in the dictionary and thus we can understand them differently we’re not being honest if we arbitrarily change them to fit our own purposes. This prompted me to look into some three letter words in Scripture and explore their significance. But it also made me think about the other extreme: some jawbreaker ones which have specific focuses.

The longest word in our language is pneunonoultramisroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters), a lung disease caused by inhaling volcanic dust. This is followed by the more familiar one from “Mary Poppins” supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34 letters) meaning fabulous. Then follows antidisestablishmentarianism (28 characters) from my school days defined as opposition to withdrawal of state recognition from an established church. These, however, can’t hold a candle to the chemical name for titin, the largest known protein, at a whopping 189,819 letters (enough for a 35,000+ word book). (FYI, the longest word in the Bible is the name of the son of Isaiah Mahershalalhashbaz, mentioned in Isaiah 8:1,3, translated “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil”.)

Now let’s set our sights on three common words in Scripture, the brevity of which belies their importance:

“Yet” (appearing 404 times), meaning despite the circumstances (“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines; though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”—Habakkuk 3:17-18).

“One” (found 2485 times), suggesting undivided or united (“…A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh….”—Mark 10:7-8; “…In Christ we who are many form one body….”—Romans 12:5).

“But” (3983 occurrences), showing a contrast between statements (“There is a way that seems right to a {person}, but in the end it leads to death.”—Proverbs 14:12; “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 6:23).

The last passage is the most crucial because it tells us we can have our sin debt forgiven and enjoy life forever with God by trusting in Jesus, the one way to God (see John 14:6). But each must decide for him/herself. Have you done this yet?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Bridges"

“Bridges”

In May 2017 Karen and I took a tour through Italy. (See the previous article, “An Unleaning Faith”.) It’s a delightful country abounding in history and both natural and man-made beauty. Our favorite place was Venice with its canals, 118 islands and more than 400 bridges. We were fascinated by its uniqueness and character. Our hotel room overlooked the Grand Canal which was an added bonus.

As I was thinking about our trip the bridges came to mind and I became curious. So I did some research (Thanks, Google) and discovered some interesting facts:

*The longest bridge on the planet (a high speed railroad one) is the Danyang Kunshan in China at 102.4 miles.

*The longest road span is the 34 mile Bang Na Expressway in Thailand (in the U.S. it’s the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, a mere 23.8 miles).

*The world’s longest suspension bridge (6529 feet) Akashi Kaikyo in Kobe, Japan (in the U.S. it’s the Verrazano-Narrows in New York City at 4260 feet, 60 feet more than the Golden Gate).

*The shortest international bridge is 32 feet connecting two islands in the St. Lawrence River between the U.S. and Canada.

*The highest bridge on earth is the Duge in China, 1854 feet above the Beipan River (in the U.S. it’s the Royal Gorge over the Arkansas River in Colorado at 955 feet).

*According to the Associated Press there are 607,380 in the U.S. (Texas leads with 48,000+).

*There are more than 2000 in New York City—four connect it with New Jersey and 17 link the five boroughs (a radio traffic reporter was once reprimanded for referring to “George Washington’s Bridgework”)

From this trivia we see that bridges fulfill their objective of connecting two or more points over some obstacle. (Much press was given to the so-called “Bridge to Nowhere” in Alaska in 2005.) But it’s been reported that many of our nation’s bridges are considered unsafe (remember the collapsing of those on the New York Thruway in 1987 and I-35 in Minneapolis in 2007). So crossing some puts us at risk.

In 1943 Evangelist Phil Saint did a chalk drawing called “The Way of the Cross”. It showed a great chasm between Heaven and Hell with a cross as the bridge spanning it, reflecting The Apostle Paul’s words: “(Christ) made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.” (Colossians 1:20). Earlier Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). So Jesus’ death on the cross is the bridge to fellowship and eternal life with God. And it’s risk free. Have you by faith walked it?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Identity Theft"

“Identity Theft”

Probably the fastest growing crime in our nation today is identity theft. By using “creative” tactics (computer hacking, telephone scams and electronic gadgets to name a few) crooks try to obtain personal data of victims to empty bank accounts, buy thousands of dollars’ worth of  merchandise, take out loans and otherwise separate them from their money. Despite constant warnings not to divulge private information the problem continues to escalate with no end in sight. So keep a close eye on those financial statements and report any irregularities quickly.

But criminals aren’t the only ones who try to steal our identity. We can compromise it ourselves by pretending to be something or someone we’re not. We can try to measure up to the expectations others have of us. Or we can seek to comply with what the political correct society wants to force on us. In these and other situations we run the risk of answering the “Who am I?” question in ways that give us a false identity.

Not long ago Pastor Wayne Blackburn warned the Victory Church family not to build who we are on something we can lose, be it a job, financial portfolio, skill, position or anything else. So what’s an identity that can never be taken from us? It’s summed up by a phrase which appears often in Scripture: “in Christ” (or variations thereof). Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “…If anyone is in Christ (he or she) is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” (Emphasis added). And this relationship is one which continues until we’re with Him (“…Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 1:6; P“…We…are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”—1 Peter 1:3-5, emphasis added).

Several times Karen and I have been issued new credit cards when questionable charges showed up. We commend the companies for monitoring these bogus transactions and notifying us before identity theft ensued. But nothing or no one can steal who we are in Christ (“…There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus….”—Romans 8:1, emphasis added). What a great place to be!

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan