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Do you get the feeling that God has changed over your lifetime?
In the last book of the Old Testament God says through the prophet Malachi, “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” (Mal 3:6)
James says something similar in 1:17 Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens. He is always the same and never makes dark shadows by changing.
God doesn’t change but our understanding of God does. Paul says when he was a child he thought like a child and so do we. Once we’ve matured we no longer have a childish view of God.
It’s interesting to consider how the Bible gives us a developing view of God. For example the Israelites gradually moved from believing that God was one among many gods to the only God. Now it’s quite clear God hadn’t changed but the people’s understanding of God and the truth about God had.
God doesn’t grow up with our faith but our faith in God grows and develops. It might be interesting for you to take a break from reading this and think about how your view of God has changed over time and how this affects the way you relate to God.
One of the big questions I’ve been puzzling over because of the theme I was given for the Lenten services is did the incarnation change God? When the word was made flesh, as John puts it, when Jesus was born and became one of us, did that change God?
As we continue on our journey to Easter I wonder in particular whether Jesus experience of death on the cross changed God? Does God understand us better now than he did before? I don’t know the answer but I know that Jesus’ death and resurrection makes a world of difference to each of us. Praise God for his amazing love!
Being bold
by Mark Lieschke
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Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness (Acts 4:29).
Read Acts 4:23–31
I wouldn’t describe myself as being bold. I really don’t take too many risks. I’m careful, cautious and restrained. I’m not a person who ‘lives on the edge’. I have, at times, opened packets of biscuits from the end that says to ‘open other end’. But that might be the extent of my daring!
So, when it comes to adapting to change, being open to new ventures and especially sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been hesitant. It’s been my ‘job’ to share the good news for many years. It’s what I was paid to do. So, I had to do it. But in the back of my mind, I knew that wasn’t the right motivation.
However, in doing it, I became much more confident. God’s Holy Spirit was at work, even when there was questionable motivation, even when I stayed silent, even when I doubted my ability. God was at work. There was gentle (and not-so-gentle, at times) pushing, opportunities to learn and grow, and inspiration and encouragement from people around me.
The journey continues for me. Boldness to share the good news of Jesus Christ will always be something I strive for. And I have the confidence that the Holy Spirit will continue to grow, challenge, comfort and equip me.
I continue to be blown away by the courage of Peter and John. They stood up in the face of rejection, imprisonment and threat of death. They prayed that they would be able to speak with boldness. And ‘after they prayed … they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly’ (Acts 4:31).
That’s my prayer and my prayer for all believers. That the Holy Spirit will continue to fill us with his power, so that we can grow in our courage to speak the word of God boldly.
Holy Spirit, renew me again today. Refresh me, encourage me, make me bold. Give me all I need so that I can reflect the heart of Jesus in all I do and say. Thank you for giving me all I need to point people to Jesus. In his name I pray. Amen.
Mark Lieschke is a retired pastor living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and is a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church Buderim. He served in parishes in Adelaide SA, Palmerston North and Marton in New Zealand and Wagga Wagga NSW (school and congregation), before being elected as bishop of the LCANZ’s New South Wales District. He and his wife, Meredith, have four children (two of whom live in Canada) and two grandchildren. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach and resting.
Being with Jesus
by Mark Lieschke
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
Read Acts 4:5–21
What a change there was in Peter! Just a couple of months earlier, he had been scared to death, deserting Jesus while he was on trial for his life and pretending he didn’t even know him. Not long after, Peter spoke to the very same people who had Jesus crucified. He told it like it was – that, though they killed Jesus, God raised him from the dead, and now Jesus was the only source of salvation for everyone on earth.
That wasn’t the kind of thing the leaders expected to hear from Galilean fishermen – either Peter or John! What could give them courage like that? Luke tells us: ‘They recognised that they had been with Jesus.’
Peter and John were different from what they once were – because they had been with Jesus, the one who loved them so much he gave his life for them on the cross. They had spent three years living with him, seeing what kind of a person Jesus was – his daily patient, gracious love; his hardworking endurance as he cared for the crowds; his kindness to the people nobody else cared about.
They saw him walk steadfastly to his death. And they saw him alive after God raised him from the dead – and so they knew that Jesus was in fact the true Son of God, the Saviour of the world. In his hands, they were safe forever.
And that’s true for us, too – because we also belong to Jesus. As we spend time with him in his word, in holy communion and in service, we discover the way he feels about us – the faithful love he has for us and the delight he takes in us. We come to realise more and more that he will never leave us or let us down. And that gives us courage to live for him, too.
We have been with Jesus, and that means we are new people – children of God, sharing his message with the world.
Lord God, Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your word and the gospel of salvation. Grant that we, like Peter and John, may never be ashamed of the name of Jesus. Give us the boldness to speak of your grace in our homes, workplaces and community, trusting that your Spirit works through our confession. Protect your church from the pressures of the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Mark Lieschke is a retired pastor living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and is a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church Buderim. He served in parishes in Adelaide SA, Palmerston North and Marton in New Zealand and Wagga Wagga NSW (school and congregation), before being elected as bishop of the LCANZ’s New South Wales District. He and his wife, Meredith, have four children (two of whom live in Canada) and two grandchildren. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach and resting.
Another Pentecost needed?
by Mark Lieschke
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions (Joel 2:28).
Read Joel 2:28–32a
In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter quotes these words from the prophet Joel. Pentecost in Acts 2 was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit among believers, fulfilling Joel’s prophecy and marking what is usually called the birth of the church.
The Holy Spirit has come, is with us and will remain in God’s people until Jesus returns. While we may desire the Spirit to work more powerfully and want to be more open to his influence in our lives, we can be confident that he is at work in our lives every day.
As Christians, as people who are ‘in Christ’, we have the Holy Spirit. We couldn’t be Christians if we didn’t have the Spirit. ‘“No one can say Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit is not a feeling or an experience. He’s a person who lives in every believer.
So, we don’t have to sit around and wait for a ‘move of the Spirit’. For those in Christ, the Spirit is already present. We are Spirit-filled right now.
Wanting another Pentecost suggests that the first Pentecost wasn’t enough. It wasn’t sufficient. Joel’s prophecy needs updating!
After Peter quoted Joel’s words, he immediately pointed his hearers to Jesus. He spoke about his life, death and resurrection. That’s the prime work of the Holy Spirit – pointing us to Jesus.
The response from the people: ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ 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.’
They received the Holy Spirit. We have received that same Spirit. And with that Spirit, we are enabled, equipped and encouraged to live as the Spirit-filled people that we are, pointing others to Jesus.
Gracious God, you promised to pour out your Spirit on all people. We thank you for keeping your word and filling us with your Spirit. Empower us by your Spirit to be witnesses of your grace to the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Mark Lieschke is a retired pastor living on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and is a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church Buderim. He served in parishes in Adelaide SA, Palmerston North and Marton in New Zealand and Wagga Wagga NSW (school and congregation), before being elected as bishop of the LCANZ’s New South Wales District. He and his wife, Meredith, have four children (two of whom live in Canada) and two grandchildren. Mark enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, walking on the beach and resting.