The Eschatological Hope in “Amazing Grace”

John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace” around Christmas time of 1772 while pastoring an Anglican Church in Olney, England. I had a privilege of visiting the church building a few years ago. Initially, Newton wrote the hymn under the title, “Faith’s Review and Expectation” but was later changed to “Amazing Grace.” The original hymn had six verses with the last two containing a great eschatological hope.

In the fifth verse, John Newton highlighted the truth that many of us Christians will experience one day. Our life is mortal (subject to death). A day is coming when our flesh will fail and our heart will not beat again. However, that will not be the end of us, for we will pass through the veil and experience a life of joy and peace.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

“The veil” is a reference to the holy of holies (the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence) in the Old Covenant temple. The veil or the curtain concealed the holy of holies. Only the high priest was allowed to go through the curtain once a year to make atonement for the sins of God’s people (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7). However, when Christ died on the cross, the curtain was torn into two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51) signifying that he had offered a perfect sacrifice once for all for all his people. All his people could now access the presence of God through him. So yes, on that day when our flesh and heart shall fail, we will enter into the presence of God to an everlasting joy and peace, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

The sixth verse was based on 2 Peter 3:12 and Revelation 21:

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

On the final day, the current earth and heaven will be dissolved and made anew (2 Peter 3:12), and we will dwell with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth forever (Rev. 21:1). The new earth will not have the sun because the glory of God will be our light (Rev. 21:23), and God will be ours and we will be his forever (Rev. 21:3)

Years later, an American hymnwriter by the name of E.O. Excel added a verse to the hymn which goes:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

The eschatological hope shines brighter in this verse also. After we have lived in the presence of God in the new heaven and new earth for ten thousand years it would not mean that our time with God is getting shorter. Actually, I believe it would feel just like a second because we will live with God eternally. Counting time in heaven will not count. What amazing grace! What amazing hope!

As Your Days, So Shall Your Strength Be

On Thursday, November 9, 2023 the Malawi Government through its central bank, the Reserve Bank of Malawi, devalued the value of the Malawi currency, the Kwacha, against the US Dollar with 44%. One major impact of this move was the immediate increase of the inflation rate of food items from 36.8 as recorded in September 2023 by National Statistical Office . There is fear and panic for many Malawians who most of them live from hand to mouth. Yesterday, November 10, 2023, I sent this brief note of encouragement to the members of my church family, Christ Presbyterian Church, Blantyre.

Dear my beloved church family,

I am sitting in my study after a long day which most part of it included hearing the fears of many for the future as the economic situation in our country continues not to inspire much hope. I thought of writing this quick note to you beloved people of God. It could be that you are also scared of what the future holds for you and your loved ones. Maybe you are despairing of life itself as Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 1:18.

One verse that is lingering in my mind as I finish my day is God’s own promise to us his people in Deuteronomy 33:25. Moses is about to enter the glory of his Lord, so he blesses all the twelve tribes of Israel. When he comes to the tribe of Asher, he blesses it and says, “Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.” My main focus is on the last part of the verse“as your days, so shall your strength be.”

The Lord promises to supply us with strength (grace) for each day he gives us. We can count on this promise for it is coming from the one who neither changes nor lies. The key thing to notice well is that this grace will be available as each day comes. In the midst of difficult economic times like these ones, if you are like me, you want to receive the grace for today and tomorrow and even next week today. But the Lord never supplies tomorrow’s grace today. His mercies are new every morning. He gives grace every day in a fresh way.

So beloved people of God may this promise be your encouragement and comfort if you are getting anxious about tomorrow in these hard economic times. Let us continue to draw close to Christ, work honestly with our hands, and trust our God through Christ to supply us with strength or grace to go through each day. As the great African theologian St. Augustine once observed, “Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.” May we all do that. Also, to borrow the words of the hymn writer:

“Afflicted saint, to Christ draw near,
Your Savior’s gracious promise hear;
His faithful Word you can believe:
That as your days your strength shall be.

So, sing with joy, afflicted one;
The battle’s fierce, but the victory’s won!
God shall supply all that you need;
Yes, as your days your strength shall be.”

Good night, beloved saints! May the Lord bless and keep you and continue to make his face shine upon you in Christ.

Grieving Miscarriage Loss

Recently my pastoral duties called me to walk alongside two dear families as they grieved their respective losses through miscarriage. It was a reminiscent of our own loss some years ago when my wife and I lost our unborn child of three months old. What do you say or do in such moments of pain or even anger? It is impossible to come up with one-size fits all answer. Nevertheless, here are some things we found helpful and brought comfort to my wife and me in our loss.

Remember the hope of resurrection. In 2 Samuel 12:15-23 we read of the child that David had with Bathsheba out of their adulterous affair. The child became sick as soon as he was born. David humbled himself before the Lord and pleaded for the healing of his child. But the Lord decided to take the child away through death. David then rose up from the ground where he lay all night fasting and praying. He washed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the temple to worship God. This puzzled his servants and they asked him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food?” David responded with the hope of resurrection and said, “I shall go to him (the child), but he will not return to me.” This too should be the hope of every believer grieving miscarriage. One day you will go to your child.

Don’t be afraid to reverently ask God questions. When miscarriage occurs there are many questions on the parents’ mind. Often the parents wonder why did God allow this to happen. Do not hesitate to humbly bring your questions before God while acknowledging that he is the potter and you are the clay. God does not condemn his questioning children. The book of Psalms is full of questions that God’s children humbly asked him. He rendered a listening ear and he still does. He might not always answer every question you ask, but you must be assured that he notices every tear you shed and every pain you feel (Psalm 56:8). That privilege alone to pour your heart to God relieves much pain and sorrow. As one hymn writer wonderfully observed, “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”

Do not be afraid to process and grieve in the way that is unique to you. What is the best way to mourn the loss of miscarriage? Should you blame yourself when you grieve differently from others who went through a similar loss? Is something wrong with you when you are slow in processing the loss? Are you incongruous to prefer keeping the loss to yourself and a limited circle of family and friends? The answer to all these questions should be in the negative. Different couples process and grieve their loss differently. The only commonality in all grieving believers should be the gospel hope of resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13). Further, if in grieving you are descending into despair or depression then for sure there is a need to ask for help from your pastor or a godly counselor.

Husbands, support your wives in grieving miscarriage. This might sound a bit illogical because the husband is also mourning the loss. However, often miscarriage is more hard and painful to the mother than the father. It was the mother who was carrying the baby in her womb. She was closer to the child than the husband. The husband might heal quicker from the loss than the wife so the husband should seek to be more understanding to his wife. Be there for your wife and render a listening ear. Ask what might help to relieve the pain a little. It could be taking a walk together or even getting out of your environment for some days. This is not to say that you should be a superman. You can’t and you were not meant to be. Both you and your wife need to lean on the ever-sustaining arm of Christ. He alone is able to sympathize with your weakness and supply the strength and comfort you desperately need.

Lastly, a word to family and friends of a grieving couple. Sometimes it is said with good and sincere intentions but it often sounds insensitive and less comforting to the one grieving. Please avoid statements like, “I know it hurts but be encouraged the Lord will give you another child.” Praise the Lord if he will give another child, but that will be ANOTHER child. That child will never replace the one that the couple has lost now. Let them with hope in Christ bear the sorrow of their loss. When it will please the Lord to grant a gift of another child, they will certainly celebrate then. As the wise man said there is time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2). So let the time of grieving be the grieving time.

There are a fewer sorrows in the world greater than losing a child through miscarriage. Each one of us being fearfully and wonderfully made by God will grieve the loss differently. Yet the blessed hope of resurrection should be typical to all believers. Death does not have the final say. The empty grave of Christ is our hope. Where he is, is where we shall be also. On that day Christ will wipe every tear from our eyes. Oh, Lord hasten the day!

How Should We Treat False Teachers?

Emmanuel Okpor from Nigeria writes:

Hello Pastor Confex,

In 2 John 10-11 we read, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

John’s mood in these two verses always leaves me figuring out how I can apply this stern warning with regards to Jehovah’s Witnesses and other cults, especially the commands, “Don’t receive him into your house or give him any greeting.” What is it that I am not getting here?

Dear Emmanuel,

Thank you for this good question.

If I am getting you right, you are wrestling with what seems as harsh commands. As Africans we generally love to show hospitality by greeting and opening our home to strangers whether they are fellow Christians or not. This culture should always be encouraged because the Bible encourages it too (Heb. 13:2). But there are times when we need to be cautious lest our hospitality and kindness might be interpreted as an approval or endorsement of evil. This is what John has in mind here.

If a false teacher comes to your house and you greet him (a sign of warming up to him) and let him into your house, he and others watching might view it as your acceptance of his falsehood. The false teacher might also take advantage of any hospitality shown to him to pounce on the unsuspecting and vulnerable people with his heresies. This why I believe Apostle John commands us not to greet or receive any false teacher into our home. We should always remember that false teachers are not misguided brothers but enemies of the cross of (Phil. 3:18). Certainly, we should pray for their repentance and graciously challenge them to do so, but we must never smile at their evil words and deeds.

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If you have any question for me, please email it to confex@refomationmalawi.org. With your consent it might be featured in “That’s a Good Question Series.”

Christian Contentment

“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” – Philippians 3:10-13

In this passage, Apostle Paul writes to the church which he planted in Philippi and thanks them for their support. He then lets them in on his secret for contentment whether he has little or more. He says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Here we notice that contentment is a quality that we learn. None of us is naturally born a contented person. Sin has caused our hearts to be dissatisfied all the time. However, the more we grow in our knowledge Christ the more we become contented. Second, notice also that contentment does not always corelate with how much we have. When we have less, we should guard against the discontented spirit which tells us that we will be happy only when we have more. When we have more, we should guard against discontentment which never says “enough” but “more is better.”

Paul further brings us to the secret of contentment in verse 13, “I can do all things through him (Christ) who strengthens me.” Sadly, this is one of the most abused or misunderstood verses in the Bible. I have seen athletes using this verse to mean that they can excel in sports through Christ. I have heard students who are about to write exams quoting this verse and assuring themselves that they will do well in the exams through Christ. Now it is true that without Christ we are nothing (John 15:5). It is also true that athletes and students can do well only if the Lord grants them success. However, the context of this verse has to do with facing plenty or hunger; having things in abundance or lacking things. Paul says he can thrive in any of these situations through Christ who strengthens him. The secret of contentment is Jesus Christ.

All of us will pass through seasons in which we have more and other seasons in which we have less. How do we remain contented? It is through Christ alone. When we have little, we can be contented by reminding ourselves that even though we might not have some things we want we have the greatest treasure in Jesus Christ. And when we have more, we can also be contented by reminding ourselves that whatever we have in this life cannot be compared to our greatest treasure, Jesus Christ. Christ reminds us in Luke 12:15 “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Life consists in Christ and not in possessions of this life.

In addition to knowing that Christ is our greatest treasure, we can also be contented in every situation by learning to differentiate between needs and wants. Sadly, many of us confuse the two. We often tend to view our wants as needs. But needs are those you cannot live without while wants are those you can live without. Food is a need because we cannot live without it. But dining at that fancy restaurant in town is a want. We can live without ever eating at the fancy restaurant. Charles Spurgeon put it well, “True contentment consists not in the largeness of our possessions, but in the fewness of our wants” The fewer wants we have the more likely we are to be contented in Christ.

Christ Presbyterian Church coming soon to Blantyre, Malawi

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“Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth…For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:7, 9).

I am excited to begin the work of planting Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) soon, Lord willing. My family, friends, and I have been praying for this work for so many years and we praise the Lord that he is now establishing it. We will start with a Bible study in September 2019. We have a few families that will form the core group of our study. We are praying for more to be added.

We also have three pastoral interns that will be joining us. We desire to invest in these young men and prepare them for pastoral ministry in the coming years. One of CPC’s major goals will be to see more confessional churches planted across Malawi. We trust that the Lord will use these interns to help us accomplish our goal.

Looking ahead the following are major events coming up:

June 2019: My family and I attend a church-planting training in Europe.
July 2019: We arrive in Malawi.
September 2019: Our interns begin their pastoral internship.
September 2019: We begin to meet and study the book of Ephesians in our home.

So may we ask you to pray for us. Also if you have friends in Blantyre let them know that CPC is starting soon. If you would like to know more or attend our Bible study do not hesitate to contact me or visit our website http://www.christchurchmalawi.org

The King Who Can Always be Trusted

Today, Malawians have voted for the president, members of parliament, and councilors who will lead and govern our country for the next five years. This hopefully brings to an end the campaign period. As this period sinks into the annals of our republic’s history, one thing it has revealed or confirmed is that we all long for something better than what we are currently experiencing. All candidates who campaigned had one common message: making Malawians’ lives better and more satisfying.

Now this should not come as a surprise. It is part of us being created in the image of God. We long for justice because God is just. We desire to see all people treated equally and with dignity irrespective of their tribes or regions they come from because God created all people equal and he is no respecter of persons. We hope to see nothing but truth in government because God is the truth. We hate to see corruption in the government because there is no tiny grain of corruption in God. So when politicians promise us these things, we get excited and hopeful because that is exactly what the image of God in us longs for.

But here is the bad news. No person in this world will be able to satisfy our longing for justice, truth, fairness, dignity etc. Many can promise but none will deliver. This is why we should never look to the arm of flesh to grant what only God in his Son, Jesus Christ, can give. Only Christ can truly satisfy our hunger for justice and truth (Isaiah 55:1-2; Matt. 11:28-30). The great African theologian, St. Augustine was right “O God you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.”

By this I don’t imply that human governments do not matter or that Christians should ignore their civic duties. No! It is God who establishes governments and kingdoms. He calls us to submit, honor, and pray for our leaders (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-3). But God never points us to our leaders as sources of satisfaction or meaning. Instead, he points us to his Son. Therefore, we should not be shocked if it happens that those we have trusted and voted today with the hope of making Malawi better dash our hopes into pieces soon. They are the arm of flesh and as prophet Jeremiah warns us: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD” (17:5).

Thus let’s pray and support the leaders we have voted for as they seek to improve the lives of Malawians, but let’s be careful not to lean on their arm of flesh. There is only one King who can be trusted unreservedly and always, the King Jesus.

Christmas Reflections: God’s Gracious Choice of Mary

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus,”(Luke 1:26-31).

Why did God choose Mary to be the mother of Christ? What did God see in Mary that moved him to choose her to be God-bearer? The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) responds and says that by God’s grace Mary was born sinless that is why she was chosen by God. RCC calls this the doctrine of Immaculate Conception. However, basing on the evidence of Scripture we see that there was nothing so special with Mary. Mary did nothing to deserve the honor of bringing Christ into this world. It was purely God’s gracious choice. Consider the following:

First, Mary as a descendant of Adam was a sinner just like every one else born in this world (Romans 5:12). In fact just like Jesus’ great grandfather, David, Mary was also brought forth in iniquity and in sin did her mother conceive her (Psalm 51:5).

Second, Mary was from a poor background. In her song of praise also known as the Magnificat recorded for us in Luke 2:46-55, she confesses of her humble estate and says: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant” (46, 47). Later she adds, “For he who is might has done great things for me…he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate (49, 52).

John Calvin comment on these verses observes, “This was not the loud cry of a pretended humility, but the plain and honest statement of that conviction which was engraven on her mind; for she was of no account in the eyes of the world, and her estimation of herself was nothing more.”

Third, Mary was from a very little known village of Nazareth. She was neither from the capital of Israel nor any of its big cities. The insignificant village of Nazareth was not even mentioned in the Old Testament or other Jewish literature of that time. It is also believed that it was a popular saying in those days in Israel to ask the rhetoric question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Yet it is to this obscure village, which nobody expected anything good to come out of that God went for the choice of the mother of his incarnate Son.

Mary’s story resembles the story of our salvation. God chose to save us through Christ not because he saw anything special in us to move him to act in our favor. Apostle Paul reminds us: “For consider your calling, brothers (and sisters): not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” (1 Cor. 1:26-30).

This, friends, is the heart of Christmas. God “tabernacled” with us not because we were lovely, righteous or friendly. To the contrary, God came to dwell with us despite being lowly, sinful, and with rebellious hearts. He came to save us from our most pitiful and hopeless state and to enable us sit with him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). Praise the Lord for his gracious and sovereign choice!

The Agony of Prosperity Gospel: “It is Less About God and More About Feeling Good.”

A recent research by the University of Toronto’s department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science has found out that exposure to prosperity gospel (PG) makes you more likely to show an exaggerated and unrealistic sense of optimism for life and take more financial risks.

In the press release about the findings of the research, the study’s lead author, Nick Hobson, Ph. D. makes this important observation, “Its (prosperity gospel’s) success as a growing religious movement might be less about feeling (sic) God, and more about feeling good.”

Now this is very interesting especially that it is coming from a non-Christian institution. Here Hobson has put his finger on it and it should not surprise us because that’s exactly what the Bible teaches. PG is not the gospel. There is only one gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ and him crucified. The PG is neither about nor for Christ but actually against Christ. This is why Apostle Paul anathematizes anyone who preaches it: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said it before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8, 9).

Further as the research notes, PG is about manipulating people through their volatile emotions rather than pointing them to their greatest need of salvation in Christ. Apostle Peter already warned us against the destructive nature of PG. Writing of devious and false teachers who include PG preachers the apostle cautioned: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you…And in their greed they will exploit you (“make merchandize of you,” KJV) with false words” (2 Peter 2:1-4). There is no better description of the PG and its preachers than what the apostle gives here. The PG never seeks the good of its hearers but as lie from the pit of hell seeks to destroy them.

The PG has been weighed on the secular scale and has been found wanting. No need to mention that it also fails miserably on the biblical scale. So to those who are still trapped in the yoke of PG, hear the words of the gospel of Christ. Christ’s greatest gift is not material wealth. It is not an excellent health. These he can give if he pleases. His greatest gift is salvation from the wrath of come. Christ is the bread of life that endures to eternity. Labour not for the riches of this world, which are here today and gone tomorrow. What shall it profit you if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Come to Christ, rest in him, labour faithfully with your hands, and trust him to provide for all your needs (Matt. 6:25-34).

From My Devotions This Morning… (10/03/2018)

Tough Love

“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works”– 2 John 10, 11.

At the heart of Christianity is love. Paul reminds us that of the three, faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love (1 Cor. 13:13). However, we should not confuse love with tolerance of falsehood. Love does not mean paying a blind eye to heresy that threatens to destroy the Church. Christians must never give approval or support to false teachers. Those who preach the false gospel, which is no gospel at all, are not misguided brothers but the enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil. 3:18). Of course, we should pray for them, love them while hating their falsehood, show them their error, and strongly challenge them to repent. But Christians should not offer them any encouragement or hospitality for it might be interpreted as a sign of approval. The false teachers might also take advantage of any hospitality shown to them to pounce on the unsuspecting and vulnerable people with their heresies. This for sure is tough love.