Caulfield Evangelical Methodist Church
- Weekly Pastoral Message -

Weekly Pastoral Message prepared by Rev. Murray Adamthwaite
for Sunday 14th September 1997

From the Pastor: Perseverance III

We are all familiar with the merchants of the so-called "health and wealth" gospel, that if you live in the spirit, by faith, you will enjoy good health and material prosperity, and to the contrary if you don't. The real trouble with this type of message, apart from its selective approach to Scripture, is that it involves a very simplistic view of life and the world. The reality and perplexity of circumstances cannot be pressed into this neat scheme. To refute it one only needs to read the book of Job. The issue of persevearnce is like that: life has many mysteries which we cannot explain. Christians fall into sin, just like the saints of the Bible did: Gideon, David, Hezekiah, Peter, Ananias and Sapphira. Yet they were still saved by the grace of God. Sometimes, however, their fall was so serious that we are left wondering about their standing in grace at all, again, just as in Biblical examples. What are we to say of Solomon in the light of 1 Kings 11, or of the unnamed disobedient prophet in 1 Kings 13? It is good that we have these problems and perplexities: they spur us on to encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, and stimulate each other to love and good works (1 Thesselonians 5:14, Hebrews 10:24). There is a ministry of one to the other, gently urging each other on until we gain the prize. This in the end is far more important than having an "explanation", and finish up being Job's comforters as a result. Those three theologians rested content with their theories, and thus failed to empathize with Job or to give genuine help in his distress. Let us then leave the mysteries with God, but remember that in the race of life there is a prize for everyone who finishes it and keeps the faith. Otherwise, take heed to our duties.