Make God Discoverable

Les Eclarieurs Lighthouse in the Beagle Channel, Tiera del Fuego

 

'In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.' Matthew 5:16

Do you know that we are to make God discoverable? This was the central message I received from the sermon by Rob Watkins, a fellow passenger, entertainer ventriloquist and an evangelist, at an Inter-denominational Worship Service onboard the Sapphire Princess cruise ship on 22 January 2023. We were enroute to Antarctica.

Rob Watkins shared that he realised God can be discovered in 3 ways

• General revelation. This is through the beauty of God's creation and the wonders of Nature. All of the Christian 'seafarers' at the worship service are waiting to be confronted by the wonders of the Antarctica, its landscape and the fauna of the Southern Ocean. Have you ever experienced, standing before the Niagara Falls or at edge of the Grand Canyon, the overwhelming sense of the presence of God?

• Special revelation. Jesus Christ is God incarnate and comes alongside us revealing the nature of God to us. The Holy Spirit resides within us and helps us to sense the presence of God within us. The Triune God becomes evident to us. The Bible reveals God to us on a daily basis as we read God's Word, illuminating our minds and spirits.

• Relational revelation. This is where Christians can make God discoverable by being a good Christian witness to our family, friends and contacts. We are lights that shine and help others visualise God not only through the eyes, but in the soul and spirit. Jesus said that we are the lights of the world, 

'You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.' Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

 

 'In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven.' Matthew 5:16 (CEB) 

The Matthew 5:16 text highlights our responsibilities in this relational revelation 

• The Place where our light should shine - Before men. Our Christian lives are to be lived in the presence of those around us, before many witnesses. We become transparent so that the Holy Spirit who lives within us shines forth as a testimony that God exists and works in our lives.

• The Process by which our light shines - Our good deeds. The things we do everyday out of love and with joy, bringing peace will be the things that people see and be inspired

• The Purpose for our light to shine - To glorify God. The good that we do should not point to ourselves but to God. God is the source of all goodness, the motivator of all good deeds.   

The lights of this world in the persons of all of us point towards God. We become ambassadors for Christ. The apostle Paul implored,

'So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 2 Corinthians 5:20

On the 25 Jan 2023, we left the Argentinian town of Ushuaia at the most southern tip of Patagonia and headed head for Cape Horn prior going on to Antarctica. The Captain told us that the pilots on board refused to disembark at Cape Horn because of stormy weather. We may not proceed for the planned scenic cruising at Cape Horn as the waves and swells may be as high as 6 feet. On the 26 Jan 2023 we crossed the Drake Passage between two areas of more stormy seas but through the fog caused by the cold clockwise Antarctic current and the warmer South Atlantic current. 

I am reminded of the sailors that accompanied Magellan, Francis Drake and many other explorers and sea-captains who attempted to round the Cape. How the sailors must have feared the raging waves. How important the lights from the many lighthouses, now present in the various channels, in Tierra del Fuego are for guidance and safety.   

There is a song, 'Let the Lower Lights be Burning' that explains the reason why Christ compels us to have our lights shining; our lights, our testimonies point the way to Christ like beacons for salvation of souls. In the event of life's shipwrecks Christ is the main light shining from lighthouse and we Christians are the lower lights holding our lanterns guiding many to the safety and salvation in Christ.  

Brightly beams our father's mercy

From his lighthouse evermore

But to us he gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore

Let the lower lights be burning

Send a gleam across the wave

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save

Dark the night of sin has settled

Loud the angry billows roar

Eager eyes are watching, longing

For the lights along the shore

Let the lower lights be burning

Send a gleam across the wave

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save

Lionel

A Light in the Attic




James at Lighthouse@Kiama

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" Matthew 5:14-16


Malcolm Muggeridge, an English author and satirist, was once asked the question, "What do you most want to do with the rest of your life?" He replied, “I should like my light to shine, even if only very fitfully, like a match struck in a dark, cavernous night and then flickering out.”

When our children were young, they liked to read poems by Shel Silverstein. One of these poems caught my attention

"There’s a light on in the attic

Though the house is dark and shuttered,

I can see a flickerin’ flutter,

And I know what it’s about.

There’s a light on in the attic.

I can see it from the outside,

And I know you’re on the inside . . . lookin’ out."

Uncannily, Muggeridge’s comment on the twilight years of life could well have been a commentary of a poem meant for children. A light no matter how dim or flickering attracts attention. Jesus told us to let our light shine before others

As we grow older we can become increasingly isolated and shut in, like living in dark and shuttered houses. In this final lap, many people hope to have the same aspiration as Muggeridge. If our lives in the past were not very good examples, we hope that however flickering and for whatever time remaining, the light we now have, would shine forth.

Light may be vision. Light may be virtue. Light may be wisdom. Light may be comprehension and light may be truth. Light may be a beacon.

Light must be seen. Why? Because the light we have is the light of Jesus. That light has a force-multiplier effect. It can reach out beyond our wildest expectations. Ephesians 5:8-10, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases God".

There is a hymn, "Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy" which tells of the lights in each of us, as witnesses for Jesus, attracting others to Him. Our lamps no matter how feeble, may be instrumental in rescuing some soul, pull him out of the miry clay of his pathetic existence and put him on paths to salvation.

 
At this time we all are in the dark tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many cities in the world, including Singapore, are in shutdown mode and people are told to stay home and keep a social distance from each other. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a light in the attic and beaming light from the lighthouse, the light of Jesus. 

That light will bring us through such difficult times. In the dark days of Apartheid, the Black South Africans had a hymn, 'Siyahamba' or 'We are Marching in the Light of God'. It galvanised them and brought them through the difficult times of protests and violence. The question is are we standing in the light of God? Will we treasure the light of Jesus placed in us? This 'Little Light of Mine' are we gonna let it shine?

St Francis of Assisi, kneeling at a crucifix towards the end stages of his life, prayed, “All highest, glorious God, cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity and profound humility, with wisdom and perception, O Lord, so that I may do what is truly your holy will. Amen”

Lionel

PS Be inspired click on the song titles for the You-tube videos of the songs

Shipwrecked!

"...You may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith". 1 Tim 1:18-19

In Ezekiel 27, there was a graphic description of a shipwreck involving heavily laden ships from Tyre, meeting a storm at sea. Mariners, sailors, merchandise and wealth and everyone on board sank. The prophecy spelled the doom of the mercantile trade of Tyre and broke the back of Tyre, a once prosperous city. It did not survive history and lie in ruins today.

Reflecting on the sudden, unexpected COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the whole world over the last month and threatening a global recession, one wonders how many businesses will be bankrupted. An infection tsunami followed by a sudden economic tornado will leave behind much devastation. Lives, families and businesses will lie in ruins, shipwrecked.

This sudden downturn can also affect the spiritual life. At times of difficulties and even during times of plenty, Paul warned that we must guard our faith, hold on tightly to it or else we may lose it all. The Boys Brigade hymn places a question for us, "Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?" This pandemic requires us to send an affirmative answer, "We have an anchor that keeps our souls, steadfast and sure while the billows roll". Our faith can be fragile and we need to be properly anchored.

Byron Bay Lighthouse

Innumerable shipwrecks have been prevented by lighthouses. The ships were warned to steer clear of the rocky shores. Similarly we have a lighthouse in Jesus Christ warning us to steer clear of the pitfalls of life; of temptations and wrongdoings that can lead us astray.

I have always been fascinated by lighthouses. I have a collection of photographs of different lighthouses that I have visited, all over the world. The latest visit was to the Byron Bay Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia. When one pictures the strong light that beams from the lighthouse, Jesus' proclamation comes to mind, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of of life". These visits to the lighthouses assure me of the steadfast guidance of God. His light is constantly warning us of hidden dangers which can come so suddenly and unexpectedly.

The suddenness of the COVID-19 pandemic unsettled us. We took extraordinary precautions to guard our health. The Rev Sng Chong Hui observed, "If only we 

• monitor our spiritual temperature as regularly as we do our physical temperature
• wash our souls like we wash our hands
• mask ourselves to stop sin from infecting ourselves and others
• read God's Word like we read daily updates about COVID-19
• fear God like we fear COVID-19". 

When Life is good, it pays to keep in touch with God so that with any downturn we need not become unsettled but can rely on our immutable Saviour. The whole world was enjoying peace and prosperity when suddenly this COVID-19 descended upon us. Like Charlie Brown said, "This world is suddenly crazy".  Will your anchor hold?

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,

will your anchor drift or firm remain?

Refrain:

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

steadfast and sure while the billows roll,

fastened to the rock which cannot move,

grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!

Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,

when the breakers roar and the reef is near?

While the surges rave and the wild winds blow,

shall the angry waves then your bark o'er flow?

Will your eyes behold through the morning light

the city of gold and the harbour bright?

Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,

when life's storms are past forever more?

Lionel

Written at the start of the Covid-19 epidemic just before the global lockdowns