The Richmond Briefing

A weekly Bible reading for Bridge Builders

The Richmond Briefing has been a weekly feature of the Reachout web site for five years and is now available on the blog. To find out more and read earlier briefings go here

Reading – The Test of Faith (Mark 8:1-30)

Faith is a strange thing. Everyone thinks they know what it is yet many people you might expect to have it fail to exercise it. We are told that “Herod feared John [the Baptist]...knowing him to be a righteous and holy man” (Mk.6:20) Yet Herod had John beheaded at the whim of his wife. Knowing things to be true is not the same thing as having faith it seems.

When Jesus was moved by compassion for the people that had followed him for three days he shared his concern with his disciples (Mk.8:1-4) who began to wonder where on earth they were going to get food for so many in such a remote area. Jesus sat the crowd down and fed them. The disciples had seen Jesus do this and many other miracles before but were slow to realise what was really going on. Being around holiness is not the same thing as having faith either. You don’t ‘catch’ faith from others or absorb it by osmosis and you can’t live on borrowed light.

The Pharisees came to test Jesus and asked him for a sign from heaven (Mk.8:11). Of all the people who had followed Jesus the Pharisees seem to have been among the most consistent as they sought every opportunity to catch him out. They had probably seen and heard reports of more miracles than anyone, yet they were not convinced and demanded greater proof. Jesus’ answer is very interesting:

“Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given it”

Jesus had already given ample proof of his credentials and no further sign would be forthcoming not because he couldn’t perform more miracles but because the request for proof came from unbelief. They were not interested in signs and proof and even when Jesus gave the greatest sign of all in his resurrection they remained sceptical. Seeing wonderful things done in the name of God is not the same as faith. Having faith is not a spectator sport.

When Jesus warned them to “beware the yeast of the Pharisees” (Mk.8:15) they totally misunderstood him and thought he was angry that they had not brought bread with them. But Jesus was not talking about bread but about the sin of pride and unbelief that refused to see the clear evidence presented in Jesus’ teaching and miracles. Faith is not simply outward things evidenced in the religious observances of the Pharisees or the finery of the court of Herod and their lip service.

The miracle at Bethsaida (Mk.8:22-26) illustrated very well how faith comes gradually. Just as the man began to see people looking like trees walking around so the disciples and followers of Jesus, because of hardened hearts, did not see everything clearly immediately. But just as the man’s “eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” so the disciples would eventually see everything clearly. Of course, Herod and many of the Pharisees were so hardened in their hearts that they would remain blind because they refused to see.

Finally, Jesus asked them directly “Who do people say I am?” There had been much speculation and people accepted he was one of the prophets but couldn’t agree on which one.

’But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’

Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ’

Here Peter identifies the focus of Christian faith. It is the most important question anyone will ever be asked – who is Jesus? When we come to see, like Peter, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and confess it then we enter into a living relationship with him (Ro.10:9-13) We may not see everything clearly at first but as we trust him (which is what Christian faith is) so our vision clears and we trust him more because he alone can save us from our sins, from the hardness of our hearts. Indeed, he alone can transform our hearts so that we come to trust him completely. Only transformed hearts and lives can live for him and only such hearts can issue in works of service that are acceptable to God (Eph.2:10)

Obama's mother posthumously baptized into LDS Church - Salt Lake Tribune

In the wake of his remarkable success it seemed that the world and his wife wanted to claim President Obama as their own with even an Irish connection being dug up. Now the Mormons have got in on the act by posthumously baptising his mother. They have in the past upset the Jewish community, the Catholic Church and now the American President with this wacky and unbiblical practice but there is no indication that they will review it. And, of course, it is always someone else’s fault and they promise a thorough inquiry to uncover the real culprits. Maybe they should try looking in the mirror. President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who died in 1995, was baptized posthumously into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints last year during her son's campaign, according to Salt Lake City-based researcher Helen Radkey. The ritual, known as “baptism for the dead,” was done June 4 in the Provo temple, and another LDS temple rite, known as the “endowment,” was...

Mormon Christians? Whats in a Name?

The Mormon Church, disturbed by the continuing identifying of polygamus sects in the news with the name Mormon, recently issued a press statement aimed at "clarifying" issues. It is interesting to note that if you substitute the name "Christian" where they use the name "Mormon" it makes a very good argument for us against the claims of the Mormon Church. The full press release is reproduced below in italics with each paragraph rewritten in ordinary text to present it from a Christian perspective. SALT LAKE CITY 10 July 2008 On 26 June, Newsroom published a package of information featuring profiles of ordinary Latter-day Saints in Texas. With no other intention but to define themselves, these members provided a tangible depiction of what their faith is all about. They serve as the best distinction between the lifestyles and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Texas-based polygamous group that has recently attracted media attent...

Is atheism an intolerant belief?

The Big Questions , Sunday 2 August 2009, third question. A growing number of Britons say they are certain there is no God - but how do they know? Professor John Adams of the North Yorkshire Humanist Association begins by asking theists what evidence they have for their beliefs. Paul Woolley of Theos continues by pointing out Richard Dawkins description of faith as a 'virus', and the appalling track record of atheism in the 20th Century, as spearheaded by Pol Pot and Stalin. Chloe Clifford-Frith of the Humanist and Secular Students Society contends that Stalin did not do the things he did because he was an atheist, but because he was evil. Paul Woolley rejoins that atheists are trying to have it both ways when they claim that religion is the cause of evil, but refuse to acknowledge the ideological impetus of atheism when it comes to many evil acts. Mao and Stalin both replaced God with the State - a 'religious' manoeuvre. Rev Alistair Rycroft of St Michael Le Belfrey Ch...

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