Death of a humble Christian

Most people in New Zealand are biblically illiterate. They have never been part of a church-going culture. Most do not know of Abraham or Moses or Paul. This makes it a challenge to speak to people about the gospel because they do not have a point of reference. However, the deaths of some Christians in Auckland have focused the attention of the public on Christians and their lives.

When several students from Elim Christian College died earlier this year, there was some discussion about the dignity of the college and bereaved families in the face of tragedy and about faith. There was news of another Christian gentleman, who was known for his constant prayers for the youth of Auckland, who was killed by some young criminal just as he was returning after a prayer meeting.

And now this. Austin Hemmings was only 44. As he was leaving after work in downtown Auckland on Thursday, a woman called for help. She was being punched by a man. Mr. Hemmings did what we hope good men everywhere would do—he went to her aid. Before he knew it, the violent man had stabbed him in his chest. After a few wasted minutes looking for help, he walked up to some construction workers, who helped him lie down. A few minutes later, he breathed his last.

After an interview with the family, the NZ Herald in a story called Slain good Samaritan’s family speak reported:

The close-knit family, who are united by a deep Christian faith, are not angry or bitter about what happened, choosing instead to focus on their love for a man who led by example . . .

“I’ve had 25 wonderful, wonderful years with a man who has a deep faith and love for his family that goes to the core of his being,” she (Mr Hemmings’ wife, Jenny) said.

Craig Hemmings, 50, said his brother was a “humble guy”  . . . “

“He’d get up each morning and pray for his family, family friends, work colleagues and his country. He felt very strongly about praying for his country – men standing up and being men in New Zealand.”

Austin Hemmings’ children – Meghann, 19, Jessica, 17, and Gareth, 16 – said their Dad was also their friend.

Meghann described her father as an “incredible role model” who had an “unmovable, unshakeable faith”.

“I really looked up to him and really wanted to please him and always listened intently to what he had to say.”

. . . Family and friends said he was fair and ethical in all his business dealings – a hard-working man of honesty and integrity.

“He worked as if he was working for the Lord,” said Craig. “If you work for God you work as hard as you can.”

. . . The Hemmings family have asked that instead of flowers, people support Mr Hemmings’ favourite charity, Bibles in Action, which raises money to distribute Bibles in the developing world. More information about the project can be found at www.biblesinaction.com.

Thank God for people like Mr. Hemmings.

Our sincere condolences to his family; our thoughts and our prayers are with them.

So you do not grieve as the rest who have no hope

So you do not grieve as the rest who have no hope

Not far from where we live is a Christian college (‘College’ in New Zealand is actually ‘high school’). On Monday, six students and a teacher from that school died in a flash flood during what was a week-long outdoor education course. The kids who died were 16 years old, the same age as our son Tim.

The students were at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre in central North Island. As part of the course, 10 students with their teacher and instructor went canyoning on the Mangatepopo River. Now canyoning is an activity where you scramble, climb, jump, abseil and swim to travel through a canyon or gorge. When this little party entered the gorge, the water was at a very low level, and they were unaware that heavy rain was predicted.

The water level rose suddenly because of a flash flood. The group waited on a rocky ledge for the water level to go down, but it just kept increasing.

Building Up When A Bridge Collapses

The bridge across the Mississippi on Interstate Highway 35W, connecting twin cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, collapsed yesterday during the afternoon rush hour. It is a tragedy of historic proportions.

At such times:

• People, who have not understood the gospel, question the existence of God, saying, “If there was a God, this would not have happened.”
• Some, though not questioning God’s existence, may question His actions saying, “Where is God when we need Him most?” or “How can a loving God allow a tragedy like this?”
• Some preachers use this opportunity to say that this is God’s punishment on a sinful generation.
• Sure enough, you have others reacting to these preachers, making them look heartless and flippant.

I found the reaction of one good pastor very refreshing and edifying.

Link to: Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours After the Bridge Collapsed

O Lord, how long?

Christians look forward to the return of the Lord Jesus. We long to be able to see our Lord face to face—
He who gave His life as a ransom for our sins,
He whose righteousness covers us and makes it possible for us to be at peace with a holy God who cannot tolerate sin,
He who will bear the marks of that sacrifice into eternity,
He who stooped down down down to raise us up
—we long to see Him.

Yet another reason for this yearning is the fact that until He comes or until we ourselves die, whichever is sooner, we have to persevere and live holy lives. We hold on thus, despite having a sinful nature that is ever ready to compromise holiness in thought, word, and action.

What is our motivation? Is it the fear of losing the benefits of the grace of God? Are we afraid that God, like an angry warden, will throw us out if we sin? Nay, the Bible promises us that as long as we have truly repented and believe, He will never let us go. The Bible also tells us that once we have come into His fold, every time we sin, we can go to Him in penitence, confess our sin, and be forgiven.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn 1:9)

Why do we not then use this as a license for sinning? Why do we strive to be holy? We do so because God has changed us and given us a new heart and, having become new creatures spiritually, we are now programmed differently, to hate sin.

Yet, we are still in the body of sin with its sinful tendencies. So although holiness is what we want, it still is an effort to keep sin in check.

. . . we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope . . . if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:23-25)

We need to endure and hold on. We yearn to endure and hold on. We will endure and hold on. We cannot but endure and hold on. And what a relief it will be when He comes, when the redeeming work in our lives is completed and we get new sinless bodies to match the change that has begun in our hearts.

Here is a poem I wrote in 1996 that reflects this yearning.