A nursery school teacher was observing her class while they drew.
As she walked observing each child’s artwork, she asked one diligent and very focused little girl what her drawing was.
The girl replied, “I’m drawing God.”
The teacher smiled and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.”
Without looking up from her drawing the girl replied, “they will when I’ve finished!”
May our lives in 2009 paint for others a picture of God’s love in His world.
I don’t know if you’ve got any enemies? I have a lot of friends but there have been people who oppose me – and one in particular has been a pain for a number of years.
I forgive, time and time again. Things seem to get better and it goes quieter, then another salvo.
Behind this person, I see that I’m not wrestling against flesh and blood. Here is someone being used by the devil to try to distract me from God’s good purpose. They themselves are desperately miserable as a result – because even while they try to curse me, as a chosen child of God, he turns it into a blessing every time!
You may know that happened in the bible? Numbers 22 & 23. A guy called Balaam was more interested in money than following God. He was paid, as a Jew, to curse God’s people. The king of Moab (Moab is a type of the flesh) who’s name is Balak (he’s like the devil) fears God’s people but God makes it clear to Balaam that he is not to curse those whom God has blessed.
He goes anyway – but on his way to curse Israel, Balaam’s donkey stops and refuses to move. The donkey can see an angel blocking the way which the man can’t see. A conversation results between man and donkey! (This is good news for us preachers- if God can use a donkey to speak…)
Finally, Balaam reaches his destination – and Balak shows him God’s people encamped. He perfoms sorcery and sacrifices then opens his mouth to curse Israel -but he blesses them instead! “How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?”
King Balak is furious! “I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!” He takes Balaam to a place where only part of the people can be seen (divide and rule! An age old strategy). The enemy always wants to point out any weak spots or division in us doesn’ he? Now surely there’ll be a curse? He tries again:
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
Finally Balak takes him to a place where he can only see the rubbish of the camp. (Anyone eager to point that out in your life? Guess who sent them!). It must be easy to curse when all you can see is the negative.
“How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel”
Like valleys stretching out in the distance, like gardens planted by rivers, Like sweet herbs planted by the gardener God, like red cedars by pools and springs, Their buckets will brim with water, their seed will spread life everywhere.
Parts of Balaam’s blessing (Ma Tovu) now form part of the daily Jewish morning service. They turned it around! Isn’t God great? May those who bless you be blessed today. And may all who would curse you have Balak’s frustration - as God blesses you anyway!
I was asked to speak at a funeral today of a lovely Christian lady. The first time I met her she only had one question to ask, (it’s what she first asked her husband when they met too i’m told) which many Mancunians would relate to; “United or City?”
From the latest City video: "10 Great throw-ins."
I had to disappoint her. She was a very strong and passionate City fan. I’m not much of a fan compared with many – but it’d have to be United.
Well at the service I retold a retelling (if you follow me) of the parable of the sower. It comes from Keith Tondeur’s cracking book, “Street Parables.” It went something like this -
The story is of a football club who got a new manager.
Some ‘fans’ immediately rejected the manager. they didn’t believe one person could make any difference anyway.
Others came along to the next match, but the squad didn’t do too well that day so they complained all the way home that they’d had to watch such a rubbish team.
Another group of supporters were the fairweather sort. When the cost of tickets seemed too high or they had to travel or make some kind of sacrifice, they soon packed in and hung up their scarves.
But there were some who became season ticket holders. They supported on good days and bad. Singing loudly and supporting strongly, through thick and thin.
They were greatly rewarded with excellent seats on the day when the team went to Wembley to play in the cup final – and won a great victory everyone would remember forever!
(He who has ears to hear – let him hear)
Good to know you’ve got a great seat there Mary.
The famous American TV interviewer Larry King was once asked whom he would most want to interview, if he could choose any one person in history. His answer was: Jesus Christ.
Then he was asked – What would you like to ask Jesus?
“I would like to ask Jesus if He was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me.”
That’s why J John says, ‘The hinge of history, is on a stable door in Bethlehem.’ That’s how important this is!
Maybe you’re not sure yourself whether it ever happened, or why it really matters. But it’s vital to get that question answered. Because if it really happened, Larry King’s right – it’s the most important event in history, because it shows how different Jesus really was.
It tells us that GOD has come to earth! And here’s why this is absolutely critical to the Christian message – the conception of Jesus Christ in this manner, the virgin birth. Why is it so special? Well, it is unique in all the history of humanity – because He is!
This is the only time this has or ever will occur. This is critical to the gospel. This is critical to Christianity, because it tells us about the nature of Christ – that HE is both God and Man!
He had to be born of God to be Son of God.
He had to be born of a woman to be Son of Man!
He had to be born like us to identify with us.
And He had to be born as God to be able to save us from our sins.
So Mary who is human and God who is divine – are brought together – and the baby born in Bethlehem is born of God and of woman. He’s not just a good man. He is God and Man. Unique! He’s the God-Man!
And the nature of Jesus Christ as God and Man is at the very heart of the Christian faith. That’s why the Christian faith presents, as an historical claim, the fact that Jesus was born of a Virgin—a special Being who came in a special birth. If anyone denies the deity of Jesus Christ, that’s not a issue up for denate, because they’ve destroyed Christianity beyond recognition.
I’m afraid for many (including preachers, theologians and church leaders) the Virgin Birth is thought of and spoken of as a metaphor or symbol these days, a nice story to make some religious people feel more hopeful. But people are embarrassed about the idea of examining it as an historical claim that actually happened.
It’s a shame when those who are supposed to lead seem to have less faith than the average non Christian – last year one poll discovered that more than a third (34%) of Britons believe that the virgin birth really happened. Only 32 per cent said they believed that the statement “Jesus was born to a virgin called Mary” was fictional. 52 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that the birth of Jesus was significant and 72 per cent of people agreed that the birth of Jesus remained significant culturally.
Obviously from a human perspective, it’s not possible. Mary herself said to the angel, “How can this be – since I’m a virgin?” which shows that having questions is fine. But people don’t just want us sharing our questions, and they have enough doubts of their own! It’s time for us to stand up and declare the truth of the angel’s reply as he reminded her, “Nothing will be impossible – with God.”
That’s good enough for me. It was for her! If an all powerful GOD is in the equation, then all solutions are available.
This Christmas let’s emulate Mary’s faith, “Let it be to me, according to your word.’
Supersize me!
Our God is able to do more than all we can ask or even imagine. That’s what my Bible says. Surely if we believe it, we should be thinking bigger and believing bigger?
Ask something.
Now ask bigger!
Imagine something.
BIGGER!
We had a great prayer meeting here last night for our Christmas services. As part of it we’ll be doing two carol services in the Trafford Centre, the 4th largest shopping centre in the UK! We’ll be there a week on Sunday in ‘The Orient’ – their 1600 seat food court.
How cool is this?
The 21st will be the busiest shopping Sunday of the whole year and they expect there’ll be more than 7000 actually there on the day.
The fact is, that first Christmas Jesus came to a very busy place, where people were gathering and crammed in! We will do some events that are attracting people to come to us here at Ivy, but these two events are us taking the real message of what Christmas is all about to where people are – not where we’d want them to come.
The Trafford Centre staff and management could not have been more helpful to us, we’ll be having a great orchestra and choir, loads of good videos on the big screen and and area for people to be prayed with just off to the side of the stage about anything they want to. I’m looking forward to a fantastic day.
Isaiah 54
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will dispossess nations
and settle in their desolate cities.
4 “Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
Been encouraged by my friend today to get on with blogging again.
It’s a bit like going to the gym – or not! You either keep regularly plugging away or let it slide.
Anyway I encourage you to watch this fantastic video which LZ7 (who come to my church!) have put together for one of their most infuriatingly catchy songs.
BEWARE – once it’s in your head you’re not getting it out again. These guys are going in schools all over the area here bringing their light to kids who need to hear the life changing message about Jesus Christ. They take lessons about self esteem, bullying etc and invite teenagers to concerts where they can hear the unchanging message of God’s love in a way they can understand and relate to.
Last week I went to one of their concerts at the Apollo Theatre in Manchester where more than 3300 kids crammed in to ‘Hope Unleashed’ and as well as having my ears blasted by the noise I had my heart jumping in excitement! God is up to something in this city!
