Monthly Archives: June 2012

Jun 27 2012
Bible, Church, Discipleship, Faith, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Manchester, Men, Prayer, Religion, Worship

FRANK GREEN: The Awesome Power of God

As part of the Message 20 year celebrations, Frank did a mega-marathon preach at Ivy recently. I was privileged to hear some of the talks, and will put my notes from some of them on here, but the notes don’t do it justice! Get the full set of teaching on CD here  by making a donation to the Message charity 

Mark 4:35-5:43</strong>

There’s a lot of power at work in these stories collected by Mark. Power can be abused with terrible consequences. The whole creation has been hurt by the ABUSE of power but Jesus puts it right and reverses and renews it by the ABBA-use of power. By the end of Chapter 5 it’s 4-0 to Jesus. he beats the storm, the devils, sickness and even death. It’s breathtaking!

  1. Power over the Deep (4:35-41)

The disciples were beginning to see many signs of who Jesus really was. The messiah? Yet different than what they expected. God was seen in the OT ruling over and subduing that place that was most scary for the Israelites – the sea. The boat is a traditional picture of the church, and it’s buffeted by the world. That’s an encouragement to them. ‘Do you not yet have SUFFICIENT faith?’  There’s an old kids song we used to sing – ‘With Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm.’ Do you smile? Relax! Jesus is with you in the boat and he has the power you need.

2. Power over the Demonic (5:1-20)

Nobody is asking for help here – but God breaks in and destroys the work of the devil. The neighbours were scared by the power of Jesus, that’s why they wanted rid of him. His power is let loose here as a foretaste of salvation coming to the Gentiles. Satan has brought humiliation and torment, Jesus treats him like a human being and dignifies him by delivering him. Jesus also sends him back to community, and sending him out as a messenger. Jesus here gains a foothold over the enemy territory, and a stranglehold on the enemy. These days we can hide ourselves away and do that which isolates and hurts ourselves. We too can receive total deliverance.

3. Power over Disease. (5:25-34)

This woman has many obstacles to healing. No rabbi would help her. Is she trying to bypass the system to get to the power. Jesus demonstrates grace outside the rule. Turns religion on its head and calls her ‘Daughter’ not sinner. Come to him! Bring your mess, in faith.

4. Power over Death (5:21-24, 35-43)

Arise = be resurrected! This is actually only a resuscitation. Jesus never panics like on Casualty. Not even concern. He is free from the agenda of the people, he’s servant of all but not mastered by anyone’s agenda. He knows he isn’t omnipresent. So he gets there when he can and does what he can do. And he has power over death. He even brings his disciples in on seeing how he can bring life back. He comes to your dream and passion and says ‘Come and wake up!’ We can pray ‘Talitha Koum!!’ too.

Jesus is the eternal source of divine power and he has not stopped! Don’t let anything get in his way. The only thing that prevented Jesus unleashing many miracles was UNBELIEF. You can pray, ‘Lord I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.’

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Jun 17 2012
Church, Discipleship, Jesus, Manchester, Religion

@Mike_Breen at @IvyManchester – the Prodigal SONS

These are my notes from the talk, with some questions for Grow Groups to consider and discuss together.

PRAY: Thanks to God for IVY KINGSWAY! What a great way to start off our new service there at Cineworld Didsbury. Next Sunday we’ll have the lights in too that we’ve partnered with the cinema in buying, it’ll be even better!

Father’s Day

Mike said his talk is for those who have felt that your walk with God is drifting or has drifted. Because God wanted us CLOSE.

Question – Do you feel close to God right now? How do you know when you are? 

Read 1 John 3:1 – How great is the love of the Father that he has LAVISHED on us that we should be called the children of God! That’s what we are!

Question – Discuss the word Lavish. What images does it bring to mind?

The story of the Prodigal son is actually all about the Father and how he relates to 2 different types of people:

Read the story together and look at the setting in Luke 15.

Two camps heard the story when it was first told ; Sinners -  and religious mutterers.

Which do you usually err toward?

Focus on Vs 11;

Throughout the whole OT and into the NT, the firstborn son got a double portion of what everyone else got. If there were 2, the oldest would get 2/3.

But the elder son behaved as though he had never received anything.

Question: In what ways might we not receive our inheritance? What stops us receiving what the Lord has for us? 

The young son took his third and went to the world of the Gentiles to party; where some wild living took place. After he’d spent everything, he began to be in need. Ended up hungry for what the pigs were eating.

There was a point at which he ‘Came to his senses’ = this literally means he saw himself in a mirror; saw himself for what he had become. He then decided to go home and say, ‘I’ve sinned.’

Question: what do people think of when they hear the word sin? 

The word here in Greek is Hamartia = falling short. When Tyndale translated this it was during the time when everyone in England had to practise archery. And in archery there’s a HIT, a MISS and a SIN. And sin = the shot that falls short of the target. He sees that he’s fallen short of his Father’s expectations for him.

But while he was still a long way off…. his Father saw him and was filled with compassion. He RAN to him. This was what you didnt ever do in public if you wanted to maintain your dignity (like breaking wind in company)!  He smells of the pig sty but he doesn’t have to have a bath before. Put his shoes on (slaves went barefoot – children get shoes). And they all eat veal.

Question: Is the church generally known for its welcome of people far off or for its rejection of them? How can we be more like the Father? 

MEANWHILE.. the older son is out there in the fields. He’s a long way from his Father too it seems. Religious people don’t get involved in celebration and dancing so he stands outside and asks what’s happening. And becomes angry, judgmental, cross. Religious people can end up like that because of all they feel they have given up to get close to God – but they just get further away from him. So then the father goes out to him too – to plead with him. Leaves the party of which he is host, to go to this other lost son.

The younger son has become a fool, waiting for his dad to give him a goat that he already owns!

What do these words mean to you as you hear them spoken by God to you?

‘You are always with me and everything I have is yours!’

To conclude: 

Are you as close today as the Father longs for you to be? What step do you need to take? 

Who do you know who is far from God right now? Practically, how can you ‘run’ to connect them back to the love of God? 

 

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Jun 10 2012
Bible, Church, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Prayer

Who gets used by God? People who PRAY!

This forms the Grow Group notes for Ivy for this week.

I’ve talked today about two groups of people who get used by God to accomplish his purposes in the world. In the morning I talked about Caleb, an 85 year old OVERCOMER who took the mountain fortresses and took down the giants who were said to live there! The talk will be up on iTunes in the week - Do you see yourself as an overcomer, or overcome? A victim or a victor?

So how do we overcome? That was the subject of the second talk – God uses PRAYERS (i.e.., people who pray!)

Start your time together in prayer (naturally) asking God to move – supernaturally!  

BIBLE: Read Luke 11:1-13

Notice; the disciples saw something different about how Jesus prayed. It wasn’t rote, it was relationship in action. And he got answers – miracles!

Discuss: is there anyone you know or know of whose prayer life is a great example to you? 

It’s interesting that when they asked him,  Jesus doesn’t say: Oh, I don’t need to teach you how to pray. Just talk to God. Easy peasy.’

No. Jesus says: ‘Okay, yes – you need to learn to pray like me – so I will teach you how to pray.’

The point of that is, you need to learn and can be taught how to pray. Which ALSO means if you’re not taught how to pray – you really might be praying incorrectly.

Question: Do you agree? Isn’t prayer just natural? Can’t we ‘just do it.’ Do we need to learn to pray? In what way? 

Prayer is POWERFUL! I think when the angels see us pray and just talk about prayer in such a blasé way it must be for them like watching kids playing with dynamite, not knowing the power they have in their hands!

Q: Do you recognise how powerful prayer is? In what ways does it become commonplace for us?

Everything that God IS and HAS is available through prayer. Imagine that! God (the Creator of heaven and earth, the beginning and the end) has put everything you need to see at work in your life available to you – how? Through prayer. Prayer really is the most potent force in the universe, more powerful than the atomic bomb. But you have to know how to split the atom. Before that it’s just potential in Uranium, protons, neutrons and croutons. But now we’ve learned how to release that potential power. Imagine if we learned to release the power of GOD through prayer? Because it all goes back to Him. Who God is, and what he can do, is through prayer. And prayer is directly related to who you see God is, and what he can do.

So what’s going on in prayer? God is giving us delegated authority to exercise. Read Genesis 1:26-27. Then God said, “Let us make man (male and female is included there of course) in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Let who? Let THEM! God is saying, ‘Let them – (US) the people, humans, establish my reign on the Earth.’ How? By prayer. God set the parameters for his dominion and how it gets established. He wants the EARTH to be full of his glory, Isa 11:9 says ‘The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’ How? Completely! It’s established and enforced through prayer.

These words spoken by the Creator of earth about how he’s going to operate on the Earth; ‘Let THEM have dominion over… the earth.’ He didn’t say ‘Let me, or Let us…’ He said – Let THEM. He wanted them to RELATE to him and SHARE his authority. Imagine a father handing the keys over to his son, saying ‘You drive…’ It’s like he handed the keys over. ‘You live in the house. You have the legal authority over what happens in it now.’

It’s been given to his people. Not to be just servants but sons and daughters, running the family business!

Question: How might you pray differently if you saw that you had the authority of God in that way?

Jesus’ friends said ‘Teach US to pray!’ Read what he says in reply, from the ESV which is probably most accurate here -

“When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread,

4 and forgive us our sins,

    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

So… when you pray:

1) Remember WHO you’re talking to – God is your DAD. He loves you… and

2) Remember WHAT to pray. Ask for His kingdom to come into (INVADE!)  your kingdom.

Because prayer is a human being inviting the God of heaven to interfere with human affairs. Prayer is you giving heaven earthly license to influence earth! Prayer is you (never more powerful than when on your knees) – inviting, invoking – influence on this planet from GOD’S kingdom into the United Kingdom. Into every kingdom. The kingdom of your work, your family, your street. There’s nothing our world needs more desperately today – in individuals, in businesses, churches and communities – than God’s saving, supernatural intervention.

Discuss: If Jesus has taught YOU anything in this little lesson – How might this change your view and practice of prayer?

CHALLENGE/ APPLICATION

Being honest – are your prayers day after day, pretty mundane… ‘Bless my food, my job – and my dog in Jesus’ name, Amen.’ 

Is there anything GREAT – anything that needs HEAVEN’S RESOURCES to move to see something accomplished?

Is there anything about your prayers – that you’re honouring God with – because ONLY HE could POSSIBLY ANSWER the magnitude of your request?

And is there anything you are so passionately concerned about that you refuse not to pray about it, you refuse to give up on it – you’re just knock, knock knocking on heaven’s door about it, till you see an answer? Is there anything that big going on in your life?

Share with one another, pray for one another – and pray TOGETHER for God’s Kingdom to COME and His will to be done in the kingdoms of your lives.

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Jun 07 2012
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: Excuses have their uses

Never thought I’d be quoting 80s crooners ABC in my blog, but just a quick thought from my morning reading.

From my time in the police I heard sone people ‘caught bang to rights’ as we said come up with some fantastic excuses. One drunk I arrested protested ‘I’m just an innocent stybander!’

I love how real (and really lame) Aaron’s response is when he gets nailed for his part in getting the whole nation in trouble. Moses asks him, ‘what happened here?!!’

Uh oh… What do I say? ( I paraphrase)
‘Er….well it was everybody else, they wanted to be bad but not me…’

Exodus 32:24 ESV

“So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”"

See it at YouVersion.com: http://bible.us/Exod32.24.ESV

This great big golden calf thing everyone’s bowing down to instead of the real God ‘just happened!’

Caught red handed
With your pants down
Your hand in the till
The lie found out
What do we do?

Blameshifting to others, ‘it’s not my fault’ it just happened. From Adam & Eve to kids the world over, to politicians & greedy businessmen and me. What’s your excuse?

We can either live a perfect life or ask forgiveness and grace from the God who saw it all and has heard it all before.

He doesn’t accuse if I offer no excuse
He won’t judge if I’ve already judged myself.

The real God wants you to know he is a pardoner with power, any counterfeit is just a lot of bull.

Jun 03 2012
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Gossip – talk at Ivy MCR by Sarah Small

Sometimes we think it’s quite a trivial thing, but it’s not. We are surrounded by Facebook opportunities to pry into other peoples reality.
Cf Levenson enquiry – media stooped so low – why? Because we wanted to ‘read all about it.’ We think it’s ok to put it out there. What they said and did. And it’s in churches too.
It can make you feel awful. To have a confidence broken.
There are ‘prayer group gossipers.’ but you don’t need to know everything to pray about anything
Or we say something negative about someone – but finish it off with ‘bless them.’
Or the one who says ‘I’m just putting it out there’ – as if delivering a helpful truth, when in fact we are assassinating a character. The more quantity – the less its likely to be helpful.

Prov 11;13
16:28
26:20
18:8

These verses tell us of serious consequences! Are you a trustworthy friend or a perverse gossiper?

Let the fire go out – don’t put petrol on it!

Gossip is tasty! To be ‘in’ on something, to say your piece feels good.

But your tongue isn’t neutral. The Bible says it’s a sword that cuts deep. The tongue can be dangerous 18:21 – there is life and death in your mouth

And when the NT writers were starting the church they had to contend with this James 3:5-12

The Bible doesn’t point these out to make us feel bad, but to get better!

One tree can make 1000 matches
One match can burn down 1000 trees!

It says we can’t tame the tongue. We can’t do that. So is that it? Give up? No – Mt 12:34-35

What’s inside, comes out.
It’s not arbitrary or random
Your mouth is going to speak into life the things inside you.

Why can’t we just speak the good, positive, the best?
We think we’re realists when we say ‘but’
Why not believe the best
Speak the best?!

What hope is there?
The first speech in the Bible was God, speaking good, good, good into being!

It’s time we spoke out our dream, like MLK – before you see it, you’ll have to speak it.

We all mess up in this area, but we aren’t meant to be condemned by our words, but saved by his grace and transformed and shaped.

Let your tongue be a tree of life!

Practical applications?

1) Ask God (have I got a problem with this?). He’s heard every word!

2) Ask for forgiveness. We are not under law!

3) Be accountable to others. Mt 5 – deal with it before it blocks your worship life.

4) Start speaking well. (If you haven’t got anything good to say…!). Speak out a word of encouragement! Speak life and healing! Phil 4:8

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