You may know already I’m on sabbatical and you’re thinking, ‘Why’s he going meeting with people?’ but I had a dream just the other week where pretty clearly God was telling me I needed to go and connect with Ken Gott, and I know he likes quick obedience – so we did it.
For years, decades, I said to myself ‘I’m too young, nobody will want to learn from me.’ Now it won’t be long before the lie becomes ‘I’m too old, nobody wants to listen to me!’
Now here in the West the question arises more than any time in my life whether the light of the gospel that we have been handed on, that we are to shine before all people, may be in danger of going out? The historic value of the church in society, the idea that this is a Christian nation, that the word of God has a hearing, that flame is burning down in society, in churches and, yes, believers.
Here’s something that the church should be known for and it seems to me to be more needed in the world than ever. We are constantly told that so many things are in short supply and I know at times, as I reflect now on sabbatical, I’m asking God to increase this attitude and put it into action. I’m not always as kind as I could be. Who do you know and when you think of them you’d say ‘that’s a kind person.’ (Let me know in the comments?) Maybe some people are kinder than others by nature? But I am talking about the supernatural gift the Holy Spirit wants to be more evident in you and me. That famous passage in Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit— characteristics that are meant to grow inside of us as we live for God and let his life and love change us from the inside out. LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE…. the Holy Spirit wants to develop these in us so we mature in our lives as Jesus followers. And number 5 on […]
There’s no room for questioning in the simplistic ‘Disney World’ caricatures – only villains and us, the heroes of course. Those who agree with our ideology are the only ones we listen to.
The further any culture, company or country goes down this path, the more good hearted, reasonable ordinary people end up being bullied and intimated into silence. It’s dangerous to speak your mind so we keep our thoughts to ourselves, while those who only allow certain small and angry thoughts to be approved and voiced get louder and more vociferous. This sleeping giant must rise up. It starts with you and me.
It’s not just the strange tale of a talking donkey. Numbers 22 has a lot to tell us about blessings and curses and how words work God’s way.
First the church is lulled into acceptance. Then the hammer falls.
What would WE do?
The word of God is our only weapon against such attacks. Human strategies, philosophies and arguments are a vain hope – useless to push back the darkness. But hell trembles when we open our mouths and declare, “It is written.”
Is that too simple? Do we want to fight him on his own terms?
The Lord Jesus Christ did not do so.
“My God,” he prayed aloud, “I’ve served You on earth.. And my reward should be that I shouldn’t die before I bring a Jew to Christ, because Jesus was from the Jewish people.” He sighed. “But I’m poor, old, and sick. I can’t go around and find a Jew. In my village, there aren’t any. Bring a Jew into my village, and I’ll do my best to lead him to Christ.”
Some time around 10pm (I think) a singer put down his trumpet and said, ‘The Holy Spirit is here, let’s be silent and welcome his presence.’
Within a few minutes, we all knew the anointing, overwhelming, presence of God – come to counsel and comfort, to convict the world with regard to sin and righteousness and judgement.As I looked around I saw hundreds, many hundreds, all kinds of people around the Arena where not long ago death and horror reigned doing just that men and women and young people coming back to life! Hands up everywhere. Many were in tears and others smiling broadly as they did business with God in what was now surely a holy place as he made himself present where he had been so royally welcomed and honoured. The King had come.