If you live under the law you’re inviting God to judge you on how well you keep the law. How will you do with loving God and people perfectly Parables = two things thrown down side by side Like the Pharisee and the tax collector. We pick sides quickly – it’s not so cut & dried in real life. Tax collectors did pretty well – it was a booming business. The fact that Jesus was friends with people like that said a lot about Jesus, not them. But the sinner is justified not the plaster saint Pharisee. The religious add on the list of conditions to the position of being children of God. They say ‘we are the sons of Abraham’ But Paul tells the Galatians – yes but Abraham had 2 sons – One represents law One represents promise One is the son of a slave – Ishmael. No miracle there. One is Isaac – where life came to what was dead. It’s 2 covenants – 2 ways 1) unbelief, make it happen yourself 2) trust and rest in […]

Great stuff

Galatians 4:8-20 Have you ever seen someone who starts off full of joy in God. But then they lose focus, lose grace – end up a pain to be around. This church went like that completely. The simple message of grace they embraces was getting very complicated. Imagine someone being told at adoption ‘we will love you in this family -,if and when you follow the rules’ There are 2 ways to live Law or Grace Which way are you living? Law = it’s all about what you know Grace = being known Paul says going to live by law is just as bad as living that pagan life. We can trade the old life problems for new Give up drink Take up religious Pharisaism More impt than knowing God is being known by him. What does it mean to be known by God? To know that he is your Father and you are a son. An inheritor. God knows you as a loving father loves his beloved son. Got a problem with the idea of father? When we want […]

People get on edge when they hear the word evangelism. We used to get the evangelists come to the church: Big bible, stories, miracles, wife. But God wants to set you up to win. 1 Cor 9:19-23 Paul’s secret of evangelism? Connect to the people where they are, to win them to Christ. Become a servant to them for the sake of the gospel. Evangelism isn’t about what you know- It’s about: 1) Who we are He starts off by saying he knows who he is. If you know who you are in Christ, you’ll share him. Let your light shine. Jesus says I AM the light of the world. The salt of the earth. This is who you are because he is in you That’s plural, not singular It’s not ‘you in your small dark corner and you in mine.’ It’s you together – plural – are the light, singular. Nothing changes about the light, it’s all about position. If you put it under a bowl it lights nobody else. The church is better than you think. More powerful […]

We are a church that gets this message of grace. But one survey said 81% of Christians believe Christianity is primarily as rule keeping. We have to get grace, and Galatians is all about that. New believers there were being told it was Jesus plus that saved us The OT – the law was 613 rules The NT – Heb 8 : it’s on your heart and mind. The law… Of love 1 John – his commands are not burdensome We live under one covenant only Eph 2:12 says law was never an option for Gentiles anyway It’s new covenant or nothing for us, foreigners to the covenant. It says ‘I will forgive their sins & remember them no more’ Removed! Jesus death and resurrection bought it for us For there to be an inheritance there has to be a death The covenant takes effect then There’s a great dividing line in history Moses came down with the tablets They say ‘we will do it all’ Then they make a golden calf Being under the law is like having a […]

We are here as a people of the presence. Years ago she felt God kept stirring her to make a difference to prostitutes. 10 years on, she got connected to a drop in centre, and started to volunteer every Friday. Found people with such broken lives. One girl was a prisoner in her own home, abused by her partner – but refused prayer, over and over. Finally she allowed it. When she got to her house she found the only man who had ever been kind to her in her life was outside. He threw the guy out, and he drove away drunk – and got arrested and out of the picture. We can’t do anything in our own strength. Isaiah 55 God wants to satisfy us. David learned to go to God & be satisfied That prepared him to be King God remembered David’s heart for him, more than his sin. That David wanted to be His. Only Jesus can quench our thirst. He wants to feed us And others through him When you overflow, you can’t help but […]

Notes from a meeting at New Wine 14. Most of it was Robby, some from others. 1. Keep stories of miracles – in & out of the church, of people stepping out; and ‘free to fail’ services That it doesn’t have to be successful You have a value of risk taking – in home groups, on the streets. 2 Step up yourself. Once a quarter/ a month – step out. Pull people in front of everyone and model it. Walk through the model of prayer – one to one. If it doesn’t seem to ‘work’ – you’re I’m that now and not yet deal, it’s okay. Get the kids to pray, or people who have never prayed for someone before Or ‘anyone with problem with shoulder?’ Anyone feel God doesn’t use you in prayer? Get over and put your hands on them and say this… 3.Pray the way Jesus prayed. The way the apostles prayed – ‘shoulder be healed…’ 4. What if they don’t get healed? Don’t avoid this! Take a risk. Say something you normally wouldn’t Do something you […]

Ephesians 2 Paul’s prayer – that we would have vision God needs to expand our vision Read the Hebrews Heroes 11:13 – they didn’t get it but they saw it from a distance and welcomed it. She told the great story about the Muslim woman sitting with her on the plane – I blogged it from Exponential – – search for her name on the blog and read it. She got to see behind the veil Then the girl asked ‘was I what you were expected’ Remember Hagar? Invited in, used, then excluded. Left to die in the desert. She’s excluded and alone and cries out – Then God shows up and she says ‘I have seen the God who sees me’ Then she goes back and says I’m not invisible any more. God is with us You’re not invisible Not to him, ever You’re not isolated He sees you You can see him Don’t hide behind a veil. He’s right here. No matter what. Even if it didn’t or doesn’t get better. You will never be alone in anything […]

I tire of reading either/or, incarnation vs proclamation opinions or even discipleship vs evangelism. Really? It’s a false dichotomy. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  It’s not enough to just say it, we have to share it. And vice versa. Both/And is ALL IN.  A great example of this came to mind as I reflected on a talk given earlier this year I heard at Exponential by Oscar Murio from Nairobi Chapel. I look forward to meeting him next January in Kenya to discuss the idea of ‘New Thing Global.’ Oscar passionately shared something of this challenging story, first recounted by Robert Murray McCheyne, so I tracked it down for a little more detail. At the beginning of the C19th a missionary from England happened to be on a hilltop in South Africa, and as he glanced over a wall that surrounded a leper colony, saw two lepers ploughing a field. One had lost his hands, the other had lost his feet. The one without hands was carrying the one without feet, and they would stop at each […]

I meant to get round to posting this earlier to my blog. Quite amazing, we certainly didn’t go looking for it they came to us. It started out as an invitation to tell my personal faith story but after they heard about Ivy that became a focus. Then one morning I woke up and after prayer started to have a conversation in my head with my friend the Holy Spirit. He was asking ‘what would you say if someone asked you about this.. And that…’ Half an hour later the reporter rang me asking me exactly those questions. If you’d told me the day before I would be answering such tough questions to be reported in the international press I wouldn’t have slept at all. Anyway if you haven’t read it yet – here’s the link. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/inside-a-church-for-born-again-christians-speaking-to-god-in-a-manchester-multiplex-9624138.html