It started with one person, having water poured all over them. It was because of a disease, 3 letters sum up the disease. That person challenges other people, calls them by name. If and when that person responds, they get water poured all over them too, then they challenge their friends and family and people and people they work with maybe. And it’s like, ‘What are you going to do about this?’
I get to meet up for breakfast with him most weeks and he’s one of the people who inspires me to GO FOR IT, I don’t want you to miss out on connecting to this passionate, uncompromising and gifted man and catch that fire!
The Christian church was born into an era of emperors. You ascended the imperial throne because of seniority, heredity or military glory. Then you could do whatever you liked until unseated by a coup. Before 1949 in Germany Fuhrer just meant Leader. Since the war it doesn’t get used. It’s tainted. Similarly such leaders tainted it for the church. Also for OT – God was king, kings were something to be wary of. For NT – Jesus is only Lord. (Acts 17:7, Rom 10:9, Col 1:18) – HE is the Leader. The head of the church. Supreme. We hear ‘Lead Like Jesus’ – but if that means he’s just an example of a good leadership tip source, that won’t do. He’s no leadership guru, he’s the Lord. BUT God is working for the flourishing of creation. (Eph 1:10) Richard Bauckham ‘God’s secret purpose at work in the whole creation took visible shape in Jesus Christ.’ God’s care for creation is exercised indirectly; he chooses a part for the good of all. He chooses […]
Michael Frost at New Thing Gathering #exponential Only one Australian has ever won the Nobel prize for literature; Patrick White A brutal, critical hater of the church in his biography he wrote about how he was with his gay partner of 40 years when he went out on the farm to feed his dogs, He fell on his backside, covered in mud and dogfood he heard a voice say ‘who the hell do you think you are?’ He thought God was speaking to him. So he went to church next week with his partner He went to the Anglican Church and sat at the back, where the Rector was telling people off for entering the jelly bean counting contest and being gamblers. ‘I realised whatever faith I had needed to be a private matter’ And too many churches are putting people like that off or telling them off Rather than being with them. Being their friends I And saying ‘that God who was taking to you, he’s my friend and he wants to be yours too.’ Canada – Another […]
Powerful! This is what Easter means. Nobody took His life, but He lay it down for you and me.
Brad hails from Canada and teaches Gospel Studies on the faculty of Westminster Theological Centre (which I am delighted to be a trustee of and teach on). My notes from his talk last week. He talks fast so I got as much as I could!! The beautiful gospel is of a God of unfailing love. It’s not a sales pitch I have to convince people of. A presentation that prisoners and the poor say ‘YES!’ to because it’s good news to them. The gospel in itself does not need upgrading. It’s a faith once delivered to the apostles from the Lord Jesus. But we need to be careful how we tweak our presentation of it, for every generation – so they hear it. We can have approaches, but it’s not steps. He then showed us the gospel in chairs: with two chairs (one black and one white chair). How I heard the gospel first off: the version I came to Christ through – was the legal gospel. Composed by Calvin. Courtroom image. Sin is lawbreaking that must be punished. God can […]
The journey of faith is not me inviting God into my story. It’s me looking outward beyond myself. And saying ‘I want to play in your story.’
You get no credit for looking in the mirror and knowing you’re a mess. What will you DO? You can memorise 12 great principles of successful marriage and still be instant messaging behind her back to that young girl in the office. It’s the same with money, parenting, or business. The blessing doesn’t come because I know. Or don’t.
Talk by Alan Taylor at Ivy Manchester Genesis 21:1-7 Sarah called her son Isaac because what they heard from God seemed so ridiculous to her, she laughed at the idea. Abram was promised a family, though his wife could not conceive. He would have lived in a place with a lot of stars out every night. His descendants would outnumber them. What do our dreams look like when they are fulfilled? It may be you’re in a hard time, struggling to hold on to your dream – hold on! God wants us to dream along with him, a good dream, a big dream – that brings joy to our hearts. When you read the Bible, ask; 1) Where does this story fit into the bigger story? 2) Where do I fit in this story? God’s dream for Abraham and Sarah was way bigger than a family, it was for them to be blessed to be a blessing – a family on mission. That’s our story now. We carry that too. Called out to bless the world. Isaac was laughter […]
Luke’s description of the work of the Spirit – it’s a prophetic empowerment for ministry, not lying down.