Gorsley Chapel - Pastor's Blog

'... skylarks and God...'

2006-06-17T11:41:00.000+01:00

'...for God so loved he... gave...'
John 3:16

Have you heard the birds sing recently? That might sound like an odd question, but what I’m asking you isn’t “have you heard a bird sing”, but “have you heard one sing recently?” I was playing golf, the greens were empty and silent of human voices but you should have heard the skylarks – they were deafening. I just had to pause for a moment and thank God for the amazing way he ‘gave’ such a small creature a great voice!

One day, a couple of weeks after losing my mum, I was looking out at May Hill over a card filled window sill. Like many members in our church who have gone through a loss of someone really close, I was amazed at the tangible support and encouragement that prayers had ‘given’ through a card or call or words of encouragement and support.

We have an incredibly generous God who has given us a wonderful world, not only that, he has created us in such a way that through our senses we can appreciate it. He’s ‘given’ us the gift of friendship – setting us in families and networks of people who care and love us and, on top of that, he’s given us the very special gift of his son.

I think the words of this poem by Annie Johnson Flint sum it up for me:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase;
To added affliction he addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure;
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

I hope you’ll hear that skylark sing.

How Fit For Life are you?

2006-06-11T11:45:00.000+01:00

I was listening to some recent research which stated that the average (US) citizen walked 2 miles a day in 1920 – today he’s lucky if he manages 200 yards a day!

Even I can remember, as an early teenager, walking 3 miles to school and this accompanied by a good 3 hours PE a week. I played weekly rugby/soccer and being a member of a swimming club meant, I guess, that I had a good background fitness plus I was a good deal healthier and fitter.

It’s taken Jamie Oliver to give our nation’s schools a kick start into making school meals more healthy which comes as a surprise when we have whole departments in schools who have technically known for years those things which are good for eating.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that our ‘bodies’ are the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’. In other words, the place in which God chooses to live and as Christians we should want to keep the ‘house’ in which God lives, by His Spirit, in good shape and the right physical condition.

However, the tragedy is we don’t! (I include myself at the top of the list). I think for a good number of years I’ve been more concerned about my car being in good nick than keeping my body in good shape. But as the mileage clock on my body ticks around I know, if I’m going to be alive to serve the Lord longer, I need to be committed to being ‘fit for life’. See you in the gym!

So, what’s the Relevance?

2006-06-04T11:47:00.000+01:00

Someone has said, ‘If the church or any organisation keeps on doing what it has always been doing, it will keep on being what it has always been.’ As Christians, we recognise that the message of Christianity never changes, but the way we seek to ‘do church’ and share the message might. The biggest challenge to the church today is to be relevant.

Relevance can be defined as 'connected to what is happening; useful or suitable for a purpose.' To be relevant requires us to be connected to the world we live in, and to be useful and suitable for God's purpose. The question we as Christians should constantly ask ourselves is this, ‘Are we connected to the world around us? Are we useful to the world outside the church?’

"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, non-religious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralised - whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ - but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it, I wanted to be in on it." 1 Cor 9:19-23, MSG

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, we see the characteristics of a relevant Christian and how they can be seen.

1. Ready

"I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all..."
There is a difference between someone who is committed to serve, and a demand to serve. The spirit of servanthood is not demanding but comes from a willing heart. Psalm 100 says, "Serve the Lord with gladness".

2. Expansive

"... in order to reach a wide range of people..."
Christianity has to be inclusive, not exclusive. The Bible teaches that 'whosoever believes' shall be saved.

3. Lifestyle

"I didn't take on their way of life..."
Relevance doesn't mean we embrace the spirit of the world. The world is not looking to be reproduced in the Church but is rather looking for alternatives and answers. We need to have a commitment to values and setting an example. We cannot be relevant to the world if we compromise our behaviour and beliefs.

4. Engaged

"I kept my bearings in Christ..."
To be relevant requires us to be stable, not wavering. James 1 teaches us that he who wavers is unstable like a wave in the sea. We need to be firmly planted in the Word.

5. Vicarious

"I entered into their world ..."
We need to be in the world, but not of the world. We aren't called to isolate ourselves from the world but the significant work of the Church is required out there in the unredeemed world.

6. Accepting

"I tried to experience things from their point of view..."
Sadly, the Church is often seen to be imposing their view on the world. Being relevant requires us not to be judgmental, but rather seeing the world with understanding and moved with compassion.

7. Not Narrow

"I became every kind of servant there is ..."
Being relevant isn't so much about being hip or cool, but more about being big spirited. Instead of being narrow-minded, let us be embracing with a breadth and a depth that draws the world to Jesus.

8. Tasked

“in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.”
Paul never forgot or gave up on his main purpose in life. When any church has done this it has become obsolete.

As we move forward as a fellowship, let’s seek to truly see what real relevance is – and pass everything we do through this filter.

Time To Wait

2006-05-27T10:54:00.000+01:00

Whilst I was in Romania a couple of weeks ago, I heard that there had been a fire in the village nearby. The occupants had called the fire brigade who turned up proudly in a brand spanking new fire engine - its bell and siren could be heard for miles. The firemen duly clambered out of the cab to set about the task of putting the fire out. Upon laying out their hoses and taking the positions they waited… and nothing happened!

To the amazement of bystanders, and the consternation of the occupants, the new fire fighting engine was empty of one vital thing - it had no water on board! Whilst looking in pristine condition it was rendered useless when it was put into action. Sadly, the villager’s house burnt down.

Just like the Romanian fire engine, there are times I find in my life that, although outward appearances can give the impression that everything is ‘gleamingly’ OK, we are actually running on empty! Leaving us unable to do the tasks we know that Christ would have us do.

It may be that he has called us to get alongside and encourage someone at work, or visit a neighbour or friend. Perhaps His spirit is calling us to really get involved in volunteering, to get involved in some aspect of work and service within the church. It’s not that we don’t want to do the task, but in all our busy-ness we feel powerless, and spiritually empty to do anything.

The word to us from Dr Luke in the first chapter of Acts is "Jesus said to the disciples, '… wait… do not leave… but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:4

Why not make it a priority today to do just that - to wait - to be filled with HIS power - and then go out? Otherwise, we will all just remain as clanging cymbals or a resounding gong!

Are You Lost?

2006-05-21T11:09:00.000+01:00

The tube train was packed as usual as it trundled through central London. Most people were going about their business, oblivious to their travelling companions, but one young man had become pre-occupied with the rather perplexed and obviously disoriented, foreign looking elderly gentleman sat opposite him. The elderly man kept looking down at a map of the Underground in the front of his diary then up at the maps displayed on the train and out of the window as the train passed through each station in turn. From time to time, he’d scratch his head and sigh.

Eventually, the young man decided to approach the elderly gentleman and offer his assistance. Immediately his suspicions were confirmed, the man was not English – he was from Eastern Europe and on his first trip to the UK. Taking the diary that contained the map, the young man stared at it, determined to locate exactly where they were. But turning the diary one way and then the other, he couldn’t make head nor tail of it either. Finally, in frustration, he gave up and closed it and that’s when he understood. The diary was French. The map inside the cover wasn’t of the London Underground at all – it was the Paris metro! No wonder he was lost.

If you’re living in God’s world, the only way to avoid getting lost is to follow God’s Word and His direction for your life. However, all of us can find ourselves lost at times and that’s why we need to remain focused on Christ and follow His lead.

Psalm 23 is probably one of the most well known passages in the Bible. It encourages us with the promise of being led to still waters, restoration of our souls and comfort through life’s difficulties.

Let’s remember, however, that the Lord is not a Shepherd who herds us along life’s path, but a Shepherd who leads us as we choose to follow. As you start a new week ask yourself who or what you are following.

Are you lost? Take hold of the right map for life and follow the Shepherd who will lead you to dwell in His house for ever.

Yours in Him
Nathan
Youth Pastor

Live To be Missed!

2006-05-15T18:11:00.000+01:00

Most of us are too busy to take a walk around a cemetery but it can be worth the experience!

Here are a number of rather grave inscriptions…

English Cemetery:
Sir John Strange
Here lies an honest lawyer,
and that is strange.

or
Georgia Cemetery:
‘I told you l was sick!’

or
Nova Scotia Cemetery:
Here lies
Ezekiel Aikle
age 102
‘Only the good die young.’

The last chapter of Moses’ life in the book of Deuteronomy tells us many things about him, principally that he was a Godly man.

“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land….” Deuteronomy 34:1

Firstly - here was Moses nearly a century and two decades old and he is climbing a mile high mountain ‘his eyes were not dim, nor his strength gone’, he’d kept in great shape right to the end of his life - a challenge to us all! Some people l know have got old before they are old! One of our members ninety years young, in a nursing home, keeps a computer next to her bed!!

Secondly - when he gets to the top of the mountain God gets him to take an around the compass look at the promise land – Moses must have thought WOW! As Christians we must recognise that death for the Christian opens up a fantastic view of more than just a piece of prime real estate!

“However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit...” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:1-2

Many people struggle with the idea of life beyond death, but l always think that if you could ask a baby in its mothers womb if it could believe in ‘life after the womb’ it might, from that warm and safe vantage point, also struggle to believe in another form of life! Yet Jesus' kind and hopeful word to Lazarus’ sister gives us strength.

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11: 23-25

Thirdly - you notice as Moses viewed the promise land he wasn’t alone. His Lord was with him. As that rugged shepherd of God’s flock stumbled his way up his last mountain he wasn’t alone God was with him and in a unique way he was to realise the comforting truth that another leader of this self same people was to pen,

Psalm 23: 1
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want...
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Fourthly – Moses, this great leader, would be missed! Sometimes you could wonder if the complaining people of Israel could have ever loved him – but this final chapter tells us that the people ‘... grieved for him... for thirty days.’

“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt -to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” Deuteronomy 34: 10-12

His impact had been colossal. We are told that here was a man of God, in the service of God, who didn’t simply retire or fizzle out. He was on fire right to the end.
His epitaph would take care of itself!

The blessing of Gods boundaries! - Exodus 20

2006-04-28T13:57:00.000+01:00

Have you noticed that everything you buy these days comes with a ‘rule book’, and a ‘set of instructions’. I recently replaced my watch and the instruction book I got with it is almost as thick as the New Testament! In it is everything you need to know to use the watch – the only problem is you need a magnifying glass to read it!

I guess it is no co-incidence that God should lay down for humanity some ‘Rules for Life’. Isn’t it amazing that God reduced all life’s moral responsibilities down to ten rules and called them the Ten Commandments.

We live in a society where the moral goal posts seem to shift on a yearly basis, and people who pin their lives on them often end up decimated and depressed. God’s guidelines for living have stood the test of time and have been a sure and solid foundation to build their lives upon.

Sadly, as one Rabbi who survived the Auschwitz death camp once said, ‘We now exist in a world where all ‘Ten Commandments, have been reversed!’

At one time you could expect to see the ‘Ten Cs’ hanging at the front of most churches (a constant reminder for God’s law) and whilst I wouldn’t want to go back to that we need to remind ourselves that Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law... I did not come to destroy but to fulfil.”

The Ten Cs in Exodus 20 flow from the character of God himself and are perfectly embodied in the person of Christ.

These are not just archaic laws given to an ancient nation but are a description of the ‘Character of Christ’ being re-produced in the lives of all Christians today by the Holy Spirit.

Ten Cs in Brief
Above all else we love God alone
Bow down to neither wood nor stone
Gods name refuse to take in vain
The Sabbath rest with care maintain
Respect your parents all your days
Hold sacred human life always
Be loyal to your chosen mate
Steal nothing neither small nor great
Report with truth your neighbours deed
Rid your mind of selfish greed

In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul said he was free to do anything, but he would not become the slave of anything. True freedom is not being free to do anything we want but being free to exercise self control (John 8:36) and self control (Galatians 5:20) is a fruit of the Holy Spirit moving in our lives. So when we become Christians the fact is we can either make good choices or bad choices – the Holy Spirit wants to lead us from bondage to freedom.

Fresh Legs

2006-04-21T13:37:00.000+01:00

Moses said to the Lord, 'May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.'
Numbers 27:15-17

It is always hard to follow a great act. The greater the act the more difficult it is to fill the shoes of someone who has served in such an incredible way. How many of us remember the name of the Prime Minister who stepped into No. 10 after Winston Churchill? It’s always hard to follow a great predecessor, their shoes seldom fit. When the great leader Moses came to the end of his ministry there are three important lessons we learn:

Firstly, when God removes He replaces – When a man of God is moved or dies, nothing of God dies. Moses recognised this when he said to the Lord, 'May the Lord... appoint a man...' v15

Secondly, when God appoints He anoints – The beautiful thing about the Lord is that He sees what is on the inside of us, '[He is]... the God of the spirits, of all flesh [and He]... appoints' v16. God's view of us is better than any x-ray or MRI scan – it's a miracle that He chooses us, let alone uses us.

Thirdly, when God empowers and envisions, the leader is effective – When Moses stood down there were many skills and ministries that would be needed in his successor. But Moses knew the three that would be needed the most. God would need a man with:

spiritual appetite - 'a man who would go out and come before them'.
spiritual leadership - 'who will lead them out (wilderness) and bring them in (the promised land)'.
'who would be a shepherd'.

Joshua would be God's choice to succeed Moses. As Moses stood on the Mount that day and looked into the promised land he saw the battles that lay ahead and he knew that God needed someone with what soccer managers call 'fresh legs'. Moses knew when to step aside and let God's vision and dream continue through another leader.

Today, we stand at another great moment in the history of His church here in Gorsley. As Nathan Jones steps into the role as Youth Pastor, we know that God will 'anoint' the one He 'appoints'. Let's get behind him and support, pray for and encourage him in all that he does to serve Christ.

Perspective on our Pressures

2006-04-14T11:18:00.000+01:00

'I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection…'
Philemon 3:10

God, in all his manifold wisdom, foresaw the problem of stress and striving that has been plaguing humanity for centuries - He beckons us to learn Trust.

In Romans 4, Paul writes that Abraham trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own (4:3), he was trusting Him to do it (4:5). In fact, it's this trusting that the Bible describes as 'gift' - sheer gift (Romans 4:5).

Paul's perspective that we read about in Romans 4 will change the way that you see the difficulties and the pressures of life. It will cause you to understand the things that God has given you that seem too much at times; the job that is too big, the team that seems beyond help, the difficult child, the marriage in despair... this is God's gift to you!

It is a mind shift to see your biggest challenges in life as gifts given to you by your all-knowing Heavenly Father - but that is exactly what the Bible describes to us!

An insightful Florence Nightingale said, 'The very vastness of the work raises ones thoughts to God, as the only one by whom it can be done. That is the solid comfort - He knows.'

Paul says if you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift (Romans 4:4). He goes on to say, if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do - as in, the job is beyond what you know you could do yourself in your own strength, or skill base or capacity - then this is where 'trusting' God and 'gift' come in to play.

Paul says that it's when we entrust to God the difficult areas and circumstances of our lives that this 'trusting him to do it' is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.

All of a sudden, I come to realise that the challenges that face me are God's gift to me so that I would be right before Him. As I learn complete dependence on God, He shapes me and moulds me and is able to work in and through me by His great power.

C.H. Spurgeon says, 'The way to grow strong in Christ is to become weak in yourself.'
In my own life I am learning the power of this incredible truth - my challenges equal God's gifts to me. I believe that as we learn to trust back into God's very capable and gentle hands all that he fills our lives with and all that he has entrusted to us in the first place, God will do miracles with all of the challenges we face.

I am learning to see the difficulties as gifts and blessings from my Heavenly Father that I would grow in intimacy with Him and learn to rely solely on Jesus and his indwelling life, 'I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection …' Philemon 3:10.

The Church - People Empowering!

2006-04-09T23:39:00.000+01:00

Most people would be a little embarrassed to have unexpected company when their house was a mess. Have you ever stayed in a hotel when room service called? I was staying in a hotel in Hungary, a knock came at the door and I found a smiling gentleman ready to clean the room.

I was so embarrassed - suitcases and crumpled clothing all across my unmade bed and wet towels all over the bathroom floor. I apologised profusely but the young man replied graciously in broken English, 'No problem, Sir. For this reason I have come to put your things in order.'

The Bible says this is exactly what Jesus Christ came to do for us. To put our lives in order! He doesn't demand that we first straighten up our mess. Instead, He offers to clean them up for us.

The Cross reminds us again about a Saviour who came, 'to seek and to save the lost!' (i.e. those who are in a 'mess'). He doesn't expect us to get our act together and sort out the mess before He comes into our lives. That's the process He begins when His Spirit comes in and takes control and for many of us there is a lot of mess to still sort out - and, like the first disciples, we need to recognise that we are a 'work in progress'. Jesus thanked His father, '... for these men that had been given to Him out of the world…' and through that core of disciples, the good news spread and the church grew throughout the then known world.

People empowering! - these men and women had repented of their sins, had been baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit and they were used mightily by God. In the first 360 years of church history, church membership was entirely about 'function'. It has only been in the last 200 years that it has been rendered into a 'formality', not too unlike joining a club where, at worst, some will pay their dues and turn up. Others will not even do that. Somehow a badge of 'membership' makes them out as kosher for this earth and the next?! Sounds weird.

When you look at the description of the early church, it certainly didn't look like a people who had 'got it all together'. The people of Corinth, for instance, had a reputation of living in a city which, in the ancient world, was hard drinking, unruly and sexually promiscuous. When Paul turned up to share the message of Jesus, he wasn't surprised that when they came to faith they brought their reputations with them!

Paul doesn't go into a panic and throw them out of the church because their life styles don't fit the bill. Neither does he fly into a tirade or disown them because their conversion didn't furnish them with an impeccable set of morals and a middle class outlook to suit. He takes all that he saw in their lives, and that which he didn't see, into his stride and like his Saviour, Jesus, thanks God for them and begins to encourage them to patiently and lovingly direct Christ's saving love into their love for one another. His approach was Christ affirming, Holy Spirit liberating and people empowering! The mess became a movement... 1 Corinthians 1:28!

Long may it continue...

How to rise above 'just average'

2006-04-02T23:49:00.000+01:00

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Psalm 8:1

How great is your God? How awesome is He? What view do you have of him? Does He stand over all of your life or is He a bit like Aladdin's genie... you just bring Him out when you're in a fix or you need a quick miracle?

Our view of God will be reflected in how we treat Him and how we live for Him from day to day. The Bible teaches us, 'Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable … if anything is excellent or praise worthy … think about such things.' Philemon 4:8

Some Christians think that they can walk out of church and it won't matter if they live like the world around them. They think it doesn't matter if they get drunk, swear, commit adultery, watch huge doses of soft porn dished up as Desperate Housewives on their TVs.

The problem with many churches and many who call themselves Christians today is that they have got so spiritually watered down they have no more taste! No wonder our nation is in the state it is. Just look at this week's Citizen local Newspaper - teenage drugs, burglaries, drive by abductions and that's just in Gloucester! The reason why the nation is in a desperate state is because the church is in such a state of spiritual decline.

We've turned the Good News of God's saving grace into a watered down version of altruistic self-helpism that robs the Cross of its power. We smugly think that God is lucky to have us on His side. The church has raised a generation of 'consumer-Christians' who are out to get before they give, who would spend a fortune on themselves whilst allowing the mission of the church limp along, who would rather see a performance at church than get on their knees and join the church in prayer.

Friends, our God is Holy...

True - He longs for transparency and truth in our lives.
Noble - He'd rather see more Christlike character in us.
Pure - He wants us to guard our minds and the minds of our children from the raw sewage of filth that can filter into our front rooms week by week via the TV.
Lovely - He wants to see our lives that are just lovely and pure.
Admirable - He wants men and women who will be honoured for their honesty, courage and integrity not because they just sunk a load of cash into the government.
Excellent - Everything he has created from the mountains to the tiniest insect is 100% fantastic. That is what He wants to see in our service for Him, He's sick of mediocrity and excuses - we need to start taking our cue from His character and His Word. The biggest problem for Christians today is they are forever aiming (aiming to pray, aiming to serve, aiming to give - for this worlds sake stop aiming and fire!!)
Praiseworthy - Focus on that which is positive and praiseworthy, avoid negativism or a critical spirit or being filled with cynicism or bitterness. If you have friends like that and they drag you down show them the door, or they'll infect your witness. We need to be a people who cause others to praise our God. We need to be a people who reflect God's righteousness and not our own into our society. God's word says these are the things we need to dwell and to think on.

Can I encourage you to get hold of God and let God get a hold of you? It was said of Daniel, a man who refused to compromise in placing God first in his life, that the Lord raised him up and made him Prime Minister of his day.

'Now Daniel soon proved himself more capable that all the (administrative leaders) of his day, and because of his exceptional qualities the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom'
Daniel 6:3

Determine today by God's grace to rise above 'Just Average'

Living Over The Circumstances

2006-03-19T23:59:00.000Z

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17

This week Cheltenham has been experiencing another deluge of Delancys, Donovans and Dougals in what must be one of the worlds premier race meetings. Whilst it has been an exciting event five horses have died racing. As they say,' life is full of hurdles and pitfalls' and, as Christians, we are not exempt. But one of the great blessings we can experience amidst those tough times is what I call 'artesian springs of joy!' Do you remember in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas have been beaten up and thrown into prison for shining the light of Christ into their dark world? After midnight they start having a praise meeting. It was going to prove earth shaking!

It was Selwyn Hughes who used the speech about, 'Living over the Circumstances'. One of the great encouragements we can experience as Christians living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit is that we will continually find ourselves, in spite of our circumstances, 'snuck upon by joy!'

But the Bible is quite clear that we need to choose to allow that joy to bubble through! We need to be walking in step with the Holy Spirit and not grieving him by our words or actions. We need, each morning as we wake, to 'choose joy!' to say, 'I'm going to live over the circumstances and not under them - always!'

Fresh and Fragrant Jesus

2006-03-05T23:02:00.000Z

How much perfume do you use? Or, if you are bloke, what after shave? It seems that the array of 'pongs' is immense! I was staggered whilst browsing the duty free at Gatwick realising how expensive the 'Eau-Canal' came in at, almost more expensive than my flight!

Why is perfume so expensive? Well, I'm told it costs a lot of money to crush up the various petals that go into making a few grams of the scent that make the beautiful, or not so beautiful, smells that can be produced.

Scriptures tell us, 'But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphant procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.'
2 Cor 2:14

God wants us, as Christians, to be fragrant! He wants us to emit the 'essence' of Jesus. For this to happen we need to be living in 'triumph'. What does that mean for us? Well, I believe it means that He wants us through Him to be 'overcoming' the situations of life that so easily get us down! You see, if Christianity can't make a difference to the way we live from day to day, how do we ever expect it to make a difference to our eternal destiny? Faith and Hope in Christ should change the way we live, the attitudes we have, and the behaviour we exhibit should be enriched by Him.

Like the petals in the perfume, that often means we will be crushed first, but the fragrance we give will be even greater.

These are the Good Old Days

2006-02-26T23:07:00.000Z

'I tell you now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation.'
2 Corinthians 6:2

I heard about a couple on holiday who saw a lovely Cornish dream cottage with great views and roses creeping round the old front door. As the man gazed at the cottage, he said to his wife, 'There's no way we could ever buy a place like that!', but then right there deep inside himself something said, 'Don't worry, you never will live in a place like that.' The man instantly realised that his own thoughts and attitudes were condemning him.

It's the same way with us. Our negative thoughts and attitudes can so easily condemn us never to expect that anything good could happen to us! The trouble with that type of thinking is what we fail to believe on the 'inside' we often fail to receive on the 'outside'.

It is so easy to lose our spark and never seek to do something that's really going to be meaningful or make a difference in our world because we've been conditioned usually by our British mind set that things can't and won't happen!

What we've got to realise is that 'in and through our relationship with Christ' that these are great days to be living in and way in the future we will even say, 'Hey they were the good old days!' To live that best life now we must look at life through the 'eyes of faith!' See your business take off! See your marriage enriched! See your debts paid. See your loved ones won to Christ and your family doing well! See your Church grow.

If you can't believe or conceive it on the inside it will never happen on the outside, you must have that hope in every part of your being.

Faith honours God and God honours Faith!

2006-02-12T23:12:00.000Z

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
Romans 4:13

Robert and Mary Moffatt spent ten years labouring for Christ in Botswana without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way. Finally, the missionary society wanted to withdraw their support as not one person had turned to the Lord. The couple, however, believed that God was in their labours and that the tide would turn.

A friend in the UK sent word that she wanted to post the Moffats a gift and asked what they would like. Believing that the Lord would bless their work they responded, 'A communion set! We are sure it will soon be needed.' The post was delayed but, on the day before a little group of six converts were gathering to form the first church in that land, it arrived and they shared communion!

Each one of us as Christians are called to not only be regenerated by faith, but to live each day by faith. That small step of saving faith will one day enable us to reach heaven, but great faith will bring heaven into our daily lives!

Charles Wesley, studying Abraham's faith, wrote a twelve verse hymn - one particular verse provided encouragement to many Christians then and now:

Faith mighty faith, the promise sees
And looks to that alone,
Laughs at life's impossibilities
And cries, it shall be done!

It is so easy, as a Christian, to get weighed down by life's circumstances and be overcome by life's impossibilities. Remember when you get stressed, that Jesus said, 'My yoke is easy'. Remember when you get down, God's word says, 'Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.' Remember when you are tempted to think that busy-ness equals Godliness that Jesus isn't impressed by our busy-ness but the fact we bear fruit.

Friends, remember that it's 'the devil who comes to steal and destroy our lives' John 10:10, but it's Christ's desire that 'we enjoy life in it's fullness' (Amp Bible). What's the key to enjoying life? Faith! Take that away from our lives and we're left with nothing!

Consumer Christianity vs Committed Christianity

2006-02-05T23:16:00.000Z

But King David replied to Araunah, 'No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing'.
1 Chronicles 21:24

I've often wondered how we would feel if:

You bought a new watch that ticked one second and missed the next.
You found that your teenager went to school one day and then missed the next.
Or your heart started missing a beat.

Irregularity in any area of life causes massive problems! It reminds me of the driver stranded on the hard shoulder who said to the AA man, 'I knew it was going to breakdown as soon as it started missing!'

It was said of the Lord Jesus Christ, 'He went into the synagogue, as was his custom...' Luke 14:16, and for those first disciples who made up the early church, 'they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer...' Acts 2:42.

For those in leadership as 'under-shepherds', there will be a desire to mirror the shepherd they serve by leading a Godly example in their regular worship, fellowship and Bible study. If the disciples had not chosen to meet on that first Sunday night who would the risen Lord have revealed himself to? (John 20:19)

It is possible, sadly, to be a member of any church and even in leadership and not be regular at services and prayer meetings. I'm afraid I'm old school when it comes to membership of an organisation. When I played rugby many moons ago, if all we did was turned out sporadically on a Saturday we were doomed to disaster - we had to attend practise night or we didn't play.

Friends, if we want to make an impact as Christians on our society, we need to start 'letting our light shine!' That is why the Bible challenges us to, 'encourage one another and not to give up meeting together as is the habit of some!' Hebrews 10:25.

It was Woody Allan who said, 'Ninety per cent of life is just showing up'. Can I encourage you to make that commitment (and there will be a cost) to Jesus and get with it? It might not be 'your way' of doing things but it is Christ's!

Faith - A Scary Confidence

2006-01-29T23:26:00.000Z

Some Nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7

There are times, as we continue to grow as a fellowship, that I wonder where we will get the resources we need or, far more importantly, the people we need to see effective ministries continue to develop. As a leadership at Gorsley, we really sense God's blessing on the church at this time in so many areas (always mindful that improvements can be made.) With the lengthening of the cords of ministry there has also got to be strengthening and under-girding of areas of responsibility and that is what I am often concerned about. However, just as we seem stretched and are growing in one particular area of opportunity and become somewhat vulnerable the Lord brings in or shows us the exact people we need to develop things.

I often pray as I cross the car park, coming to church and leaving it. During the past week I had been at a team meeting where I sensed the Lord was stretching us and sensed that I needed to be reassured that He was in the process. My reading that night was Psalm 20:7 where David was expressing, from many years of having to trust God in some very tough situations, where his confidence lay. In his statement he was saying that it didn't lie in the strength afforded him by his position but in his trust in God!

I sense that God is saying that we need to keep our eyes on Him and that will continue to mean that we need to walk by faith and not sight - and as we do this we will see in an amazing way what He can do! Even though our faith might not be gigantic, God is! Our trust and faith in God is very much like our muscles - the more we use them the stronger they get. It's like God is saying to David, “you need to get out of your chariot and step up into mine - and hold on because it's going to be a great ride!”