Coventry Inspirations

Taking responsibility (Floyd McClung)

2008-12-03T16:32:00.000Z

Chew on this...

2008-11-24T14:36:00.003Z

Jesus never rejected anyone.

Gareth Duffty said this line in a talk he was doing recently about God's grace and it hit me so hard how profound this aspect of Jesus' character is. This is immensely challenging as we go about our days and weeks as disciples of Jesus, not just believing in him, but living like him.

A great vid on sharing the good news of Jesus!

2008-11-18T10:02:00.003Z

This is a guy called Michael Frost who is a top guy, well worth listening to.

Open letter from Todd Bentley

2008-06-20T09:45:00.003Z

Much has been said about the incredible supernatural occurances that have and still are taking place in Lakeland under the ministry of Todd Bentley. As with anything significant in the church, there is always criticism (some of it incredibly scathing)and denouncement of certain happenings and people to be 'of the devil'! Todd Bentley has written an open letter with some thoughts and response to all that is going on and its quite a helpful, Biblical review that will serve to deepen your hunger if you take some time to read it and ponder. Its online at the link below:

http://www.freshfire.ca/?Id=1059&pid=993

World's leading athiest changes his mind

2008-06-17T11:08:00.002Z

Ok, so this isn't a specific physical miracle...but it's very inspiring none-the-less and well worth taking 5 to read through.

World's leading atheist changes his mind: there is a God!

The photo is upside down - that's how it appears on the cover of a recent book by the most influential atheist over the past fifty years. So-called 'new' atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have stood on his shoulders in debunking the existence of God. But Professor Antony Flew's thinking has recently been turned upside down - or maybe right side up! He now believes in a Creator.

The book's title declares: THERE IS NO GOD - but the 'NO' is scribbled out and replaced by an 'A'. And the subtitle adds, How the world's most notorious atheist changed his mind. Antony Flew engaged in debate with C.S. Lewis at the Oxford University Socratic Club in 1950, when he presented a paper called Theology and Falsification. This became the most widely reprinted philosophical publication of the last century. The Socratic principle emphasised by this club - of following the evidence wherever it may lead - became a guiding principle throughout Flew's career.

It was that principle, he explains, which led him to change his mind about God after more than sixty years of atheism and a distinguished career as a philosopher. In a chapter entitled Atheism calmly considered (following John Wesley's sermon, Predestination calmly considered), Flew describes his various debates with theists over the decades. Some were attended by thousands. The professor found himself confronted in debate with increasing evidence of an intelligent designer behind the universe. Big Bang cosmology, implying that the universe had not always existed, had pulled the rug out from under some of his key arguments. Other developments in modern science too seemed to point to a higher Intelligence.

"In one report it was said that of all the great discoveries of modern science, the greatest was God!"

In May 2004, Flew was invited to participate in a symposium at New York University, to debate with Israeli scientist Gerald Schroeder and Scottish philosopher John Haldane. All were greatly astonished when he announced at the start that he now accepted the existence of a God. The scheduled debate thus became a joint exploration of the implications of recent scientific discoveries. In one report of the event, it was said that of all the great discoveries of modern science, the greatest was God!

Asked that evening if recent work on the origin of life indicated creative Intelligence, Flew answered: 'Yes, I now think it does... DNA (investigations have shown)... that intelligence must have been involved in getting these extraordinarily diverse elements to work together.' Atheists, he explained, were fond of appealling to the idea that given enough time, chance could produce anything, even life. But Schroeder impressed Flew by debunking the so-called 'monkey theorem': that enough monkeys banging away on enough keyboards could eventually produce a Shakespearean sonnet. Or, by analogy, that life could emerge by chance.

Schroeder referred to an experiement conducted by the British National Arts Council, in which six monkeys were put in a cage with a computer. One month and fifty typed pages later, not a single word had been produced by the monkeys. Not even the single-letter words of 'a' or 'I'. Actually, argued Schroeder, the likelihood of getting a one-letter word was one in 27,000. What chance then was there of getting a fourteen-line Shakespearean sonnet by chance? Schroeder did the maths and came up with 10 to the 690th. To get that in perspective, the number of particles in the whole universe-protons, electrons, and neutrons-is a mere 10 to the 80th! For Flew, this was a convincing display that the monkey theorem he and others had often used to discount any intelligent Creator was simply 'rubbish'.

"Look and follow the evidence wherever it may lead."

Flew calls his discovery of the Divine a pilgrimage of reason, not of faith. He claims no personal experience of God or any experience of the supernatural or miraculous. Yet he includes as an appendix in his book an article by Bishop Tom Wright arguing the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Introducing the article - 'by far the best case for accepting Christian belief that I have ever seen' - Flew states: 'I think that the Christian religion is the one religion that most clearly deserves to be honoured and respected whether or not its claim to be a divine revelation is true... If you're wanting Omnipotence to set up a religion, this is the one to beat.'

The book's other remarkable appendix, by Flew's collaborator Roy Abraham Varghese (The Wonder of the World), is a critique of the 'New Atheism', represented by Dawkins (The God Delusion), Sam Harris (The End of Faith), Lewis Wolpert (Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast), and others. Varghese accuses these 'atheist evangelists' of ignoring the very phenomena relevant to the question of God's existence. These are: rationality, implicit in all our experience of the physical world; life, the capacity to act autonomously; consciousness, the ability to be aware; conceptual thought, the power of articulating and understanding language; and the human self, the 'centre' of consciousness and action. All the evidence we need is in our immediate experience, argues Varghese; only a deliberate refusal to 'look' is responsible for atheism of any variety.

Flew's book is a powerful challenge to all to 'look' and follow the evidence wherever it may lead.

Source: Jeff Fountain

I received this via 'Joel News' : published weekly on the basis of an annual donation. For more information visit our donation page: http://www.joelnews.org/donation.htm.

Football injury healing (x2!) – thank you Jesus!

2008-06-06T13:37:00.001Z

True, God even heals football injuries… after being prayed for (twice) on Wednesday, an injury to my wrist whilst playing in goal at football training on Tuesday supernaturally recovered, to the point it was again completely usable. Then today, an old ankle injury recurred randomly, only to disappear again just as quickly when prayed for! Again, thank you Jesus! He is on the move...

Taking it to the streets

2008-06-04T14:08:00.002Z

Here is a guy stirred up and passionate about taking all that God is doing and seeing it happen out on the streets. Watch this and be inspired to take the Good News of Jesus to those around us.

I love the emphasis that all those involved with this 'Florida Outpouring' seem to be bringing and that is 'receive it, take it back to where you live, and give it away' i.e. don't just watch Todd Bentley and go 'wow', but take up the words of Jesus,

"anyone who believes in me will do what I've been doing, and even greater things because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).

Obedience fanatics!

2008-05-29T08:40:00.005Z

I hope that you are enjoying an increased sense of the nearness and might of God. That is clearly what he wants for us as we learn more and more to abide in him and bear much fruit as a result (John 15).

I am convinced that heightened levels of obedience to the Holy Spirit's promptings are essential. Let's seek to become 'obedience fanatics', ready to respond to any kind of inner leading in matters both great and small. For almost every story of God breaking powerfully into someone's life there is someone in the link who was obedient to his voice.

I have heard stories in Coventry in just these last couple of weeks of amazing God-encounters, experiences of the Holy Spirit, re-awakening in peoples' lives, personal breakthroughs, physical healing, the presence of angels and mirculous provision....

...and our hearts cry "More Lord Jesus. Fill us, fill our homes, fill our streets, fill our workplaces and our friendships with your powerful love."

The power of love

2008-05-21T09:07:00.006Z

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Eph 3:19 (NLT)

I've found myself again this week overwhelmed and in awe of how much God loves us; the amazing transforming power of Gods love compels us to live in the fullness of His life and power. God is moving in signs, wonders and miracles across the nations of the world; we're seeing lives healed and transformed in Lakeland, Florida night after night and we're hearing reports of the power of God moving throughout cities, streets and homes across the world; and with each report I am captivated again by the love of our Father for His people.

I'm desperate to see the power of God move through our streets and mightily affect each life, home, work place, family that we touch everyday - so how do I respond? I sit at His feet, I rest in His presence, I meditate on His word; the transforming word of God that speaks page after page of the love of God; and then like Jeremiah I can not hold it in:
..."his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."

The love of our Father consumes us with a passion for the lost, the sick and the needy; the love of our Father compels us to move in His power to see our world transformed for His glory. Today may we experience the love of Christ so that we may live every day in His fullness of life and power.

Check this out:

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. Jeremiah 31:3

CBN News report on the Lakeland Revival Meetings

2008-05-20T13:51:00.002Z

Encouraging stuff indeed. Watch this and allow the Holy Spirit to stir your faith. I love the emphasis here not just on one man but on impartation for many to heal the sick and the spreading of what God is doing around the world.

Prophetic word - God is pouring out his wine

2008-05-20T11:08:00.003Z

God has recently spoken to us that he wants to fill the wineskin he has given us; right now he is pouring out the wine of his Holy Spirit into what we are doing.

Also, around the world, we are hearing stories of the powerful demonstration of God's love through the power of the Holy Spirit and I remember the promise of Hebrews 2:

" This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."

We need to be ready, willing and available for all that He is going to do, and this can be a useful journal of encouragement to keep us inspired, full of faith, and passionate to see the Spirit move in us and through us to affect our homes, streets, neighbourhoods, friends, workmates and complete strangers!

If you have anything to add to this blog, let me know and I can add you as a contributor or just email it to me and I'll put it up!

Church is...

2007-04-30T19:56:00.000Z

'Church is...a community of the Spirit': a group of 'deep-spirited friends' united, inspired and led by the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 2 vs 1-2 (TM)

Church is...

2007-04-24T09:26:00.000Z

I am thinking a lot at the moment about what the church is from God's perspective. Who are we called and destined to be? What is our community to look like? What impact upon the world are we to be having? What matters most to God about what we do?

Anyone who has some interesting and brief "Church is..." thoughts, please share them either as a post or by adding a comment to this or other post. Let's have some fruitful discussion on this.

Here's one for starters:

“Church is not a cosy society dedicated to our personal welfare but a tool in God’s hands for the fulfilment of his great purpose.” (Covenant College MBTP, “Church” module)

This is our means to bring transformation

2006-11-30T13:06:00.000Z

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”
~ Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch

Passion and priorities

2006-11-20T13:41:00.000Z

read this in an article by John Maxwell. What a great quote, right in line with what I was saying at our celebration meeting on Sunday:

"Successful individuals prioritize their commitments according to their passion. They refuse to be dissuaded from living out the dream inside of them."

Leading the Church as a family, not an organisation

2006-11-07T11:24:00.000Z

here is a really helpful article about Biblical leadership, written specifically about apostles, but applicable to all spiritual leadership. Enjoy! (source: House Church blog)

The Apostle Who Is A Father
by Mike Steele (DAWN Ministries)

Leadership in the Church has been a hot topic over the last two decades. Books are everywhere on the subject and magazines expound the new and latest innovative concepts from the experts. The prevailing view from this direction is one of a need for greater administrative and organizational skills. Of course there is helpful information in these books and articles, for we are admonished to do things decently and in order. And surely we want to be as effective as possible in fulfilling the command of our Lord to make disciples of all peoples.

Still, these books and articles trouble me. They seem to imply that leaders who build efficient organizations and reproducible models will become our heroes. They are the ones who will see their kingdoms expand and who will receive the accolades of men for their ingenious plans and programs. They will be honored at banquets and given the highest positions in organizations because of their exceptional managerial and administrative abilities.

Business Leadership

Today's leadership models tend to fall into two categories. Based on the success-oriented model of the business world, the "bottom line" is the motivation in this form of leadership and strategies and measurable outcomes are the rule. Churches who use many of the business principles are successful when they have a large growth rate and a growing staff. There is a program for every person and the senior pastor presides over a staff of the "best and brightest" innovators in the Kingdom. People come from around the world to sit at the feet of the "most successful" leaders who are compared to CEO's of the top fortune 500 companies.
They see God through the passage of the talents and seek the highest return on investment for the Kingdom. They only invest in proven strategies with results that can be verified. The "sure thing" is the way to please the Father. Everyone's activity is measured against the bottom line and their promotion and acknowledgement is based on meeting or exceeding the goals. Great ideas and large organizations come forth but run the risk of missing the mark of focusing our efforts on people and their growth and relationships. In some cases we are known by what cause we pursue and support, not by our love.

Team Leadership

Team leadership is a great step in the right direction. Multiple leaders (facilitators), are valuable and more comprehensive in scope when they utilize each other's gifts and strengths in a complementary way to equip and release everyone in the Body of Christ for the work of the ministry. Like a hen brooding over her chicks, this team of leaders can bless, encourage, prepare and release vast multitudes of people into the harvest field.
Again, the business world has preempted the Church in this area and tons of books have been written to show us how to develop team leadership. These books espouse everyone working together toward a common goal. While there are many nuances to this form of leadership, in many cases the leader of the team is benevolent, a facilitator who catalyzes the group and seeks to "get the most" from each team member so they, together, can reach some goal for the benefit of the organization. Team members are rewarded for their contributions to the effort. Outcome is the bottom line and relationships are built on the ability of each team member to perform. Acceptance and recognition is based on your proficiency in adding to the outcome of the team effort. While this has merit, it does not exemplify the type of mutual love and benefit derived from a commitment to people over task.

Apostolic Leadership

There is, however, another powerful tide of thought that seems to me to be more biblical and therefore much more desirable than leadership models being espoused. For in the last decade much has been written and organizations formed to accelerate the move of the Church back to an apostolic form of leadership. Prominent here is the viewpoint that the Church must resurrect the leadership role of the apostle and the development of the five-fold ministry.
While I wholeheartedly give praise to the Lord for this move back to leadership principles given to us in the New Testament, I believe that the apostolic gift is yet to be clearly understood in this generation. Some feel the major thrust of the apostle is to set things in order. Some say it is the missionary/church planting gift. Some speak of initiating and oversight. Some speak of the need for an all-controlling person to steer the ship. Rather than listening to God as an apostolic team (family), we move based on the instincts of one.
My concern even here, however, is that these apostolic groups and viewpoints place their emphasis on a top down style of leadership that is dictatorial if not benevolent in its application. While they emanate from the order of reference to the leadership gifts listed in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, this passage is interpreted through what is typically a Western image of leadership.

The apostle leads out on behalf of God in a sort of top down, almost blind obedience to the person holding the office of apostle. This parallels the role of the pastor as exhibited in the most modern congregations. In their zeal to reestablish the apostolic, some have merely transferred the tasks and responsibilities of the pastor and singular leadership to the new title, apostle. While they speak of team and the five fold ministry, they view the other gifts of Christ as subservient to the apostolic gift. Rather than developing an apostolic team to facilitate the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, some are becoming the "new" pope and lording over the people. In this paradigm, the clergy/laity distinction still exists and the control factor is still present.

This isn't the example of the ultimate apostle, Jesus Christ, who emphasized to his apostolically-gifted disciples that "He who seeks to lead must become the servant of all." When Jesus on one occasion called his disciples together, He said to them, "You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:25-28).

The Heart of the Father

With these many, conflicting voices gaining a hearing, can we ever come to consensus on what is the ideal? Did God give us a universal principle for leadership?
From my understanding of the Scripture, this ideal can be expressed in the concept of "The apostle who is a father." I believe the answer can be found in the heart of Father God. It is embodied in the saying "A weeping father crying out for his sons to overtake him." It is the blessing of a father that is irreplaceable in the life of those who will lead the church in the next move of God. I pray this would become the heart of leadership in the Church in America.

It is exemplified by fathers who mentor, empower and release their sons. These fathers are not controlling, but with wise counsel and wisdom "that comes with age" they impart to their heirs the way of the Kingdom. Continuously willing to resource and support the emerging generation and their call from the Holy Spirit, they encourage them to step out further into the vast arena of those seeking to have an intimate relationship with the Father.

We see this heart of the Father expressed as early as the creation story in the book of Genesis. After creating a perfect place for His son Adam to live, God involved him in everything on the earth. Their relationship was intimate. God knew every need his son had. It was God who acknowledged that his child had no suitable partner. It was God who created Eve for Adam.

In chapters 2-3 we see the Creator of the universe longing for relationship with His creation. His desire is to commune with His son. He has created a perfect environment for His children and He wants to walk with them daily.
The heart of the Father is revealed in Genesis 3:9 when the Creator of the universe and all mankind , the omnipotent, omniscient God over all, is found seeking his son in the garden. Adam, my son, where are you? I want to be with you. I want a relationship with you. I want to care for you.

We see the heart of the Father revealed in deep travail. God is seeking out and wooing His son Adam back to himself. God has every right to destroy Adam but instead He is looking to come back into intimate relationship with His creation. He cries, "Adam, my son, where are you?"

Reconciliation and intimacy are at the heart of the Father. Even in his sin, God makes clothes for Adam and Eve. God is the author of love and life. It is in this desire to reconcile and be reunited in intimate fellowship that God the Father sends His Son Jesus to sacrificially give himself in order to be reunited with His children. This is the ultimate payment, His Son. That's how much God wants to be in relationship with us. That is the Father's heart.

In our society the definition and expectations of the role of father have been severely misunderstood. Throughout history, the definition of and act of being a father has been misused and abused in various ways. Because of the distortion of the role of the Father in current western society and many societies around the world, we must seek to restore the heart of tenderness and compassion revealed in the scriptures. This "heart" is exhibited in the "mystery of the ages," God sending His Son to reconcile us to Himself. It is exemplified when God seeks out Adam in order to restore their relationship. In another scripture passage it is seen in the heart of the father of the prodigal son when he immediately restores his son to full fellowship upon his return.

Over the course of history, men have confused the role of the father with the role of a warrior, a general, a businessman and many others actions and activities. These roles are real and there are times a man will function in each one of them. Not many have talked about distinguishing when to be one or the other. In many cases he is certainly one or more of these on a daily basis. But he does not treat his children based on these roles. He treats his children based on his role as a father.
The picture God paints of His Church is one of a Bride, a family, a living and breathing organism. It is a life, not a war to win or a business to control. The Bride is not made up of employees with a goal toward a more profitable bottom line.

The Father in the Home

Having become successful in the area of business, many go home and begin to apply the lessons learned to our family and personal lives and things just don't work out. Business models, hierarchical leadership and strategic plans do not a leader make. It is the heart that is at the core of the issue and it is the heart that is easily deceived.

Our measurements for success rarely include travail on behalf of our children to become more in Christ than we have become. Rather, we focus on their achievements and work to prepare them for the work. In many cases our focus becomes the return on investment. So, our children must excel to go to the most prestigious colleges to make the most money and gain the most prestige. Genuine service and unconditional love are factored out of many of our "success" strategies. We sometimes forget that love does not expect payment in return. It sacrifices its own desires and dreams for the dreams of another. It is selfless and humbly serves. It is a platform from which another is lifted to even greater heights. It is not based on what you get, but what you give.

Measuring Greatness

He who wants to be the greatest must become the servant of all. John the Baptist modeled this for us when he relinquished his rights to Christ. John stated, "I must become less and He must become more". Scripture reminds us to consider one another greater than ourselves.

The fruit of the Spirit is at the heart of leadership. Since we are being led by the Head of the Church, Jesus, we seek to emulate that which so characterized His life. In this list of "fruits" or "evidences" of the Spirit we find no reference to administration, oversight, power, control, manipulation or the like. Instead we see love, humility, gentleness, kindness, a sacrificial life that models the heart of the Father. These are the characteristics of genuine spiritual fathers and mothers. It is a servant's heart, poured out on behalf of those God has called you to father and mother.

The Kingdom of God is an oxymoron. Become great by becoming small. Become a leader by serving. He who is the greatest must become the servant of all. I once heard apostle John Kelley describe an apostle in two words, "foot washer." The idea of being in charge and in control comes from a western cultural mindset and constrains rather than releases the apostolic gift into the Body of Christ. These words are not easy to put into practice but I believe they hold the key to the future move of God through His Church.

As a whole, the Church has missed the call to raise up sons and daughters with the heart of the Father. The definition shared earlier, "A weeping father crying out for his sons to overtake him," is sadly missing from our vocabulary and practice. Relationships and investment in peoples' lives is the bottom line. Church is family and God is our Father. This is exuded through our acts of blessing, not cursing; giving not taking; releasing not controlling.

We need organizations and leadership. When the Lord brings his body together there will need to be administrative skills to facilitate process. Let's just not confuse them with the role of leadership or of fathering.

In Houses that Change the World, Wolf Simson compares exploiting leadership with empowering (fathering) leadership on page 208.

Exploiting leadership / Empowering leadership
Give them functions Let them function

Make them believe in you / Believe in them

Require submission / Delegate authority

Make them a part of your plans / Further God's plan for them

Use them / Invest in them

Take what they have / Give them what you have

Preach at them / Discuss with them

Require appointments / Spend time freely with them

Hold back until you retire / Give them the keys now

Let them serve you / Serve them

Accept their praise graciously / Praise them

Demonstrate master hood to them / Transfer master hood to them.

The need to see the reemergence of the heart of the father in our leadership style in the next decade is more than an exercise in theological correctness. The Church in the United States continues to lose ground in its effort to "make disciples of all the peoples." The Church is increasingly viewed as irrelevant and not to be taken seriously by those it is trying to reach. Leadership books tell us that the only way to turn around your organization/company/ministry is to employ the latest techniques in administration and management. Rather, to this writer it becomes apparent that the spontaneous expansion of the church will require a shift into a new (really, very old) way of leadership modeled after the family and the role of fathers and mothers.

With the heart of the Father as a foundation, and while emulating the servant leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will be able to grow together in a fuller understanding of the apostolic gift, its role and function in the Body. We will be able to perceive all that God would reveal and release through those who walk in the gift of the apostle. With this foundation it will not be hard to recognize those God will set apart for the office of the apostle. We will see the office filled by those who, in time, distinguish themselves by their humility and gentleness, their servant's heart and their sacrificial lifestyle-weeping father's crying out for their sons to overtake them.
AND we will in the process become much more effective in the process of obeying that majestic command of our Lord to "Go, and make disciples of all peoples."

Unselfishness... the mark of Christ

2006-11-01T09:34:00.000Z

Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?
~ Martin Luther King, Jr

In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.
~ Henry Ward Beecher

Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~ Albert Einstein

An inspiring speech, fit for 'Coventry Inspirations'

2006-09-01T12:12:00.000Z

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?!!

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear;
our presence automatically liberates others

Marianne Williiamson, 1992

The Church - Common People

2006-07-26T10:16:00.000Z

Excerpt from AW Tozer's 'Insight for Leaders': The Church - Common People

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has
chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the
things which are mighty.
--1 Corinthians 1:26,27

Christian believers and Christian congregations must be thoroughly
consecrated to Christ's glory alone. This means absolutely turning
their backs on the contemporary insistence on human glory and
recognition. I have done everything I can to keep "performers" out
of my pulpit. I was not called to recognize "performers." I am
confident our Lord never meant for the Christian church to provide a
kind of religious stage where performers proudly take their bows,
seeking personal recognition. That is not God's way to an eternal
work. He has never indicated that proclamation of the gospel is to
be dependent on human performances.

Instead, it is important to note how much the Bible has to say about
the common people--the plain people. The Word of God speaks with such
appreciation of the common people that I am inclined to believe they
are especially dear to Him. Jesus was always surrounded by the
common people. He had a few "stars," but largely His helpers were
from the common people--the good people and, surely, not always the
most brilliant. Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts, 5.

Stories from the Revolution

2006-07-25T15:16:00.000Z

Stories from the Revolution

Here you'll find some really interesting interviews with some familiar names (Neil Cole, Organic Church; Wolfgang Simson, Houses that change the world) and some not so familiar.

Particular recommend listening to Wolfgang - that is an excellent use of half an hour.

Making peace in boundaries

2006-07-18T16:25:00.000Z

Last week I was gardening at a friend’s house and practicing my Jeremiah call.....uproot, destroy, build and plant. :) My friend wanted to replace the fence that was falling apart, but we realised that we didn't know who the boundary belonged to. After finding out that the neighbour was only renting the property and didn't know, we felt a bit stuck in our plans to bring change and beautify the boundary.

When Mark shared with us the scripture, "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives..." I felt God say to us, "How can you be at peace with your neighbour when there is a dispute over boundaries?" Of course Jesus gave us His peace not just to make us feel all lovely inside, but to be agents of His peace, to be peacemakers in the world.

The illustration of the dilapidated fence made sense of the difficulty that comes when we don't know the truth about authority and placement of the boundary areas of our lives. This boundary wasn’t cared for because of a lack of recognition of who the responsibility belonged to. In a similar way, much of the lack of peace and contention we face in relationships and life situations has to do with this kind of misunderstanding or violation of boundaries.

I felt this is a challenge to us to recognise the neglected and overlapping areas in what God has given us responsibility for and how we handle this with our neighbours. If we are to function in and establish the peace God has given us, we need to know where our authority lies, use it and embrace truth and not presumption. I believe this involves both a challenge to look for His revelation of truth to be revealed into these situations and to communicate better with the relevant neighbour regarding these boundaries in the peace of God.

Psalm 16:5-6 says “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” NIV

What a difference it makes when there truly is peace on the boundaries and both sides are blessed. Let’s seek to clear up these disputed boundary areas and establish His peace.

I’ve found God, says man who cracked the genome

2006-06-28T08:56:00.000Z

This is a really interesting article about the guy who cracked the genome, particularly helpful if you are having any faith discussions with someone who comes from a very 'sciencey' point of view.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2220484.html

Walking in the Light

2006-05-30T14:29:00.000Z

We recently heard Dave Boden preach a message on the subject of ‘Walking in the Light’ and we were challenged through the Scriptures to bring all of our lives into the light of God. We read:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7

According to this passage in 1 John, walking in the light is the means by which we enjoy fellowship with each other, and cleansing from our sin. The Apostle John goes on to say:

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8-9

Confession of sin, it seems, is one of the key means by which we practice ‘walking in the light’ and therefore the gateway to experience God’s forgiveness and purification from sin. James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

This whole realm of confessing sins to brothers and sisters in the family of God is one that so often gets pushed into the background of many peoples’ lives and yet it is designed by God to be a fantastic weapon in our armoury. It helps to keep us free from the tyranny of sin, and its resulting guilt and condemnation. I don’t know what your experience is, but mine has certainly been deficient compared to what the Bible is saying.

The simple truth of the Word of God is this – darkness is bad: sin and all kinds of evil love darkness. Satan and his kingdom exists in darkness and seeks to keep people and their lives saturated in darkness. In fact the Bible calls this whole realm ‘the kingdom of darkness’.

The complete opposite is true of God and his kingdom. GOD IS LIGHT, and it is only as we walk ‘in the light’ that we experience the joy of fellowship (shared life) with Him. We see that this is the only way for us if we intend to live our lives in intimacy with God, and community with other believers. This kind of openness, humility and, at times, brutal honesty is not optional for disciples of Christ. As Dave said in his talk: “no hiding from God; no hiding from other people.” It is impossible to overstate the incredible power of honestly sharing our hopes and dreams, as well as our faults and fears with others. This is ABSOLUTELY NOT so that we become introspective and self-obsessed, but so that sin and every kind of unreality in our lives is dealt the death blow, and we can get on with the serious business of walking in the glorious light of God’s presence.

So how do we apply these principles? The command of Scripture is not just “respond honestly when challenged” but to actively and intentionally walk in the light. The ball is in our court to ensure that we do this. We should engage with the work of the Holy Spirit, inviting Him to illuminate anything of darkness in us. We should then take steps, in the context of loving, trusting friendships, to share with one or two others who can talk and pray with us as we see darkness defeated and liberty restored. God loves to restore things to how he intends them to be and one of his greatest desires for us is that like Adam and Eve in the garden, we can enjoy the child-like freedom of being completely free:

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:25

Forty Days

2006-04-04T16:14:00.000Z

In the middle of our 40 days of fasting and praying (soon to be followed by forty days of feasting and praying??), God has been speaking to me about the lasting impact of 40 days ‘intensive’.

If you’re a numbers person (its okay, no maths here), you will know that 40 is often touted as the biblical number of trial and testing, epitomised by the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4). It’s interesting to see throughout scripture the number of ‘40 day’ instances and to observe the circumstances before, the challenges throughout and the concluding impact of such a season.

Noah endured 40 days of rain (Gen 7) cooped up in an ark with only his family and a random assortment of animals for company – the result however was the destruction of that which was unrighteous and the birth of a new season: a fresh breath of new life across the earth. Moses spent his 40 days up the mountain in the presence of God (Ex 24-34) during which God spoke to him face to face, as friends would, and he received clear instruction and revelation on behalf of the people of God.

The Israelite spies spent 40 days in the promised land and along with the rest of the Israelites, endured a further 40 years in the wilderness ‘for their sins’ (Num 14v34), after which they finally entered the promised land and eventually enjoyed the freedom and good food! David defeated Goliath (1 Sam 17) after 40 days of confrontation and (faithless) fear in God’s army. Elijah travelled 40 days to the mountain of God (1 Kings 19) when God clearly spoke great challenge and direction to him in a gentle whisper. The people of Nineveh were given 40 days by God (Jonah 3v4) to fast, pray and repent before the destruction of their city – they did and God had mercy on them!

Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness (Luke 4) before his earthly ministry began and all heaven broke loose on earth! Jesus also spent 40 days on earth between his crucifixion and ascension, ‘doing and teaching’ before he knew it would be better that he went and we have the Holy Spirit.

The lessons for us, I believe, are clear. This season we are in is a ‘God season’: a divine process of repentance, revelation and re-focussing. The lasting impact of these 40 days will be one of new life, fresh revelation, lasting victory, glorious freedom and lives full of the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus emerged from the wilderness (full of the power of the Spirit) the immediate effect was that he became well known throughout the surrounding country, and the name of Jesus spread rapidly. Amen to that for us in Coventry!

How did you treat your neighbours?

2006-03-06T11:07:00.000Z

Article by Aileen Cairns

Since moving into my street a year and a half ago I have become very friendly with Diane, one of my neighbours. She and her 10-year-old son live next-door but one to me and when I first moved in I was very keen to spend time with her. I was able to spend time with her and other neighbours and it was a great time of building friendships.

However, six months ago my life took a different turn when family matters took over a great part of my life and time. Suddenly I had important responsibilities that took my focus away from anything outside of my family. This resulted in me not seeing Diane as much as I had before.

Just last month Diane had a baby and during the nine months of her pregnancy, due to my family circumstances, I hadn’t been diligent in trying to spend much time with her.

Recently, a friend sent me an email entitled “10 things God won’t ask when you get to Heaven”. One of the things it said is that “God won’t ask in what neighbourhood you lived, he’ll ask how you treated your neighbours.”

When I read this I felt very challenged about Diane and decided that I needed to be more diligent and proactive about spending time with her again.

Despite the fact that my situation with my family has not changed and that I still have the same responsibilities and time constraints as before, my thinking and my focus has changed. My passion to treat my neighbours as Jesus would has increased greatly and my thinking has definitely shifted into a new gear.

My challenge now is, how can I show Jesus to Diane and my other neighbours?

Well, just before Diane was due to go into hospital to have the baby, I was able to pray with her, something I hadn’t really had the opportunity to do before. I offered for our neighbourhood group to take meals to her after she came back from the hospital, and she was absolutely bowled over with this and very happy for us to bless her in this way.

I believe that through these serving opportunities and other seemingly ‘little’ acts of kindness we will be showing her who Jesus is and in turn will see great fruit for the Kingdom.

In Romans it says that ‘God's kindness leads people toward repentance’ – How encouraging that if we express kindness to others we have the promise that people will turn to Jesus!

Righteous Generosity!

2006-02-13T15:25:00.000Z

At our home gathering yesterday, Silje brought a prophetic word to us based on Psalm 112 - basically a reminder that generosity is a key characteristic of those who delight in the Lord. Its an awesome Psalm, well worth another read:

112 1 Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord.
Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands.
2 Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will never be forgotten.
4 When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.
They are* generous, compassionate, and righteous.
5 All goes well for those who are generous,
who lend freely and conduct their business fairly.
6 Such people will not be overcome by evil circumstances.
Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
7 They do not fear bad news;
they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
8 They are confident and fearless
and can face their foes triumphantly.
9 They give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will never be forgotten.
They will have influence and honor.
10 The wicked will be infuriated when they see this.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 (Ps 112:1-113:1). Tyndale House: Wheaton, Ill.

Who are we?

2006-01-10T12:14:00.000Z

I love the way God has designed his world into different times and seasons – days, months, years – spring, summer, autumn, winter etc. Why is this? One of the reasons I think is because it gives us a constant sense of progression i.e. things are moving on, changing, developing, growing. There is always the possibility of a new start, a fresh impetus, reconciliation where necessary, goals reviewed and decisions made.

It’s not that any of this can’t be done at any time. Of course it can. Its just that these built in seasons of time help with the process of thinking about what is most important, where are lives are at, and what adjustments we can make to move on in the things God has for us.

In doing all this over the Christmas and New Year period in relation to us as a group of people, I have found myself coming back to focus on the fundamentals of who we are – not who we want to be, or who we think we ought to be – but what is in our very DNA by the Holy Spirit that will always determine our characteristics and behaviour.

What it boils down to is these two things: family and mission.

We are family

God in his eternal nature is first and foremast ‘Father’. The relationship in the God-head is described in familial terms – “The Father and the Son”. The creation of humanity was just an extension of the family. Adam was God’s son. When we are born again, we become children of God, brothers and sisters together in His family. There is not space here to develop this theme in depth, suffice to say that the whole Bible story, Old and New Testaments, is about the issue of God raising a family that would rightly reflect him to the world, and share his glory through all eternity. Our identity, our life together, must therefore be built upon the reality that we are family – we belong to one another, not out of choice, but by God’s design. Our relationships therefore are not based upon mutual convenience, or superficial friendship, but a deep commitment to lay down our lives for each other’s good, regardless of cost to ourselves. This is true family life from the Father’s perspective.

We’re on a mission… to follow shortly

Great News!

2005-12-09T12:50:00.000Z

Luke 2:8-10
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!

Luke 2:13-14
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God: "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to all whom God favors."

As the angels announced the arrival of Messiah, the Saviour, they proclaimed that this was a message of great joy for everyone… and peace on earth to all men. The Saviour came to reconcile men to God (i.e. make us right…impart ‘righteousness’) in order that we might experience the peace and joy that is his blueprint for what life should be.

This is reminiscent of Romans 14:17 -

“For the kingdom of God is… righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”

The Holy Spirit has come to live in us in order to complete the mission for which the Christ came to earth. So how do we best honour and remember the birth of Jesus this Christmas? By enjoying life in the Holy Spirit… a life of righteousness, peace and joy.

Happy Christmas!

Drawing deep from the well

2005-12-05T10:42:00.000Z

The prophetic word came to us recently that we were to learn to draw from the well that is within us rather than be reliant upon external sources for our strength, support and energy (my paraphrase). Here are a couple of really key Bible verses that confirm that word:

“ whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. (John 7:37-39)

The picture here is that Jesus gives the Holy Spirit who will live on the inside of us and be like a perpetual well of living water, continually quenching our thirst, filling us with God’s kind of life. The second verse goes further to say that not only will the Holy Spirit be like a well within us, but he will also be like streams coming out from us.

Here in a nutshell are the two major functions of the Holy Spirit:

1. to refresh believers, fill us with life and continually renew us

2. to flow out from us to refresh others with God’s abundant life

As we continue on this journey of learning to be people of the Holy Spirit, its important to bear in mind that first we are to be drinkers ourselves in order that the effects of the Spirit in us can have a positive affect on those around us.

As was prayed in one of our gatherings, help us Lord to tap in to what you’ve already given us so that we live in the good of the eternal life that is welling up within.

always? all circumstances?

2005-10-21T12:20:00.000Z

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Th 5:16-18). NIV

If ever there was a part of the Bible that confirms our need to discover how to continually fellowship with the Holy Spirit it is this one! You have probably discovered as well as me that its impossible to choose to be joyful or thankful all the time by your own will. It's only by drawing on the living reality of the Holy Spirit in us that these commands of Scripture can be fulfilled (but that's the whole gospel message anyway!).

Holy Spirit, help us to become more and more aware of your powerful presence with us, always... in all circumstances.

Zeal for your house...

2005-10-03T13:12:00.000Z

Haggai 1:3-9
Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord."You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.

This Scripture was referenced by Catherine when she was speaking yesterday, Wes commented on it also, and it got my mind whirring…

The scenario that Haggai addresses is one where God’s people are working hard – they are planting, earning, eating and drinking yet their labours are not producing what should be the natural results. If you plant, you should harvest. If you put on clothes, its natural they should keep you warm, and how many times has it felt like the wages you earn are disappearing as though your wallet had holes in it?

These are the symptoms. The root cause was that the people had prioritised their own houses above the house of the Lord. We could write much, but for now this thought is enough:

Where are our priorities?

According to this prophetic word spoken by Haggai, success in the affairs of our own house is directly related to our prioritisation of the things of God’s house (“he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” Matt 6:33).

Freedom!

2005-09-22T11:33:00.000Z

Following on from my post on revelation and response, I’ve been thinking about truth and freedom (very Hollywood, I know). John 4v24 is a familiar verse: For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth … and this verse becomes even more interesting and important when we consider it in the context of freedom. 2 Corinthians 3v17 says that ‘the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom’ and Jesus says in John 8v32 that ‘you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’. So when we worship in spirit and truth, when we see revelation, our response is one of absolute freedom.

To take this a little bit further, Romans 8 is a fantastic chapter on the life of freedom and what it actually looks like. It shows us that a life of freedom is a life without condemnation, being led by the Spirit, with thinking that pleases God, full of life and peace, with certain hope of eternal life, with right standing with God, with the life-giving Spirit living inside us, with certainty we are children of God, sharing in Christ’s glory/treasure and suffering, where everything working together for good, and a life of overwhelming victory where we are inseparable from Gods love.

What an inspiration and encouragement! It excites me to see the life of freedom available for each of us – by living a life full of the Spirit and full of truth.

Great quotes worthy of reading..

2005-09-02T12:04:00.000Z

Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the product of great tests. Great triumphs come only out of great trials. (Smith Wigglesworth)

If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.
(Billy Graham)

Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Tozer season - Pursuit of God

2005-07-13T13:42:00.000Z

As we begin together to read Tozer's classic 'The Pursuit of God', I'll get the ball rolling with some wise words from the introduction. I pray earnestly that we shall all be spurred on to passionately run after the living, life-filling reality of Almighty God in the midst of our day to day lives.

They are those who, while they love the altar and delight in the sacrifice, are yet unable to reconcile themselves to the continued absence of fire. They desire God above all. They are athirst to taste for themselves the `piercing sweetness' of the love of Christ about Whom all the holy prophets did write and the psalmists did sing.

The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.

Longing for God

2005-07-04T09:06:00.000Z

To be somebody is longing for God
-above everything else
Longing for God is not longing for an experience
It is longing for a true relationship
It is not about having some knowledge of God
But it is about knowing him
-as a person
-as a friend
-as a confidant
-as a companion
Not to become high on him
But to be conformed to his image
Not to learn more, to increase knowledge
But to love him more
I am somebody when I realise
-I am created to be a God-lover
I am somebody when the very purpose of my life
-is to love God
I am somebody when I am longing for God
-only because of love"

(written by Erling Thu - http://erling.typepad.com)

O the Wonderful Cross!

2005-06-30T20:07:00.000Z

O the wonderful cross … we talk about it, sing beautiful songs about it, and its image is frequently used – but you just can’t underestimate the importance and centrality of the cross in our lives and in the history of the world. What’s really struck me recently about the ultimate sacrifice is, as one hymn writer put it, ‘those wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified’.

It’s amazing to think that the only ‘imperfect’ thing in heaven will be the wounds of Christ. As we see them in Jesus resurrection body in the gospels, so shall we see them in heaven - eternal reminders of his amazing love and sacrifice for us. What a provocation to respond to! The Bible shows us the response of Mary and Mary Magdalene after the resurrection as they run to Jesus, hold his feet and worship him (Matthew 28v9). We also see a similar picture in Revelation chapter 5, which describes the elders, living beings and millions of angels ‘beholding His hands and side’ and worshipping the Lamb who was slain. Magnificent.

Sometimes I wonder if we’ll really have enough to do for all eternity, but its moments like these that I begin to think there just wont be enough time…one glimpse of those wounds and I will be away, lost in another wave of thanks and worship to the King!

All hail Redeemer hail, for Thou hast died for me
Thy praise shall never, never fail, throughout eternity

Made for His pleasure

2005-06-24T13:47:00.000Z

As a good follow-up to what Rich wrote yesterday, here's a quote from A.W.Tozer's classic book, "The Pursuit of God":

God formed us for His pleasure, and so formed us that we as well as He can in divine communion enjoy the sweet and myseterious mingling of kindred personalities. He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile.

It is true that our whole life is to be lived as a worshipful, enjoyable response to God's revelation of Himself. I love that!

Revelation and Response

2005-06-23T15:23:00.000Z

Nifty alliteration? Maybe. Life changing truth? Definitely.

We know that God is Almighty, Sovereign, Creator, Father, King and Lord of all – and when we have seen even just a glimpse of that, when we encounter God, we cannot help but respond. The unbeliever may walk away (for now!) but our response will always be one of absolute praise, thanks, wonder and worship for who He is, for what He’s done and for everything He will do. How can it be anything else?!

Isaiah is one who had such a revelation, in a life-changing throne room encounter with the Almighty God (Isaiah 6). Really, the only reasonable response Isaiah could give to seeing the holiness and the glory of the Lord Almighty was one of obedience and sacrifice: ‘Lord, I’ll go! Send me.’ You get the impression of an immediate and passionate response, one that is focussed on the ultimate purpose and plan of God, and not concerned with the details. It is a response of love, trust and devotion. And this is all God really wants - our hearts in total abandonment and worship to Him.

Oswald Chambers once said ‘Worship is giving God the best He’s given you’. What response could be a greater act of worship than giving everything to Him, for His glory and honour? Matt Redman agrees. His latest album, ‘Facedown’, and the accompanying book, are bursting with revelation and response. Matt has really caught something of the heart of God, and the overflow of his heart, his response, in the songs he has written is heartfelt and majestic. Matt writes: ‘When we catch a vision of the whole Christ, it commands a response from the very depths of our being. Worship is always in reply to revelation. As we begin to see the all-deserving worth of God, it produces an all-consuming response in us – every thought, word and deed submitted in reply to His lordship.’

Enough said. God reveals and we respond, it’s as simple as that!

Hitting the mark

2005-06-23T09:07:00.000Z

In the latest Together e-newsletter, Gareth who carries an apostolic function towards our work in Coventry, outlines the key marks that we are aiming for in the coming year as part of the international family of God's people. Click link below for the article:

http://www.togetherweb.net/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=71

If you are not subscribed to the Together e-newsletter, let us know and we'll get you on the list.

40 days in the promised land

2005-06-21T00:48:00.000Z

Just something that God dropped in to my head while I was reading and that Iwanted to share with you ...

Joshua and Caleb were in the promised land for 40 days, years before Israelever took possesion of it. They tasted the goodness of the promise. They were physically there. Although they experienced it alongside men who did not receive it, although they experienced it while it was still inhabited by enemies, yet they saw it, touched it, smelt it, heard it and tasted it's fruit.

I believe God calls people to taste the things that are to come in advance, many years before they happen. I believe they taste it in the spirit, that things are made manifest to them, so real that they could touch them. And then they must respond in faith.

Ten out of the twelve agreed that what was promised was good but never believed that it could be achieved. It seemed too difficult to attain. But two had faith. Joshua and Caleb led the people into the promised land.

Have you tasted? Have you seen? Have you touched and heard and smelt? Has God allowed you to walk in the promised land in advance of the conquest? Then praise God that he has given you faith.

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up andtake possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Worship - An invitation to die

2005-06-15T11:24:00.000Z

God is calling us to worship him, and to go to deeper places in our worship. Simple statement, profound implications.

We know well that worship is more than songs; more than part of our meetings; more than our devotional times – it’s our life. But what does it mean that we are to go deeper in worship?

Abraham set off up the mountain with Isaac and his servants with the intention of obeying God’s instruction to sacrifice his only son. At a certain point he told the servants to wait behind while he and the boy were going on ahead to ‘worship’ (Gen 22:5). The meaning of this word ‘worship’ in the original language is very interesting – it means to prostrate, to bow down (in homage to royalty). It is talking about the ultimate act of humility in the presence of someone great. That’s what Abraham was going to do. In his obedience to God he was in effect saying “God, you’re great. I bow before you in worship. I shall not dishonour you by leaning on my own reason or intellect, neither by taking a more comfortable route. I choose to obey you. I worship you.”

In our corporate journey together, the Holy Spirit is drawing us to be more like Abraham in the situation he faced. We are learning that worship is not a subjective, personal thing – in fact, wherever I bring anything of ‘me’ into the equation, I have just erred from true worship. Worship is to come humbly, obediently to God, recognising he is the focus, he is the one we strive to please and he is Lord. If he says sing, I’ll sing. If he says dance, I’ll dance. If he says give, I’ll give…whatever he asks. If says go here, do this, say that…I go, do, say, explaining “I’m just off to worship.” Worship and comfort or personal preference are not compatible. Worship is an invitation to the throne of God, where I die.

“It’s all about you, Jesus, for your glory and your fame. It’s not about me.”

Passionate for God's best

2005-06-02T09:49:00.000Z

My thoughts this morning are filled with options and possibilities...things like where to meet, what kind of meeting should we have this week, should we eat together afterwards or before etc! I have heard about the 'paralysis of choice' and know exactly the truth of that concept. I feel sometimes it would be much easier, and would feel more successful even, if we just went down the road of doing pretty much the same thing in the same place, week on week.

The problem we have is that we can't do it - for us it would be wrong - because of what we have seen of the passion of God for his church, for his world. Bryn Jones coined the phrase 'prisoners of divine purpose' and that exactly sums it up.

I am realising more and more that this Coventry adventure is not about us doing things how we want, or having the chance to express our own particular style - it is God's plan, his mission, his church, his world. Our job? Simply to listen and obey as best we know how. If we get caught on what we like, we'll become inflexible and stale. If we can be spiritual enough to seek the ever-deepening revelation of the Holy Spirit, I am 100% convinced we will see something awesome happen in this city.

O God, keep me humble, tender, flexible....obedient.

The Sent Scent

2005-05-20T09:55:00.000Z

"Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.... in Christ we speak as persons sent from God and standing in his presence." " 2 Cor 2v14-17

The aroma that Paul talks about here is the fragrance of incense burning.
Although some things do smell naturally often a process is needed to achieve pleasant smells!

The church is meant to be smelly! No need for anti- perspirant. Interestingly, no sweat was allowed to enter the holy of holies. Ez 44v18

The processes that come to mind are; crushing and burning. Uhm... can't wait!

The image Paul uses is taken from the Roman army leading its captives into Rome with spices and incense being burnt to their gods. To some this smell meant impending death and to others it reminded them of their victory. The demonic fears the aroma of Christ because it reminds them of their future. Jesus causes reactions. For some people the words of Jesus confirmed their state of rebellion; ie the Pharisees, but for others his words were the words of life. Not everyone will receive us or the gospel warmly but we go in obedience. We speak as persons sent from God and standing in his presence. This is the place of intercession. This is the place that Christ has been raised to as he continually makes intercession for us.

The smell of obedience - God speaks to us and His words tell us how to live. We are still left with the choice of obedience. God resists pride and pride is about doing our own thing. When we offer ourselves to God with a heart that is willing to obey, God's resources come. God's ultimate intention for each of us is to conform us into the image of Christ and He will hack away at anything that works against this.

God is raising a Church with a vision of Jesus that is prepared to be sent scent.
Potters Green is set to become a smellier place!

Clearly God is not a Father who wishes suffering on His children, but there is enough about the battle for the hearts and minds of people highlighted in the NT to show that we will at times suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Paul's perspective was to say.. 'These momentary and light afflictions were producing for him an eternal weight of glory.' Take time to read what some of these were...2 Cor 11v16-30
In fact this suffering is a very precious commodity in the kingdom.
At the start of 2 Cor Paul writes at length about the crushing that he and others had received and understood it as happening so that others who are suffering may be consoled. The corporate dimension.

We can all think of times of crushing when we were up against it and we were still waiting for God at 11.59. Paul says that God allows this so that we would not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 2 Cor 2v9

'Every Place' - God is positioning His Church into every place, including Potters Green. All we have to do is to be willing to pong, a lot! The fragrance comes from knowing Jesus. As His life was burnt and the aroma went up to heaven, that must have created the strongest smell ever! If you go in a smokey atmosphere the smell lingers on your clothes. Time spent with Jesus will make you smell.

Next time you see a Christian tell them.. 'You smell!'

The depth of your hunger determines the length of your reach

2005-05-17T13:18:00.000Z

This was one of the things Sandra said at the weekend and its really caught my heart and made me go on a bit of a 'hunger check'.

I'm coming to the conclusion that whilst its fine to have a deep down appreciation of food and the importance of eating food to stay alive (!), the important thing is that your body is giving you the signals day by day that you need to eat. We then take the appropriate action in response to the right signals and put something (hopefully tasty) in our stomachs.

In the same way, in our lives with God I think we are pretty good at knowing ultimately that we need to spend time with God, to draw on his resource, & that apart from him we can do nothing. The problem can arise when we lose our 'daily hunger' for him. This can happen so easily as the stuff of our lives, the demands, the routines, the challenges and also the fun things we are invovled with crowd our minds and we find ourselves less focussed on God... and we become dulled in our senses to recognise the hunger signals.

If we are to accomplish anything significant in the purpose of God for this city, we need to renew our sensitivity to the cry within us:

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

I'll finish with the words from Isaiah that have kept coming back to us in recent months, encouraging us to maintain our fervour, our hunger, our passion to see Jesus glorified through his church:

Because I love Zion, because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the Lord will give you a new name. The Lord will hold you in his hands for all to see—a splendid crown in the hands of God. Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City or the Desolate Land. Your new name will be the City of God's Delight and the Bride of God, for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his own. Your children will care for you with joy, O Jerusalem, just as a young man cares for his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray to the Lord day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. Give the Lord no rest until he makes Jerusalem the object of praise throughout the earth. Isaiah 62:1-7 (NLT)

Making Jesus Known

2005-05-10T09:54:00.000Z

Last Sunday in the discipleship forum, we looked at these 3 Scriptures:

"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" Romans 2:4

"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:26

"Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world."
1 Peter 2:12

As we enter into the summer months and people are out and about much more, days are longer and opportunities to interact with people are greater, the encouragement of God to us is to make the most of this time, believing that we will see impact in peoples' lives through putting our faith into action and demonstrating God's kindness to others through kindness and good deeds.

Today is a great opportunity - "one man's kind deed is another's miracle."

Hitting the mark

2005-05-07T11:24:00.000Z

One of our core values as it were (see 'Devoted to...' article on Neighbours & Nations site) is that we are an apostolic people, devoted to the apostles' teaching.

At the Let's Keep Moving conference last weekend, the theme was 'Hitting the mark'. Those that were there were privileged to hear some outstanding teaching on the goals that we are to aim for as a people... that we are not just casually cruising along, but setting our sights on the things God has given us to do.

Paul in the Bible wrote, "forgetting what has gone before, and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13/14).

Let's make this same attitude our own... and I would highly recommend getting hold of the teaching from the weekend and listening through it again, or for the first time, and then again... being devoted to what God is saying to us through those he has joined us with to help and inspire us in our growth in God.

Let the inspiration begin

2005-05-04T15:09:00.000Z

here begins the new Coventry Inspirations blog that will be a means for various Coventry saints to inspire one another with the things the Holy Spirit is stirring in them and speaking to his people for our encouragement and growth.

If you want to post, let me know and I'll get you signed up.