The nativity play

I went to Katie’s nativity play today and felt my eyes mist up as I watched her really enjoying playing the part of Mary. I couldn’t take my eyes of her or stop beaming back at her. I suspect she has no idea how much I love her and how delighted I am with her. Not delighted because she said her lines so well, nor because of her acting skills, but simply because I love her.

Does she know how much she is loved? I doubt it but it will protect her and provide for her, and each day strengthen her spirit and cause her to grow and flourish and thrive.

I really value these little glimpses you get as a parent into the love of God for us. He feels not just the same way about me as I do about my daughters but infinity more so. Purer and more enduring than I can imagine and completely independent of my “performance”. I do not, cannot know the extent of his love for me but I will flourish and grow in it.

I’m going to put on Jesus Culture again and enjoy God for a bit.

…And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

sometimes a very happy time

I came across a little book today as I was clearing up my study. It doesn’t look like much on the outside, it’s a small book, rather faded with an overexposed black and white picture of a smiling family on the front but as I flicked through its pages I became deeply effected by its contents. It’s called “Tortured for Christ” and its 128 small pages contain the testimony of Richard Wurmbrand.

When the Communists seized Rumania they started persecuting the church and Richard was arrested in 1948 for preaching the gospel to his people and to the Russian soldiers.

In his book he describes in detail some of the most horrendous tortures imaginable that were meted out to him and other Christians day after day, year after year in an underground dungeon. I was appalled. But listen to what he says:

“When I look back on the fourteen years of prison, it was sometimes a very happy time. Other prisoners and even the guards very often wondered at how happy Christians could be under most terrible circumstances. We could not be prevented from singing, although we were beaten for this. I image that nightingales too would sing, even if they knew that after finishing they would be killed for it. Christians in prison danced for joy. How could they be so happy under such tragic conditions?”

It’s in the very nature of a Christian to rejoice. But why? He gives three reasons:

i)                    Because their eyes, as well as having seen terrible suffering have also seen the saviour, Jesus.

ii)                  Because they knew the glorious end of the story, they “saw in the shabby and dirty and weak martyr…the splendid crowed saint of tomorrow”

iii)                Because some of the guards received Christ. “In those who watched mocking when Christians, smeared with excrement, were tired to crosses, we saw the crowd of Golgotha which were soon to beat their breast in fear of having sinned”. They experienced close up the transforming power of the gospel that “Where sin increased grace abounded all the more.”

Listen to this and see if it doesn’t stir your prayer life, increase your passion for Jesus, release you from unforgivness, and enlarge your love for the lost.

“In solitary confinement, we could not pray as before. We were unimaginably hungry; we had been doped until we became idiots. We were as weak as skeletons. The Lord’s prayer was much too long for us. We cannot concentrate enough to say it. My only prayer repeated again and again was “Jesus I love thee”. And then, one glorious day I got an answer from Jesus: “You love me? Now I will show you how I love you” At once I felt a flame in my heart which burned like the coronal streamers of the sun. The disciples on the way from Emmaus said that their hearts burned when Jesus spoke with them. So it was with me. I knew the love of the One Who has given his life on the cross for us all. Such love cannot exclude the communists, however grave their sins. Communists have committed and still commit horrors but “many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods down it”.  

 

I am reminded again of that song of the Jesus Culture album:

“Come be the fire inside of me

come be the flame upon my heart

come be the fire inside of me

until you and I are one”

Jesus be the flame upon my heart.

Passion for people

As you know we are believing God to see the church grow over the next year. We want to break through 400 and strike out towards 500. Can you believe God for 1 person your small groups knows to be saved and added this year? Two people?

Sometimes talking about numbers can seem a bit impersonal. I watched again recently the ending of Schindler’s list. He is surrounded by the hundreds of Jewish people he saved from the gas chambers. He bought each one from the Nazis to ‘work’ in his factory. He starts to break down thinking of the others he might have saved:

This car. Goeth would've bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people, right there, ten more I could've got.

Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would've given me two for it. At least one. He would've given me one. One more. One more person. A person, Stern. For this. One more. I could've gotten one more person I didn't.

Although we worship a Sovereign God and don’t need to be crushed under a weight of guilt I want to capture something of Schindler’s heart to save people. What has God given me that I can use in the service of the gospel - my time, my energy, my all. Numbers are not impersonal when you have a passion for people. Please God give us more living stones, more precious people bought with your blood. Build your church Lord Jesus! May we grow in number this year!

Preach it John!

Oh, you have got to see this! John Piper who wrote such classics as “Desiring God” and “When I don’t desire God” (available free online www.desiringgod.org), speaks about the importance of small groups and following up the preached word.

I came across it while thinking about producing a couple of booklets for the church. One on small groups for people wanting to find out more about them and one for people who might be thinking about helping lead a group.

Anyway listen to this:

“I preach, God is merciful often to take the word preached and pierce and open and save and heal. But the church is designed to do another thing as well as preach, namely gathering little assemblies and ask the prophetic question “go get your husband”. I can’t come down out of this pulpit and go to every single person and say “go get your husband”. And that’s the next step often needed after I commend living water and you’re locked up and nothings happening and you leave and go nowhere. Because small groups are designed to take the word and by supernatural wisdom and gifts and holy Spirit power penetrate where I didn’t. That’s the way the church is supposed to work. So I’m pleading with you. Don’t play games by making this a preaching point. We are not hear to entertain people who jump from church to church. We want to gather saints and do church the way Jesus designed for us to know each other love each other and take the word of God preached and push it into the recesses of each others hearts and hold on to people and never let them go five marriages or what. ..please please live in community as we try to help you, in small groups.”

It’s 10 times more powerful when you hear him say it so why not visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4pmIZ5GhA  or go to youtube and type in “Piper small groups”. Actually you could spend a very productive time just typing “John Piper” in to youtube.

Back to preach preparation. I’m looking at “Calling on the name of the Lord”. It’s a little verse right at the end of chapter 4 about Cain and Abel. Its like hearing the bubbling of a spring in a dry land. What a beautiful noise. So soon after the fall and the curses and the thrones and murder, we come across people calling on the name of the Lord. And its only in chapter 4! 

Loving Jesus

I was at a conference recently and someone recommended I listen to some of the “Jesus Culture” worship songs coming out of Bill Johnson’s Church. Thanks to itunes I quickly downloaded an album.  I wasn’t immediately taken by it but you know how it is with some Albums and the more I listened the more I began to enjoy it and get caught up in worship and finding myself singing its simple lines over and over during the day. As my friend said ‘its big on loving Jesus’. Too right it is. Listen to this:

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

Verse 2:
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
….

Bring it on! But why is worship such a wonderful life giving experience? Its because we focus on the wonderful one who is the source of life itself. I love imagining the day when Jesus comes back and every eye is on him. The stars depart their job done. Light floods the earth. A noise rises like the crowd at a football match only global in magnitude and intensity. We see him! Our hero, our saviour, our king. Come Lord Jesus. What joy that my sin is paid for. What ecstasy to be loved so much. Eyes like blazing fire. I’ve got the track “You won’t relent” on at the moment.

“For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy, demanding as the grave

waters cannot quench this love!

come be the fire inside of me

come be the flame upon my heart

come be the fire inside of me

until you and I are one”

Got some prep still to do but going to enjoy being with Jesus for a bit. Can’t wait to worship tomorrow with the church. Whoa! how He loves.

be baptised!

I had a great time talking to people last night who are thinking about joining the church. We had over 25 people on our last getting connected course and are now enjoying catching up with them individually as they come into the church family. Its so encouraging to hear how much people are enjoying the church; the worship, the teaching, the friendships.

Interestingly, two of the things we often end up talking about with people are baptism in water and the holy Spirit. When people get saved its often in response to a proclamation of the gospel that emphasises repentance and faith. Nothing wrong with that but I am always struck by the first gospel message preached by peter:

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

Peter includes baptism and receiving the Spirit as a key part of his invitation to respond to Jesus’ death and resurrection. What a privilege therefore to be able to talk with people about these things and see them establish a great foundation in their new life in Christ.  

There are some great resources around if you want to strengthen your understanding of these things and help others enjoy all that God has for them. The bible is a good place to start of course! A few years ago I went through acts and underlined all the references to being filled with the Spirit in purple. I still use it to remind myself and show others what an amazing thing God is offering us.

More recently, this months Newfrontiers magazine has a great article about baptism in it by Matt Partridge and we also have some great resources online in our very own kings people web site including a FAQ on baptism in water. Finally there is David Pawson’s “The normal Christian birth” which covers repentance, faith, water and spirit baptism in some detail.

Another key thing that is often overlooked in a normal Christian birth is being part of a local church. We are not meant to follow Jesus on our own but are born into a family. That’s why we are stepping up our efforts to see more and more people added to the church family at Kings.

Faith for healing

Just got back from prayer and fasting yesterday. Several hundred leaders from around the country gathered to worship and pray together. God encouraged us to look back to where we had come from and see how far he has brought us. From a handful of churches we now have churches in many nations across the globe.

We are also seeing healing on a scale we have never seen before. We heard many stories of people stepping out in faith and seeing God move in power to heal the sick. At NewDay over 300 young people felt God had healed them in some way. Ears where opening and allergies going. Also, many churches are taking God’s healing power out on to the streets and seeing God heal arms and backs.  So funny to hear of peoples utter surprise, often expressed in four letter words, when they actually got healed.

God has spoken to us about seeing breakthrough in this whole area and so I am saturating myself in stories of healing both in the bible and more recent testimonies. Biblically it seems to me we don’t need a complicated detailed theology of healing. Jesus heals people and says we will do it too in his name. As with most things in the bible the hard part is actually stepping out in faith and doing it.  

I’m reading “In pursuit of the Miraculous” by Roy Todd at the moment which so far is a very inspiring but down to earth account of his journey into the miraculous. For more vintage healing testimonies you might want to take a look at “God can do it again” by Kathryn Kuhlman. If you’re a web person there’s also tones of testimonies on youtube particularly the ‘healing on the streets’ stuff.

Recently we opened the prayer room at the side of the stage on a Sunday morning so that after each Sunday meeting we can pray for people. The response has been great and I look forward to testimonies of what God is doing.

Another key theme that came though strongly at prayer and fasting on the last day was a rising sense of militancy to see Gods kingdom come. That was so encouraging as God has been speaking to us very clearly about engaging in the battle. At kings we have just finished our “a call to action” preaching mini series but I don't want to move on  too quickly. I want to keep fighting the fight of faith because I believe God is going to break out in unprecedented ways.

I'm a lumberjack!

Now that the intensity of preparing and delivering Sundays preach is over I want to live in the good of what God said. “Nothing will be impossible for those who believe”! I want to see my faith raised, not only for God to move mountains sickness and oppression but for those little day to day hills that so often give me such a bumpy ride.

The thing that sticks in my mind most is the idea that “Mountains can grow faith”. It’s like when you try to split a log with an axe. Several split just fine and then you bring the blade down on the next one and it just gets wedged in the top. Suddenly you have to ask “can I really split this log?”. You have to be sure you can because no timid tickling of the wood is going to work. To stand any chance you have to commit your whole body into it and aim through the wood. The next swing requires more faith rather than less. The resistant log must provoke us to a greater conviction that its going to be split.

It can be like that with faith. When something proves resistant to our expectations and doesn’t yield to the power and authority we have in God it can provoke us to greater faith. It can take us back to the bible, back to prayer, where we become increasingly convinced that not only has God spoken but he is who is says he is and that therefore the mountain just has to move. I want to live my life confident in the God who is my healer, my provider and my saviour.

“Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17

Moving Mountains

Well, I thought as I’ve asked others to do some blogs on this site it would be good to do one myself. Just got back from a brilliant holiday in France and beginning to take hold of things again here at Kings.

We are starting a new mini series “A call to action” on Sunday before embarking on the main terms series “New beginnings”. We are feeling a real sense of the battle we are in at the moment and so will be preaching into that strong biblical theme for a few weeks.

It is of course a fight of faith and so I’m thinking of kicking off looking at faith. I have been especially drawn to Jesus’ provocative statement about how a tiny faith can move a massive mountain and been surprised to find he says it several times in slightly different contexts.

At the moment just trying to get my head around the magnitude of what he is saying. As I read these familiar verses again they seem to come to life and transform from a friendly Ford focus into a devastating killer robot. Or imagine (as I’m sure you can) looking at a tiny speck in the sky and watching spell bound as it comes towards you and grows and grows until you realise it’s a massive skyscraper sized space ship that crashes down to earth and screeches to a halt just inches away from you. Well it’s a bit like that too! Is Jesus really saying what he seems to be saying? Should we tame this or be transformed by it?

Early days yet, but very exciting. I love this bit of preparation. Encountering God’s living and active word. I want (no I need) my life to change in light of this and I want to see it strengthen and enrich us as a church too.