I am a great music fan. I am one of those people who can just sit and listen to music and do nothing else while doing it. I find it relaxing. But I like songs with decent lyrics. I know I am getting older as I don't really like much of the music in the charts these days. I like songs that have a meaning or a story. So over the years I have enjoyed David Bowie, Queen, Billy Joel and more recently Coldplay and Elbow. These are artists who have written some great anthemic songs backed up with great musicality. I recently taught up in Bedford to the Frontier Project students on Eschatology or End Times. And I was reminded of the great REM classic - "It's the end of the world as we know it!" The first line is - "That's great it starts with an earthquake." Then as I turned up last Friday to bring my teaching, I heard the tragic news that there had been a devastating earthquake in Japan. The sixth most powerful earthquake in history and 8000 times more powerful than the one that just hit New Zealand. It is hard to imagine what this nation is going through right now and we must continue to pray for them. We must pray for the Comforter to go and descend upon this devastated country and for God to bring life out of a dark situation. This is a very secular nation that is in desperate need of the Father's love.
The thing I am hearing a lot at the moment is that Christians and non-Christians are asking whether these are the signs for the end of the world? Does this mean that Jesus is coming soon? Well Jesus said that there will be signs that point to the end times. And even though we need to be aware of these signs, we mustn't try and work out that this is imminent. What we need to focus on is getting on with what God has called us to do in the area He has placed us. Even Jesus didn't know when He would come back. Only the Father knows when this will happen, so we don't need to fear or get obsessed with specifics. Jesus said that the last sign to occur before He comes back would be that the gospel would have been received by all nations or as the Greek puts it - all people groups. Now it is estimated that there are still around 6800 unreached people groups which represents approximately 2.8 billion people. This may help you see that there is still a long way to go before Jesus returns. Jesus taught that we need to be prepared for His coming at all times but that our primary call is to love God and love others. I want to live my life for His glory so that He will say to me - "Well done good and faithful servant."
I don't believe it is the end of the world as we know it! These events that are occurring around the world should remind us of the frailty and shortness of life and provoke us into action. The reality is that we are surrounded by people who desperately need to know the love of our amazing Dad in heaven. We rejoice that we have already seen six new adoptions into God's family this year. But there are so many more that God has His eye on. There is a harvest that is ripe, ripe, ripe! Jesus didn't teach us to pray for the harvest to come in but for the workers to go out and bring it in. This is starting to happen, Praise God! But this isn't it. It is just the start. Let's go and show others the Father's love by loving them with the love that we have received. May God bless you loads. Until the next blog - Have fun!
Friday 18 March 2011
Tuesday 8 March 2011
I can see clearly now...
Hi everyone in Blogland.
The sun is here. Contrary to public belief it has not abandoned this nation but was just on sabbatical! It has put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. It doesn't take a lot to put a smile on my face but the sun coming out will never fail. I love the sun! As Johnny Nash so famously sang:
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
More and more people are telling me that they are loving what God is doing at the moment. It really feels that many who have been struggling for so long can see clearly now. God is removing obstacles, dark clouds and blindness from people's vision and they can truly see our bright, bright Son. Young people are giving their lives to our wonderful Jesus because the Holy Spirit is revealing the amazing love of our Dad in Heaven. God is literally coming into our meetings and removing blindness from their eyes and saying "Ta-da! here I am and it's going to be a bright, bright Son-shiny day."
One of the profoundest things that God spoke to me about recently was with regards to one of the primary reasons that He sent the Holy Spirit.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Verse 18 says that Jesus will not leave us as orphans but will send the Holy Spirit! What does it say in Romans 8 about the Holy Spirit? Verses 14-17 show us that the Spirit we received from God was the Spirit of adoption by which we cry "Abba, Father!" or "Daddy!" If we fully understand this then we will have the clearest view of the Father and our lives will be incredibly bright. It is fantastic that we will never know what it is like to be without a Dad because the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and His desire is to constantly reveal the Father to us.
As a church we are seeking to help everyone who is part of us to experience the Father's love. So I was very encouraged when someone was talking to me about a conversation they had had with someone new to us. The new person said that she has felt incredibly loved by so many in the church and that it felt like the Father's love. Wow! Did you just read that right? The church is loving people with the Father's love and it is having a profound effect on them. Another person said that her sister-in-law came to church recently and had a great experience. She told me that she just watched with joy as about ten to twelve people spoke with her sister-in-law over the course of the morning! Listen brothers and sister, we can can have the best worship, the most profound preaching and the funkiest website, but if we don't have love then we are a clanging cymbal and it counts for nothing! I love our DNA and see it as the most vital part of this church's existence. It is about love, love, love! For God so loved...How great is the love the Father has LAVISHED on us...the reason we love is because He first LOVED us, etc...etc...
I can see clearly now not because the rain has gone but because of the love my Dad in heaven has shone into my heart! He has cleared out all the dross and muck and cleared a path so that I can run into His arms and gaze into His eyes of pure, blazing love. I am a free son of the living God and so are you my friend. It is done and so am I for now. Until next time:
It is a bright, bright, Sun-shiny day!!!
Love you all,
Neil
The sun is here. Contrary to public belief it has not abandoned this nation but was just on sabbatical! It has put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. It doesn't take a lot to put a smile on my face but the sun coming out will never fail. I love the sun! As Johnny Nash so famously sang:
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
More and more people are telling me that they are loving what God is doing at the moment. It really feels that many who have been struggling for so long can see clearly now. God is removing obstacles, dark clouds and blindness from people's vision and they can truly see our bright, bright Son. Young people are giving their lives to our wonderful Jesus because the Holy Spirit is revealing the amazing love of our Dad in Heaven. God is literally coming into our meetings and removing blindness from their eyes and saying "Ta-da! here I am and it's going to be a bright, bright Son-shiny day."
One of the profoundest things that God spoke to me about recently was with regards to one of the primary reasons that He sent the Holy Spirit.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Verse 18 says that Jesus will not leave us as orphans but will send the Holy Spirit! What does it say in Romans 8 about the Holy Spirit? Verses 14-17 show us that the Spirit we received from God was the Spirit of adoption by which we cry "Abba, Father!" or "Daddy!" If we fully understand this then we will have the clearest view of the Father and our lives will be incredibly bright. It is fantastic that we will never know what it is like to be without a Dad because the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and His desire is to constantly reveal the Father to us.
As a church we are seeking to help everyone who is part of us to experience the Father's love. So I was very encouraged when someone was talking to me about a conversation they had had with someone new to us. The new person said that she has felt incredibly loved by so many in the church and that it felt like the Father's love. Wow! Did you just read that right? The church is loving people with the Father's love and it is having a profound effect on them. Another person said that her sister-in-law came to church recently and had a great experience. She told me that she just watched with joy as about ten to twelve people spoke with her sister-in-law over the course of the morning! Listen brothers and sister, we can can have the best worship, the most profound preaching and the funkiest website, but if we don't have love then we are a clanging cymbal and it counts for nothing! I love our DNA and see it as the most vital part of this church's existence. It is about love, love, love! For God so loved...How great is the love the Father has LAVISHED on us...the reason we love is because He first LOVED us, etc...etc...
I can see clearly now not because the rain has gone but because of the love my Dad in heaven has shone into my heart! He has cleared out all the dross and muck and cleared a path so that I can run into His arms and gaze into His eyes of pure, blazing love. I am a free son of the living God and so are you my friend. It is done and so am I for now. Until next time:
It is a bright, bright, Sun-shiny day!!!
Love you all,
Neil
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Keeping up
As most most of you know I was born with a disability known as muscular dystrophy. This meant I was restricted in many ways physically. This raised huge doubts in my mind about the existence of God and I chose to be an Atheist. Then in 1983, God got hold of me as a fifteen year old lad and turned my life upside-down. Three weeks later I was gloriously immersed in His Holy Spirit and I knew I would never be the same again. I was overwhelmed by His presence and knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was now an adopted son of the my Dad in heaven. Some said that it was just a passing phase but twenty-eight years later this passing phase hasn't yet passed! (And it never will). In these last twenty-eight years I have seen some awesome things. I have seen lives changed, many healed and churches planted. It has been an incredible adventure and I have been on the most exciting journey with My wonderful Father.
However, as glorious as it has been so far, and I thank God for that, it does not compare with what He is doing in our church today. Going back to my opening sentence, when I was young I often had to play catch up. What I mean is that on school trips where there was a lot of walking, I was always last. Because of my physical weakness I could not keep up with the main crowd. This was very frustrating as I was often walking on my own or with people not of my choice. My friends would often have to stop so that I could catch up. However, I have never allowed my limitations from stopping me do the things that I have wanted to do. I may not have done them as quickly as others but I have done them. What I am finding today is that I am having to play a different form of keeping up. This comes in the shape of God doing things in a way that I am not used to and I am having trouble keeping up. Yet this is not frustrating but exhilarating. The pace in which the Holy Spirit is moving amongst us as a church is breath-taking and I am constantly playing catch-up. More and more new people are coming through our doors, the youth are on fire, people are being saved during worship, lives are being changed, the prayer meetings are growing in size and there is greater freedom amongst us! God is knocking religion out of us and many of us are discovering more of the Father's love. The great thing about this is that we haven't planned it, programmed it or come up with any formula to see it happen! It is happening because Daddy loves us and wants us to be immersed more and more into His very presence. We are coming into a greater knowledge that the curtain has been torn from top to bottom and there is nothing more we need to do to run into His arms!
God promised the church that a mighty river would run through the centre of Bethany CC and into the town and surrounding area. We are right at the start of that promise and there is so much more to come. While Stuart, Sarah and I were praying in the office I saw this huge wave coming towards us and a lone surfer as a speck in front of the wave. Gradually I saw the surfer rise to the top of the wave and was just gliding with the full force of the wave under him. All he had to do was stay standing and trust the wave to carry him. That is us! God says just stand and trust me and you will be carried by the full force of His wave. It will surge through Harpenden and the surrounding villages and towns. It will touch many lives. The greatest thing about this, is that it is all for His glory! We can not take ANY credit for what is happening.
I don't want to ever keep up with what God is doing. The moment I have caught up with God is the moment things get predictable again! I want to be constantly surprised by Him, constantly kept on my toes and always second guessing what He will do next. Beloved, we are in the most exciting time of history. Continue to join me on the surfboard and let's see where the wave will take us. Climb on, Climb On, CLIMB ON!!!
Yours in Him
Neil
ps Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5c39PZFQ4
However, as glorious as it has been so far, and I thank God for that, it does not compare with what He is doing in our church today. Going back to my opening sentence, when I was young I often had to play catch up. What I mean is that on school trips where there was a lot of walking, I was always last. Because of my physical weakness I could not keep up with the main crowd. This was very frustrating as I was often walking on my own or with people not of my choice. My friends would often have to stop so that I could catch up. However, I have never allowed my limitations from stopping me do the things that I have wanted to do. I may not have done them as quickly as others but I have done them. What I am finding today is that I am having to play a different form of keeping up. This comes in the shape of God doing things in a way that I am not used to and I am having trouble keeping up. Yet this is not frustrating but exhilarating. The pace in which the Holy Spirit is moving amongst us as a church is breath-taking and I am constantly playing catch-up. More and more new people are coming through our doors, the youth are on fire, people are being saved during worship, lives are being changed, the prayer meetings are growing in size and there is greater freedom amongst us! God is knocking religion out of us and many of us are discovering more of the Father's love. The great thing about this is that we haven't planned it, programmed it or come up with any formula to see it happen! It is happening because Daddy loves us and wants us to be immersed more and more into His very presence. We are coming into a greater knowledge that the curtain has been torn from top to bottom and there is nothing more we need to do to run into His arms!
God promised the church that a mighty river would run through the centre of Bethany CC and into the town and surrounding area. We are right at the start of that promise and there is so much more to come. While Stuart, Sarah and I were praying in the office I saw this huge wave coming towards us and a lone surfer as a speck in front of the wave. Gradually I saw the surfer rise to the top of the wave and was just gliding with the full force of the wave under him. All he had to do was stay standing and trust the wave to carry him. That is us! God says just stand and trust me and you will be carried by the full force of His wave. It will surge through Harpenden and the surrounding villages and towns. It will touch many lives. The greatest thing about this, is that it is all for His glory! We can not take ANY credit for what is happening.
I don't want to ever keep up with what God is doing. The moment I have caught up with God is the moment things get predictable again! I want to be constantly surprised by Him, constantly kept on my toes and always second guessing what He will do next. Beloved, we are in the most exciting time of history. Continue to join me on the surfboard and let's see where the wave will take us. Climb on, Climb On, CLIMB ON!!!
Yours in Him
Neil
ps Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5c39PZFQ4
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