Worship 4 – Extravagant Worship

In continuation of my long-but-slow running series on Worship (“Don’t say anything unless it’s worth taking a long time to say” – Treebeard, Lord of the Rings – my paraphrase), I wanted to put up a blog on the subject of Extravagant Worship.

That Treebeard quote above wasn’t serious by the way.

In these days of post-modern, “post-mission” (tosh), everything-church thinking (cafe-church internet-church bornagain-church purposedriven-church deconstructed-church) you pretty much have to define everything again before you can talk about it, as is the case, sadly, in most areas of western life.

This can be a bit of a bore, but if we are asking ourselves “what is worship?” again, which we do all need to do for ourselves anyway, I believe this aspect is just as important as those I have already covered (see Worship 1-3 blogs).

In fact I believe this aspect of worship could really revolutionise our worship services, if we and our congregations all knew how to pick up on it and really run with it. Indeed I can say that churches I know of which HAVE grasped this, have something about them that is really DIFFERENT.

People, I find, can either be generally passive when it comes to singing some songs in church, or if passionate, can still be afraid of expressing it too much, there is always a measure of reserve.

Why there is reserve, I don’t know. He’s awesome.

But to get over this obviously we don’t beat people over the head with a Bible and say “Be passionate!” – we model it by example from our hearts, in love. So what are we meant to be modelling?

DAVID

David knew the meaning of worship, through and through. I know, he’s the classic one, but let’s pick him up again, as we have so much to learn from this great man who God said had a heart after His own.

We find him worshiping in different ways. In writing the Psalms. In playing the harp. Probably on the hillside when he wasn’t nutting bears and lions to save his sheep. Later in life, when he was setting up the tabernacle, he was establishing a whole worship ministry if you like, to carry on 24/7!

But the example I want to pick up on for this subject takes us to 2 Samuel 6, where David is bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. It has been a tough time for them, as the ark has been the possession of the Philistines for some time. Then, when they got it back, they forgot to read the manual and work out how it was meant to be carried, instead letting oxen do the job. If you haven’t heard about Uzzah, who reached out to steady the ark when the oxen stumbled, then you’ve missed out.

He got fried.

So, after an interim, David finds out the priests are supposed to carry it, and proceeds to see it brought back to Jerusalem.

In doing so, he orders that sacrifices be made every 6 paces all the way back from Obed-Edom’s house (where it had been staying) to Jerusalem. I don’t know the exact measurement, but that’s a lot of sacrifice! Furthermore, and this is the main thing (which is why I have been only skimming over the details) David really expressed his worship by stripping down to JUST a linen ephod (embarrassing if not slightly scary to behold) and dances before the Lord – the Bible says, with ALL his MIGHT. That means, all of his strength and energy went into that dance.

Now, I don’t know what it looked like, but I can get an idea. He could have been an amazing dancer, we don’t know, but chances are that when someone dances spontaneously, without announcement, wearing just a linen ephod, while every six paces following the guys who are killing animals and spilling blood everywhere – chances are I would think this guy SLIGHTLY strange. I’d probably wonder what he was doing leading my country, but I guess I wouldn’t be able to question that. I certainly could get offended easily.

This, I believe, is the kind of worship God loves. I think I’ll just leave that to be pondered on for a little while.

MARY

Well, what about New Testament worship? Okay. Here’s Mary in Mark 14 and John 12, coming and breaking the cultural and social barriers of the day, bringing an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard, breaking it and pouring out the whole lot on Jesus, all over His head, and using it to anoint His feet and wipe them with her hair. Now to us this might at least appear alarming, but to the folk of that day, to whom women were a subordinate race (effectively), this would have been outrageous, and a great cause for offense.

There were rational arguments at that table as to why this was a crazy thing for this woman to do. The perfume she just wasted would have been worth a year’s wages. Wherever she got the money from, it’s all just been completely used up in one go, being poured all over Jesus! And so often, in church, you will find people who think it reasonable and right to call anything ‘extreme’ and ‘radical’ into question for the sake of other people, for the poor, for some outwardly-compassionate reason. There are other occasions when what appeared to be outward compassion was contrary to the purpose of God (such as the disciples ‘compassionately’ desiring to send the 5000 away when Jesus had plans for a bit of bread and fish!).

But despite all the rational, seemingly-compassionate arguments (which really had no compassion on this woman at all), Jesus loves it, and testifies that her testimony will go down permanently in history. On a similar occasion recorded in Luke 7, He also released the woman of her sins, because she worshipped Him in this way.

Notice that on both occasions, the expression of love for the Lord was something visibly, outwardly, expressively radical, involving a lot of the outward involvement in worship. Our attitude these days of ‘the heart’ is good (I have written about it!) but we must COMPLETE the picture by understanding that what goes on in my heart, if it is truly there, WILL have an outward manifestation and expression, which if it is love for the good God we have, will probably be extravagant!

Notice also that on both occasions there was opportunity for offense, and it was taken each time – by Michal in the case of David, and by those reclining at the table in the case of Mary. If you are offended at something – check yourself! It may be God!

Notice also God’s love for the worshipper – His declaration that David had a heart after His own, and His declaration that Mary’s story will never be forgotten. There was an immortalisation of the name of each worshipper!

Here’s the ultimate thing: He is a very, very, very good God. And when, in the world, we see something great, we celebrate it. We laugh at a funny movie. We cheer (and scream and jump) when our team wins. We cheer louder (and scream louder and jump higher) at a music concert we’ve waited ages for.

And yet, for some reason, we come to church, and get all sleepy, or are afraid to sing too loud, or are afraid to get up and dance, for fear of what people will think of us, or something….SOMETHING is holding us back, and has stunted the worship life of the church, where the world is able to excel and increase. There are celebrities and stars taking glory all the time, and God is getting hardly any in comparison! We are perhaps afraid that our expressions will somehow be irreverent, or unworthy, but if these Biblical examples are anything to go by, that’s not true.

“God loves a cheerful giver.” But, Paul, it’s all about the heart. Yes, I know, but, God loves someone who knows how to outwardly express what’s in their heart, cheerfully! I guess that put’s together the heart “cheerful”, and the action “giver”. There. Now we have no excuse!

One final anecdote, just to really drive the point home. I once heard a guy preaching, and saying how he’d been at some football games, cheering on his team, but at the same time wrestling with the idea that all this cheering and shouting was just extreme idolatrous worship, and that this was what God was saying about it. So he would find himself “coming against this spirit of idolatry.” But one time, the Lord surprised him by saying, “I like it.”

“What?!” this guy responded back. God proceeded to tell him, that He liked it a lot. Because He saw in it the potential, that when all these football crowds got saved, or when all the screaming music fans got saved, and came into the church and saw God doing awesome things in our midst, that they would be the ones who really knew how to worship Him and thank Him for it, who would give Him the kind of offering He’s looking for.

Wow. This is what I’m after. A church that will worship God more than the world will worship their idols of music, or sport, or anything else that they give so much time, attention, voice, expression and even (dare I say!) money too! Because He’s so worth all of it!

Jesus Rocks (cheesy title I know)

[Note: unashamed Bible Study time. Get in that frame of thinking. This is good stuff.]

The Rock of the Revelation of Jesus Christ

In the first two chapters of Peter’s first epistle, we have a beautiful picture presented to us of the house of God. It takes some work, especially in the first chapter, to discover some of this picture, but I firmly believe it is all there if the reader is in the flow of the whole counsel of God, the whole of Scripture, as guided by the Holy Spirit.

Peter’s encouragement to the believers begins very strongly with the theme of looking forward to ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’ – that is, His second coming. The terms that Peter uses in this are important to note, as they can be used in reference to Zechariah’s prophecy of the second coming of Christ:

‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’ (Zechariah 4:7)

Here in the prophetic picture of the rebuilding of the house of God, the prophet envisions the victorious conclusion of the rebuilding with the hands of Zerubbabel (who, importantly, had laid the foundation also, Zechariah 4:9) bringing the capstone with shouts of “Grace!”

Now in 1 Peter the apostle begins to speak in these terms, addressing the believers

“who are protected…for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time…” (1:5 emphasis mine)

“so that the proof of your faith…may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” (1:7 emphasis mine)

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries…” (1:10)

Arguably Zechariah could be one such prophet. Let us continue to read what Peter has to say about this prophetic inquiry which in the context of the chapter and of the possible reference to Zechariah that Peter is thinking of, would concern the second coming of Christ:

“It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things into which angels long to look.
“Therefore…fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1:12-13)

It would seem very likely that Zechariah can be reviewed in light of Peter’s words. He is speaking of the grace to come at Jesus’ return, just as Zechariah declared that “Grace!” would be spoken at the placing of the capstone.

If we venture forwards into chapter 2 of 1 Peter, we begin to see a different, more present picture presented for us. We discover that Jesus is “a precious corner stone” and “the stone which the builders rejected, [which] became the very corner stone” (2:6-7, citing Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 respectively). Now Jesus is not the capstone but the cornerstone! These two have very different functions. The cornerstone is at the crux of the foundation, without which the builders cannot do. If you steal the cornerstone before they have laid it, they are stuck and must find another! Jesus came as the absolute necessary piece of the foundation for the faith of the people of God. In times past there had been hints and ways for the people of God – one or two of them – to live in real, effective faith. But a way had to be made for all to come to God and to be able to live for Him effectively in the world.

Jesus laid a strong, firm foundation for His church. In Matthew 7 He called it a rock upon which we are to build our house. When we build on this rock, no amount of bad weather can knock it down! Very similarly in Matthew 16 He spoke in no uncertain terms of how He would build His church on the rock of the revelation of Jesus Christ. Guess who He revealed this to? Peter!

The capstone, however, is that which crowns and completes the building, which gives it the final and complete perfection, the beauteous finish. It is often observable in the centre of an archway as the stone which slots neatly between those other stones which have been built up to it. It is not the tough, load-bearing, unattractive and probably invisible stone that the cornerstone is; it is a decorative, strong, attractive final touch to impress those who enter.

Wonderful! But what are these stones inbetween the cornerstone, and the capstone?

It’s us! Peter says:

“And coming to Him as to a living stone…you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (2:4-5)

What a fabulous place we have in history! Jesus has come, as the cornerstone, to lay a foundation for the church. He has utterly made a way for men and women to live for God. Now we, as living stones, are being built up in Him (see also Ephesians 2:20-22 in which He is again the cornerstone and we are also being built up into a house). At some point, we will reach completion, which is what I believe Ephesians refers to as the “fullness of God” (3:19) and “a mature man…the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (4:13). When we have grown up to this stature, God having completed that good work which He began (Philippians 1:6), Jesus can return for His spotless bride, who has been transformed into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18), and as the capstone crown the whole thing!

Kings and Priests

In speaking of our being ‘built up’ Peter refers to us clearly as priests who have a job to do. I love the Amplified translation here:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 AMP)

Our role here, in the building of the house, is thoroughly and unarguably priestly. Priests were those that took what people had on earth and offered it up as worship. It was an earth-to-heaven direction.

The priestly role is in fact observable if we return to Zechariah, and chapter 3. Here we discover Joshua, high priest at the time of Zechariah, being encouraged in his role as priest in the house of God, given ‘free access’ to minister in His house. So we too as priests have been cleansed and clothed with Christ as Joshua was, because of the atoning work of Jesus, the Great High Priest.

But remaining in Zechariah and looking back into chapter 4 again, we return to the character we have already spoken of: Zerubbabel. Who was he? He was of the kingly line of Israel, who should at that point have been on the throne but for the fact that they were only just returning from exile.

This gives us a lovely picture of how the role of Jesus as Priest and King fits into history and the destiny of the church. When He came first as the cornerstone, as the foundation, He worked as priest unto God, as the Lamb of God offering up that which was acceptable to God on behalf of man, as the Great High Priest. By that work once for all now we can all come as priests before God.

When He comes the second time round however, He is coming as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (significantly it was the kings of Judah, of which Zerubbabel was one, that in God’s eyes held the true throne from David), as the victorious King, to adorn the temple of God (which is us) with the beautiful final capstone, appearing not as a despised, ugly cornerstone, but as the beautiful and completing capstone!

Thank You Jesus!

Watch this space and maybe I’ll find time to give attention to this subject in other places in the Bible, like the book of Hebrews, and the book of Revelation. There is more to be had!

For the complete removal of evil from the earth.

“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8

As He was coming down from the mountain one time, Jesus was suddenly approached by a social outcast of the day – a leper. He has just delivered a fantastic message to crowds concerning the kingdom of God. Now this leper comes pleading: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus’ immediate response is, “I am willing, be cleansed.” This is the kingdom. Not only in word, but in power (1 Cor 4:20). In Mark chapter 1 at the outset of His ministry we see this dynamic even more emphasised, as the crowds are astonished because His teaching is with authority, namely, that He is casting out demons while He preaches!

Acts 10:38 gives us the ultimate revelation on this matter, that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, and He went about doing good and healing ALL who were oppressed by the devil. If you read the gospels, there is not one person He turned away because of some lame pseudo-Calvinistic philosophy that it wasn’t God’s timing or God wanted them to suffer in order to teach them. He healed everyone, sickness and oppression was from the devil. Period.

He called us to the same. In Matthew 10 He gave His disciples authority over unclean spirits, over sicknesses, and gave them the message that would bring the power: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. You can’t preach that message without God coming and backing it up with power. He will always validate His word, “These signs shall follow they who believe…” Too much these days we preach out of man’s wisdom and philosophy, and because of the age of Enlightenment and the intellectual West, that is seen as okay, whereas demonstrating power is not – it is cultic. Yet Paul would have had that the Corinthians didn’t rest their faith on the wisdom of men but on the power of God (1 Cor 2:1-5). Wow!

I find it glorious that the Lord would take us, the very people who were once separated from Him and living in rebellion, redeem us, cleanse us, turn us around, and then call us into fighting the very darkness that once held us bound! So, let’s start fighting!

I’m burning to see this world drained of every evil thing. The cross has utterly made the provision for this to occur, He is making ALL THINGS new, and is creating a new heaven and a new earth. There will be a time of the restoration of all things, when we will rule and reign with Him.

On our recent missions trip to Norway, we saw three elderly ladies’ arthritic condition dramatically improve so that on the evening of the day we prayed for them they were helping and serving and enjoying the time, being able to do things they hadn’t done for years. A stroke victim whose entire left side of their body had been made numb by the stroke felt a warm sensation right the way down her side when we prayed for her. A hard young atheist gave his life to the Lord. The husband of a woman in the church gave his life to the Lord. A man who said “If God doesn’t heal me tonight I won’t believe in Him” – guess what – He was healed. Also on a recent short ministry trip to the Isle of Wight, we saw a man’s aching back completely healed, freed up to move without pain; a girl who had pain in her feet from an accident four weeks earlier healed, so that she could run around; and many other testimonies of the nature of the Lord as being a GOOD GOD.

He is good, and His love endures forever! This is a truth that ought not just to be understood as a dogmatic truth but as a truth which should manifest itself. Paul saw his commendation as being in the fact that truth manifested, it wasn’t simply taught by words, but it was demonstrated by the authentication of the Holy Spirit’s power. (2 Cor 4:2)

This is what I’m fighting for. Jesus walked the way, showed us the way, and paid the price for it. I am fighting for the alleviation, the utter removal of evil from the earth. One day the knowledge of the glory of the Lord is going to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Num 14:21; Hab 2:14).

Lord cause us all to burn with this. It is Your heart Lord; show us more.

Small means big

I was watching a movie at someone’s house, well it was kind of on in the background: Horton Hears a Who, based on the story by Dr. Zeuss. And the fundamental problem for Horton, as he expresses it in one early explanatory scene, is if there is life on this tiny bud on a little flower (can’t remember which flower) – which is indeed the case, a whole colony exists of the ‘Whos’ in ‘Whoville’ – then how do we not know that there is life outside of us in turn watching down on us?

Indeed.

Does the fact that there is something smaller than us in turn perhaps indicate that there might be something – or someone – bigger than us?

This might be ludicrous if taken to the nth degree, how far could you go either way? Yet in science we do see a finite universe, finite existence, boundaries and rules. So logically there ought to be an origin, someone at the very top from where it all started. I just wonder if the small things in life are meant to point to the bigger one, are bait to help us think introvertedly.

Incidentally I like to think of the birth of Jesus in this way. The entrance of God into this world was heralded and proclaimed by angels, and yet He appeared first as a baby. I think this significantly helps us to think in this kind of way.

Just a thought. Maybe I’ll come back to it.

Our unfortunate propensity

As a Christian to a Western culture, I can speak from experience of a difficulty many of us in the church have with a need held in the necessarily non-Western attributes of Christianity (speaking of its origins) to be a-categorical in our ‘pastoral’ efforts. (I place the word in quotes because I speak not specifically of Pastors but more of our general relation to individuals in a way which hopefully seeks to be edifying.)

If I can elucidate: I have only lately come to the clear realisation that we in the West, particularly through our educational system, have a propensity to categorisation and sectionalisation which, we ought really to find, sucks the life sometimes from whatever articles may be under question – physical or metaphysical. While it may be argued that this is too much a ‘generalisation’ of our complex Western epistemologies, I think it not unnecessarily so. The breakdown may be seen obviously on the social strata of race and class which have each had their bloody wars in our recent history due to the consequent prejudice that finds place in the psychology of one tier over the other.

It may also be seen in much of our academic literature which forever seems to be seeking the proper breakdown of another’s argument as a means to understanding it, and then to establish it’s own proper structure for equal and sometimes prevailing clarity over another’s propositions.

It is recognised too in our business structures, established entirely upon the latest devised models which are in turn based upon sectioned research, providing companies only with formulae for management principles, market trends, customer service, and a host of other attributes – all probably admitting with regret that not every business transaction will fall within the boundaries set in such models. But to such models we must adhere lest we fall behind in the economic rat race.

I do not wish for this to be a polemical against Western post-Enlightenment reason (though I make no apology if some of the shades of my feeling emerge in the above examples). For sure a bit of categorisation is often beneficial toward the progress of certain ventures in life.

But I am concerned that we Christians do not continue with such a tendency into our relationships and our kingdom-church life. Over the last four and a half years of my growth in the Lord I have increasingly discovered through experience that the way the Lord would have us deal with issues and people is anything but categorical. Note how in three specific accounts in the Gospels of His healing a blind man, each records a different ‘method’. Note also how He confessed that He only did what He saw His Father doing in John 5. His only model, offensively, was relationship. Relationship with God, and with people.

I think we know this a little bit in the church, but it makes us uncomfortable when it comes to our day-to-day application because it requires something of us that we don’t have without asking the Lord for it and having to exercise faith. (‘We’ being the general rather than the total.)

As indicated in the example of Jesus, relationship in the life of God requires by necessity seeing and hearing, communion, contact. What earthly relationship is there in which we do not have speaking, hearing, seeing contact? At the very least one of these attributes must be in place to classify relationship.

And so in our engagement with people in the life of God I believe we must be seeking to be more and more prophetic in our helping deal with issues and work through situations. This makes us nervous probably because we are still not familiar with how to use the prophetic practically. And because of our cultural position, we crave the right model, the best method, for dealing with these things. But can we step out in faith? Can we dare to say, “Lord speak”? Every individual has individuals needs and issues, personal histories unique only to them, and deserve treatment corresponding in its nature. I believe we in the church can offer this, if we will exercise ourselves to think outside of the box in this matter. The answer is not one overriding model, it is a push for diversity of method and even abstraction from method in favour of hearing from God and thereby strengthening our emphasis on the only true ‘model’ – relationship.

“‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Thought this was interesting

Mate of mind posted this on facebook. Thought it was a great article!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece

Entitled ‘As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God’

Enjoy

The Church in the Credit Crunch

I believe the church has an unbelievable moment opening before her with the sliding economic situations in the West. I do not want to state too much presumptively, but I must write what I feel prophetically the Lord is saying about this season.

For a while I have seen a kind of ‘Daniel season’ coming upon us but I did not necessarily know how much it would manifest corporately, or whether it was just for me or our church in London.

Well now, hopefully, I see it a little clearer. Perhaps you can guess what I mean by a Daniel season. It is a time when things seem on the whole pretty bleak, and yet a remnant are raised up to have favor with men and those in authority in order to bring about restoration and change. Daniel was an incredibly godly man (one of my absolute favourites in the Old Testament) and yet he was honoured with incredible position in the Babylonian empire. I find him comparable also to Joseph and Esther. When he and his friends received persecution for their godliness, they were delivered and then actually raised to have greater esteem than before! Both their intercession and the administration of their roles in a godly fashion influenced Babylon heavily with the leaven of the kingdom and ultimately led to great spiritual breakthrough which triggered the movements of Israel to return to the land and fulfill the Lord’s many promises of restoration throughout the prophetic Scriptures.

How much do we, the church, need to understand the book of Daniel and how it pertains to us today! Surely the rearing head of Babylon in the book of Revelation ought to remind us that though the empire may no longer exist in the natural, it very much rules the world’s way of thinking. At some point, she is going to crumble, and those in the world who depended on a Babylonian mindset for life will weep over her.

There is a Scripture I have been chewing over quite a bit of late which I believe SO pertains to this season that we are in:

“For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ‘The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and in this place I will give peace,’ declares the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:6-9)

Is this ‘the shaking’? I would be too narrow minded to say THIS IS IT! But it is a part of it I am sure, we are certainly of the kingdom that cannot be shaken, therefore let us have grace and gratitude whereby we may serve God acceptably (Heb 12:28). Because the world of course does not serve acceptably, except to the spirit of mammon and of Babylon, in extortion and injustice. True enough we the church are warned of the problems of mammon and the danger of worshipping riches in the book of Matthew, but in the book of Luke we are exhorted to be wise stewards of that which has been entrusted to us financially (16:1-13). Surely the Lord wants more than just for us to be individually responsible with making sure we tithe and give to charity. What if we too might be raised into positions of authority as Daniels of this age, to administrate wealth justly and through that to express the Lord’s heart? Just as with so many sacrifices in the Bible, so there is a resurrection, I believe, for our attitude to money; for once we have put away the desire for us to be rich in this age, recognising that the true treasure is that which is to be stored up in heaven, and that mammon is a god to be despised, THEN we can be entrusted with more because the Lord knows that we personally have no desire for it but that we do know how to handle it effectively and justly.

Our church is presently considering ways of financially supporting the community of London that we have direct contact with, as the credit crunch really crunches. I was so pleased when I heard this because we, the people of heavenly citizenship and heavenly focus, ought to be absolutely able to do this in all faith that Yahweh Jireh can provide abundantly in order that the world may witness that there is a God whose dwelling place is with men in the church. No glory comes to us. We do not keep any riches for ourselves (if our desires are right of course and we are accountable). Simply all the glory goes to Him and every help to the world as a witness that ours is the Everlasting God whose supply does not run out.

I was blessed also when I received a personal gift I was very much in need of, of quite considerable sum. For one it was an answer to prayer, but for another I knew that those who gave it were really sowing in faith, rather than just giving out of their surplus. It is a testimony to me more than of just a prayer-answering God, but that His people are starting to be equipped in the area of faith for what is about to be brought to our door – the ability to give generously, hilariously, and sometimes beyond our ability because of the wonderful provision of the God we serve.

This is not the prosperity gospel. This is simply a prophetic evaluation which I humbly submit to you, praying that the Lord will bring to light all that is truth and do away with anything unnecessary.

Scriptures (for reading/meditation along these lines): Genesis 41; Esther; Daniel 1, 7, 12; Haggai 2; Matthew 13:24-43; Luke 16:1-13; Hebrews 12; Revelation 18.

I’m still here

I’m still here, and crazy busy! Feel like I haven’t written anything for the blog in ages but don’t worry, that will change very soon. I’ve got lots brewing, including a 10-12,000 word project on Old Testament treatment of money and how that translates today (okay maybe that’s too much to put on a blog!!) but also plenty of other thoughts on church stewardship as the West heads into economic turmoil, and also I have a mind to continue my thoughts on Worship (‘Worship 3: I’m coming back to the heart’ has been the most popular read here!) with a word on high-quality worship, musical or otherwise. And for any friends interested my personal development has been more accelerated than ever as I’m doing this leadership course with church, I can’t seem to catch up with myself! Quick faith story, I felt I should give up teaching guitar so I could actually have a day off in the week (I need it!) but this involved a bit faith step as I was counting on the teaching for the rest of my fees. Well, I did it, I gave up, and then discovered in a timely fashion that the tax man owes me lots of money! And again, just yesterday a family gave me an incredible cheque which I’m not sure how to begin to thank them for. It’s all very timely and I’m so grateful to the Lord for leading me in the way of faith. It has taken some dying to self, but He is so faithful to show up on the back of that!

Anyway, bless God. Blog soon.

My little response to Lakeland

How far this will go and of what profound effect in the world of cyberspace I do not know, only if someone reads it, perhaps they’d just like to give it some consideration!

I wanted to write concerning the so-called Lakeland Outpouring regarding some Christians’ attitude which unfortunately has been allowed to go unchecked in many places; in other places there have already been responses so I’m not writing anything new, just adding my voice.

I want to be careful in saying this, so don’t mishear me: There are some who would say they “did not agree with”, “decided against”, or “didn’t approve of” what apparently happened with the Lakeland Outpouring. Let me ask you this: when was church ever meant to be approved or disapproved of? When did one church in the book of Acts ever stand up and reject another portion of the church without suffering some serious rebuke and/or correction from the apostles? (I’m thinking of the whole Gentilic-addition problem they had.) And yet today we think that just because some expression of church conflicts with our own idea of what it should be that we are quite entitled to go about rejecting and disapproving left right and centre. This is not the duty of the church, brothers and sisters!

Now of course the same people clap and applaud themselves now that Todd Bentley who headed up much of the revival, has taken a serious fall. Unknowingly they have championed themselves into a subtle kind of pride that they were right and others were wrong, while people like the God Channel stand up to endless criticism and in a recently released statement (I have the email) humbly stand their ground that Lakeland was a true move of God which continues to push out into the earth.

Again the critics champion themselves without perhaps considering that life and death was in the power of their tongues as long as they slandered (to whatever degree) Todd Bentley, and that the arrangement of the apostolic commissioning that Todd received in order to raise a covering over him, on God’s calendar could not have been more timely.

The responses from the likes of Patricia King (who has been doing a video series on ‘When Leaders Fall’) and Bill Johnson (videos below) are straight and to the point for those who will hear them, and cover whatever else I would say. Lastly, to those who release slander week by week against who they call ‘false prophets’ etc., I ask you to hold your tongue and be wise, as life and death are in the power thereof, and don’t get in the way of my prayers: I’m praying for Todd Bentley, that his marriage would be restored.

Radical Network begins!

Wow. One of the most intense seasons of my life has just kicked off! For those of you who don’t know, I’ve just begun a course with my church (Ichthus Christian Fellowship in London), training in leadership for a year. Am now living in the house they have in Forest Hill with some new friends! One is James (pictured below) with whom I have a great connection, he’s only two months older than me and we’re on the same page with a lot of stuff.

They’ve also put me with a congregation called New Life in Greenwich which is really going for it, they do so much stuff! My first day on Wednesday 17th ‘on patch’ at the congregation, I was there for 15 hours! (Long story.) So they’ve got me working hard, but I like that. I was going through a rough time from when I graduated in July 07 through to the beginning of 08, where sometimes I would be literally doing nothing at all, and it was horrible. Picture below is the painting hung up at the front of the church, tis nice.

The course involves lectures on tuesday and thursday, and ‘patch’ work (ie. in Greenwich) on Wednesdays and Friday afternoons. (Friday morning is ’study project’ time – the study project will be a 10,000 word project handed in in January with a presentation, the same will happen again in July!! Lots of work methinks!!)

Weekends (not to mention weekday evenings) are bonkers with church and events and conferences etc. Oh plus we’re going to Totnes on mission at the beginning of October, then Pakistan in February! Expect many great photos etc. around those times!

I’m personally saying to the Lord that this is the time for the increase of miracles, signs and wonders, that we would fully preach the gospel as Paul did, in such displays of power (Romans 15). I’m asking Him for an increase in His presence and anointing as I have this time to dedicate to Him and His purpose, and to help me to stay engaged in the Spirit and not just make it all about an intellectual learning – and that’s down to me, not the course.

Forgot to mention Mondays: I’m teaching guitar! So I look forward to the odd Saturdays when there’s nothing happening! (About once a month!)

Notice the all-important COFFEE MACHINE in the background