New Year

So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make?


Here are some suggestions: (1) Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) Rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) Don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead allow them to motivate you further; (6) Don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”


May 2010 bring you into a deeper relationship with God

Christianity in Danger?

As a worldview - that is as a belief system - I feel that Christianity is solid. Now there are certainly points within Christianity that we don't have all the answers for, things that are not completely understood. However, because there are a few things we don't understand does not mean that we should abandon our faith any more than the neurosurgeon dismisses what he knows about the brain because of the vast amount he does not yet know.

But, I think what we should be asking is where is Christianity in danger as it is practiced today. In other words, "What is the problem with the practice of Christianity in the beginning of the 21st century?" I feel that the biggest problem Christianity is facing today is a lack of Biblical wisdom. Wisdom is defined biblically as knowledge or understanding (Prov. 2), but it encompasses more than just grasping a concept intellectually. It also means discernment. Wisdom is knowledge properly applied.

Many in Christendom today have faith without seeking proper knowledge of that faith. At some point, then, their belief becomes emotionalism without reason and substance. They take the view that since Christianity is the "right" religion and all the other ones are "wrong" that they're OK and don't have to worry anymore. This emotionalism is dangerous for many reasons, but two that I want to focus on specifically are how it allows heresies into the church and how it damages our witness to those outside the church.

In Hebrews 5 verses 12 to 14, the writer rebukes the Hebrew church for not truly understanding their own faith. He writes, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (NIV). As you can see from these verses, gaining an intellectual understanding of the difficult teachings of scripture help Christians distinguish good from evil.

Paul also commented on this in the Epistle to the Ephesians when he warned that "We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." (Eph 4:14-15 NAS )

Because many have thought that faith alone is good enough to sustain the Christian life, the church has become intellectually lazy. And because people don't want to study doctrine, they will sometimes accept teachings that are heresies without realizing it. In fact, many of the modern cults we see today got their start because Christians weren't equipped to recognize a heretical teaching when it was offered to them.

The most bothersome part of this condition is how it is so detrimental to our witness. We tell other people we have the truth of God. We tell cultists that they're wrong and we're right, yet we don't subject our beliefs to the same scrutiny and diligent study as we hold them to. Mostly what happens is we try to "out argue" them. If we haven't taken the time to really investigate what we believe to be true, then why should we require anyone else to do so?

The other great problem that stems from lack of true wisdom is the ability of the church itself to become corrupt. In 2 Timothy 4 we read "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths."

Because many Christians judge the reality of a doctrine not on their investigation and comparison against the rest of scripture, but on how it makes them feel, many churches have become replete with all kinds of error. We see things like holy laughter, barking as dogs, gold fillings or gold dust manifestations all done in churches that are supposed to be exalting the name of Jesus. People are no longer able to "rightly divide the word of truth" as Paul commands, but just waiting for the next emotional high.

Even Christians who have been taught doctrinally sound beliefs can fall into this trap. Look at the attention all the last days scenarios get. You have people who hold pre-trib, post trib, premillenial, dispensational, and preterist viewpoints, all who are eager to show you why their view is correct. The end-times books fly off the shelves at Christian bookstores. However, hand someone a Bible and ask them to prove the doctrine of the Trinity from it, and you'll most likely be met with blank stares.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we shouldn't discuss eschatology and examine the differing perspectives - not at all. I am asserting that when a core belief of Christianity cannot be defended while we have endless debates on secondary issues it shows the church has become ill and we need to reprioritize our Christian walk.

Although all these issues that I've brought up seem dire, the Christian church is not going to crumble away. I believe that God will protect His church until He is done with it. But I also believe that as Christians we are to be good stewards with the truth that has so rightly been given us. This means we must study and understand all that Christianity is. A good place to start is by buying a good Systematic Theology book, such as Grudem's. Then, set aside a time every day to pray and read your Bible - and seek to understand it from an intellectual as well as a faith-based framework. Finally, talk about what you learn and discover with other Christians; iron sharpens iron.

Christianity under attack

The link between people and Christianity, many centuries old, has now been broken. A small boy was walking with his grandfather past a church in a small town. "whats that strange building? whats it for" he asked. You and I may find that very strange but this is becoming the norm as parents are no longer taking their children to church.

In the UK were we like to call ourselves a christian country, there is a subtle political correctness that hopes too destroy the Christian religion through a thousand regulations. But first they have to rob it of all its ancient standing by treating as an equal (if not slightly inferior) to Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. We can see an intolerance towards Christianity in the state sector, a campaign that will be spread to the private sector eventually by cunning regulation. We are being encouraged to promote equality and support diversity. This rule comes from the EU, which makes most of our laws, and which recently refused to put any mention of Christianity in its constitution. Equality and diversity are codewords for political correctness, and this makes it compulsory.

Many years ago a client of mine asked me to pray for his mum who was ill. She did get better and phoned my work to thank me for praying. I was put on report even though it was her son that asked me to pray for his mum. On another occasion a Muslim colleague took a client of his to the mosque during an open day and nothing was said. Months later I took a client to an open day at a local church and again was put on report.

Christianity is already under attack and unless we stand up and do something about it we will soon be unable to openly witness to others. The word "Christian" will be removed from our churches.

BE BLESSED

MAY THE LOVE OF GOD BE WITH YOU ALL DURING THIS TIME.

I PRAY THAT YOU'RE FAMILY FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES WILL BE BLESSED AND THE SEED OF FAITH BE PLANTED IN THEIR HEARTS.

REMEMBER CHRIST IS NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS



LOTS OF LOVE XXXX

Psalms

Christian music has to be the worst music that is out there. For me the Psalms are the best and always will be. I once heard the psalms sang in Gaelic and it was AMAZING. If you have never heard them sang in Gaelic then try and find a CD because it is a wonderful experience and truly moving. Sadly most Scottish folk don't speak their native tongue and for many years it was banned after the English conquered us. I only know a few words but it is such a wonderful language and I would encourage you to learn it.

I enjoy the simple nature of the psalms sang without instruments. There is such beauty that comes from a persons voice when they are praising God with His own words. It does not matter if you have a voice like metal on metal, God is only interested in your heart when it comes to singing.

Churches have fallen into that trap where they desire to appeal to the modern world and slowly the Psalms have been removed from our churches and replaced with some romantic idea, mans idea of what sounds good.

Have a read of the psalms today and if you have never heard them sang then find a place that does.

OUTSIDE OF OUR COMFORT ZONE

Deuteronomy 8 verses 10-18 Discipleship -

. We come to looking at how we live as disciples outside of the confines of the fellowship of our churches. This is where it really counts and I would dare to suggest to you this is where the real you is seen. Real discipleship is lived out, worked out and witnessed to in the world and not just the confines of the church and its family. You see there is something evil about the man or woman who stands as a pillar of righteousness in church but is a tyrant in his home and is far from righteous in his workplace. There is something sinful and hypocritical about the man or women who stands as the pillar of righteousness in church but gossips, backbites and slanders others in the community. Lets have a wee look at Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verses 10-18.

Deuteronomy is the second book of the Law and is set at the end of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. It consists of two great sermons by Moses to the people of Israel as they are about to enter the Promised Land. Chapters 1-4 recalls the key events of the wilderness years and contains an impassioned plea for the people to remember God's faithfulness in the past.

Chapters 5-26 is the core of the book. Moses repeats the 10 commandments and focuses on the first commandment in calling the people to wholehearted devotion to God. He provides teaching on the practical outworking of the Law of God when they enter the Promised Land. The remaining chapters are a renewal of the Covenant, the appointment of Joshua and the promise of the blessings that will flow to the people of God if they obey the Law of God in the Promised Land.

Chapter 8 verses 10-18 are part of the second great sermon of Moses spelling out how single-minded devotion to God is lived out each day in the Promised Land.

Verse 10 - here is the immediate context and the controlling principle - they are not to forget God when things are going well for them. When life is good and they are satisfied with all that they have they are to praise God because it was He who brought them out of the land of slavery and bondage into this land flowing with milk and honey, this land of promise. Verses 11 they are given a warning - do not forget God and do not cease to obey what He has commanded you. In the verses that follow Moses paints a picture of prosperity and the accompanying danger.

Verses 12-16. When they have prospered with increased flocks which have resulted in increased wealth that has enabled them to build grand houses they are to be wary of their hearts becoming proud. Here were people who had lived in tents and wandered from place to place for a generation. Now having settled down they enter a period of prosperity and with it they enjoy the trappings of that wealth. Please note God was the one who brought them to the Land of Promise, to a land flowing with milk and honey. Moses does not condemn them doing well and prospering but he does warn them about the attitude of their heart when they move up in the world, so to speak. The danger is stated clearly in verse 14 - their hearts will become proud and they will forget that it was God who brought them out of slavery and provide the means to enter the Promised Land. Moses warns them that the danger will reside in their hearts - not in their possessions. It is in their own hearts that they will become proud. In verses 15 and 16 Moses is very explicit as to whom it was that provided for them when they had nothing - it was God who provided the food, the water, the protection and the guidance for these people. They were not to forget the past now that the present was so good.

Verse 17 here is the danger. Is this not the danger which lurks in all our hearts? When things are going bad or times are hard we blame God but when life is good and prosperous we claim the glory. The people of Israel are warned of such danger lurking in their hearts. Are we aware of such a danger in our hearts? We sometimes tell people 'to be forewarned is to be forearmed' but do we heed that advice here. For the people of Israel the danger is that in their prosperity and pride they might claim that the power and strength of their own hands produced their wealth, not remembering the Lord God gave them the ability to produce wealth in confirmation of His covenant with them - verses 17-18.

Verses 19-20 - just look at them for a moment. There is a dire warning here. If the people of God forget God and disobey the Lord, if they turn and follow other gods it will mean the destruction of Israel as a nation. Repeatedly in this passage the people of God are warned not to forget God when things go well with them and to obey the Law of God, especially in times of prosperity so that blessings may continue to fall on them.

Your own church may have been blessed for some time or maybe you are going through a time of crisis. It may be the Lord is speaking into your heart as an individual or as a church. May be your own church has had difficult times but God will keep His promise to you. On the other hand your church may be growing and the warning here is to always give praise to God for His grace.

Never for a moment think numerical numbers is a sign that God is blessing your church. Bums on seats is no indication of God's Spirit flowing through your church. So many fall into that trap and are caught like a rabbit in a snare. True wealth is in those who have a heart for God, for those who are humble in God's work and for those who show forgiveness and compassion.

I am the worst of all Christian because I can write about God's grace, love and mercy but at times I still fail.
I write about forgiveness but harbour an unforgiving heart towards my ex-pastor for his cruel words. Its so easy to allow our hurt feelings to allow sin into our lives and its a battle that we may all face at one time or another. I don't have any easy answers but God calls me to be obedient to His Word and His Word commands me to walk in Christs shoes

Let me finish by encouraging you all. You do make a difference for Christ in YOUR community. You are salt and light in your community. If you are involved in outside organisations - keep involved and be salt and light there. If you are being a good neighbour - keep being a good neighbour - ask for prayer that you would continue to be salt and light there. As a church you need to start afresh to look outside the building and outside your organisations at new an innovative ways to reach this community with the gospel. I believe we live in a moment of great opportunity to win people for Christ - question is are we willing to step outside the comfort of our church to lead others to the Promised Land?

disciples in your church

I want you to look at how we live as disciples within your church Turn with me to John 13.

I have no doubt many of you know this story. The disciples, whom Jesus had instructed, have prepared everything for the Passover meal. They are in an upper room together. No doubt the disciples heads are a whirl at the remembrance of the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem but also confused by the words of Christ about his impending death. They are now together, like all Jews at that time, celebrating the Passover, and what a joy for them to be celebrating it in Jerusalem. Everything is ready for the evening meal and John tells us something very significant in verse 1. Read the last sentence - 'he (Jesus) now showed them the extent of his love.'

That is a little sentence and yet it is the very key which opens up the interpretation and understanding of this passage. What Christ is about to do and say is no small act but one packed with meaning and significance for his disciples and for us. Turn to verses 2-5. The evening meal is being served but something important has not been carried out before they can eat. These are poor men. They have no servants to serve them. Yet, they cannot possibly begin eating their evening meal, and certainly not the Passover, without washing first. In Luke's account of the Last Supper (Luke 22.24) he records that as the disciples enter the room they are arguing over who is the greatest amongst them. The result is that none of them is prepared to lose face before the other disciples by carrying out the lowliest task of being the servant who carries the wash bowl and who washes their feet. To each of them this would be an act of humiliation. Not just an act of servitude but of humiliation - yet John describes it as the 'extent of his love for them.' Please keep that in mind as we travel on through this passage - to 12 men it was humiliation but for one man it was the extent of his love being shown. Look at John's John's gospel - chapter 1 verse 27. These words spoken by John the Baptist show us how he understood that the lowliest task was untying laces of a sandal. Now the one of whom he spoke is about to get down on his hands and knees into the dust and untie the sandals of the men he had created.

Verse 4 so Christ gets up and removes his outer garments. I am sure at first the disciples, so caught up in jockeying for position do not even notice him standing up but as he begins to undress and wrap the towel around his waist silence falls on the room. You know that embarrassed silence when you realise someone is doing something that is going to make everyone uncomfortable and not because they are acting strangely? That uncomfortable feeling we get when we experience someone expressing undeserved love towards us? That experience of embarrassment when someone does something for us in front of other people that was totally unexpected. I think that is exactly what is going on here in the upper room. John tells us that Jesus laid aside his garments - Paul uses the same term about Christ laying aside his majesty when he writes in Philippians 2. He sets aside his garments/majesty and in so doing takes on the mantle of a servant. He picks up a towel, the sign and symbol of a servant. The picking up of a towel and bowl shows to all his disciples, and to us, that he has chosen the place of no consequence, of not power and no authority. Here is the one who is the greatest amongst them disrobing of all power, status and authority in order to show them the extent of his love. Can you learn from that?

Verse 5 - you know what would happen in our society. Someone in authority would lift the towel and the bowl and then everyone would run to take up the task and the 'leader' would let them basking in the false humility that he was about to do the menial task. Christ says nothing to them. This is no attention grabbing exercise. He pours water into the bowl and bows before each of the twelve and washes their feet. John has told us already that he knew all about the plot to betray and kill him and yet he kneels before Judas and washes his feet also. Friends, here is the extent of his love - washing the feet of his disciples without favouritism. He makes no difference amongst the 12 before him. Can you learn from that?

I don't want to go into the dialogue between Christ and Peter. Suffice to say that sometimes we all behave like Peter - false humility in not wishing someone to serve us. You see Peter was willing to let one of the other disciples to wash his feet because it would have placed him, in his eyes, above them in the pecking order. He wasn't prepared to allow Jesus to do that because he knew Jesus was his master and Lord (chapter 15). Christ rebukes such false humility - remember that.

Look at verses 12-17. This is the night of his betrayal, this is his last meal with them and here is his last opportunity to teach them - he sets them an example of servanthood/discipleship and instructs them to follow that example. Do you not think it is significant? He could have sought out their sympathy for what is about to unfold but instead he serves them. He asks, in verse 12, if they have understood what he has done for them? In verses 15 and 16 he explains to them that he is, rightly, their Lord and master but if they are to be truly his servants then they must follow his example and do as he has done. Then in verse 17 he instructs, commands, them to follow his example.

Being a disciple of Christ is not about the big acts of service. As one commentator put it - it is not about putting £1000 on the plate but of giving it out 10 pence at a time. It is about listening to people, helping and caring, the cup of coffee here, the hug there and the prayer aid. Discipleship is giving £1000 out 10 pence at a time. You see discipleship at your chuch is serving Christ by serving others little by little over the long haul.

Whyare you called to discipleship at your church? Because he commands it. Because he set us an example. Because it is how his will is done on earth as it is in heaven. Being such a disciple focuses on God's will and not my will. Christ's example to me is one of denying myself, of death of self for others. It is an example of serving all, even those who will (or have) betrayed me and who will, given the opportunity, murder me. The real joy of discipleship is in serving God and not the adulation of men. The real joy of discipleship is in serving God and not in the task itself. How does that work out at Holy Trinity? For us all it means Christ comes first and we come last. The little children's chorus 'J.O.Y...' comes to mind.

It means using your hurts to heal others. Stop for a moment and think about this - do you not think that Christ was hurt, as a man, to know that Judas would betray him, Peter would deny him and the rest would desert him? He could have sulked and sat silent at the table - drawing attention to his pain and hurt!!!! Instead he served them. He used this hurt to heal - 2 Corinthians 1 verse 4. Some of you have a choice this morning - you can nurse your hurts within this fellowship or you can use them to heal others by following the example of Christ.

By serving you are obeying Christ and following his example. By serving you are also pointing others to Christ. You know in the world we inhabit people are not used to such acts of kindness. People often cannot understand why someone would serve in such a way without seeking something in return. Discipleship points to the grace of God in your life and it shares that grace with others. Christ picked up a towel and washed their feet. Peter picked up a sword and cut off Malchus' ear. Put the sword down - it cuts, it harms and it never washes another's feet like your Lord and Saviour did. Pick up a towel, wash, clean, soother and help heal someone by being a disciple in your church

Finally - Christ served all of the disciples. His love was not reserved for a few. In Matthew 5 he told them to love their enemies. In John 13 he showed them the extent of that love and washed all their feet. He actively demonstrated love. He told them, and us, you are not above me - do the same.

The otherside of the coin regarding pastors

HOW WELL DO WE CARE FOR OUR PASTORS?

Most of us are pretty quick to recognize the faults and failings of those who serve the Lord in places of Leadership. A favorite target is the man who stands in the pulpit, the Pastor. Few of us, however will acknowledge the responsibilities we have as church members to provide the prayerful support.

Here are a few points to ponder:

1. Do you ever tell the Pastor how much you appreciate his work? Do you thank him for his faithfulness to the Lord and for his work?

2. Would you be happy to live on his salary? Could you take care of the needs of your family on his income and cover the expenses he incurs?

3. Do you expect him to be superhuman? Are you aware of his tiredness, his emotional or physical limitations? Do you require of him the kind of dedication you would not require of yourself?

4. Do you pray for your Pastor regularly? Do you ask the Lord to protect him from sin and discouragement? Do you ask the Lord to give him power in his preaching, along with faithfulness in his visitation and soul winning, and patience in his dealing with church members?

5. Do you find ways of being a comfort and blessing to his family? Do you try to understand the special pressures that come with the living in a "fishbowl"? Do you allow him some privacy to be with his family so he can have time away from the burdens of ministry?

6. Do you serve the Lord faithfully in the work of the church without having to be coddled, flattered and catered to? Do you do the work God has given you to do wether the Pastor notices you or not?

7. Can you allow in your pastor minor idiosyncrasies, without making them into major flaws every time a crisis develops in the church?

8. Do you criticize your pastor in front of your children, other church members, non-believers? Do your point out every error in grammar in his sermons?

9. When you hear criticism and gossip about the pastor, how do you react? Do you encourage spiteful talk about him, or do you squelch it and let the Lord deal with any real problem that may exist?

10. Do you get your feelings hurt every time the pastor fails to greet you at the door or visit you when you are sick?

11. Do you take his time in looooooooong hours of counseling about matters that you could handle yourself if you really searched out answers in the word of God?

12. Do you listen to his preaching with an open heart, asking God to make the message practical in your own life and in the lives of others in the church?

13. Do you ever ask him if there is anything you can do to make his burden lighter?

14. Do you live in such a way that your testimony will not be an embarrassment to him in the community, or a hindrance in his soul-winning effort?

15. Do you purpose daily to let the word of God change your life and control your behavior?

16. Have you asked the Lord to purify you and make you the kind of Christian that will bear fruit?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 It calls upon us to give back to our pastors because of all they have given and done for us. Oftentimes, we think they are Pastors, head of the church, man of God, strong and can overcome anything, yes I agree to this.... but we should not forget they are humans too, that needed appreciation and most importantly prayers. "And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love" (The Message)."

And in 1 Corinthians 9:14 it says “The Lord commanded that those who preach the good news should be supported by those who benefit from it.” (New Living Translation)

God bless us all!!

Pastors must step up to the mark

A certain man said "religion is the opium of the masses" and there is a lot of truth to that statement. A sociologist once said "that without the hope of life after death the world would be thrown into chaos". Social and religious control are the backbone of all societies and without it we would see society crumble. The poor and dispossessed would rebel against the rich and a worldwide revolution would take place.
I once wrote an essay on the Prodestant work ethic were the working class are told to put up with their hardship because in the next life they will gain their reward. Yet how easy it is for those that have so much to say that to those who have so little.
If we look at the pastors of many churches we see that they are not living in the same poverty of the community they serve.

I can assure you if I was a pastor I would live in the community in which I served. We only need to look at the lives of many of the people in Scripture to see that they lived a hand to mouth existence.
Take a look at your own pastor and ask yourself "is he living in the community he serves"?
If not, why not?

I am not asking every christian to live in poverty but I am suggesting if the man that stands before you every Sunday and preaches God's word is not willing to step up to the mark and live as his flock do, then there are questions to be asked.

be there when your child needs you

No matter what age you're child is they will always need you're love and affection. There will be many times during their life when they do things that annoy and anger you but that is maybe when they need that love even more. Teenagers rebel, we all know that and its been like that throughout history. Christian children are no different but we hope we wont have to deal with many of the issues that non-Christian children go through. As parents we do our best and try to lead by example. That's why we need to look at our own lives to see if we are living a christian life because our children need us to be an example of God's love.

I know I am a great dad to my 10 year old son and I try to live a life that lives up to what I ask of him. My son knows he can always come to me and we will find a solution to whatever problem he is going through. He wont wait until the problem becomes massive because he knows I am there for him and he trusts and loves me. We have built up a good relationship and it is how we build that relationship now that will mean more to him in the future.

If you come down hard on you're child he/she will not come to you with their problems and if you are so strict you can bet they will rebel even more. There is a happy balance and that is what you must reach.
We are a product of the environment that we grow up in.

When you have been hurt by the church

The pain caused by a church is a “silent killer.” This doesn’t mean that the words and events that “burned” and hurt your heart are not very ugly and public. It is a “silent killer” because of what it does deep in the fabric of the mind, heart, and soul of the wounded. If not dealt with, it will destroy future happiness, joy, and well-being. The collateral damage always negatively affects the ministry and outreach of the church, too, and some churches never recover. Recognize that the behavior which brought such devastation in your heart is not much different than the hurt any of us can encounter in the workplace, marketplace, or home. The difference is we just don’t expect God’s people to behave like those without Christ in their lives. The church is the one place almost everyone agrees should be safe, accepting, forgiving, and free from conflict and pain. Yet, in most churches, at least some elements of strife, conflict, and hatred creep in and shatter that dream.

It happens more in some churches than others. The spiritual health of people in a church and the strength of leadership determine how prevalent and to what extent that divisive behavior can gain control. Out of control, it has the effect of a termite infiltration that slowly and surely decays the foundation of the spiritual life of a congregation.

For you, it is important to turn your focus away from the people involved and the church itself and with laser focus identify the root cause of your pain, turmoil, and disillusionment. Honestly identify what you are feeling. If you are like most, here are some possibilities: anger, sorrow, disappointment, rejection, hurt feelings, jealously, threatened, fear, rebellion, pride, feeling foolish, ashamed, embarrassed, blame, loss… Find out what is at the core of your hurt—not what someone said or did to you, but what is really causing your pain? Then search the Scriptures to discover what God says about what is really hurting you. Take a Bible concordance and look up each word and read, think, pray, and apply the scripture reference. For example, you may think that you are angry when in reality you feel rejected. What does God say about rejection? He says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5); “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3); and, “Surely I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).

When you truly identify the root of your pain, God has a balm of wisdom, compassion, and love to generously apply to heal to your wound(s). If you call on Him for this, your focus quickly becomes riveted on Him rather than on someone else, or dwelling and rehearsing the event over and over that caused you harm. Admittedly, you truly may be harmed, injured, or offended. You certainly feel it. Those are by-products of deeper, more important realities that have derailed your passion for God, His church, and His purpose for your life. This has soured your taste, and if unattended, it will lead to a root of bitterness that will negatively affect every fiber of your soul and will rob you of any possibility of finding fulfillment in Christ. You do not want this to happen in your life.

How do we keep hurtful experiences from moving their destruction into the fiber of our souls? The book of wisdom from the Bible says we must “guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23, NLT). We guard our hearts by choosing the thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions we hold. Guard your heart in this situation by refusing to rehearse what happened over and over, dwelling on the people who hurt you, and laboring over the weaknesses of the church. This will take humility. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34). It will take forgiving attitudes and actions (Matthew 18:22; Mark 11:27; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13) with no hint of vengeance (Romans 12:19). Mostly, it will take the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through you (Ephesians 3v16).

Don’t blame God for how His children behave. Don’t abandon the church, either. There are always many more dedicated, grace-filled, loving, and forgiving people than not in most churches. Seek them out. Spend time with them. If you cannot find them, find another church (it is rare that you cannot find them even in the most difficult church environment). The church is God’s idea, and He protects it faithfully even though He is pained often by its behavior.

There is a strong warning throughout this answer that a wound of this kind, if unattended, will penetrate deep into the soul and destroy any chance of living an abundant life in Christ (John 10v10). You can have hope because you are seeking healing. It is now up to you to do the right thing and turn your focus to the place, no, the Person, who will truly transform your life above and beyond this hurt in the following way:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
--Jesus Christ, matt 11v 28-30

Taken from got questions .org

IS YOUR REPENTANCE GENUINE

Is your repentance genuine?

We all know the story of the little boy who cried "wolf" and when the wolf did eventually come no one believed him and he was eaten up. I am sure you have met people who say sorry for something and then turn around and do the same thing all over again. There words did not match their actions. They were saying the right things but were failing to follow through in the way they subsequently lived. In these two chapters of Hosea that is exactly the charge that God brings through Hosea to the people of Israel. Let me set the context for this part of the book of Hosea. In chapter 5 God pronounces judgment on the people of Israel. In verse 14 there is a dire warning of the people being taken off to the lion's (Assyria) lair and in verse 15 God wanted the people of Israel to admit their guilt and to seek His face and His forgiveness.

6 verses 1-3

In the opening verses we hear words of repentance spoken by the people of God. Look at the opening sentence - "Come, let us return to the Lord." It all sounds so promising. The right words are being spoken by the people and if we ended on verse 3 it would be a wonderfully positive response by the people to the judgment of God. In verses 2 and 3 the people acknowledge that the punishment from God is justified and that they need to turn and acknowledge God. They pray that in response God will bless them with the rains of refreshment and they base this on the knowledge of His faithfulness to the covenant - hence as surely as the sun rises … God will answer their prayer of repentance. As I said if we were to end here it would be wonderful and we would believe things had changed in the lives of the people of God in response to Hosea bringing the Word of God to them. The words are right and they are confident that God will hear and heal them.

6 verses 4-6

these verses shatter the illusion of verses 1-3. Verse 4 begins with two rhetorical questions and the only possible answer in light of what follows is 'nothing.' The repentance of the people and their love for God disappears as quickly as morning mist when the sun rises. It evaporates as it is has no depth and no substance. Their repentance is superficial. Their love for God is not the faithful covenant love which God has for them. It is like Gomer telling Hosea that she loves him only for her to go off with the first man who makes eyes at her. Her words, their words, do not have any meaning or depth. There is no change of character of behaviour with these words. God's word (v5) had brought judgment upon them for their spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness. In verse 6 God tells them what He desires from them. He wants mercy - covenant loyalty from them and not just the outward acknowledgement of His existence in sacrifices. In essence He wants His Bride's heart to be bound to Him in love, loyalty and faithfulness. No religious ceremonies or sacrifices can be a substitute for the heart of the people being committed to God. Just as Hosea wanted faithful love from Gomer so God desired the same from His people. The outward rituals were superficial if there was no inward reality. Please note that God is not condemning sacrifice but He is saying that if the outward ceremony is not matched by an inward reality then it is an empty gesture at best before Him and blasphemy at worst.

6 verses 7- 7 verse 10.

To prove His point God, through Hosea, lists the sins of the people. The continual breaking of the covenant and the commandments shows just how far the people have strayed from God. They talk about repentance and about coming back to the Lord God but their actions take them in the opposite direction. Please note that the breaking of the covenant and the commandments are done deliberately and knowingly. How true is that of so much sin in our lives today? We knowingly and deliberately break the laws of God.

Let me quickly run through the sins listed here by God. At the heart of it all is the breaking of the covenant, just as Adam did in the garden of Eden to bring sin and death into the world. Their cities are noted as places of sin and even their priests, who should know better and live faithfully, are leaders in sin. To the extent that God (in verses 9 and 10) describes what He witnesses as 'shameful crimes…a horrible thing.' The result of their sin is that the people of God have prostituted themselves before other gods and with other people. God does not hide their sin and nor does He seek to excuse it but simply states it for what it is. I want you to hear that this from God in the book of Hosea. God does not excuse our sin and He does not try to reason it out. Sin is not a mistake, it is not an accident and it is not something you stumble into. These people prostituted themselves to other gods and all the time they were telling each other "Come, let us return to the Lord." listen to me here, there are so many people sitting in churches throughout this land , who are telling others "Come, let us return to the Lord" and all the time their lives are full of prostitution and unfaithfulness before God to whom they say they are turning back.

If you read on in chapter 7 you get a fuller picture of the sinfulness and the hypocrisy of these people who speak words of repentance. God, through Hosea, tells of their sins in some detail. He tells how they have murdered kings in order for others to ascend to the throne of Israel. The depth of their sin is shown in that they held a feast for the king and celebrated with him but in the morning the struck him down. God describes their hearts desire for sin as being like the bakers oven which heats up over night without anyone seeing but by morning is searing hot. That is how God describes the heart of these people. That is how God describes their desire for sin - gradually their hearts get hotter and hotter for sin until it just ours out into their live for all to see. God goes on to speak of their arrogance (v10) and how it testifies against them before God. Ever noticed that about people? How arrogant they become when they are confronted with their sin. I am no longer surprised when people try to justify and explain their sinful actions. I am no longer surprised that people would rather leave a church and walk away than be corrected for a sinful lifestyle. Arrogance is the right word for it and let us be honest there are times when we have all been arrogant in and about our sinfulness. We have all spoken words of repentance without the actions that should follow.

You know what is the most startling and frightening verses in this passage - verses 11-16 of chapter 7. What a dreadful and dread filled picture is painted here by God. The people of Israel are compared to a senseless dove which flies one way and then the next to seek security not realising that the very people (Assyria and Egypt) that they turn to are the means of God's judgement upon them. In verse 13 there can be no clearer warning what straying from the covenant relationship with God brings - destruction. Then we read some of the saddest words spoken by God in all of Scripture. How God longs to redeem these people but they will not turn to Him nor cry out to Him. We see how God has provided a bountiful harvest for them (v14) but they use the feasts and celebrations as a means to walk further away from God. He gave them strength and trained them in righteousness (v15) but they used that strength and training to plot evil against God and the things of God. In the end (v16) they are of no use and their demise is assured. How sad a picture is painted here? God longs to redeem them but they would have none of it. They pay lip service to repentance but there is no change in their behaviour. Just as Gomer said she loved Hosea when she married him but her behaviour showed that she loved no one but her self and the fulfilling of her selfish desires took precedent over the fulfilling of her marriage vows. So the people of Israel said they loved God but they committed adultery with other gods and showed that their own evil hearts were their god.

We could go on and list the sins of Israel and the numerous occasions when God called them to repent and for a while it appeared they had only for them to return to their wicked ways. We could stand here and acknowledge their sinfulness before God and how He was justified in His judgement of them but what about us? How does this passage relate to you and I in 2009?

I believe God would issue the same word of warning to every person heart .

some of you reading this are exactly where Israel was in these two chapters. There are some of you reading and you talk about coming back to the Lord God but you have no intentions of leaving your life of sin. You want your other gods and your other lovers and you want to be able to come to your church and sing God's praise and commit to live for Him but it evaporates before you leave your church car park, like morning mist. you know if God is challenging you about your faithfulness to Him and He warns you that if your life does not match your lips then He will bring judgment upon you. Some of you are great at saying the right things at the right time but there is absolutely no spiritual reality to your words. You can fool some, you may even be fooling yourself but you cannot fool God. God says to each and every one of us "I long to redeem you." The question is are we going to be like Gomer and the people of Israel in hearing those words but paying only lip service to them. You see there was no brokenness with Gomer or the people of Israel for their actions. They had remorse and regret, enough to go and offer a sin offering before God in the Temple but there was no true repentance because their lives did not change. The same is true for some of you . You have remorse and regret over your sin and you adultery before God but you have never been broken over it and you have not changed your way of life. The truth is you are a Gomer - living with one husband but sleeping with many others - claiming to follow Christ whilst being unfaithful with all the gods of this world and the desires of your own heart. Hear the words of warning from Hosea - God will come in judgement on your life for such behaviour but hear also the hope of Hosea when God says "I long to redeem them."

christ died for everyone

I took this photo of this man outside a Glasgow court, he was so drunk that he could not stand. Many that saw him clinging on to the wall mocked and laughed as they past him by. He was oblivious to their smirks and unkind comments. What struck me about the man was that he had made an effort to dress well for court, no doubt in the hope the judge would look favourably on him. At one point he was in danger of falling so I sat him down on the steps to avoid him injuring himself.
Many of us if we saw him on the street would walk on by. Maybe we would think "oh that's a shame" but that's as far as our compassion would go before we walked on. I am not one to hand money to drunks, drug addicts or homeless but like my mum I am more than willing to buy them food if they are hungry. Yet we know when they ask for money its not food that they want because their body craves whatever they are addicted too.

I sometimes see them in the city centre and instead of giving money or buying food I pop into the nearest charity shop and buy a jacket. It is a simple act of kindness for which I seek no reward other than to help my fellow man.
A friend of mine at Xmas no longer buys a gift for her work colleagues but puts the money in a small box and along with her other colleagues donate the cash to a charity. What a wonderful act of kindness. She is not a Christian and in fact has no belief at all, other than helping others less fortunate.

There are 100s of people like the man in my picture who this Xmas will be sleeping rough in some doorway. I know we cant help them all but if we can make a difference to just one, who knows how their life will turn out.

Train spotters

Thankfully the rain has let up but as its Scotland this has been replaced with a lovely cold spell. The old joke about the Scottish weather is true, rain sleet snow sunshine and that's just in one day.
If I was not born in Scotland I would not choose to live here. Sure we have the hills and the glens but in all honesty most Scots don't bother to visit the highlands and lets face it, once you've seen one mountain or glen they do seem to merge into one big hill. I did climb Ben Nevis, which as you know is the highest mountain in Scotland, so I don't feel compelled to climb anymore. One thing I have never understood is people that put "hill walking" as a hobby on their CV or dating profile. Just because you put on boots and walk up a hill does not make it a hobby and no matter how many photograph slides you may want to inflict on others they will fain interest until their ears bleed.
Its like train spotting!!!!
Who in their right mind does that?
I was once trapped on a train with 100 train spotters coming back from Fort William and believe me it is a sight to behold.
1. They do all wear nylon jackets
2. trousers that don't go below their ankles
3. carry more pens than a stationary shop

There is no way they own a mirror and I am positive their parents buy their clothes for them. Ah but I am being too cruel towards them, well no I am not.

One of them actually sat beside me and opened his photo collection and with the enthusiasm of a child at Xmas or a Labrador puppy (but not as cute) he began to show me picture after picture of trains, only stopping to quote their engine numbers.
Suddenly he looked at me and with a glare he gathered his stuff and left to join his fellow spotters, no doubt noticing I was not one of them. Suddenly they broke in to glee as a train past by on the other track and I Kidd you not, some of them where jumping up and down with excitement.

Yet how wonderful for them that they all had this one hobby that brought them altogether. This hobby was the focal point and friends where made, telephone numbers, emails and addresses swapped. There was a connection that unless you too where excited by it, would never understand it.

I am sure you feel that way about God....see always a message

shell suits and buckfast Abby

Many years ago I was chased by 3 shell suit wearing gentlemen intoxicated I am sure with some of the finest wine that buck fast Abby could make. I had no doubt that they were not interested in congratulating me on the new jacket I had just purchased nor do I believe they wanted me to share in their enjoyment of the fore mentioned wine. There are many things you learn about yourself as you are being chased.
1. You remember all that cross country racing you done at school and no longer look at it with disdain
2. You suddenly have the ability to run faster than cars
3. You can pray while running in complete fear

There is also the fact that drunk people cannot run for a very long distance, nor do they have the ability to shout threatening comments while gasping for breath. Now if you are ever in this situation remember all of the above but don't get cocky and shout some stinging remark at them because for the most part it will be a waste of your time. Mostly due to their lack of intellect which I'm sure buck fast Abby can take some of the blame.


I myself enjoy the odd class of wine (corked not screwed) but have never felt the need to shout at others or break into football songs, nor have I insulted anyone over the validity of their parents marriage certificate. The happy group of lads that were chasing me, did make their way back to their home turf (see I am hip and down with the lingo of the street dude) and I'm sure after much back patting and words like "yeah we showed him" all the while holding back from vomiting over the pavement.
Now I wonder how much of the night they will remember.
Will they awake with a bright and cheery grin welcoming in the new day or will they groan and wonder how they are in a jail cell.

Please don't get me wrong, not everyone that drinks will end up in a jail cell but if drinking until you can no longer remember your name is what you call a good night, the chances are you may just have your breakfast passed to you through a small hatch in the cell door.


Oh yes the Christian moral to it all.

Don't drink too much.

Well this was a simple post

Ahh in case Buck fast Abby sue me I had better say " Their fine wine may not be the reason most teenagers end up in jail"

questions

My 10yr old son asks me question after question about God. And you think you have it hard when your child asks "are we there yet or demands more pocket money".
I have to answer; "If Jesus is God why did he shout my God my God why have you forsaken me and why did God allow Satan to sin and were is the garden of Eden and why is there so many churches if their is only one God". Yes the list goes on but thankfully we are building models from war-hammer because my small brain can only take so many questions.

I have brought my son up to question and not just accept. When I was at uni I studied sociology...yes I know most think it is a waste of time but I love the way it engages the mind.
In my house there is no such thing as "I said so" When my son comes to me at the weekend we discuss and reason things out. I may be dad but I still want him to have his point of view and understand my reasons. We study the bible and talk about it but when he is back at his mums he does not have that christian input.
So I am thankful that I do bring him up in the Christian faith but will never force him to go to church if he decides he does not want to go, even at this young age.

I remember being forced as a catholic to go every Sunday and I hated it. It was more boring than watching paint dry and more painful than watching England win the 1966 world cup (which they love to show all the time). The catholic church has not changed that much with regard to children but there have been many positive changes.

At the moment I am not attending any church. I was put off organised religion by a friend and pastor who could not find it in his heart to apologise. I suppose I had built so much around him and this dented my own faith. So for the moment I am looking at other churches and I am sure I will find the right one for me.

Anyway, keep asking question and work out your faith for yourselves

Difficulties in Prayer

Difficulties in Prayer

Sometimes after prayer we don't post things that have hurt us or use a blog to hurt others.

Isn’t it amazing the excuses you can find not to do something. I am constantly amazed at my ability to find reasons why I should not do things. Or why it would be better not to go running and just to read a book. But what is not so amazing is how easily reasons not to pray creep into my Christian life. In this post I want to flag up for us all some of the difficulties we all encounter in Prayer. By identifying the difficulties we encounter I hope we can also identify how to overcome them.

Let me set before you in this post what I believe is a common scenario in the lives of many of us

You have a desire to pray but it feels like such an effort and a burden that you are ready to give up. You feel guilty for even thinking about giving up and so out of a sense of duty you pray. Your prayers are empty of meaning and life because it is out of duty that you pray. This leads to further guilt. The more effort it takes to pray the more neglected your prayer life becomes and the more guilt ways heavy on your soul. You feel alienated from God because of your lack of prayer, more guilt. Your mind becomes more worldly and the result is that prayer gets pushed further down or even off the agenda. Yet you still believe in prayer. You still talk to people about prayer and about the necessity of prayer as a daily discipline in the life of a Christian believer. With the result that you have two parallel lives – the public Christian face which may even on occasions pray in public and the private (real) life where prayer is virtually extinct = guilt again. The end is a downward spiral of neglect and guilt which culminates in spiritual desolation and you walking in the wilderness. Is that a fair description of the prayer life of many Christian believers? I think it is and the reason I believe it to be so is because it has been my Christian experience on many occasions.

Many of us have a desire in our hearts to pray. We really want to pray each day. We believe prayer is important for our relationship with God, with others and in our own lives. We desperately want to have a good prayer life. We talk about the importance of prayer. We receive prayer letters from missionaries, Christian organisations and prayer requests from others. We believe in prayer and yet the practical outworking of that in our daily lives is sometimes non-existent. We are full of good intentions but that is all they remain – ‘good intentions.’ Why? Why do we fail to put into practice what we believe about prayer?

In this post I want to identify for you some of the key things which create difficulties in our prayer life and feed the scenario I just outlined to you.

Sin and Disobedience.

Listen to these words of Jesus in John 14.21 READ. Those are familiar words to us but they convey so much concerning prayer. What is actually revealed to us here is the ‘cycle of intimacy’ in a believer’s life. Jesus tells us that our love for Him is expressed in our obedience to Him, to His Word. He then promises that if we obey Him He will reveal Himself to us. This revelation of Himself to us will lead us deeper into a love relationship with Him and so the cycle continues. But the opposite of that is also true. If we do not obey Him then intimacy is lost. If we disobey Him then we lose that revelation of Him in our lives and our love for Him starts to wane and with it our intimacy with Him. Isn’t that what happened with Adam and Eve when they disobeyed in the Garden of Eden? Whilst they obeyed the commands of God they had intimacy with Him. Whilst they obeyed the commands of God He revealed Himself to them. But once they disobeyed intimacy with God was lost. Their disobedience brought sin into the created order and placed a barrier between God and them and the result was a loss of intimacy, loss of revelation and loss of relationship. Sin brought about a loss in their lives and it does the same to us in our prayer life. Listen to these words in Proverbs 28.9 READ. Did you listen carefully to what God said there? If you disobey (turn a deaf ear to the law) then your very prayers are detestable to Him. Strong words! Listen to how David expressed it in Psalm 66.18 READ. David says if he tolerated sin in his life, in his heart then God would not have listened to his prayers. Friends listen to me now – if you entertain sin in your life then you will have difficulties in your prayer life. If you are walking in the ways of sin you cannot know intimacy with God. If you disobey the Word of God then your prayer life will be a struggle. In fact the Word of God says God finds your prayers ‘detestable’ because your walk reveals you do not love Him and you should not expect Him to listen when you disobey.

Look at 2 Chronicles 7.11-22 I want you to notice a few things here. Firstly in verse 12 God tells Solomon he had heard his prayer. This is an answer to Solomon’s two requests in 6.20, 40. But read on to verse 14. God tells Solomon here are the conditions for answered prayer:

(a) Humility of my people.

(b) Seek my face in prayer. Note that – ‘seek God’s face in prayer’ not ‘seek God’s hands in prayer.’ Too often we come looking for what is in God’s hands and not what is in His face – but I will come to that in moment.

(c) Repent – if they turn from their wicked ways – obedience.

(d) Then God promises to hear and to answer. So friends this morning I want you learn from that. Unconfessed Sin will bring difficulties into your prayer life. In fact if it remains unconfessed it will stop your prayer life altogether.

Wrong Relationships.

In the passage from 2 chronicles 7 we read that God said He would answer prayers spoken in the Temple. We know from the teaching of the NT that we are now god’s Temple of the Holy Spirit – 1 Corinthians 3.16. We know that sin can hinder prayer but listen to these words from Matthew 5.23-24 and Matthew 6.15. What do you notice about them? Do you notice the teaching of each of them? Jesus says that if you come to pray and there is a wrong relationship in your life then you must sort it out or the result will be that difficulties will arise in prayer. Listen to what Peter says in a more specific way concerning prayer and the marital relationship – 1 Peter 3.7 READ. Peter warns that if a husband does not respect his wife, fail to love her as Christ loves His church, then a hindrance (barrier) will arise in their prayer life. That is a very sobering warning to us all this morning. Friends wrong relationships are a reason we have difficulties in prayer. It might be a relationship that needs a fence mended, an apology given or forgiveness asked. It might be a relationship that is forbidden in the Word of God and you are persisting in it, or about to enter upon it and you wonder why your prayer life is beginning to be difficult. Examine your life. Examine your relationships and bring them before God and then mend the fences.

Loss of Focus.

2 Chronicles 7.14 READ. Matthew 6.6 READ. I could list many more Bible passages which show that our focus in prayer is to be God. The Psalms, especially, are replete with commands to focus on God in prayer. The Bible teaches us that when we come to pray our focus is on God and not on anything else. Listen to these words from Exodus 20.1-6 – they are familiar to us as the 1^st and 2^nd commandment. But did you ever stop for a moment and think how they relate to your prayer life? When you come to pray you are to have no other God but God on your heart and mind. When you come to pray God’s glory, the worship of God is to be the focus of your heart and mind – not the ‘prayer list.’ It is easy to allow ‘prayer requests’ to become ‘idols.’ It is easy to forget that prayer is about a relationship with God and communication with God. It is easy to lose the focus of an encounter with the living God, which should always lead us to worship Him before anything else. So wrong focus can create difficulties in prayer because we come not thinking of God but of our requests. The result is that our minds wander, stray on to the list of things we want God to do for us and that leads us to the next difficulty.

Wrong Motives.

READ James 4.2-3. Again these may seem like harsh words but they are so true of our lives. How often our prayer life becomes difficult because we come to God with wrong motives. We come seeking His hands and not His face. We come with a shopping list and then sulk when we do not get what we asked for. Turn with me to John 2.1-11 and Jesus’ first miracle. Jesus was attending a wedding at Cana of Galilee. The wedding party has run out of wine, which would not only be an embarrassment but a social scandal at that time. Mary, His mother, comes to Him makes a request of Him – a prayer to Him. I want you to note the following about her request (prayer):

(a) she came to Jesus – v.3.

(b) she told Him what they lacked –v.4. She did not tell Him what to do or when to do it. She simply told Him what they lacked.

(c) She left it with Jesus and told the servants to do whatever He said – v.5

You might think there is nothing out of the ordinary in that sequence. But allow me to compare that passage with how we generally pray.

We come to Jesus – great start. We not only tell Him what we lack, but how we would like it to be answered and when we would like it to be answered. I know we should be specific in prayer but that is different than telling God what to do and when to do it. We can, and often do, use prayer as a means of giving instructions to God. We use it as a means of commanding God to do our bidding and the result is it becomes a burden to us because we have failed to trust God for the answer. We think we must tell God how to answer our prayers and the result is we spend hours trying to work out the answer to the prayer request and then we proceed to tell God how to answer the prayer and all the time we say ‘we are depending on God to answer.’ While all the time we are in fact being ‘hypocrites’ because we do not trust Him to answer in any other way than the once we have commanded of Him in our prayers. The result is that when God answers according to His perfect will, and not our sinful commands, we either fail to see the answer, have stopped looking for the answer and generally begin to give up on prayer. The difficulty has arisen not because God does not answer but because He did not do our bidding. It was a wrong motive in prayer and it leads to difficulties in prayer.

So when you come to pray come with the right attitude or motive. Come, seeking God’s face, and not His hands. Come not with the answer already worked out but with trust to a Father who wants only what is for our good. When we come with the wrong motive/attitude fear is the driving force. Fear and anxiety will rob us of our faith in prayer and will create the difficulties that will lead us to give up on prayer.

Practice and Perseverance.

Look at Luke 18.1-8. This is a well known parable about the widow who was persistent until she got an answer from her neighbour. Jesus used the parable to teach the disciples about persistence in prayer. One of the reasons we have difficulties in our prayer life is because we are not discipline people. We give up very easily. We do not stick at prayer. Coaches and athletes speak of a thing called ‘muscle memory.’ It is where the athlete, in whatever sport, has practiced time and again an action needed – so much so that the muscle remembers instinctively how it is done – so that under pressure the muscle’s memory will repeat the action despite the stress of the moment. Friends we need to develop a prayer memory so that even when the pressure comes, the storm hits and the stress rises we instinctively know how to pray. That will only be if we persistently practice prayer. That will only be if we make prayer so much part of our daily lives that without faltering our memory knows how it is done even in the midst of the storms of life. Jesus said ‘you do not have because you do not ask.’ The widow was rewarded for her persistence – it was an important lesson for the disciples and it is for us also.

Finally read – Exodus 14.15. You might wonder ‘what on earth has that got to do with prayer?’ Friends, Moses was still praying when he should have been up on his feet and leading the people across the Red Sea. There are times when difficulties in prayer arise because we are still on our knees when God wants us to be up and walking forward through a Red Sea path He has prepared for us. Don’t you get frustrated with your children when they ask the same question repeatedly – even after you have given the answer? Sometimes we are guilty of asking repeatedly when God has already given the answer. The reason we ask repeatedly is because we have fallen into the trap of telling God what the answer should be or we have failed to have eyes open for the answer. We are like the man sitting on the roof of His house as the flood water rises all around and who refuses several means of rescue because ‘I am praying the Lord will rescue me.’ He eventually drowns and standing before God he asks ‘why did you not rescue me? I prayed hard and long.’ God’s reply ‘who do you think sent all the means of rescue?’ Friends, like Moses, there comes a time when God has answered and we need to get up and walk forward. To remain on our knees in prayer when we should be up and walking is a lack of trust, lack of faith and disobedience and the result will be difficulties in our prayer life. So having identified some of the difficulties in prayer I hope we will now have a more Biblical understanding of how we can overcome them.

Amen

Worship

WORSHIP?

Deuteronomy 6.4-12

In the US there was a well known preacher called Henry Ward Beecher. His congregation was packed every week and many visitors came to hear him preach. One Sunday he was away from his home congregation and his brother was filling in for him. When his brother walked out to begin the service many people realising it wasn't HW Beecher got up and left. This is what his brother said in response as they left: "Would all those who came to worship H W Beecher please leave. Would those who came to worship Almighty God please be seated." We may find that humorous but you there is actually a great deal of truth contained in that story. Why do we come to worship each Sunday? What is it that draws us to church week after week? When we come are we coming to worship Almighty God? Is that the priority of our hearts when we enter our church? Why do we so easily skip worship? Is worship just the singing or is there more to it than that? In this post, I am going to try and bring to you some biblical understanding of worship.

As we begin let me give you a definition of the word 'worship.'

Worship = attributing ultimate worth to something or someone. We make something the object of worship when we make the pursuit and enjoyment of it the overriding aim of our lives. Worship gives direct expression to the ultimate purpose for living.

Turn to Deuteronomy 6.4-12. Deuteronomy means 'second law giving' and is basically three sermons by Moses recalling the deliverance from Egypt and the journey in the wilderness to the borders of the Promised Land. It ends with Moses final words to the people of Israel and his death. It exhorts the people of Israel to obey the Law of God and not to forget God, nor their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, when they enter the Promised Land. Chapter 6 is part of the first sermon preached by Moses to the people of Israel on the banks of the Jordan as they looked over to the Promised Land.

Turn to verse 4 and the first sentence. The first word 'Hear' gives the Hebrew title to these verses - 'Shema.' This is one of the first things that Jewish children are taught at home. Moses calls them to listen to what he is about to tell them. This is like the sergeant major barking out 'attention' on the parade square - everyone jumps and no one speaks. Look at the first thing which Moses declares to them concerning God, read verse 4. The uniqueness of God is expressed and the unity of God is declared. Their attention is focused first on who God is - 'the Lord our God.' Here is the first thing we learn concerning worship - the focus of worship is God.

When we come to worship Almighty God we need to ask ourselves 'Who am I focusing on?' Moses called the attention of the people first and foremost to God. When we come to worship our focus is on God - it is not on ourselves or those around us. Why is our focus to be on God first - because Exodus 20.5 tells us that God is a jealous God and He will not share His glory or honour with anyone or anything else. So let me ask you: "When you come to worship is God the primary focus of your heart and mind?" Israel was called to attention and their hearts, minds and gaze was directed towards God.

Verse 5 Moses then directs them to love the Lord God and this is actually central to an understanding of the book of Deuteronomy and also to worship. The rest of the book of Deuteronomy is actually a commentary on this command to love God. The injunction to love God is actually based on the precedent of God's all encompassing love towards them, and us. Ultimately this love was seen in their deliverance from the slavery of Egypt and now the Promised Land. For us it is seen in the Cross of Christ where God's love for a sinful world was revealed in the death of His only begotten Son that we might be delivered from the slavery of sin and brought to the Promised Land for all eternity. So our attention is focused on God and we are called to love God - but look how we are to love God. It is not a sentimental or emotional love but a love which encapsulates everything we are. The all embracing love of God is responded to by an all encompassing love for God in obedience. So when we come to worship God it is to be all encompassing. We are to worship God in the totality of our being. It is not that we section off a little part of our lives and leave it to one side we come to worship God. Worship should engage our intellect, our emotions and our souls. Hence in John 4 Jesus tells the Samaritan women that those who worship God must do so in 'spirit and in truth.' Worship engages our souls. Worship is not just a physical or emotional act but is at its very core 'spiritual.' Hence Mary could say in Luke 1.46-7 'that her soul magnified the Lord…' Even though Moses calls them to love God with all that they are - genuine worship is not worked up within themselves. Genuine worship is always a response to the presence of God. Mary responded to God's call on her life to be the mother of Christ. If we look at Hebrews 12.18-24. When we see God as He is then we respond to His presence. Genuine worship is the outpouring of our hearts in response to the realisation of who God is and of the experience of His presence. This time look at Hebrews 10.19, 22. In the OT, under the old covenant access to the presence of God was limited and restricted to certain individuals at certain times. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and then only once a year. But Hebrews tells us that now access is no longer limited and no longer restricted and therefore in worship we enter directly through Christ into the presence of Almighty God. We enter directly into the holiest of holies through the blood of Christ and come into the presence of God. We draw near to God in worship. For the Hebrews who were listening to Moses they knew that access to God was limited and restricted. They knew that they could not enter the presence of God without the shedding of the blood of an animal and even then it was done for them by the high priest. Our high priest, Christ Jesus, shed his own blood for us so that we could have unlimited access to God. We enter the presence of God in worship, not on our own merit but through the blood of the eternal covenant of Christ Jesus. So remember that when you come to worship - you are drawing near to the presence of almighty God. Mindful of that we should not rush in.

Not only do we draw near to God in worship but James (4.8) tells us that God draws near to us in worship. Hebrews 4.16 also tells us that when come to worship God it is there that we find grace to help us in our daily lives. 1 Peter 2.5 tells us that when we come to worship we are being built up in our faith as we offer to God our worship. So when we come to worship God we realise that we, unlike the OT covenant, have access to God which was once denied. We come to offer our spiritual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving before Him. He draws near to us and draws us near to Him. As we worship Him we receive grace which builds us up as the Body of Christ. In that sense worship is a transforming activity through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Verses 6-9 are then an outworking of what Moses has called the people of Israel to do in worshipping God. You see worship is not limited to what we do when you publicly come together on a Sunday morning. Worship is actually about all areas of our lives. Hence Moses calls the people, no commands them, to live constantly under the Law of God. They were to write it upon their hearts - that is their understanding and their wills. As they reflected upon, and obeyed, the Law of God they would discover the love of God and the will of God for their lives. You see their worship and their obedience could be separated. Do you hear that? Your worship and your obedience cannot be separated. Their worship and their obedience was not, and is not, a matter of formal legalism and ritual. You can keep the Law and yet be unrighteous before God. You can substitute ritual for a relationship very easily and far too many people do. Their worship - in which they heard the commandments of God was to permeate every aspect, condition and situation of their daily lives. Listen to these words from James 4.8. Can you see how the striving for personal holiness is actually part of worship? Can you see how the striving for personal holiness is actually part of your preparation to worship God? Moses commanded them to constantly and consistently reflect upon the commandments of God - in order that they might worship God.

But listen now to what Moses commands the people - read verse 7. Having understood themselves they are then to teach their children. Parents if ever we needed to hear a word from God here it is. It is our primary responsibility as parents to teach the Christian faith to our children - it is a command of God. Can I, humbly, say to you 'Why would your children take worship seriously if you do not? Why would they listen to the Word of God if they never see you with a bible in your hand or never hear you pray? Why would they take seriously to commandments of God if they hear and see you break them? Why would they come here to worship each Sunday if they do not see it as a priority in your life? Why would they take the bible seriously if they hear you 'roast the sermon Sunday by Sunday?' I know that sounds harsh but let us be very honest - it is the truth. God commanded the Israelites to teach their children how to worship and how to live - by their example. Is this not a challenge to us this morning? What example of worship do we set before our children? I am not trying to lay on a guilt trip but we need to take the Word of God here seriously if we desire our children to do so. How are we to do that? Verses 8-9 by making worship and the Word of God central in our lives, conversation and actions.

Verses 10-12 God commands them through Moses not to forget Him when things go well with them in the Promised Land. He reminds them that it was not their strength that brought them into the Promised Land but God. He reminds them that all that they will receive in the Promised Land is actually through grace and not the labours of their hands. We too should remember that. It is all of God's grace and not of our works at all. It is easy to forget God when life is comfortable. Maybe that is the problem with us at times - maybe we don't have enough persecution. Maybe being a Christian is too easy here and we become lazy and apathetic about our faith. How often we make lame excuses not to come to worship on a Sunday. How often we miss opportunities of fellowship and worship because of small things which would never stop us doing other things. The people of Israel were not to forget who delivered them from the slavery of Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land. Can I ask you: "Do you constantly remember who delivered you from the slavery of sin and brought you to salvation and the Promised Land of eternity with God?" Let us not forget God and our deliverance when times are prosperous.

Conclusion

This post has only scratched the surface concerning worship but I believe it is important that we understand what we are about when we come together to worship God.

We come because He is the Lord God and He alone is worthy of our worship. We come before a God who is a jealous God and who will not share His worship or glory with anyone else. Therefore when we come to worship our focus is on Him alone. As the songwriter says : for an audience of One.

God draws near to us and we draw near to Him when we worship. Where once access was limited and restricted now because of Christ it is open for all to enter the presence of God. We enter God's presence when we come to worship.

God through His grace builds us up as the Body of Christ as we worship. We receive His grace by faith. Can I say on this point - we come to worship - to give all that we are and have to Him in worship - we do not come to get. We come to give worship - not to primarily receive. God does bless us in worship but we come to give Him worship. We do not come to be entertained. We come to give worship and a change in our minds concerning that would dramatically change how we worship and our worship experience.

Worship is not limited to what we do here on a Sunday but is our whole lives as we respond to the love of God in Christ by obedience.

We are to set the example before our children and to teach them how to worship. It is our primary responsibility as parents/adults to teach the children entrusted by God to us to worship God alone.

We worship because God alone is worthy of our worship

Just a thought

Why is it that as Christians we do not do door to door work?
The only group that comes around the doors is the JWs and love them or dislike them, you have to admire them for reaching out to the community and even if you send them away, they have left you some reading material. Lets face it, fewer and fewer people are entering through the doors of churches and we cant just sit about like the spider hoping someone lands on our spiritual web.

We could invite people along but if we are truthful we seldom do that and even at special events the turnout is nothing great. But why wait until special events, why not invite them along every Sunday?
If we are truly excited about the church we are in and the message it is teaching then we must want to share it.

May be like the JWs we need to get out of our christian bubble and reach out to the community.

Bridge

When I took this photo it reminded me of the bridge that Christ has built between us and God. We cant reach God without Christ and there is no bridge without Christ.

Parenting

Deuteronomy 6

I am going to speak to us all in this post about being parents. Please do not switch off and say that this does not apply to me because I don't have children, or my children have left home. It applies to us all because at different points in our lives. we all have a parenting role. Please do not dismiss what I am going to say with the attitude that what would he know about parenting a teenager or twenty something or older. I am not going to give you my advice as a parent nor the wisdom of this age. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to think that as a father I know better than any of the rest of you or have done a better job than some of you. Today I am going, as I try to do in all my post, to share God's Word with you. It is God's Word that has something to say to us as parents and it is to this that I want to turn our minds and hearts now.

Deuteronomy chapter 6. Allow me to set the context for you. The people of Israel are camped east of the Jordan. Canaan, the Promised Land, lies across the Jordan to the west. Moses calls the people together and reminds them of all that has happened to them since leaving Mount Sinai. He is giving the people of God final instructions before they cross the Jordan to the Promised Land. As you know he will not be crossing over with them because of his disobedience. A generation has died out over the 40 years they have wandered in the wilderness. That is the context of these words recorded for us in Deuteronomy 6. We only read a small portion of chapter 6 but we will venture beyond the first nine verses as we look to see what God would say to us about being His disciples in parenting children.

Verses 1-3 Learn about God yourself. Moses begins his exhortation to the people of God by calling, or recalling, them to the 'fear of the Lord' (v2). Did you notice that Moses extends this to the children and the grandchildren of the people of God? The 'fear of the Lord' is the basis of godly Christian parenthood. When we hear the word 'fear' we immediately think of something to be scared of or something which makes us afraid. Whilst the use of fear here does have something of that, it is not the central focus of the usage of the word here. The central thought and focus is that the people of God are to stand in awe of God. The phrase the 'fear of the Lord' incorporates reverence and respect. God reminds them of who He is, what He has done for them in the past and what He is about to do for them as they lift their eyes across Jordan. 'The fear of the Lord' speaks to them of the totality of a right and devout relationship to and with God. That 'fear' was based on the faithfulness of God to the covenant promises made to His people. Their understanding of 'the fear of the Lord' is based on their knowledge, their experience and the teaching of the Passover, the Exodus and the wilderness wanderings of 40 years. All of their individual and national experiences, all of their knowledge and the teaching concerning the Lord God are brought together in the phrase 'the fear of the Lord.' It is this that they are to teach their children and their grandchildren. Stop for a moment and think about this generation who are hearing these words spoken by Moses. It was their parent's generation who had experienced the slavery of Egypt. It was their parent's generation who had experienced the Passover and the deliverance from Egypt. It was their parent's generation who had walked through the Red Sea on dry land. It was their parent's generation who first ate manna from heaven. It was their parent's generation who rebelled and condemned them to wander for 40 years and who experienced God's gracious provision in those years. It was their parent's generation who witnessed the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night as they left the slavery Egypt. It was their parent's generation who saw water flow from a stone and who saw the glory of God descend on to Mount Sinai. The generation standing before Moses, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, are the next generation and knew only of the Passover and Exodus by the teaching of their parent as they celebrated the Passover each year. Moses wants them to pass on this knowledge, this teaching about God to their children and to their children's children. Yet they cannot pass on what they do not know for themselves.

In leadership there is a lesson called 'the Law of the Lid.' It is quite simple really. You cannot take people beyond what you know yourself. There comes a lid in your leadership beyond which you cannot lead. There is a lid to parenting as well. You cannot teach and lead your children where you have not been yourself. If you do not know God yourself then you cannot lead your children to God. If you do not know the Word of God you cannot teach your children the Word of God. So the very first instruction Moses gives them, and us, is to fear the Lord so that they, and we, can teach their, our, children and children's children to do the same.

It wasn't until I got into my twenties that fully appreciated the godly Christian parenting of my mum and my maternal grandparents. My greatest regret is not telling them sooner and more often how much their 'fear of the Lord' has meant to me in later life. What about you as a parent? Do you know God personally? Would your children say you fear the Lord?

Live what you profess - verses 4-9

I am sure you have heard me say many times that this was one of the very first things that a Hebrew child learned from their parents - the Shema. It is the greatest commandment - total commitment to God. Moses asserts that there is only one true God and it is the God of Israel. In Matthew 22.37-38; Mark 12.29-30 and Luke 10.27 Christ Jesus states that this is the first and the greatest of all the commandments - total commitment to God. Verse 5 gathers the totality of a person together and asserts that it is with all that a person is that they are to love God. There is here the tying together of love, obedience and loyalty towards God in the covenant that He has brought to fruition as they stand on the banks of the Jordan looking over into the Promised Land.

In verses 6-9 the people of God are called to impress this commandment upon their children and their children's children. These commandments were to govern their hearts, their lives, their homes and the paths they took.

What lesson had their parents and grandparents learnt since leaving Egypt? Looking at these verses I can only conclude that they had learned that it was not sufficient to say that they loved God with their lips if their lives did not support that claim. The incident with the golden calf and their failure to trust God when the spies brought back their message about the Promised Land showed the consequences of lives that did not agree with lips that praised God.

Let me bring this up to date for you. Do you realise as parents how difficult it is for young people to love God and follow God when they witness you say one thing with your lips and another with your lives? Do you realise the impossible task that you place on the leadership of this church when you live lives that deny the Word of God but expect your children to come to church Sunday by Sunday? Ask yourself what message has your life, not your words, but your life spoken to your children in this past week? Do you ban them from watching things on TV and then spend hours watching inappropriate material yourself? Do you ask them about reading their bibles, about praying etc but they never see the bible in your hand or hear your voice in prayer. Do you call them to be honest whilst you lie? Do you expect them to live a life in conformity to the Word of God when you yourself deny it with the way you live? Pastor in one sense are parents of their flock. Are your words kind and inspiring to your flock?

Children learn from our example - what is my example? Let me say to you that there are some things I am glad I learned from my parents and there are some things I try not to repeat from my parents. They were not perfect but I am thankful to God that they taught modelled important Christian characteristics for me. I often heard my mum's voice in prayer late at night. I often saw her bible in her hand. She insisted I went to church My grandparents were the same. My grandfather often spoke to me about what he was reading in the bible. It wasn't forced as a conversation, it wasn't every conversation but it was a natural part of life between us. I am thankful to God for that. I pray I model it half as well to Jude as they did to me. What about you? Live what you profess.

Verses 7-9 teach what you have learned. When you see your children following Christ's example encourage them to keep going. They need encouragement as much as correction from you. Teach them the importance of doing things for the glory of God and not for any reward. Teach them what you have learned of Christ by word, by deed, by the way you direct your home life and the paths you take in life. Model it for them. May I ask you fathers: Will your sons be good husbands if they follow your model? Will your daughters choose good husbands if they choose a man like you? Mothers - the same questions to you? Grandparents, what a responsibility is placed on you here. You know grandparents have an unbelievable influence on grandchildren. Your wiser, your older and you realise the mistakes (at least you should) that you made with your own children - but do you set godly examples to your grandchildren? Those of you who have been asked to be godparents - do you take that seriously? You pray regularly for your godchildren? Set them a good example?

Verses 10-19 when you get home take a moment and read these verses closely. You will see the guidance God gives to you as parents. Here are commands and warnings that we are to learn ourselves and then we are to teach to our children. There is a warning not to forget God when things are going well in life. How easy it is for people to forget all about God when life seems to be going well. How easy it is for many of our parents to forget God when holiday time comes around. What are we teaching our children about God there? Do we set our children the example of thanking God for His blessings in our life? Does God get the glory and the praise when things are going well? Or does He get the blame when things are going wrong in our eyes?

Also you will notice in these verses that there is a warning that we are not to get distracted by the things of this world - remember these are the things we are to teach our children.

f you want to be a godly parent then you must guard your children with all your strength because satan will use many things of this world to tempt them away from the path of God. As a parent exercise your God-given responsibility in your own life not to follow other gods. Let me say to you we need to rediscover and recover parenting in the Christian church. Stop listening to the pop psychology of the world and all its experts and listen to the Word of God.

Be a father and be a mother to your children. I know for some of you no one ever modelled it for you. I know for some of you that your mum and dad let you down in how they behaved or didn't behave but don't follow their example - take responsibility for yourself as a father and as a mother. The reading from Ezekiel tells us clearly that each of us is responsible for our own lives beforeGod.

There is a distinct difference between influence and choice. It is important that we learn that distinction. Your parents might have had a bad influence on your life, they may still do but they do not make the choices for you and you are not programmed to make bad choices because of the way you were parented. You may be influenced by past bad decisions but they do not determine future action. Influence only goes as far as I allow it to go and I must take responsibility for my choices. If your parents did not set good examples, did not follow the Word of God then seek out godly role models and learn from them. I love my father dearly but for most of my life he was not a Christian and not a very good role model. I never saw him read a bible, I learned that from my mother. Many of the things I learned about being a man of God I learned from my mum . As I said I love my father dearly but I don't want to follow his example in that part of my life. I don't wantJude(my son) to have to seek out other men to model godly manhood and fatherhood for him - that is my calling in his life and under God I want to fulfil that calling. Please, please take on board personal responsibility and accountability from the reading from Ezekiel.

Therefore, as a Christian father there will be things that I will not allow Jude to wear, places I will not allow him to go, things I will not allow him to watch and things I will not permit him to do. There will be things I will not allow into my home. Does that make me a mean Dad? No, I am exercising God-given, God-ordained responsibility as a father. I am called of God to set the spiritual temperature and tone of my home and I am, quite frankly, being sinful if I fail to do that. Parents it is not a popularity concert. It is not about being friends with my children. That will one day come. When they are young they need a father and a mother more than they need a friend. It is about being a parent and exercising that God-given responsibility in the home and in the life of children entrusted to our care by Almighty God. One day we will answer for the way we have parented our children, therefore, guard your children.

In closing: Prepare for trying times - verses 20-25. Trying times will come, they always do. Even in the bible parents had wayward children. Adam had Cain. David had Absalom. Christ even used the story of a wayward child. We all know that trying times will come as parents but we can prepare for those trying times. Look at verses 20-25. God told the people of Israel that when they had entered the Promised Land and they were following the ways of God their children would ask 'Why?' Don't you just love that question from the lips of children? 'Why?' You are so tempted to answer 'because I said so...' God doesn't say that to the people of Israel. He tells them to explain the reasons - because of the covenant love of God and the deliverance of God of His people from slavery and the gift of the Promised Land. Your children, my child, will ask 'Why?' The answer will be in the years before those days - the years that we have taught and modelled the Word of God and lived out the Word of God before them. You know one of the saddest parts of ministry is when you encounter people who think that the pastor, the teacher, the social worker, the doctor or the policeman will sort their children out for them. I am not saying that they do not have a role and please understand me I am not saying that it is all down to bad parenting but often such people come on the scene when it is too late - the horse had bolted years before. It is your responsibility, and my responsibility, as a parent to teach them and model for them the answers to the 'Why?' questions. God tells the people of Israel that the answer to 'Why?' is found in His dealings with His people in the past and their present following of the commandments of God. Why would we depart from that instruction as parents and expect to have the answers at the 'why' moment?

The choice is before you is clear. Are you going to follow the instruction of the Word of God and be totally committed to Him and live that out in word and deed before you children or not? Are you going to take responsibility for being a godly parent by following the Word of God, even when it conflicts with the way of the world? Amen