Prayer gets you there

When you read the bible God speaks to you. When you pray, you speak to God. Both are necessary and complementary in the Christian life. We are at time in history were prayer is very important. Yes prayer is important at all times but as we look and see what is happening in our world today we can see how urgent prayer is now. In Eph 5v16 "The days are evil" the Apostle wrote.

Ask yourself as a Christian "Do I believe prayer works?"

I will go out on a limb here and suggest that many Christians have never had their prayers answered. Sure they have read books that tell of others who have, and they may even know someone that has had their prayers answered but they themselves have not.

The key point to prayer is belief. Not that you believe you will get what you ask for, but that you believe God hears your prayers.
Old Mr Simpson from a church I went too was a great believer in prayer. He would spend the night in prayer if he knew someone needed support. Can you imagine praying all through the night?

Prayer is a gift from God.
Prayer is like a new tv. We may understand something about the tv but we also have to tune it in and get used to how it works. Sometimes we need to adjust the picture and fine tune it.
Prayer does not come naturally to us. If we are honest many of us rush out the house forgetting to ask for God's blessing on our day and go through the whole day without even saying hello to God.
I am as guilty as the rest and what a missed opportunity that has been.

A good way to help us pray is to pick a person to pray for each day


Be blessed

ARE YOU A HEALTHY CHURCH

Acts 2 verses 42-47

The book of Acts was written by Luke for a man named Theophilus. Acts is really volume 2 of Luke's gospel. In the book of Acts Luke continues the theme of his gospel that Jesus is the universal Saviour. Thus the theme of the book of Acts can be expressed as: The Word of Jesus progressed from Jerusalem to Rome and the New Israel, the Christian church, grew. Acts features Peter prominently at the beginning and then later concentrates on Paul. There are many references in Acts to the work of the Holy Spirit and the historical account of the missionary work of the early church. Acts is primarily a history book, it is not primarily a book of theology. Luke gathers information together, and it is not always chronologically related. If you Luke at chapter 1 verse 4 we find the purpose of the book. So that is the context of the book of Acts.

Acts 2 v42-47 - the immediate context is that the disciples have been filled with the Holy Spirit and they have spoken in other languages (which the crowds understood) and Peter has preached the gospel to those gathered around them. The result is that 3000 were added to the church that day. Luke then concludes this part of his book with a summary statement of the state of the embryonic church - verses 42-47. It is this summary which gives us the checklist for a healthy church.

Verse 42 - here is the list to check if you are a healthy church, which means checking yourself.

'Devoted to the apostles teaching...' they were a learning church. The word which Luke uses for 'devoted' here speaks of a steadfast single minded fidelity to a certain course of action. This was their settled heart, mind and will - to follow the teaching of the apostles. The teaching of the apostles was considered authoritative because it was the message about Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed by accredited apostles. It undoubtedly included a compilation of the words of Jesus (20.35), some account of his earthly ministry, passion and resurrection (2.22-24), and a declaration of what all this meant for man's redemption (1 Corinthians 15.3-5). In other NT epistles we read of the 'Christian tradition' which could be passed on to others - I Cor.11.2, 1 Thess.2.13, 2 thess. 2.15 and 3.6. Therefore submission to the teaching of the Apostles was a sign of a healthy church - for us that means submission to the authority of the NT is a sign of a healthy church today. The early church did not dispose of the need for human teachers of the Word of God. They had a whole hearted, whole mind and whole life steadfast faithfulness to obeying the teaching of the Apostles. It was not mere verbal consent or intellectual consent - it was consent by a life lived according to the teaching of the Apostles whatever the cost. Could this be said of your church? Of you?

'the fellowship'- they were also devoted to the fellowship of believers. This implies that there was something very distinctive about their gathering together as believers. There must have been some discernable external identity that meant the disciples, the 3000 and those added to the church daily were known by. They had a common identity in Christ. They were a loving church in fellowship one with another.

There are some of you who claim to be followers of Christ and will attend church for a few weeks and then will not attend for a few weeks and your devotion to your fellowship is weak. To be honest with you if it was your place of employment you would probably be sacked for poor attendance. I take no pleasure in saying that to you but if you are going to be a healthy church then some of you here need to seriously examine your commitment to your fellowship. The sign of a healthy church is one were the believers (there is the key word - the believers) are devoted to fellowship with one another. 'The breaking of bread' - many NT scholars have debated what this meant. Some have argued that it was a type of fellowship meal like the 'Haburah' meal of the Pharisees. It is generally agreed that it was meal which demonstrated mutual love and respect, recalled their earlier association with Jesus and was a paschal remembrance of the crucifixion of Christ. This meal expressed their joy of communion with the risen Christ and of fellowship with one another.

For many churches the 'breaking of bread' is expressed in the sharing of Holy Communion together. In coming to these communion rails we, together, are saying that in Christ alone do we find salvation. May I remind you that the sign of the peace is not an insignificant act in your service but is a reminder that we should be in fellowship with one another and an opportunity to correct any defects before we come to the table. Please remember that.

'Prayer' - both formal and informal prayer. Prayer was central to the life of Christ. He often modelled it to his disciples. We often read in the gospels of Jesus praying both in private and in public. I have always been struck by the fact that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. They could have asked about all sorts of things from him but it was prayer that they wanted teaching about. How seriously do you take prayer? How healthy is the prayer life of your congregation? So prayer is on the checklist for a healthy church.

Verse 43 - The result of all of these is seen here. 'Everyone' - not just the believers but the whole community was filled with awe. The phrase which Luke uses 'to be filled with awe' speaks of something which was ongoing and not just a momentary reaction. It is the same with the wonders and miraculous signs - they were not just a temporary phenomena but something which was ongoing in the life of the early church and apostles, as you can see if you read on through Acts. So the people held the early church in awe because of their lives and because of the wonders and miraculous signs.

Verses 44-45 the early church expressed itself in communal living and sharing with those in need within their community. Please note this was a voluntary thing and not compulsory - because if you read on into Acts 5 you realise that people within the church still owned property and land. So this is not a compulsory requirement of all but the principle is important - that we should share out of our own wealth with those in need and that within a church fellowship we are to care, practically, for one another. Again Luke uses the imperfect tense to show that this was an ongoing pattern of behaviour involving both real estate and personal possessions. So let me ask you again - in light of this are you a healthy church? Yes we help the social services each month. Yes we help one another. But could we do more? Are our eyes and hearts open to the needs of others? Just something to think about.

Verses 46-47 - the early church followed the tradition of their Jewish heritage of meeting in the Temple and in their homes to share fellowship. They did this daily - now we understand the context of this period - Pentecost had just happened and they expected the immediate return of Christ. None of the apostles or believers have yet left Jerusalem and so meeting together daily was possible. When they started to move from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth such a practice became less and less possible. Yet the principle again is important and the manner in which they met is key - with glad and sincere hearts, praising God. Ask yourself is that the attitude of your heart when you come to meet in fellowship here - a glad and sincere heart, praising God? A healthy church - a healthy heart?

Look at how this summary ends. They enjoyed the favour of all the people (which will soon change as persecution comes upon the church) and God added, daily, to their numbers those who were being saved. So a healthy church is one where people are coming to saving faith in Christ - are we a healthy church then?

Let me conclude by asking you this question: Has God changed? Has God changed?

If God has not changed, and He has not, and His church once existed that exhibited all these characteristics, that lived in this way and that daily saw people coming to faith in Christ - let me ask you a second question: Can such a church exist again? Can such a church exist again? Or more importantly: Do you want your church to be such a church? Because only you can make it so. Are we a healthy church? Only you can answer if you, as part of this body, are healthy, spiritually healthy.

Amen.

Assurance

Among the gifts God offers us, one of the most valuable is ASSURANCE. Assurance for the Christian means joy liberty and peace. Their are two kind of Christians, those who are safe, and those who are safe and sure. Only those who are really sure are joyful.

The doctrine of assurance is one of the most clearest truths in the N.T. Look at the first Epistle of St John. "We know that we know" 2v2 "we know that we are in Him 2v5 "we know that we have passed out of death into life" 3v14 "we know that we dwell in Him" 4v13
The doctrine of justification and sanctification also show us clearly this assurance and it is worth reading and discussing with others.

There are many that are still tied to presumption and good works. Yes they have received the Gospel message but they have not grasped the clear message of Salvation being a free gift. They have not the joy of the person that has that assurance.

How does one truly know?

I trust not my own feelings, not my experience, not anything in myself but I TRUST THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD.
God cannot lie. In fact I will go as far as saying "God is chained to His own word or put it another way God is chained to His promises to us" Thus we can trust God 100%


I know I am a child of God because He says so
God knows I am his child because He sees the work of the Holy Spirit at work in my life

Jac

This weekend I am off to meet my girlfriend/partner/soul mate in Edinburgh with my son. Jac is the most amazing female I have ever met and I never tire of telling her this. They say there is a honeymoon period in all relationships but we have passed that and its still amazing. I get butterflies when I see her each time. They say conversation is the thing that keeps relationships alive, well we can both do that.
So we will be going to dynamic earth and then off back to her house to meet up with her children(zaid and Eden both 14, yes twins). They are both fantastic teens and we get on like a house on fire. Their own father died when they were one, so they have no memory of him, which is sad but Jac has done an amazing job of bringing them up.

Anyway I hope everyone has a fabtastic weekend,

so what does God offer

What does God offer us?

I think it's important to understand what God does offer us before we decide to commit our live to Him. Lets face it, who signs on the dotted line before they read the small print.

We become the adopted children of God and that gives us certain privileges.

1. We have His spirit. We can cry out to God and He will hear us
2. We bear His name. Thus as adopted children we are legally recognised as God's children.
3. We bear His image. We are in a sense Christ like
4. We have His comfort.
5. We have His chastening. This may not sound like a blessing but God corrects us for our own good
6. One day we will share in His glory. Here we will see the promise come true.


To put it in a nutshell, God has promised us eternal life where we will forever live in bliss.


The small print................................................

1. we need to trust even when sometimes it seems impossible
2. we are to serve others
3. we are to spread the word of God with others
4. sometimes we will feel like giving up but that's when 1-6 kicks in



Lets be honest, make no mistake it can be tough and there will be hard times but God will bless you more than you will ever know.


Take the 28 day challenge

Read the Bible everyday and ask God into your heart. Truly seek Him and He will answer you

Offer

Guilt is the first consequence of sin. Condemnation and punishment follow as a result. That is the Scriptural order-sin, guilt, condemnation, punishment. We all have a conscience and we all feel guilt when we do wrong.

If we ever go to a court we will see the judge handing out a punishment for a persons crime. This is the way of most societies and those who have committed a crime will be punished. Scripture shows us that if we disobey God we too will be punished but unlike the courts God has offered us forgiveness. God tells us the punishment for sin is death but instead of us dying God has sent us His son to take our place.

On the cross Jesus took our place. We the guilty sinner should have died but God has offered the free gift of salvation through Christ. Because of Christs death God offers us forgiveness both from condemnation and punishment.

Right now you may be feeling there is something missing in you're life but don't really know what it is. Many people spend their life searching for a meaning to their life and find it in many ways. Drink, drugs, sex, gambling, money etc but the truth is most seldom find peace or hope in these things.

God offers us real hope that will last forever. The question is, are you ready to take Him up on that offer

Sinners

Are we sinners because we sin, or, do we sin because we are sinners?
Scripture shows us that we sin because we are sinners.

Lets look at what sin means.

Sin is missing the mark to reach God's standard. All have sinned(That is everyone has sinned, every single person past, present and future have sinned) and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3v23)
As sinners we fail to fulfil the purpose for which God created us for. Not only do we fail but we fail utterly and completely.

Let us not fall into the trap and think that just because we don't do bad things that we are not sinners. When we think that way,we are judging ourselves by the worlds standards of what is good and bad. So far as reaching God's standard we fail 100% however good we think we are.

My brother is an Alcoholic and the hardest thing he had to do was stand up and admit that he was an Alcohlic. This was the first step towards recovering and I am pleased to say that 12 years on he is still drink free. The journey was not easy and he has faced many trials in that time but not one drink has passed his lips.

Lets face it, we dont want to be thought of as sinners but the truth is we are sinners and until we accept that we are we will continue to live a life that is not pleasing to God.


but there is hope and I will write more on this each week



be blessed