That Was Good

"I've been in the word longer than you've been alive, but that was good" 

This was the reaction of a lady that was in the congregation while I was preaching last Sunday. She made the effort to find me after the service was done and after introducing herself she promptly told me the line that I quoted above. She must have been in her mid-sixties, old enough to be my grandmother (theoretically of course), but her eyes had a sharpness and a keenness that held my attention for the few minutes that we spoke. I didn't just listen, but I heard her.

After this encounter it got me thinking: what was it that got her excited, why did she need to come and tell me these things, barely being able to contain her enthusiasm at the same time; did I say something right? It didn't take me long (four to five seconds) to know that it had nothing to do with me, rather it had everything to do with the message I was delivering. You see, good news does that to people. It helps people to see who they are, to realize their purpose, to encourage them to breakthrough and to know that none of it has to be done out of their own efforts.

The 'gospel', as Paul calls it is the very embodiment of good news. It carries with it a relevance that transcends context, a power that breaks open the hardest of hearts and a truth that sets people free. You see, we can be in church our whole lives, read the bible every day and still have no idea what the gospel really is. We look at Christianity like a religion instead of seeing it for what it is: becoming one with Jesus and enjoying the benefits of this union.

Paul is quoted in Romans 1:16 as saying, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes ..." The Apostle Paul had tasted and seen the effectiveness of the good news, so much so that he put it in writing, saying that there was nothing to persuade him otherwise. He'd seen the results of the gospel being preached with undiluted accuracy, the miracles that followed (Mark 16:17), the healings that took place and the freedom that was part and parcel. It made him come alive.

I don't know whether that lady had ever heard the gospel presented to her as it was that morning. All I know is that it changed her, it made her come alive. On your quest for truth, if the gospel of Jesus Christ does not sound like good news it probably isn't. If it hasn't got life, it can't make you come alive. Don't settle for an inferior gospel, pursue the real gospel of truth and power.

Zim: A Good Report

I have just returned from ministry trips in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, both very different but both highly favoured and extremely effective.

Zimbabwe, a country full of the most friendly people in Africa. A country with a history of prosperity, but now only a remnant of what it once was. A country with beauty only matched by that of our own (South Africa). A country that soaks up spirituality like a parched Sponge Bob Square Pants. A country, still, with endless potential.

Having my roots in the country (my parents were born and raised there) and still having some family in the area, it felt more like a home-coming for me. I didn't come home empty handed though, instead we took up a team of fourteen world-changing missionaries, all equipped with the good news of God's unconditional love and grace and the ability to communicate it.

We immediately connected with our sister church, Charis Ministries, in the capital, Harare and travelled our first day to a rural farming village outside the town of Maronderas. Charis Ministries had recently planted a church there under the dynamic leadership of a former sangoma, turned pastor, Goggo.It was at this gathering that we saw some incredible healings and deliverance's on the back of the gospel being taught and testimonies being shared. The young church was extremely encouraged by us being there, as God proved faithful to His word by wielding His power through us, his willing hands!

After that, our week of ministry began in Harare. We worked mainly in Highfields, a township on the outskirts of the city and also in the neighbourhood close to where we were staying, in the greater Borrowdale area. Our strategy was a simple one: Find a house or houses who would be willing to be discipled for everyday in the week and disciple them. This worked wonderfully well as, by God's grace, all our teams were able to connect with several household in the area and work through the gospel with

them. By the end of the week every household was 1) Born-again 2) Baptized in the Holy Spirit (most spoke in tongues too) 3) Given their own bible (thanks to many of your generous donations) and 4) Connected to a local church where they will be taken care of and discipled further. On top of that, God showed His love to many of the people tangibly, by meeting their immediate needs of provision, healing and deliverance.

Joel's story: The one individual story I would like to tell is that of Joel. When we arrived in Harare Pastor Lameck told us that one of the church's ministry partners, Joel, had just been diagnosed with cancer and had undergone an operation to remove what they could. After visiting Joel initially, we decided it would be best to take a small team to his house everyday to pray for him, encourage him and take him through the word and show him that God wants him well. On our first few visits Joel was in a lot of pain, he would lie in bed, not moving and not speaking to us at all. After a day or two his countenance started to change as he started seeing himself as a healed man. By the Wednesday the doctors tests came back and reported that he was absolutely cancer free. Praise the Lord. By the time we had our last visit with Joel he was baptized in the Holy Spirit and was able to get out of bed and stand on his feet, with some help!

Joel's story is an incredible testimony of God's willingness to heal. There is no formula for healing, but there is always a positive outcome, a testimony, where Jesus gets the glory and others are able to overcome.

A church was planted due to the teams efforts and God's grace, in the community of Borrowdale. The effects of mission Zim 2012 are going to be felt for decades to come as Jesus establishes, strengthens and encourages His church in Zimbabwe.

See the photos and captions of some of the more outstanding moments of our time in Zim in the next post.

Is God really All Good? #1

   The question that I'm attempting to answer is a common one. Most people are taught and believe that God is good up to a point. That He is good in certain areas, but in other areas He does things, bad things. He does these things to us for us to learn some sort of lesson. So, why is it important that we have the correct perspective on God, that we understand His true nature? It is important because the way we see God determines the way we relate to Him and the way we relate to God will determine the strength and openness of our relationship with Him. The kind of relationship you have with God determines directly how you see the world and where you fit into it. If we have an incorrect, warped view of Him and His intrinsic nature, things that happen to us and to those around us won't make sense, we will blame God for things that He isn't responsible for, thereby putting huge strain on our relationship with Him. Herein lies the problem: The very thing we believe to be true about God can cause us to want nothing to do with Him. There is something wrong with this picture.

   Let's take a look at what the bible says about God's nature. We must look at scripture in context; context is a powerful weapon to the person making claims from it. We need to make sure our exegesis is spot on in our study of His word; this can help eliminate some elementary confusion. You must be prepared to draw conclusions from the Word and not from what someone tells you. As individuals, we are responsible for how we see God, no one else. Most people don't let the bible get in the way of what they believe; they let their own experiences determine what the bible must be saying. We can't afford to lower the truth contained in the word to the level of our experience, rather we should see and understand the truths contained in the bible, then believe that our experience of God lives up to that.

   Firstly, to understand why God does what He does, we must take a look at the different covenants He has had with man over the ages. God relates to us based on covenant, a covenant is a promise that is made between two parties, in the Old Testament times these covenants were made between God and Israel and now, through Jesus, the new covenant is made between God the born-again believer, you and me.

   His first covenant was with Adam in Genesis 2. Noah and his family, in Genesis 6, were the next to have a covenant with God. The bible says in Gen 6:8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” and later on in verse 18 God says, "But I will establish my covenant with you ..."As God’s plan for the redemption of the world started to unfold, He then made a covenant with Abraham, which is recorded in Genesis 17. The human race still continued to decay in the moral abyss and thus a covenant was made with Moses and the children of Israel in Exodus 34. The final, everlasting covenant between God and man was through Jesus. Prophesied of over 500 times in the Old Testament and looked upon as the defining factor in the New Testament, this is where our focus will end up.

   Let's take a look at two of the Old Testament covenants and see why they were made and how it affected God relating to us. We know that when God made the earth it was perfect, sinless (Gen 1 and 2) however, at the fall of man sin entered into the world. Did God know this was going to happen? Yes. Did He make provision for this eventuality? Yes. Revelation 13:8 says that Jesus was slain before the world was even created. God knew what was going to happen and He knew what needed to be done. I can just imagine Jesus saying, “Create them; I’ll pick up the tab” About 500 to 800 years after creation, God made a covenant with Abraham, this is the first indication that God wants to use a specific people group to bring forth the Messiah. God said this to Abraham in Genesis 17:7, "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you ... for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you" God goes on to describe the covenant with Abraham, one where He will bless him and all his descendants, bringing them unparalleled prosperity and only have good intent towards them.

   So what has God's promise with Abraham got to do with us? The whole reason God chose a person, Abraham, and a people, Israel, is so that He could bring forth a messiah, Jesus, the anointed one. Paul writes in the New Testament in Galatians 3:7-8 "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, 'In you all the nations shall be blessed.'" and later on in the same chapter he says v29 "And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

   It becomes quite clear then, that as born-again believers, we are the seed of Abraham and therefore heirs to all the promises that God made to Abraham all those thousands of years ago. However, the confusion for the modern day believer comes in when, around 600 years later, God instituted the covenant with Moses (Mosaic covenant), this covenant included a series of laws that the Israelites had to follow. There were blessings and curses which followed as a result of keeping or breaking these laws. Keep in mind that God doesn’t like sin at all, He abhors it, but we are/were sinners, so how do we harmonize this?

Read on in the next post to follow shortly.

Pic Courtesy of runawayjuno.com

Recommended Reads

Some of the more inspiring reading I've read over the past few weeks:

 Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike, was a more-than-inspiring read. It puts into perspective the extent to which some people go, to get where they are, even against the worst odds. If you want to start dreaming big, read this. StartLiving rating: 8/10

 The Story of the King James Bible is an intriguing look at the events leading up to and the context into which the King James Bible came into being. Recommended for language, historical and theological buffs alike. StartLiving rating: 7/10

Blink sets out the idea of why first impressions count, but also, how they are often misleading. A must-read if you regularly deal with people and want to get the most out of your interactions. We all interact with people, so give it a read. StartLiving rating: 7/10

So, How do we hear from God?

Pic by Chloe Lewis

     "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." - John 16:13 (NKJV)

     Just because so many people don't hear, or aren't able to discern God's voice, doesn't mean He isn't speaking. We can't lower our level of expectation of God to what we experience, but rather we should push for our experiences to live up to the standard of His Word. As seen in the previous blog, it is imperative that we hear His voice. The truth is that as His 'sheep', we are capable of recognising the voice of the 'Shepherd', as Jesus taught in John 10, in the parable of the Shepherd and the Sheep. But, practically, how can we discern His voice? How do we know it is God and not just our flesh pushing it's agenda?

     The first step is being assured of the fact that God does speak and is speaking to us. Once we are aware of this truth,we start to look at situations differently, we start to expect God to speak to and through us. This expectation immediately starts making us more sensitive to the different ways He is able to speak to us and for what purposes.

     I want to stress at this point that the language used in many cases and contexts may be different; for example someone might say, "I heard the Lord say ..." and someone else might say, "I felt in my Spirit" and still someone else could say, "I just knew it was the right thing ..." All these things are filtered through our vocabulary and 'christianese' language, but come down to the same thing. God is talking and you heard!

     The most consistent and readily available way to hear from God is through His word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that "All scripture is God-breathed ...", another translation says that it was "given by His inspiration" This means that whenever we read His word, the Holy Spirit is able to apply the Word to your life, as though it is God speaking right to you; because it is God speaking right to you! Our part is to believe what we are reading to be true, inspired and relevant. We must believe God can speak to us through His word, for it to actually happen.

     But, what about when we don't have our bibles open, or if God is not reminding us of a scripture? What about when we are ministering to people, or are having to make a quick decision, what should we rely on then? The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, where the Lord wants to speak to Elijah, is a good example of what we experience today. The Lord was not in the powerful wind that tore through the mountains, He was not in the earthquake and He was not to be found in the fire. Instead, God spoke to him in a 'gentle whisper'. This is a great picture of how we hear God speaking to our spirits today. So often we expect the fireworks, like God writing on the wall (Daniel), shouting in a booming voice (Samuel) or sending a sign down from the heavens (Elijah). He can do all these things, but more often than not, He speaks in a gentle whisper to our spirits.

     When He whispers in our spirits we must be able to discern His voice. Often we get confused with our own thoughts and imaginations, however, there are some ways to discern His voice from all the other voices in your head. Firstly, whatever you feel is being spoken to you, does it contradict the written word of God. If it doesn't, but instead it aligns with what the bible says, then it could be from God. But, just because it's biblical doesn't mean you've heard correctly. For example, you may have felt that it was God telling you to talk to someone about their salvation, that's bible. But, it may not be the right time to do so, they might not receive what you have to say at that moment, but at a later stage they may.

     Ask yourself these questions: Does, what you think you've heard, bring peace to a situation? Will it bring joy to a situation? Does it speak life into a situation? Does it go against your natural inclination or flesh? Does it get you out of your comfort zone, in a good way? If your answer is, yes, to all of the above, then it is probably God speaking to you.

     These aren't formulas, they are just guidelines. At the end of the day we must practise hearing His voice. The more we practise it, the better we are able to discern it. Start with the small things, then when the big, tricky situations arise, your confidence for hearing His voice will be high.  Expect Him to speak to you in every situation, He is always speaking, but are you listening?

Life Between the Lines

Life Between the Lines

Out of the corner of my eye I see a man sitting

From the edge of his beard hangs a morsel of something that was

His eyes seem to be focused on the book in his hands

It seems as old as him, but without the furrows of pain on its brow

It's pages lighten the countenace of its reader; as though to bring life

But as the light fades so does the hope it gives

Because letters are just letters, strung together to form logic

Words are just words, forged out of a neccessity to communicate

Pages are just pages that create a platform to express

But as the man turns the page, his face brightens again; hope renewed

The light shines brighter than before, darkness dispelled

Letters ar not just letters, words are not just words, pages are not what they seem

Behind the words there is hope and between the lines there is life

As the man continues to read, the light does not go out; it never will

"For your word has given me life" - Ps 119:50

09/03/2011

Love, Life and Ministry # 1

Picture Courtesy of Lea vd Heever

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV)

The above scripture puts into context what the motivating factor in our lives should be. The motivation for interacting with people, ministry, doing good deeds and sacrificing yourself for a cause: should all be motivated by love. So often we do good things with questionable motives, we start off with the right intentions, but end up trying to draw attention to ourselves, or at least, away from God.

You see, when you do anything out of love, it is a direct reflection of the Father Himself, because God is love (1John 4:8). We often claim to have Jesus as our first love, but do our fruits portray this? I am not out to condemn anyone, but let's be honest, if more Christians had a revelation of how much God loves them, then they would be able to give that very same love away, to a world that is in such desperate need of it! Jesus said, that it is by this (love) that all men will know that you are my disciples, that you "have love for one another" (John 13:35)

Friends, if you don't yet experience or even have a knowledge of the love that God has for you, then how will you ever be able to share His love? The greatest revelation that any believer may ever get in their walk with God is how much He loves you. It will revolutionize the way you go about doing life and ministry, because it is no longer an aimless pursuit from one religious deed to the next, in fact it becomes a pursuit of more love, which is more God, to be able to give more of it away!

This post has, hopefully, whet your appetite to find out more about how much God loves you and that it is not just a cliched phrase that Christians have killed over the years. Rather, it is a tangible reality of the security in knowing that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less, when we are in Him. The following posts will expand further and go deeper into what the bible says about God's love for the world and how we can tap into it and be part of it!

John Mayer vs The Message Bible

Some fun courtesy of www.stuffchristianslike.net . See if you know which lines are from John Mayer songs or from the message bible.

1. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?


Then they get in all their shopping sprees. At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep,

2. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

Belief is a beautiful armor, but makes for the heaviest sword

3. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

Now we see everything that’s going wrong, with the world and those who lead it

4. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

I dare to believe that the luckless will get lucky someday.

5. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

She takes you in with your crying eyes, then all at once you have to say goodbye

6. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes, it brought me back to life

7. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

I’m tired of all this—so tired. My bed has been floating … on the flood of my tears.

8. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

Take all your wasted honor, every little past frustration, take all of your so called problems, better put them in quotations.

9. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

She says the bible is all that she reads and prefers that I not use profanity

10. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

And I will walk outside on my own into the light, the kind of clarity that only comes to me on Sunday’s shine, Sunday’s shine

11. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms— I’m celebrating your rescue.

12. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

He comes up empty. A string of zeros.

13. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

Someday I’ll fly, someday I’ll soar

14. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

Nightly he strolls in our garden, delighting in the flowers, until dawn breathes its light and night slips away

15. Is this passage John Mayer or the Message Bible?

You tell me where to go and though I might leave to find it, I’ll never let your head hit the bed without my hand behind it

See the answers here. I got 10 out of 15, see if you can beat me!