Month: December 2015

Reflection on Luke 3:1-6

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advent1

Scripture

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberias… the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

Observation

In the fifteenth year of Tiberias’ reign, John hears the word of God and begins preaching in the wilderness.

He goes throughout the region proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

This all happens in accordance with Isaiah’s prophecy:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness

‘Prepare the way of the Lord’”

Application

John was a great man, a prophet of God. Jesus said he was the greatest among those born under the old covenant.

John was never greater than Jesus. He was the one who prepared the way of the Lord. John rolled out the red carpet for the one coming, the greater one.

As children of the new covenant, none of us is greater than Jesus, nor greater than anyone else.

All of our actions, words, relationships are to prepare the way for the one greater.

Prayer

Lord Jesus help me to understand that the purpose of my life, like John’s, is to honour you in all things. Amen.

The Glory Has Departed

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bono

I recently attended a church service at a church that had once been described as “the jewel in the crown” of its denomination. A generation ago it had been a leader in evangelism, youth ministry, children’s ministry and in renewal. It had been a vibrant place to be, with people expecting that God could do anything in their midst.

The service was pleasant enough, and I have no doubt about the salvation or the commitment of the people leading it. But all through the service I kept thinking “The Holy Spirit has left the building.”

I have had this experience a few times over the years in various circumstances, and it always makes me feel sad. It also makes me more determined not to repeat the same mistakes in my own ministry.

Here are some of the factors that I think contribute to the fading of the glory of a church or a group of people. These are not always all present in any particular group, but some of them are invariably factors.

  • Failure of a new generation to own the faith for themselves. Each individual needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to build on the inheritance handed down to them.
  • A spirit of control amongst one or more of those in leadership, causing the group to be led by human wisdom rather than by Holy Spirit
  • Reliance on the denomination’s teaching or leadership or on the traditions of the church.
  • Seeing worship as a duty to be performed rather than an opportunity to approach God.
  • Lack of prayer- corporately and individually
  • A spirit of individualism in which people think they should be free to do what they want rather than submitting to genuine godly authority.
  • Rebelliousness at one crucial time when it is clear (or should be clear) where the Holy Spirit is leading but the people refuse.

Is there hope for revival amongst such churches or people groups? Yes, of course, with God all things are possible. He can make dead bones live. But it takes a level of repentance and surrender that many find difficult. Often it takes a new generation to rise up and discover the power of the gospel.

In the meantime we pray.

Insanity or Grace

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einstein

It was at Hillsong Conference in the 1990’s that I was first introduced to the quotation allegedly by Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

It sounds very wise, and it’s a great motivator to check whether the things that you do produce the results you want.

While this is a sensible proposition in all kinds of fields from science to human relationships, it falls apart when we bring God into the picture.

The grace of God is a disruptive force that overwhelms every human endeavour and renders predictions totally impossible.

About the middle of this year, I heard God very clearly say to me, “Do not be afraid to pray for a doubling of the congregation by the end of the year.” Since that time I have prayed nearly every day for just that, and we are close to seeing that prayer answered.

We have not substantially changed anything we do, but during the second half of this year our church has grown from about 30 to over 50. A few more people and the church will have doubled- with no effort on our part and no change in our services or in the cell groups.

There have been long periods in the past when I have prayed for God to grow our church, and there have been times when I felt that a doubling would take place. But always increase has been slow and steady, incremental not rapid.

If you look at all of the instances of revival that have happened around the world, it is often difficult to pin point a change or a new factor that took the church in a nation from praying for revival to bringing in a harvest of souls.

What makes the difference? Grace- the supernatural power of God which is released in God’s time (kairos). Suddenly prayers are answered. Suddenly people who were resistant to the gospel are open. Suddenly people who seemed to be confirmed in their sinful ways repent and turn to the Lord.

At a human level nothing has changed, yet the results are wildly different.

Insanity is ignoring the direction of the Holy Spirit and hoping for success anyway.

All christians need to be listening to the Lord, constantly asking “Is this still your plan for me? Do I persevere or change direction?”

You never know when the next stroke of the hammer is the one that brings the breakthrough.

 

Reflection on Philippians 1:1-11

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advent1

Scripture

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ.

Observation

Paul says that he thanks God for the church in Philippi with joy in all of his prayers for them. He is confident that the Lord, having begun a good work in them, will bring it to completion.

Paul longs for all of them with the compassion of Christ. His prayer is that they overflow with love, together with knowledge and insight. Then they will produce a harvest of righteousness through Christ for the glory and praise of God,

Application

Paul’s affection for the christians at Philippi is evident here. He clearly rejoices in their faith in Christ,

I feel like Paul in respect to my own church. When I pray for the people n my church it is always with great joy.

For some people praying can be a chore or a duty. But when we are praying for people we love, it is a joy, a pleasure.

One of the mysteries of prayer is that when we pray for people our love for them increases. At first we may do this out of a sense of duty, but as we consistently lay them before the Lord our love increases and it becomes a joy to pray.

Prayer

Lord please help me to be faithful in prayer. Give me joy in praying for the people I know. Amen.

Reflection on Micah 3:1-6

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advent1

Scripture

Then the offering of Judah and Israel will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Observation

The Lord will send His messenger to prepare the way and then He, the Lord, will appear in His temple. The messenger of the covenant is coming, and he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold.

Then the offering of Israel and Judah will be pleasing to the Lord.

The Lord will come to judge sorcerers, adulterers, those who swear falsely and those who oppress the workers, widows and orphans. The Lord does not change and that is why He has protected the children of Israel.

Application

There seems to be a mixed message here, but t is actually two threads of the one message. On the one hand it is good news that the Lord is coming and He will restore His people. But on the other hand, He will judge all who live in sinful, oppressive or deceitful ways.

God does not change. His agenda has always been to raise up a people who will walk in humble fellowship and obedience to Him. God wants people to be holy, both as a sign of His presence with us and also because a life of righteous dedication to the Lord is the most fruitful and rewarding life possible.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Lord Jesus, we need to search our hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to clean out everything that is unclean.

Prayer

Lord come and dwell in my heart. I ask you to remove everything that displeases you so that I may be holy in every part of my being. Amen.