Following Jesus

Postures in Prayer

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Christians tend to overlook the fact that people are physical as well as spiritual. The science of Neurolingiustic Programming has demonstrated that we can affect our own emotions, and those of people we are talking to, by consciously changing our body position.

I have felt for a long time that the traditional evangelical posture of sitting when praying is really unhelpful. It makes our body too comfortable and tends to relax our minds so that we can have a tendency to zone out rather than engaging with the Holy Spirit. My personal preference is to stand and walk when I am interceding because that really helps me to stay focussed. That is probably related to my choleric personality type.

This morning I decided to prostrate myself before the Lord, to get low in order to focus on His greatness. After a few minutes I clearly heard Him say to me “Stand up, you are my son.” Last night it was right to lie down in repentance but today He wanted to honour me as His son so I stood.

This made me think about the postures in which we approach God. We need to think about what our bodies say about our heart attitude to the Lord. This is not a religious thing in which we dictate what we pray in different positions. We do not have to kneel to pray or face a particular direction. We do not have to pray at particular times or use particular words. We are physical people and our bodies, whether we think about it or not, are involved in our praying and worshipping.

Here are some common prayer postures that are helpful at particular times.

Prostrate– lying flat on my face, arms wide open. This is a position of humility and vulnerability. It is a place for intense repentance and surrender. “I am no longer my own, but yours.”

Kneeling. Again this is a position of humility. I am weak but you are strong. I find this is a place for deep intercession and groaning before the Lord. It’s uncomfortable but it reminds us that this is the place of prayer.

Standing. This is a place of assertive intercession and spiritual warfare. I am ready to enter the battle with Jesus against demonic hordes. When we stand we can confidently and boldly declare God’s purposes. Of course, I can walk or even march in this aggressive style of prayer.

Raised arms- praise, celebration. Yes I am a beloved son of the Most High God and He has set me free from my sin.

Be free in your praying. If you want to dance then dance. If you want to sing then sing. If you want to kneel then kneel. Experiment with different positions and places for prayer. Go deeper with the Lord.

Battered but not beaten

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It was the perfect storm.

I felt the pressure rising all week, like when I forget to take my blood pressure pills for a couple of days. This wasn’t my blood pressure rising but spiritual pressure. I could feel the enemy closing in. The taunting and lies were increasing in my mind as the week went on, and I would shake them off from time to time, rebuking satan at other times. But they were relentless, returning to hammer my conscience with accusation and threat.

I was reading Heidi Baker’s book “Birthing the Miraculous” this week, and I was so excited about what she writes about. With a free evening, no commitments and my family all away, there was space to find the Presence of the Lord.

This afternoon the pressure ramped up. I heard the Lord tell me that I would face an unprecedented battle with evil, but it was OK. Then I heard satan say, “You will fail tonight. You will not choose relationship with God.”

I said “Goodbye” to my family members as they headed off in different directions. I cooked some dinner. The evening lay before me. And that choice.

I knew that satan was right. I had stopped fighting, because the fighting was way too hard. I sat down at my computer and surfed the net. Instead of listening to the gentle wooing of Jesus, I gave in to the mind-numbing trivia of the world. Instead of the healing of the Father, I sought nothingness. Rather than victory in the Holy Spirit I allowed temptation to defeat me.

Late in the evening I finally came and laid myself at the feet of the Lord. I  surrendered to Him in the Secret Place. This is a part of what He said to me:

You faced a huge temptation tonight. Satan has increased pressure on you all week and you have stood firm. Tonight was the biggest challenge you have ever faced- satan attacked you without restraint. There will be another challenge, but this time you will focus on me and my love, and you will stand firm, you will overcome.

I have given you my Spirit. I have called you by name. Know this and rejoice in me.

Not long after this there was a beautiful shower of rain. I went outside to enjoy the  smell and the coolness and the cleansing. It seemed to be a gift from the Lord, a sign of His love for me.

Book Review- “Birthing the Miraculous” by Heidi Baker

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In this book Heidi Baker shares some of her experiences in sharing the gospel and caring for children in Mozambique.

In describing the power of the Holy Spirit to work miracles and bring healing to people, she constantly comes back to the importance of the Secret Place- time spent alone in the presence of the Father. It is intimacy with God that gives us the love for people that motivates us to share Jesus with them and then connects us with God’s power to release the miracles.

At times there have been battles. She recounts how she prayed for every blind person she met. For one year not one of them was healed but every one of them received Jesus. Then there was a blind woman named Aida (the equivalent of Heidi) who had no pupils or no iris but God restored her sight, The next blind person she met was also a woman and she was healed. In fact there were three women in a row that she met who were blind and who were healed- all three named Aida. This started a remarkable outpouring of miracles.

This is a breakthrough book for me. It ministers not just to the head but the heart. It reminds us again that we can do nothing apart from God, but with Him nothing is impossible.

Head knowledge of the Scriptures will not draw us closer to God. All the programmes and preaching brilliance that the church relies on will not bring revival to our land. We need to learn to depend on God and God alone.

Book Review: “Strangers to Fire- When Tradition Trumps Scripture”

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Last year conservative evangelical Pastor John MacArthur published “Strange Fire” a polemic against charismatic and Pentecostal christians. While MacArthur’s position has been well-known since his book “Charismatic Chaos”, many were surprised by the extreme positions he has since adopted, such as calling the Pentecostal/charismatic movement the biggest deception and worst problem facing the church at this time.

“Strangers to Fire” is a collection of essays by leading theological scholars and is in two sections. The first, smaller, section directly addresses the shortcomings in “Strange Fire”, including its exegetical failings and logical errors. The second, longer, section looks at the scriptural and historical arguments against the doctrine of “cessationism”, the belief that the gifts of the Spirit died out when the apostles died or when the New Testament was completed.

The scriptural arguments against cessationism are quite strong. In fact, nobody who comes to the New Testament without prior instruction would be led to the belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for today. It is clear that the expectation in Scripture is that miracles,speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing and so on should continue until Jesus returns.

What I found really illuminating is the post-apostolic era. Several authors list the early Church Fathers (approximate time scale is 100-400 AD) and their writings clearly demonstrating that miracles and healings were common in the church. In two instances cited, christians were punished for their faith by having their tongues ripped out, but God miraculously enabled them to keep talking and praising Him. Other writers from the period speak of the vast majority (or even all) of their converts speaking in tongues as they emerged from baptism.

Because this is a scholarly book many people will find it heavy going. The style of the book, a collection of essays written over several decades, means that there is quite a bit of repetition and some readers might find that annoying. Nevertheless this is an important book that will give pastors and teachers sound resources for critiquing the cessationist position and for encouraging parishioners in their experience of the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Strangers to Fire- When Tradition Trumps Scripture” Edited by Robert W. Graves. Published 2014 The Foundation For Pentecostal Scholarship. ISBN 9780996044509.

Report- Nigeria Makes a Deal With Boko Haram

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If the reports are true, this may be good news for Nigeria and for the girls. We need to keep praying for an end to Boko Haram.

From the ABC

Boko Haram: Nigeria reaches deal with Islamic militant group over abducted schoolgirls, defence chief says

Updated about an hour agoSat 18 Oct 2014, 8:31am

Missing Nigerian schoolgirlsPHOTO: Boko Haram has agreed to release 200 kidnapped schoolgirls, the Nigerian defence chief says. (AFP: Boko Haram)
RELATED STORY: UN Security Council blacklists Boko Haram
RELATED STORY: Terrorists threaten to sell kidnapped schoolgirls
MAP: Cameroon

Nigeria’s government has reached a deal with Islamic militant group Boko Haram for a ceasefire and the release of around 200 girls kidnapped six months ago from a school in the northeast town of Chibok, the defence chief said on Friday.

“I wish to inform this audience that a ceasefire agreement has been concluded,” Marshal Alex Badeh said in a statement after three days of talks with the militant group that has wreaked havoc in the northeast of Africa’s biggest oil producer.

A presidency source said the agreement stretched to the girls, who were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok near the Cameroon border in April, sparking a worldwide outcry.

The girls have remained in captivity ever since, although police and a parent of some of the missing students said last month one of the girls had been released.

Read the rest here

Book Review: “Slow Church”

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We live in a society that values efficiency in everything. Speed, dehumanising efficiency and predictable results are the values of McDonalds and other fast food franchises They are not the values of God, but often become the values of the church as it seeks success.

Authors Chris Smith and John Pattison invite us to try a more godly way of doing church together and building community. They advocate that we slow down and take time to value one another and to love our communities.

Hospitality leads us to welcome strangers, sabbath reminds us that we were not created for endless activity and faith leads us to trust in God for enough to share.

This book is an eminently readable call to abandon the ways of the world and to embrace the way of Jesus- walking the dusty path (not speeding in air conditioned comfort along a freeway) carrying His cross joyfully.

I think that over the years our church has established good ways of sharing together and caring for one another. It is good to be reminded of simple practices that can help this.

The Heart Is An Idol Factory

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Surely we, in the sophisitcated West don’t need to be wanred against idols and false gods- do we?

Ed Stetzer thinks we do

OCT 8, 2014
IDOLATRY

Idolatry Is Alive Today: Why Modern Church Leaders Still Fight an Old Battle

Idolatry is still trying to work its way into our lives. |

 

Ed Stetzer
Idolatry Is Alive Today: Why Modern Church Leaders Still Fight an Old Battle
 

NEVERTIME / WIKIPEDIA

 

Some readers likely saw the headline on this blog and decided they didn’t need to read an article about the Old Testament, perhaps opting to read a blog on leadership instead.

After all, you probably don’t have a carved stone statue in your house, and you’ve never traveled to Asia and purchased a totem or some other representation of a false god. So why would a conversation about idolatry be of any importance to you, right?

Nothing New Under The Sun

Well, believe it or not, the most common warning about sin in Scripture does not deal with lying, gossip, adultery, stealing, or murder. The most common sin in all of Scripture that we’re told to avoid, reject, and move away from is idolatry.

And that’s not just Asherah poles in the Old Testament.

In fact, in the New Testament, 1 John 5:21 says, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” So apparently idolatry is still trying to work its way into our lives and distract us from worshipping and obeying God.

Idolatry is still trying to work its way into our lives and distract us from worshipping and obeying God.

Idolatry is not just a pagan issue. It is not just an Old Testament or Jewish issue. It is a human issue.

Is it that a 12-inch tall piece of wood or bronze can do something bad to us? Or is it that we do something awful to ourselves when we place adoration and attention that should go to God in other things?

When it comes to idolatry, the danger is not in an item… it is in us.

Read the rest here

Fading Glory

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The excitement is over, the Bunnies won their first premiership in a hundred years  (I exaggerate a tad) and NRL goes on holidays for a couple of months.

As I was listening to the news this morning and the soundtrack of “Glory glory to South Sydney”, the commentators waxed lyrical about the glorious victory and how the team had been redeemed after years in the wilderness. (That sounds sort of familiar).

So, after school goes back tomorrow and the cricket season starts, who is going to care about this? By Christmas who will even remember the score? And by the start of next footy season we will have to stop and think about who won the competition in 2014.

If you think I’m overstating the case, ask yourself what was the score in the last State of Origin? Only the die hard fans remember just a few months later.

Sporting glory is a fading glory. The crowds are entertained for a night and people have something to talk about at work the next day, but the accolades dim quickly. What excites us and seems so important right now soon loses its lustre after the event.

There is a reason for this.

Human beings are created for an eternal glory, an immortal honour that goes way beyond the sporting arena.

We were created to worship God, the ultimate glory, and to share in His nature. We get so easily distracted by the immediate things we see in front of us. We settle for a pretend glory and think that’s all there is.

Jesus came to bridge the gap between the human and the divine. He has prepared a place in eternity for His followers, and a glorious destiny we can only imagine.

Don’t settle for anything less.

Junk Spiritualtity

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junk-food

This morning I was thinking about how I have felt uninspired about blogging lately. I’ve shared the odd post that I have found elsewhere and the routine things like our sermon posts, but I’ve had no passion to write anything.

I prayed about it and felt that God was saying that it was because I read too much junk stuff on both Facebook and Google Plus. Just as junk food dulls our appetite for genuine food and, after the initial boost, actually de-energise us, so the constant bombardment of small doses of junk data dulls our appetite for useful input and removes our ability to be creative.

We live in a society that is satiated with empty calories and useless food. When I was growing up, there were very few franchised food outlets, and we regarded a trip to McDonalds as a once a year treat. Even a glass of Coke or lemonade was a rare treat. Now these sugar, fat and salt concoctions are almost a daily staple for many people.

We live in a society that is also overfed with information. The internet has brought the knowledge of the world to everyone’s fingertips. But we want to consume cat pictures and funny thoughts in 140 characters or less. Politicians have to deliver complex policies in 15 second sound grabs or we grow bored.

So we fill up on burgers and cola and blob out in front of screens and wonder why we have an obesity and dumbness epidemic.

Contrary to our fast fill mentality, God has created us to be slow growers. He deals with us over a life-time, gently moulding us into his image. His word needs to be consumed and chewed over slowly- there are whole chapters to be meditated over not Tweet length verses.

I’m not ready to go cold turkey on social media, but I am going to restrict my consumption of it. It’s time to reclaim my time and offer it back to God as an offering.

Boko Haram continues its reign of terror

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More bad news from Nigeria:

Bible College, Churches Shut Down as Boko Haram Claims Territory in NE Nigeria

At least 350 Christians killed in the past week, church leaders say.

September 7, 2014 By Our Nigeria Correspondent – Leave a Comment
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. (Wikipedia)

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. (Wikipedia)

JOS,Nigeria (Morning Star News) – Leaders of northeastern Nigeria’s Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) said Boko Haram attacks that have killed more than 300 Christians in the past week have forced the temporary closure of Kulp Bible College and many churches.

In an emergency prayer message sent Saturday night (Sept. 6) to Morning Star News among others, EYN President Samuel Dali said the headquarters of the church is under grave threat from the Islamic extremist insurgents who seek to impose sharia (Islamic law) throughout the country.

“Boko Haram violence has been getting worse every day, and our members are fleeing the area by the thousands,” he said. “Recent attacks in Borno and Adamawa states where are our churches are located have seen Boko Haram take over the Army base. As a result, about 350 Christians have been killed.”

Following a recent online video declaration by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau that Boko Haram was establishing an Islamic caliphate in Borno state’s Damboa and Gwoza towns and Yobe state’s Buni Yadi, including their surrounding villages, Boko Haram has killed more Christians and burned down more churches, Dali said.

Full article here