Pastor Chris Simmons

In our church we are gradually moving through Acts and seeing Luke’s amazing account of the beginnings of the church, as it spread out from Jerusalem, 400 miles North to Syrian Antioch and then across the Aegean.  Paul’s missionary endeavours are truly astonishing, as he was able to plant churches in all the cities he evangelised.  In every city he met violent persecutions, as he proclaimed Jesus as Lord, His death and resurrection, and called people to repentance.

If we want a simple take away, it might be that not everyone is going to receive the Good News of Jesus with open arms.  Many will violently oppose the message, today as then.  We shouldn’t be in the least surprised to find people opposed to the churches message, in fact we should expect it. The message of Jesus does divide, but He doesn’t leave people on the fence.  If you find that shocking, then re examine why you think Jesus was falsely accused, put through  a sham trial and crucified.  Here are Jesus’ own words: –

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

John 15:18-20

So Paul in this passage has crossed over the Aegean into Europe and has come down the Greek coast to Athens.  Athens was “long past its best,” but it still was held up as the cultural capital of the world, home to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the like.  We might find ourselves enamoured by the history of the city, overcome by its philosophies and great teachers. Not so the apostle Paul, he was deeply disturbed and moved by the many idols in the city. He was so moved, any thought of a restful time in this city was gone, as alone, he began to preach and teach the crowd in the still famous Aereopogus:

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^[c]

²⁹ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. ³⁰ In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ³¹ For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

Acts 17

Here are some simple takeaways from how Paul preached the Gospel to the Athenians.

1. Firstly, he had to correct their view of God.  “He doesn’t live in temples made by human hands”.  He is giving them a knowledge of God known to any Jew, the God revealed to them from their history and the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures.  He is the only God, the creator of all, the God of all the nations. They must be made aware of this for them to understand that the God Paul is speaking to them about, is not one of many.  He is the supreme and only God.
   
   
2. In revealing God to them, He is saying that as God, we as His creatures have an obligation to seek after Him.  How many times do you find people purposely seeking after God?  It’s a rare sight, isn’t it? Yet Paul is saying that this is what we should be doing, in response to how God has revealed Himself though His creation.

• Paul knows and has read their poets.  He has taken time, or maybe just schooled in some Hellenistic teaching, to know his audience.  He earths his message by reaching out to the Athenians with some of “their own words”.  We should always try to do this in speaking to people about Jesus, trying to reach them where they are at. The message of Jesus has to be “earthed” to people.
  
  
• “He is not far from us”.  I love these words, and having just arrived back from Bangladesh God once more surprised me.  An older lady ran up, grabbed the microphone and eloquently described how she knew she had to make it to the meeting, and how she was healed as we were waiting on God during a ministry time. It shocked me and reminded me that God is close.  It’s the same when people are so radically changed after meeting Jesus in meetings. It always jolts me – the invisible God, is here right now by His Spirit. Praise the Lord.
  
  
• Paul calls his audience to repentance, to turn to God, who has proven Himself by raising Jesus from the dead. He speaks of the judgement to come, a basic teaching of Christianity but strangely missing many times from our foundational Christian courses.

All in all, Paul’s preaching can be readily understood by all of us in the 21^st century.  He reminds me of many accounts of John Wesley.  In one meeting as he approached Bolton, he was overwhelmed by angry bitter crowds, that threw rocks through the house he was staying, breaking down the door entering the home to attack him.  He eventually stood up, tears rolling down his cheeks as he spoke lovingly to them the Good news of Jesus.  They listened intently to this man a few moments previously they were ready to beat up and stone.  The next day so great were the numbers arriving to listen to him, he preached in the open fields leading many of them to His master. 

I think as a final take away from Paul’s visit to Athens, we need tears for those that don’t know Jesus, those that are against us and the message of Jesus.  “For God so loved the world He sent His only Son”.  We must never forget this, but also pray for God’s heart for our world to be our heart.  He will give us the tears, and these will be our greatest weapon against the enemy of God satan, and the furtherance of our great cause. God’s answer to our prayers will be singularly answered as we develop His heart, and “lose our lives” to find His life.

Have a great week

I’m just back from a week in Bangladesh and will be sharing this Sunday.  It was a wonderful Spirit filled time away, speaking at churches, three youth conferences and visiting two of the three preschools supported by:

www.lifeforbangladesh. 

It was a full-on ministry trip, travelling with Stephen Page from a church in Oxford.  I will upload a short video next week and be sharing Sunday at church.

I want to continue from just over a week ago, in looking at the social changes brought about by the light of the Gospel.  Jesus said

I Am the Light of the World

¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

When you think about this statement it really is an incredible statement.  Jesus always pointed to Himself as being the answer, the medicine for our soul, the answer to our deepest need.  He didn’t say He is one of many lights, many truths out there, but directly pointed to Himself as being THE LIGHT. 

It’s a statement that has been put to the test over two thousand years and hasn’t been found wanting by the billions that have chosen to believe and follow him.  Having just got back from the Indian sub-continent, another contemporary of John Wesley, another Englishman, chose to deny himself and give up his life for the people of what was then India. He spent the rest of his life, around forty-one years, sharing the Good News of Jesus, to a country that was not his own, planting churches and converting locals.  It wasn’t an easy life by any stretch

Here is one of his most famous quotes: –

“Expect Great Things from God

Attempt Great things for God”

William Carey

The Christian church in Bangladesh owes a huge debt to this man, who laid foundations by translating the bible into Bengali, and leaving a legacy that future generations could build upon.

As the light of the Gospel penetrated, then so social change happened.  I want to repeat that this claim of Jesus is incredible.  It isn’t the churches light, or light from you and me, but light from Him, the creator designer and lover of the world we live in.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1 :15

Jesus doesn’t describe our world as light, in fact he describes it as darkness.!

I might compare His words to our city.   Our city has so much about it to make it attractive, but nevertheless, Jesus would describe it as a city clouded in darkness.  When viewed by the world, the night clubs, restaurants, coffee shops, seaside culture etc all appear to be life giving, attractive places filled with everything to help fulfil us. 

My brother who was a policeman, describes it differently.  The Police are sometimes called our “social garbage collectors”, because they see the sights and sounds that are kept from most of us.  The stabbings, the suicides, the drugs overdoses and subsequent deaths, the brothels that abound in our city, the heart ache caused by all of the above and more.  It’s impossible to be beguiled by the glitz and glam of a city, when day after day after day you are seeing these same things.

So, when Jesus describes Himself as light in darkness, or the light of the world this is what he means.

When William Carey began his ministry in what is now Bangladesh, it was normal for women to throw themselves on the funeral pyres of their late husbands.  If they didn’t, they were ostracised by their communities.  He was horrified, at what today we wouldn’t describe a s cultural norm and something to leave alone.  He understood it was wrong, and why?  Because he had the light of Jesus shining in the darkness to expose what is darkness and what is right from wrong.  The practice was called “Suttee” or “Sati”. In addition, again because of the light of Christ, as Christianity spread, the caste system disappeared in its churches.  As in the early church,

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27

These changes were made possible only because of Jesus coming into the world, and many of the social conditions we take for granted, have only been made possible by the light of the Gospel. 

As an aside, and as we are reexamining the history of the Uk and empire, I don’t think we should forget the legacy of those Christians that during our British Empire, gave so much hope to so many, in bringing the Gospel to those far off lands.

We have an age of consent in this country of sixteen, in William Carey’s India it was ten! You have only to imagine the horrific abuse this caused, and yet another social norm changed because he gave his life to the people of the Indian sub-continent.  Children are children today, and protected only because of Christianity and its spread into the western world.  Were it not for Jesus coming into this dark world, I dread to think of the kind of horror civilisation we would otherwise live in. 

In conclusion, as Christians it is right for us to share the good news and also be a shining light.  If this means standing up for the rights of the unborn, then we must do that.  If that means, we defend the rights of children to be children without them having to be indoctrinated with gender ideology then we should do that. We do that because we have the light of Jesus, and in our nation the history of those Christians that have gone before us, as well as those that gave their lives eighty years ago so we can live with the freedoms we today enjoy.

Have a great week everyone and can’t wait to be at church this Sunday.

We are just back from an amazing trip to Sven and Lillian’s Kirkecenter church in Thisted Denmark. The Holy Spirit really moved and refreshed not just those we were ministering to in the church, but also all of us.  We all felt the Spirit during the weekend, as He moved so easily in our midst, moving on people, empowering refreshing and healing people. I felt strongly that this is indeed a time of preparation for all of us, and that He intends to do much more in the future. Several of the team will be sharing this Sunday.

I am, as some of you are aware, off to Bangladesh, to help serve, speak and minister at three “Life for Bangladesh” conferences. I’ll be speaking to Christians and others from one of the poorest countries in the world.  If you have some spare time, please be praying for me and the team I am with, that the Holy Spirit leads us, empowers us and uses us, to bring life and life in abundance to the attendees.  The conferences are youth conferences of around three hundred young people, and the evenings open to the churches, as I will be leading and speaking on revival.  God the Holy Spirit is always the answer to everything, and in this season, we need to learn to hear His voice, and learn to follow His leading. 

Our country has been rocked by revival before in its history.

In the vein of what the Holy Spirit can do when He moves, I thought I’d write a few words about John Wesley, and the enormous debt our country owes to this one man.  He was a courageous preacher of the Gospel, which he followed up with church planting and discipleship.  These were no “prosecco drinking” put your feet up congregations, but wildly charismatic hard-working Christians, sold out for Jesus and His cause.

Here is the kind of England, John Wesley was born into:

1. 1738 Bishop Berkeley declared that religion and morality in Britain had collapsed “to a degree that was never before known in any Christian country” – this was true and known by everyone living in his day.
   
2. Church leaders who were Godly were fired and replaced with liberals. Many Godly men and women forced out of ministry left for the New World. This led to an extinction of biblical preaching, thinking and worldview.  Godly clergies were not even allowed to meet together!
   
3. The slave trade monopolised greed, and the brutalising of people, and was at its height, corrupting everything in its wake, as the 18^th century began.  As the industrial revolution took hold the expectation of using people as a commodity, brutalising them, also became the order of the day – it was about making money.  Using British ships, millions of Africans were transported to the Americas during this century, with no rights at all, treated and brutalised as money making pieces of chattel.
   
4. We loved the “hanging shows” with death sentences passed out for relatively minor offences, and children treated inhumanely, and hung from the age of twelve.  Steal a sheep, snare a rabbit, grab goods from someone’s hand were all hanging offences. The hangings at Tyburn drew huge crowds of all ages, eager to watch the spectacle.
   
5. Mortality of children 1730 -1750 are the only figures available to us, but 3 out of 4 children died.
   
6. The 18^th century was called the gin age – poverty violence prostitution and murder followed, with brothels abounding.
   
7. No provision was made to educate the poor – and most kids would grow up illiterate.

Not any time in our recent history, has our country been more morally compromised, aided and abetted by a weak church.  Into this moral abyss, was born John Wesley, and if ever a man co-worked with God the Holy Spirit helping Him, it was this indefatigable preacher of what he termed “plain old Christianity”. A weak church and moral decadence, are both similarities we can draw today as we reflect on this period of history, knowing that however low a country can become, its never so low that it cannot be reached by God.

The changes God wrought to our country were astounding, many of the social changes happened later after he died, following the revivals.  I will mention one, an evil perpetrated by our country, that Wesley’s evangelical Christian legacy changed.  

He wrote to William Wilberforce, a man converted by the evangelical Christianity of his day, and to good effect.  This man more than any other, was to lead the charge in abolishing slavery.  In this letter Wesley is writing days before he died, to the man responsible for the abolition of slavery:

Balam, February 24, 1791 Dear Sir: Unless the divine power has raised you us to be as Athanasius contra mundum, [2] I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature.

Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils.

But if God be fore you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it. Reading this morning a tract wrote by a poor African, I was particularly struck by that circumstance that a man who has a black skin, being wronged or outraged by a white man, can have no redress; it being a “law” in our colonies that the oath of a black against a white goes for nothing. What villainy is this? That he who has guided you from youth up may continue to strengthen you in this and all things, is the prayer of, dear sir,

Your affectionate servant, John Wesley

He believed as I do, that for social and moral change to occur in a country, individuals need to be converted.  If enough individuals are converted, (hundreds of thousands in the 18^th century), social change follows in its wake. 

Wesley also knew the cost of doing God’s work, and the opposition both from the spiritual realm of demons, as well as men and women, will do all to stop God’s work. He understood the battle Christians face isn’t just against flesh and blood. I think anyone doing anything for God, certainly all pastors, can take Wesley’s words to heart, and of course that “if God is for us, who can be against us”.

Wesley also spoke up against the social evil of his day – as we mustn’t be afraid to speak against the social evils of our day, of which there are many now.

Its interesting that whilst Wesley was regarded as a fanatic whilst alive, he was regarded as England’s greatest preacher and prophet after he died. 

Jesus said this about Christians :

Salt and Light

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

In cooking you need only a little salt to change the flavour of the food you are cooking, miniscule by normal seasoning standards.  In the same way in a blacked-out room, you don’t need much light.  A tiny amount of light, a lit match, will change your surroundings and allow you to see, what moments before was just black.  This is the expectation Jesus has of His followers, with the severe warning that if the saltiness is lost, its good for nothing but to be thrown away.

As John Wesley preached around the UK, people were converted, and the numbers were so great as to eventually change the social conditions of his day, and right the way to our present.  I cannot imagine a UK without this man, and he deserves being more widely known, as we consider our own history.

I’ll write more in the next blog in a week or so’s time when I God willing return from Bangladesh.

Have a great week everyone.

I’ve written for a couple of weeks on dreams and visions and will describe more in the future.  I remember more than a decade ago, the Holy Spirit speaking to me, feeling “how can I share these things?”, I barely have faith to believe them myself!  This is changing now, as its clear many more people around our country are praying for and believing for revival.  We believe its coming, and we are to get ready, more of which later. Our God’s timings are not ours! and He often waits and with holds, to see what we will do. We are not to budge in our desire for revival, it is God’s answer and gift to the church.

I became a Christian in the early 1980’s, just as John Wimber came to the UK.  The conferences are hard to describe but filled with the glory majesty and power of God.  In 1986 I was in a conference with demons screaming, people shaking and crying, and as John used to say, “EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE – decently and in order”.  This was my first experience of seeing God the Holy Spirit take over, and I have never lost my love for His presence and His leadership.  This was to continue until John died in 1997, which also told me that God moves through people, and not institutional structures.  I should also say the baton for the presence and power of God was notably taken up by John and Carol Arnott, who continue to believe for and press into revival. They are an amazing couple.

I was called into ministry at this time, and like many others, many still my friends, we didn’t feel there was anything else we wanted to do with our lives.  This is true of all moves of God the people caught up in them. 

William Booth (the founder of the Salvation Army), used to say that, in some meetings people would drop to the floor and the meeting would resemble a battlefield!  He also said that although he didn’t understand it (any more than Wesley or Whitfield), it was these meetings that called men and women into full-time sold-out ministry for Jesus.

I am an absolute believer in this, and although we can’t make the wind blow (he blows as He wills) we must never stop praying for these outpourings, classically called revival.  

So how can we get ready – and I believe we are in a time now of preparation and getting ready. Here are some simple suggestions that all require much more unpacking:

1. Read and study the bible.  There has never been in the whole of history, an easier time to study the bible.  Not only does google place everything at your fingertips, but commentaries, talks and the Greek definitions of words are accessible in seconds.  This wasn’t true even ten years ago. 

Choose a book of the bible, invite some friends along or advertise it in our church and study it together.  Its one way to grow and learn, and it’ll prove to be medicine for your soul, and feed truth into your life. One clear way you can discern truth from error, is to know the bible.

If we are to have longevity in the Christian life, we have to know the bible.  I am speaking most weeks, and so you might say I am forced to read it!  I can’t tell you how much in the last twenty years it has changed me.  If we don’t read it, the medicine and sustenance for our soul is missing, and we will get absorbed by the worldview and politics of the world.  In any move of the Holy Spirit, the bible is essential, and I am ashamed to say in my lifetime, how little it has been taught, compared to the preceding decades before I became a Christian. 

2. Fast and pray.  Many years ago, the Holy Spirit showed me the distance between me and Him – you might say He simply convicted me of sin.  As I saw this, I began to earnestly seek after God, and put myself through a kind of spiritual MOT. 

I found these words from James 4 especially helpful

⁴ You adulterous people,^[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us^[b]? ⁶ But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favour to the humble.”^[c]

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

James 4

The words speak for themselves, but I was especially interested in drawing near to God, as I wanted Him to draw near to me.  These words mean we can all draw near to the God of the universe and get to know Him.  I have never understood career minded people in the church to be frank, when you can be a friend of God! It’s a no brainer. 

My difficulty was, how to do it!  I felt fasting was the answer, something I had scrupulously avoided, especially as my mentor, described himself as a “fat man on his way to heaven” who didn’t fast!  In his case I think he was especially graced from God, and pure in heart.  Jesus’ own words however in parallel verses to “when you pray” also say |” when you fast” – so I began to take them seriously. 

I listened to Derek Prince, as you might like to do, and one sentence knifed me “between the rib cage”.  He said that John Wesley insisted his minister fast, and that if they didn’t, they would surely backslide.  I also listened to a teacher I respected who said that he had never fasted past two days – this helped me!

So, for the next few years, I would give up food for a one day each week, and over time found that it worked.  God the Holy Spirit would draw near to me, my thinking or you might say “the renewal of mind” began to happen.  I found my mind was sharper, I could “take captive thoughts” and dismiss them, and that as James describes, in drawing near to God, in humility the enemy would flee.

In the coming months we will again be having days of fasting and prayer, with caveats Incase you have health issues, that as a group of believers we press into God for more.

3. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:3, “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.”  We have to move away from the idea that way the world leads is the way we are meant to lead in the church.  This means leaders are to lead in weakness and trembling, serve others above themselves and be the least of all. 

We are pressing for apostolic leadership in the church, but that kind of leadership was rejected by the worldly Corinthians, who wanted a leadership driven by status.  I can’t see the church being any different today, but if we want apostolic leadership, God will be looking at our hearts, not our external appearance.

We have to reject the worlds ways of leading and choose humility.  It doesn’t in any way negate leadership or its necessity, just a different kind. I honestly think if the apostle Paul would visit the church in the UK, he would be rejected, for the same reasons the Corinthians rejected him! He didn’t have the kind of status they wanted, and he didn’t pander to their “super arrogant spirituality”.

If you remember Paul boasted to the Corinthians, (in defence of his ministry to the super apostles) and boasted of his weaknesses!  Leaders are not to Lord it over people, Paul described himself as acting like a child with the Corinthians, He wasn’t interested in status, their money, or their agreement.

He asked them to follow Him as He followed Christ.  A tough call, and a tough ministry, but Paul could say to the Corinthians, that he resembled Jesus, the scars on his body, the suffering, the trials and difficulties. He wasn’t pointing to his personal prosperity that’s for sure !!!

Humility is vital, and doesn’t look like the kind of thing most of us want to pursue, but is at the every heart of God. If its at the centre of God’s heart, then it needs to be at the centre of our heart too.  Its all about Him and His victory, we are His children and in some glorious way He chooses to use us. The church is to be victorious, as we “the foolish things of the world, shame the wise”. (1 Corinthians )

4. Suffering.  God uses suffering in this life in a way that won’t be true in the next one.  I listened to a “reel” of Bill Johnson sharing recently, on the loss of his wife.  He was suffering, and shared with some tears, that he can in his grief, give praise and thanks to God. Only in this life do we get to do this, and there is a mystery to suffering.  I say that because we don’t always understand.  We sometimes suffer of course because its our own fault, or because others persecute us for some reason.  All suffering and hardship in our lives is there to make us holier, and more able to understand the sufferings of others.  Here is Hebrews 12

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

So don’t be fooled into thinking something is wrong with you in your suffering, embrace it, and rejoice in your hardships. The world says the way into peace and harmony is to ” have a holiday in the sun” better still move there! Embrace ease, save yourself for a “do nothing retirement”. Jesus says “deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” and in denying yourself you find abundant life, a supernatural life the world cant give, nor does it understand.

Lastly I might mention giving. 

To not give as a Christian, is the same as withholding forgiveness from someone.  Its simply isn’t part of the fabric or DNA of the Kingdom of God.  You have to learn to give, and although I would include all forms of giving, I cant negate money as being of supreme importance.  Money is something tangible in our life, and it seems to break all the common sense rules that in giving God will give back to us, but He will.

In due season maybe, but it will show you who is in control of your life.

If you can learn to give, you’ll learn that your money is God’s money, and the truth of  the verse in Luke 6, “give and it will be given to you, pressed down and poured into your lap”  Its part and parcel of the Christian life, overplayed I know in large parts of the church, and always under other more important doctrines of the church, but vital to learn if you want to grow in Christ.

Have a great week everyone, go for it again this week with Jesus.

Chris

A hundred and eighteen years ago a 26-year-old former coal miner from Laughor in South Wales believed God was going to do great things, beginning in Wales and then world.

His name was Evan Roberts and he was used by God to lead a massive revival that was to touch the world and kick start the Pentecostal movement worldwide.

(Two of its most gifted UK leaders, Stephen and George Jeffrey’s, were converts of this revival.)

From October 1904 to the middle of 1905 over a 100,000 people professed faith in Christ for the first time in Wales. Much of the fruitful results came as a result of what today we might call Holy Spirit meetings, with testimonies, singing, intercessory prayer, preaching and invitations. Here are some words Evan wrote:

“Religion should be the happiest thing in life. Our fathers were gloomy and melancholy as though religion were a severe trial to the flesh. What they had missed was the joy of the Lord. They got themselves into a groove; we must get out of it. Some people wonder why we laugh and are happy at meetings. Well! Who would be happy except those who have love in their hearts… Look at this from the    father’s point of view? Would a father be offended when his children laughed? No!      Certainly not. But we are        children in our Fathers house, happy and joyous. Our Father will not be offended.”

Evan Roberts c1904

Evan was used to release a whole paradigm shift into the worldwide Church, as remarkable as the fresh revelation given to Martin Luther almost five hundred years before. It was to be another 60 years before any mainline denomination would be significantly impacted by these changes, something Evan never lived to see.  The truths Evan discovered and helped recover to the Church are what I want to share on briefly. Here are some of the practical truths that I believe we need to hold fast with if we are to accomplish great things as a church in this city:

1. He gave priority to the leading of the Holy Spirit and culturally released the Church to be a “priesthood of believers”. Evan endeavoured to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and, as with Jesus in John 5:19, he “did only what He saw the father doing”. This meant men women and children participated in what God was doing. This was revolutionary for churches used to a more formal approach to worship. It allowed the Holy Spirit freedom to release His gifts on congregations of people. Many of the converts went on zealously following the Lord, many being used to plant churches across the UK and the world, like the Jeffrey’s brothers. The number of churches planted as a result of this revival is staggering. Evans’s own sister married a convert of the revival and became a missionary to India.

2. He used testimonies as part of church services. People would stand where they were and testify to what God had done in their life. Their stories of how God had met them released faith in others to where they were changed to believe that God would do it for them too.

3. He used music and singing, inside the church and open air, at large evangelistic rallies. New songs were written in the revival and groups of singers would   accompany Evan to sing during the many services. The music acted as a bridge builder in the revival as well as helping release the power of God. Billy Graham, Luis Palau and many of the South American evangelists have used these principles to great effect in their ministry.

4. He didn’t feel that what he was given was for him alone or even just his church and denomination. Evan ministered cross-denominationally and again in line with his saviour Jesus, what he had freely received he freely gave away. He endeavoured to “do nothing out of selfish    ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility valued     others above himself not looking to his own interest but to the interests of others” (Phil 2:3f). Evan’s heartfelt wish was that the Body of Christ with all its denominational structures be built up.

In fact, if he heard prayers that centred upon a single church he was displeased as he felt it was outside the heart of God.

5. Evan was a passionate preacher, with an emphasis on reaching the lost. He had almost no experience in preaching, but knew that it wasn’t just to edify the saints but to reach those unconverted.

He said:

were it possible I would have paid  Jesus to preach His Gospel .

Evan Roberts c 1904

In the months preceding the revival Evan had an open  vision. In front of him as far as his eyes could see he saw a vision of his fellow countrymen walking down the valleys towards him, and behind him were the open gates of Hell. People were walking into Hell without a thought or care. Evan asked God to shut the gates for a year that he might preach the gospel.

6. Evan’s orthodoxy was this: the only way to the Father is through Jesus and people need to repent. He taught people to confess all known sin, to search out all secret and doubtful things, to confess the Lord Jesus openly, and to pledge their word that you will fully obey the Spirit. As     congregations did this God sent His Spirit powerfully, bringing His gifts, joy and a conviction of sin and the judgement to come. In a sense Evan was preparing     people for the Spirit just as the Psalmist wrote – “who can      ascend the hill of the Lord,     s/he who has clean hands and a pure heart.”

7. Evan loved children and taught them to “ask for the Spirit for   Jesus’ sake”. Unlike many outpourings of the Spirit where the children seem to miss out, the children played a full part. This resulted in schools being impacted by the revival and teachers becoming converted through the children’s witness. As a church community, any visitation on us by the Holy Spirit is an honour, and what an honour to see Him filling our children with His Spirit.

8. Evan knew that the way he was being used by God had nothing to do with him. He had prayed for the Holy Spirit to     impact him in greater measure for years with a conscious will for God to bend him that he might surrender his whole life to Christ. Early one morning the             empowering of the Spirit shook his body for hours, filling him with power for witness. Afterwards Evan said “I can face thousands”. His life and being were transformed, not unlike the experience of the Apostle Peter at Pentecost 2,000 years earlier. It is a reminder that whatever gifts we possess we need “power from on high” and need to ask God for it, as did the early disciples:

you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” 

I think it’s always good to reflect on the life of a person that has so been used by God – to be inspired and encouraged as to what can be achieved by someone surrendered to Christ. I know as much as all of you how easy it is for things in this life to drag us down emotionally and spiritually. 

We have received something so incredible and paid for at so high a price, we must remember to whom we belong and our ultimate destiny.

So whatever you’re feeling like as you read this, be encouraged. Examine your thoughts and feelings. Are they reality, or are they just feelings you have allowed that bear no resemblance to the truth of your situation or the promises God has made in your life?

Have a wonderful week everyone

I’m just back from another wedding, this time in Denmark as Simon and Lauren got married, surrounded by a Christian community and family that love them.  It was a glorious day, filled with the presence of God, as Charley led them in Danish, a language Lauren can now speak. 

Marriage the apostle Paul writes in Ephesians is a

“Profound mystery”. 

Ephesians 5

It’s a strong word mystery, and you might ask how a Christian marriage can be a mystery!  Paul goes back to creation, the first husband and wife, (as does Jesus).  Their relationship way back then, was to foreshadow the relationship Christ would one day have with His church.  God is very wise, and certainly can’t be outsmarted.  He began creation knowing marriages were to reflect Him, and in so doing bring grace light and life to the world. In other words a Christian marriage is to be a parable if you will of Christs relationship to His church, a high calling, and one that can only be fulfilled with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Lauren interned for a year in Denmark, in a wonderful family church, seeking to follow Jesus.  It is in that year she met her future husband, and learned she had a gift for languages.  We all stood astounded as she fluently spoke Danish at her wedding reception.

So, a happy day for this pastor, and a reminder that God does indeed bring people together, (I think Derek Prince wrote a book many years ago entitled “God is a matchmaker”), and the joy for the couple and all of us to behold their special day.

Here is a quote from Romans

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.

Romans 12

As I read this, and maybe as you do, it’s very impacting! The heart of living the Christian life, not on our own, but together, each with different gifts. Can you imagine how boring it would be if we were all similar and had similar giftings.  No this isn’t God’s way at all for the church.  There really is something about living in a community that values friendships and loving one another as oneself, in the rich diversity of being human beings.

I spoke to a family friend recently, right at the end of her life.  I am privileged to have been brought up with a great deal of love and stability, and this lady had known me all my life.  As I spoke with her, we prayed and at the end, loving her Yorkshire drawl she said, “you know Christopher, I have known you all your life”.  These words really really impacted me, and I wondered why?  I think it’s because as human beings and as Christians we are designed to live in community, and to both give and receive love.  We are not to walk the Christian life alone, and over the long haul, with all our different gifts and personality styles, we are to remain devoted to one another.

 This is love, and it beats worldly success hands down for me every time, not that the two are mutually exclusive. And so, I prayed with Frances, an evacuee during the war life hadn’t always been easy for her, but she kept the faith, holding onto Jesus all her life.  A few short days later, she went home to be with Jesus.

So a few words from me and looking forward to seeing many of you on Sunday. Much love

Chris

Lystra and Derbe Acts 14

We have been reading through Acts chapter 14, as Paul and Barnabus continue their amazing missionary journey evangelising around the Aegean. In the passage below they arrive in present day Turkey at Lystra.  Paul is speaking to a crowd, and for some reason a man who had never walked received the faith to walk and Paul recognised it. “Faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17), and this is what probably happened to this man, as he heard Paul preach. This is unexpected “in the moment ministry” for Paul, but he recognises it immediately, and has the courage to act on the Holy Spirit’s leading. The kind of miracle and Spiritual gift, occurs again and again in the book of Acts, always when the apostles are so to speak “on the road”.  They are doing what they can do, preaching the good news of Jesus, explaining how he was crucified for our sins, and now stands as judge of all the world, ready to reconcile them to God.   Here’s what Luke says:

⁸ In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

Acts 14:8

Paul ushers in this incredible miracle by speaking to the man to get up and walk.  God is the “same yesterday today and forever” (Hebrews13). We must always be praying that we see this, as these events promulgate the Gospel.  It’s these demonstrations of God’s Kingdom, that are the reason the church is growing so fast in the global south.  It’s a demonstration by God to validate Paul’s message, and to say that what you are hearing from this man is true.  It was true then in Pauls day, and true today, with Paul’s words to the Corinthians:

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”,

1 Corinthians 2:4

What Paul doesn’t now do is to draw attention to himself or Barnabus.  You know the kind of thing, lets start a new ministry “Paul and Barnabus miracles incorporated” or receive the acclaim that comes to anyone able to work a miracle like this.  Our humanity is sinful enough to receive acclaim, but this is blasphemy, and we must always make sure all the glory goes to God.  Not a pennies worth should come to us.

God is a miracle working God, and He does long to do these things. Look at what Paul and Barnabus now say to the crowd, eagerly anticipating their words, salivating I suppose on what they are about to hear.  It’s really interesting because they decry any personal responsibility for the miracle, and have to speak to the Greeks without having the benefit of them knowing the Old Testament.  Paul speaks to them using his more developed theology in Romans 1:19, in other words that God has revealed Himself to them and his goodness through creation.  Here’s what Paul says to the Roman church, something applicable to our day today as back then

^“19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Romans 1:19

Here is what He now says to the crowd:

“We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In the past, he let all nations go their own way. ¹⁷ Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 

Acts 14:15 -17

Paul doesn’t mince his words.  The Greeks were schooled in the worship of the Greek Gods, but Paul makes no “parley with them”. 

Instead, he completely dismisses them as worthless, and calls on them to turn to the living God, a God they have just seen work an incredible miracle.  This isn’t easy, because he is changing their whole worldview in a moment, all their presuppositions of God are now pointing to Christ as the one true God and the only means of salvation.  I love this from Paul, with a willingness myself to be confrontational where necessary, because I know, I am following in the footsteps of these mighty apostles.

How can this message apply today?  I think today, we sometimes seek to embrace the world, and if we are not careful, view it overly positively.  It means we are never willing to confront the world with the message of Jesus,  – God forbid we should ever upset anyone ! 

We live in a world that Paul describes as “lovers of money, lovers of pleasure and lovers of self”. (2 Timothy 3:2)

It’s this part of our world that is destroying lives, aided and abetted by the enemy. The Good news confronts this, with the message to turn away from these things to the living God.  In other words repent of your sins and turn to God, our crucified amazing Saviour.

If our embrace of the world becomes too overwhelming, however noble our intentions, instead of the world being evangelised by us, it’s the world evangelising us!  This produces nothing good, and our separation from the world, whilst living in it, isn’t noticed by anyone.  We just become “do gooders,” feeding the poor doing good works as we should, but with no message of any substance to a dying world.

Here Paul has a biting message to the people of Lystra, a message that can save people for eternity.  The good works follow of course, and aid the Gospel, but clearly the “main thing is the main thing,” that we have been redeemed not with worldly money, but the precious blood of our saviour.

Have a great week everyone.  I will be in Denmark, as Lauren and Simon get married.  A joyous day of celebration, so please remember them in your prayers.

The situation in Ukraine is horrendous. Not just the terrible humanitarian disaster that war has brought, but the lack of western peacemakers to try and solve this crisis. If there is any good news its the response of so many in our country to help with humanitarian aid, if not the opening up of their homes.

We are praying in our morning meetings, and will continue to pray for peace.

I believe we are sleeping through one of the most dangerous times since the Cuban missile crisis.

God loves peacemakers, so lets be constantly lifting this situation up to God.

In this week’s blog, I want to lay more foundations for our church, based on “what does the bible say about us being the foolish things to shame to wise”.   If we will read it, study it and listen to it, it will change us.  It’s the reason we aim to preach from it most Sundays.  In the last forty years, as charismatic Christianity has grown in our country, for many reasons the church has majored on equipping Christians and church planting, and minored on teaching the bible and orthodox Christian doctrine.  I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the two men building a house, one on sand and one on a rock. 

His parable was all about building our lives on His truth, so that when the wind and waves come, we won’t be washed away.

Matthew 7:24

Its easy to get carried away with the gifts of the Spirit, prophetic words, fellowship, but without a deep understanding of the God revealed to us through the bible, we wont grow and understand Him as we should.  I know many people who were once excitedly running the race with Jesus, who have given up, fallen away or simply abandoned the faith altogether. 

In the long run, our lives in relationship with Jesus, must “go deeper” and I don’t know how to do this without growing deeper in our relationship with God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.  It will keep us in relationship, and “in check” helping to see truth from error.

So, in wanting to be a Word and Spirit Church, which sounds great on the outside, we will be tested on this, and no more than when God increases His activity.  

In the passage I have chosen to look at this week, Paul confronts the Corinthian church, as a church Father, and someone who deeply loves his converts.  In many ways I might entitle it Pauls letter to Charismatics, those that have experienced and continue to experience the power of the age to come, the Holy Spirit.

He is I suppose you might say, trying to remove the cancer from his patient whilst at the same time not wanting to kill him/her.   Corinth was a capitalist city in Greece, a trading city, cosmopolitan, and a success story in the Roman Empire.  Paul planted the church, not with a grandiose vision, but under the instructions of the Spirit, “with fear and trembling”. 

The church was a success, planted not with “wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”. 

1 Corinthians 2:4

We are longing for this to be the case in the UK again, but let’s see one or two of the problems the Corinthian church encountered that Paul had to correct.  Let me say, I don’t have time to go through all the problems, but suffice it to say, it was a lot!

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.

1 Corinthians 1:26

The Corinthians saw themselves as super spiritual.  They had received the gift of “speaking in the tongues of angels” (1 Corinthians 13) and had in their midst healing, miracles and prophecies.  The church was growing numerically, “Super Apostles” had come to help lead them, people of status, eloquent in preaching, What could be wrong with all this you might think, especially as the church was growing. 

One word might sum up their principle sin – PRIDE.  Pride in their own accomplishments, pride in their Spirituality, and pride in their church. 

They were now a people of status, and so Paul reminded them that they were chosen not because of themselves, but God chose the lowly, and the despised so no one may boast before Him.  Here’s what the Apostle Peter has to say about this word pride: –

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

1 Peter 5:5-6

It means God will actually resist us, His church, if we are proud!!

Here, in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, is the heart of the Gospel, that no man/ no woman may boast before Him. 

If you ever hear churches or preachers boasting, their church has some edge on other churches, theirs is more spiritual, the elite force for God – run a mile – its pride.  Pride is always a hinderance, and a sin easy for any of us to take on. 

Examine your own heart and repent wherever you see it.  It’s a Spirituality killer.  We are to humble ourselves before God, consider others better than ourselves, and as a church in the city look out at other churches with this mindset. 

I remember listening to the late Derek Prince recently, being interviewed at the end of his life.  He was a Greek scholar, and a fellow at Cambridge, as he served in the British Army as a corporal in North Africa in the second world war.  He had time on his hands so decided to read the bible cover to cover.  This was a man that had read all the classical works of Aristotle and Plato for example, schooled in ancient Greek.  Derek said that as he read the bible, unlike any piece of literature he had ever read, it began to read Him.  He began to see himself, differently, in the presence of a Holy God, and this led to his conversion.  The reason I mention him, is because at least initially, he felt that maybe God had chosen him because of his erudite mind, skilled in philosophy and Greek.  As the months and years passed, he came to the realisation that it was a miracle that God saved him at all.  He became more aware of his own inadequacies, insufficiencies, or as the bible would say – his own sinfulness.

This is true for all of us, we are the “foolish things,” and God will use us, in spite of us, because it brings Him glory.  It’s all about Him.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

This week, I thought I would be brazen and take the words written and redacted by Jon Dinovo, who interviewed me for his blog. Its a recorded interview thats been transcribed. Those of you attending our church will know Jon, and we have his testimony and baptism this week on our YouTube site. (Here is Jon’s blog – https://nftt.substack.com )

Here’s his interview with me and hope you like my answers!

Can you tell us about your journey to faith and ministry?

I was raised a Catholic and went to church every Sunday until I was 18 really… my dad would go through the liturgy, it was one of the ways that I learned to read. I went to a Catholic school… and every now and then God would speak. I had no understanding that God spoke. I would never have put it down to that. But he would speak. So, in Catholic liturgy or before communion, or the Eucharist, [they] would say

“I’m not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

I remember as a young boy just crying as that was said. I knew I wasn’t worthy. And of course, now I know that was an experience of repentance from the Holy Spirit.

Another time, during Holy Communion, I’d have been 7 years old, my parents gave me a very simple word on sort of a cardboard cutout, that I’ve still got, taken from an older hymn…

Lord when my heart is tender, I would yield that heart to thee, thine and only thine surrender, all my heart to thee.”

Some words akin to that. And God asked me for my life at 7 years of age.

So, there was something about growing up, something of the Presence, something of the Holy Spirit abounding in Christianity… that held me. It wasn’t just rules and regulations. I think there was an inner understanding of [the Spirit] in my life.

And when I got to the age of 19 I was in university. I pretty much dismissed Christianity as so many young people do. And my sister took me to listen to an evangelist (Colin Urqhuart) and I listened. And he said, “If you want the Holy Spirit, raise your hands.” simple!

I lifted my hands up and said, “Lord, I’d like your Holy Spirit.” And He answered that prayer and filled me with His Holy Spirit and pretty radically changed me.

And then really the growth of my spirituality all came from John Wimber. I was given Signs and Wonders and Church Growth… listening to those tapes (if you know what these are!) and… that changed my life. That was growing up, that was my conversion experience and calling to ministry. I thought “What else do I want to do with my life?” There was nothing else, really, that I wanted to do other than become a church pastor and church plant. I knew almost nothing but I knew that was what I wanted to do.

How did VitaChurch come to be?

We’ve only been VitaChurch for a year *chuckles*. We’ve rebranded.
We were in the Vineyard. I’ve been in the Vineyard for over 30 years.
I believe fundamentally it’s vital that Christians find themselves in fellowship in churches where they can do what Acts 2 says. You can receive the Apostles’ teaching, which is to teach the Bible, you fellowship together and love each other, you worship together, occasionally you fast and pray together, you break bread, you are able to share the message of what you believe, and church [is] always alive. It should be a place where God speaks and where there’s revelation, where there’s truth, and where there’s grace.

We call it “VitaChurch” because… [it’s] the word for “life”.

Jesus said, “I’ve come to bring life and life in its fullness.”

John 10:10

Nothing’s really changed… [be]coming non-denominational isn’t something I would’ve imagined or wanted to do but it’s freeing for the church, for me, and we are very much dependent on the Holy Spirit, what He wants to do. And just be[ing] with Him and say[ing], “Lord [with] these years do what you want. Here we are, You can do what You want.”
VitaChurch, that’s us.

What does a typical Sunday at Vita look like?

I think if there is a typical Sunday… our expectation is a mixture of fellowshipping, teaching, worship, and interaction with the Holy Spirit.
For me, if you ask, “What’s a good church?” it’s what the Presence is like on Sunday. What’s God done? Who’s He spoken to? Who’s He touched? Who’s He moved?

The things that I can’t do, I co-work with God [in]. I want God to be involved, I want Him to be Lord. I want Him to save people, heal people. But I also want Him to manifestly touch people so that they’re aware of His manifest Presence.
And that’s a good church for me. That God’s doing the stuff I can’t do.

How does Vita engage with the city?

It’s kind of organic. It’s the people in the church, it’s what they do. They are the church.
I suppose the most prominent [outreaches] will be healing rooms, which is going into Costa Coffee, three different locations, and praying for people, praying for all comers, anyone who wants prayer.

The other one will be just doing it on the streets with Prayer Chair. Prayer Chair is what it says. It’s simple, we put some chairs out and some boards and offer anybody prayer.

We do a monthly meal for the homeless and disadvantaged, those that are not able to find accommodation… It’s kind of a community meal, maybe fifty, sixty, but a really well-cooked community meal.

What’s Brighton like? And what’s it like leading a church in this city?

I suppose you’d say… “the great city of Brighton” as Nineveh was recorded “the great city of Nineveh” by Jonah. That’s how God spoke about the city so that’s how I try and see Brighton.
We are certainly a Post-Christian culture but we still have memory of the Christian culture [before]. Particularly where mercy, kindness to others, social care- these kind of things- are built into our culture and seen as automatic, although they’re not automatic.

It’s a city of maybe 300,000 people of which 1 to 2% would go to church. There will be a lot of people in our city who know almost nothing about Jesus.

Pastoring a church means that when people… meet Jesus… you can have no assumptions. So, I think for my part, getting the Gospel right at the beginning is very important. That people understand what it is they’re getting into. They’re getting into a Jesus where there’s no idolatry (you cant serve other God’s) and a God who suffered and died on the cross and says to us,

“Deny yourself, taking up your cross daily, and follow me.” That’s the message to our culture.

Luke 9:23

I’m ashamed, really, with many churches. We want to embrace the culture and speak to it in a way that Jesus didn’t.

And we need, more than anything else, the help of the Holy Spirit. We need the presence of God, we need His mercy. People don’t need a cerebral answer to their apologetic questions. They need to experience and taste and see that God is good. And they need to see Christians who are living out the life.

You know my Catholic, pietistic past, you live the life, you do what it says on the tin, and the rest of it is, ……

“We’re just loose change in God’s pocket and He can use us as He wants to”.

But there’s no question with living in a city particularly like this, it’s a very artistic city and it’s a city where anything goes. It’s a city where there’s no judgment on almost anything, which means that you have a very screwed-up city. It’s a city that, as my police brother would say, is hurting. Underneath… there’s a great deal of pain and hurt. The police are our social “garbage cleaners” making sure we don’t see the suicides, the drugs overdoses, etc, that are a daily occurrence in our city.

It’s the prayer of my life really that God will reach people in that and [that] the Church can reveal to people just how amazing Jesus is.

How would you describe the role and perception of the Church in modern-day England?

Because we have a state church- called the Anglican Church, the Queen is its head, started after King Henry VIII wanted to commit adultery with Anne Boleyn- there’s a lot of pageantry, there’s a lot of status… and I think, by and large, that’s how the Church, generally speaking, is seen… Other than that… the Church is fairly dismissed by most people. I don’t think they think about it. I don’t think it’s invasive enough in their li[ves]. Other than, strangely, when people have kids they often want the children to have some morality or go to to a Catholic or Anglican school or primary school or something, but, generally speaking, I don’t think the Church has much of a voice that anybody in our culture is interested in listening to.

How would you describe the person and the work of the Holy Spirit?

I think I’d say firstly that the Holy Spirit is a person. He’s the third person of the Godhead and He’s, as far as we’re concerned, on planet Earth, living here, and [He’s] the person of God that we are to know and to live in and through.
So, He’s called “the Paraclete” and “the Comforter”. We’re not left as orphans. He’s here to convict of sin and righteousness. He brings life.

So, He’s someone who is a person that we’re to get to know much better. Without His empowering presence, without His nearness and closeness, I would say the Church becomes ever more lost. We need to hear His voice. We need to hear the voice of our God. We need the direction that comes from our God. We need to submit to Him. And He is the ruler and boss and lord of all.

So I would say the Holy Spirit is essential to everything, and when He moves, the Kingdom of God advances, people come to Christ, people are set free from demonic influences, people see healings. When the Holy Spirit moves, everything will work. It may come in the midst of persecution, it may come in the midst of difficulty- even wars- but when the Holy Spirit decides He is going to move then we see the Church alight and on fire.

And so we need to be people of the Presence. In Acts 11, Barnabas was sent up to Syrian Antioch, and I think the wonderful thing about Barnabas- who was a man full of the Spirit, full of faith- wasn’t that he was some kind of cerebral churchman from headquarters who had no idea. Rather he could join in with what God was doing. And if we get to know the Holy Spirit, we can join in with whatever the Father’s doing, wherever He’s doing it, because we can co-work with Him.

And we can only co-work with Him if we can hear His voice and if we know and can walk in His Presence.

I’ve just come back from marrying a couple in Puglia, Italy.  I love performing weddings, but have found over years, that extra vigilance is required where names and liturgy meet each other!  It was a beautiful afternoon, the sun came out after some rain, its in Italy of course, and something of God`s favour and presence fell on the proceedings. I loved taking the ceremony and seeing the love in the newly married couple.

The marriage ceremony is a beautiful rendition of all that is good about marriage – “ a gift of God in creation,” “ a means of His grace,” and something birthed not from earthly human traditions, but given to us and designed into the fabric of our DNA. It’s the way men and women are to live together, and referred to us by Jesus Himself. The liturgy reads “the way of life created and hallowed by God”. 

It’s a wonderful gift to a preacher to expound marriage, the commitment of two people till “death us do part,” and the help that will positively be required in it from Jesus Himself.  I loved explaining to the fifty or so adults present, why we do this and where it comes from.   All marriages have readings and this one used the well-known reading from 1 Corinthians, the glorious section on love, written by a converted murderer, now apostle and follower of Jesus. 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. 

1 Corinthians 13

These must be some of the most beautiful words ever written on love.  Some years ago, a then young man from our church Ben, went out on to the streets of Brighton to ask some questions about life.  The kind of questions you will have heard answered before : – “what happens when you die?”  “Do you believe in God?”  (It’s still on our YouTube site if you want to take a look). 

(150) VitaChurch Street Interviews in Brighton UK – YouTube

One of the questions was, “what will make the world a better place?”.  Here there was unanimous agreement – “love one another”.  The golden rule of scripture – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  If we aren’t sure what love means, then the Apostle Paul expounds its meaning leaving us in no doubt. 

People, everyday people, are in no doubt at all, but of course loving one another leads us to the ultimate paradox of life.  We want to do it, we want to love as Paul teaches us, but we can’t, and here reality meets the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good news for every human being that has ever tried to better themselves or be kinder, more patient more forgiving.  Trying very hard wont do it – it doesn’t work.  If it did we would have no wars, no animosity in families, no problems in churches, no prisons, no police and so on!  

The problem we all have is our inherent sinfulness.  Our simple inability to put into practice that which we understand and would like to put into practice.  As a preacher at a wedding, to many who would not claim to be Christians, it’s a joy to explain that Jesus wants to be a part of marriage, a part of our life, and that its His love, His goodness, His forgiveness that will sustain it, and not our own.  His resource is unlimited, His living water if you will, and that if we live dependent on that, then like Mary at the wedding feast of Cana, when we need Him too, He can step into our inadequacy and provide for us.  Any other rendition of these words makes no sense, just poetry and platitudes to be remembered fondly, but no help whatsoever in life or marriage.

So for all of us, as we go through life, Jesus hasn’t moved, and as we move forward in the Christian life, so often we have to dig deeper.  If you are struggling with any area of life, Jesus is there to meet you.  Sometimes I imagine hugging Him, or the Holy Spirit, and that in the midst of my pain and difficulty He is the one to replenish me, fill me once more with His Spirit and sustain me.  If you are feeling life is getting on top of you, your resource is running low then thank God. 

You are not meant to live life using just your own human resources. 

Your resources and emotional strength are always going to run out! Come to Him once more, the one who promises “living water” and accept the bread of life from the giver and author of Life.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

We are continuing to pray for peace, and peacemakers. The Kingdom of God rules supreme, and and so lets keep up our prayers, and our eyes fixed on the author and perfector of our faith Jesus Christ. In particular the Christians living in the midst of this war, and those on both sides of the conflict.

Nowhere does scripture speak more powerfully to individuals, than on the subject of love, lets pray the masters words penetrate deeply into this conflict, and that peace comes ASAP.

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To those of us brought up in liturgical churches, (which will be many of us), then you will be familiar with the Nicene Creed. It was formulated to bring together core Christian beliefs, a few short years after Christianity for the first time became a “religio licita” (licensed religion) in the Roman Empire. (325 AD) Bishops came from across the empire, east and west, for this ecumenical council in Nicaea, present day Turkey.

It was written at a time the church was facing challenges on the nature of Jesus Himself, and the trinity, and has stood the test of time. It contains details of some of the fundamental truths, you might say dogma of the church. Dogma simply means some of our core Christian beliefs, revealed to us by divine inspiration. Christianity and all we believe about God and the nature of God, has been revealed to us, and so you might say that Christianity is a revealed religion. All true Christians believe these dogma’s, for example that there has never been a time that Jesus didn’t exist, the world was made through Him, and that He is coming back to judge the living and the dead.

I have been frankly amazed in recent years to witness an apostacy in the western church, (it means a direct turning away from revealed truth) as it has moved away from many core held Christian beliefs. It seems to believe that in doing so, God the Holy Spirit wont mind, and will continue to honour the church with His presence! I don’t think anything can be further from the truth and I think He does mind. God’s presence will not honour those that do not honour Him. He is Holy –

I think one of the reasons or at least part of the reason we are seeing this apostacy, is that the charismatic parts of the church have consistently over decades not taught the bible, and today “chickens are as they say are coming home to roost”. If you have been attending our church for any length of time then you will know and understand its emphasis on both the word of God (teaching the bible) and the Spirit, you might say the Kingdom of God.

Today the church still faces multiple challenges on its orthodoxy and teaching: Is Jesus the only God and the only way to God the Father for salvation for example, or our belief in final accountability and judgement resulting in heaven or hell. There are many more. Its hardly surprising then, that more Christians have been martyred for their faith in the 20th century, than all the previous 1900 years put together.

In the future, we will occasionally begin to recite these beliefs on a Sunday, knowing that an academic understanding of them cannot save us. They must penetrate our hearts, and so strengthen our faith.

Here is the Nicene Creed: –

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
Maker of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one substance
of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

In conclusion for this week, I spent an hour in conversation with two good friends of mine.

If you enjoy theology, here I am in conversation with two brilliant theologians and elder statesman / church Fathers. A real privilege for me.

Atonement and the Kingdom :. | A conversation with Rick Williams, Hans Sundberg and Chris Simmons | – YouTube

Have a wonderful week everyone, and lets all continue to pray for peace in Ukraine.

God Bless you one and all

Chris

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday service, accompanied by the strong presence of God in the room with us all.  As Lloyd introduced the service, there was an immediacy to the presence of God, a suddenness, as He drew close to us.  Sometimes I get asked, what makes a good church service for you.  All sorts of answers can come back, numbers of people, fellowship, the teaching / preaching, but really high up is the presence of God.  A great Sunday for me is the presence of God in the room with us.  I know if His presence is there, then so can be His works, and that He is with us.

I suppose I might say in doing church I want to co-work with God, that is God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.  He promises to be with us, and in being with us He does what He always does,

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Luke 4

One of our number reminded me recently of an evening service we did many years ago.  She was suffering terribly and in excruciating constant pain with fibromyalgia.   She “ummed” and “arred” about coming forward for prayer, but the pain made the decision for her.  She said that as hands were laid on her, she felt the sensation of being loved deep inside, and felt then she had been healed.  In subsequent years this has proven to be the case and it has gone.  God is good isn’t he. This is Jesus doing what He always does, He is a healer. I love these moments and want more.  I never get tired of Jesus being Jesus in our midst, and I always have high expectations of Him.

 In speaking these words from the prophet Isaiah, Jesus was inaugurating the Kingdom of God, where His works were to be much more prevalent.  In fact, the numbers of works rose exponentially in Jesus’ ministry.  Our expectation must be for these works to continue in our midst, and that the news we have and know is indeed Good News. His presence with us, is His love, His power, His personality, His leadership, His Goodness, His everything.  The presence of God is God, a simple statement, but we mustn’t forget who it is that is in our midst, and that He is to be worshipped and glorified as God.

In demonstrating His Kingdom, Jesus was pointing to Himself, they validated Him as God’s Son.  In doing these incredible works, Jesus was showing God’s compassion, and that now is the time to set the prisoners free.  You could today be living somewhere at her majesty’s pleasure but be completely free.  On the other hand, you might be living the western life, a life seemingly from the outside looking like you have it all, but a life lived as a prisoner.  The freedom Jesus offers us all is a freedom that comes from having Him :

 ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Romans 5

God’s love is forever inextricably linked to His personality, and that “whilst we were yet sinners, He died for us”.  The world I don’t have to tell you is in turmoil, with wars and rumours of wars, earthquakes in various regions.  It has always been thus.  Our Kingdom however, the one we belong to, is both here now and present, and also to come in the future.  It is everlasting. 

So as we walk away from the celebration of victory at Easter, the presence of God tangibly in our midst at church, that we can walk in this presence each day, we can co-work with God each day, and that through it all we can live in love, as God’s love lives in us.  This is authentic Christianity, a religion lived through the person of Christ, a religion where we are thirsty for God, thirsty for more relationship, and one swimming with Him and not us.  Have a great week one and all.

Acts ten and eleven describes the incredible impetus of the Spirit,

driving the church forward under the grace of God.  How we need this grace in our churches, when all seem effortless as the church grows. 

We need to know the Gospel Jesus preached, the things He taught, the example of how He lived.  We are to follow His example and through the work of the Spirit, become like Him.

The Gospels are called the Gospels because when we read them, we are hearing the Gospel.  This may sound blindingly obvious, but we have misrepresented this word many times in the western church, and diminished its meaning to just a call to come and get saved and your sins forgiven. When we hear the word Gospel, train your mind to include not just the call to salvation, but also Jesus’ birth death resurrection and now Him being judge of the living and the dead.

In the Gospels we find Jesus preaching these words:

“The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent therefore and believe the good news” (Mark 1)

These words need unpacking to us, but to the first century Jews, waiting for the Kingdom to come, they were welcome words.  Jesus not only spoke out these words, saying in other words this Kingdom is accessible and can be touched by all of you, but demonstrated it with healing and miracles. 

The Kingdom of God is here now, inaugurated in and through Jesus. It was, and still is visible, and wherever it is visible, sick people are healed and people “sell out” their lives to follow Jesus.  This Kingdom, and its commanding rule over sickness and demons for example, is absolutely inextricably linked to the third person of the trinity the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 12:28)

This week I want to focus on Jesus’ own words stating, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me”.  In Acts 10 as in Peter’s first sermon after Pentecost, all his preaching is as a signpost to Jesus the Messiah, now King of the earth, universe, whales, butterflies and everything. 

We might say Jesus pointed to Himself; the apostles all point to Jesus.

So, one of the most remarkable passages in Acts 10 and 11, is that the angel said to Cornelius “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God”.  In other words, in a kind of wow of wows, God listens to the prayers of non-Christians. Its what He does with those prayers is what I want to share this week.

I remember about seven years ago, attending Christmas Catholic mass with my family.  In some ways, much of the Catholic liturgy I grew up with, is a comforting reminder of the word of God, the rock on which I stand. 

Anyway, we were near the front of a quite large church building, and this priest loved incense.  If he shook the incense holder once, he shook it a hundred times, until the all the front rows were covered in a thick smog of smoke!  Our young daughter, (two at the time) was too young, so we took her outside, into a beautiful crisp winter’s day in Leamington.  It was too good to miss, so we walked into the Jephson Gardens, enjoying the sunshine and life felt very good. 

It was then I noticed a solitary figure standing a short distance from us, and the familiar voice of the Holy Spirit spoke to me saying “go speak to him”.  I did as commanded, and introduced myself, and said that although this may appear strange, God had asked me to come speak to Him, and that I have some words for him.  He was a humble older man and accepted my invitation. 

I told him that he was someone who was seeking after God and pursuing him, and that God wanted to acknowledge his prayers.  He said that this was true, and for the last twenty years, he had attended his temple every day, knew there was a God, but had never felt His presence or encountered Him.  I told him I was a follower of Jesus, spoke about Jesus, and said that if he would pray to Jesus, and ask Jesus, that he would have the encounter with God he craved.  I then left it with him and have prayed for him ever since.

So, after much preamble, one of the take away’s for all of us from Acts chapters 10 and 11,  is that in hearing the prayers of the unsaved, Jesus sends people like you and me to witness the Good News of Jesus to them. 

He doesn’t send angels; He sends the likes of you and me.

Many of us know Godfearing people in other religions, neighbours maybe who honour God, worshipping with the glimpse of light they have.  We are there to be witnesses, and after my encounter in the Jephson Gardens a few years ago, I was left in no doubt that if you want to know the Father, you have to come through His son Jesus – -He is the way the truth and the life. So never be afraid to “step up” and share your faith, its what we are called to do, and its wonderful Good news to those that receive it.

Have a wonderful week, as we continue to pray as peacemakers for the terrible war in Ukraine.

We are taking a look at Acts chapter 10; the story of Cornelius and his household/friends all receiving the Gospel and being filled with the Holy Spirit. It stunned Peter and his friends, that these people had received the Holy Spirit, exactly as they had, with no need for any Jewish religious rituals! 

The highlighted message to Peter through all this, and to us was

“not to call anyone unclean”. 

In this case one of his oppressors, in this case a Roman Centurion.  These ranking soldiers formed the backbone of the Roman Army and were used to keep the “Pax Romana” of the empire, as much as fight to defend it.

Its an incredible story and reminds us that God can do anything to anyone anywhere as He pleases. We often want to demonise people, even whole nations, but as Corrie Ten Boom found out, God can save anyone, and in her case one of her oppressors, a Nazi guard at the concentration camp that killed her sister.

This must be us, as we meet people of different political persuasions, nationalities, religious faiths and so on.  Our hope is like that of Peter, that God will not only bless our enemies, but convert them.  This is the power of the Gospel, and the Gospel that has been so effective all around the world.  Here, just a few people are sent out by Jesus, and who could have imagined how it could have taken hold, across tribes and nations and people groups all around the world.

Here are the salient points from Peter’s preach to Cornelius

1. God doesn’t show favouritism.      
2. The story of Jesus – His baptism in the Jordan, His doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil. (as recorded in the Gospels)
3. He was crucified.
4. God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses to His resurrection.
5. We are commanded to preach this to all peoples.
6. Jesus is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
7. All the prophets testify that that everyone who believes in Him, receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

This is the Gospel of God, the words that have changed countless billions of lives over many generations.  “This world” as the apostle Paul states, “is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31), but “the word of the Lord stands forever”.  (1 Peter 1:25).  The seventh in the list is the one recovered by Martin Luther in the early 16^th century – that to believe is to be saved, not by means of works of the law, but by “faith in Jesus Christ”.  (Galatians 2:15).  The epi centre of the Gospel is that believing and surrendering to Him, we receive forgiveness of sins.

The Gospel is great news, and even as we see a world tearing itself apart, always in turmoil, we know that Jesus and His Kingdom last forever.  God has stepped down from heaven to rescue us, we haven’t had to go looking for Him.  If you are saved, it’s because He chose you.

This great salvation however is wasted on us if we don’t look like him.  The reason the Gospel Peter preached contains the words and works of Jesus, is because we are required to look like Him.  This can happen in multitudinous ways, as we practice hospitality, serving others, looking out for others, and being mindful that the world around us doesn’t revolve around us, but Him. So, let’s build a church that does the words and works of Jesus, and looks like him, as we serve each other and those around us.

Ukraine crises and our giving

In the coming days my friend Christy Smith (the pastor of Elim Church Brighton), is flying to Poland to coordinate a relief effort from the UK to help some of the churches there.  I would like you to consider making a donation towards the relief efforts, all of whose monies will be used directly to provide relief aid, and none for the bureaucracy, flights in and from the UK etc.

You can donate using the donate button on our email notices, or from our website. Please make it clear it is for the Ukraine Crises.  We will keep you updated and ask Christy for some updates on what is happening and where the monies will be going to.  It’s another awful week for humanity, but we can help make a difference, so please be as generous as you can.

That’s all for this week, and I know you will be joining us all as we pray for the peoples of both Ukraine and Russia.

I love the verses in the bible that speak to us of having been chosen eons before we were even born or the world created, – –  clear verses like these from Ephesians chapter one

⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he^[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship^[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves”.

These are verses that we can recite and even add our own name, For He chose Chris Simmons in Him before the creation o f the world and so on.  These verses of scripture inform us of God’s sovereignty and majesty, and that we belong to Him, not through virtue of our own works, but through the virtue of His choice.  He came down from heaven to recue us, not the other way around, and this is the glorious Gospel I love to preach.

In speaking of choices though, the bible again and again reveals how we must also make choices for Him.  Here is a verse from Revelation 3:20

²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Incredibly, Jesus is locked out of His own church, a church that I have to say sounds incredibly similar to the western church we live in.  Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the judge and ruler of all the earth, wants the church and its people to choose Him.  It tells us, in line with many other verses throughout the bible, that we have been given free will and God’s desire is relationship, where we willingly choose Him. It’s a reciprocal relationship of love.  The Holy Spirit is here to help with all the choices we make for Jesus, and we couldn’t desire a more perfect and beautiful Saviour.

Here are three more choices from scripture:

1. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.  Matthew 16:24
   
   
2. ²⁹ 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”.  Matthew 11:29
   
   
3. not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

All of these simple verses speak of choices we can make.  If you remember, Jesus was astonished at the faith of the centurion whose beloved servant was sick. The centurion stated he wasn’t worthy of having Jesus come into his home.  Instead, he understood that as a man under authority Himself Jesus had only to say the word and his servant would be healed.  We too have to learn that we are under the authority of our King, not a King that Lords it over us, but one who is gentle and humble in heart.   

The gift of life we have been given isn’t to be wasted, and we have to learn through the Holy Spirit to cooperate with Him, learning to hear His voice, and making right choices where there are often only two to be made.

Have a wonderful week everyone

The tremendous promise to us as Christians is that we can know God.  I always find this awe inspiring, that I Chris Simmons, can know the God who made me, and build a relationship with Him. This week, I have chosen a Psalm of King David, to help us as we walk with God, and look ahead this year and beyond.  Its beautiful poetry, to be sung of course, and written at time of personal difficulty in David’s life.  David’s life was fraught with difficulties, and which one of the many difficulties he is describing below, I don’t know.

In the last couple of years, during lockdown, I lost count of the numbers of people, emailing me favourably on my talks.  I think in teaching books of the bible online during this period, the words impacted more because of the trial we were all going through. (I am not sure my preaching significantly improved!)  I think this is true in life, and true in David’s life.  This isn’t the musings of a poet looking at daffodils (as much as I love Wordsworth), but someone honestly writing to his God.

Here it starts , and we will look at the first few verses,

¹ In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.

² I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
³ No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.

⁴ Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.
⁶ Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.

Here are four simple take away’s to help us in our walk with God:

1.  He places his trust in God.  We might call it dependency and sets us a great example for living our own lives.  We can depend on our own gifting, strengths, finances etc, or on Him.   Like David let’s trust Him.  This dependency is how we walk with Jesus, year after year.  
   
   
2. David is a constant learner,  – “show me your ways Oh Lord”.  He wants to know God’s ways, he is humble, transparent before God, and in the midst of difficulty hungry to know more about God.  He is described as a man after God’s own heart, and its easy to see why in reading the first few verses of this Psalm.  It’s an example for us to follow, and indeed with the help of the Holy Spirit an example we can follow.  In contrast to his predecessor Saul, David is secure in his relationship with God, and so God is able to build character into him.
   
   
3. David knows he’s a sinner, and knows that he is forgiven.  He knows how to repent.  We have to be the same, knowing that He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins when we confess them to Him.  David is transparent before God, he doesn’t hide, he is honest.  He is a great example for us to follow, knowing that our honesty before God, leads us into a deeper more David like relationship with him.
   
   
4. I think David understood God’s power.  In 1 Samuel 16 he is anointed by Samuel, and from that time on, the anointing of God falls on him.  This is no different to King Saul, but the difference is David’s character.  He knows God is powerful and mighty to save, he trusts him, and can say “In you Lord have I put my trust”.  Saul could never quite do this, he always hung back.  He liked being King, the acclaim of people, but he never took time to get to know God, and know that He can be trusted! 
   
   We need to know and must know, that when you handed over your life to Jesus, He can be trusted to look after you.

Just a few simple take away’s this week.

Have a wonderful week everyone, and do contact myself or the church office if you need help or have questions.

I want to start this year, as in previous years, with a couple of days of prayer and fasting. God has made many promises to us, and the New Year is a good time to take stock of those promises and to continue to pray them into fulfilment.

It has become a more regular spiritual discipline in our church, and one that I have spoken of, and written about several times in the last few years.  I have discovered that this simple spiritual practice is able to help bring me nearer to God and so, “He has come nearer to me”.  (James 4).  I remember many years ago Paul Cain saying that you are as close to God as you want to be, and in large part I agree with that statement.

I /we are not fasting to twist Gods arm, or because we will earn spiritual brownie points.  No, we are fasting simply because it helps us draw nearer to Him who is the source of our life. As we pray and wait patiently for the Lord, (Psalm 37), we are remaining connected to the vine, (John 15) and its from Him and only from Him that we draw life and bear fruit.  Time spent praying and fasting may seem wasteful to the world, but its the time we are expectant God will step into our situation and act.  It helps us become sheep “that can hear His voice” (John 10) and the anointing on our lives can increase. 

I love the apostle Paul’s boasting

in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. In complete contrast to the super apostles, those leading the Corinthians astray and wanting status and power, he was able to say to them “If I must boast, I will boast of my weaknesses”. A staggering boast still today in our world, but no less so to the church he founded in capitalist cosmopolitan Corinth. Let me say that fasting will make you feel weak, but as your physical body is weakened, so your Spirit with the Holy Spirit will rise up.

I would like us to pray and fast not only for our own church but the churches and leaders in the city. In regard to our own church that we become a significant light on the hill, and that the “will of God be done,” in us and through us. I would like us to pray for the awakening we believe is coming, one that will add “to our number daily those being saved”. 

Most of all that we all grow as a fellowship of believers into spiritual maturity “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”.
(Ephesians 4)

In regards to fasting, it may mean skipping a main meal, it might mean skipping food for a day.   If you aren’t able to fast, but can pray that’s great too.  Everything with Jesus is from the heart, and He encourages us not only to fast, but also to do it in secret,  so always we are doing this before our Father in heaven.  

Please don’t be giving up food if you have any medical problems, or on any prescription medicines.  Consult your doctor first.

I will be praying and fasting next week on Tuesday and Wednesday the 18th and 19th Jan.  If you are free please do call into our offices on Holland Road to join me in prayer.  The offices will be open until 5pm.

If you’d like more information on fasting please do contact me and I will email you some more information.

Blessings
Chris