The Holy Spirit Generously Given

Posted on May 25, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

It is easy to seek the gifts of the Spirit and at the same time feel that it is unlikely that God will really bless us and equip us. We tend to feel that we have to be more spiritual than we are or sometimes we say that we just do not have the faith to believe that God would use me. The problem with much of our seeking the Spirit and his gifts is that we center on who we are and not who God is, when we do this we tend to see every reason why God would not use me,unbelief is a real hindrance.
We also resist the work of the Holy Spirit because of fear, what will he do to me? Will I become weird? do I want to loose control of my life? When we ask these type of questions we show that we don’t realise how good God is.
We need to step back and realise that what our God has given us in saving us from sin is good. I want to look briefly at an important passage that brings this out,Titus chapter 3

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Here we see the amazing gift of salvation, we were guilty sinners deserving the wrath of God but god comes in his mercy and saves us through the work of Jesus Christ. Notice how Paul stresses the love and kindness of God, he saves us because of his mercy he then goes onto to speak of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. There is no salvation if we have not been born again by the Spirit of God. Jesus has saved us through the washing and rebirth of the Holy Spirit, if we are in Christ then we have already tasted that God is good because we know from our new life in Christ that is good to know his love. Now notice that when the Holy Spirit is given, he is given generously. The word for generous here has also been translated, by these words, richly,abundantly,in full measure. all of these description show how much our Lord is willing to give the Holy Spirit to us.


We need to come with expectant hearts, knowing that our God will give us generously of His Holy Spirit. Jesus has told us that we need the Holy Spirit o live out the life he wants for us. Look carefully at John 14-16 and also his departing words to his disciples in Acts 1. When the Holy spirit came on the day of Pentecost he came with power to glorify Jesus. The Holy Spirit has not changed, he is still powerful, he still sheds the love of god into the hearts of believers. The Holy Spirit has come to enable us to pray and to live a life to the glory of God. Everything the Bible says about the Holy Spirit should make us desire to be full of the Spirit.
I am not saying that the Spirit filled life is an easy one, it is not but it is a fruitful one. We will be tempted and we will be involved in spiritual warfare but through the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit we will be equipped for the battle.
We want to see revival and there is only way to see revival come,that is through the work of the Holy Spirit, read the book of Acts and you will see what a Spirit filled church can do. Look at the fruit of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost 3000 people became believers and,

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This is fruit indeed, lives utterly transformed by the grace of God, the disciples proclaim the mighty works of God in the power of the Spirit and this is the result. The Church needs reviving in our day,we can’t manipulate it or manufacture it but we can be open to the Holy Spirit and all that he has for us.
Father through Jesus fill us anew with the Holy Spirit. Amen

Posted in Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Charismatic, Church, filled with the Spirit, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Pentecostal, Power, Revival, Word of God | 2 Comments

Pentecost: Church Tradition or a Lived Reality?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

On Pentecost Sunday millions of Christians will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early church. we gather and we pray,hear the word read and preached from and we sing our hymns and songs,but what does it all mean? Are we just celebrating an historical occasion that was very important for the foundation of the apostolic Church?

Perhaps we say that we are celebrating the empowering of the church for mission, in practical terms what does that mean?

But perhaps the biggest question is does Pentecost have any relevance to my daily living?

It might help us to look at one or two of the hymns and songs associated with Pentecost to answer my questions.Look at Charles Wesley’s prayer in this great hymn,

O Thou who camest from above,
The pure celestial fire to impart,
Kindle a flame of sacred love
Upon the mean altar of my heart.

There let it for Thy glory burn
With inextinguishable blaze,
[or, Unquenched, undimmed, in darkest days,]
And trembling to its source return,
In humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire
To work and speak and think for Thee;
Still let me guard the holy fire,
And still stir up Thy gift in me.

Ready for all Thy perfect will,
My acts of faith and love repeat,
Till death Thy endless mercies seal,
And make my sacrifice complete.

Here we see that Wesley really expected something to happen, he was looking to God the Holy spirit to work in his life, you can sing this hymn just as a religious act or you can sing it in a prayerful manner, expecting God to work in your life. I use this hymn because it is one that God has used to help me express my heart’s desire. If no other song is associated with my life, I hope this one will be. To sing this hymn is to make ourselves vulnerable before a loving and gracious God, being open to all that he has for us.

In Charismatic circles we may sing word like these,

Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me.

But what do we expect? we say that we are open to the Holy Spirit but are we really open?

The Holy Spirit is often feared by Christians because they fear that he will make them weird, the bible clearly shows us that the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to make us more like Jesus. Jesus as a man shows to us what a Spirit filled life can be like, a life of love and fruitfulness and a life that knows the presence and direction of Father God. When we look at Jesus, we see a wholesome life, the Holy Spirit wants to impart that same life to us. The Holy Spirit gives us both his fruit and his gifts to carry on the ministry of Jesus. Jesus himself taught this in John chapters 14 -16, read these chapter prayerfully and you will see that when we receive the Spirit, we will be equipped,changed and empowered to live a life for the glory of God. When we search the Scriptures with an open heart we will realise that we should welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, to do what he wants to do.

Sometimes we pray for Revival, we want to see large numbers coming into the kingdom but are we prepared to seek the empowering of the Holy Spirit and to walk in his ways. Revival will never come to a church that observes Pentecost in a religious way, it will come to those who are prepared to be open to him. Our hearts desire should be to see God glorified in the Church,this will only happen as we open ourselves to the Holy spirit and all he has for us.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

God Healed Me,God Saved Me, God Called Me: A Personal Testimony

Posted on May 23, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

I want to share with you some of the wonderful things that God has done in my life, this is written not to draw attention to myself, but to give God all the glory for what he has done.

God Healed Me: When I was 4 years old I started to have seizures, I was diagnosed as having epilepsy, the seizures got so bad that I was hospitalised. The Consultant told my parents that the outlook was not good, if I lived I would be permanently brain damaged, but the greater likelihood was that I would die. My mother shared this with a preacher who was visiting our Chapel. He said that he wanted to visit me and pray for me, which he did that afternoon. Immediately my condition started to improve, medication that would not work before started to work.

Soon after I was discharged from Hospital I had to visit the Hospital to see my consultant, who was totally nonplussed by my recovery, he asked me,

David what made you get better,

I replied “Jesus made me better”

His response was “who knows the boy might be right, we certainly did not do anything.”

I was known at the hospital, and my local doctor’s as the miracle boy!!

This was the start of a healing process, which would last many years. Through the seizures I lost all co-ordination between hand and brain. And for many years I could not write properly. Then when I was 12 years old I had a teacher at School called Mrs Leader one day she said to me “David if you and I work together,I am convinced that you will begin to write”, and that is what happened. I still have to take medication for epilepsy, but I sometimes feel that I should say grace before taking them simply because I am very conscious that they only started working when my heavenly Father made them work.

Teenage problems and rebellion:When I got into my teens and early twenties I found it hard because there were limitations on my life. I can’t drink any alcohol, I can’t drive  and I have to avoid strobe lighting. These restrictions made the life of a rebellious teenager difficult. so I was determined to find some outlet for my energy,I went to the library and started reading around all sorts of subjects to see what I could do. At the age of 15 I started reading about politics, and I knew that this was what I wanted to be involved in. In 1966 I joined the Liberal Party and became very active holding a number of posts,including that of Political Vice Chairman of Luton Young Liberals. I was involved in all the ferment that surrounded The New Left in those days. I thought that I would be involved in Politics for the rest of my life, but God had a very different idea!!

God’s Gracious Plan: I was in rebellion against the legalistic background I was raised in and only went to chapel to please my parents. I normally sat by myself and read a political book during the sermon, nobody realised what I was doing because the book was concealed behind my Bible. However one Sunday morning in 1969, I could not read my book because I was surrounded by people. So I had to listen to the sermon, I don’t remember what it was about but the thing that hit me was that the preacher had something in his life that I didn’t. I was convinced of my sinfulness and my need of a Saviour. On New years Eve 1969 I went to a service feeling depressed, our pastor preached from Psalm 118 on these words “Thou art my God, and I will praise thee” during that sermon I realised that God was my God,I was sure that Jesus had saved me and I left the service rejoicing in my God. I realise in looking back on it that this was the night I was baptised in the Holy Spirit.

God Called Me:I was also aware that as God called me into his kingdom,he was also calling me to preach his word. I liked the idea of being in the kingdom but I did not want to be a minister, I found all the objections I could, but for nearly a year every time I opened my Bible it would open on 2 Timothy 4 where Paul says this,

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

I remember clearly thinking I don’t want to do this but because he is the Lord I know he will have his way, so I started reading books on ministry. One of the books I read was Charles Bridges “The Christian Ministry”, one summer day I sat in our garden in Luton reading the section on the joy of ministry, the Lord opened my eyes to see that preaching the word can be a joyful occupation. sitting in that garden chair, I surrendered to the Lord’s will. from that point on my bible did not open on 2 Timothy 4. I then began asking the Lord to guide me forward.

The first thing he showed me was the false theology of the Gospel Standard Strict Baptists, he showed me clearly that hyper-Calvinism is not scriptural. At about the same time  I started to read books by Francis Schaeffer,my eyes were opened to the need for a Christian worldview. In 1972 I was able to contact Dick Keyes, who was then working in Ealing for L’Abri Fellowship, Dick was a great help to me and suggested that I spend some time at the English branch of L’Abri in Greatham. In September 1972 to I spent my first two weeks there, and I was really blessed through this, in fact I spent all work vacation time at Greatham until 1974. On June 10th 1974 I moved to Greatham to be a helper there for 3 months but the three month stretched into 9 months. At the end of the nine months the Lord clearly guided to apply to be a worker at the Swiss branch of L’Abri. I will never forget the day that I posted that application letter because when I returned from the Post Office, Ranald Macaulay greeted and asked me if I had posted my letter. I told Ranald that I had, and he said to me, “you will definitely being going out there, I have just received a letter from Swiss L’Abri saying can you send us a man”. this was to be the start of a big adventure.

A few weeks later I found myself in Switzerland, where I was told that they needed me to work in the French Branch, this was an extension of the Swiss branch. So I found myself living in Thollon-les- Memises in the French Alps, my role here was to tutor the students, lead discussions and lecture in Switzerland from time to time. In 1978 Judy Baumgart came as a student to French L’Abri, she then stayed on as a helper. I soon realised that this was a woman I wanted to get to know. to cut a long story short Judy, and I got married at Greatham on March 17th 1979.

In September 1979 we left L’Abri and returned to England, for Judy this was a new experience as she comes from Green Bay Wisconsin, she knew before we got married that I believed the Lord had called me to serve him in England, and she accepted that.

I started to apply to bible Colleges, but they all turned me down because I had a lack of qualifications. My friend Jerram Barrs, decided to write to London Bible College and ask them if they had done justice to my application. I was then offered an interview in July and was offered a place to start in September 1980. Through my time at LBC (now known as London School of Theology) I was finally prepared for ministry. I was ordained in June 1983 at Stanmore Baptist Church.

Since that time in various ways I have served the body of Christ, people often say to me, “You enjoy preaching don’t you” to which I always reply “yes”. When the Lord called me to ministry I realised the responsibility of preaching God’s word ( I still do ) but I did not know as I do now that serving the Lord is fulfilling, the calling I dreaded is now one of my greatest joys. I want to praise my God for all he has done. William Gadsby’s hymn sums it all up,

Immortal honors rest on Jesus’ head;
My God, my portion, and my Living Bread;
In Him I live, upon Him cast my care;
He saves from death, destruction, and despair.

He is my Refuge in each deep distress;
The Lord my strength and glorious righteousness;
Through floods and flames He leads me safely on,
And daily makes His sovereign goodness known.

My every need He richly will supply;
Nor will His mercy ever let me die;
In Him there dwells a treasure all divine,
And matchless grace has made that treasure mine.

O that my soul could love and praise Him more,
His beauties trace, His majesty adore;
Live near His heart, upon His bosom lean;
Obey His voice, and all His will esteem.

Amen and Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Otherness and Intimacy

Posted on May 22, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

It is very easy to drift to various extremes as we explore our relationship to God, The Biblical picture is of a great and loving God. How do we maintain both his awesome greatness and yet at the same time have a relationship which is intimate with him?             In the Seventies I heard Dr H R Rookmaaker say this,

If you can fit God in a box, he is not the God of the Bible.

This little sentence sum up the problem, there are no neat little formulas which can describe the God of the Bible. On the other hand one only has to read some of the major theologians struggle to express on paper their deep insights into the doctrine of God (see for instance Tom Torrance and Herman Bavinck}. Neither theology or formulas express the richness of God’s revelation of himself. Yet God has revealed himself supremely in Christ and the Holy Scriptures, as we look at Christ and his word, we are assured of the greatness of God and yet his tender and gracious love. Very often theologians talk of the need to stress both the imminence and transcendence of God and this surely is correct.

The danger of stressing the otherness of God: I remember in the early eighties attending a prayer meeting at a denominational head office in London, here the prayers were all addressed to the God who is wholly other, I felt that the prayers were addressed to a remote God. This is the problem whether it takes the form of Deism or of High Calvinism. It is rightly stressed that God is separate from the world but his acts in providence and grace do not take the place they should do. Deism reduces God to a cosmic watchmaker who leaves his universe to get on by itself. But a High Calvinism although confessing a belief in the God of Grace, so stresses the holiness of God that it causes fear. The seeker is told to wait for Christ to reveal himself to them, there is no free offer of the Gospel. Because of this many godly people are kept in spiritual bondage, doubts and fears are encouraged instead of a reliance on God’s gracious promises. I could go and list other problems but there is not space to do this now.

The danger of stressing our intimacy with God: In some circles God seems more like a pal than the Sovereign God of the Bible. When intimacy is overstressed God is used for our purposes. We expect God to provide what we want, we tell him what we want and then get down when it does not happen. It is easy to become overly familiar with God. Ironically this also leads to spiritual problems, this is because we get depressed when he does not do what we expect him to. We begin to believe that if only we had more faith god would have acted, we know that there can not be anything wrong with God therefore the fault must be ours. Over familiarity with God leads ironically to us looking more to ourselves than to the Lord.

The Biblical Picture: When we start searching the Scriptures we see that even when the awesome power of God is stressed, side by side with this is a stress on how God is concerned with every detail of the created order in an intimate way. Look for instance at the story of creation in Genesis, firstly we see God speaking the universe into being but when we look at the climax of creation,humankind, we see the stress on intimate relationship with God.

As we look through the pages of scripture we see that God is praised and loved for his awesome power and yet there is an expectation that God will speak and Act out of his loving kindness  (See Psalm 118 and 136 for example) Perhaps one of the most striking accounts is the commission of Isaiah in chapter six of his prophecy,

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

The prophet sees the Lord in all his holy splendour and he rightly feels undone, convicted of his sin and yet it is in this very context we see the Lord acting graciously towards Isaiah. Here we see true reverence of almighty God coupled with god pouring out his grace and love on the prophet.

One of the most remarkable passages about our Lord Jesus is found in Colossians 1

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

When we read this passage carefully we see that Jesus is the one who sustains all of creation, he is above all created being and is worthy of praise and worship. At the same time he is the saviour of the world who has reconciled us to the Father through his atoning death. This passage stresses both the otherness of god and his intimate relationship with us. We need to cling to this Biblical perspective and reflect this in our worship,prayer life and our walk with God. He is awesome, the transcendent one, yet he is the lover of my soul, who is closer than a brother. Perhaps the hymn writer gives us an example of all of this in these words

1 I’ve found a Friend; O such a Friend!
He loved me ere I knew Him;
He drew me with the cords of love,
And thus He bound me to Him;
And round my heart still closely twine
Those ties which naught can sever,
For I am His, and He is mine,
For ever and for ever.

2 I’ve found a Friend; O such a Friend!
He bled, He died to save me;
And not alone the gift of life,
But His own Self He gave me.
Naught that I have mine own I call,
I’ll hold it for the Giver;
My heart, my strength, my life, my all
Are His, and His for ever.

3 I’ve found a Friend; O such a Friend!
All power to Him is given,
To guard me on my onward course,
And bring me safe to heaven:
Eternal glories gleam afar,
To nerve my faint endeavor;
So now to watch, to work, to war;
And then to rest forever.

4 I’ve found a Friend; O such a Friend,
So kind and true and tender!
So wise a Counsellor and Guide,
So mighty a Defender!
From Him who loves me now so well
What power my soul shall sever?
Shall life or death, shall earth or hell?
No: I am His forever.

Amen. (James Small 1866)

Posted in body of Christ, Charismatic, Church, faith, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Power, Theology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lord Is My Safe Place: Psalm 27

Posted on May 21, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

When we look at Psalm 27, we find it contains the antidote to fear, I want to share with you a few thoughts from this Psalm.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

The Psalmist starts with his confidence in the God of saving Grace, god has shed the light of his grace upon him and because of this he cries out “whom shall I fear?”  His confidence is placed in God, not in anything that man has done.

He underlines this by saying that the Lord is the stronghold of his life, just think about this for a moment, imagine the greatest fortification you have ever seen, somewhere impregnable. When you have done this you have not even seen a fraction of the power of God being a stronghold, God is almighty and we can see here that God@s omnipotence is our hiding place. The whole of the scripture make it clear that nothing can overcome the omnipotent power of God, this should give us a clear assurance that if God is for us nothing can separate us from the love of God.

2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.

The Psalmist realises that whoever and whatever comes against him he has no reason to fear, he is quite realistic there will be times when opposition and everything and everyone seems to be against us. Yet the Psalmist in this situation, confirms his confidence in the Lord. These verses spell out the reality of the Lord being his stronghold. Very often when we are in this situation we panic instead of looking to the Lord, but when we do look to the Lord we can experience great peace in the midst of great conflict.

4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.

Here we see that the Psalmist lives a God centered life, his desire is to be always in the presence of God and to be worshiping him,he is not out for what he can get out of God. The Psalmist is dedicated to God and his glory, and he realises that only as he worship and praises his God that life makes sense. His security is to found in God alone. He knows that the day of trouble will come but when it does he will be secure, what is true for the Psalmist is true for us. When troubles come we will find that our only security is in the Lord.

6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

The fact that he will be exalted leads him to worship, he sees the glory of the Lord and his goodness. This God centered approach to life is one that we need to capture because here is true freedom. True Freedom comes from abiding in Christ,knowing the Fathers love and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.

The Psalmist in these verse demonstrates how we are to bring our prayers to the Lord in the middle of difficult situations. Notice that the Psalmist is truthful in the way he prays. I don’t think we would approve of this kind of praying in our prayer meetings because it is one that expresses bewilderment,BUT God loves to hear his people praying like this. We need to look at the Psalms closely because they give us a pattern for honest praying.

13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

This Psalm ends with another expression of confidence in the Lord and an exhortation to wait for the Lord. we do not find waiting easy, yet is essential that we do wait for the Lord otherwise we will do things in our own strength.

In summary then lets us put our trust in our almighty God, knowing that nothing can separate us from his love and grace. Let’s be honest in our praying and hoever difficult we find it let us wait for the Lord

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

O Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth: A Prayer

Posted on May 17, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

O Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth,

before your awesome throne I stand

your holiness is so bright,

all my sins are brought to light.

 

 

I stand and stare and see the Lamb for sinners slain,

I see his love and yet his pain,

he died for me and poured out his love

and poured on me the Spirit’s rain.

 

 

My heart is weak, my vision small,

my love has dwindled, how can this be?

I know he loves me, yet I know I need more

of His Spirit and his grace.

 

 

I will seek his face again,

and talk to him about my pain,

I seem to fail and fail again,

I want to glory in his name.

 

 

I want to teach his word

and be obedient to his call,

I need the power, the gifts

and the vision that comes from the throne

 

 

I have been called to build his Church,

O Father show me what you want done,

Renew my passion, strengthen my will

to run the race for your glory.

 

 

Guide me O God,

fill me afresh with your Spirit’s power

make me a vessel of your grace

to proclaim your name to every race.

 

 

O Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth,

I seek your face so that by your grace

I may become like you, full of holy love

Show me your way,speak of your love

 

 

I need your power to meet this hour,

I need the love of Christ to reign in me

I need to feel the Father’s embrace

Come Holy One and show your power.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

O Sovereign Lord of heaven and Earth:A Prayer

Posted on May 17, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

O Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth,
before your awesome throne I stand
your holiness is so bright,
all my sins are brought to light.
I stand and stare and see the Lamb for sinners slain,
I see his love and yet his pain,
he died for me and poured out his love
and poured on me the Spirit’s rain.
My heart is weak, my vision small,
my love has dwindled, how can this be?
I know he loves me, yet I know I need more
of His Spirit and his grace.
I will seek his face again,
and talk to him about my pain,
I seem to fail and fail again,
I want to glory in his name.
I want to teach his word
and be obedient to his call,
I need the power, the gifts
and the vision that comes from the throne
I have been called to build his Church,
O Father show me what you want done,
Renew my passion, strengthen my will
to run the race for your glory.
Guide me O God,
fill me afresh with your Spirit’s power
make me a vessel of your grace
to proclaim your name to every race.
O Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth,
I seek your face so that by your grace
I may become like you, full of holy love
Show me your way,speak of your love
I need your power to meet this hour,
I need the love of Christ to reign in me
I need to feel the Father’s embrace
Come Holy One and show your power.
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pentecost is Coming.

Posted on May 16, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

As I write this it is not many days to our celebration of the day of Pentecost, I want to look at what happened before that momentous day.

Waiting: Jesus tell his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, he tells them,

4 And while he* was with them,* he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit ⌊not many days from now⌋.”

The Ascension
6 So when* they had come together, they began asking* him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 But he said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when* the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth.” 9 And after he* had said these things, while* they were watching, he was taken up, and a cloud received him from their sight. 10 And as they were staring into the sky while* he was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood by them 11 who also said, “Men ⌊of Galilee⌋, why do you stand there looking into the sky? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven like this will come back in the same way you saw him departing into heaven!”

here we see that the disciples were still confused, they did not know what to expect, his answers to their questions don’t really shed much light on what is going to happen. The disciples were still expecting Jesus to deal with the Romans , they still did not grasp that he had defeated a greater enemy, Satan through his death and resurrection. They were still looking for an earthly kingdom whereas their commission was to seek the kingdom of God. Because of all of this they were dealt with by the Lord in a very gentle way, he knew that spending time seeking God was the only answer.

I believe the disciples were probably confused as to why the had to wait,yet by now they realised that their gracious master had a good reason for everything he told them to do.  In times when we have to wait we often grow impatient, we often want to get on with what we feel that God has told us to do. The times of waiting can be very productive times as God deals with us and prepares us for all that has for us to do.

Sometimes we can make waiting on the Lord an excuse for inaction and this is wrong, we need an openness to the Lord’s guidance at all times, when hesays go,we must go but when he says wait,we must wait.

They were not idle: The time in the upper room was a time of seeking the Lord for whatever was coming, they knew that they were going to be empowered for service of their saviour but they did not know how this was to be. As they sought the Lord they became more united in spirit.

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain that is called Olive Grove which is near Jerusalem, ⌊a Sabbath day’s journey away⌋. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying—Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James. 14 All these were busily engaged with one mind in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

The scripture clearly tells us that they were of one mind, they wanted to receive the promise of the Father, they wanted to know the presence of Jesus and they had been taught by Jesus that this could only come about when the Holy Spirit came. Prayer is a precious activity in God’s sight,he likes it when his children talk to him. As a child I was taught that God is a prayer hearing-prayer answering God, this is vital for us to comprehend.

As they sought God’s face they were shown that there needed to be a replacement for Judas and here we see that they appointed Matthias after they had sought the Lord. The church was preparing for mission even though they did not understand all the implications of what the Lord was showing them. by the time of the appointment of Matthias, the number of disciples gathering together had increased to 120.

They were prepared: By the time we come to Acts 2, there is a group of disciples who are prepared to serve the Lord and who are open to his empowering. They didn’t know when the Holy Spirit would come but they wanted him to come in the Lord’s time and way.

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. 2 And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out.

Notice that the Holy Spirit comes upon them suddenly, they were all filled with joy unspeakable and the overflow of joy led to them proclaiming the gospel. We too need a fresh empowering by the Holy Spirit so that we can reach a lost and needy world with the joyful news of the gospel. We need a fresh touch from heaven,this being the case we need to seek the Lord to fill us afresh with the Holy Spirit. Are you willing to wait for the empowering presence of God? The Lord’s timing is always perfect he knows how to use us in his service.

COME HOLY SPIRIT,COME

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Importance of Reformation Part 2: five Important principles

Posted on May 14, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

At the time of the great Reformation as the Reformers tried to bring back the Church to biblical teaching, five important principles grounded all their thinking. These principles are often nicknamed the five Solas because each one points to a central truth which indicated the unique place each concept has, sola roughly translated from the Latin is alone, the five Solas are, Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone), sola scriptura (by scripture alone), Solus Christus (through Christ alone), Sola Fide (by faith alone) and sola gratia (by grace alone). I want to look briefly at each of these important concepts because they are vital not only to the health of the church but also to our involvement in the world in which we live.

Glory to God alone:  the reformers were reacting against a man-centred theology where the glory of God had been lost, medieval theology looked to see how a man could make his ascent to God. Indeed a whole system of merits had been invented and the gracious nature of God had largely been lost. Against this backdrop, the reformers rediscovered the graciousness of God in all its glory. They also realised that the God of grace was the sovereign Lord of all history. when you read the writings of Calvin and Luther one sees how these two men were captivated by a gracious yet awesome God. These two men realised that because God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient that she should bow in worship before him and yet at the same time they realised how gracious this God is. They realised that God is sovereign over both creation and redemption and because of this god should be glorified in creation and redemption. The Puritans who framed the Westminster Shorter Catechism understood this when they said that “the chief end of man is to glorify and to enjoy him forever”. the reformation was a period when it was re-emphasized that the whole of life should be lived before the face of God. because of this, the whole of life was to be lived for the glory of God, not just a special sacred realm. For instance, Bach very often put on his musical scores “Soli Deo Gloria” he was conscious that whatever type of music he composed that it should be done for the glory of God. George Herbert the poet expressed this concept this way,

 Teach me, my God and King,
in all things thee to see,
and what I do in anything
to do it as for thee.

A man that looks on glass,
on it may stay his eye;
or if he pleaseth, through it pass,
and then the heaven espy.

All may of thee partake;
nothing can be so mean,
which with this tincture, “for thy sake,”
will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause
makes drudgery divine:
who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,
makes that and the action fine.

This is the famous stone
that turneth all to gold;
for that which God doth touch and own
cannot for less be told.

I know the language is old fashioned but we need to heed the teaching today. If we are to follow the reformers in their teaching we need to realise the importance of giving glory to God for all that he has done.

By Scripture Alone: We are to submit all our thinking and deeds to the guidance of scripture, the Bible is the only book that has authority over our lives because it is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. All our Church traditions are to be tested against the teaching of scripture and if anything conflicts with the clear teaching of scripture we must reject it. The Scriptures are our guide to our relationship with God, with one another and to the society around us. To see the life-transforming role of scripture read Psalm 119, here we see clearly someone who delights in the word of God, but notice that he applies the scriptures to the whole of his life.

Through Christ Alone: There is only one mediator between man and God and that is the Lord Jesus. It is Jesus who gave his life as a ransom for many, who paid the price for our salvation. Christ has achieved all that is needed by his atoning sacrifice, mankind cannot add anything to his work. He has done everything that is necessary for our salvation, on the cross he was aware that he had completed the work of salvation when he cried out “it is finished”. Our Lord now intercedes for his people before the right hand of the Father.

By faith alone: The only way that we can receive this salvation is to put our faith in Christ, we entrust him with our whole lives, knowing that we can never contribute anything to our own salvation. all we can do is put out the empty hands of faith and receive what Christ has done. the reformers emphasised the doctrine of justification by faith, one only has to look at Luther’s Commentary on the book of the Galatians to realise the central importance of this doctrine.  Paul clearly teaches justification by faith in his letters to the Roman and Galatian churches, this doctrine has abiding relevance for us today.

By Grace alone: Grace is God’s favour shown to those who don’t deserve it, it flows from the Father heart of God and is shown supremely to us in his gift of the Lord Jesus Christ to be our Saviour. The whole of the New Testament teaches us that our salvation is by grace alone. the old Sunday School acrostic helps us to remember what grace is,
Goodness
Received
At
Christ’s
Expense.
We need to glory in the wonder of God’s grace, thereby glorifying him for all that has done for us.

 

 

Posted in Church, faith, grace, Jesus Christ, reformation. salvation, Reformed, Reformers, tradition, Word of God | Leave a comment

Build,Pray, Keep,Expect : some thoughts from the book of Jude

Posted on May 12, 2012 by pneumaandlogos

When we read the book of Jude, we can get so taken up with his concern for the church to deal with error that we forget the positive teaching of this letter. Jude has called the church to contend for the Faith once delivered to the saints,contend here is sometimes interpreted as being contentious. This misses the whole point, Jude is concerned that error be replaced by truth and it is obvious from his exhortation to the believers as to how they should live, that Godly lives are marked by love for God,his word and for others. Let us look at what he says’

20 But you, dear friends, by* building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by* praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt, 23 and save others by* snatching them from the fire, and have mercy on others with fear, hating even the tunic stained by the flesh. (Jude 20-22)

First of all Jude wants the believers to build themselves up in their most holy faith, how are we to do this?

Firstly,I would suggest that we should immerse ourselves in the Word of God, allowing it to speak into every area of our lives. We are also built up as we use this knowledge of the word of God in our praying.

Secondly, We need to pay attention to the teaching that we are given in Church through the sermon. We need to test all that is taught us, but our attitude should be one of openness to learning from the Scriptures.

Thirdly, we need to be sharing the word of God together in fellowship both in small groups and in more informal ways. We can strengthen each other as we share from God’s word together.

Our faith is very precious in God’s sight and we need to be building ourselves up in it continuously according to this passage.

(2) Praying in the Holy Spirit: Jude instructs the believers to pray in the Holy Spirit, by this he means that all our praying should be lead by the Spirit. Sometimes in Charismatic circles praying in the Spirit is equated with praying in tongues, this is only one aspect of praying in the Spirit. We need to pray in the Spirit,when we worship, when we need guidance and when we intercede for others. According to the Bible we can as Spirit Filled believers pray in the Spirit at all times.

(3) Jude exhorts us to keep ourselves in the love of God, we can only do this by seeing the greatness of God’s grace towards us. When we see all that our Lord Jesus did for us, we will want to abide in him. Abiding in Christ is a secure place because here we know the extent of God’s love manifested towards us. It also implies that as we love God,we will want to glorify him in our worship and by our obedience to him.

(4) We are to live with expectation, we are to look forward with confidence to the mercy that will be shown us when we meet the Lord whether that it be when we are called home or when the Lord Jesus comes again. it is not presumption to expect God’s mercy because this is guaranteed us by God’s word. Notice also that to the very end we are relying on the mercy of God, we never get beyond the point where we realise that our salvation is all of God’s grace, we glory in the fact that he shows mercy to undeserving sinners. Yes we can be assured that we are God’s children and live in confidence that he has been and will be merciful to us.

I want to just say a few words in closing about Jude’s exhortation to show mercy, he wants to see people delivered from deception but he wants this to come about in a loving manner. Jude knows that being contentious will only alienate people, whereas he wants to see people reconciled with God and one another. If reconciliation is the goal, love must be the means. To stand boldly for truth and being loving are complimentary ideas, if we know the truth we will want to impart that truth to others because we love them. Jude advises us to avoid the deception but to gain those who are being deceived so that they will also live godly lives

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment