Pressing On

  What is Baptism? Very briefly I believe that it: identifies the believer with the Godhead - Father, Son and Holy Spirit identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.   is an act of obedience for the believe.   is a public testimony and an outward confession of an inward experience.   is a picture representing profound spiritual truth of new life in Christ. Who is to be baptised? I believe that the act of baptism, whether in a river, a bucket, a swimming pool or a dustbin (I have seen them all) is for those able to make a confession of faith for themselves. This may be at quite a young age, but the person being baptised needs to be in a position to understand what he or she is doing. This is different from being able to fully grasp the importance of what they are doing or the full ramifications of it, which no one of us truly ever knows! Six simple steps with huge ramifications! I was visiting a church...

  Christian mysticism In the past year I have read a number of articles and books on the topic of Christian mysticism. (A good starting point would be the aptly entitled Christian Mysticism W R Inge, in which the author traces the history of Christian mysticism, the dangers and pitfalls of pursuing a particular line of thought too far but, most importantly, the riches that can come through exploring mystery.) What does it mean? For the purposes of this blog I will use Inge’s helpful definitions: Religious Mysticism may be defined as the attempt to realise the presence of the living God in the soul and in nature, or, more generally, as the attempt to realise, in thought and feeling, the immanence of the temporal in the eternal, and of the eternal in the temporal.   The mystic makes it his life's aim to be transformed into the likeness of Him in whose image he was created. Now, beginning with the assumption that all believers acknowledge that we could not work ...

Last week, like many others, I ventured to the Cinema to watch "Exodus - Gods and Kings"   Of course, as with any other film based on a biblical narrative, there is always the hope that it will amount to more than a film ... but as is normally the case, it doesn't.  So, to summarise, as far as biblical accuracy goes it is poor, as an adventure film goes it is all right. However, that is okay as I don't often go to the cinema for the furtherance of my theological convictions or doctrinal understandings - that is best left to the place of prayer and obedience.  Having said that, I hope that I am always open to be challenged to think about things from a fresh perspective and I am not averse to the Spirit using an experience, image, news item, music track etc, to highlight something that He wants to be a blessing, encouragement or challenge to me.  So it was the case in this film ... Towards the end of the film there is quite a most moving scene as th...

  I enjoyed a very refreshing two weeks holiday during August in Italy just outside of Rome. One day trip which was particularly sobering was to Pompeii - a bit of a trek to get to from where we were, however it was well worth the effort! Of course, as a site it is very spectacular and I would recommend it to anyone - it is not a “UNESCO world heritage” site for nothing! Whilst you can only see approximately 30% of all that has been excavated over the years, what remains open for the public to walk around still overwhelms the visitor. Walking through the streets, visiting the amphitheatre, temple and houses it was easy to imagine the way of life. As I was walking around it, marvelling at the architecture, art and layout of the place there were a few thoughts that came to me ... Which, whilst true for all, seem somehow crystallised in the lives and story of residents of Pompeii, which might help to focus our thoughts aright. Firstly, the transience of life. Nothing in this ...

Following on from my recent blog on Captivity ... here is my second thought stemming from reading Philemon. It concerns v6 "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." I saw this posted on a friends Facebook page recently, whic h sums up in a very clear way what I think the Apostle Paul was trying to tell Philemon. It is never the Lord's intention that we live our lives as consumers. Partly, because then the tendency is that everything becom es inward looking rather than outw ard and p artly, because those with the desire to serve end up serving almost exclusively within the Church and to a Churc h - so we lose out on tw o levels. It is a common statistic that about 20% of the Church for 80% of the work. Or, as one Pastor once tol d me, "I have a Church of 350 going on 40 people! " People with a consumer mentality or within a consumer led system...

Recently I received some notes, in advance of a small group meeting, containing the following question "Do you feel that God is pleased with you? why?" How would you respond to this question?  My first reactive answer to this was 'sometimes!' then as I reflected a little deeper I've come to the conclusion that this is not the answer and that it can never be the answer. The answer must either be 'always' or 'never'!  Here is my thought processes that led me to that conclusion ... Firstly, the work Christ on the cross. If you do not please God you must be displeasing Him - in which case you have fallen short of his expectations, which is our imperfection or sin. On the cross Jesus perfectly, and completely, paid the price for our sin. This is either a perfect and complete work or it isn't and, somehow, God kept back a little punishment for us ... which, of course, he hasn't which means God looks at us through the filter of ...

Sacred Pathways: Discover your Soul's Path to God - Gary Thomas  When you became a christian did you look around other people's lives and seek to model some of their spiritual disciplines? Did you find that somehow they didn't work for you in quite the same way as they seemed to work for them? Did this lead you to a place of discouragement? Did you think that, somehow, the things that bring such life to other people but don't bring life to you must mean that there is something wrong with you? Or that maybe God doesn't love you as much as He loved those people whom you sought to emulate? These are very real questions that all c hristians probably grapple with at some point. As we grow and mature in Christ we eventually reach a place of liberty where we realise that we are unique and therefore we shouldn't be surprised when our Father deals uniquely with us - and the way we most easily 'connect' to Him is also unique. Or perhaps we find over time th...

The question mark should help you differentiate the blog title from a song title of one of my favourite prog rock bands of the seventies - if you don't know what I am talking about then just let it pass, if you do please read on, though I hope you won't be too disappointed to discover that it has no further connection with music! As is my want I am in the habit of seeking the Lord for a word at the beginning of each new year. Of course it is not the only time in the year when the Lord speaks but I have found it a healthy discipline and have, at the end of the year, been very blessed to look back and see how apt the word has been. (But then this should not surprise in the least as we know that He knows the end from the beginning...) I share these thoughts with you for two reasons: Firstly, anything based on the word of God has to be good for edifying and building people up, and I hope that this is the case for any and all who stumble upon this blog. Secondly, I trust ...

In Matthew 5 Jesus explains His radical agenda and describes the pratical outworking of the life that He makes possible ... which would otherwise be impossible. In vv3-10 of this chapter Jesus paints a picture both of the type of life we long for, what fulness of life looks like, ... and He also explains the means through which we might receive the expression of that life. In other words we need not bother praying for the type of life we want if we are not willing to commit to a life that seeks to express the means by which that life comes; Am I willing to be poor in Spirit mourn be meek hunger and thirst for righteousness be merciful be pure of heart be a peacemaker be persecuted because of righteousness This is such a radical agenda and pattern for life that whoever genuinely commits to living it will get a reaction everytime they interface with the 'world' that beats to such a different drum ... and every reaction gives a further opportunity for us to demonstrate the power...

I have been reading recently, and taking the opportunity over the quieter holiday period, to think about stillness. Three notable reads that I would recommend are "In the stillness" (Jock Anderson), "Too busy not to pray - Slowing down to be with God" (Bill Hybels) and "In the Name of Jesus" (Henri Nouwen) None of them present anything particularly new, or radical, in content - however they each point to a lifestyle that is radically different to that which we all seem to be living in this day and age ... particularly as we engage increasingly in social media. "the archenemy of spiritual authenticity is busyness, which is closely tied to something the Bible calls worldliness - getting caught up with this society's agenda, objectives and activities to the neglect of walking with God... time is required."(Hybels p100) So how do we live the authentic Christian life in a deep and meaningful way? They each point the reader to some helpful hints an...

With the intent of writing something each week at the back of my mind I realize, with a very small sense of disappointment, that it is some time since I wrote anything ... Not that there has been nothing to write about ... Very much the opposite in fact!! Over the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to spend 10 days in Germany at a meeting of International Leaders from around the WEC world to plan and discuss future strategy and direction of the work of WEC worldwide. It is always a privilege to meet together with others from our international fellowship - and whilst we might not see each other very often our life together in Christ, which expresses itself in shared aims and objectives, is a rich blessing to be enjoyed! No sooner had we returned from this then we were straight into the UK Conference here at Bulstrode for all UK workers and ministries. Again, whilst there is much diversity it is always an encouragement to regroup twice a year, refocus, share, pray and encourage ea...

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at the WEC Holland Conference ... A bit of a road trip with my son, which was very good, but also the opportunity to meet with other folks whose commitment to know and serve their Lord has led them through many and various journeys is always an encouragement. The caramel waffles that are so popular is also a great reason to visit this country!!! In preparation for this conference I was pondering the words of Luke 8 ... Where it is written.... Luke 8:22-25 (NIV) One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he aske...

The theme of worship is an interesting one ... It impacts on structure, tradition, culture, personality, expectations, style, attitude ... But if collective worship is done well, it is such an enriching environment in which to grow as a believer ... Experientially not just theoretically ... Note I use the word environment and not experience! What strengthens? Whenever we meet together as believers, be it small groups, large groups we should come away feeling A/ encouraged B/ strengthened C/ developed in our gifting D/ equipped for life/ministry Personally and corporately - Do you feel that when you leave a Church meeting each time? Too many leave Church feeling discouraged, bored, annoyed, unchanged etc etc Worship is both a noun and a verb ... Each individual believer has the responsibility to express him/herself outwardly in worship, through whatever means are open to that individual in every area of life. One expression of that is the corporate worship service of a...

In John's gospel we read "Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." What do we see the Father doing? And do we join in or carry on as usual? Is it something different He is doing 'today' or is it something He has been doing for some time ... a trend as it were? It is a mixture of both no doubt, but to have the capacity to have a discerning heart is a wonderful gift, and one that needs to be nurtured ... As I sat at home one morning last week, looking out across the fields (I am blessed to live in a very beautiful place) the mist was filling the valley between the hill and the trees ... Eventually the sun rose and broke through, bringing it's warming light, which then had two effects - it dispelled the mist and brought clarity to the vision before me - in other words in place of the hazy vision of greenness I could...

In 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV) the Apostle Paul wrote "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." It struck me afresh how important "hope" is ... This was brought home in stark fashion this week as we saw the traumatic scenes in Japan, where thousands are still missing, but hundreds are "camping" on gymnasium floors. However they have a 'hope' that the Japanese Government or International Community have the infrastructure and resources to deal with this and that they will eventually be able to return back to what they had before. I hope there confidence is well placed. I was struggling as I remembered those millions around the world who would, if given the chance, probably trade their lives for those Japanese people living on the gymnasium floors. Again, the pictures that bombarded all of us who watched any of the Comic Rel...

The turmoil that is going on across the Middle East and North Africa, has dominated my thoughts and prayers this week, and has had an effect on the working week ... One knock-on effect of the crisis in Libya, is the almost 100,000 displaced people, forced out of their adopted countries due to the fighting. We spent time as a family praying for this situation and everyone around the table was asked 'what would you take if we only had one suitcase into which all we could take with us was placed?' an interesting topic of conversation. (Incidentally, throughout our time in Africa we always had an emergency bag in case we needed to evacuate quickly, so it was not quite as unusual exercise as it might have been for them.) but this is also an opportunity to give of our time and effort to support the people so deeply affected by this, so it was a real privilege to work with other Christians to bring teams together to go and support the humanitarian effort taking place on the border. Th...

So, last week was the half-term holiday! Which meant, of course, that we have the children at home needing entertaining at various stages and in various ways. Thankfully, we have The flexibility and opportunity to have a little change in the normal course of events to have time at home with them. This week involved many trips, one was to the Library with the littlest one, to get some books, and whilst I was there I decided to indulge myself with some Agatha Christie books. It never cease to amaze me that, even after nearly 30 years of reading them there still seem to be many more titles that I have not yet enjoyed! I don't think I have ever got to the end of a book having worked out 'whodunnit!' - and that includes my trip to the Theatre last year to watch 'Mousetrap' - I know who did by the way, but won't let on! And so it was this week that I found myself reading 'Appointment with death!' ... That was interesting, but what drew my attention was this qu...

Aarrrrggghhhhh! No this is not a reflection of my week ... But of the fact that I had already written this blog out once when I inadvertently pressed the wrong button and discarded it instead of saving it ... Still I have now learnt what buttons to press in case it should happen again. Now .. What did I say last time? I had intended to write something each week so that I could break my record of blogposts in one year .... Which I think currently stands at 24! ... But here we are in week 3 and I am only on post 2 for 2011 ... It was not a resolution so I don't feel bad in any way!! The last few weeks have been manic to say the least, not because of workload but because an operation that my dear wife has to have on her shoulder has been brought forward by a month to next week. So the arrangements I had had in place to be available for the extra driving, shopping, work and household chores that will fall upon me as she is convalescing are now needing to be changed, and four weeks work...

Some verses in the Bible that are difficult to understand ... requiring a lot of prayerful thought and searching out - even then the answers may not be entirely satisfying. There could be a whole host of reasons for that, but as we keep searching the Lord has a wonderful way of giving answers. Some verses, and this is today's thought, are quite easily understood, plain in meaning - but perhaps hard to comprehend/accept. Take Isaiah 13:11 where God speaks through the Prophet saying "I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless." For many, this may be difficult to reconcile together with a God of Love, Mercy and Grace. How could someone who 'Loves perfectly' do such a thing? The challenge is to maintain a balance in the whole character of God - which is threefold - He is a God of Truth, a God of Holiness and a God of Love - all in perfection, without over...

"Repentance is godly sorrow for our sins, because of the wrong done to God, and therefore the hurt inflicted on Him (Gen 6:6) ... if there is no conscious repentance, just an acceptance of grace then there is no awareness of what we have been saved from ... which leads to a corresponding lack of depth and commitment ..." I read this in a book whilst I was at Bible College some 16 years ago. It must have struck me quite powerfully at the time as I wrote it on the inside cover of the Bible I was reading. It resonated with an experience I had recently had of being led by the Spirit into a season of repentance the like of which I had not experienced before. This did indeed lead to a deepening of my faith and a greater commitment to Jesus and the growth of His Kingdom throughout the world ... avery rich time indeed, and foundational in all that has followed. Up to that point I had been 'saved' some four years, I had experienced the wonder of forgiveness, but had not really...