Pressing On

I am reposting some old posts as I migrate back to Blogger. One of the benefits of being in a missional fellowship with a long history is that there are people who have gone before and who have many stories of God's faithfulness and who have many insights to share. This week was no exception when I was listening to an older couple with nearly 100 years of service in Asia between them. Many lessons learnt, but still pursuing Jesus and enjoying their relationship with Him. Here is a summary of their thoughts on prayer and how to align ourselves to receive answers. If you abide in Jesus (dwelling with Him in heavenly places) If we pray in Jesus name (excercising His authority) If we pray according to His will (aligning to His plans and desires) If we stand with an unwavering faith (walking by faith and not by sight) If we are reconciled and walk in forgiveness (expressing our oneness in Christ) If we approach boldly (confident in the perfect work) Perhaps you have other things to add ...

Why must I choose? Polarising can be a useful technique when writing articles, including blogs. Writing strongly from one perspective enables a pithier piece of writing which then provokes more response. However, it can also create tribes,  people who share a particular opinion, gather around them likeminded people and then draw together evidence from said people in order to strengthen their own position. Unfortunately, when things are presented in such a way they create false choices - in other words, if we reflect a little more deeply we realise that there is in reality, no choice that has to be made. It is not an either/or situation and it would be more accurately presented as both/and. An example... Qu: Is there still a need to send missionaries from the UK, supported by the UK Church, to other countries around the world? Many argue that there is, and continue to follow a traditional model of sending, others say that there is not and would argue that our resou...

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 love the book of James . As a very pragmatic person I enjoy thinking through a theological truth convin ced that it must somehow express itself in lifestyle and practice. T he book of James is intensely practical and incredibly blunt in places , I might not find it easy reading but I find it accessible and readily applicable. Chapter 4 deals with one key issue and ' submission' - W hat in our lives do we submit ourselves or yield to? For e ach of us there must be something, or someone, who i s enthroned and who will act as the catalyst / initiator of what we do, the decisions we make , and w ho will shape our thinki ng.   I t might be that we e nthrone self, its 'me' who makes all the decisions about what I say and do. I t may be another person, perhaps a parent or significant other. It may be some conversation we had as a child, a word spoken to us or over us that we still allow to shape our lives. Perhaps we choose a direction so that we do...

This year marks the centenary of WEC International . It is great to give thanks for what the Lord has done these last 100 years with and through the WEC fellowship - but I also want ed to mark what is happening in the world today ... So here are some more details ... "My name is Malcolm Gray, living in Thailand with my wife Kerstin and ten-year old daughter, Amy. We are a family of ‘missionary kids’ – or ‘MKs’ according to mission lingo. My daughter and I were born in Thailand. My wife was born in Burundi, each of us to missionary parents – who are not coined ‘MPs’ by the inconsistent lingo ! Our passports state that we are British and Swedish, though, if my Dutch mother was the type, she may feel slightly hard done by – but she’s not. She taught me about g race rather than being Dutch. And that’s what we aim to teach the Thai – what Grace is as opposed to what being Dutch ...

In reference to 2 Tim 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of p o wer, of love a nd of sel f-discipli ne."   Norman Grubb decl are d that; "We are set in our day and generation to be overcomers, not to sail through calm seas but to walk on storms, to replace need with supply, to transform aspiration into realization. The language of defeatism, fear, lack and weakness is not to be in our vocabulary. "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it. As for these giants, they are bread for us," we say with sturdy Caleb.  We are to act as the men of faith of old; we are to visualize our goal in clear outline; we are to take it for granted that we shall reach it, for we have both the commission and anointing of God?   We lay our plans ,build our organisations, produce our written and verbal pronouncements,  prayer our prayers, do our work, not as those who will fail and fall by the way, but...

As one part of WEC UK's mobilising strategy we have developed the use of Bulstrode our hq, Springhead Park House in Leeds, and Portadown in Northern Ireland as "Centres of Influence for Missions" - places where people can come, meet with God, and be inspired for Mission." Part of this process has been the redevelopment of the facilities. So, where have we got to at Bulstrode? Are we still in the process of redevelopment? Yes, the practical work is ongoing and we are about to embark on the planning process for the next phase. Is this holding us back from praying and working together to fulfil the vision? No ... Bulstrode already hosts many people, all of whom we seek to influence!!! In the last 12 months we have seen over 7,500 visitors to Bulstrode, 1200 staying for at least one night - church events, pastors' retreats, Mission & Me weekends, missions courses, leaders' days etc. We seek to serve each person that comes through the door, share our heart...

Post Colonial and the Changing Role of the West - Kate Coleman Herein we have an explanation of some of the potential effects of the shift of power, both Christian and secular, from the global North to South and West to East, which leaves us functioning in a post-colonial world and the change in attitude that it will necessitate in our relationships with others, changing from 'Patronage/Paternal to Collaboration/Partner'! The key word for me, if we are to be successful in responding to these trends, is humility ... At one stage in my missionary life I was leading a team of some 30 people from 17 different nationalities in a western school establishment in Senegal, West Africa!! Until one has been in a genuinely cross-cultural environment, and brought face-to-face with our prejudices, it is very difficult to accept how deeply engrained racist/superior attitudes can be. We often cover them over with humour but Brits seem to have major differences with every other culture ... Fre...

Post 1 - Thoughts on Mission 2020 Vision - Mission in times of uncertainty Eddie Arthur - Exile to Exile Thanks Eddie for provoking the grey cells ... I commend the message to you all! It raised two interesting questions for me ... on which I have the following thoughts. 1/ The place of the Church in UK Society. I have long held the opinion that whenever the Church (or any individual therein) holds, uppermost, the desire to be viewed as a popular and respected part of society there will eventually be a conflict of interest. viz. when that desire conflicts with the truth as presented in Scripture. Thus what we should hold as uppermost is faithfulness to the Jesus whatever the cost. There will be seasons where that will be viewed by society around as good and other times when it will be viewed as antagonistic, fanatical or even evil. We are indeed in a season where Christianity is not viewed positively, and our only response should be to continue to be faithful to Christ in all that we d...

If you are British then the answer is probably NO! ... but if you were you will have enjoyed what seems to have been a blessed time - well done to all those who worked so hard to get there and helped it run so smoothly ... as usual George Verwer did what George does best! (http://www.christiantoday.com/article/george.verwer.makes.call.for.fulltime.mission.workers/29116.htm) If you don't follow @missionnet then can I encourage you to do so keep up to date with the follow up ... I trust that there will be a huge response to this event and that the Lord will raise up a fresh wave of people from Europe who are prepared to 'Go"! May all those who attended, and those they come into contact with when they return home, be inspired afresh with passion for the Kingdom. I would like to know how many people from the UK made the effort to go as historically these events are poorly attended by us Brits! Perhaps we are all Europhobes at heart, or perhaps we are saturated with other optio...

Permit me if you will to give a little personal testimony that will help frame my motivation for obedience to Christ and for yieldedness - which I proposed was the key to a fruitful life in my last blog. I became a Christian at University, at the age of 19. I had little exposure to Church before that and was not 'seeking' or 'in a crisis' ... Therefore I could only conclude that I was 'sought out' ... But by whom and why? The short answer to this is that I believe it was the Living God in order for me, the created, to enjoy a relationship with Him, the Creator. A passage of Scripture that became very special to me, very early on in my Christian life, and one which has framed all my subsequent decision making was Philippians 3:10-12 (NIV). In this passage the Apostle Paul writes: " I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrec...

Can you hear it? What is God doing in the world today? What deep God-given longings stir in your hearts? UK Revival Prophecy: Smith Wigglesworth 1947 Shortly before he passed into glory he prophesied, “During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it, and will be characterised by the restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches. In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say, ‘This is a great revival.’ But the Lord says, ‘No, neither is this the great revival but both are steps towards it.’ When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidence in the churches of something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the word and those with an emphasis on the Spir...

So what is the final area in which we should seize the day? Carpe diem: knowing Jesus ... Taking every opportunity given to you to get to know Jesus more fully! Early in our time in Africa an older missionary took me to one side and shared something in a way that only older missionaries can: God had brought me there not because of the things I was going to do. He’d brought me because of the things He wanted to do in me, and through me. There then followed two of the most formative years that we have ever known. The thing I took most of all from this time was the need to serve God above all else, to commit our lives to doing what He wants to do, and to reap the reward that comes from serving Him and others. Ultimately, it was a period when something broke inside me and I understood for the first time that I was no longer my own and that he was Lord of my life - in a real sense, not a conceptual one. Seize the day Seizing the day is about taking every opportunity that God presents to us....

Having shared a little of my experience of my arrival in Africa as a Short term worker it might be good to explore why short term work is important ... Carpe diem: extending the Kingdom I firmly believe that the Church, who believe and proclaim a message that God lives and speaks, should be the path of least resistance through whom God might speak to communities His words of comfort, hope, truth and love.... Carpe diem! Short-term mission has an increasing and important impact on the growth of the Church across the world, and is one way in which we can "go into all the world" with our message. It is also a way in which the gifts and skills of a larger number of people can be enhance the long-term work and vision of others. In Missions as in the business world, organizations are having to re-examine their strategies to integrate a generation with a short-term or 'seasonal' pattern to life. This is is not something for Mission agencies to "tolerate", but rathe...

It is a long time since I posted anything here on my blog ... It is not that my life was on hold - in fact just the opposite! Anyway, I was recently asked to write an article for a mobilizing/recruitment magazine on the aforementioned theme. Which gives me the opportunity to 'seize the day', break the article down into four sections and post it on my blog ... So there will be a little more activity over the next few days. Of course if, reading this, you want to step out and engage with what WEC is seeking to do in the world today then either check out the website (www.wec-int.org.uk) or post a comment and I'll get back to you! Our first steps into overseas Christian work started with a short-term posting for two years in Senegal, West Africa. I was recently married, no kids, just graduated and looking for adventure ... Now, 20 years later, I'm still very happily married, with four kids/young adults, still learning and still looking for adventure! Part 1 - Arriving! Car...

WEC's vision is to see 1200 new workers join us, to see Churches established amongst 33 of the least reached people groups, in 180 new locations around the world ... All over the next 8 years!!! - What kind of people do we need to join us in fulfilling this vision? CT Studd the founder of WEC wrote of the following qualities of people who should think of joining the work of WEC International some 75 years ago ... People gripped by a vision (Rev 5:9) - not people interested in a theory. People apprehended by Christ - not people employed by a mission. People hungry for a fight - not people gorged with educational schemes People who will obey to the uttermost - not people who wish to "do what they can"! This has not changed, and whilst it might sound fanatical, these words really only describe the level of passion and commitment that Jesus expects from all His disciples, whether or not they become missionaries ... The need for people like this is still real and the challenge...

Just come back from a week in Devon, sunning myself, reading and generally refreshing myself for the next few weeks - which are fully booked to say the least! But, having read the last blog post, I am also working hard to remain in the 'place of rest' ... And even fall asleep with Jesus in the boat as it were. (Read it for these comments to make any sense at all!) So, this week a few thoughts on good books I have read, and some software I have been playing around with for some weeks - and which have proved to be extremely helpful for me in this role ... I know they won't suit everyone and there are a few things that you need to be aware of; My job involves a lot of travel ... Locally, nationally and Internationally. I need constant access to files, docs and email ... I am not a naturally organised person .... I could never get on with a Filofax, because you needed to be organised enough to remember to take it with you ... And I was never that organised. So some very helpful...

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...

Another week done and a week of watching events unfold in other areas of the world that seem to have a surreal apocalyptic nature the them, having the luxury of viewing this from a distance can lead to a sense of helplessness and disconnectedness. It is encouraging to see the UK Government offering support, but I am waiting for the inevitable backlash from those who feel that we, in the UK, should not be spending any money supporting those overseas when we have such cutbacks here in the UK. I hope the Government will have the strength of conviction to press on ... a dose of perspective is what is needed at times, to stop us being inward looking! What can we do to the people of Japan? ... Pray for them of course! As for the rest of the week, which seems so mundane in comparison with the other events on the world scale!! On Monday we attended the funeral of a very special lady, Dr Helen Kennedy, who had first arrived on West African soil as a WEC missionary in 1954. What then followed w...

At the start of the year I seek the Lord for some verses of encouragement, and as I looked back over the last three years I noted that the Lord has led me to Isaiah. This year I am currently reading through the book of Isaiah as part of my normal reading - so it comes as no surprise to realise that this is again where I have been led to look afresh and receive for this year. I encourage you to read the whole of chapters 49 and 50 ... Relating to 'The servant of the Lord', which has obvious Christological meaning, but is also addressing the attitudes that all the 'servants of the Lord' should display ... Ie. You and me and all His people! I pick up the chapter in Isaiah 49:4 the prophet writes "But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God." " We all have phases when we feel like this ... And ask questions which I am sure are commo...