Forgiving

Seventy Times Seven

We all know the story don’t we? “How many times should we forgive? Seven times?” “No – seventy times seven.” The conversation between Peter and Jesus must have been an eye opener for Peter. I mean to say, forgiving once is hard; forgiving twice is going some; forgiving seven times is definitely stretching the point; but forgiving and forgiving nearly five hundred times? That was definitely out of Peter’s range and It is usually out of ours too – until we consider it in the same perspective as God.

His perspective is way different to ours, isn’t it? God considers mercy far more important than being right. He considers being right somewhere below zero on the righteous scale. In God’s perspective, it is far more important to have unity than it is to be right. It is far more important to be reconciled than it is to be right. Actually, in God’s realm, being right is His prerogative, but being merciful and forgiving is His priority.

So how are we to forgive, and forgive again, and then to go on forgiving, almost times without number? At least, how are we supposed to treat a person who slips and keeps slipping? Do we shout at them? Do we gang up on them until they are practically forced to act as we want them to act? Well, trying not to be too hypocritical, we extend to them the same Grace as God has extended to us. I say, without being hypocritical, because we all have a tendency to forgive grudgingly. Yet Proverbs 25:15 (Message) says this “Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defences.” Perhaps Jesus was referring to ‘patient persistence and gentle speech’ when He told Peter to forgive ‘seventy times seven times’.

I guess I will have to try to be a little bit more forgiving in future. Not with a grudging forgiveness, but with Jesus’ open armed and welcoming hug of forgiveness. I guess we all are, because if we harbour any unforgiveness, how can we be forgiven? Also, we need not only to forgive but we must be completely reconciled too. That is the whole gist of Jesus teaching on forgiving.

The Value of Praise

If you want breakthrough

I recently left this comment on a Pastor’s blog. “It’s always a privilege to read another’s blog and to be impressed as well. I love worship – it is the foundation stone of any good meeting/service (call it what you will). To be allowed to usher in the presence of the Holy Spirit is an honour but also a heavy responsibility. I suppose we have been spoiled here at Sleaford and, seeing a little of Lincoln and now yourselves in Hull, I believe the New Life churches in this area have a tremendous opportunity to reach thousands upon thousands in the East Midlands area. There is an anointing, in all three places, that I have rarely seen before and a further breakthrough is already well on its way. I have seen it coming to Sleaford for months now and I am certain you will receive it too. The Glory is on its way – oh Hallelujah \o/ Thank you for a great blog post. God Bless you.”

Upon re-reading, there is a prophecy there, isn’t there. Breakthrough and Glory – seems to be quite appropriate too. We need breakthrough before we see or experience the Glory. I really do believe that we shall see the Glory of the Lord in our churches – not just here in the UK, but also in many churches throughout the world. It is almost certainly starting somewhere right now. I said to one of our leaders recently, the cloud is larger than a man’s hand and getting bigger and closer.

So what is the breakthrough that we need in order to experience the outpouring and the Glory?

Worship – The first thing for which we need breakthrough is in our worship. We need to totally focus upon Jesus and worship Him and Him alone. Worship is the bottom line of our relationship with God. It is the building block on which that relationship is laid. Without worship, there is no relationship because worship expresses our love, our adoration, and our gratitude for all that God has done for us in order that we might have our inheritance in Him – eternal life.

Abandon ourselves – I believe the next thing is to totally abandon ourselves and our ego’s in order for Jesus to be seen. When a stranger looks at me, I want him or her to see Jesus, not me. That is my ‘target’. It hasn’t happened yet but one day, with God’s help. . . . . . . .

Die to self – as part of this abandonment, I believe the injunction to die to self and to live only to God is another key to breakthrough. Pride must go. “I” must go. Anything or any situation where I allow ‘me’ to get in the way of God working – must go. John 12:24 says “I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” So it is that we must die in order to live and to produce the fruit, Thereby, by their fruit shall you know them/me.

Your will be done – Because God’s ways are above our ways – as far as East is from West – so we need to yield our will to His. God’s plans for us are perfect, Jer 29:11, and beyond our comprehension because we can never view things totally from God’s perspective. So in our worship, and in our seeking for the breakthrough that will allow His Glory to manifest among us, we need to completely abandon our will, our thoughts, our plans, for His will and His will alone. Only when we do this will we, I believe, make a habitation fit for His coming and purposes.

This is no definitive plan for us. It is simply my own limited, and therefore poor understanding of what the Lord requires from us in order to achieve breakthrough and from there, perhaps, revival. Yes the cloud as big as a man’s hand is certainly bigger now as it approaches us. Now it is up to us to make a habitation for the Lord through our praise and worship that will somehow allow God to move sovereignly in revival.

Never too Old

Think Yourself Too Old to Serve?

Arthur Burt used to serve with Smith Wigglesworth over 60 years ago now. He was given a prophecy that he would not see death until he had seen the start of the last, end-time revival. At present, Arthur is a 99 yr old evangelist, and this year, as far as I know and as is his usual practice of late, he flew to America and held his ‘usual’ three or four meetings. Not bad for an old ‘un?

You and I may be somewhat lesser mortals than Mr. Burt, but we are nevertheless still of use to the Kingdom of God. Yet we are the older generation. We are called the “Grey Brigade” or some such name. My grandson, Sam, once called me a “Grumpy old dinosaur”, much to the amusement of my son who had carefully trained him to speak these words. Yet to Sam and all the little children of his age group, we are so very old. Of course, therein lies the great attraction between the very young and the very old. Somehow, the new generation understands that we the older generation have so much to offer in knowledge, wisdom, oh yes, and sweeties of course.

Yet are we too late to meet &/or serve Jesus? The World throws away all our experience at 60-65. We officially retire and get dumped in the great wheelchair in the sky known as “God’s Waiting Room”. However, I’ve got some great news for all of us older folk – there is no retirement in God’s Kingdom and there is no ‘sell by date’ after which we cannot meet nor serve Him. Oh Hallelujah – thank God for that. I started doing this ministry for Jesus just over four years ago when I was 64. We have an octogenarian couple in our church who have just come to the Lord and are being baptised by full immersion this coming week. It is Never too late to meet Jesus.

Who can we serve? I suppose it is stating the obvious to say that we can all serve Jesus and the people around us. Yet How can we possibly serve? Any way we are able to do so is the short answer. Let me tell you that there was a time when I dreaded retirement. To me, there was a stigma associated with being old. I thought that the scrap heap beckoned. All I saw was Age Concern, Help the Aged, Saga for the over 55’s, and other “retired people’s organisations”. I took the dreaded step with some trepidation. That is when God started to show me about the work I could do for Him and His Kingdom. Nowadays I think – whenever did I ever find time to work?

Life for us now is what we want to make of it. We can make it with God or without God. We have so many choices in fact that we need all the wisdom that supposedly comes with age in order to make any choice at all. Of course, age brings with it other considerations such as mobility and general health yet it also brings that wonderful commodity we call time. We no longer have to rush around in order to do everything. We can now take our time, and choose those services which we can comfortably render to others – without breaking either a leg or the bank.

All I know is that God looks at your heart. He doesn’t consider your abilities or your bank balance; He doesn’t look at your training nor experience, He looks at your heart. He opens doors for you, He encourages you through the door. He gives you the words to say or the things to do, and He uses you – right where you are and with all of your own perceived inabilities. He uses the blind to mentor the young. He uses the deaf to cook a meal. He uses those with communications difficulties to simply bring a cup of tea to one who cannot do it for themselves.

We ALL have something God can use for His Kingdom – no matter how small or apparently insignificant. It is important to God and to the person you are somehow serving. We all still have value and worth in Gods eyes and I, for one, will never decry that nor ignore it.

Retirement with or without God? I know which I prefer.

Pilgrims Progress

Three Keys

Do you, like me, find it an immutable law of progress that three people always, but always, dog your every footstep. Peter, Judas, and Pilate are the three most common companions to progress. I am so surprised Bunyan didn’t have these three in his Pilgrims Progress. They are almost the most certain things in life after taxes and death.

Take Peter as an example. At journeys end, he proved to be the Rock that Jesus said he would be. Yet along the way, when the going got a bit rough, he vehemently denied even knowing Jesus. “Not me,” he said, “Nothing to do with me. Not my idea. I did nothing. If anything was done, it was he that did it – NOT ME.” Peter turned about face and ran for cover as soon as the going got a bit tough. Yet Jesus had said, “You are Peter, the rock upon whom I will build My church.” Yet here was dear, blessed, but fallible Peter, turning and running instead of staying and protecting. How many Peter’s have you known in your life?

Next came Judas – the banker; one of the chosen twelve who stayed by Jesus throughout all of His ministry. Here was one you could, ironically, bank on. He was Mister reliable – he held the money and there is no story of him with his sticky fingers in the till. Yet here was one with a flaw – a serious, nay, fatal flaw. He really would do anything for money including selling his soul – Jesus to be precise – to the Roman authorities. Yet he was also oh so human. He had a conscience – why else would he commit suicide after betraying Jesus to the soldiers. Has someone done that to you at one time or another?

Finally there was Pontius Pilate – judge, jury, and executioner. As a Judge Pilate got it right. He found no wrong in Jesus and he said so. As a jury however, he allowed popular opinion to influence his verdict. Then as executioner, Pilate excelled himself. Instead of a quiet quick execution, as Herod gave John, Pilate allowed the most barbaric form of execution known to mankind to be perpetrated upon an innocent man. He knew what was right, yet he bowed to popular opinion and threw an innocent man to the wolves in order to preserve his own skin – which wasn’t in the slightest danger, by the way. We all know a Pilate, don’t we?

Yes, there will always be a Peter to deny you, a Judas to betray you and a Pilate to crucify you. So, if you can survive without the support of your personal Peter. If you can successfully defend yourself against a con-man who will certainly sell you down the river for his personal thirty pieces of silver. And if you can persuade your Pilate to stick to his decisions and not change his mind depending on which way the wind blows – Then you will be a survivor.

That’s what the world says isn’t it? Yet it’s not at all what God’s Word says. God’s Word says in Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Sure, you will encounter your three key friends-cum-betrayers in Peter, Judas, and Pilate, but you will be able to withstand and remain standing – ransomed, healed, restored, and forgiven – AND more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus – our Saviour and Lord.

What Season are You in?

Seasons

I love those little unexpected chats I seem t have with the Lord. We just had lunch at Four Seasons Garden Centre here in Sleaford. An excellent lunch it was too and we will not be needing much, if any more food today. However, soon after we arrived back home, the Lord asked me, “What season is it?” Funny question, I thought, but the Lord persisted with me. “What season is it?” So I said, “Lord, its autumn, or fall – but you already know that, don’t you?” “No”, He replied, “I mean what season is it for you?” Interesting now, I thought about it first, then I replied, “I suppose Lord, It’s a season of waiting on You?” I ventured, a little hopefully.

“Quite right”, He surprised me with this response. “Now, why do you think I allow you to have seasons like this?” Oh boy, you know when you are getting out of your depth don’t you? Well this appeared to be the start of one of those ‘think or thwim’ sessions. However, I am game if nothing else, so I thought again for a bit, then I answered, “I guess, Lord, it’s so you can get my complete attention and drum Your message into me?” Again the Lord surprised me. “Yes, that’s about the measure of it.” He said, “It is indeed so I can get the full extent of My message into you. You are not alone in being a little reluctant to listen to everything I try to say to you. So, every once in a while, I have to slow you down a bit and press or imprint My full message into you.”

This made me think a bit about the goodness of God. He knows our weaknesses and all our little foibles, but He allows for them when He deals with us. I imagine it was the case with Moses. When the Lord had tried a few times by more subtle means, He finally resorted to something that caught Moses’ eye and imprinted itself on his memory. I mean, not everyone sees a burning bush in the middle of the desert do they? Same with Saul on the road to Damascus. Jesus was probably trying hard to get through to him without much success so He finally thought, “Right sunshine, I’m gonna have to send you a message you cannot mistake.” And He did. In both cases, Moses and Saul, the Lord had a new season waiting for them and He had to almost drag them, kicking and screaming, into the new place.

So it has been with me and my wife too. The Lord has brought us to a new place, literally – a new place 150 miles from the old one. We knew He had brought us here, but we knew not why He had done so. However, this past week or so, we have been through the mill a little bit. struggling to find a reason for all that has been happening. Suddenly, one or two things become clear, and one or two reasons also began to manifest themselves. Both of us can now see at least one reason for this past season – probably two reasons if you also count bedding us into the church community and getting us known a little.

It’s not just at a personal level either. Our local churches have been going through seasons of great uncertainty. We have all known for a while now that there is coming a move of God in this area that is going to surprise us all in its intensity. Now I can warn the church that it is not just the intensity, it will be the direction too. This coming move of God will be one not at all similar to previous moves. This one involves much greater unity amongst the churches, and a huge emphasis on returning to 1^st Century (Book of Acts) Christianity. The church is about to erupt out of her cosy buildings and will start to demonstrate Christ’s love to the surrounding area in such a profound manner that even the authorities will take notice. The Church will begin to return to being the hub of the community in this coming season, maybe even in this final season before Jesus returns.

To get back where I started, we are here for this coming season. You have heard of the five-fold ministry. Well I think there may just be a sixth ministry – that of trainer. Those who help to train up the church ready for the coming season. What have we got to offer? I haven’t a clue but I do know that whom the Lord chooses He uses, and whom He uses He equips.

I am watching the signs of the times very closely right now, because I don’t think this coming season is going to be a long one. In fact, I think it’s going to be a very short one – very intense but very short.

Keep your ears and eyes open and your aerial up – it’s all about to break. The cloud that was once the size of a man’s hand is much bigger and much closer – and it is bringing rain like you’ve never imagined – latter rain. This move of God is upon us – any day now.

If I may quote one of my own more recent blogs - "I believe that the world and his brother is sick and tired of any Christianity that simply talks about all their failings, yet fails to do anything itself. The world is waiting, almost with bated breath, for Christians to come out of their sanctified retreats and demonstrate Christ’s love for them"