A Voice in the Wilderness

As many of you know, I work in children's homes. Admittedly a real part timer these days due to my work with Street Pastors, HTMI and Highway Church. Still, I do love spending time with teenagers who for one reason or another have ended up 'in care'.

I recently came across a poem written by a 15 year old lad called Jason, who had found himself in the care system. I found it really moving so I hope you take a moment to read what he has to say,

I go to my window, just sit and stare,
I fold my hands, talk to God and give Him a prayer,
I pray to Him to protect my mother,
I pray Him to keep His mighty hand over my sister and brother
I begin by saying my name is Jason, I know you know that Lord, so here is a question,
'Why is the world the way it is in the present?
Because I have always believed that you were omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent,
If you have all these powers, why do you allow the world to be so unpleasant?'
But He never gives me a direct answer,
He tends to do that in a unique manner.





When I look out my window for that answer, all I see are not answers, just distractions
The answer is simple God gave us a choice of our actions.
It is our actions that make us bad,
It is our actions that make others sad.
So don't go to my Lord and give Him the blame,
Beacuse in fact the blame is under your name.
I go to my window, just sit and stare,
I fold my hands, talk to God and give Him a prayer,
I don't want to blame You for the world going wrong,
But I will thank you for helping me stay strong.


..............Amen

Leia Mais…

God is too much!!!

'Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us' Ephesians 3:20

Two weeks ago I returned from a trip to Rwanda and Uganda with friends Mike VanDromme and Richard Pedley. In all the years I've been travelling and preaching the Word of God I've never seen so many healing miracles. People were healed of all sorts of conditions - this lady in the photograph had such poor eyesight that she was always walking into walls and ditches. When she came forward her eyesight was instantly restored after hands were laid on her.

On return from my trip I was questioned as to why such things happen in Africa but not in the UK! I felt uneasy to be honest about the nature of the question. I mean, if God is God, surely he isn't limited to doing miracles in the Third World. Surely God is the same everywhere!

A couple of weeks before going away to Africa a lady in our local place of worship, Highway Church, Stratford, had been healed of a painful arthritic condition that made it hard just to get up. When she came forward for prayer she was 'slain in the Spirit' as God the Holy Spirit ministered to her. She got up healed from the condition and has been praising God since!

While sharing about the trip to Africa, our Pastor, Simon, encouraged me to pray for the sick and expect a breakthrough. The Lord touched a number of people. One younng man, about 11 years old, complained of a pain in his arm. After prayer it left instantly. He turned to his friend and said, 'This stuff really works'. Apparently Claire, who leads the childrens' work said that he came to her after the meeting and said, 'God is too much!'

A lady suffering from diabetes had been told that nothing could be done medically for her failing eyesight. When she came forward for prayer God healed her instantly and she was able to read the Bible freely, her hearing was also restored and she was healed from a problem with her knees. When she went for a hospital appointment during the week, the medical staff said, 'this is amazing! Your body is healing itself without any medication!'

The lad in Church got it right - 'God is too much'

Leia Mais…

As a man speaks to his friend

Exo 33:11 The LORD would speak with Moses face-to-face, just as someone speaks with a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp. But the young man who was his helper, Joshua son of Nun, stayed in the Tent.

When God speaks things happen. The world was created through His Word, people in the Bible were healed when Jesus spoke the Word. When God speaks it brings light, life, freedom, salvation, in fact it brings Himself as Jesus Himself is the Word...

That's why it's so important that we hear God speak. I can remember once when I had spent an evening praying in my room. I was just about to get into bed when the Lord gave me a vision of a young woman I knew (I'll call her L) but hadn't seen for a couple of years. She was stood at a bar (which I also knew), I felt God was telling me to go to the bar, give the girl a lift home and pass on a message from Him that it was time for L to come home (meaning spiritually)! Personally I was more keen on the idea of getting into bed. However, I put on my clothes and went to the bar as directed.

When I arrived at the pub the girl was there exactly as I had seen in the vision, stood in the same place where I had seen her. She was surrounded by young guys all trying to chat her up. I managed to get over to her though and as it was closing time I offered her a lift home. When we got to her place I told her the message God had spoken to me that it was time for L to come home and how He had spoken to me through the vision. L was overwhelmed and started to cry and pour out her recent life story. She was touched at how much God loved her.

I'd like to say that's an every day occurrence... Of course it isn't, but it did impress on me what can happen when we have an open relationship with God where we listen rather than just talk.

I'm sure you've had the experience, as I have, of being around people who just talk.. and talk.. and talk (usually about themselves) but never ask questions or wait to hear you speak. Personally, I don't tend to hang around those sort of people, I tend to avoid them and if I do get caught by them I really can't be bothered to say anything... Enough said??

Have a blessed week and don't forget to listen.

Dave

Leia Mais…

Who is my neighbour?

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He said to him, What is written in the Law? How do you read it?
And answering, he said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
And He said to him, You have answered right; do this and you shall live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:25-29)

For some time now this phrase 'who is my neighbour?' has been ringing in my ears. Only two weeks ago a young man was stabbed only a stones throw from my flat in Hackney. I didn't know who he was. Even though I am surrounded by people I don't really know many of them.

In the course of sharing the Gospel with people over the years, I have found time and time again, that the people I have seen come to Christ, and stay walking with Him, have been those I have taken the time and trouble to get to know. Eating together, praying together, travelling, jogging or fishing together.

There are many trends in evangelistic techniques and emphases but one thing remains constant - the Word of God. Jesus' commands were mostly quite straightforward, not neccesarily easy to obey, but easy to understand. Love God, love people. As the evangelist who trained me used to say, 'love is spelt T.I.M.E.' In order to win people and demonstrate the love of God we first need to know THEM. To spend time listening first and speaking second.

As the story of the Good Samaritan indicates there are very often people that we just pass by and overlook - fear, prejudice and wrong judgements can cloud our spiritual perception and cause us to miss God's will and direction, to overlook those in need of help. I hope and pray that God gives us, His Church, eyes to see our neighbour through His eyes and open doors of opportunity so that we know the answer to the question, 'who is my neighbour?'.

Leia Mais…

Captivity led captive

Eph 4:8 Therefore He says, "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men."

I’ve been meditating on chapter 4 of Ephesians for some time now and have been really strengthened through thesewords. Jesus, having taken the punishment for and broken the power of sin, ascended to sit at the right hand of Godand led captive all that holds us captive. He led captivity captive. The imagery used would have been familiar to theEphesians that Paul was writing to. Roman conquerors returning from battle would normally return with the enemy
that had been conquered chained and led in a ‘triumphal procession’.

No matter what is binding you, Jesus HAS bound it. Whatever is holding you captive, Jesus HAS conquered it. Seewhatever is binding you being led in that procession, chained, conquered and overcome. Bringing liberty into ourexperience can be a challenge but we have to approach the problem knowing our position. Christ is the Conqueror, the Overcomer and we are IN Him, so that is our position. Seated at God’s right hand, the head and not the tail, above and not beneath.

The reference ‘gave gifts to men’ is clarified later when Paul refers to what we term the ‘fivefold ministry’, the gift ofapostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. I like the way that the two events I.e. Christ’s triumphal ascension, leading captivity captive and the giving of ministry gifts are intertwined. We have a responsibility as Christ’s ambassadors to let the world know that He has overcome - sickness, sin, emotional grief, mental breakdown, demonic oppression and even death itself. When we minister, we minister from a position. A position of
victory, of captivity having been led captive.

I remember preaching in Kathmandu once and seeing a woman beaming in the congregation, her face absolutely shone with the presence of God. After the meeting I asked the Pastor who she was. The Pastor explained that the woman had been mad for many years, totally demon possessed, and had been literally chained hand and foot as she was uncontrollable and a danger to herself and others. One day a Christian woman came and spoke to her,telling her the Gospel. The woman gave her life to Christ and was marvellously delivered. That which held her captive was led captive, what bound her had been bound. Isn’t God wonderful! The woman who had been in bondage for so many years was now living a happy, blessed life and was baptised in the icy waters of the Himalayas, risking a lengthy prison sentence in doing so.

As we speak to friends, family, colleagues let’s remember Christ’s position and our position in Him, so that we can impart faith and a sense of hope into others that God can make a difference, however impossible the situation
appears.

Leia Mais…