Healing Testimony (26/01/12)

So... it's been a while since I've updated this, however this one is a great one from a few weeks ago. So quite often I'm involved with the prayer ministry team at my church, and a few weeks ago, a girl approached me and asked me to pray for her knee. Basically, she often feels knee around her knee, and she was having a final MRI scan before deciding whether she would need an operation or not. So me and my pastor's lovely wife prayed for this knee and she went away. It was only a few days ago that I bumped into her again. I asked her about her knee and she told that since that day, her pain went away, and she had her MRI scan and no longer needed an operation! God is so incredible!

Prayer and Faith

Every single day, I know somebody is out there praying. It doesn't matter what the time is, or the language. It could be about world politics, a family member with cancer, a couple wanting a baby or even just a guy praying for right questions in his exams, even if he doesn't believe in God. But how much faith do we actually have that these prayers will be answered?

I know sometimes I don't. It's always frustrating when you know somebody, probably that girl who goes to church, who always has amazing stories about how God answers her prayers. She isn't there to brag or boast, but it feels like it. So we start to feel jealousy, maybe even resentment. Why does God favour her, but not me?

Well my reply to you is this: When was the last time that you honestly trusted that God would hear and answer you? Somebody once told me, "Expectancy is the catalyst for prayers." When we pray and act as though what we're praying will/has happened, we are stepping out in faith that God will answer.

It doesn't have to be a big thing. What you pray doesn't have to change. But your attitude to what your pray does matter. Only you can make that active choice to believe in the words that you pray.

I know it can be a struggle sometimes. I know having faith in the impossible to happen is difficult. And I know how exposed a person can feel. And I know how much it hurts when things don't happen the way you prayed for them to happen. But in the end, I know it was worth it.

Healing Testimonies (30/10/11)

So this has been a very exciting month for all of us. This actually happened a few weeks but I just haven't had time to write this up! I was at my local church, and doing the usual stuff, and I just suddenly get the feeling that we should pray for people with sore right shoulders and bad ankles. I decided to tell my friend, who told my awesome pastor Neil at the end, and he asked people to come forward. Three people came forward!


The first woman had crutches and bad ankles, but also had a sore right shoulder! So we prayed with her and her pain mostly went away, which was amazing! Another woman had a sore ankles and I think she got partially healed too! A third woman had a tight shoulder, and after praying, her shoulder immediately loosened up! How incredible!


So I guess this is the start of something new that we're all excited about! I'm just so honoured to see some of the healings! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below!

Glory and Joy

"I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh will also dwell securely...You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."
(Psalm 16:8-9, 11)
"When the Lord is before him (David) and at his right hand, his "glory rejoices." The word translated as "rejoice" also means "tremble." This makes me think of a tuning fork that vibrates when its note is sounded. When God is before us, when we are close to Him, we resonate with the same sound that is God. We rejoice in His presence, for in His "presence is fullness of joy." Our glory rejoices - the substance that we share with God is expressed in the intimacy and exchange of being with Him as Father and children, and that expression is joy."
Paul Manwaring, What on Earth is Glory? (P.62)


I started reading What on Earth is Glory? a couple of days ago and then this morning I came to this passage and I was just so overwhelmed and amazed by it that I just wanted to share it. The idea that in the presence of our Daddygod we just can't help but rejoice and tremble in His presence is just incredible. 


When you think about all the brokenness, hurt and betrayal in this world that we are exposed to on a daily basis and then you contrast that with this Father that when you're with Him just envelops you in Love and Joy it just takes my breath away. 


David writes that he has "set the Lord continually before me," from that he is able to say with complete confidence that "he will not be shaken," when we have God set right before us we have no reason to ever doubt, worry, or fear again, whatever the world can throw us our God is Bigger, Stronger and He will never, ever, ever leave us. His overwhelming, all-consuming love for us means that He will always be there. When we have this mindset we are then free from the constraints of this world, we are free to rejoice in our Father, to rest in His presence and be daily overwhelmed by His joy. 


I love the image that Paul Manwaring gives of us, as tuning forks, so that when we can feel the presence of God we can't help but be filled with His joy. This makes me ask the question, how can I be more tuned into His presence? How can I fine-tune myself so that I can have more of this joy and feel more of His presence? 

Garden - Misty Edwards

This is a link to a video with this song. The video contains footage from the film, The Secret Garden; it is powerfully relevant to the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUW5dkoCjnU

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Lyrics:

It's You and me alone God You and me alone
Here it's You and me alone God You and me alone

You've hedged me in with skin all around me
I'm a garden enclosed a locked garden
Life takes place behind the face

So come into Your garden
Come into Your garden

Here O Lord! Have I prepared a place for You!

I'm no longer my own I'm Your garden

I don't want to wasted my time living on the outside
I'm going to live from the inside out
I don't want to waste my life living on the outside
I'm going to live from the inside out

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They say there are 1000 words in a picture and 1000 pictures in a word. This is definitely true of this song - each phrase with enormous depth and significance - almost as if there are worlds to be explored and gifts to be opened in every line. It is a wonderful picture of intimacy with God, inspired by Song Of Songs; our relationship is described as a garden, even that we are the garden, His garden. The song starts with lines of poetry. The whole song is infused with life, and the video attached to this is perfectly suited to the song, as if it is the song in visual form!

The music is atmospheric and enchanting, with beautiful electric guitar work, vocal meoldies and atmospherics with a clean, liquid feel. What I love is the sense of treasure that we are as God's possession and masterpiece, made in His image. We are gifts unwrapped and we can give ourselves to Him to unwrap us.

Above everything else - Rend Collective Experiment

Here is a link to this song. Scroll down through the others to find it.

http://www.myspace.com/rendcollectiveexperiment/music/albums/organic-family-hymnal-14948595

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Lyrics:

You rule over distant seas over every part of me
You raise the day from night and the song inside of me
You watch all the planets spin and my eyelids flickering

Beyond everything else You are, You are
Above everything else You are

Greater than life itself
More precious than perfect health
Finer than friendship or romance
More needed than oxygen
More pleasing than thrill or fame
Stronger than death or gravity

You speak and the waves obey, but You whisper peace to me
You hold the skies in their place and my past and destiny
You reign over war-torn lands, over famine, fear and kings

King Jesus You are victorious, You are
King Jesus You are victorious

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The whole song is packed with gems. While some of the lyrics sound strange on execution, the themes echoed out resonate deeply with the heart of a worshipper. In this song, the supremacy of God is not just an abstract idea but brought right home to every aspect of our lives and who we are. Complemented by driving yet contemplative music (you have to hear it) this song is bursting with passion and delight in the infinite.

However, what really does it for me is the last section, 4 minutes into the song, when the music drops down and builds powerfully with the lyrics, "King Jesus You are victorious, You are King Jesus You are victorious". Sung by a choir of children. The power and anointing in this final 2 minutes of the song bursts through. There is nothing quite so beautiful and pure as children singing of the power of their creator.

Your victories are my victories

At some point, most of us will feel jealous of someone, spiritually. It is easier, more subtle, and perhaps doesn't seem so bad to be jealous of someone's faith, their gifts, victories or even love for God. Or perhaps you just want to be more like someone.

Now, just to clarify - it is very good to have role models. It is good to learn from each other, to desire to grow more, and to be challenged by others too. But what I'm talking about here is different. And it is dangerous.

This is something I'm dealing with and have struggled with in the past too. I found that jealousy can show up in frustration, but underneath jealousy is a feeling of being short-changed. This often seems to be the root of the problem, and spiritually we feel like God is short changing us. I found that to be the case of a friend of mine. After a lot of spiritual growth in him I felt that I'd been short-changed.

The truth is that God has made us all unique and characterised us differently. We therefore have unique relationships with Him. Also we are all on different journeys and in different seasons of life. Sometimes we are growing we just don't even realise. And sometimes we have an impact without knowing.

But even after all this, it wasn't enough. So God led me to this awesome passage - 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20. Here, Paul is writing to the Thessalonians and he's basically saying how awesome they are! "After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when He returns? It is you! Yes, you are our pride and joy" (NLT).

In this letter, Paul goes on and on about how much their faith as encouraged other churches and how much he thanks God for them. Through this, God showed me that in His family, we share victories. Jealousy falls. Your faith is my joy. Your victories are my victories.

Life Shapes: Pentagon part 1

The pentagon, being 5 sides, represents the five-fold gifts of leadership in the ministry of the church. That's not to say all gifts, talents and anointings are limited to these, but simply that these are a complete framework of leadership gifts (which others will be based around).

The five-fold gifts come from Ephesians 4:11 "It was he who gave some to be (1) apostles, some to be (2) prophets, some to be (3) evangelists, and some to be (4) pastors and (5) teachers." Ephesians 4 talks about the growth and maturity of the body of Christ (the church) and tells us God gave us these five in order for growth to happen.

So what do these five areas of ministry mean?

(1) The apostle. The original meaning from the Greek word (apostolos) means "sent one", and carries the meaning of one who is "sent on a mission". Looking at the ministry of Jesus, it is no surprise then that the apostle is the one who comes first. Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19) and as such was a man on a mission in this world. Of course, His ultimate mission was to save the world by His death and resurrection, however His life's mission was seen in the second line of the Lord's prayer - "Your Kingdom come". His frequent talk and parables about the Kingdom of God emphasises this. And it seems this is the call of the apostle - he or she is sent out into the world, to bring the Kingdom.

(2) The prophet. This we can see throughout the Old Testament as God gave us the "prophets" - those who God spoke directly to, with a message for the people. In Jesus (who, by the way, perfectly embodies all of the five-fold), we see the prophetic not only as God the Father speaks through Him, but also as He speaks with authority to change situations (the commands to heal or the cursing of the fig tree). Prophecy (since Jesus) has been discussed by Paul in Corinthians as a spiritual gift. Books have been written on the prophetic, but for our purposes, all we will say is that despite the fact that God wants to speak to all of us, some He has called as prophets in order to hear from God concerning the leading of His people.

The New Testament says that the church is built on the ministry of the apostles and prophets - ie, it is the cornerstone. One way I have heard the two described is that the apostles are concerned with stepping out and bringing heaven (God's Kingdom) to earth, and prophets are concerned with "seeing" what's in heaven, and speaking it out on the earth. It is clear why the two are important, and why they should be at the helm. The next three follow.

Breaking the Chains

I was listening a live version of "Break Every Chain" by United Pursuit Band, and I was just moved by the presence of God in this song. But what blew me away at the end was this short prayer right at the end of the song. I decided to transcribe it because I thought it was just an incredible prayer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mohyR5xowFw

"Lord... I just praise you tonight because, Father, it's... it's like a yes or no. Whether that we can see our lives, whether we can see a freedom, Lord. A lightness, a brightness. And Lord, for any here that just don't recognise that there is light, and there is dark. And there is pain and there is suffering, there is depression and there is fear and there is... hopelessness, but there is goodness, there is truth, and there is life and there is joy: abundant and free. God, help us see that's you, that the light is you... that you're interested... you're interested in breaking us free... that you're interested in seeing your light come, right here and right now. That's what you're about Jesus, and help us be about the same thing. Help us be about the same thing. We wanna rise up with you God, we wanna be about the things you're about. We wanna be about life."

There were many things that challenged me in this prayer. The first big thing being whether I myself can see freedom in my life. What is freedom? Freedom in Christ used to always seem like a big paradox to me, as when I was younger, I believed we were never really free with so many rules to follow. I was wrong. Freedom in Christ, means we are free from that guilt and condemnation, that sometimes we may feel when we sin. I'm not saying that its okay to not care whether you sin or not, rather to let it go completely to God so He can restore you to your identity in Christ. When Jesus died, He took all of our sin, and covered us with grace.

The second thing that challenged me was the contrast of light and dark. So often we can wind up thinking about all the bad things in life like pain, suffering, depression, fear and hopelessness. I know I've experienced many of these things within my life, and I ended up in a cycle focusing on negative without any positive. I can tell you now, that isn't a healthy place to be, regardless whether you have faith or not. Fortunately, I had a few good friends help me pull through, and they helped by reminding about the goodness in life. And if you're in that vicious cycle now, send me a message and I'll be open to chat and to pray for you, because I know there is so much good out there.

The last thing got me is that God is interested in us. Just WOW. It blows my mind every time I think about it. God, who created EVERYTHING, is interested in me. And it's the same for you too. Whether you want to believe it or not, God is interested in you and how you feel! That's just incredible, right?

I want to end with Will Reagan's final line. "We wanna be about life." I want to be about that freedom, that joy, and about that goodness, and to spread it everywhere. What do you want to be about?

The "Called" and the "Chosen"

"For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14 (KJV)

What does it mean to be called, and what does it mean to be chosen? And if many are called, why are only a few chosen? And if I am called, how do I become chosen? These were just a few of the questions running through my mind when I first encountered this passage, during my high school years. Similarly to many people I knew, I didn't really understand it too well...

Recently, I went to a Jesus Culture conference in London with a few friends, and God's presence was really tangelable. The air was so thick. The guy speaking at the conference was called Banning, and he unpacked it really well.

"Many are called, but few are chosen." What was it about certain people that God not only called them, but also chose them? And surely everyone that is called should be chosen? To understand this, we should read it again, in the context of the passage.

The rest of passage is about a king, who sends out many invitations to friends to a wedding, however all of them reply that they are busy. After receiving the replies, the king then sends out another batch of invitations to others. Most of them say no, but a few say yes. And in effect, that's the king saying I choose you. So can it really be as simple as saying "yes"?

Well actually, yes! As illustrated in the story, many were called, but none were chosen as they had said no. In reality, I believe God has called each and every single one of you, to do a job that nobody else can ever do. The question is, are you willing to saying yes? I'm not talking about "yes, but..." or "yes, if only..." but a yes without a get out clause. Living in your real identity, that God has called you to be.

So do you want to be chosen, or just called? I'll let you decide.

Hitting The Wall...

Recently, I was on a plane journey flying from Hong Kong back to Heathrow, and as with most long flights, I couldn't sleep. So I decided to flick through the channels and see what films were on. This one film in particular caught my eye, and so I put it on. It was called Run, Fatboy, Run. At this point in the post, you're probably wondering what this film has to do with title... bear with me...

So for those of you who haven't watched it (you should definitely watch it!), its about a guy who always gives up, but then decides to participate in a marathon... About midway through the film, Simon Pegg's character receives some advice about running from his opponent:

"I'm talking about discipline and perseverance. And all cute little comments aside... there comes a point in every race... it could be the fifth mile, it could be the twenty fifth... but, eventually, you're gonna hit... what runners like to call "the wall." And when you do...you won't be able to breathe or think or even move. All you're gonna wanna do is give up." Whit - Run, Fatboy, Run (Warner Bros. 2007)

After hearing this quote, it kind of provoked me into thinking about God, and actually how similar running is to living a life of faith. You can live for God every day, and it doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian, but at some point, you'll probably hit the wall, and just as above quote mentions "you won't be able to breathe or think or even move. All you wanna do is give up." And a lot of people take the easy way out and give up, but what would happen if they didn't?

Throughout my life, I've hit so many walls, and at times, I literally couldn't move on. Walls can be made up of disappointment, hurt, pain and frustration, just to name a few. It isn't easy, but I would like to encourage you all to carry on because the rewards are just so good. I promise you all that it's worth it.

So, what do you do when you hit the wall? Do you give up, or carry on? I know what I'd do.

How do you approach life?

‎"If you approach life and forget about the atrocities that we commit, then you're not being honest. And if you approach life and simply look at the terrible things and forget about the amazing aspects of what it means to be alive, then you're going to be suicidal. So, somewhere in the middle is honesty and embracing all of life."

Jon Foreman

After I read that powerful quote, I just wanted share it. It made me realise how often I can be at either end of looking at life, and I guess it isn't healthy to neglect one of the world views. So I guess my question is:

How do you approach life?

Life Shapes: Semi-Circle

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." 

John 15:1-8 (NIV)

The words that really jump out at me about this short passage is "Remain in me, as I also remain in you." At first glance, it may seem a bit cryptic, but after thinking about vines and branches literally, the metaphor is revealed.

As the passage explains, a tree may grow to produce fruit for a season, but in order for the tree to produce more fruit for later seasons, the branches that do not bear fruit must be removed, whilst those that do must be cut back to the vinestock (the main branch or branches where other branches grow off.) This means that when it grows back, the branch will be stronger and be able to support more fruit.

Taking the metaphor away, and placing in our lives means that as we spend with God, we may grow in a particular area (healing, patience etc), which will lead to season of fruitfulness such as seeing healings and miracles. And usually, just as we're getting used to this season of incredible things, it can all just suddenly stop. We can pray for things, and healings don't happen, and impatience can return.

At this point, we will probably start to wonder... "what have I done wrong?" and "God has let me down..." I know in the past I have. However, there is another way to look at it. Instead of thinking of it as a bad thing, think of it as a prompt to spend abide in God. As you begin to rest in God, the cycle starts again, and you will start to grow again.

It is so important to understand this rhythm of life, in order to grow more, and to see an increase in fruit.

Album review: Church Music - David Crowder Band

"There tends to be a sparseness of production. There are only four or five elements that make up a track. That encourages it to be a disposable thing. Your ear can understand and get to the bottom of what’s happening really quickly, so the thing gets chewed up and spit out... So [the composers] started thinking, 'What’s going to be fun to discover on the 4th or 5th listen?' That’s what we tried to do. We did a lot of layering, and hopefully things can be discovered on repeated listens." - David Crowder

And that's exactly what they did. Musically, this record pushes the boundaries and goes further than much modern worship music. The title track Church Music, is in fact a dance track! Not only that, there is a wide range of styles, from rock, dance, electronic and pop and many fused together. You wouldn't for example, expect an electric guitar solo in an electronic dance track. But that's what we have here!

When listened to all through this album feels like a journey; it plays continuously from start to finish with all 17 songs linking into the next. The journey takes you through a wide range of themes including God's awesomeness as portrayed brilliantly in the powerful rocker God Almighty, None Compares; trusting God through dark and painful times, in Shadows; and crying out to God for greater intimacy with Him in the beautiful SMS (Shine). We also have wonderful renditions of John Mark McMillan's How He Loves, and Flyleaf's All Around Me, full of rich emotion, connecting with the secret place of intimacy with God. The final track , In The End (O Resplendent Light!) is a fantastic 6 minute finale, looking forward to the future fulfilment of God's Kingdom in all its perfection, joy and peace. The track ends with a period of eclectic electronic music experimentation which is all quite surreal. There is a rich depth and feel to all of the songs, each having its own charm, from the warm friendliness of Alleluia Sing to the perkiness of Birmingham (We Are Safe).

Lyrically, this record soars high. It's even clear from the song titles that this album is a wonderful collection of beautifully crafted poetry. The lyrics are infused with life and passion which connect deep into a person's life. From the honesty of Shadows: "Oh the joy and oh the sorrow", the unusual (and ironic) dance track lyrics of Church Music:

"Dance if you're wounded
Dance if you're torn into
Dance broken open
Dance with nothing to lose"

and the poetic We Are Loved,:

"Velvet black night
Pierced with white
Stars waiting quiet
Wide listening sky"

the lyrics on this album rise far above much of what is written about God, us and His world.

I fully recommend! 10/10