Entering the Year Debt-Free

As we enter a new year, it is a year full of promise and potential. But is it going to be different, better, more purposeful, more fruitful, more satisfying? Our choices will determine that – not our circumstances. What we think and say and do will determine the outcome of next year, regardless of what happens to us. When we say the Lord’s prayer we begin with our focus on our Father – Our Father in Heaven, holy is your name – meaning, your nature. Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. We often declare these phrases in prayer or in song. And it has occurred to me that his rule in our life – his will on earth is reflected in what follows. ‘Give us today our daily bread’. His will is to meet our daily physical needs. There is no lack in his Kingdom. When he is ruling we will not need to worry about our basic needs. ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything else you need will be given you.’ Then there are our emotional/spiritual needs. “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” This again reflects his rule in our lives. Forgiveness is at the heart of his Kingdom. Not just the Lord forgiving us, but us forgiving others – 70 x 7 Jesus said to Peter. Be unlimited in your forgiveness, because God’s mercy and forgiveness towards you is unlimited. James Jordan says that ‘if we knew the freedom forgiveness brings, we would LOVE forgiving.’ There is actually a version of the Lord’s Prayer which says, “Forgive us out debts, as we forgive our debtors.” It is very common to feel we are ‘in debt’ to God - that we owe him so much. In reality we do – if we only look at our merits, our achievements. But if this feeling persists in us, it means we haven’t understood the cross. Jesus hung on that cross as our representative. The one who suffered on behalf of all. He not only took into himself our actual sins, but he also carried our debts – all we have failed to do. All we owe God, was paid for by Jesus. Just like the parable of the unforgiving servant, whose huge, unpayable debt was cancelled… so has ours been. All our failures and inadequacies HAVE BEEN PAID FOR… already. There is nothing in the heart of our Father that says ‘you owe me.’ He only looks at Jesus and sees on our debts the words ‘PAID IN FULL’. Will you believe this as you go into this new year? Will you go into it ‘debt free’ - with a thankful heart for all Jesus bore for you on the cross? I think one of our struggles is that we cannot forgive ourselves for all our failures and lacks. We are ashamed – we feel foolish. Will we hold ourselves in debt when Father God refuses to do this? Ask the Spirit to show you how the Father sees you covered in the righteousness of Jesus. And submit your opinion of yourself to him. We need to stop listening to ‘the accuser’ and keep our ears open to the Spirit. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. He does… always… but do we forgive our debtors? Are there people who you feel ‘owe’ you something? They owe you attention, or respect, or love, or an apology, an explanation or perhaps money… If you cannot think of them without a feeling of ‘being owed’ – then you still hold them in debt. And whatever they do that is good or helpful or right… you won’t be able to experience any pleasure or joy in what they do. Because this debt you hold against them is like a distorting lens… it will colour every thing you think or feel about them. In your eyes they cannot do anything right. It is a painful bondage to feel others owe us. Our emotional well-being is tied to their every move. Will you go into the new year saying truly ‘no-one owes me anything. Just as all my debts are cancelled at the cross, so I have cancelled every outstanding debt others owe me. I can look at all those who have hurt me or let me down over the years and say, ‘You owe me nothing.’ Wouldn’t it be a relief to be able to honestly say that, from the depths of your being? Actually, when you think about it – we owe people mercy, because we have been given mercy. We owe people forgiveness, because we have been forgiven so much. ‘Freely you have received… freely give.’ Jesus said. In Romans 13:11-14 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. 11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.” What is the ‘armour of Light’? It is being clothed in mercy, in compassion, in forgiveness, in love. It is the nature of our King, who rules his Kingdom in love and compassion. As you ponder these truths – will you receive for yourself the Lord’s assurance ‘You owe me nothing… Jesus has paid it all’. And will you choose to say of others, any you feel are in debt to you – ‘You owe me nothing – I cancel the debt as Jesus has cancelled mine. I set you free from my judgement.’ Jesus has paid for their debts also… The cross deals with everything that is sinful and ungodly…both in us and in others. Our part is to line up our heart and will up with the desire of our Saviour. To be in agreement with him. Take a moment now to ask the Spirit to show you those three things: Have I received what he has done for me? Do I know my debts are all cancelled because of Jesus? Have I forgiven myself for my failures and sins… just as he has? Is there anyone I hold in debt and feel ‘They owe me?’ Will you choose now to say “I cancel that debt in Jesus name. I set you free. You owe me nothing.”

The 'AMEN' of Faith

I have begun a search for more understanding about faith so that my faith will take me into more of his Kingdom. The Scriptures are full of stories of people whose faith brought dramatic intervention by God. I want a faith that pulls miracles into life situations. A month ago I met at a conference a couple who have an extraordinary life of faith, Jack and Anna Marie Sheffield. They have seen wonderful miracles of healing and have set up a healing centre in San Antonio, Texas, USA where they live. They are now training teams in other churches and countries to do the same. Their lives and their books have really challenged me – and made my heart ache for us to see such signs and wonders here, regularly. I believe it is our heritage. (see www.deepriverministries.com – get some of his books and be inspired.) Do you realise we live by faith every day. It is in our dna. It is how this world and our lives work. By faith you ate your breakfast, believing it would not make you sick. By faith you turn the key in your car to go places. By faith you sit on a seat. This is common, natural faith. It is in us because we are created in the image of God. THE RESTFULNESS OF FAITH The words faith, trust and believe in the New Testament all come from the same root Greek word ‘pistis’. It means to trust in, rely upon, to put your whole weight upon, being persuaded or convinced, confident, assured, having a guarantee you can stand on. In the Old Testament the Hebrew words for faith/trust/belief all come from the same original word, ‘aman’. It means firmness, certainty or being established. When setting up a tent you always choose firm soil so the pegs won’t pull out in a high wind. The firm state of the soil is ‘aman’. The word ‘trust’ is used a lot in the OT, especially in the Psalms. There are three words for trust that mean to lean on or to cling to, then there is ‘aman’ – stand firm, rely on. “You are my Rock, you’re my fortress, in you do I trust.” You are my sure, established place. The first time this word ‘aman’ is used gives us a lovely glimpse into its wonderful spiritual meaning. Moses has taken the children of Israel, over three million of them, out of Egypt into the desert, and he is feeling overwhelmed by having to sort out all their problems. In Numbers 11 he complains to God. “Why have you told me I have to be a “nursing father” – aman – to these people.” “Why do I have to carry them like a father with his un-weaned child?” What a picture of faith, of trust. A baby in the arms of his father – and the baby is at rest – being cared for in every way by his big, powerful, tender, loving Father. He is the safe, sure, established place for that child - the ‘aman.’ Do you think the Lord asked him to be a ‘father’ to these little babes (spiritually) in the desert, because he wanted Moses to give them a glimpse of what he, God, is like? They couldn’t yet walk in faith. They couldn’t feed or clothe themselves. Someone had to hear God on their behalf and dispense his wisdom and provision to them. And in faith, they came to Moses. God had an answer to weary Moses… he told him to find 70 ‘elders’ who could help in this role. And when he selected them, he prayed for them and the same Spirit he had - came upon them for this vital task. Does that sound familiar? So, one aspect of faith is about resting safely in the arms of our Father. And it is about leaning on, or even clinging to him and his word. I want to look at some stories in Scripture – and I’d like to begin with Abraham, because he is called ‘the father of faith.’ Not the Author… that is Jesus… but the father - the first one who had to walk by faith into the vast and wonderful purposes of God. PURSING THE PROMISE What is written in the New Testament about Abraham is very helpful in seeing how this faith works. God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 12: “Go to the land I will show you…” and he walked nearly 1,800 kms with his extended family, livestock, servants, tents, chattels, camels, donkeys… simply being led by the Lord. There were no written Scriptures yet. But he heard, and knew this was God. And he received a promise, “I will make of you a great nation… all peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” He went as a result of these two things. Hearing his voice – and being given, not just a command, but a promise. That’s faith – hearing God’s voice, catching the promise, trusting his word – putting our whole weight upon it … and walking into it. And his faith developed through continued conversations with God… through more promises. One night God took him outside to look at the myriad of stars overhead and promised he would have more descendants than he could even count – just as he couldn’t count the stars… and a covenant was made…and land given… and finally a miracle son given in impossible circumstances – and later that son Isaac was preserved in a time of testing... to become the father of Jacob who had 12 sons… and today we see the fulfilment of the promise. All peoples are being blessed through his faith. He trusted what God said – he did what God asked. Paul comments on his faith in Romans 4:16-21 As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed – the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.’ 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’. 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, (he didn’t in any way distrust the promise of God) but was strengthened/empowered/envigorated … in his faith and gave praise and glory to God, being fully persuaded/completely confident that God had power to do what he had promised. (…that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised.) Fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised… to give him land…to give him a son…to even raise Isaac from the dead if he had to kill him as an offering. That is what faith looks like. We are Abraham’s offspring- children of faith- the same faith he had is in us. It is our spiritual dna. We too can hear the Lord’s voice, receive the promises…and walk into them – persist in them until we see them come to pass. This is the nature of faith to those who are born again of the Spirit. Who have the life of Jesus in us. ENLARGING OUR PICTURE Do you realise our faith will only be a large as the picture of God we have. Abraham believed that God ‘calls things that are not – as though they are.’ There was no way they could have a son. But God did a miracle because that is who he is. ‘He raises the dead to life again.’ And Isaac was given back to him, even though both Abraham and Isaac had accepted his death. I believe God sets us up to discover more and more of himself - to have our view of him enlarged regularly. Then our faith response to who he is and what he can do will need to enlarge also. Often these set ups are our trials and our tests. Those times we feel out of sorts, disappointed, challenged, or life is a mess. He is saying to us – ‘Get a new picture of me – trust me for more than you ever have before – I want to take you to another place of safety and confidence in me.’ Are we listening? Will we hear the promise for this season? PERSEVERING FAITH But faith has more than one side to it: Let’s look at Mary – the mother of Jesus. We hardly ever hear her speak… but she was a woman of great faith. In Luke 1:26-45 the angel came to her and told her she would supernaturally conceive the promised Messiah, the Son of God himself… and concluded with the words, ‘For nothing is impossible with God.’ When Mary visited Elizabeth, her pregnant elderly cousin, Elizabeth said ‘Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Her belief made the coming of Jesus possible. God needed not only her acceptance of his will, but also her belief that this miracle could happen to her. Imagine how it must have been for her for those first 30 years of Jesus’ life before he began to reveal who he was to his nation. She knew he was the long awaited Messiah… she must’ve imagined… and prayed… and been on the edge of her seat with anticipation. WHEN will he show the world who he is? Then he is baptised by John, his cousin, Elizabeth’s special son. John has had a revelation of who this cousin of his really is. What does he shout out? “Look, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” Then Jesus begins to gather his disciples - Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathaniel…and they begin to say to each other, ‘He is the Messiah, he is the King of Israel, the Son of God.’ Then in John’s gospel, there was a wedding and Jesus and his disciples and his mother and probably the rest of the family were all there. And the wine ran out, and his mother… aching with anticipation – said to Jesus, ‘The wine has run out’. Jesus said, “Dear woman, why do you involve me. My time has not yet come.” My time for what? How did he know? His Father hadn’t told him to do anything yet. He was listening… and he had only been directed to gather his disciples. Did they stare at each other, Mary and her son Jesus – or look the other way? Was there a long pause? And Mary said to the servants “Do whatever he says.” THIS IS THE KEY. This is faith in operation. She is expecting him to act. “Do whatever he says.” There are six big water jars there… probably around 500 litres in all. And Jesus told the servants, “Fill them up.” I wonder how long it took to bring all that water from the well? And without another word, the water became wine and completely stunned everyone at the wedding. An amazing miracle… why? Because of Mary’s faith. She did not back off and say ‘I accept your will Jesus.’ She in effect said, ‘I am expecting you to solve this dilemma because I know you can.’ Someone has said… Mary’s faith “pulled into her day, her situation of need, what was reserved for a later time.” The Father must’ve given the OK to Jesus. “OK Jesus, I can’t refuse this act of faith. Go ahead.” It seems God’s timing is not always the main point. He is looking for faith… for a boldness that reaches out for what we know he can do. Mary did that. And I am sure Jesus and his Father were grinning with delight. Time and again people came to Jesus and implored him to heal – or even grabbed at his cloak – in faith, taking hold of their healing. Faith will break through barriers – push the limits… and the Father loves it! Jesus told stories about people persisting and pushing through till they got what they desperately needed. The widow harassing the judge – the friend at midnight insisting on help. This is ‘persevering faith. THE RISK OF FAITH Someone has said ‘Faith is spelt R I S K.’ Sometimes it is. When Abraham set off not knowing his destination, that was probably considered a crazy risk. And that is sometimes what we are called to do. Step into unknown territory… holding the hand of the one who knows all things and will not let us down. When people are called into a new venture – perhaps to set up a ministry – or go overseas to serve the Lord – or move to another town to see what God will open up for them – with the call he gives an assurance - a confidence - a sureness in their hearts - that this is what they must do. This is a gift of faith for that new road they must take. So it doesn’t feel risky to them. It feels natural to respond to the call or the promise. It feels like the only thing you can do and there is no deep anxiety. People talk of feeling peace when they agree with God. So the ‘risk of faith’ can often be a real sense of adventure, a joy, a delight. We can actually feel really at peace while taking what appears to be a big risk. Faith does that for us. We went to Zambia to serve as missionaries and it was a real ‘leap into the unknown’ which others thought was very risky (as I was 6 months pregnant with our first son). But it felt like an adventure. We had felt ‘called’ – so we went knowing he was with us. In John 3 v 11…after the miracle of water turning to wine it says, “He thus revealed his glory and his disciples put their faith in him. They already had faith…they knew who he was. They had chosen to follow him… but now their view of him is much bigger and they are being asked to trust him for much more. When we read through the Gospels, we see Jesus commending faith again and again. “Go in peace. Your faith has saved you.” “Your faith has made you well.” He was astonished by the faith of the Centurion who said ‘Just say the word and my servant will be healed.’ He is looking for faith in his people – because through faith, his Kingdom will come and his will will be done. THE WORD THAT RELEASES FAITH Talking about risks… think of Peter stepping out of the boat. The disciples are out on the Lake Galilee and they see Jesus walking towards them on the water. (Matt.14:22-33) And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”9 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Notice three things. Peter asked for Jesus to command him… because he knew the word of Jesus would enable him to do it. It breathes into us that confidence, that sense we are on solid ground. Then in faith he walked on the water as Jesus did. And even as he sank in fear a few moments later… he cried out in faith “Save me!” And Jesus did. I am sure they laughed their way back into the boat, both dripping wet, in spite of Jesus chiding him. He heard the word… he stepped out in faith… and when he started to sink – he cried out in faith again, and was saved. What a picture of how faith works – and how doubt and fear robs us of the solid place on which we can stand. SORTING OUT OUR SINKHOLES Have you ever been in a plane that hit an air pocket? It is a most uncomfortable feeling! That happens to us spiritually too. Suddenly it feels there is nothing secure under us and we start to sink… into fear, anxiety, vain imaginings, despair… we become irritable, and out of sorts. We are not at rest. Often we are in situations that expose places in us where our trust has been broken, where we have wounded places in our heart. Perhaps places where we have been terribly hurt and we cannot forgive or let go of offence. And we keep falling into these painful sinkholes. Jesus wants to put us on solid ground – he wants to reveal his utter dependability in that area of fear and unbelief. He says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” There is a wonderful verse in Hebr. 13:5. “I will never ever leave you nor forsake you” - but the original language is much, much more emphatic than that. The Amplified version says - “God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake, nor let you down, or relax My hold on you! Assuredly not!” Do you hear how solid and dependable and firm and sure and reliable this promise is? It is rock solid, because it is made by the one who we can totally rely on. He’s unchangeable, unshakeable. Invite him into that place of pain and fear and ask him to speak. His word in that place can put solid confidence, gentle peace, or a deep assurance of his love. This how he heals our hearts and memories. Let him do it. There are dozens more stories of faith we could explore. Perhaps you can do some of your own research. HOW CAN OUR FAITH BE STRENGTHENED? But there is one question I need to ask? How does our faith – our confidence - become strengthened? • By soaking in the Word… letting his promises wash our hearts, and through the Spirit at times grabbing our hearts - and expect to hear his voice as we do – his assurances – his promises – his commands – even his call into new adventures. • By being with other people of faith. People who will build us up and stir our faith by their stories of how good and dependable God is. The encouragers. • By choosing not to complain about life, but seeking instead to see it from God’s perspective, declaring his goodness in all situations. He is always out to do us good. • By stepping out on his promises, or his call. Taking those risks of faith – and letting others support and encourage us as we do. I am convinced he wants to birth much greater faith in us as a body of people… a greatly expanded sense of expectation and anticipation of his goodness and glory being revealed among us. Not for our sake… but to empower us to bring his love and healing power to our city. I believe many of us have gifts of faith for specific things… and these will increase and multiply. We will begin to pull faith out of each other in exciting ways. In Hebrew 12… the writer says “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race set out for us. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith… why – because he endured and did not grow weary and lose heart.” Faith is the confidence to push through and take hold of what God promises – and it also perseveres – will not be put off – will not get weary. JESUS SAYS ‘YES!’ Keeping our eyes on Jesus, our ears attuned to his voice. Why is this such a key to a life of faith? Because Jesus is the ‘YES’ to all the promises of God. 2 Cor.1:20 says For no matter how many promises God has made, they are YES in Christ, and so through him the AMEN is spoken by us to the glory of God.” He is the one who has the key to them all. He says to us YES HE CAN! God can do all he has promised. He makes real all the promises of God. He has secured for us their reality in this life through his suffering and death. LET’S HEAR A LOUD ‘AMEN!’ And what is our response to Jesus and his eternal YES …. We say AMEN! Let it be! I stand on this word… I am in agreement here! AMEN comes from that first word we looked at AMAN… sureness, confidence, security, certainty. Jesus is looking for our agreement with his promise - our agreement to the leading of the Spirit - our agreement with his whispers of peace and rest. That is faith. Our hearts shouting AMEN… let it be… all you have promised – for everything I need….AMEN. I love this word. I could say it all day. The AMEN of God’s people must be ‘with the full strength of our voice,’ say Hebrew scholars. That means loud and confident. So say these statements out loud – and shout the AMEN! to each one at the end. “He is able to do what he has promised.” AMEN! “I can rest peacefully while he calms the storm.” AMEN! “He can raise up the sick just by a word of command.” AMEN! “I can trust him to give me grace for every challenge I face.” AMEN! “I don’t need to be anxious for anything, because my Heavenly Father knows what I need.” AMEN! I can boldly do everything he asks of me. AMEN! Lord give us more gifts of faith for the work of the Kingdom. AMEN! Explode our faith for conversions, for life transformation. AMEN! Strengthen our faith for a release of healing power among us. AMEN! Deepen our faith for you to reveal yourself more and more as we seek you. AMEN! Keep our eyes fixed on you Jesus. AMEN! You can do far, far more than we can ever think or imagine… AMEN! Through your power at work in us who believe… AMEN!

Love's revenge

I was in an email conversation with a friend who had decided to leave a part-time job she had. She was hurt and angry about judgemental attitudes and criticism she had received. I sympathised with her, but realised her own reactions were going to load her up with pain and resentment, so I advised her as follows: "Set your will to bless them. Think of what would enhance their clearly unhappy lives and bless them to experience that. You don't have to feel it. Just do it. It will take the sting out of your heart. You could even make a donation to the fund they have. That would surprise them and perhaps make them think again about their criticisms. I call that "Love's revenge." Love always pays back, not in kind, but with kindness! "Bless those that curse you. Do good to those who hurt you." It is very powerful - and the only way to redeem the effects of destructive behaviour.

Knowing the 'shared life' of the Trinity

The Spirit comes to give us revelation... he causes us to know things we could not know otherwise. But there is another wonderful truth wrapped up in this – and it is that every time God acts in our life it is so we will know something more about him.  His power, his healing, his provision, his rescues… are all God’s way of revealing himself. The point of the countless works of the Spirit in us is to reveal more and more of who the Father is and who Jesus is. If we are touched by the Spirit in worship, that is because he wants to reveal things to us. Don’t be satisfied with things happening to your body, or even your heart… ask the Lord ‘What do you want me to know about you this time?’  He always wants to reveal more of himself.

It is God’s nature to reveal himself. Because that is the nature of love – love seeks to be known. And God is the author of love. He reveals himself in creation – he reveals himself through the Scriptures – and through each other – and through life experiences…

This is why the Spirit immediately led the disciples outside to speak to the people in the streets, and not have a day of praise together in their upper room – he wanted to reveal himself to the people in Jerusalem – he had been waiting for this day for centuries!  And he did it wonderfully and powerfully through those Spirit-soaked disciples.

And here is something else to notice….Jesus came to make the Father known.  He said that over and over. And he said that when the Spirit comes he will not speak of himself but will speak of me… of Jesus.

Are you aware that each member of the Trinity will point you to another one?  Jesus speaks of the Father – the Spirit speaks of Jesus, and the Father speaks audibly at the Transfiguration and says ‘This is my Son whom I love, listen to him.’ We cannot point to things that are happening and say ‘This is the Spirit at work’ and disconnect them from the nature and ways of the Father or of Jesus. The Spirit will reflect and reveal Jesus, in the same way that Jesus reflected and revealed the Father.

This is a fascinating glimpse into how the fellowship of the Trinity live in love together. They always operate as a team – not as individual parts of the Trinity.  And it leads us into our third key mark of the Spirit.

We have observed the boldness or confidence the Spirit brings, in prayer, in witnessing about Jesus, in a courageous Kingdom life.
And we have seen that what Jesus promised would happen - did happen. They knew things about Jesus and the purposes of God, and their own place in the love of the Father that they could not have known apart from the Spirit of Truth showing it to them. And this changed their prayer and their ability to speak of God.

But there is something else very wonderful going on here. The whole nature of their life together as disciples of Jesus has changed.

We find this described in Acts 4 immediately after they prayed that bold prayer and they were filled again with the Spirit and spoke the word of God fearlessly.

Vs 32 – 35  And all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own; but they shared everything they had…. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money and put it at the apostle’s feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

And earlier in Ch.2 it says they devoted themselves to learning together, eating together in each other’s homes, praying and breaking bread together.

There was an extra-ordinary sharing of their lives…both the good and the bad – the joys and the hardships…. which is what the word ‘fellowship’ means. A common life… where what is mine is yours. A family life – sharing everything – even to the point of selling property or land and giving to any in need.

What is happening here?  Where does all this freedom to give and share come from? This is so beautiful… this is such an insight into the work of the Spirit. We have had little glimpses of this here and there but in this it is fully demonstrated.

The life of God that comes to us through the Spirit being poured out on us – is ALWAYS a shared life. For the Father, the Son and the Spirit share their life together all the time.

We hear Peter saying, “ Jesus – exalted to the right hand of the Father – has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and poured him out on us… and this is what you are seeing now.”  Father, Son and Spirit – working together.

When Jesus is telling the disciples that the Spirit of Truth will come he says “When he comes you will know I am in my Father, and you are in me.”  The Spirit, the Son and the Father all reveal themselves to us. It is not one, or the other, but all three.

They have a completely shared life. They do nothing on their own as separate persons. They never act independently of each other. They reveal - even in this story of the pouring out of the Spirit their unity, their nature of working together in their plan to redeem this world they love so much.  It is the most astounding picture when you begin to explore it.

Let me give you a wonderful quote from Baxter Kruger again:

“The life that God lives as Father, Son and Spirit, is not boring and sad and lonely; there is no emptiness in this circle, no depression or fear or angst. Their shared life is a life of unrestrained fellowship and openness, fired by wholehearted self-giving love and mutual delight.

Such love, giving rise to such togetherness and fellowship, over-flows in unbounded joy, in infinite creativity and unimaginable goodness.

The gospel begins here with this God and with this divine life, for there is no other.

Before time dawned and space was called to be, before the heavens were stretched out and filled with a sea of stars, before the earth was summoned and filled with people and life and endless beauty, before there was anything, there was the Father, Son and Spirit and the great and beautiful dance of shared life. (This is why we love teams that accomplish wonderful things as they work together. We were not created to live a solitary, guarded, inward looking life.)

The amazing truth is that this Triune God, in staggering and lavish love, determined to open the circle and share their unique life with others. This is the one, eternal and abiding reason for the existence of the universe and human life within it. There is no other God, no other will of God, no second plan, no hidden agenda for human beings. From the beginning, God is Father, Son and Spirit, and from the beginning, this God has determined not to exist without us. “

I find that an astounding thought. This unparalleled fellowship of Father, Son and Spirit are saying ‘Come and join us’.  Everything Jesus did was to bring us into this shared life of their love. Everything the Spirit does on the earth is to draw us and bind us into this shared life of our three– in one God.

You see – those first believers who together experienced such a wonderful shared life were reflecting the very life that Father, Son and Spirit share in together. They couldn’t help it. It was natural to them now.  And this is precisely what the Spirit longs to do for us.

We sadly, have a very western, individual view of the Spirit and the life of God’s people. But that can be washed away by the Spirit filling our hearts with sacrificial love for others and a willingness to serve others whatever it costs us, and a freedom to exalt others and not ourselves… When this begins to happen to us - we will know that we truly walk in the Spirit and really know what divine fellowship is all about.

Are we there yet?  No we aren’t.  There is so much more we need from this wonderful Holy Spirit. He longs to pour into us the love of the Father and wash away our fears and insecurities.

He longs to give us such deep assurances that we can ever after pray boldly, and act boldly, and speak boldly without fear.

He longs to reveal to us what Jesus has done for us; what the Father is doing in the lives of those around us so we can pray for them and reach out to them.

He longs to help us see behind the text of Scripture and hear the living Word speaking to us as we ponder on the Scriptures.

He longs to reveal more of the nature of God as we battle through hard places in life, as we meet new challenges. For every new thing we face is a chance to see more of his grace that meets our needs in that season.

He is a person who yearns over us, who groans for us, who whispers to us, who bathes us in love…

Have you let him come and do that? What more do you need to cry out for today, and tomorrow and the rest of the week until he comes anew to you?  What more is there for you that you need to take hold of?

 Jesus said that God gives the Spirit ‘without measure’.  There is no limit, no safe little drop here and there…a little tear, a little shaking… no - there is a wonderful pouring out of this glorious  life of the Father, the Son and the Spirit that he has for you – and it is all good! There is nothing to fear.

I think, really, we have to stop asking for so little. And being content with so little.What if there was a table groaning with good food and all we took were a few grapes? It would indicate that we are not hungry.

I think it saddens God when we hold back and think so little of his lavish provision for us that we don’t take all we can get our hands on. Give him joy by asking UNTIL you receive all that he has for you now. Let us ask him to make us hungry for an outpouring of his life and boldness and fresh insight… we need all he can give us.

What really happened on the day of Pentecost.

The coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost brought to us more than we often see at first glance. Let's think about the event first. Pentecost was one of the Jewish feasts, and Jerusalem had 100s of thousands of pilgrims there from many nations all around the Mediterranean and they spoke many different languages, as well as Greek, the common language of learning and commerce.

The disciples and others are waiting in an upper room – out of sight – 120 of them, including Jesus’ mother Mary and her women friends. That's a thought... Mary had already encountered the Spirit when she conceived Jesus... but this was different. They were all waiting for ‘The Promise of the Father’ as Jesus had told them to. Waiting for the Spirit to be poured out on them. They are in the city that Jesus wept and groaned over. The city that had rejected him and hounded him to death.

And after 10 days of waiting and praying – around 9 o’clock in the morning… the Spirit came - sounding like a mighty wind, a gale force wind – and they knew it was the Spirit… for the word Spirit and Wind and breath are the same word in Hebrew – Ruach.

And a large flame is seen and it divides and each person has a portion burning over their head. And they are filled with the Spirit. And they receive such an outpouring that they overflowed - with praise pouring out of their mouths…… but they don’t stay for a worship meeting…and they are not fascinated by the signs of wind and fire…. they are led by the Spirit outside – all 120 of them - to where crowds of people are out on the streets – and they cannot stop themselves speaking of the wonders of God to the people in their own native languages. Have you ever noticed this… not a heavenly language of prayer – that must've come later - but the languages of all the people who were there for the festival. So everyone hears the good news in their own language!  How incredible is that!

 Many were amazed and perplexed and said ‘What does this mean?’… but others laughed and said – ‘Oh they are just drunk!’ Amazement, confusion, and misunderstanding. The people don’t know what they are seeing.

So Peter, who had previously been a frightened and shamed man – boldy stands up on something and interprets to the crowd what is happening. Prophecy from Joel that they already know is being fulfilled…he said, and the Spirit has been poured out because Jesus who was crucified has been raised from the dead, and we all saw him… and he has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured him out on all these people.

Let’s hit the pause button here.

What is this boldness to speak that has come to them suddenly? They were keeping a very low profile out of fear of being arrested like Jesus was. But now they have lost their fear. What is going on?

This is one of the key characteristics of the presence of the Spirit in our lives. Boldness – a lack of fear. And it affects our worship, our prayer, our witness and our whole attitude to life.

Where is this coming from?  It is coming primarily from a new view of our selves…

Paul describes it this way:  “We are no longer cringing fearful slaves, but sons who cry out confidently “Abba, Father!”  Confident that we are accepted by the Father… confident that he is with us, he is for us, he is on our side …confident that we are deeply loved…. confident that we can do what he asks of us… One writer, Baxter Kruger calls this ‘A baptism of assurance.’

“The Spirit leads us to know the truth, not just in our heads, but in our souls – as the surest thing in all the world…. For to see ourselves seated with Christ at the Father’s right hand, to see ourselves loved and cherished, embraced and accepted by the Father, delighted in, is to know untold relief and hope and peace, and the deepest and dearest of assurances.”

 Hebr. 4:16 says “ Let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, with confidence.. sure that we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Boldness… in prayer surely equips us to have boldness in declaring who he is to others.  

We see this playing out in Acts 4 – Peter and John had released the healing power of Jesus to a crippled man and then preached to the crowd - and another two thousand men came to faith (and probably many women also). But then they were arrested and questioned because they preached about Jesus. And they responded with such courage, such fearlessness, that it was commented on. They were released and told not to speak in Jesus name again.

And they returned to their friends .. and together they prayed a marvellous prayer – a bold prayer – an outrageous prayer…Acts 4:29-31 …. “Lord, consider their threats… and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch forth your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (again) and spoke the word of God boldly." Who cares about the opposition.  Who cares about the threats! "Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness!”  What a prayer… and what an answer God gave!

One of the key characteristics of the Spirit is that he gives boldness – boldness in prayer – boldness in speaking about Jesus – boldness in what we expect the Father to do through us….

Are we there yet?  Is this our experience?  Has his love come and swept away all our doubts and fears and given us this joyful boldness in life? 

You see, it is not so much about what happens as we gather and worship and pray…that is important, it is the start… but the test is in what happens when we are out there, in our daily lives. Confidence, boldness, expecting God to act in ways that get people’s attention and that helps them look at Jesus! 

We need this baptism of this assurance – this overflow of boldness through the Spirit. 

There is something else we see at work as Peter boldly explains what is happening:

The Spirit has given Peter knowledge about things he did not have before. He always believed…he had faith in Jesus all along… but now he knows. This adds to his confidence.
I love how Jesus describes what the Spirit will do when he comes. 

John 14:16 – 27  Jesus said,     “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor or advocate or ‘One who strengthens you’ – another one… just like me – to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you… and will be IN you. And I will not leave you as orphans (feeling no-one is there for you); I will come to you. … On that day you will realise – you will know that I am in my Father – and you are in me – and I am in you… The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”

It is quite clear that when Peter speaks to the crowd on the day of Pentecost he knows things he did not know before the Spirit came to him. The Spirit of Truth has shown him things he could not have known by himself. He now had understanding of what God was doing by sending the Spirit in this way.  He knew what Scripture to quote to the crowd. He knew that Jesus had been exalted to the right hand of the Father - and the Father had given him the Spirit to pour out on those waiting disciples. How did he know what was going on in the heavenly realm?  The Spirit clearly revealed it to him.

And this is the second great work of the Spirit as he comes to live in us and do his delightful work.  He brings us knowledge and insight and inspiration and a deep knowing that we can never find by ourselves. It will not come out of study or great learning. It can only come from the Spirit of Truth, resident in us – revealing what is real and true in God’s eyes and in his realm.
This is why Jesus kept calling him ‘The Spirit of Truth’.  He tells us the truth about ourselves. “You are not orphans… you are the beloved… you are set apart for me… you belong to me… you are my precious one… you have a purpose in life which is more than you can imagine…"

He tells us the truth about Jesus. Jesus said, “He will not speak on his own – he will tell you what he hears (from the conversations between the Father and Jesus) – he will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.” 
This is the incredible and wonderful work of the Spirit. This is one of the ways he helps us to pray. And it goes further - it extends to him prompting us in our speaking to others – he can give us insight and pictures and scripture that speak directly to the hearts of others.
This the normal but super-natural life we were designed and created to live.
Are we there yet?      Do we know his delight and deep affection for us – do we hear his voice – and get his leading in our lives? 
 
This is THE primary work of the Spirit, causing us to know with certainty the heart of our Father towards us. This the source of our deep joy – another sign of the Spirit. This ‘knowing’ brings a welling up of love and praise and adoration. It is more than belief... it is knowing. We can say we believe things… but knowing deep inside is a whole new dimension.

Are we there yet?  Is this your reality – your joy – your daily expectation …..
Look at the next blog for the rest of the message.

 

The Surprising Holy Spirit

When I first encountered the Holy Spirit in 1976 I was astounded at how much love and peace and joy and insight flooded into my life. I had been greatly prejudiced against trusting the Spirit for some years. The motto in the Salvation Army was “Blood and Fire”  - the blood of Jesus and the Fire of the Spirit. I knew fire burnt and hurt you. So that was my picture of what the Spirit would do! I had no understanding of what having a burning heart for God was all about or how empowered we become as the Spirit stirs our hearts with faith.

My first experience of a Pentecostal church was of what sounded to me like out of control intense prayer and lots of noise. In Africa when someone says ‘Let’s pray’ they all begin to pray aloud at the top of their voices… 50, 100, 200 of them. It was often deafening!  This did not help me!

So God snuck up on me and made me hungry to experience the reality of the ‘living water’ Jesus talked about in John 4. Someone has called God ‘Jehovah Sneaky’ because he has a way of getting around our barriers. I finally asked for a drink, like the woman at the well - and I surrendered myself fully to him. And I was bathed with his peace and his joy and a delightful love for Jesus.

I had no idea all this was waiting for me. No idea at all.

I kept saying to people ‘This is not me!’  It was not the old me… the fearful, easily angered, confused and uncertain me.  But it was the real me that God intended when he formed me and shaped me and gave me life.

I never knew that before. No-one described it that way to me before… that we cannot become our real selves until he lives in us and fills us. This is what we were created for. Anything less is just a shadow of what we are meant to be.

And the result was that I just devoured Scripture and any book I could find about the work of the Spirit, and how God comes to people and changes them - and about revivals through history. I must’ve read 20 or 30 books over the first couple of years on this. I could tell you about dozens of passages of scripture about the Spirit and how he works in our lives – because it all become so vivid and real for me. It was like I had found a gold-mine.

I was astounded and fascinated by it all. NO – ONE HAD TOLD ME THIS BEFORE. I had no idea it was all so wonderful.   

The Scriptures are full of stories about prayer – all kinds of prayer, in all kinds of situations, by all kinds of people – with wonderful results.

There’s Abraham debating and pleading with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorroh. There are the amazing promises he received about the future.

There’s Jacob, wrestling with an angel and saying “I will not let you go until you bless me.”

There’s Moses asking God “Show me your glory” – and God pronouncing all his goodness over him.

And Moses saying ‘If your presence does not go with us, do not send us on.”  What a great prayer!

There’s Hannah, weeping with her pain and barrenness… “Give me a child!” and God hears and answers and gives her many children.

There is David admitting he has sinned and offended God. “Have mercy on me, according to your love and kindness!”  And all his prayers and songs of praise and trust and heartache that are called the Psalms.

There’s the prayer of Jabez – “Enlarge my territory – give me success!”

There is Solomon asking for wisdom in the difficult task of ruling his nation.

So many wonderful stories of prayer and how the Lord acted in power and love as people cried out to him – for themselves, for their families and for their nation.

And there are all the stories in the New Testament, and the teaching right throughout the bible, by prophets and priests, by Jesus and the apostles…

I would recommend the little book. 21 Most Effective Prayers of the Bible.  

And all of this shouts to us – prayer is natural, it is normal, it is how we walk with God - how we discover more about him – how we enjoy partnering with him.

But there is more…. There is a glorious back- story to this life of prayer. And I want to explore 3 key elements of this story behind prayer and how the Spirit helps us to pray.  See the next few blogs shortly.

Finding our life in God

 A friend sent me this today:

I cannot help the thought which grows steadily upon me, that the better part of prayer is not the asking, but the kneeling where we can ask, the resting there, the staying there, drawing out the willing moments in heavenly communion with God, within the closet, with the night changed into the brightness of the day by the light of Him who all the night was in prayer to God. Just to be there, at leisure from ourselves, at leisure from the world, with our souls at liberty, with our spirit feeling its kinship to the Divine Spirit, with our life finding itself in the life of God,—this is prayer, Would it be possible that one could be thus with God, listening to Him, speaking to Him, reposing upon His love, and not come out with a shining face, a gladdened heart, an intent more constant and more strong to give to the waiting world which so sadly needs it what has been taken from the heart of God?
Alexander McKenzie.