30.1.06

Five words

On Sunday, our senior Elder, David Lyon, asked us to break into cellgroups and come up with a list of five things that God had been saying to us recently as a group. I'm so blessed to lead a group where God speaks regularly! We do not just come to discuss and study the Holy Spirit, but we encounter him and listen to what he says. What encourages me the most is that some of the most significant prophecies that have come, have not been ones that I have brought. This is how the body is supposed to work — as every part does its work, not as the leader does it all!

So we had no trouble at all coming up with our list of five. I only have time for a short post today, so I'll pick up the details in later posts. For now, here is the list without any further explanation.

  1. See the big picture

  2. Value the presence

  3. Speak in tongues

  4. Recognise all we need is in him

  5. Use what you already have to go deeper

12 comments:

Ricky Carvel said...

Are these 5 in order of importance, or is there no meaning in the order?

Perhaps its just because of the Church traditions that I've been raised in (Church of Scotland) and now find myself in (Scottish Episcopal), but I have little experience of speaking in tongues and wonder why it features so prominently in the list your group came up with.

That's not to say that I don't think of it as a gift from God, but I've always found prayer and worship in words that I (and others) understand to be more edifying.

I was also slightly surprised that all 5 of the points in your list are quite individualistic - its all about my relationship with God. There's nothing in this about advancing the gospel; reaching out to others.

Chris Hamer-Hodges said...

Ricky, briefly:

No, they are not in order of importance, nor are they exhaustive.

I know the Scottish Episcopal church, having fellowshipped at St. Paul's & St. George's in Edinburgh for several years, so I understand your puzzlement over the gift of tongues. I'll save discussion of that for another post.

I think, had I had a chance to expound "the big picture" that it would dispel your apprehensions about the individualistic emphasis. Though I take your point. This is something we constantly need to check ourselves against. It's all too easy for Christians to slip into a "Me and Jesus" mentality, or for Christian groups to become isolated from the society they are meant to impact with the gospel. God spare us from that!

Anonymous said...

Chris, I think it's great the Ricky spotted a theme in the points as the question was "what has God being saying recently?"

God doesn't use a scatter-gun approach, he speaks to us simple truths and instructions that build together.

Also, context is vital - your point about all we need being in him is a very outward looking point if we take "all we need" as "all we need to fulfil God's call on our lives" as opposed to "all we need just to make it through life"!

I think I know which is nearer to your heart!

Anonymous said...

You are right Matthew, context is vital and I think its important that Ricky understands that the question posed by David on Sunday wasn't a random query but was in relation to the teaching he has been giving over the last month on the Holy Spirit. How we are being drawn into a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Holy Spirit and His impact on our lives both individually and also corporately as a body of the Church and what God had been speaking into this.

Anonymous said...

If I can offer a point on the context. I was ministering on the Holy Spirit and tongues at Chris's church in December and the context was very much on the corporate dimension of Acts 2 and its relevance to us today. All the 120 were filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues, and not for their own individual ends. It was for the manifestation of God to his world; and he manifests himself through a people. I think we must give Chris opportunity to finish his 'big picture' blogs before we fall into conclusions he is not making.

Anonymous said...

Number 4 of your list being the biggy in all our lives - all we need is in HIM. True intimacy - you can't beat it. The springboard for everything else to happen out of our lives.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely, Roger.

Anonymous said...

All this serves as an interesting observation on the universality of blogs or otherwise!

I kind of like the way that incomplete comments can provoke discussion and fill out ideas...

Chris Hamer-Hodges said...

Matthew, I'm with you there. My first reaction was to think I had made a mistake to have published to the world without filling in all the details.

But on reflection, I think far more has come through interaction than would have occurred if people had just skimmed a polished post.

Sometimes less is more.

Anonymous said...

So James Aubrey seems to think at the moment...

james said...

Yeah!!!!

Anonymous said...

Moreorless...