Woohoo! I just got a new Digital Video Camera delivered today! For months now my old video camera has been broken. It's just been sat on the shelf gathering dust because I haven't known what to do with it. I looked on the 'net for advice with the particular problem I had, but the prognosis was very bad. Then, about a month ago I emailed JVC directly to see if there was anything I could do. They put me in contact with an official UK dealer. He also said my camera's problem was going to be very costly to fix, but there was an alternative. Basically, I send him my old busted camera and he sends me a nice shiny new (reconditioned) camera as a "Service Exchange." Fantastic! For less than the price to fix my old camera, I get an even better and newer model. To top it all, my dad (the proud grandparent back in Edinburgh who wants lots of footage of his grandchild) has offered to foot the whole bill! How could I refuse an exchange like that? Now I have it, I'm wondering why I didn't do this months ago.
It reminds me of an even greater exchange I once accepted....
You see, humanity is broken. You don't have to watch the news for long to realise this is true. We like to pretend that it's just the minority, but the truth is that the divide between good and evil does not run along any partisan lines - be they geographic, cultural, or religious - but right through the middle of every human heart. As the song goes "There is good and bad, in everyone." It's not just the murderers, thugs and suicide bombers who have this problem - we all do. We like to pretend this is not so, that we are better. We make colourful excuses for our own actions, while seeing others in black and white. But right and wrong is not subjective, there is an absolute standard - God's standard. It's a standard we have all failed to meet. The "bad" within us that separates us from God is what the Bible calls "Sin". What's more this problem has a very bad prognosis. There is nothing we can do to repair our condition ourselves, and the price to fix us is very high indeed - more than we could ever pay.
That's the bad news, but the good news is that there is an alternative. God offers us a great exchange. We give him our busted old life, and he gives us a brand new life not only free from the problem of sin, but full of his wonderful power. To top it all, he has already paid the price in full. The standard we could never reach, Jesus reached for us, and the price we could never pay, he paid for us. He died on the cross to take our punishment, and rose again to give us new life
How do we accept such an offer? Well first we need to recognise our condition. If we don't know we have a problem we can't accept a solution. Next we need to do something about it. Knowing my camera was broken on its own did not help me, I had to do something about it. We need to go direct to the person who can help - God. Then we need faith. I had to take a step of faith to get my camera fixed. I had to send off my camera (broken, but still valuable) without seeing what I was going to get in return. Then I had to give my credit card details, again without having seen anything. Having confidence is what we have not yet seen is what the Bible calls "Faith". To accept our solution from God, we need to have confidence that he exists (obviously) and that he wants to help us. The rest is simple - acknowledge your problem before God, and surrender your life to him. Ask him to forgive your sin, and to give you his new life and power to enable you to live the way he indented. Then tell someone! "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9) Once you have this new life you'll wonder why you did not do this years ago!
If you want to know more, please email me: chris (dot) hhodges (at) lineone (dot) net
30.6.05
29.6.05
Bart Calling
 | Phone call for Al... Al Coholic... is there an Al Coholic here? Wait a minute... |
I found this link today to all of Bart's crank calls to Moe! Classic! I laughed so hard, I had to wipe the tears away!
Anyone else have some classic Simpsons' moments to share?
From the lips of infants
If anything even comes close to the wonder of salvation, it must be fatherhood! Being a dad has changed me forever, and has given me such a precious insight into the Father's heart of love.
This morning our son fell out of bed. He got stuck with his head on the floor and his body still on the mattress. He cried out: "My Dada! My Dada!" As soon as I saw what had happened I snatched him up, and held him close. His tears dried, and he was absolutely fine.
Sometimes we like to think we are very mature. We have the theology, the faith, the experience in our walk with God. We like to think we can cope with anything. But I felt stirred again, that though God wants us to be mature, when we are in trouble, what he responds to is that heart cry that expresses our relationship and dependence - "My Dada!" This is how Jesus taught us to pray, and how he himself prayed ("Abba, Father", literally means "Daddy God") Do we think we are more mature than Him??
This morning our son fell out of bed. He got stuck with his head on the floor and his body still on the mattress. He cried out: "My Dada! My Dada!" As soon as I saw what had happened I snatched him up, and held him close. His tears dried, and he was absolutely fine.
Sometimes we like to think we are very mature. We have the theology, the faith, the experience in our walk with God. We like to think we can cope with anything. But I felt stirred again, that though God wants us to be mature, when we are in trouble, what he responds to is that heart cry that expresses our relationship and dependence - "My Dada!" This is how Jesus taught us to pray, and how he himself prayed ("Abba, Father", literally means "Daddy God") Do we think we are more mature than Him??
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father. [My Dada!]"
28.6.05
Proverb for the Day
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Pr 11:25)
So..
Be a blessing... and be blessed!
27.6.05
Bread and Seed
2Co 9:10-11 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
In a previous post, I mentioned how we can be reticent to ask God for what we want. I want to take this a bit further. Not only should we come to God for what we need, but we should ask for even more! God doesn't just want to give us bread to satisfy our own hunger, but also seed to be sown to meet the needs of others. God wants us to be channels of his blessing. That was his covenant to Abraham, "Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed." Paul says in Romans "It is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring" - That's us! We are meant to be a blessing to the whole world. How do we do that? By doing good on all occasions. Blessing others with the overflow of the blessing that we have received from God.
God wants to bless us abundantly. Not so we can hoard it, but so we can give it away! So we can be generous on every occasion. When we pray for a financial need, we should ask for more than we need, so that after we have met our need, we can also sow our money to bless others. In the same way, God does not just want us healthy, but praying for the sick and seeing them healed. He does not just want us to be surrounded by friends, but for us to go out and befriend the friendless. He doesn't just want us full of the Spirit, but using our spiritual gift to edify the body and extend the kingdom. He does not just want us to be a success, but for us to sow our time and energies to help others to become all they can be too. If you read 2 Corinthians 1:5-7 you will see that this applies even in the sufferings and trials we go through; we don't just come out strengthened and comforted, but enabled to strengthen and comfort those who are currently enduring the same thing. A farmer who only cultivates enough to meet his own needs will come to ruin; if he does not have enough to both eat and sow, he will either starve, or go out of business!
This principle also (primarily?) applies to the word of God. In Isaiah 55 the prophet says:
Isa 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
The word of God that is over our lives, that will not return to God empty but will achieve all that he desires, is also bread and seed. It's not just to bless us, but to bless others. God wants me blessed so that I can be a blessing!
And it's not just the word that is over us that is bread and seed. It is also the word that is in us. Moses explained to the Israelites in the book of Deuteronomy that the reason God gave them "manna" in the desert, was to teach them that "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." The word of God is to be our "daily bread," just as the manna was for the Israelites. But it's interesting to note how the manna is described:
Ex 16:31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.
Is it coincidence that the manna is also described as "bread" and "seed"? I think not! God has always intended that whatever blesses us, we should use to bless others. Our daily bread, is also our daily seed. If you read something that blesses you in the word - don't keep it to yourself!
God wants to give you bread and seed today:
Be blessed... and be a blessing!
24.6.05
1,000 Hits
A landmark day for my Blog. I have just had my first 1,000 hits. Over 800 of those have been this last month alone. Nearly 100 people have viewed this site, from the UK, USA, Norway, Canada, South Africa, Luxemburg, and India. Thank you all! I'd especially like to thank all of you who come back regularly - you're the ones who keep me Bloggin'
What do you want me to do for you?
Mk 10:51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
If Jesus asked you this, how would you respond? As I broke bread with the folks from Nuneaton last night I challenged them with this question. After we had passed round the bread, I asked them to call out to Jesus what they wanted to receive from him, and then take the cup and drink. It was awkward at first. We have been trained not to say "I want" - it's impolite. We have been instructed, and rightly so, that when we come to God to worship, we do not come with a list of requests, but with thanks and to focus on him - but there is a time to ask! We miss out and rob ourselves, if when God asks us what we want, we are too polite or reserved to say anything. James says "You do not have, because you do not ask God."
When we come to the table of the Lord, we remember and worship him for who he is and what he has done, we recognise the covenant we have with one another, and we look forward to his coming again in glory, but we also come to a table laden with provision and blessing. The bread and wine represent the body and blood of our Lord, and all that he achieved for us on the cross. We come to the outstretched arms of our Saviour and to his question - "What do you want me to do for you?"
As we passed round the cup and declared to Jesus what we wanted from him we found that far from being a selfish and self-centred exercise, it was wonderfully powerful and liberating. We laid our requests at his feet so that we did not have to worry about them any more.
23.6.05
Have I got news for you? - Round 4
This time it's the caption competition. See who can come up with the wittiest caption for the following picture.
< Round 3
< Round 3
22.6.05
The Best Man is Back!
This is me with my good friend Lee Callaghan. He was my Best Man at our wedding back in 1999. Almost immediately afterwards he drifted away from God, and we lost touch. He went through a very rough patch and over the last 6 years, although we live in the same town we have hardly spoken.
The good news is a week ago he phoned me up to say he is back on track. He has given up smoking, and drinking, his emotional highs-and-lows are under control, and best of all he is full of the Holy Spirit and zeal for the Lord, and attending Church regularly.
I spent the evening with him yesterday, and really enjoyed myself. He is such a refreshing man to be with. There is not a pretentious bone in his body - what you see is what you get. He is open and honest and says what he feels. When he is full of God it is totally infectious!
Numbers 11 - Part 4
Time to return to Numbers 11, there is something else in this passage that is significant.
This verse is not intended as an excuse to stay at home on a Sunday morning! ;-) For whatever reason, these two young men were not included in the natural, yet God still included them in what he was doing in the Spirit. God is not constrained by our geography or by meetings, he knows those he has called, and he will never exclude us from what he is doing.
When I lived and worked in Manchester I had a job that took me abroad for long periods of time. It was hard for me spiritually, and I often felt like I was missing out, and not being used as much as I would be if I was attending regularly. But God is so gracious! One Sunday morning in 1994, when I was located in the German town of Stade, I woke up early, alert and wide awake - which for those who know me will know is a miracle in itself! I felt God tell me clearly that I needed to go up a hill on the other side of town and pray. I went, and found in a clearing in the woods a park bench - not a soul in sight. I felt urged to pray for the meeting back in Manchester, that his Spirit would be outpoured and flow in a way that was greater than anything that we had experienced before. I stormed the heavens for about an hour, and then went back to my hotel room. That night I called up some friends back home - they were bouncing with excitement... guess what had happened. God had moved sovereignly on the meeting, people were falling over under the anointing of the Spirit left right and centre, and lives were touched and transformed in an instant. It was the beginning of the "Times of Refreshing" or as it was called elsewhere the "Toronto Blessing."
Now, I'm not claiming that it was my prayers that caused this to happen. It was a sovereign move of God. But because I had prayed, when I heard the news my heart leapt with excitement and praise for God. I may have been in another country far away, but God in his grace and mercy had still included me in what was going on back home.
Feeling excluded is a terrible thing. God never wants us to feel that way. Whatever events or circumstances may conspire to make us feel excluded, God wants us to know that he will never exclude us. If you are God's he can and will meet you and use you wherever you are. Those two men caused more of a stir than all the others put together!
< Part 3
There is no exclusion for those in the purpose of God
However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. (v26)
This verse is not intended as an excuse to stay at home on a Sunday morning! ;-) For whatever reason, these two young men were not included in the natural, yet God still included them in what he was doing in the Spirit. God is not constrained by our geography or by meetings, he knows those he has called, and he will never exclude us from what he is doing.
When I lived and worked in Manchester I had a job that took me abroad for long periods of time. It was hard for me spiritually, and I often felt like I was missing out, and not being used as much as I would be if I was attending regularly. But God is so gracious! One Sunday morning in 1994, when I was located in the German town of Stade, I woke up early, alert and wide awake - which for those who know me will know is a miracle in itself! I felt God tell me clearly that I needed to go up a hill on the other side of town and pray. I went, and found in a clearing in the woods a park bench - not a soul in sight. I felt urged to pray for the meeting back in Manchester, that his Spirit would be outpoured and flow in a way that was greater than anything that we had experienced before. I stormed the heavens for about an hour, and then went back to my hotel room. That night I called up some friends back home - they were bouncing with excitement... guess what had happened. God had moved sovereignly on the meeting, people were falling over under the anointing of the Spirit left right and centre, and lives were touched and transformed in an instant. It was the beginning of the "Times of Refreshing" or as it was called elsewhere the "Toronto Blessing."
Now, I'm not claiming that it was my prayers that caused this to happen. It was a sovereign move of God. But because I had prayed, when I heard the news my heart leapt with excitement and praise for God. I may have been in another country far away, but God in his grace and mercy had still included me in what was going on back home.
Feeling excluded is a terrible thing. God never wants us to feel that way. Whatever events or circumstances may conspire to make us feel excluded, God wants us to know that he will never exclude us. If you are God's he can and will meet you and use you wherever you are. Those two men caused more of a stir than all the others put together!
< Part 3
21.6.05
Doing Good
God is good all the time, everything he does is good. Jesus came and showed us the father; he only did what he saw his father doing. Peter said of Christ "He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil." Everything Jesus did was good, and a reflection of his father who only does what is good.
Now we as the Church, are Christ's ambassadors, his body, his representation on the earth. The scriptures tell us that we are "Created in Christ Jesus to do good works" and exhort us to "Do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Sometimes Christians are derogatively called "Do-gooders", but that is what we are! We do good, because we belong to a God who only does what is good.
That's the theory. But what counts is the practice. We are created for "Good works" not just "Good words!" So how do we put this into practice? If you have some practical examples of how to share God's love in good deeds, or things that you have done that have had a positive response why not share them here?
Now we as the Church, are Christ's ambassadors, his body, his representation on the earth. The scriptures tell us that we are "Created in Christ Jesus to do good works" and exhort us to "Do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Sometimes Christians are derogatively called "Do-gooders", but that is what we are! We do good, because we belong to a God who only does what is good.
That's the theory. But what counts is the practice. We are created for "Good works" not just "Good words!" So how do we put this into practice? If you have some practical examples of how to share God's love in good deeds, or things that you have done that have had a positive response why not share them here?
20.6.05
Have I got news for you? - Round 3
Because the last one was so popular (and short-lived) here is another odd-one-out round.
The next four are: Matthew Ling, Boris Johnson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Kiefer Sutherland. See if you can work it out before James!
< Round 2
 |  |
 |  |
The next four are: Matthew Ling, Boris Johnson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Kiefer Sutherland. See if you can work it out before James!
< Round 2
God is good all the time.
We had another great celebration on Sunday. All the congregations of Living Rock Church were together, and we had Keri Jones preaching. One of the themes that came through the worship and the word, was the goodness of God. He is good all the time, and everything he does is good. It is not just his miracles that are good, but all his works. Every day is a good day, because each day is the day that the Lord has made, and he does not make anything that is not good.
Today is a good day. I thank God for the coffee I drank when I woke up; I thank him for the air-conditioning in my car as I drove to work on this hot summer's day; I thank him for my health; but most of all I thank him that I am his, that he has called me to be a part of his purpose in this world. God is good!
Today is a good day. I thank God for the coffee I drank when I woke up; I thank him for the air-conditioning in my car as I drove to work on this hot summer's day; I thank him for my health; but most of all I thank him that I am his, that he has called me to be a part of his purpose in this world. God is good!
18.6.05
Have I got news for you? - Round 2
It's the odd-one-out round.
Today's four are: Roger Aubrey, George Cloony, Frank Abagnale Jnr., and Christopher Eccleston.
< Round 1
 |  |
 |  |
Today's four are: Roger Aubrey, George Cloony, Frank Abagnale Jnr., and Christopher Eccleston.
< Round 1
17.6.05
Eating Together
Last night I went out for a fantastic Chinese Buffet with the good folks from Living Rock Church who live in Nuneaton, Bedworth and Bulkington. We meet together regularly to seek God, hear his word and encourage one another in the practical aspects of outworking our faith. However, recently I have been stirred again with the importance, not just of meeting together - but eating together.
Meal times are very significant in scripture. When we eat together we are sharing life. God expresses covenant over the meal table, and it is over his meal that we express that covenant with one another. Jesus was always eating with people.
Even in secular thinking the importance of eating together is understood. Sociologists agree that much dysfunctionality within the family unit can be traced to meal times. Families that eat together regularly and talk to each other over the table, are more stable and healthy than those that don't.
I believe this is one area of church life that we need to guard. If we are not careful the business-like aspects of running the church can overtake the family-like aspects of sharing life together. Presentations, memos, brainstorming sessions, feedback-forms and such, are all well and good in their proper place, but these all have their origin in the boardroom; they should never take precedence over the personal contact and sharing life that is the pattern that comes from the throne room.
Admin is essential (I know that, my wife is an Administrator), but admin always flows out of life - life never flows out of admin. The sad thing we learn from the church history of denominations is that the pattern of admin can remain long after the life has departed. If we don't want to become a cold business venture, a dysfunctional family, or a lifeless pattern of admin, we must keep the "eating together" in "meeting together."
I thank God that in Living Rock Church this is something we are good at. On Sunday we had a wonderful time of breaking bread and sharing life together. But I know there is more for me, and for us, to press into in this area.
Meal times are very significant in scripture. When we eat together we are sharing life. God expresses covenant over the meal table, and it is over his meal that we express that covenant with one another. Jesus was always eating with people.
Even in secular thinking the importance of eating together is understood. Sociologists agree that much dysfunctionality within the family unit can be traced to meal times. Families that eat together regularly and talk to each other over the table, are more stable and healthy than those that don't.
I believe this is one area of church life that we need to guard. If we are not careful the business-like aspects of running the church can overtake the family-like aspects of sharing life together. Presentations, memos, brainstorming sessions, feedback-forms and such, are all well and good in their proper place, but these all have their origin in the boardroom; they should never take precedence over the personal contact and sharing life that is the pattern that comes from the throne room.
Admin is essential (I know that, my wife is an Administrator), but admin always flows out of life - life never flows out of admin. The sad thing we learn from the church history of denominations is that the pattern of admin can remain long after the life has departed. If we don't want to become a cold business venture, a dysfunctional family, or a lifeless pattern of admin, we must keep the "eating together" in "meeting together."
I thank God that in Living Rock Church this is something we are good at. On Sunday we had a wonderful time of breaking bread and sharing life together. But I know there is more for me, and for us, to press into in this area.
15.6.05
Have I got news for you?
If like me you kicked back on the sofa with a beer, expecting first class entertainment and political satire from the recording of "Have I got news for you?" you made last Friday; only to find that the series has ended and you've got something with Anne Robinson instead. Here's something to ease the pain.
It's the missing words round. This comes from a real headline.
Mayor uses picture of Pope for
It's the missing words round. This comes from a real headline.
Mayor uses picture of Pope for
Sowing Kingdom for the Kingdom
Tomorrow afternoon it is my privilege to be teaching the School of Worship students for their final class of the year. It will be my third time with them this year, and I have found them a pleasure to teach. They are hungry for the word, and ask me deep questions. It is a double privilege because of what I am teaching them - The Kingdom of God. It is the second year that Matthew has asked me to teach this subject, and I count it an honour to be able to impart such a vital subject.
I was also delighted this week when I had a couple of requests for copies of my notes. There are a number of ladies from Living Rock Church who are going out to Cuba later this year to do some teaching to the ladies out there. One of the subjects they are covering is The Kingdom of God, and two of the ladies who are going have asked for copies of my notes on this subject.
One of the greatest blessings pronounced in the natural is "May you live to see your children's children" (Pr 128:6). I believe it is the same in the Spirit. Certainly for me, the greatest reward I get from teaching the word is when I see others communicating the truths that I had a hand in imparting to them. In the thinking of the world, this might be considered as plagiarism, a teacher might be tempted to consider his revelation as his personal property to be kept that way. But that's not how I view it; everything God gives me is not mine to keep, but it belongs to the body. Seed is meant to be sown. It's great to reap a harvest from the seed you sow, but it's even better if you release that harvest to be sown again for an even bigger harvest. A teacher of the word is not just meant to communicate his revelation in the word, but also his ability to impart it. The whole purpose of ministry in the church is not to secure its own niche, but to reproduce itself. [See Numbers 11 - Part 2]
Jesus, who was frequently referred to a "Rabbi" - teacher, is our ultimate example. He taught the multitudes, but he also instructed the twelve so that they might continue his teaching, and reach many others that he alone could not reach. When he taught on the Kingdom Jesus said - "Every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom..." Go no further, those who have been instructed in the kingdom are addressed as teachers. What we have received, we are meant to pass on, and what we pass on should be sown without strings, so that that those who receive it can pass it on themselves. (The great thing for the teacher is, when you have released your revelation in this way - God gives you more! When you prove faithful with little, he entrusts you with much.)
So it is with great pleasure that I release my notes to go to Cuba, and when I am teaching the students tomorrow, I will not just be seeing the few faces in the room that my words will touch, but all the many others that I will never meet that they will touch themselves with the wonderful message of the Kingdom.
I was also delighted this week when I had a couple of requests for copies of my notes. There are a number of ladies from Living Rock Church who are going out to Cuba later this year to do some teaching to the ladies out there. One of the subjects they are covering is The Kingdom of God, and two of the ladies who are going have asked for copies of my notes on this subject.
One of the greatest blessings pronounced in the natural is "May you live to see your children's children" (Pr 128:6). I believe it is the same in the Spirit. Certainly for me, the greatest reward I get from teaching the word is when I see others communicating the truths that I had a hand in imparting to them. In the thinking of the world, this might be considered as plagiarism, a teacher might be tempted to consider his revelation as his personal property to be kept that way. But that's not how I view it; everything God gives me is not mine to keep, but it belongs to the body. Seed is meant to be sown. It's great to reap a harvest from the seed you sow, but it's even better if you release that harvest to be sown again for an even bigger harvest. A teacher of the word is not just meant to communicate his revelation in the word, but also his ability to impart it. The whole purpose of ministry in the church is not to secure its own niche, but to reproduce itself. [See Numbers 11 - Part 2]
Jesus, who was frequently referred to a "Rabbi" - teacher, is our ultimate example. He taught the multitudes, but he also instructed the twelve so that they might continue his teaching, and reach many others that he alone could not reach. When he taught on the Kingdom Jesus said - "Every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom..." Go no further, those who have been instructed in the kingdom are addressed as teachers. What we have received, we are meant to pass on, and what we pass on should be sown without strings, so that that those who receive it can pass it on themselves. (The great thing for the teacher is, when you have released your revelation in this way - God gives you more! When you prove faithful with little, he entrusts you with much.)
So it is with great pleasure that I release my notes to go to Cuba, and when I am teaching the students tomorrow, I will not just be seeing the few faces in the room that my words will touch, but all the many others that I will never meet that they will touch themselves with the wonderful message of the Kingdom.
14.6.05
What is Success?
Browsing through my old school's website, I came across this quote from Robert Louis Stevenson, also an ex-pupil. I think you'll agree, it is truly inspiring!
"That man is a success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had."
13.6.05
Floreat Academia
I have just discovered that my old school The Edinburgh Academy now has its own entry in Wikipedia. Famous ex-pupils include Magnus Magnusson the original television presenter of "Mastermind", and James Clerk Maxwell, the great physicist (and devout Christian) whose equations of electro-magnetism feature in my previous post "And God said..."
11.6.05
Our Words are Binding
I went to a wedding today. As the couple made their vows before God, it reminded me of how important our words are. For the law of the land, there has to be a legal document signed, but before God it is our words that are binding. It is once they have made their confession before God and man that they are declared husband and wife, not after they have signed the register.
These days people put little value on words. These are cynical times, and there have been too many promises broken. Unless you "have it in writing" it seems that a person's word means very little. (Anyone who has moved house in England will know what I mean!)
But it was not so in Biblical times, and it is not so before God. When Joshua made a promise to the Gibeonites not to destroy them, and then found out that this was in conflict with a direct command from God, he did not say - "Phew, good job they don't have anything in writing." He had given them his word, and his word was binding.
It is not just in making promises that our words are binding either. Jesus said: "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven". How do we do this if not through our declaration?
God has invested a lot of power and authority in our words, it's no wonder the Bible has so much to say about how we use them. We should not use our words lightly, or use them against a brother or sister in Christ. We should use them wisely for the advance of his Kingdom.
These days people put little value on words. These are cynical times, and there have been too many promises broken. Unless you "have it in writing" it seems that a person's word means very little. (Anyone who has moved house in England will know what I mean!)
But it was not so in Biblical times, and it is not so before God. When Joshua made a promise to the Gibeonites not to destroy them, and then found out that this was in conflict with a direct command from God, he did not say - "Phew, good job they don't have anything in writing." He had given them his word, and his word was binding.
It is not just in making promises that our words are binding either. Jesus said: "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven". How do we do this if not through our declaration?
God has invested a lot of power and authority in our words, it's no wonder the Bible has so much to say about how we use them. We should not use our words lightly, or use them against a brother or sister in Christ. We should use them wisely for the advance of his Kingdom.
10.6.05
Numbers 11 - Part 3
Time for my third and final (for now) post on Numbers 11.
I know that God is my provider. I know that his provision is unlimited. Yet when I am in need, I still try and work out how God will provide for me (As if he needed my suggestions!) We do it though, don't we? (Or is it just me?) When I am in a financial need, I try and think of the ways that God could provide the money for me - "Someone could drop a cheque through the post", "I could get an unexpected tax rebate" etc. What I love about this part of Numbers 11, is that God can provide for us, even when we don't have the faintest idea how he could possibly do it! To Moses it seemed like an impossibility. He went though a list of options in his head on how God might provide, but still he couldn't see a way out. There was no way God could provide meat for more than half a million hungry mouths in the middle of the desert when there wasn't so much as a skinny cow in sight.... But God did provide!
When you are in a position of need or difficulty, and there doesn't seem to be any way out. Just remember - God can make a way where there is no way. Nothing is too difficult for him. You don't even have to be able to imagine how he will do it, just ask and trust. He can do more than all we can ask or imagine.
< Part 2
The Unlimited Provision of God
But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, `I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!' Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?" The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."
I know that God is my provider. I know that his provision is unlimited. Yet when I am in need, I still try and work out how God will provide for me (As if he needed my suggestions!) We do it though, don't we? (Or is it just me?) When I am in a financial need, I try and think of the ways that God could provide the money for me - "Someone could drop a cheque through the post", "I could get an unexpected tax rebate" etc. What I love about this part of Numbers 11, is that God can provide for us, even when we don't have the faintest idea how he could possibly do it! To Moses it seemed like an impossibility. He went though a list of options in his head on how God might provide, but still he couldn't see a way out. There was no way God could provide meat for more than half a million hungry mouths in the middle of the desert when there wasn't so much as a skinny cow in sight.... But God did provide!
When you are in a position of need or difficulty, and there doesn't seem to be any way out. Just remember - God can make a way where there is no way. Nothing is too difficult for him. You don't even have to be able to imagine how he will do it, just ask and trust. He can do more than all we can ask or imagine.
< Part 2
9.6.05
Hello Canada!
 | A big hello and thank you to all my Canadian readers! I have just checked my stats, and I now get more hits from Canada than I do from the UK. |
8.6.05
And God Said...
The recent dialog I have had in Faith and Science, has raised the old argument that Genesis tells us the what not the how of creation. This reminded me of a humerous T-shirt I used to have when I was a Physics undergraduate. The slogan on it read as follows:
And God said...
∇ · E = ρ / ε0
∇ × E = - ∂B / ∂t
∇ · B = 0
c2∇× B = (j/ε0) + (∂E / ∂t)
...and there was light.
And God said...
∇ · E = ρ / ε0
∇ × E = - ∂B / ∂t
∇ · B = 0
c2∇× B = (j/ε0) + (∂E / ∂t)
...and there was light.
7.6.05
Numbers 11 - Part 2
Continuing on the subject of what I love about Numbers 11; here is my second point:
It is very significant that God does not say here that he will put his Spirit on the 70 elders, but that he will put the Spirit that is on Moses. Now obviously this is the same Spirit. There was not a different Holy Spirit on Moses, than was available directly from God. But this is the way God chooses to work; he imparts the Spirit through those who are already full of the Spirit. He chooses to impart gifts through those who already move strongly in that gift. Whatever anointing we have is contagious; it is designed to be passed on.
We see this clearly in Ephesians 4, where the ascension gifts of Christ are described. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (v11-12). We see that these ministries are not just to do a job - but to enable God's people to do the same job. Thus a prophet is not just someone who prophesies, but someone who makes the church more prophetic. This is exactly what we see in Numbers 11. The contagious spirit that is on Moses, the great prophet, causes 70 others to become prophetic and move out in the prophetic gift.
This is how ministries are supposed to work in the church. If they try to do it all themselves it becomes a burden. But if they communicate their gift and anointing to others, and each one plays their part, then the whole body is built up. Jesus, as in all things, is our ultimate example. He did not just do the work himself, but he too imparted himself to others, mainly to 12, but at another time it was 72. The seventy in Numbers 11, would thus seem to be a foreshadow of the seventy-two in Luke 10.
< Part 1
The Contagious Nature of Anointing
I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone. (v17)
It is very significant that God does not say here that he will put his Spirit on the 70 elders, but that he will put the Spirit that is on Moses. Now obviously this is the same Spirit. There was not a different Holy Spirit on Moses, than was available directly from God. But this is the way God chooses to work; he imparts the Spirit through those who are already full of the Spirit. He chooses to impart gifts through those who already move strongly in that gift. Whatever anointing we have is contagious; it is designed to be passed on.
We see this clearly in Ephesians 4, where the ascension gifts of Christ are described. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (v11-12). We see that these ministries are not just to do a job - but to enable God's people to do the same job. Thus a prophet is not just someone who prophesies, but someone who makes the church more prophetic. This is exactly what we see in Numbers 11. The contagious spirit that is on Moses, the great prophet, causes 70 others to become prophetic and move out in the prophetic gift.
This is how ministries are supposed to work in the church. If they try to do it all themselves it becomes a burden. But if they communicate their gift and anointing to others, and each one plays their part, then the whole body is built up. Jesus, as in all things, is our ultimate example. He did not just do the work himself, but he too imparted himself to others, mainly to 12, but at another time it was 72. The seventy in Numbers 11, would thus seem to be a foreshadow of the seventy-two in Luke 10.
< Part 1
5.6.05
Numbers 11
I was recently asked why I chose Numbers 11 for my 1 chapter that I would like to read for 1 month. (See Which Chapter? on Roger's Blog)
I love this chapter of Scripture. Numbers is an oft-overlooked book of the Bible, with many considering it to be dry and boring, just list of genealogies and the like. But there are some real gems in this book, and this chapter in particular is fantastic. There is so much in it. In my next few posts I will attempt to enthuse you about this chapter. Here's my first point:
There are three prophets in the Scriptures who foresaw God's plan to pour out his Spirit on his people with a lasting anointing.
The last was John the Baptist. He is recorded as being the greatest of all the prophets and yet we only have one recorded prophecy he gave: "After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." It is interesting that his prophetic vision of Christ and his work, jumps straight from his coming to the baptism in the Spirit. There is no mention of the cross! Whilst the cross is essential to the salvation plan of God, it is important to remember that it was the means to an ends, not the ends in itself. It was for the joy set before him that Jesus endured the cross. Jesus, like John saw beyond the cross to see what was on the other side. A people filled with the Spirit doing the works of God on his behalf. A Church as a bride fit for the King. The true sign of our faith, is not a cross we wear around our necks, but the infilling of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The second was Joel: "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." This is the prophecy that Peter refers to in Acts 2:17 when he explains what is happening on the day of Pentecost. The promise has arrived! God has always desired to have a prophetic people, who are filled with his Spirit. Now after Jesus' triumphant resurrection and ascension, that promise is ours. The gift of the Spirit is not just for the spiritual elite, or those who a "charismatic", but for all. That is why Paul informs the Corinthians that they can all prophesy (1Co 14:31)
But the fist prophet to catch God's heart in this matter was Moses. And it is here in Numbers 11 that he voices that heart.
[To be continued...]
I love this chapter of Scripture. Numbers is an oft-overlooked book of the Bible, with many considering it to be dry and boring, just list of genealogies and the like. But there are some real gems in this book, and this chapter in particular is fantastic. There is so much in it. In my next few posts I will attempt to enthuse you about this chapter. Here's my first point:
The First Prophetic Mention of Pentecost
But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" (v29)
There are three prophets in the Scriptures who foresaw God's plan to pour out his Spirit on his people with a lasting anointing.
The last was John the Baptist. He is recorded as being the greatest of all the prophets and yet we only have one recorded prophecy he gave: "After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." It is interesting that his prophetic vision of Christ and his work, jumps straight from his coming to the baptism in the Spirit. There is no mention of the cross! Whilst the cross is essential to the salvation plan of God, it is important to remember that it was the means to an ends, not the ends in itself. It was for the joy set before him that Jesus endured the cross. Jesus, like John saw beyond the cross to see what was on the other side. A people filled with the Spirit doing the works of God on his behalf. A Church as a bride fit for the King. The true sign of our faith, is not a cross we wear around our necks, but the infilling of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The second was Joel: "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." This is the prophecy that Peter refers to in Acts 2:17 when he explains what is happening on the day of Pentecost. The promise has arrived! God has always desired to have a prophetic people, who are filled with his Spirit. Now after Jesus' triumphant resurrection and ascension, that promise is ours. The gift of the Spirit is not just for the spiritual elite, or those who a "charismatic", but for all. That is why Paul informs the Corinthians that they can all prophesy (1Co 14:31)
But the fist prophet to catch God's heart in this matter was Moses. And it is here in Numbers 11 that he voices that heart.
[To be continued...]
4.6.05
Faith and Science
On 1 April Roger Aubrey posted an article on his Blog entitled In the Beginning on the subject of Darwin's theory of evolution. I wrote a comment to this post that caused quite a stir. Roger posted it again as In the Beginning(2).
Since then the pro/anti evolution discussion that has ensued has outgrown the original purpose of the post. Roger has moved on to other things, and has politely asked that the debate be moved elsewhere. Whilst I think we had all come to the conclusion that there was little more to be gained from further debate, this is one of those issues that just won't go away. So if there is anything futher to be added; here is the place to do it.
Since then the pro/anti evolution discussion that has ensued has outgrown the original purpose of the post. Roger has moved on to other things, and has politely asked that the debate be moved elsewhere. Whilst I think we had all come to the conclusion that there was little more to be gained from further debate, this is one of those issues that just won't go away. So if there is anything futher to be added; here is the place to do it.
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