God speaks; God heals - part 3

About three or four weeks ago, I had my last [to date - I trust there will be more!] experience in moving in a word of knowledge.

It was in one of our Sunday-morning meetings again. I got a similar stirring as the previous two times - and this time I recognised it for what it was! So I was pretty confident that I had heard from God. What I sensed was that someone had a pain in their throat and down the sides of their neck. I could almost feel the pain, and it felt like when you have a sore throat and swollen glands.

While I was waiting for an opportune moment to share the word, I looked around the room. I couldn't help but wonder who it was. I saw some of the ladies with scarves round their necks, and someone else blowing into a hanky. Maybe it was one of these that the Lord wanted to heal. I also wondered why God would chose to heal a virus that is usually short-lived anyway - but I figured that it was to show us that he wanted us to live in perfect health and that nothing is too big or small for him.

The opportunity came, as it did the previous times, when the preacher had finished his message and there was a time of ministry. I went forward and shared that there was someone with a pain in their throat and sides of their neck, and even though it was caused by a virus that would go away in due course, God wanted to heal them now to demonstrate his abundant goodness and grace.

I waited at the front, during the whole ministry time. [Prayed for someone else then went back to waiting for the person to come forward.] The ministry time ended; the meeting concluded, but still no one came. Now I wasn't phased by this - I was still confident I had heard God, and I knew that people can be reluctant to come forward, especially if they are visitors, when everyone is watching. So I stayed my ground, and hung around at the front.

Sure enough, as soon as people started getting out of their chairs and milling around, a young girl, one of the visiting students that morning, made a path straight towards me. She explained that it wasn't caused by a virus, but she had the same pain in her throat and sides of her neck that I had described, but caused by strain. I prayed for her, and asked if the pain had gone. She said, "Yes, it's better."

Now this may not seem like a dramatic healing. And I don't have any follow up information like with the other two cases to confirm that a lasting healing took place, but I'm confident that God did a work. And again, what really struck me, is that he did it. I messed up! I confused and muddled up what God had told me with what I deduced must be the case as a result. I got the bit about the virus completely wrong... yet God still moved. Despite my failings and my mistakes, he still spoke and he still healed. Thank you, Jesus. He is so full of grace.

Some people are of the opinion that to move in the Holy Spirit you have to be 100% right 100% of the time. Some may be of the opinion that this makes me a false prophet who should have been dragged out of the room and stoned for daring to speak presumptuous words on behalf of the Lord. Some may see this as further evidence that modern day manifestations are not up to the apostolic standard in the New Testament.

But do you know what? When I read the New Testament, I've noticed something: the apostles got it wrong all the time! In fact the apostle who seemed to make the most mistakes (Peter) also seemed to be the one who was most used by God in the supernatural. What it shows to me is this: God is bigger than our mistakes! If you want to step out in the Holy Spirit you have to be prepared to make mistakes and to look foolish. God is not concerned with our reputation but with his. The gifts of the Spirit are there to make him look good not us. They are there to prove what a gracious heavenly father we have, not to demonstrate how accurately we can hear God.

I made a decision some time ago, that I would rather get it wrong and look foolish than to miss an opportunity to see God move in power. What this event showed me is that, in the abundant grace of God, getting it wrong an seeing God move are not incompatible!

God speaks; God heals - part 2

A few months after the events of my previous post, and a few months ago, I took another baby-step in the gift of the word of knowledge.

It was in another Sunday-morning meeting. During the time of worship I got an impression that someone had a pain in their back. You would have thought after the previous incident I would have had more faith to move in this gift and more confidence in recognising it - but I have to confess, I struggled again. I thought back pain has got to be one of the most common complaints. It's likely someone in the room has some kind of back pain just by statistics! People will think I'm just making it up... maybe I am making it up.

Then I felt a pain in my back, right at the base of the spine. Not general back pain, but a very specific and localised pain. I still struggled: on the one hand maybe this was God telling me the specifics of the person's pain, but on the other hand maybe I just thought someone else had back-pain when really it was just my own pain. I wasn't sure enough to step out during the time of worship, so again I did nothing.

Then the preacher began his message. He spoke about how you have to take risks if you want to step out in the supernatural, and he finished with the story of Peter and John and the beggar who was healed. The exact same scriptures that had convinced me to step out in the word of knowledge the fist time! [God is so gracious!] I must be better at hearing God though the preached word, because I finally got the message!

So after the preacher finished, I stood up and shared that there was someone in the room with a back pain at the base of their spine, and that I believed God wanted to heal them. I waited around at the front of the meeting, but no one came forward. But afterwards, as I made my way to the back of the hall to get a much-needed coffee I saw one of the visitors trying to catch my eye. I walked over to him and discovered that he was the father of one of the students attending our congregation. He told me that he thought he might be the one I was talking about as he had a back pain in exactly the place I had described.

I prayed for him. I can't remember what I prayed, but I remember I wasn't too impressed with myself. I thought, come on Chris, you can pray better than that! I was just about to offer to pray for him again, when he arched his back, rotated his arms and said, "I think... yes... the pain is gone!" I was taken aback! [Keri recently shared on the importance of having faith during a miracle, not just before - that men can give away thier lack of faith by how they respond when God actually does what they asked of him! I think this was one of those moments!]

This happened just before the students left for their summer holiday. This student and his father were from the Netherlands. He returned about three months later, and told me that his father had been trying to get hold of my email address. Apparently he used to suffer a lot with that back pain, but for the past three months he had been completely free of pain!

Thank you, Jesus! God is so good.

Again, I could have so easily missed this opportunity. Again, it showed me that it had nothing to do with me. It wasn't my faith that healed him - the way I reacted showed I had very little! Jesus healed this man out of the abundance of his grace and by his mighty power. The gifts of the Spirit are just that - gifts - we don't earn them, we don't deserve them, they don't communicate how spiritual the one who uses them is - they are unmerited expressions of the grace of God poured out on his church. We just need to learn to use them!

God speaks; God heals

I want to write this post to give Jesus thanks and honour for his faithfulness and goodness. He still speaks and he still heals. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The things we read about him doing in the gospels are the same things he longs to do today through his people if they will obey the promptings of his Spirit.

Recently I have taken my first few baby-steps in the word of knowledge. This is a gift of the Spirit where God reveals a piece of information (knowledge) about a person or situation. Good examples of this gift would be where Jesus says to Nathaniel that he saw him under the tree, or when he tells the Samarian woman about her marital history. In both cases a little piece of knowledge has a dramatic impact.

Now, I had tried to move in this gift before. I remember a prayer meeting where I got a strong impression that the name "Tom" was significant. I shared it, but as far as I'm aware, to this day, there was no significance. No one had a friend or colleague called Tom; no one met a Tom; no Tom turned up to our meetings; nothing. I guess I got it wrong!

So you can imagine my reluctance when during a Sunday-morning meeting I got the same kind of impression about someone who had pain in their joints. I thought, I've had this kind of impression before and it was wrong, so it's likely to be wrong again. So I did nothing. However as the meeting went on, the preacher was talking about how God wanted to heal. He spoke about Peter and John who had no money to offer, but had something better to give, and Jesus brought a complete healing to the beggar through their obedience. At this point I felt a nudge in my spirit; I had forgotten my cheque book that morning, so had not been able to give my normal offering - so silver or gold I did not have, but I did have something, and as unsure about it as I was, I knew I needed to share it.

So sure enough, the preacher gave a call forward for those who were sick to be prayed for, and I knew that was the moment. As soon as I stepped forward to bring the word I felt a confidence that I had not felt before. [Isn't that often the way? I believe the hardest part of moving in a gift of the Spirit is the decision to get out of your chair!] What's more, I got more information. It was a pain the the elbows and wrists and the person who had it had had it for a long time and just got used to it. I believed that God wanted to confirm the word of the preacher by bringing a complete healing.

So I shared this word and joined the preacher and some others in praying for those who came forward. As I came to one man, a visitor that Sunday, I asked him what I could pray for. He said that since I had shared his joints felt like they were on fire, and that he had had a long standing condition in his elbows and wrists that gave him a low level of pain that he had just got used to. I was astonished and thrilled! I prayed for him, and straight away he said that the symptoms had cleared. This man has a manual job, so he said the real test would be when he went back to work. He came back again the next Sunday, and his first words to me were: "I'm healed!"

Thank you, Jesus! It was all of him and nothing of me. He used me despite my doubts and reluctance and brought relief from suffering to one of his precious children.

I have two other examples that I want to give thanks for, but I'll share them in separate posts.

Michael's Baptism

Today was a great day. I baptised Michael my five-year-old son. It was his second attempt. The first time he didn't go through with it because the water was too cold. This time, despite his enthusiasm, nerves nearly got the better of him - but I'm delighted to say that he overcame his apprehension and was one of about ten children baptised at the Without Borders Bible Week today. Praise God!

Cream up!

Well, I'm back from a wonderful holiday in Portugal.

One of the first and most important parts of each day while we were away was applying suncream before we went out. Whilst it comes out of the bottle like a cream, when it is on your skin it feels like oil. I have to say I learned to enjoy my morning "anointing" before I went out into all that the day had in store.

In fact the Mediterranean lifestyle is "oily" in many ways. There is the smell of fish oils, the taste of olive oil, as well as the feel of the suncream oils. All of these are very good and positive things. In fact I heard on the Radio this morning further evidence of how healthy the Mediterranean oily lifestyle is.

As Christians, we too are called and designed to live an oily lifestyle. One under the continual fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high. I thought of this every time I told my son not to go out of the apartment until he had "creamed up." It wasn't enough that we had done so yesterday, we needed a fresh anointing for today.

Now that I'm back, I'm seeking to apply this good habit in the spiritual. It doesn't matter how full of the Spirit I was yesterday; what counts for today is that I am full of Him today.

But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil. (Ps 92:11)

Then he said, “These are the two sons of new oil who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zec 4:14)

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (1Jn 2:27)

Another day, another snowman

Our best snowman yet! This one was bigger than Michael.

Grace for tonight

O Lord, since we have feasted thus,
Which we so little merit,
Let Meg now take away the flesh,
And Jock bring in the spirit! Amen.
~ Robert Burns

Happy Burns Night! We shall be celebrating the Bard's birthday tonight with good friends over the traditional meal of Haggis, neaps 'n' tatties. Living south of the border, I can get away with my rendition of "To a Haggis", and no one is any the wiser! And of course there will be a wee dram or two to finish off.

Looking forward to it. :-)

Return of the Snowman

Held up by a hold-up!

I was slightly late in for work this morning. But I had a good excuse... at least I think being diverted due to a stand-off between robbers and an armed police response unit is a good excuse!

(Birthday) gifts to be enjoyed

This blogger is 36 years young today! Blessed with another year's worth of maturity and experience.

I was also blessed with lots of cards and gifts this morning as my wife and eldest son brought me a lit birthday cake (and more importantly... coffee!) in bed.

There was a definite theme to my gifts this year: red wine, filter coffee, and hot chilli sauce. If my gifts are anything to go by, I'm a man of the grape, the bean, and the capsicum! I like that. Of course, excess in any of these areas is not to be recommended, but they are all things which are intended, in moderation, to enrich life.

God gives us gifts like this too. Not just things that we need, but things for us to enjoy.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. (1Ti 6:17)

God richly provides us with things just to enjoy! Thank you, Lord; I intend to. Here's to a year of being enriched in the blessings of God!

The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (Pr 10:22)

Good to be back

I've had a fantastic week at home with my wife and two sons. What a blessed man I am! Although I have now gone back to work for a rest! ;-)

As much as I enjoyed time out and time away, it was really good to join with the community of God's people on Sunday. Of course everyone wanted to see the new baby, but they also wanted to give us genuine love and congratulations, which were greatly appreciated.

The best part about being back with the people of God, of course, is the presence of God himself. Although God is with us everywhere at all times, there is a corporate anointing when we are joined together like living stones to form a spiritual house where God dwells by his Spirit. The church is not a physical building, but a spiritual dwelling, made out of people, and designed to be filled with the manifest presence of God. Although we are each individually designed to be filled with his Spirit, there is a dynamic that can only be experienced corporately. And even our individual filling is never designed to function in isolation. God has arranged each gift in the body just as he has seen fit.

So it was great to be back, and stepping out in the corporate dimension of the Holy Spirit again.

It's also good to be blogging again. Did you miss me? ;-)

One comment I had last week really tickled me:

Remember, while we all enjoy open, challenging, thought-provoking debate, we also like cute pictures of babies too!!!

That made me chuckle, so if baby pictures is what you want... click here.

IT'S A BOY!

Andrew Joel Hamer-Hodges. Born this morning at 5.06am. 7lb 4. Labour was quick and uncomplicated. Mother and baby are home and doing very well. Praise God for his goodness.

This proud dad may not be blogging much this week! 

Have kilt, will travel

I picked up my kilt from the hire shop yesterday, and we are heading north tonight! (It's generally not a requirement to have a kilt to get across the border into Scotland, but this is a special occasion!)

My brother is getting married!

It's going to be a great event! Michael is going to be a page-boy, so he and I will be in matching kilts! (I promise to post a photo when we get back!)

We will be away for the rest of the week until Monday, so I'll probably not blog until then. In the meantime check out my other post today, and "pass it on!"

Here's a wee picture of the happy couple, Anthony and Lucy, to end with:

A conference, a wedding and a funeral

I've got a busy few days ahead, so don't expect any posts here until Tuesday next week.

Tomorrow, I head down, bright and early, for the Elders and Leaders' conference in Cardiff. I'm looking forward to it immensely. Last year's conference was so significant for me. It was not just a time of instruction, but of powerful impartation. I still hold deeply and passionately in my heart some of the things that were imparted to me from last year.

So this time I'm going with an increased expectation and excitement, knowing I'm not just going at our apostle's invitation, but that the Lord himself is expecting me, and has more to impart to us all as we stand together as covenant brothers to see his Kingdom advanced in our generation.


On Sunday we are heading up to Huddersfield for a wedding. An old and faithful friend of mine is getting married. It's going to be such a joy to witness him make his marriage covenant before God and men, and a privilege to do one of the Scripture readings for them at the service.


Then on Monday, I have another early start, but this time down to Portsmouth for a family funeral. One of my cousins, still a young boy, died this week after a long fight with a cruel illness. As you can imagine there is much sadness amongst my family over this news. Please pray that I can express the Lord's comfort with sensitivity at this time.

The Mystery of Marriage

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32)

It was my pleasure to attend a great wedding service over the weekend. It was not great because of its size or expense, but because the two people getting married had an obvious, radiant love both for each other and for the Lord. The sense of God's presence during the service was evident, and there was a great assembly of men and women of God as witnesses giving their support to the couple, their worship to the Lord, and their "Amen" to the covenant sealed.

As I looked on at the bride and groom, I was reminded of Paul's words in Ephesians, of how everything about marriage is a reflection of Christ and the church. I saw the love in the groom's eye towards his bride, the presentation of the pure bride, beautiful in white spotless garments, and had a renewed surge of praise towards God for his eternal purpose in Christ for the world through the church.

All the months of preparation culminated in this one day, where all the labours were rewarded, where all the servants who attend the groom and the bride, share in the joy. Just so all who minister in the church, do so not for any glory for themselves, but looking forward to that great day when the bride will be presented to the bridegroom.

A timely reminder of the mystery of marriage in my own life too. Today is our seventh wedding anniversary.

Wonderfully Made

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Ps 139:13-14 ESV)

I believe in miracles. Our God is a God who still intervenes in this world with clarity of voice and supernatural power. But I was deeply moved last week by a very "natural" miracle.

Jacqueline and I went for a scan to see our unborn baby. As the nurse pointed out all the tiny bones in its spine, the chambers of its tiny heart, and its other bones and organs, and after each close up said, "That's all fine," my heart swelled with praise to God. What a miracle! Who else but God could make something so tiny and so perfect?

We truly are fearfully and wonderfully made! Each human life is a walking miracle!

Et tu, Michael?

  

Increase

It's always wonderful to see increase; it's part of the nature of God's kingdom that it is always increasing.

It was a thrill for me this Saturday to spend some time with the folks who are desiring to become added to us as members of Living Rock Church. They already displayed the necessary commitment by giving up the most part of a glorious Saturday to listen to instruction from the word of God in what is foundational doctrine for us as a church. I was with them for the afternoon to teach them on worship, gifts of the Spirit, the laying on of hands, prayer, breaking of bread, head covering and to answer any questions(all in three half-hour sessions!).

On Sunday it was a great pleasure to see increase again in our eldership; Richard Jones and Christopher Alton (my fellow teachers on Saturday) were set into eldership. They are great men of God with a clear call and anointing from God on their lives. We will be greatly blessed as a body by their ministry.

Finally, I have just received permission from Jacqueline to broadcast to the world our own news of increase! Yes, we are expecting again! God is so good. Praise God for increase.

Back Home

 

Home again. We had a wonderful holiday. Beautiful sunshine, relaxing days, great food. Nevertheless, it's great to be home.

What was stirring me while I was away? Well despite the relaxation of mind and body, quite a few things actually: "The Scriptures and the Power of God", Numbers 11 (again! :-)) "Drawn by your anointing or driven by your craving", and some thoughts in response to reading "The Da Vinci Code."

I'll share my thoughts on these subjects over the following days... hopefully without digging myself into a hole! ;-) 

Off to Portugal

Tomorrow we are off for a two week holiday in sunny Portugal. I'm looking forward to getting away, relaxing with my family and unwinding.

I realise that there is still a lot left unsaid in terms of both the nature of the gift of tongues, God's purpose in "drawing and separating" and the connection between the two in the way the gift operates towards unbelievers. I may pick this up again when I get back, but I can't promise. I may get stirred in a different direction while I am away. In fact I'd be surprised if I wasn't! Anyway, I never claimed to have all the answers, just some interesting questions, and some insights that made me think.

Just one last thought before I sign off. God's church, his ecclesia, is by nature drawn and separated. We are both called together and called out. We are in the world, with a mission the the world, but we are and remain distinct, not of this world. Whilst unbelievers should be drawn to us, they should also, until they accept Jesus as Lord, also recognise that they are not a part of us. We present both open arms, yet unapologetic offence. We have a ministry that will also draw and separate men. Those whom the Lord calls will be added, whilst those whose hearts are hard will not dare to join us. We grow, yet remain set apart. And we do it all by the Holy Spirit. It is the Lord himself who is building his church.

Every Blessing,
Chris