A Committed Christian?

So often in our Christian lives we spend inordinate amounts of time talking about prayer, wanting to seek the Lord and do His will; which I believe are great sentiments, but as we approach the end of the year I’m drawn back to some words we used at the start of our year in our covenant service, words which were borrowed from a great puritan called Richard Alleine:

I am no longer my own but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly give all things to you. Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. This my covenant with you my God, made here on earth, let it be confirmed in heaven. Amen

Why not take that prayer again, study it, meditate on it, discuss it and consider: as individuals, and as Christ’s Church, have we yet made this prayer our own? How can we encourage one another, and what is the Lord asking of us as individuals walking in covenant with Him? If studying in a group: spend a good time in prayer seeking the Lord for each other and the wider Church. When studying alone: also, of course, pray through the issues that arise in your heart.

It's only fair to share...Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email this to someone
email
Share on Facebook
Facebook

Christian Witness in the shadow of #BREXIT

It’s incredibly concerning to see that across social media, and within our state broadcaster and other media, there is an appalling lack of wisdom in words uttered and views shared when it comes to the outcome of the referendum last week. What is even more shocking is the lack of grace, wisdom and love being shown across the Christian Church:

Democracy is an amazing thing…

…and the democratic process last week is proof of that. There will be those who are delighted that their view prevailed and others sad that theirs didn’t…

…but complaints against democracy are a very dangerous 

I have no doubt that just under half of the readers of this will be sore at the outcome, and just over half will be delighted, but what is required now is for people of all political views, of both the in and the out voters to stop battling and start getting on with the all important job of moving ahead positively; to avoid either vitriol or triumphalism and take a measured positive step, followed by another and another.

however we exercised our democratic right on June 23rd 2016, Britain can an will be great, but only if we so choose…

Christians are at risk of being appalling witnesses by showing a severe lack of compassion and wisdom in this!

Let’s not let this political vacuum intensify the spiritual vacuum – Let’s show the love of Christ as we navigate through the minefield of politics ahead, and let us stand firmly on His Word: continuing to be salt and light to a fallen world, and facing the future with His hope, be steadfast in sharing that hope with the world around us.

Ps 133:1: How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

It's only fair to share...Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email this to someone
email
Share on Facebook
Facebook

The Lie We Tell Ourselves: I want to change but…

How often does a Pastor hear the words, “I want to change but…”
Oswald Chambers says in these few sentences below some straightforward words that many a Pastor would do well to replicate in such situations:

The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what controls and dominates me is that I am the one responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be.
If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because somewhere in the past I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because at some point in my life I yielded myself to Him.
If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth.
There is no power within the human soul itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by yielding. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing. (Remember what lust is— “I must have it now,” whether it is the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind.) No release or escape from it will ever come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. “. . . He has anointed Me . . . to proclaim liberty to the captives . . .” (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1).
When you yield to something, you will soon realise the tremendous control it has over you. Even though you say, “Oh, I can give up that habit whenever I like,” you will know you can’t. You will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you willingly yielded to it. It is easy to sing, “He will break every fetter,” while at the same time living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. But yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person’s life.

We must take responsibility here, who really is your master?

It's only fair to share...Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email this to someone
email
Share on Facebook
Facebook

The ‘equality and diversity’ Agenda

Every now and then, whilst in college, I find myself in a meeting or a conversation where a group of generally friendly, but strident left wing academics will be holding forth about the wonders of the present ‘equality and diversity’ framework in the UK….

Political Correctness

When I comment on the damage I feel this agenda is doing to the Western (particularly UK) society I’m often rounded on by all present with something like, “Surely as a Christian you can’t object to this, after all aren’t you lot supposed to be caring and loving and accepting of all?” 
On the surface, this looks to be a fair point doesn’t it? And yes I will, absolutely shout from the rooftops that Jesus’ love is to be shown and shared to all. However the experience of the Christian church in the UK is that the very ‘equality and diversity’ framework which is held in such high esteem by the largely extreme left elite and their media circus, is actually constructed and promoted by those with alternative agendas which sit in opposition to Biblical Christianity.

As Christians we need to tackle this with Godly wisdom and compassion, not seeking to be contentious, but standing up for the truth, and speaking the truth in love.

I think Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, summed the situation up well when commenting on a recent case of a Christian woman being disciplined for nothing other than being herself (inoffensively) in the work place. Andrea said “Victoria’s case highlights the risks of the current ‘equality and diversity’ framework. Rather than bringing people together and creating more cohesive workplaces where people can be honest about who they are and build meaningful relationships, ‘political correctness’ means that many workplaces are becoming fragmented, superficial and suspicious. People are being forced to hide their identity and the things that matter most to them.”

It's only fair to share...Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email this to someone
email
Share on Facebook
Facebook