When are you coming home?

I found this video sometime ago and it really made an impression on me. And I thought it is a good time to post it here, with Christmas just 46 days away. When are you coming home? My prayers are for God to keep you safe.

Growing up like Dad

"Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ himself also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Ephesians 5:1-2

Imitators of God Be Loved

We literally come from the DNA from both our mother and father. That one day, if not yet, we would look like them. Louie Giglio described that it is the same when we are spiritually born again to our heavenly Father. We receive His DN, Divine Nature.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:2-3

As children we watch the relationships around us and start to model ourselves on what we see. We grow up to be imitators of our parents. Yes it is the same, when we are born again; we become God's child and when we spend more time with our Father God we will grow up to be imitators of Him.

Be responsible to grow up to be a son or daughter of God. We have the breath of our Father God inside us. We got God's genes so let us grow up to be like Him.

The Father's Blessing

A boy asked his father, "How much do you earn in an hour?"
The father got mad and answered roughly, "Don't bother me." He was tired and irritable after a tough day at work, but the boy insisted. "Please, how much do you earn?"
The father said in a bad tone of voice, "six pounds." Then his son asked, "Father can you loan me three pounds?" The father said to him in an angry tone, "I told you not to bother me, shut up and go to your room!"
At bedtime the father was calmer and felt bad about the way he had treated his son. He went upstairs to his son's room and asked, "Are you asleep?" He gave to the boy the three pounds that he had asked for.
The boy thanked his father, put his hand under his pillow, pulled out three pound coins, and said, "I have six pounds father, could I buy one hour of your time?"

Louie Gigilo, in the second part of "Seeing God as a Perfect Father" series pulled off the scab of a wound, which I thought was long healed.

What are the words you remember your father saying to you?
"I am tired. Don't bother me!"
"No!"
"Because I said so!"
"Money doesn't grow on trees "
"You think it's funny? You better wipe that smile off your face."
"I am busy"
"This is going to hurt me more than it'll hurt you"
"It's your fault!"
"Stop crying or I'll really give you something to cry about!"
"Make me some tea!"
"It is our secret"
"Ask you mother"
"Good for nothing"
"What do you think you are doing?"
"Children are meant to be seen, not heard"
"Get to your room!"
"Don't make me pull this car over"
"Don't tell anyone"
And you can add many more.

These are some of the words my father has used. This does not paint a pretty picture. Louie describes our earthly fathers in five types.

• Employing Father - Tells you that he loves you. Sets you up to succeed
• Abusive Father - Piecing words. Emotional, spiritual and /or physical abuse
• Absent Father - Too busy, never there because of death, divorce
• Passive Father - Wears boxer shorts because wife is wearing the pants in the family
• Performance Father - Gives blessing but it is attached to your performance. You have to earn his blessings

My real dad, now dead fits in the Absent Father profile quite nicely while he was abusive to my mother. My step dad on the other hand was the Abusive Father in all ways.

The bible reveals to us that God is the perfect father. Our own experience with our earthly fathers is transferred over to how we relate to heavenly father God. Okay I am not saying that all earthly fathers are bad, they just not perfect and can never match up to our heavenly father. The good experiences here bring us closer to knowing and understanding God, just as bad experiences create a distorted picture of our Father's love for us.

Louie revealed to us that we are always seeking the father's blessing. The blessings are

• Father's Love
• Father's Approval
• Father's Acceptance
• Father's Active Participation
• Father's Spoken Belief

In 1 John 3:1 we are told that we are the children of God and every child is to receive a blessing from his dad. That is how God made it. Even though most of us have not received our father's blessings we must step under our heavenly Father's blessings. God is not a bigger version nor is He the refection of our earthy father. He is Perfection.

Louie suggests that we take the blessings from our heavenly Father and send it up the family tree and bless our earthly fathers. Wow not an easy pill to swallow.

Later in the evening, Mike described how he felt when his step father died. He felt nothing. No sadness just a sense of happiness that the chapter in his life was over. My heart cried out, yes, yes, I too would feel nothing when that day comes. I probably won't even know about it until months later and would just shrug it off. Louie said earlier that our earthly fathers are only human too. They too were/are seeking their father's blessing. This made me think about my remaining earthly father but the thought didn't last very long. Although I have forgiven him, there is this chasm between us that in a way I don't want fixed. He must stay far away from my family and me. Yes I know something is not right and how typical it is for me to somehow put the blame on me. This is something, which takes time to heal. It is hard but yes I do believe that God loves my earthy father just as much as he loves me. God also wants him to join us in His kingdom.

Oh how the enemy has used my pain to distort my view of the perfect father.

I did not receive any blessings from my earthly father but I have received abundant blessing from my heavenly father. I want to turn those blessings into blessings for my son Matthew. Not to be a perfect father but to come close to it.

Oh boy, I have a long way to go but I have Jesus by my side.

How do you see God?

We are nearing the end of the year with only 62 days till Jesus birthday. Wow, this year has flown! We have started a new series by Louie Giglio called "Seeing God as the Perfect Father".

Aiden Tozer open the first chapter of his book "The Knowledge of the Holy" with this:

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people have ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.

For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God."

So now I ask the question, how do you see God? Giglio gave us some examples of how people see God.

• Faceless God who is distant and nameless
• OnStar God who we can turn on and off whenever we need him
• Grandpa God who is kind and gentle
• Scorekeeper God who keeps track of everything that we do and gives us credits or debts our score chart
• Doomsday God with fire and brimstone
• Stain glass God, shh need we say more
• Ave Joe God who is like one of us
• eBay God who we use to get what we want
• me God who does not need God because they are self made, self sufficient
• no god God for those poor atheists
• PC God who is political correct in for all people

But the Word of God revels to us a different God.

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:4-7

Father God

Yes I understand the concept of God the father but it is one that I have difficulty to comprehend because of my stepfather. How can I call God, father, when my earthly father was not much to go on? It is difficult to see God as a God whom I can run up to with arms wide open.

Because of my past experiences I myself tend not to be a good father to my 8-year-old son. So how if Jesus taught us about God been the perfect father, can I be an example to others and my son of what a father is like? I know that I cannot be a perfect Father but God can and is. I can't wait for next week to hear what Giglio has to say about our earthly fathers.

I will leave you with a Father's Love Letter that I found at http://www.fathersloveletter.com/. It is used by kind permission from Father Heart Communications



You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvellous things. Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are broken hearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad

God you are the best daddy ever.

For I am made by God for God .

Allow me to re-introduce the Christ

God Loves

In this half of the year a number friends, family and colleagues have died and it has got me asking about heaven and hell. After a lot of questions and prayer, it all boiled down to "God Loves". That is something we Christians have and the other religions don't.

As in this video that I posted "This is powerfull" and in the following poem "When God Ran" by a blogger called "Devilnitemare" from India, God's love for us is so powerful and pure. As a mother who sees her toddler about to wander into the road, she runs.

"When God Ran"

Wasn't long ago when I walked out,
Wanted it all done my way.
Wasn't long after, I was a wandering,
Worthless vagabond.
Lately I started weighing options,
Didn't take time to know I had none.
So, I packed myself up
And took the long road back home.
Wasn't long away when He saw me,
Can I forget the smile on his face?
Can I forget those open arms?
Can I forget that day,
When God ran to me?

But I wasn't one to learn,
So, I took off the same old way.
Soon I was one foot in hell again,
I could hear them sing in chorus,
"I did it my way, I did it my way."
Guess I know that song too well,
Came to my senses soon enough.
Took the same road, I knew so well.

Wasn't long away when I saw Him,
Can I forget those tear-stained eyes?
Can I forget those nail pierced hands?
Can I forget that day, yet again,
The day that God ran to me?

Now, I am the master of excuses,
I never run out of stupid ones.
And every now and then, I'm on my way again.
But I know the song so well,
And I know the time so well,
Or maybe He knows it very well ...

I remember those tear-stained eyes,
I remember those nail pierced hands,
I remember the smile, the open arms,
And I remember the way back very well.
So, here I am going again, yet again,

Yes, yet again to see God run to me.

Taken from Devilnitemare's post When God Ran.

This is not right

Then they said to each other, "We're not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves."
2 Kings 7:9

This is not right.

We have been given a gift of eternal life. What are we doing with it? Are we basking in Christianity? Are we keeping it to ourselves?

These are the questions Andy Stanley asked us in the last of his "Go Fish" series. He went on to tell us about the story found in 2 Kings 7:3-16 It is about four men with leprosy during a siege of the city of Samaria by the Arameans. These men who were between a rock and a hard place decided to take their chances with the Arameans but found the Aramean camp deserted. After gorging themselves on the abundant spoils, it eventually dawned on them the suffering of those left behind. They were not doing right and had to go back and tell the others the good news.

Andy related this story to us Christians. Like the four men, God has picked us up and dusted us off and brought us into the banquet of His blessings. Do we stay here and enjoy ourselves or as in the four men are we going to realise that we're not doing right and go back to fetch the others.
Look back from whence you've come. You were once in that darkness and cried out to God. He knew your voice and called you by name. He has brought you into the light and given you life. Now reach back into that darkness and grab a hand and pull it into the light.

Let's not keep the good news to ourselves. Let's go back and become fishers of men.

A song "Fishers of Men" by Rhonda Vincent

Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Peter, John, and James
Could never be the same
After they heard him say
I'll make you fishers of men.

He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.
He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Cast your nets aside
and join the battle tide
He will be your guide
To make you fishers of men.

He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.
He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Jesus bore the cross
To gather in the lost
Oh what a might cost
To set us free from sin.

He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.
He said, Rise and follow me
I'll make you worthy
Rise and follow me
I'll make you fishers of men.

Blessed to be a blessing

Complicating Christianity

This week in the "Go Fish" series, Andy taught us that we complicate things by muddying the waters of salvation.

What does it mean to become a Christian?

Does it mean we need to attend church?
Does it mean we have to get our life together?
Does it mean praying a prayer?
Does it mean committing to God?

None of the above, it is much simpler than that.

John 3:16 covers what we need to know and do to become a Christian.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"

That's it! The gospel is simple; it is us who like to complicate it. Let's go over it again…

God Loved

God Gave

We Believe

We Receive

God loves us and will do anything to bring us back to Him. He even gave His only son, Jesus to die in our place. All we need to do is believe in him and we will receive eternal life. We are all going to spend eternity somewhere, either with God (Heaven) or separated from Him (Hell). That's it - the Gospel.

A song by Todd Fields, "Wake the world"
Some will say
That the truth is anything you believe
That reality is what you can see
There is no guarantee

Others claim
That in finding God each path is the same
That the noblest of all will remain
And no one is to blame

Wake the world
Shine the light
There is one way, truth, and life
Perfect love
Born to die
Son of God, Jesus Christ
Wake the world
Wake the world

Sleeping Still
Unaware that there is more to be found
Ever listening, but hearing no sound
God’s mercy has come down

For God so loved the world that
He gave His one and only Son

He is the way, truth, and life
Perfect love
Born to die
Son of God, Jesus Christ
Wake the world
Wake the world
Wake the world
Wake the world

Live it out and if the opportunity comes lay it out.

My Revelation

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:8

Today God has shown me something, maybe I should call it a vision, but it is clear as mud to me. I saw before me a board, a playing field of sorts with players on it. If I stretched out my right hand I found my aunt Ann. Just in front of me slightly to the left is my cousin Deborah. Slightly in front of her to her left is my other cousin Charmaine and if I stretch out my left hand on the same level as Ann is her sister Rene who is also Deborah's mom.

Before I carry on, let me give you a little glimpse into my past. Deborah and Charmaine have both been sexually molested by their grandfather a long time ago. I don't know if this was the start but from here a string of molestations have rippled down the generations. I am not sure about the other branches of the family as I can only speak about what has happened to me. My step dad molested me and my siblings Theresa and Anthony. Theresa took him to court where he admitted guilt and was let off on a suspended sentence. When I was much older I prayed that I this generation thing would be broken. Later both Anthony and my step-dad were accused of molesting Theresa's daughter Danielle. Well now you know some of my history let me get back to the vision.

This is what I saw before me, these four ladies Ann, Deborah, Charmaine and Rene. Both Ann and Deborah are larger than the others for some reason. God drew me to each of these people. I poured out prayers and petitions for each one.

I saw Ann behind a pane of glass but she could not see the glass. Her glass had been coloured with the colour of her past experiences. She sees everything in life through that glass. She sees what she sees and can not comprehend what the other people on the board tell her what they see. I pray that the Holy Spirit will break the glass. That it will be a paradigm shift in her world. God laid it on my heart that she is strong on the outside but her fragile world will crumble if the glass is broken. She will need someone beside her and I sense that God is preparing someone to be that person.

Now Deborah is also seeing the world through her own glass pane. The hurt she has experienced in her past has coloured her glass in a different colour. Although her past has been dealt with, she still cannot see the coloured glass in front of her. She is angry and finds it hard to accept that Ann sees it all differently than her. The only time someone will see the glass in front of them is when it is shattered or scratched. I pray that God helps her to see her glass; that God would soften her heart to accept that others may not see the same things in the same colour.

Charmaine has also been hurt in the same way as Deborah. But where Deborah has turned to God to find comfort, Charmaine has turned away. It makes me sad to see how the action of one can affect a lot of people. Her glass is full of the colour of pain and rejection. I pray that she finds God and forgiveness. The grace of God will cover all.

Rene has accepted the pain of her daughter. The colour of her glass has been tainted to the same colour of Deborah's but it is darker. She blames herself and is angry with her late father and with God. She is trying to cope in her own way. I pray that God will tear down those patched up walls that she has build around her for protection and that she would accept Jesus and let Him build a strong tower around her.

All this is what God showed me.

Whatever the reason, I felt that I had to write it down. I have no understanding of how God is going to use this but God has never disappointed me in the past.

Finally I pray that the blood of Jesus will cover all the players on this board including myself as I am on that board too.

Be the hand

Well, it is all over, that is the Gran Affair. Many of you have asked about my gran.
Thank you for all your kind words.

My gran died the Tuesday morning just after I left Durban and was laid to rest on Friday. Her children started fighting amongst themselves even before she was dead. It got to such an extent that the one brother made funeral arrangements and refused to let his siblings know where the funeral was to be held. My mom found out and had to gatecrash her own mom's funeral. They even started disowning each other. I consoled my uncle Ronnie that if the rumours that started were true, Gran either did it out of love or survival and that he should not hold that against her.

After speaking with Carol and spending time in prayer, I decided that it was best that I stay away from the funeral. Being the eldest grandchild I phoned all the grandchildren that I could and informed them that I would not go and encouraged them to stay away as well. About the "curse", hints of it started to surface even before I left and I feel that this might have led to the family feud that erupted. Although I am intrigued about the "curse", I am not sure I want to know. To put my soul at rest, God gave me Ezekiel 18 to read…

"The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."
Ezekiel 18:20

On Friday, the day of the funeral, I felt so sad and my family was heavy on my heart. I cried out to God to please forgive them.



Okay with that off my chest, lets get into the 4th series of "Go Fish" by Andy Stanley, which Denise kindly led. "Fishing Buddies", evangelism was never meant to be a solo affair. Fishing alone makes it hard to talk about "J…J…Jesus". Andy went on to say that it is a team effort with the church (that is a group of believers) partnering with us to fish for men. We need to invest and invite. How many times have we heard that when we invite an unbelieving person into a group of believers just living the life, it works?

We can't do it alone, "Just come! I don't have all the answers. Just come and see." And where two or three come together in Jesus' name, the irresistible saviour shows up.
Yes Jesus shows up, what more can we do.

Be the hand that reaches into the dark and pull another hand into the light.

This is Powerful

This skit has brought me to tears. It is awesome and powerful. I need to get a copy play in church.

Made by Design

Sovereign Lord

Oh Lord I lift Your name up
I worship You my King
For You are the Sovereign I Am
Deserving of all glory
All honour and all praise
For You are the Sovereign I Am

Sovereign Lord
Your ways are not my own
Your wisdom never ends
Sovereign Lord
You've created the heavens
Yet You call me Your friend

Your love reaches the heavens
Still You hold me when I'm weak
Your faithfulness is unending
For You reach the depths of me

Wow! What a lovely song - Sovereign Lord. In the third instalment of the "Go Fish" series by Andy Stanley, we hear of the spontaneous prayer of disciples in Acts 4 which started with "Sovereign Lord …" Yes the Sovereign Lord is the creator of all that I see and more. He is my Lord and I pledge my allegiance to him. How can I keep quiet, when even the birds sing of Him? When I grow weary and when fear has me by the throat, Jesus puts me on his shoulders and I squeal like a little boy being carried by his father. When I want to take control, He proudly stands behind me ready to catch me when I fall. He is my Sovereign Lord, my awesome Dad. No matter how many times I have let Him down, he has never left my side. Now I want the world to know that the Sovereign God wants to be your friend too.

Enable me oh Sovereign God, to speak your Word with boldness

Good people don't go to Heaven, forgiven people do.

Well, a lot of things have been going down this week and I seem to be running out of time on all sides. Last Tuesday was wonderful, I had no reason to be anxious about leading, and with all your support and input, I found myself relaxed and for this I thank you. A lot of the fishing talk we spoke about, I actually used this week. "Good people don't go to Heaven, forgiven people do."

What really came out strongly for the group in the second part of the "Go Fish" series, was that all those other religions are striving to come closer to God, but they are missing only one main ingredient and that is Jesus. Unless they are told about Jesus, they will never know salvation. This is why we are compelled to speak about Jesus.

For those who weren't there last Tuesday, I mentioned my Gran who is a devout 82 year old catholic and in the last couple of months has had a few strokes. A few years ago Carol and I spoke to her about Heaven and Hell. Did she know where she was going? She answered that she did not know, matter of fact no-one knew. We told her that we knew and went through the scriptures were it says that once you have asked Jesus to forgive you and become your personal Saviour, he will. His grace will cover all our sins past and future. "Good people don't go to Heaven, forgiven people do." She did not want to carry on with the conversation after that. However, we prayed that the seed was sown.

This month, one of my clients had not yet paid me, which meant no bills could be paid. Last Tuesday I had only enough petrol to get me to work the next day which added to my stress. Money came into my account from another source at midnight on Wednesday, and on Thursday, I was happily thanking the Lord for coming to the party. At about 11:30 that very morning, I got a call from my Uncle Ronnie and between the tears I learned that my Gran has just had a heart attack. He needed to get to his mother and he asked if I could take him. The last time I took him anywhere, was about 10 years ago to Durban to bury his oldest son who had put a gun to his head. So I picked Ronnie up in Rustenburg and headed for Durban. On the way down, it dawned on me that God had released that money just for this. We arrived in Durban the next morning at 12:30am and could only see my Gran later that morning at 11:00am. When I saw her, I saw a very weak and broken woman. She looked confused and could not speak. After conversing with the medical staff, I found out that she had 3 stokes and a heart attack on the left part of the heart, which they said was lucky for her, as it wasn't on the right side.

Later that day while having lunch at the Pavilion, I started thinking to myself, that this was a waste of my time. I had so much work and I could not afford to be here. What was I doing here? I resolved to go back the next day, and again God intervened. He told me clearly that I was here because he wanted me here and by the way, what was I doing in a fast food restaurant? He said to me to get back to the hospital now and tell my Gran about Him. I went, but along the way wondered what God wanted me to say.

At the hospital, I found the family. With only two allowed at a time, I had to go in with someone else. Hoping that I rather be alone, I stood at the foot of her bed and watched as Ronnie pushed a rosary into her hand. I told God that I can't, these catholics would rip me apart. I said to God if He wanted me to speak to Gran, He must create a opportunity for me. Ronnie then turned to me and asked if I would like to speak to her. I nodded, and as he moved aside I said to him "alone", so he simply walked out.

Again, I said to God I can't, what could I say. He said to me "Just tell her about me". So I asked her if she remembered that conversation about Heaven and Hell. She nodded. I took her hand and said that Jesus is the answer. Just call on His name. Jesus has all the answers you are seeking. With that she got very fidgety and her eyes were everywhere. I prayed a short prayer over her and as I left the room I said to her "Jesus, Jesus is the answer".

The next two family members went into the room and I found my aunt Maryanne and Ronnie in a waiting room. While sitting there casually making small talk, I started telling them about the Heaven and Hell conversation that I had with Gran a few years ago. Ronnie said that his mom will go to Heaven as she has suffered so much in the past and God will reward her for that. I just looked at him and said "Good people don't go to Heaven, forgiven people do." He went quiet. God then said to me, that this not just about Gran, and the word "Curse" came burning into my mind. I looked straight at Maryanne and said "This family is cursed" Without missing a beat she answered me "Yes, and I know what the curse is all about". Ronnie reacted like I thought anyone would after been told that their family is cursed. He wanted to know what was the curse about, but Maryanne said that she could not tell anyone of the curse until Gran was dead. After picking up my jaw off the ground, I said to God that I have done what you have wanted me to do, I am way over my head on this, but you lead and I will follow. With my Gran, it was "Jesus is the answer she is looking for, what ever she is trying to keep hidden, Jesus is the only one who can take that burden and give her peace". Now with Ronnie "Good people don't go to Heaven, forgiven people do." and with Maryanne "Nothing is hidden from God and this curse what ever it is will come into the light where God will deal with it".

Driving back to where I was staying, Theresa, my sister came strongly to my mind. I just had to speak with her and tell her what had just happened. Later that evening Theresa phoned me to get feed back about Gran, so I told her everything about that day. She then said to me that the previous day God had laid Gran on her heart. She had this feeling that Gran was trying say something that was hidden in her heart. Theresa prayed that God would send someone to Gran.

That someone turned out to be me. God made sure money came in and that I would go down to Gran. Another strange thing happened that I should mention here, well I should never be surprised when God is in control. Theresa said she was awoken at about midnight, her alarm went off. She had not set it, but she felt that she had to pray. Even though she didn't know what for. I said to her at that time I had driven into a lot of mist on the way down and could not see clearly. God wanted me safely down in Durban to deliver His messages. The seed has been sown. God has spoken and I pray that they listen to Him as He is the answer.

We were all fish once

"Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men"- Jesus

Do these words scare you?

On Tuesday night we started a new series called "Go Fish" by Andy Stanley. The first part of this series was "We were all fish once". Yes once we were ordinary people just minding our own business and along comes an extraordinary Saviour who calls us to follow him. My fear of being a fisher of men was that I could never land a fish or in my terms "close the deal". What Graeme Codrington said on Sunday and what Andy Stanley reiterated that it had nothing to do with that at all. It is to be in the right place, at the right time so God can take control and use us in an extraordinary way. It may be a smile, a hug, or just being there and God can use that to leverage someone's short time on earth for eternity.

Prayer came over strongly in our discussions. Prayer is the key. As on Sunday, Andy encouraged us to think of someone who has not found the Lord or who has turned away so that we could pray for him or her.

At the end of the first part Andy gave us homework. He asked us to write a letter to the person who was responsible for bringing us the Lord. Now you don’t have to do what I am about to do but being who I am, here is my letter to my best friend.

Hi Robbie,

I am writing you this letter because my cell group and I just started a series by Andy Stanley called "Go Fish" and he encouraged us to write a letter to the person who God put in the right place, at the right time and said the right things that then ultimately lead us to give our lives to the Lord Jesus.

Now you were not actually there when I gave my life to Lord way back in 1984 but you were instrumental in putting me on the right path. But let's start from the beginning.

As you know way back in the early 80s I was a very introvert and shy teenager, who was rejected by my family and shipped off to hostel. Friends were security I desperately needed. I attached myself to your "clique" of friends and made them my friends. Nothing beats getting instant friends. You took me home to your family one weekend in February/March 1983. Do you remember sneaking me onto the bus without a bus ticket? What I found at "Breezy-Knoll" was a family that I did not have, a family that I longed for. Your family went to church that Sunday as a family. There was laughter and fun around the lunch table not the fear that I had become used to in my own family. From then on your dad and mom used to pick me up at hostel every Sunday to take me to church. Your mom became the mom I didn't have, your dad the dad I didn't have, you became my brother and your siblings my siblings. Looking back this was the start of God's plan.

Church was still simply church for me and Jesus was someone who died 2000 years ago. On the first day of second school term in 1983 you where excitedly chatting to Jens Deppe at the back of the class about how in the April holidays during a church camp in Margate you met the girl of your dreams, Kathy Bailey. Do you remember us teasing you about this "Rust on the Crust" from Pietermarizburg? So I decided that I would go to the next camp just to meet this Kathy. So the following year off I went to camp. I went to the church camp not to meet Jesus but Kathy. Do you remember how I boldly went up to her in the kitchens and said that you liked her? Anyway I am digressing, back to what this letter is about. At that camp I learnt who Jesus was. How he loved me for who I was and that He wanted me to join His family, no questions asked. It was only later that year at another camp in June that I gave my life to the Lord. Do you remember Mr Anderson, a geography teacher? He invited me to this church camp on an orange farm in Bainesfield near Pietermarizburg. It was amongst the orange trees on my knees that I opened up my heart and let Jesus in. Now I suppose you are wondering what that was all about.

Well, I want to thank you so much just for being my friend when I was so obviously immature. God wanted you to invite me home on that weekend in 1983. It was that weekend of which I have so many fond memories that God used you to put me on course for eternity. We don't get together often anymore on account of me living in Joburg but I want you to know that you Robbie are still my best friend.

Jerome

Deliverance

We have come to the end of the series on Spiritual Warfare and rapped it up with a rather difficult subject of Deliverance Ministries. Growing up in the 80s in the Brethren Church "it" was mentioned. But as the big baddie it was best for us to keep clear of it. The enemy has even used Hollywood to make himself look powerful and Jesus helpless. As a result many of us are scared to approach anything that resembles demonic. Last Tuesday we learnt that is not just about exorcism, it's about setting someone free in Jesus' name. Jesus is the key. Victory is through the cross. Victory is in the name of Jesus. Victory is in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is glorified and lives are changed!

The enemy is not going wait for us to get our act together. He is constantly on the prowl. All around us people are coming under his influence. We have to ask Jesus to remove the scales from our eyes and just look around. It starts off small but if not checked it grows … Oppression » Harassment » Obsession » Compulsion » Control and finally if you are an unbeliever Possession. We need to recognise first the enemy and then in name of Jesus tear down the strongholds he builds in the mind.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. - 2 Corinthians 10:4

We need to put on the armour of God and join the active ranks. No use just ignoring the enemy and hope he will go away. We need resist him and he will flee.

The Secret Weapon

Wow, I have just come back from an awesome prayer session at Minuteman Press in Parktown North. We as a group of men descended on Dave Tucker's new franchise to pray and dedicate it to God. Here we prayed, broke bread on our knees and anointed all the rooms. I felt that all the spiritual warfare lessons we did up to now have paid dividends. Here we were dressed up in our armour and claiming the ground for God. We carried God's Standard before the spiritual troops and planted it firmly at Minuteman Press in Parktown North. This here is God's country.

Okay that is enough of what has happen today in the battle. Now for what we did last Tuesday: At cell we spoke about the Christian’s secret weapon. Something we tend to rather use in defence not as it was meant to be use, in offence. And that weapon is Prayer. It is the weapon that the enemy fears the most. It is our Ultimate Weapon.

Prayer is so powerful that the enemy tries to break down the power before it happens. The enemy does everything to stop us talking to God. He distracts us from Prayer so that we become infective wimps.

Here is an extract from Edward Bounds' book "The Weapon of Prayer". It was written in the 19th century (This piece was reformatted by Katie Stewart) …

"GOD'S great plan for the redemption of mankind is as much bound up to prayer for its prosperity and success as when the decree creating the movement was issued from the Father, bearing on its frontage the imperative, universal and eternal condition, "Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession." In many places an alarming state of things has come to pass, in that the many who are enrolled in our churches are not praying men and women. Many of those occupying prominent positions in church life are not praying men. It is greatly feared that much of the work of the Church is being done by those who are perfect strangers to the closet. Small wonder that the work does not succeed. While it may be true that many in the Church say prayers, it is equally true that their praying is of the stereotyped order. Their prayers may be charged with sentiment, but they are tame, timid, and without fire or force. Even this sort of praying is done by a few straggling men to be found at prayer-meetings. Those whose names are to be found bulking large in our great Church assemblies are not men noted for their praying habits. Yet the entire fabric of the work in which they are engaged has, perforce, to depend on the adequacy of prayer. This fact is similar to the crisis which would be created were a country to admit in the face of an invading foe that it cannot fight and have no knowledge of the weapons whereby war is to be waged. In all God's plans for human redemption, He proposes that men pray. The men are to pray in every place, in the church, in the closet, in the home, on sacred days and on secular days. All things and everything are dependent on the measure of men's praying. Prayer is the genius and mainspring of life. We pray as we live; we live as we pray. Life will never be finer than the quality of the closet. The mercury of life will rise only by the warmth of the closet. Persistent non-praying eventually will depress life below zero."

"Go back! Back to that upper room; back to your knees; back to searching of heart and habit, thought and life; back to pleading, praying, waiting, till the Spirit of the Lord floods the soul with light, and you are endued with power from on high. Then go forth in the power of Pentecost, and the Christ-life shall be lived, and the works of Christ shall be done. You shall open blind eyes, cleanse foul hearts, break men's fetters, and save men's souls. In the power of the indwelling Spirit, miracles become the commonplace of daily living." -- Samuel Chadwick

May God give us the grace to take up the weapon of prayer, and to use it!

Helmet of Salvation

Just a short one this time.

Next in the series of knowing the enemy we covered the helmet of salvation.
In 1 Thes 5:8 it says "But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation ."
We discovered that the helmet is a very important part of the armour. The hope of salvation is for the head. It covers our minds, intellect and reasoning. Our minds are the playground of the enemy. He has known us for over 40 years (well that's in my case, please add the extra years to the 40 as you see fit ;-). He knows how we think so he can easily manipulate us into doing the wrong thing. The importance of the helmet does not need much convincing does it now. We need to protect our minds in the hope of God's salvation.

Shield of Faith

Last Tuesday we learnt how to engage our enemy by taking up the Shield of Faith. By faith we can move beyond just standing firm and being defensive, we can now face the enemy head-on. The shield gives us confidence. The shield is the faith in God's blood that was spilt for us one and for all. Faith that the victory has already being secured. Someone once answered the question of "What is faith?" with these simple words "I'm ignorant, and I cannot answer well, but I think it is taking God at His Word."

In God’s Word we read …
"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." (Psalm 73: 23-28)

I want to learn to choose faith, even when fear seems more reasonable.

Write it on our hearts

As we continue with the "Invisible War" series we are learning more on how our enemy uses condemnation and doubt to keep us from experiencing God's love and power. How many times have we questioned our salvation or even God's grace of forgiveness?

Here is one lie which the enemy uses a lot with me.

God won't accept because I keep on sinning even after I have asked Him to forgive me.

The enemy specialise in this type of condemnation and doubt. Once I have fallen yet again, he condemns me for sinning; telling me that I'll never be free and that I'll never be able to please God. Did God really forgive me last time? And so it goes on.

Chip Ingram reminded us that we have to know the scriptures to be able to withstand these types of attacks. The power of condemnation and doubt is broken by the truth. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciple. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:31-32. To answer the lie which I mentioned above the enemy uses often with me is found in Isaiah 53:4-12 and Isaiah 54:10. God has never rejected me when I approached Him over and over again with the same sin.

Jesus said we need to know his word, write it onto our hearts, as we will never know when we will need it.

My Hero

Belt of Truth

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

This week we started going through the armour that God has supplied us for the spiritual battle. The belt was the first thing a Roman soldier put on. It was very important because it was the main item which held together the rest of the armour. The sword hung from it and the tunic was tucked into the belt to insure that he could march without restriction. The belt bound everything together giving the soldier a sense of firmness, making him feel secure, and able to meet the enemy's attack with confidence. There was security in the belt.

Paul states that we have to put on the belt of truth.

Truth?

Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life. So when we fasten the belt of truth around our waist, we are putting on God's truth as revealed in Jesus. In other words we are "putting on" Jesus. In Hebrews somewhere it tell us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Now doesn’t that sound of stability? I am all for something solid, something I can hold onto. So Jesus as the belt that held the Roman armour together gives us a sense of firmness, making us feel secure, and able to meet the enemy's attack with confidence. There is security in Jesus.

So close yet so far

This is part of an email I sent to one of my friends at BBC when he pressed ganged me into becoming a door welcomer. I feel that I should post it as I felt God physically standing next to me as I typed...

I know that God has naturally gifted me as a welcomer but I feel that God has some other mission field waiting for me. No I don't know what it is but I must earnestly seek Him and He will be found. I also feel that I supposed to be working in this field a long time ago and I let God down.

They say a tree which does not bare fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I look at myself and cry when I don't see any fruit. God has never left me but I have left Him many times. God is in the center of the universe and I am in the centre of mine. My friends around me are asking questions like what are my gifts and what is my calling? I know deep down because God told me long time ago that I am special and that He has something special for me to do. (Excuse me I am crying and I don't know why I am tell you this). I suppose because God is standing right next to me as I write this and yet I am so far from Him. If this does not make sense to you, don't worry, it doesn't make sense to me either but God is smiling.

I will know the special mission what God wants me to do when it requires not my natural born talents (which God gave me at birth) but a super natural gift which will prove that it is not me but God.

I will help full the ranks of a welcomer when needed but please note this comes naturally to me so it is not my calling, it is not the special mission that God wants me for.

My armour is too shiny and the enemy can see it. I need to stand up, step forward for that special mission soon and get dirty. There I go crying again.... It won't be easy but one day I sit with Jesus under that tree and show Him my battle scars with proud. What a beautiful day that will be.

Private Jerome reporting

I'm in my corner, and you in yours

Well, with so much happening all at once this week, there was not much time to do anything else. So I do apologise that this posting is a wee bit late. My project is about to launch, a new client on board who wants his work out within two days of giving it to me, Sun International's 4 new hotels in Port Ghalib, Egypt needs to be processed, my birthday and a party to help arrange, my best friend up from Durban to spend the weekend and so much more. There wasn't even time for God and spiritual warfare. I was so involved in my own world where I was in the centre, Mr Venter, that God had no place to maneuver. Don't get me wrong God was also with me, in thought and prayer but God was in the centre of the universe and I was in the center of mine. It is these times that the devil comes and trys to distract us. He knows us so well and we make it even easier for him by not focusing on God. Angus Buchan says that the best form of spiritual warfare is to lead a soul to Jesus Christ. And that was the furthest from my mind this week.

What was really shocking for me, that came out from last Tuesday's cell meeting was that we will find the devil in places we least expect him to be. We don't expect him in church do we? Well that is where we will find him busy stirring seeds of sin amongst God's people. Denise mentioned how easily we un-wittingly do the devil's work for him. We have to be on constant guard against satan because he is like a lion seeking for our week points.

The Invisible War

As we can all feel it, winter is truly here but that was not going to stop us. Last Tuesday we had a hot start to a new series "The Invisible War" by Chip Ingram.

The Invisible War is what every believer needs to know about our enemy and the mighty spiritual warfare that is raging all around us. Sandy started by stating that us "mlungus" have lost touch with what is happening around us in the spiritual realm while the Africans still sense it and feel it in everyday life. We just hope that it isn't quite so real.

We are God's children and what better way for satan to get back at the Father through his children. Satan knows us so well and he will try anything to oppose God's plans. The good thing is, he does not know the future, only the past and it is with the past that he will try trip us up.

I pray that this series will wake us up. Lord open our eyes that we my see what is going on around us so that we can prepare ourselves for the spiritual battle.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. " Eph. 6:10-12

So as we head down this course, let us take out that armour and put it on, it is the only protection we need. For some of us our armour is rusted and never been used, for others they are well polished and shining as for a parade but have never been warn in war. Yes some of us are so focused at keeping our armour sparkling for the coming general that we fail to see the enemy flanking us. The armour was given to us to be worn in combat. Let us stand together as a home group ready for the enemy. Let him think twice about out flanking us but attack us head on, for the war is already won by our general. Wouldn't it be wonderful to show God the dings and scars in our well worn armour at the end of the battle.

And the war cry for this week is from Eph. 6:10
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power."

Thru the eyes of a child

It is good to be writing again after a short break. Winter is upon us with a chilling bite, I want to remind you to keep your eyes focused on Jesus. The world around us is surrounded by gnashing teeth and it will get worse. All we need to keep our heads held up high is Jesus. We can not do it on our own. So like a child we need to put our hand in His and let Him lead us. Here is a story I found by an unknown author that would help us not to forget what Jesus went through for us. It is the story of Jesus, Saviour, through a child's eyes.

God recently allowed me to see Jesus through the eyes of someone seeing Him for the first time. Having the advantage of knowing how the story ends, we can easily forget the cost of our redemption and the love of our Saviour.

Every year we attend a local church pageant at Christmas time, which tells the story of Jesus from His birth through His resurrection. It is a spectacular event, with live animals and hundreds of cast members in realistic costumes. The magi enter the huge auditorium on llamas from the rear, descending the steps in pomp and majesty. Roman soldiers look huge and menacing in their costumes and makeup.

Of all the years we have attended, one stands out indelibly in my heart. It was the year we took our then three-year-old granddaughter, Bailey, who loves Jesus. She was mesmerized throughout the entire play, not just watching, but involved as if she were a player. She watched as Joseph and Mary travelled to the Inn and was thrilled when she saw the baby Jesus in His mother's arms.

When Jesus, on a young donkey, descends the steps from the back of the auditorium, depicting His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Bailey was ecstatic. As he neared our aisle, Bailey began jumping up and down, screaming, "Jesus, Jesus! There's Jesus!" Not just saying the words but exclaiming them with every fibre of her being. She alternated between screaming his name and hugging us. "It's Jesus. Look!" How like the blind beggar screaming out in reckless abandon, "Jesus, Jesus!" afraid he might miss Him, not caring what others thought. (Mark 10:46-52)

This was so much fun. Then came the arrest scene. On stage, the soldiers shoved and slapped Jesus as they moved Him from the Garden of Gethsemane to Pilate. Bailey responded as if she were in the crowd of women, with terror and anger. "Stop it!" she screamed, "Bad soldiers, stop it!" As I watched her reaction, I wished we had talked to her before the play. "Bailey it's OK. They are just pretending."

"They are hurting Jesus! Stop it!" She stood in her seat reacting to each and every move. People around us at first smiled at her reaction, thinking "How cute!" Then they quit smiling and began watching her watch Him. In a most powerful scene, the soldiers lead Jesus carrying the cross down the steps of the auditorium from the back. They were yelling, whipping, and cursing at Jesus, who was bloodied and beaten.

Bailey was now hysterical. "Stop it! Soldiers! Stop it," she screamed. She must have been wondering why all these people did nothing. She then began to cry instead of scream. "Jesus, Oh, Jesus!" People all around us began to weep as we all watched this devoted little disciple see her Jesus beaten and killed as those first century disciples had. Going back and forth between her mother's lap and mine for comfort, she was distraught. I kept saying, "Bailey, it's OK. Jesus is going to be OK. These are just people pretending to be soldiers." She looked at me like I was crazy. In my lap, we talked through the cross and burial. "Watch, Bailey, watch for Jesus!"

The tomb began to tremble and lightening flashed as the stone rolled away. A Super Bowl touchdown cheer couldn't come close to matching this little one's reaction to the resurrection. "Jesus! He's OK. Mommy, it's Jesus!"

I prayed that she wasn't going to be traumatized by this event, but that she would remember it. I shall never forget it. I shall never forget seeing Jesus' suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection through the eyes of an innocent child.

I think God in heaven stopped whatever was going on that day and made all the angels watch Bailey. "Now, look there! You see what I meant when I said, 'Of such is the kingdom of heaven?'"

Bailey's reaction should be our reaction every day. When we think of Him, who He is, what He did for us, and what He offers us, how can we do anything less than worship Him?

Consistently Consistent

Standing at the open grave and listening to the close friends and family speak of Jimmy Jardine, the times I had with him flash before my eyes as the words "consistently consistent" washed over me. Coming from a broken and hard family it was refreshing to have had a father-in-law like him. He was consistent in all his ways and as a father he would even go out his way for his children. Don't get me wrong, he was not perfect but he was consistent. I would get him into these doctrinal discussions that made Carol cringe in fear of what would happen to me. He was the father I never had. It was a whole family. And unchanging as he was, he was all that God had made him to be. Beryl from cell mentioned a that there were some God fearing people who grew up not understanding the full potential of the power of the Holy Spirit. They are also filled with the Spirit of God but to them a measure that they would understand. Jimmy was one of those God fearing men and in his consistent nature reminded me of the certainty of God's promises to us. Our God has a just and unchanging nature and in God's consistency we can stand firm and secure.

Spirit of Prophecy

Due to all the happenings in my family, I am a little behind in my posts. In the meanwhile Natalie from my cell group wants to share the prophetic word she received the other day via the Spirit of Prophecy bulletin ...

The Trumpet by Bill Burns -- April 23, 2007:
You are entering a corporate time that will be like the feast days of old. This will be an appointed time of My visitation and presence to open the door of blessing to My people, says the Lord. When you come together with hungry hearts -- where the brethren dwell together in unity -- there the blessing is commanded. There shall be a feasting upon My Word. Not only will the power of My glory be upon you, but in that glory you shall be transformed, you shall receive the blessing. You shall receive deliverance, and you shall receive new revelation of your gifting. I will begin to draw these gifts out of your innermost being like a river of life. As you turn your hearts toward heaven, lifting Me up, there shall come a glorious transformation in this season, says the Lord of Hosts.

Did you hear it? I spoke to you in the beginning of this year, says the Lord, and did I not say to you that in this year you would hear the sound of heaven? What then would you believe would happen when you heard the sound of heaven? I am walking among you to touch you (listen for the sound of my footsteps) and only one touch is all it takes for the dead to arise and for the lame to walk and for the blind to see and for the sick to be made whole. One touch, My people, is all you need from Me. Listen, then for the sound of heaven, whether it be a mighty, rushing wind or the sound of worship among My people or the sound of the crackling of the fire that purifies or the sound of the flow of the living water. If you can hear the sound you can expect My touch to follow, which will bring health to your bones, strength to your body, victory to your circumstances, and then My glory shall rest upon you. Arise, you who have been down-trodden. Arise with hope in your hearts. Stand before Me. Come in faith and boldness, knowing that all that is required is that you believe.

Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns - - April 23, 2007:
I have caused you to rise up and let your light shine. I have stirred your heart. And, you have responded. You have risen up in your heart. You were sitting down, and now you are standing up in your inner man. You will open your mouth, and I will fill it as you pray My will. I am well pleased, beloved, says the Lord! Psalms 81:10 I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Small Straws In A Soft Wind -- April 25, 2007:
Have I not said that you were entering a season of growth and increase? Growth and expansion do not come without the stretching. Yet, when you are being stretched, My people, I hear groaning and complaining. Do not look on this stretching as something to avoid unless you want to stay on the other side of the river where you have become established in a place of comfort. If you want to enter the season of progression and expansion then you must rejoice in the stretch, which is actually the outer manifestation of what is happening inwardly, says the Lord. Joshua 24:14 "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!

A storm is brewing

A lot has happened in the last 3 weeks with the biggest being BBC getting together on a Wednesday night to seek God's face in the light of 4 prophesies that were
spoken over BBC. That Wednesday felt like to me like the quiet before the storm. A coming together to ask forgiveness from God and each other. We are so busy wrapped up in our own worlds, that we fail to hear God when he talks to us. Isaiah could not find God, so he fled into this cave on the same mountain that Moses had found God. While he was in the cave there was a mighty earthquake. The quake was noisy and powerful, surly God is to be found in it. Isaiah seeked but did not find God. Later a might wind blew and Isaiah once again sought God in it but it was only when it was all still and quiet that Isaiah found God. It is when we stop talking to God and let God get a word in edge ways we will be able to hear what He is saying. And that is what we did, in that quiet place we found God. In this time of refection we can feel something big is brewing. The quiet before the storm. And now the storm. At home cell this week, we started watching the visual Bible's version of Acts. This showed us how the early church had no fear and lots of faith. Not only were they living like Jesus they were breathing God. Even just their shadows falling on a sick person would heal. After waiting quietly for God, the church rose up a storm. The question was raised where is that church today? In China with Brother Yun, in Zimbabwe with Stephen Lungu or in South Africa with BBC? Do we have to be persecuted just to have faith like the early church? What about Angus Buchan and his faith like potatoes? Are we ready for the storm? Ye of little faith. As in the words of Emmy from cell group " the Spirit is bubbling inside"

I have this feeling that God is about to do something different from what has gone before.

The early church met in homes as family, just like we at Home Cell experience. But they had no fear and lots of faith. What God did then, why couldn't he do it now?

Some more on the Gospel of John

Once again the Gospel of John came alive on the screen for us at our last cell group meeting. While watching I became aware of things that were in the gospel but did not notice before. This DVD is a powerful medium. What caught me was it took Jesus 4 days to walk a days walk.

I did this colours scorecard thingy the other day, and my personality was Mary. This got me thinking of Mary's response "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Lord if only you were here, you could have prevented it? That sounds too close to home. How many times have I cried out to God from the bottom of the pit only to hear no response from God?
Four days late. Now if someone you love is dieing, how quickly would you walk or even drive the few kilometres to see him/her? Four days? I am not being fair, Jesus did not wait for Lazarus to die, he was already dead so why rush. The messenger was sent to fetch Jesus on the first day. Jesus waits for two days before arriving in Bethany on the forth day. So if Lazarus had been dead for four days, he had died on the very day the messenger left and was already dead when the message reached Jesus. Jesus knew this when he said " This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it" There you have in a nut shell. For the glory of God.

Lazarus was already dead why wait four days, couldn't Jesus go and comfort Mary and Martha. He could have raised Lazarus up on the second day, but he waited two more days. Sandy answered this by telling us about a Jewish belief that a soul of a deceased person hovers around a tomb for four days, looking for an opportunity to re-enter the body. After four days the body was truly dead and decomposition has long started. So Lazarus had been dead for four days, it was too late even for Jesus to do something or so they thought. "It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it"

Have you ever felt like Mary or Martha must have felt? Have you ever felt like questioning God, yet at the same time having faith that God can still do something? Even though Martha knew that it was too late she still said to Jesus " But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."

It is these words of Martha, I hold onto when things are not going according to my plan. When my world seems to be crumbling around me and God is not answering my prayers. I know that God, my God loves me and knows exactly where I am. I used to have this nightmare as a child of having to pick up these all these balls or else I would get punished. Now there were so many balls that the more I picked up, the more fell out of my hands. With tears and hopelessness I would cry out and I wake up. How many times have I weep at Jesus' feet? Yes I know that no matter where I am on this path, I know that Jesus is my Lord and Master. I will serve Him knowing that whatever I ask in His name, will be given to me not in my timing but His.

That's enough of what struck me about about the Gospel of John movie. Something else which also came through strongly was how Mary Magdalena was depicted many scenes that we didn't expect. It was very thought provoking.

Psalm 118
Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, his love is everlasting!
Let the House of Israel say it, 'His love is everlasting!'
Let the House of Aaron say it, 'His love is everlasting!'
Let those who fear Yahweh say it, 'His love is everlasting!'

Let us in South Africa say it, 'His love is everlasting!'

Lazarus been raised from the dead must have had a great effect on the local people of Bethany because today the town is known as El-Azariya, meaning "Place of Lazarus" (Lazarium) in Arabic

More on the Gospel of John

More on the "Gospel of John" film. What struck me was that Jesus was claiming over and over again who he was.

Who is this man, the one they call Jesus? You could see the confusion on the faces of the high priests. Who is this man? Is he the Messiah that was coming as promised? He does not act like the Messiah but he says that God is his father and sent him! The signs were there but their eyes remained blind.

Who is he? Even today this question is asked and as then the answer still alludes many. Some claim that he was a great teacher, others a prophet and some dismiss him as a liar or even a madman. He claimed to be the " I Am", God, Creator of heaven and earth.

"I am he, the one who is speaking to you." John 4:26 speaking to the Samaritan woman about the messiah.

"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35 after feeding the people

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12 after healing the blind man

"You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he." John 8:23-24

"When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me." John 8:28

"Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am." John 8:58

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11

"The Father and I are one." John 10:30

"Father is in me and I am in the Father." John 10:38

Who do you say he is?

C.S. Lewis who was once an agnostic, states in his book Mere Christianity "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."

It is a choice we all have to make. Do we accept Jesus or reject him?

Most of us know Jesus in a personal way as the Son of God, the Messiah, Savior and Lord but there are many who still reject him and know him not. They are the lost. Jesus explained his purpose in Luke 19:10 " for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

The question remains now that we know who he is, what are you going to do about it?

The Gospel of John film

At our cell meetings every Tuesday, we have started watching the "Gospel of John" film. At first I had some reservation watching the DVD because I have seen other renditions of stories from the Bible and they where nothing to write home about. We only watched the first three chapters but once it got under way, I was pleasantly surprised. It was fresh, intimate and accurate. A must see. Things were just made so much clearer watching John's unique perspective into the life of Jesus Christ. It establishes from the beginning the sovereignty of God and that Jesus is the Messiah that was prophesied in the Old Testament. God loves us so much that he sent us his Son, the Lamb of God. Yes, the group enjoyed the first part and can't wait to see the rest of it, but if John said in chapter 1 verse 10 that "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." How does the world receive this message today? Here are a few reviews I found on the Internet on the "Gospel of John" film...

• "The greatest story ever told? I don't know about that, but it remains a real humdinger."
• "A faithful, reverential version of what remains to this day to be the greatest story ever told."
• "This is so beautifully done. If you love Jesus you will love this movie." "A sluggishly painful, uninteresting film that might be of value to New Testament students who don't like to read words unless they come with pictures."
• "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly."
• "I found this Gospel long, dull and, for the most part, acted without apparent inspiration."
• "Though I approached The Gospel of John with some trepidation, I've now seen the film twice and consider it to be an extraordinary achievement."
• "Feels like the longest Sunday school class ever." "I believe this is one of the greatest evangelical tools present before us. I recommend it to everyone, and especially to those who are trying to discover the Good News about the life of Jesus."
• "A hero, especially a tragic hero, becomes empathetic when his own actions collide with the hand of Fate. But when the crucified hero is an all-powerful God, when his free will is the only determinism, Fate goes out the window and with it, our sympathies."
• "A word-for-word adaptation of the New Testament book ... Nothing was added and nothing was omitted."
• " I loved this film; it is word for word of the Gospel of John. My whole family was clued to the film. My husband has loaned it out to new and non believers and they were changed. It's something to see; you will be inspired!"
• "If you can come out of a 3-hour movie and say, 'Wow', then it must be divine."

Sin: An Honest Mistake?

The following was sent to me by my good friend Angie.

Last night's discussion around goodliness and righteousness nagged at me torecall this particular article, and nudged me to reread it. Theconversation of how cunning Satan can influence from within nominal Christian circles is more relevant now than ever. With strategies likelet's hook-them-in (occupy the seats) and indoctrinate later is an opendoor for blasphemy.

he study in 2 Peter 1 also led me to question how good an ambassador am Ifor my faith. Am I as zealous to preach the gospel as the JehovahWitnesses? Am I willing to die for my God as in the case of Islam? Am Iwilling to sacrifice everything of this world like the Buddhists? Wheredoes the actions of Christ-followers leave us?

I hope this article will sensitise us to the proliferation of humanisticviewpoints, even if that challenges my belief whether human beings areevil. Or is it their evil choices and deeds? I do believe that we are allin agreement that we are born sinners.- Angie

Within the last 100 years, a new gospel has crept into our churches. It hasbeen designed to not offend you. It has been carefully crafted not to betoo "in your face." It gently suggests that you open your heart to Jesus ifyour current lifestyle isn't working for you, and try God "when the time isright for you." ...

Sin: An Honest Mistake? by Kirk Cameron
I was recently at a large church outreach event where the music was wonderful, the testimonies were powerful, and the harvest for salvation was ripe. As I listened to the invitation to come to Jesus, something didn't feel right. I had seen altar calls so many times, and heard the familiar words so frequently, a year ago I would have missed it. The call for the people to come to Jesus went something like this:

"Today is like no other. You are here tonight by a divine appointment. Some of you here tonight are looking for peace inside. Some of you are looking for a way out of your drug and alcohol addictions. Some of you are silently suffering in a failing marriage. And some of you feel an emptiness inside your soul, and just need to know for sure that you are loved. My friend ... you are. I love you, and God loves you, and He has a wonderful plan for your life. He didn't create you to be in pain and suffering, but to know Him and be filled with peace, love, joy, happiness, and lasting fulfillment. He simply wants a personal relationship with you because He knows that what you need to be truly happy.

"But something keeps you from having this relationship with God, and it is called 'sin.' Let's face it, we've all made honest mistakes. You're not perfect, I'm not perfect, nobody's perfect. But God doesn't expect you to be perfect, that's why He sent His Perfect Son — so that you could have that relationship with Him again.

"If you will just admit your honest mistakes to God and say 'yes' to Jesus as your Savior, He will come into your heart and you will become a child of God. You will never be alone again, because you'll have Jesus, the ultimate friend riding 'shot-gun,' guiding you through life. That is eternal life — the abundant life Jesus came to give you. Would you like to have that life, that peace, that joy, that friend?

"If you want to know Jesus and find what you've been looking for, then invite Jesus into your heart. He's been waiting for you. He's been waiting for this very moment. Come now and simply accept Him."

Now you may be thinking, "What's wrong with that?" What's wrong is that it's not the gospel; it's a recipe for disaster. Sin is not an honest mistake and Jesus did not die to make you happy. Sins aren't accidents and God is not a lovesick celestial being, hoping for some nice person to ask Him into their heart so He can make them happy — as though He has a man-shaped hole in His heart that only we can fill.

The first problem with the false modern gospel is a watered-down definition of "sin." Sin is not an "honest mistake"; it is an honest choice from a sinful heart to do what you know is wrong. Would a good judge describe the crimes of a vicious murderer as "honest mistakes"? While it sounds ridiculous to call murder and rape "honest mistakes," God sees hatred to be as wicked as murder (1 John 3:15), and lust as deceitful as adultery (Matt 5:28). In God's world, those who lie are liars. If we have stolen, we are thieves. If we have broken God's Law in any way (in word, thought, or deed) we are Lawbreakers. God defines sin in His Word: "Sin is transgression of the Law" (1 John 3:4). We are on the hook for our sins, and God doesn't view us as innocent misguided victims of our "honest mistakes." In God's holy eyes, our hearts are "desperately wicked and deceitful" (Jer. 17:9) and we are "by nature, children of wrath."

Ignorance of God's Law is no excuse, because He has written it upon our hearts (see Romans 2:15). We have a conscience. We know right from wrong. When we lie, it isn't an honest mistake. Stealing and lusting, hating and blaspheming, idolizing, coveting, and dishonoring our parents are not honest mistakes either. Scripture says that we have actually angered God by violating His Law, and made ourselves "enemies of God," and therefore, are "by nature, children of wrath," "storing up wrath for ourselves that will be revealed on the Day of Wrath" (see Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:1-3 and Romans 2:4-5)

We are not doing sinners any favors when we minimize the seriousness of their sin. George Whitefield, a famous preacher once said, "First, then, before you can speak peace to your hearts, you must be made to see, made to feel, made to weep over, made to bewail, your actual transgressions against the Law of God." It is only when a person sees his sin as wicked and understands the seriousness of offending his Creator, that he can find a place of true repentance and surrender to the Savior.

Within the last 100 years, a new gospel has crept into our churches. It has been designed to not offend you. It has been carefully crafted not to be too "in your face." It gently suggests that you open your heart to Jesus if your current lifestyle isn't working for you, and try God "when the time is right for you."

This "seeker centered" and "no offense" approach is no gospel at all; it is "another gospel." If we continue to define sin as "honest mistakes," we will continue to fill our churches with "backsliders" and false converts who fail to repent because they don't see the seriousness of their sin. We will give them a cruel false hope, and make them comfortable aboard the "Jesus loves you" pleasure cruiser, singing songs to the Captain, while they blindly speed toward the iceberg of Eternal Justice.

The Captain has already lowered the life boats of salvation, but they are mostly empty. God help us to stop the music, and sound the air-horns. We must tell the passengers about the iceberg and direct them to the emergency exits of repentance. Time is slipping away, and those who die in their sins will perish. If we are faithful servants to the Captain of our Salvation, we will obey his Commands and preach the pure gospel, the only gospel that can save souls.

Take the shepherd's hand

"His name shall be called Immanuel, God with us ."
What does these words mean for us?
The great awesome God who created the universe promised us that he would never leave nor forsake us. Yes even me, of all people. God who loves us so much and wants a relationship with us, will do anything to bring us back to him even sending his Son to live with us, to die for us. Love that passes all understanding. It is a sobering thought that God is with me always, even when I mess up and I mess up often. But I know God is with me so that I don't have to face the messes of life alone. Jesus told us " I am with you always, even to the end of the earth." I know I am not but I know I AM.

Yes, God is with us, He walks with us, He holds our hand and He dries our tears.

God leads us. Jehovah Rohi, the shepherd who leads and cares for us. The Lord is my Shepherd. It is the most well know piece in the Bible. Most of us can quote it by heart. Sandy showed us that Psalm 23 is more than just a treasure trove of hope, encouragement, and peace. It is Jehovah Rohi. No other name of God carries the tenderness and intimacy of Jehovah Rohi. Love that passes all understanding. What joy it would be to just curl up on Jesus' lap and rest?

In light of Graeme Codrington's message last Sunday at BBC about "Fear in the New South Africa", have faith that your Shepherd is leading you into things that are pleasing and glorifying to Him! Let fear go and grab onto faith because He is Immanuel, God with you and Jehovah Rohi, your Shepherd!

I am finishing up with words from a song adapted from Psalm 23 by Larry Holder,

The Lord is my Shepherd; in Him I am free
His Word is my hope and my reason to be.
I will follow His leading and hold to His hand
By grace without measure I am able to stand.

In pastures of green He has led me each day
As cool waters flowing are found on the way.
By the bounty of heaven my soul is restored
To walk in the path of my Shepherd, my Lord.

In shadows of darkness at times I must trod
Yet safe in the strength of my Almighty God.
Of evil I'll fear not, nor darkness of night
His grace, ever present, reveals heaven's Light.

The Lord is my Shepherd; in Him I am free
His Word is my hope and my reason to be.
I will tell of His mercies, I'll sing it again
The Lord is my Shepherd, forever, amen.

This is Bulgaria

Can you picture a place where God does not exist? Close your eyes for a while and try imagine a place where its people don't even know the existence of God.

Not easy, huh?

Could there be hope in such a place? A future even? Would evil reign when God does not exist?

Bulgaria is such a place. Just out of Communism and into the hands of the mafia, corrupt politicians and the sterile Orthodox Church. Communism had pushed their no god agenda to such an extent that the people don't know of God and his mercy. They can't even doubt the existence of God because they don't even know.

Be a light in this dark world. Jesus said in John 12:35 that those who walk in darkness don't know where they are going. Does Bulgaria know where they going? I suppose they think they know. On one side you have the mafia and on the other side corrupt politicians. Poverty on one side and cheap labour for the EU on the other. The vacuum left by communism on one side and the Orthodox church on the other. Talk about a rock and a hard place. It reminded me of this photograph I once saw of graffiti on a wall in Sofia which said "I love my land but hate my country".

Before Maia and Ruth came last Tuesday to speak to us about Maia's work in Bulgaria, I had this preconceived idea that Bulgaria had this cold grey personality. But Maia painted us a picture that beauty was within. The DVD and slides showed bits of colour in a grey world. Now I see Bulgaria as a dark grey country with a few lights of individuals who stand for God. What has changed? Someone was quoted saying I said to the man "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown" and he replied "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God" Maia obeyed and walked hand in hand back into Bulgaria.

All it takes is a tiny flicker of light in total darkness and everyone abiding in that darkness will see that light. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." - 2Cor 4:6

Maia is daring to reach out her hand into the darkness and pull another hand into the light.

Andy left Maia with Isaiah 40
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31

Yes, God has a plan for you and even for Bulgaria. He has not forgotten. It reminds me of this old chorus which I used to sing in my youth. Now as some of you might know I can't hold a tune but bare with me ...

And Jesus said

Come to the water and stand by my side
I know you are thirsty, you won't be denied.

For I heard every tear drop as in darkness you cried
And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.

Consecrate yourselves

Last week Denise did a wonderful job of leading us through Jehovah M’Kaddesh and Jehovah Shalom. How God has set us apart to lead holy lives and giving us rest in him. For those you missed out (and that is a lot of you) Denise has extra notes for you with quite a number of scripture references.

"Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” Lev 20:7-8

To be Holy is to live a separate life in God but not separate from the world. To be in the world but not of the world. So here is a little challenge for you all. “Be the person who catches others doing the right thing “. Let me explain myself. It is so easy now that we are sanctified to get into a fault finding habit. Sound familiar? Yes I’ve been there done that and got the T-shirt. God has forgiven us, blessed us and separated us but we tend to forget that and we begin looking at the negative in other people. We breed a critical spirit when we focus on the short comings of others. So this week be the person who catches others doing the right thing. Look for what is good, what is true, and what is right in other people and be careful not to judge those who fall short of your standards because you will be judged by God’s standard.

This coming Tuesday will be a special evening as we will have special two guests with us, Maia and Ruth. Zestful Maia or as I remember her name from an eighties cartoon character “Maia the Bee”, is a wonderful lady who has this zest for life and to be God’s faithful servant. The evening I am told will have an outreach focus, so please make sure that you don’t miss finding out more on the Land of the Roses.

It is a mindset. As Maia says “Live to love life, as to live the live.” Just this week, look for what is good, right, and true in the people you are with.

He will not grow tired

Well what can I say about last Tuesday.

Nothing, that’s right absolute nothing. I was so tired that I don’t remember much.

I have been exhausted for sometime now, I even wake up feeling tired which I know is not good. My vital energies might be worn out and spent but I know that in Isaiah 40:28 it says "The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary …” Now that is reassuring, that when we are out of energy we can come and put our heads on his lap and rest.

That reminds me of a friend, Ivy who runs a street children’s home in Bertrams. When a new child comes in from the street, they just sleep and sleep and sleep. She asked a child once why do you sleep so long when you first arrive. The child answered because for the first time they feel safe to drop their guard and sleep.

Yes life can be so exhausting, but in God we find a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10), there we can rest, regain our strength knowing that we are in God’s protection. Back to Isaiah 40 at verse 31 we read “… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Let me leave with this words of encouragement, (it seems that I am stuck in Isaiah, this time Isaiah 41:9-13 ) …

"You are My servant;
I have chosen you and not rejected you.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish.
you will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing, and non-existent.
For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.”

And in my tiredness I leave you with this thought…

We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.