It had been a sad day. We'd just got home from a memorial service for Rev Michael Cohen, who collapsed and died in Israel at the beginning of May, to discover that our dear friend and previous Chairman of The Absolute Gospel Company had passed away this morning. Then also in May, we'd lost another great Christian friend, Brian, who lived in Germany; and it was only just over a year ago that that great man of God, David WIlkerson, was killed. It started to feel as though a whole 'layer' of Christian leaders was being stripped away.
Mulling it all over, the thought came, quite simply, that for too long other Christians - and I can hold my own hand up to this one - have been content to bask in the reflected glory of these men of God, whilst merely cheering from the sidelines. It is time for a new team to step forward, take up the baton and contend for the faith.
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Monday, 11 June 2012
69p Per Week!
"I dread to think how much this lot is costing." This was the remark I heard from a workman at the site of the Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace. I was surrounded by cables, rigging and all sorts of paraphenalia as great efforts were being made to have the venue ready. The Victoria memorial was encased in a great crown-like structure: would she have been amused, I wonder? There was a great sense of anticipation in the air. Flags and bunting and giant pictures by the Thames: red white and blue everywhere. In a few days time these relatively sedate streets would throng with the voices of thousands of people with many millions watching on television.
I remember watching the Coronation on a giant screen in glorious black and white, watching Meteor jets whizz across as part of a mass flypast - my first introduction to a fascination with flying. Then there were the weddings: Princess Ann, Charles, Andrew, Edward. I remember being in the Lake District pulling into a pub car park as part of the Lower 6th on a geography field trip and listening to the wedding of Princess Alexander. I confess to being a Royalist. As someone wisely said it's not the power the Queen has, it's the power she denies. Gary Barlow, he of 'Take That', remarked in a recent article that the Queen's power is a warm, benevolent power, unlike some leaders he has met where he has detected an aura at times of darkness that goes with the abuse of power.
Last Sunday, in our local parish church there was a combined thanksgiving service celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The vicar spoke using two chess pieces, a king and a queen. The king of course represented King Jesus and the queen our monarch. He drew comparisons between the two, the most striking being that King Jesus' Kingdom will never end and will be characterized by justice, peace and love.
Our Queen is a very shrewd and wise lady with a strong Christian faith. It is often forgotten that at her Coronation she made a solemn promise to the King of Kings that she would defend the protestant faith and her Christmas broadcast last year reminded us that we all need a Saviour.
The workman I mentioned at the beginning of this piece had missed the point. "Have you thought how much in billions she contributes to the national purse through tourism?" I had replied. Apparently (goodness knows who works these things out) the Royal Family costs the taxpayer 69p per household per week. There's bit of trivia for you!
The word of God says:
"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; all you who have no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk, without money and without cost." Isaiah 55:1
Our salvation is free, but it will cost us our whole lives. May God bless our Queen, A lady who has given 60 years of continuous public service with a quiet but strong Christian witness.
I remember watching the Coronation on a giant screen in glorious black and white, watching Meteor jets whizz across as part of a mass flypast - my first introduction to a fascination with flying. Then there were the weddings: Princess Ann, Charles, Andrew, Edward. I remember being in the Lake District pulling into a pub car park as part of the Lower 6th on a geography field trip and listening to the wedding of Princess Alexander. I confess to being a Royalist. As someone wisely said it's not the power the Queen has, it's the power she denies. Gary Barlow, he of 'Take That', remarked in a recent article that the Queen's power is a warm, benevolent power, unlike some leaders he has met where he has detected an aura at times of darkness that goes with the abuse of power.
Last Sunday, in our local parish church there was a combined thanksgiving service celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The vicar spoke using two chess pieces, a king and a queen. The king of course represented King Jesus and the queen our monarch. He drew comparisons between the two, the most striking being that King Jesus' Kingdom will never end and will be characterized by justice, peace and love.
Our Queen is a very shrewd and wise lady with a strong Christian faith. It is often forgotten that at her Coronation she made a solemn promise to the King of Kings that she would defend the protestant faith and her Christmas broadcast last year reminded us that we all need a Saviour.
The workman I mentioned at the beginning of this piece had missed the point. "Have you thought how much in billions she contributes to the national purse through tourism?" I had replied. Apparently (goodness knows who works these things out) the Royal Family costs the taxpayer 69p per household per week. There's bit of trivia for you!
The word of God says:
"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; all you who have no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk, without money and without cost." Isaiah 55:1
Our salvation is free, but it will cost us our whole lives. May God bless our Queen, A lady who has given 60 years of continuous public service with a quiet but strong Christian witness.
Friday, 11 May 2012
Payment Please!
It was so embarrassing! The queue was quite long; the diesel was in the car. Out came the wallet. The wallet was opened. No card. Or rather, the wallet was full of cards, but not THE card - the one I needed for payment. There were all sorts of other cards which, for purposes of payment, were useless. Not valid. Membership of the Vulcan to the Sky Club; Teacher's Theatre Preview Club; library card; swimming pool card. There may have even been an old rail ticket and possibly a receipt.
As I stood there waiting for the floor to swallow me up and waiting for the faint murmur of frustration from the innocent, card carrying, cash carrying people behind, I tried to put together a reason why I couldn't pay. None came! Limply I stumbled out some words that loosely meant I would park the car at the garage and summon help. I felt totally impotent as I went out the door head lowered so as not to make eye contact with a queue of honest people.
Parking the car in a position that would not block all traffic, I frantically tried to think of where that pesky card might be. I was well and truly stumped. I left the door of the car open as I sat in the seat, aware that the cashier was watching me out of the window, perhaps thinking I might do a runner! I felt like one stupid boy!
I started to pray. Who could I ask to pay a £48 fuel bill, in the words of Tommy Cooper: 'Just like that!' I rang our neighbour; She had just arrived at work. Half an hour earlier she could have helped, she said. After several minutes I thought of another friend. I was about to dial when my neighbour rang back. She had got release from work and would be with me in half an hour. Half an hour in which to look innocent - and honest!. How do you look honest, guv?
So, thirty minutes later, thanks to the kindness of my neighbour who popped her wonderful working card into the machine and saved my bacon, I was able to pursue the hunt for the card. It turned out I had left it in a machine in a large department store whilst buying a present.
The moral of the story? One day we will all stand before the Lord. A payment will have been needed to enter Heaven. No wallets; no cards. Just our heart decision will be all that is necessary. Have we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour? If we answer positively it will allow us to enjoy His presence forever and the endless wonders of Heaven. He is still the friend of sinners, the One who is always there in an emergency. The One who rescues. No embarrasment for us, just deep joy and thankfulness. His precious Blood has been the payment. Bless the Name of the Lord.
As I stood there waiting for the floor to swallow me up and waiting for the faint murmur of frustration from the innocent, card carrying, cash carrying people behind, I tried to put together a reason why I couldn't pay. None came! Limply I stumbled out some words that loosely meant I would park the car at the garage and summon help. I felt totally impotent as I went out the door head lowered so as not to make eye contact with a queue of honest people.
Parking the car in a position that would not block all traffic, I frantically tried to think of where that pesky card might be. I was well and truly stumped. I left the door of the car open as I sat in the seat, aware that the cashier was watching me out of the window, perhaps thinking I might do a runner! I felt like one stupid boy!
I started to pray. Who could I ask to pay a £48 fuel bill, in the words of Tommy Cooper: 'Just like that!' I rang our neighbour; She had just arrived at work. Half an hour earlier she could have helped, she said. After several minutes I thought of another friend. I was about to dial when my neighbour rang back. She had got release from work and would be with me in half an hour. Half an hour in which to look innocent - and honest!. How do you look honest, guv?
So, thirty minutes later, thanks to the kindness of my neighbour who popped her wonderful working card into the machine and saved my bacon, I was able to pursue the hunt for the card. It turned out I had left it in a machine in a large department store whilst buying a present.
The moral of the story? One day we will all stand before the Lord. A payment will have been needed to enter Heaven. No wallets; no cards. Just our heart decision will be all that is necessary. Have we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour? If we answer positively it will allow us to enjoy His presence forever and the endless wonders of Heaven. He is still the friend of sinners, the One who is always there in an emergency. The One who rescues. No embarrasment for us, just deep joy and thankfulness. His precious Blood has been the payment. Bless the Name of the Lord.
Friday, 23 March 2012
Forgiven - Too Poor to Pay
Recently a dear friend sent me one of those slips from a tear off calendar with a verse and comment. The verse was from Peter's first letter, chapter 1 verses 18-19:
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down from your forefathers but with the precious Blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect."
What a marvellous verse! The comment that went with it was headed: 'Forgiven - too poor to pay.' and was illustrated by the story of a Christian surgeon who lived some 100 years ago in the United States. Each patient he treated was, at the end of the treatment, handed a bill for his services.
When he died, his account book was opened and the readers were intrigued to see that across a number of the bills, some of which were very substantial, was written in red ink: 'Forgiven - too poor to pay.' His wife decided that she would take matters to court, where she would endeavour to recover these unpaid bills. The Judge opened her case and, examining the evidence, threw the case out saying: "There is no facility in American law that requires the paying of a bill once the word 'forgiven' has been written across it."
What a wonderful illustration to show that we, sinners, unable to pay the cost of our redemption, have a Saviour who has purchased it with His precious Blood: 'Forgiven - too poor to pay'. What an encouragement to share the Gospel! We shall continue to pray the Lord in His good time will open doors for us that we may proclaim the Good News.
Incidentally, we are very excited about a Messianic fellowship in Essex producing one of our past musicals: The Olive Tree'. This will be performed in July and it will be a wonderful privilege to sit in the audience, without having to be a part of the production!
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down from your forefathers but with the precious Blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect."
What a marvellous verse! The comment that went with it was headed: 'Forgiven - too poor to pay.' and was illustrated by the story of a Christian surgeon who lived some 100 years ago in the United States. Each patient he treated was, at the end of the treatment, handed a bill for his services.
When he died, his account book was opened and the readers were intrigued to see that across a number of the bills, some of which were very substantial, was written in red ink: 'Forgiven - too poor to pay.' His wife decided that she would take matters to court, where she would endeavour to recover these unpaid bills. The Judge opened her case and, examining the evidence, threw the case out saying: "There is no facility in American law that requires the paying of a bill once the word 'forgiven' has been written across it."
What a wonderful illustration to show that we, sinners, unable to pay the cost of our redemption, have a Saviour who has purchased it with His precious Blood: 'Forgiven - too poor to pay'. What an encouragement to share the Gospel! We shall continue to pray the Lord in His good time will open doors for us that we may proclaim the Good News.
Incidentally, we are very excited about a Messianic fellowship in Essex producing one of our past musicals: The Olive Tree'. This will be performed in July and it will be a wonderful privilege to sit in the audience, without having to be a part of the production!
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Tin Hat Time
One of the classic remarks to come out of World War 1 was from a Royal Flying Corps pilot who had his aircraft badly shot up by the Germans, forcing him to crash-land on a beach, not far from Ostend. After he and his observer had extricated themselves from the wreckage, fortunately no more than badly bruised, he remarked:
“The trouble with this war is that it’s so b***** dangerous!”
And so is spiritual warfare but, with the casual way some Christians approach it, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. We may not be able to see the bullets and bombs raining down around us, or the rows of body bags, but things are no less deadly.
In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul highlights a believer’s spiritual armour, using the image of a Roman soldier. Many believers pray through this passage: “I put on the belt…I put on the breastplate…” etc., but it’s worth looking at these from a slightly different angle.
The belt of truth. If you’re not living in a truthful and transparent way, if you are living a lie, then you have no belt to stop your clothing flapping open, getting in your way and exposing you to embarrassment.
The breastplate of righteousness. None of us is perfect and our true righteousness comes from our position in Jesus, not in what we do but, if you are knowingly behaving in an unrighteous way, you can step out from under His protection and leave your vital organs at risk.
The shoes of the Gospel. Jesus said to his disciples:
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
So, if you’re standing back, unwilling to do as the Master has commanded, your own walk could end up being pretty uncomfortable!
The shield of faith. Faith itself is a gift from God but, if you’re not exercising it, you’ve nothing to deflect all the missiles that the enemy will throw at you. Lack of faith leaves holes in your shield.
The helmet of salvation. If you haven’t repented and sought God’s salvation, your mind is wide open to anything and everything that comes along.
So what matters is not so much what you say, but how you live. I believe Paul is really saying: “Be honest; behave with righteousness and integrity; be prepared to share the Good News; have faith; and above all, seek salvation; for in these things you will find your spiritual protection”.
War isn’t a game and it’s foolishness to go around looking for trouble; it’ll come looking for you soon enough! But whilst you’re waiting, it would be sensible to check over your armour and remedy any deficiencies.
“The trouble with this war is that it’s so b***** dangerous!”
And so is spiritual warfare but, with the casual way some Christians approach it, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. We may not be able to see the bullets and bombs raining down around us, or the rows of body bags, but things are no less deadly.
In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul highlights a believer’s spiritual armour, using the image of a Roman soldier. Many believers pray through this passage: “I put on the belt…I put on the breastplate…” etc., but it’s worth looking at these from a slightly different angle.
The belt of truth. If you’re not living in a truthful and transparent way, if you are living a lie, then you have no belt to stop your clothing flapping open, getting in your way and exposing you to embarrassment.
The breastplate of righteousness. None of us is perfect and our true righteousness comes from our position in Jesus, not in what we do but, if you are knowingly behaving in an unrighteous way, you can step out from under His protection and leave your vital organs at risk.
The shoes of the Gospel. Jesus said to his disciples:
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
So, if you’re standing back, unwilling to do as the Master has commanded, your own walk could end up being pretty uncomfortable!
The shield of faith. Faith itself is a gift from God but, if you’re not exercising it, you’ve nothing to deflect all the missiles that the enemy will throw at you. Lack of faith leaves holes in your shield.
The helmet of salvation. If you haven’t repented and sought God’s salvation, your mind is wide open to anything and everything that comes along.
So what matters is not so much what you say, but how you live. I believe Paul is really saying: “Be honest; behave with righteousness and integrity; be prepared to share the Good News; have faith; and above all, seek salvation; for in these things you will find your spiritual protection”.
War isn’t a game and it’s foolishness to go around looking for trouble; it’ll come looking for you soon enough! But whilst you’re waiting, it would be sensible to check over your armour and remedy any deficiencies.
Friday, 6 January 2012
First Things First
So our PM, David Cameron, thinks we should return to Biblical values. When I heard of his comments, rather than jumping up and cheering, I felt vaguely uneasy and I’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying to work out why.
What does he really mean? I doubt that he’d champion the repeal of all those un-Godly laws that have been enacted over the years in the name of ‘human rights’, so I can only assume the ‘return’ goes no further than being ‘awfully nice’ to all and sundry, even if they’d wipe you out, given half a chance! But that’s treating the Bible as just a book of rules for an arcane Sunday club. Unless those rules carry authority, we’re down to arguing one group of people’s good ideas against those of another. To be relevant, the Bible - all of it - must either be the Word of God, or it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. And if it is the Word of God, it has ultimate authority, which means you can’t treat it as a ‘pick ‘n mix’ counter, only selecting the ‘sweeties’ you fancy.
When questioned about the commandments, Jesus said:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Torah and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22v37-40)
Note the order: Love God first, then you’ll be in a proper state to love those around you. But there’s another aspect to all this: The reformer John Calvin said:
“Though indeed God alone is sufficient witness to himself in his word, nevertheless that word will obtain no credence in the heart of man if it be not sealed by the interior witness of the Spirit…”
In other words the Bible, without the illumination and interpretation of the Holy Spirit, is just a dead letter and attempts to follow it will soon result in legalism. However, the indwelling of the Spirit is only granted to those that have repented and accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour. So, the only way to truly return to Biblical values is to return to the One who inspired those values. Then they are lived out from an intimate relationship with Him, not as a set of rules applied like a sticking plaster to try healing a sick society.
What does he really mean? I doubt that he’d champion the repeal of all those un-Godly laws that have been enacted over the years in the name of ‘human rights’, so I can only assume the ‘return’ goes no further than being ‘awfully nice’ to all and sundry, even if they’d wipe you out, given half a chance! But that’s treating the Bible as just a book of rules for an arcane Sunday club. Unless those rules carry authority, we’re down to arguing one group of people’s good ideas against those of another. To be relevant, the Bible - all of it - must either be the Word of God, or it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. And if it is the Word of God, it has ultimate authority, which means you can’t treat it as a ‘pick ‘n mix’ counter, only selecting the ‘sweeties’ you fancy.
When questioned about the commandments, Jesus said:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Torah and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22v37-40)
Note the order: Love God first, then you’ll be in a proper state to love those around you. But there’s another aspect to all this: The reformer John Calvin said:
“Though indeed God alone is sufficient witness to himself in his word, nevertheless that word will obtain no credence in the heart of man if it be not sealed by the interior witness of the Spirit…”
In other words the Bible, without the illumination and interpretation of the Holy Spirit, is just a dead letter and attempts to follow it will soon result in legalism. However, the indwelling of the Spirit is only granted to those that have repented and accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour. So, the only way to truly return to Biblical values is to return to the One who inspired those values. Then they are lived out from an intimate relationship with Him, not as a set of rules applied like a sticking plaster to try healing a sick society.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
His Master's Voice
In the end we called it 'The Mall Tour' and what an amazing and humbling experience it was. We had the honour and privilege to sing to hundreds of people in three different locations during the run up to Christmas. A previous blog has already mentioned our first experience, which was at Bluewater. Following this, we spent a Saturday afternoon singing in the Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells. We witnessed the 'miracle' of 'no power' from the designated power point, with the result that we had to transfer all the gear to another location higher up the mall, which gave us the opportunity to broadcast the sound of the choir and the readings to a much greater area. One of the conditions of our singing was to raise money for two local charities. Whilst we felt that our primary calling was to spread the Christmas story in words and music, we were very happy to also seek to raise money for Hospice in the Weald and for the Bridge Trust, a charity dedicated to helping the homeless. Our programme consisted of four 30 minute slots; during that time people generously gave us over £350 towards the two charities.
Then, the following Saturday found us at Beales Department store, strategically situated near the entrance to Sainsbury's, so we were really performing to two stores! This time we were working with the Rotary Club of Tonbridge, who were raising money for 6 local charities. Again, we were so encouraged by people's response to the singing and the readings. Now, at this last presentation, Bluewater seemed such a long time ago; the weeks had passed so quickly. The experience showed us what a deep spiritual hunger there is and that people do respond to the Gospel. At all three venues we had the opportunity to distribute material to adults and children. Steve, our artist in residence, had a number of opportunities to talk with people about his picture which strikingly adorned our two 6 foot high Absolute Gospel Company banners which stood erect on either side of the choir.
As we have written before, it was highly significant that we should find ourselves at the beginning of the tour outside 'His Master's Voice'. That's what, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we have tried to do: speak with the Master's Voice. We pray that it has brought Him glory and in so doing, opened up hearts to spiritual values and invitations. We look forward to the New Year and what we believe are God-given opportunities to speak out the Words of the Master. As someone challengingly said: "Wise men and women still seek Him".
Then, the following Saturday found us at Beales Department store, strategically situated near the entrance to Sainsbury's, so we were really performing to two stores! This time we were working with the Rotary Club of Tonbridge, who were raising money for 6 local charities. Again, we were so encouraged by people's response to the singing and the readings. Now, at this last presentation, Bluewater seemed such a long time ago; the weeks had passed so quickly. The experience showed us what a deep spiritual hunger there is and that people do respond to the Gospel. At all three venues we had the opportunity to distribute material to adults and children. Steve, our artist in residence, had a number of opportunities to talk with people about his picture which strikingly adorned our two 6 foot high Absolute Gospel Company banners which stood erect on either side of the choir.
As we have written before, it was highly significant that we should find ourselves at the beginning of the tour outside 'His Master's Voice'. That's what, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we have tried to do: speak with the Master's Voice. We pray that it has brought Him glory and in so doing, opened up hearts to spiritual values and invitations. We look forward to the New Year and what we believe are God-given opportunities to speak out the Words of the Master. As someone challengingly said: "Wise men and women still seek Him".
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