I just wrote these reflections on our past year of prayer in Guildford and thought you might like to read it.
As I sat in the prayer room at the Undercroft last week, my mind began to wonder back to the places we have prayed in each month over this past year.
It all started in January at St Saviours, with a launch as part of the UK 24-7 Prayer tour, before moving to the oldest building in Guildford, St Mary's church, in February. In March we joined in with the Salvation Army and their brilliant prayer journey through the story of Jesus as part of Easter week. April was hosted by the YMCA and May was in the vestry of Christchurch. June was in the main sanctury of St John's Stoke and July was in the Matrix Trust offices at Albany House. August saw us have a break before we came back with a bang in a tent on the Campus of the University of Surrey as part of freshers week. October was hosted by URC Westborough and the final week was in the Undercroft museum on High St during the busiest shopping period of the year.
In total, we have had 1,680 hours of prayer across 10 venues with an estimated 200 different people entering into these spaces. We have heard stories of healings (physical, spiritual, emotional), people praying for the first time (even those who wouldn't say they believed in God), others who have heard God speak to them and some of who have redicovered the joy and life that comes from spending time with their creator. I'm sure there are countless more stories that we aren't even aware of as a result of our prayers!
Our desire is to build on the momentum of this past year as we look ahead to 2009.
We hope that the church of Guildford will continue to come together for 2009 as we continue to ask, seek and knock that the Kingdom of God would be established on earth as it is in heaven.
"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." Matt 7:7-8
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Who's got the world in their hands?
I was watching TV the other day, when a commercial for the Sony 'Playstation Portable' came onto the screen. The song they were using sounded very familiar, but at the same time, different. Then I realised what that difference was, they had taken the classic Sunday school song "He's got the whole world in His hands" and changed it to "You've got the whole world in your hands".
Now on the surface, this seems very innocent and a clever marketing ploy as they have used something that is familiar to sell their product, but sublimely there is a message here that goes right back to the garden of Eden.
In that garden, man fell into sin when they believed the lie that they didn't need God and that they were better off without Him. They sacrificed the opportunity to enjoy the world that God created, for the sake of chasing their own ideals.
Not too much has changed today, and everyday, people make choices that look to further their own kingdom as they chase the illusion of control and the idea that 'the whole world is in their hands'.
I'm not saying that Sony are the antichrist or that we should boycott their products (I quite like the PSP's), but this commercial was another reminder to me that we are confronted daily with the temptation to be something we can't at the cost of losing everything we could be if we acknowledge God for who He is.
He has the whole world in His hands!
I saw a great film recently, which had the theme of letting go of the perception that we are in control. It's called 'Instinct', and it's well worth a watch.
Now on the surface, this seems very innocent and a clever marketing ploy as they have used something that is familiar to sell their product, but sublimely there is a message here that goes right back to the garden of Eden.
In that garden, man fell into sin when they believed the lie that they didn't need God and that they were better off without Him. They sacrificed the opportunity to enjoy the world that God created, for the sake of chasing their own ideals.
Not too much has changed today, and everyday, people make choices that look to further their own kingdom as they chase the illusion of control and the idea that 'the whole world is in their hands'.
I'm not saying that Sony are the antichrist or that we should boycott their products (I quite like the PSP's), but this commercial was another reminder to me that we are confronted daily with the temptation to be something we can't at the cost of losing everything we could be if we acknowledge God for who He is.
He has the whole world in His hands!
I saw a great film recently, which had the theme of letting go of the perception that we are in control. It's called 'Instinct', and it's well worth a watch.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Good news!
Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard."
How does this make you feel?
For me, this verse always made me feel a bit despondent and a failure. Naturally, I am quite competitive and like to achieve standards that are set before me, both by myself and by others. It's how I work best. So when I became a follower of Jesus, I wanted to be like Him. He seemed to have everything in the right place. He was loved by all, healed the sick and ultimately never sinned. That's what I wanted. He was and is the standard.
But, after a couple of weeks and months of trying to obtain this, I was left feeling guilty that I kept messing up and a bit of a failure. Jesus had asked me to follow Him and I had messed it all up, and then Paul decided to rub my nose in it with his letter to the Roman church.
However, this verse, in it's right context, is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible.
Let's read on...
"Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us."
This is the Gospel! This is good news! That Christ died for our sins! Why? It's because we can't hit the standards God expects. We in ourselves are not enough, no matter how good we think we are. To understand the beauty of His Grace, we need to first understand the necessity for it. This was the message that gripped Paul's heart, as he had experienced it first hand.
Another man who knew the mercy and grace of God was King David. Having committed adultery and murder, David is faced with his sin. What is his response? Psalm 51.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
How does this make you feel?
For me, this verse always made me feel a bit despondent and a failure. Naturally, I am quite competitive and like to achieve standards that are set before me, both by myself and by others. It's how I work best. So when I became a follower of Jesus, I wanted to be like Him. He seemed to have everything in the right place. He was loved by all, healed the sick and ultimately never sinned. That's what I wanted. He was and is the standard.
But, after a couple of weeks and months of trying to obtain this, I was left feeling guilty that I kept messing up and a bit of a failure. Jesus had asked me to follow Him and I had messed it all up, and then Paul decided to rub my nose in it with his letter to the Roman church.
However, this verse, in it's right context, is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible.
Let's read on...
"Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us."
This is the Gospel! This is good news! That Christ died for our sins! Why? It's because we can't hit the standards God expects. We in ourselves are not enough, no matter how good we think we are. To understand the beauty of His Grace, we need to first understand the necessity for it. This was the message that gripped Paul's heart, as he had experienced it first hand.
Another man who knew the mercy and grace of God was King David. Having committed adultery and murder, David is faced with his sin. What is his response? Psalm 51.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts [a] ;
you teach [b] me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
My prayer for us, is that we would face our sin and the reality that we have fallen short, not with guilt or condemnation at our perceived failure, but with the humility and joy that comes from knowing a God who has welcomed us into his family, by the death and resurrection of His Son and that alone. This is good news!
Allow God to show you His love for you and know his forgiveness today and then share it with others for His glory!
Amen.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Change
Change is certainly all around us. In the early hours of this morning, senator Obama became the 44th president of the United States of America. His emphasis throughout his campaign for the White House was the need for change. The need for a different outlook. A need for fresh hope. Many people feel he is the man to bring it.
The world watches on in anticipation.
My bible reading at this time has brought me to the edge of the Jordan at the start of Joshua. The Israelites have been wandering around the desert for 40 years after their disobedience to God (and lack of faith) in the book of Numbers, and a new generation has emerged, charged by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy and with a new leader, Joshua. Change is all around them. They stand on the edge of their own miraculous water based crossing (Red Sea for earlier generation), not sure what is ahead (although they know it will involve lot's of battles).
The important thing for the people was to acknowledge God in the midst of their change and to keep His commands as He had asked them to do.
So what was the first thing that the people did when they crossed the Jordan into the promised Land?
We are told in Joshua ch5 that the first thing they did as a people, was reestablish their covenant with God. This was the covenant made with Abraham in Genesis 15 that God would make a great nation from him that would be a blessing to the other nations of the world. Their identity would be in God, for they were chosen and set apart, not because they were special, but because they were nothing and God wanted to show His glory through them.
The sign of this covenant was circumcision (Genesis 17), so that is what Joshua and the rest of the men did to each other to reestablish the promise God had given to them (with pieces of flint!). This would have left them vulnerable to attack (we saw Joseph's brother's use this tactic in Genesis 34) as they recovered from the operation, but this was their commitment to God and a sign of their trust in Him. They then celebrated Passover together, to remind themselves of what God had done for them in taking them from a place of hopelessness in Egypt, to a place of hope in a land of promise.
Their first act of change, was to remember and celebrate. A time of reverance and joy.
My prayer for the USA, is that as they face this new dawn, that they would first remember their covenant with God and not forget what He has done for them. Before they face the many battles that lie ahead, my hope is that they will reestablish their covenant with God, which has been made possible because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and that they remember their story as a Nation and where they have come from. I pray that they would be the blessing to other Nations that they have been called to be and not abuse the favour that has been given to them or take it for granted.
I pray that the whole nation would unite together, not in a flag, or a person, or a foreign policy, but in Jesus who is the hope that we all need to cling onto in this time.
I pray that the greatest change would be in the hearts and minds of the people, and not just the outward action of a government.
Lord, let your Kingdom come, let your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.
The world watches on in anticipation.
My bible reading at this time has brought me to the edge of the Jordan at the start of Joshua. The Israelites have been wandering around the desert for 40 years after their disobedience to God (and lack of faith) in the book of Numbers, and a new generation has emerged, charged by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy and with a new leader, Joshua. Change is all around them. They stand on the edge of their own miraculous water based crossing (Red Sea for earlier generation), not sure what is ahead (although they know it will involve lot's of battles).
The important thing for the people was to acknowledge God in the midst of their change and to keep His commands as He had asked them to do.
So what was the first thing that the people did when they crossed the Jordan into the promised Land?
We are told in Joshua ch5 that the first thing they did as a people, was reestablish their covenant with God. This was the covenant made with Abraham in Genesis 15 that God would make a great nation from him that would be a blessing to the other nations of the world. Their identity would be in God, for they were chosen and set apart, not because they were special, but because they were nothing and God wanted to show His glory through them.
The sign of this covenant was circumcision (Genesis 17), so that is what Joshua and the rest of the men did to each other to reestablish the promise God had given to them (with pieces of flint!). This would have left them vulnerable to attack (we saw Joseph's brother's use this tactic in Genesis 34) as they recovered from the operation, but this was their commitment to God and a sign of their trust in Him. They then celebrated Passover together, to remind themselves of what God had done for them in taking them from a place of hopelessness in Egypt, to a place of hope in a land of promise.
Their first act of change, was to remember and celebrate. A time of reverance and joy.
My prayer for the USA, is that as they face this new dawn, that they would first remember their covenant with God and not forget what He has done for them. Before they face the many battles that lie ahead, my hope is that they will reestablish their covenant with God, which has been made possible because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and that they remember their story as a Nation and where they have come from. I pray that they would be the blessing to other Nations that they have been called to be and not abuse the favour that has been given to them or take it for granted.
I pray that the whole nation would unite together, not in a flag, or a person, or a foreign policy, but in Jesus who is the hope that we all need to cling onto in this time.
I pray that the greatest change would be in the hearts and minds of the people, and not just the outward action of a government.
Lord, let your Kingdom come, let your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Story from a prayer room
Below is a story from our last 24-7 prayer room in Guildford, as told by the pastor of the church;
"During the first hour of prayer together, a lady from our cell group felt she had a picture of a well in her mind, with the conviction to pray for a friend that she would drink from the well. A little unsure of whether it was God or not, she prayed for the person anyway. As she left the prayer room, she was shocked and amazed to find that someone else had painted a large picture of a well, with words inside it that encouraged people to drink of it. Needless to say, she left encouraged that God had given her a confirmation that He had spoken to her."
I love these little stories. Nothing really dramatic happened like a healing or angelic visitation, but someone left the room with their hearts 'strangely warmed' as they realised that Jesus is alive and wants to speak to us.
I'm sure we can all think of times when we've had a similar experience to this lady and if you haven't, ask Jesus to speak to you today and be ready to listen...
"During the first hour of prayer together, a lady from our cell group felt she had a picture of a well in her mind, with the conviction to pray for a friend that she would drink from the well. A little unsure of whether it was God or not, she prayed for the person anyway. As she left the prayer room, she was shocked and amazed to find that someone else had painted a large picture of a well, with words inside it that encouraged people to drink of it. Needless to say, she left encouraged that God had given her a confirmation that He had spoken to her."
I love these little stories. Nothing really dramatic happened like a healing or angelic visitation, but someone left the room with their hearts 'strangely warmed' as they realised that Jesus is alive and wants to speak to us.
I'm sure we can all think of times when we've had a similar experience to this lady and if you haven't, ask Jesus to speak to you today and be ready to listen...
Friday, 24 October 2008
Discipleship
I've started reading 'The Cost of Discipleship' by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and am finding it hard to get past a paragraph on page 58 as it has both captured and provoked me;
"The disciple is dragged out of his relative security into a life of absolute insecurity (that is, in truth, into the absolute security and safety of the fellowship of Jesus), from a life which is observable and calcuable (it is, in fact, quite incalcuable) into a life where everything in unobservable and fortuitous (that is, into one which is necessary and calcuable), out of the realm of finite (which is in truth the infinite) into the realm of infinaite possibilties (which is the one liberating reality)."
Would love to hear your thoughts on this...
"The disciple is dragged out of his relative security into a life of absolute insecurity (that is, in truth, into the absolute security and safety of the fellowship of Jesus), from a life which is observable and calcuable (it is, in fact, quite incalcuable) into a life where everything in unobservable and fortuitous (that is, into one which is necessary and calcuable), out of the realm of finite (which is in truth the infinite) into the realm of infinaite possibilties (which is the one liberating reality)."
Would love to hear your thoughts on this...
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Enemies?
I was chatting to a friend the other day and he was expressing his frustration and anger with some people he works with. He was talking about how nobody respected him and made him feel unwelcome. He told me that he really disliked some of them, which was unlike him. It was clear to see that he was not happy and this situation was really affecting him, causing him to become angry and resentful. After listening to him rant for a couple of minutes, I asked him a simple question.
'Do you pray for these guys?'
Up until this point, all he had talked about was himself. How he was feeling. How these people had affected his life. He was the victim and it was their fault. My friends response to the question was interesting. His face changed as he thought about what I'd said.
"I don't think I do. Maybe I should?"
Following on from my previous post (Tale of two stories), we can see that my friends inability to see outside of himself and his own story had affected the way he viewed other people. If we only look at ourselves and our own situation, emotions, feelings, then we will always be the victim, there will always be someone better than us and we will never be satisfied. My friend had lost sight of the big picture.
Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 5, which we know as the sermon on the mount. Here Jesus is laying out what the Kingdom of God is like and how we should live in the midst of that. What is clear throughout, is the kingdom of God is unlike anything we have known and seems impossible to live out (many suggest that it is without God and that's the point!). Jesus talks about who receives blessing, the Law, dealing with anger, divorce, prayer, the poor, money and possesions and so on. This is the manifesto of the Kingdom.
The part that has always challenged me and which relates to the conversation with my friend, is the teaching on loving your enemy in verses 43-48;
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
This teaching is as revolutionary now as it was at the time it was said. Love your enemies? That's not normal. If people hurt us and persecute us, surely they deserve to be punished. Where is the justice? This doesn't make sense!
But in the eyes of God this makes perfect sense.
When Jesus died and rose again, he wasn't just reconciling us back to God (opening a way to the Father), he was reconciling us back to each other. It is only through the cross and the dieing to ourselves, that we can be raised with Him and experience His love for us and for others. This is His mercy and grace for us.
What is going to mark us out as followers of Jesus? What makes us different to anyone else?
The answer, sacrificial love.
Love that goes beyond feeling. That goes beyond political boundaries, beyond what the world says is the limit to what people deserve. Love that costs, but has great rewards.
We are called to love and pray for those who persecute us and those who we would call enemies. That would range from our boss in work to Osama Bin Laden and everything inbertween.
Why?
Because they need to know the love of God, just as much as you do. Because God doesn't have favourites, and neither should you. Because we are part of a story that is bigger than our own. Our life is no longer ours to own as we die to oursleves and become slaves to Christ (or bound to Him) and this is what He calls us into. We are a kingdom of priests, called to minister to the world, which means the oppressors as well as the oppressed.
It was this radical love that led Jesus to the cross.
It was this radical love and forgiveness that changed the life of a young man named Saul, who as a result of a dramatic encounter with Jesus and the obedience of a man named Ananias, understood the power of grace to the point that he dedicated his whole life to communicating this messgae of love and forgiveness to all for the rest of his life.
He would have been Ananias' (and Jesus') enemy!
It is this radical love that has changed me and many others I know.
In a world that is obsessed with individuals rights and the need to gain revenge/retribution, where are the people that will rise above that, in the grace of a resurrected Jesus, to love, serve and pray for those who wrong us, abuse us and attack us as well as those who love us? Where are the people that know their identity is in the Father and as one of His children, want to see the whole of creation restored back to Him? Where are the people with a kingdom perspective rather than a worldly perspective?
The final verse calls us to be perfect like our father, which suggests this is a hard task!
How then is it made possible?
We must first receive the love God has for us before we can think about loving others. It's His love for us that will change our hearts and it's His love in and through us that will change the world.
I am not, but I know I AM!
Ask God to show you how to best love and serve your enemies today. Ask Him to reveal His heart for them. Let's not avoid the commands of Jesus that make us uncomfortable, for it is in these that we will find life and life to the full.
Amen.
'Do you pray for these guys?'
Up until this point, all he had talked about was himself. How he was feeling. How these people had affected his life. He was the victim and it was their fault. My friends response to the question was interesting. His face changed as he thought about what I'd said.
"I don't think I do. Maybe I should?"
Following on from my previous post (Tale of two stories), we can see that my friends inability to see outside of himself and his own story had affected the way he viewed other people. If we only look at ourselves and our own situation, emotions, feelings, then we will always be the victim, there will always be someone better than us and we will never be satisfied. My friend had lost sight of the big picture.
Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 5, which we know as the sermon on the mount. Here Jesus is laying out what the Kingdom of God is like and how we should live in the midst of that. What is clear throughout, is the kingdom of God is unlike anything we have known and seems impossible to live out (many suggest that it is without God and that's the point!). Jesus talks about who receives blessing, the Law, dealing with anger, divorce, prayer, the poor, money and possesions and so on. This is the manifesto of the Kingdom.
The part that has always challenged me and which relates to the conversation with my friend, is the teaching on loving your enemy in verses 43-48;
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
This teaching is as revolutionary now as it was at the time it was said. Love your enemies? That's not normal. If people hurt us and persecute us, surely they deserve to be punished. Where is the justice? This doesn't make sense!
But in the eyes of God this makes perfect sense.
When Jesus died and rose again, he wasn't just reconciling us back to God (opening a way to the Father), he was reconciling us back to each other. It is only through the cross and the dieing to ourselves, that we can be raised with Him and experience His love for us and for others. This is His mercy and grace for us.
What is going to mark us out as followers of Jesus? What makes us different to anyone else?
The answer, sacrificial love.
Love that goes beyond feeling. That goes beyond political boundaries, beyond what the world says is the limit to what people deserve. Love that costs, but has great rewards.
We are called to love and pray for those who persecute us and those who we would call enemies. That would range from our boss in work to Osama Bin Laden and everything inbertween.
Why?
Because they need to know the love of God, just as much as you do. Because God doesn't have favourites, and neither should you. Because we are part of a story that is bigger than our own. Our life is no longer ours to own as we die to oursleves and become slaves to Christ (or bound to Him) and this is what He calls us into. We are a kingdom of priests, called to minister to the world, which means the oppressors as well as the oppressed.
It was this radical love that led Jesus to the cross.
It was this radical love and forgiveness that changed the life of a young man named Saul, who as a result of a dramatic encounter with Jesus and the obedience of a man named Ananias, understood the power of grace to the point that he dedicated his whole life to communicating this messgae of love and forgiveness to all for the rest of his life.
He would have been Ananias' (and Jesus') enemy!
It is this radical love that has changed me and many others I know.
In a world that is obsessed with individuals rights and the need to gain revenge/retribution, where are the people that will rise above that, in the grace of a resurrected Jesus, to love, serve and pray for those who wrong us, abuse us and attack us as well as those who love us? Where are the people that know their identity is in the Father and as one of His children, want to see the whole of creation restored back to Him? Where are the people with a kingdom perspective rather than a worldly perspective?
The final verse calls us to be perfect like our father, which suggests this is a hard task!
How then is it made possible?
We must first receive the love God has for us before we can think about loving others. It's His love for us that will change our hearts and it's His love in and through us that will change the world.
I am not, but I know I AM!
Ask God to show you how to best love and serve your enemies today. Ask Him to reveal His heart for them. Let's not avoid the commands of Jesus that make us uncomfortable, for it is in these that we will find life and life to the full.
Amen.
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