Makng History in People's Lives

Does it have to be a Hard knock life for us ?

2011-06-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

I so enjoyed the performance of Annie the musical I attended on Saturday with my Daughter Maisie in the starring role as Annie the orphan .

At times on the stage there was a real sense of emotion as Mr Warbucks and Annie arrived at the point where he asked her if he could adopt her as his own daughter .

I think it was the line after he asked her to be his daughter where he then said

I love you Annie

and she said I love you Mr Warbucks .

The thought struck me straight out of Gods word "In his love he adopted us as sons "

A better adoption

In Roman times it was common to adopt to keep the family name and of course they would inherit all of their fathers riches , But Gods word goes further when it explains to us we were chosen in love to be adopted children before the foundation of the world .

Chosen ,,,,In love ,,,,For adoption ,,,to be his Children ,,Wow!

Adopted or Fostered

So many Christians live as if they are fostered ,,,, Fostered Children can stay in the family as long as they obey the rules ,,,and tow the line ,,,But adoptions are founded in Love ,,,, love that endures and continues .

Fostered Children are allowed to stay conditionally,,,but....

Adopted Children are loved unconditionally

Do you live as a fostered Child or are you living in the joy of Gods wonderful adoption of you into relationship with him as father ?

Its time to live in the truth

Why not listen to my sermon called "The perfect father with accepted sons and daughters"

Its on the Kings family Church website ...click on the logo and go to sermons .

Hey! Your a dearly loved child of God ,,,Live like it!

Make sure its the right Gospel

2011-06-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

A strange request

I was wandering along the lakeside in the last week with someone who had got so much out of my sermon on Grace the previous Sunday,when they asked the question " I love this teaching but I tend to forget it in a few days and find myself back in a life and relationship with God that is performance based . Can you give me a law that will keep me in Grace , Can you give me something to stop me wandering back into a life that is not freedom but me being a slave again to earning Gods approval ?"

I nearly split my sides laughing ! "A law that keeps me in grace Ha Ha!" However I did understand where they were coming from as its so easy to find ourselves back in the old slavish ways of thinking we can add to what Jesus has accomplished by adding our efforts .

Trying to do that is not just a mistake in our thinking but it is downright wrong . How can we think our effort can add anything to the finished work of Jesus on the cross. And if we do we are completely deluded .

It is finished

We need to know deep in our hearts that Christ redeemed us ,bought us back with his own body from slavery and in Christ all the requirements of the law and more importantly God are fully and completely for all time fully satisfied .

To believe anything else is to believe a different gospel all together .

Today in Christ, if indeed you are a Christ follower you are as right with God as you will ever be and its all on the basis of what he did on the cross and not on what you have ever done or will do .

That's the nature of grace after all "Getting what you don't deserve"

Do you find yourself mistakenly thinking your effort or good works or deeds endear you to God ?

Well then as my friend requested I'll give you two laws right now ...1) Stop it! and 2) I command you to get hold of the truth and not be robbed of your freedom any longer.

Why not listen to my sermon called "Grace plus nothing equals freedom" on the King's family Church website .

Click on the kings Family Church logo and head for the sermon page .

Its time to stop returning to slavery and find the freedom in the one and only Gospel .."The Gospel of Grace "......... For there is no other Gospel

Enjoy

Chris Mac

2011-03-03T09:34:00.001-08:00

The "Suddenly" Of Fear

One moment you can be happy on a summer day washing the car and then in a moment you realise that your youngest child has gone missing... fear strikes and that's what happened to us a couple of years ago when our youngest child Clara was missing for 2 hours. Now this story has a good ending... after all the police and neighbours combed the area searching for her, a policeman found Clara in our basement in the furnace room sleeping under a steel framed bed. But what it showed me was that fear arrives uninvited, unwanted, and unannounced. It was not on our calender for that day "2.30 pm - fearful moment".

It's not as if fear comes in the front door of our lives- oh no, it sneaks in the back door and suddenly we are gripped with worry and fear.

What Hope Do We Have?

In the last two weeks I have been very aware of how in God's Word we find answers to fear and perplexing issues but those answers don't have to wait until fear is at the door rather the answer in God's Word is for us to live with a knowledge of God, His greatness, His power, His mighty presence being with us.

This knowledge does not exactly take away our fear but it does eclipse our troubles with an awareness of the bigness of our God. In Psalm 56 David who is in great peril says, "When I am afraid I trust in the Lord." He teaches us by his words and actions in his great trouble that trusting in one who is greater, trusting in one who has delivered us from death itself, trusting in one who is in His very nature faithful, eclipses all our fears and shrinks them down to size when put before the almighty God who loves and watches over us.

What is our alternative? To avoid all fearful issues? To overcompensate by amassing great wealth so our future is taken care of by us? Or to put our trust in the one who knows the end from the beginning- the one of whom it says in Romans 8: If God is for us who can be against us?

So What About You? Any Fear Problems?

What fears come in the back door and rob you of the joy of living life to the full? Maybe it's time to put your trust and faith in one who is bigger, greater, and able to sustain you and keep you so that fear is eclipsed with the greatness of our God, the living loving Father.

You can hear more on how to handle fears and worries on my Sermon called "Don't Give Way To Fear" on The King's Family Church website. Let's look up to a God whose greatness puts our fears into proper perspective.

2010-11-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

Lets turn to Acts chapter 4

Heroes are in short supply these days. I’m not talking about celebrities – we’ve got them by the truckload – Paris Hilton and, Lindsay Lohan and the latest American Idol flash-in-the-pan. Celebrities are nothing more than people who are famous for being famous.

But heroes are different. Heroes combine greatness with goodness, courage with commitment. Heroes help us believe that we can become something finer, something better. The best heroes come from the most ordinary backgrounds. They’re are not particularly powerful or impressive, but they rise to the challenge of their times and make a lasting difference. Think of Nelson Mandela (or even Kim phuk ...Think Mother Theresa or Rosa Parks. Who would you say is one of your heroes?

(answer?....come on!!!)

This morning we are going to look at a hero right out of our Acts passage ... Not one of the famous apostolic leaders like Peter and Paul, but one of the “second stringers” who are often overlooked, often ordinary, but who play such an extraordinary role in the life of the early church. We find a number of these and we will stop along the way to examine their impact People like Stephen the first martyr, Philip the evangelist, Timothy the young pastor, and Titus the trusty co worker. Today we begin with someone who is a bit better known ...Barnabas ...

He’s a man known for his nickname ...what was your nickname at school ,,,, macca ...toothpaste.... ....cowpuncher.....

So we’re going to take a look and follow his personal story through several chapters in the Book of Acts.

What we’ll see is that Barnabas is not remembered as a visionary leader or a spellbinding preacher. He’s remembered for one thing: wherever he goes he encourages people.

That is, he puts courage into the hearts of otherwise frightened, discouraged men and women. And that turns out to be pretty important because, as I’ll try to make clear, we probably wouldn’t have much of a church and certainly not much of a New Testament if it weren’t for the work of an unsung hero named Barnabas.

Under the providence of God in the life of the early church, we owe the ministry of two leaders to the initiative and advocacy of Barnabas. The two leaders are Paul and John Mark. As far as we know, Barnabas wrote none of the New Testament. But the men he nurtured wrote a third of it: Paul wrote 13 of the epistles of the New Testament and Mark wrote one of our four gospels.

We first meet him in Acts chapter 4, and I’ll begin reading at verse 32 (Today’s New International Version):

Acts 4:32-37

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

The first place we can see him “encouraging “ is Putting Courage Into the Young Church

The young church in Jerusalem is growing. But so is the opposition. Some of the Christian leadershave faced jail. Some members have lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost their families because of their commitment to Christ. The congregation is trying to help these people, but funds are running low. It’s a pretty discouraging time.

Enter a man named Joseph, a native of Cyprus, a committed Christian and a part of this new church. In the midst of these difficult times he does something remarkable. He sells some real estate and gives all the proceeds to help the church’s relief efforts. And that act of financial generosity puts courage into the early church. No wonder they give him the nickname Barnabas, which in Aramaic literally means “Son of Encouragement.”

Never underestimate the power of a financial gift. Any pastor can tell you that what Barnabas did is one sure way to put courage into church leaders.

He encouraged ...he gave courage ... stimulated courage

He was a man of a generous spirit ...not just we will see in finantial terms but in every area of service ..... we will see generosity of giving ........ generosity of heart ...... generosity of position......... and generosity of grace ...... He is a grace filled leader ...

Well thats the first we hear of him ....and ....

The next time this guy Barnabas appears in the Book of Acts he’s at it again.

Acts 11:19-26

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

22 News of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught. great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Once again ....we find a nickname ...”Christians”

“Little Christlike ones”

Putting Courage Into the church in Antioch

News comes to the church leaders in Jerusalem from Antioch, the third-largest city in the Roman Empire. News that a great number of people there are coming to Christ. Help is needed, and the apostles know just who to send. We read that when Barnabas arrived in Antioch he saw what the grace of God was doing and according to verse 23 “he encouraged them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”

He encouraged them.

That’s what new Christians and new ministries need most.

That’s what new married couples need.

That’s what new parents need.

Someone to put courage into them. Someone like Barnabas.

Someone who can see through the problems and spot the grace of God.

Someone who helps us believe the Lord is at work in our situation.

And it worked in Antioch.

We also read in this passage that ..........

He puts courage into Paul...( more encouragement)

Again we see Barnabas at work in the midst of this time because ....

The church there took off and grew faster than anyone expected. Barnabas needed help. So he goes to Tarsus to look up an old friend – a man named Saul (or Paul, as he comes to be known). As you know, this Paul had been a fearful persecutor of the church, but the Lord Jesus ambushed him on the road to Damascus and changed him from the inside out. The problem was, once Paul became a Christian, no one in the church was willing to trust him. No one wanted to get near him for fear it was a trap.

No one, that is, except Barnabas. If we had more time, we could read in Acts 9 how it was Barnabas who first reached out to Paul and then introduced him to the church. Unfortunately, Paul was so zealous for his new faith in Christ that he kept getting into trouble with the authorities in Jerusalem. So for everybody’s health, the church leaders sent him back to his hometown of Tarsus. By the time we get to Acts 11, Paul has been living there in anonymity for years, rejected by his fellow Jews for his faith in Christ, and kept at arm’s length by the Christian community because of his reputation for being a loose cannon.

Barnabas knows Paul is a little compulsive, a little rough around the edges. But Barnabas believes he’s got gifts for ministry. So he finds Paul and invites him to join the leadership team of the new church in Antioch. Can you imagine what that meant for Paul? For years he’d been on the shelf, doing nothing, friendless and forgotten. Then Barnabas shows up and says, “Paul, we need you.” Talk about putting courage into a person!

Think what might have happened if Barnabas had not reached out to Paul. The church of Jesus Christ might have lost its greatest missionary and theologian. But Barnabas was there. The Son of Encouragement believed in this guy, and trusted him with a leadership position in the fastest growing church in the world.

IT SEEMS TO ME

If we read on in Acts, we see Barnabas taking Paul with him on that first great missionary journey.

Barnabas was clearly the leader and Paul was the protégé. But something interesting happens as the story continues. Barnabas steps back and allows Paul to assume leadership. You can see this in your Bible. In the first part of Acts 13 their names are always listed as “Barnabas and Saul/Paul.” But a little later in Acts 13 and on into Acts 15, it becomes “Paul and Barnabas.” 1 Barnabas is in the background and Paul becomes the recognized leader.

One of the acid tests of an encourager is the ability to let someone else take the lead and get the credit. To recognize potential in a colleague and encourage him/her to move ahead without becoming jealous or resentful – that’s Barnabas.

(after reading this I phoned one of our leaders and said God had spoken to me about him through this passage )

But the story of Paul and Barnabas ends on a somewhat sad note. Our final reading is from Acts 15, at verse 36:

Acts 15:36-41

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Putting Courage Into John Mark

On that first mission trip one of their team, a young man named John Mark, deserted them. We don’t know why. It could have been illness or homesickness or just plain fear. But he bailed on them. Now, at the start of another mission trip Barnabas wants to take John Mark along. But Paul won’t buy it. “He failed us before,” Paul figures, “we can’t trust him any longer.”

It definitely wasn’t Paul’s finest hour.

Paul sees only John Mark’s past failure. Barnabas sees his future potential.

Just as he’d done with Paul, Barnabas believes John Mark can become effective if someone will believe in him and mentor him. In other words: put courage into him. It caused the breakup of the original team, but the net result was two new teams. Paul and Silas go one way, while Barnabas and John Mark go another.

Now, imagine what would have happened if Barnabas hadn’t been there for John Mark. In all likelihood he would have given up in shame and drifted away from the Christian community never to be heard from again.

And I meet guys like that !!!

That happens in churches, doesn’t it? It’s happened to some of us.

But it didn’t happen to John Mark because of a man named Barnabas. And tradition has it that years later John Mark became part of the mission team led by the apostle Peter, that he recorded Peter’s preaching about Jesus, and those records formed the basis for the Gospel that bears his name – the Gospel of Mark (John Mark, that is).

By the way, there’s one more reference to John Mark in the New Testament. It’s at the end of 2 Timothy (the letter Paul wrote just before he was executed in Rome). In chapter 4, verse 11 he tells Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in my ministry.” Eventually even Paul came around.

Our New Testament has 27 books and letters. The name of Barnabas is not attached to any of them. But if Barnabas had not put courage into a forgotten man named Paul, we probably wouldn’t have the 13 letters that bear his name. And if Barnabas had not put courage into a failure named John Mark, it’s unlikely we’d have his Gospel – or, for that matter, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that are based on the outline set forth in Mark. Never underestimate the power of an encourager.

Never More Like Jesus

We need more Barnabases in the church of Jesus Christ today.

There are so many things that discourage us, that leave us alone and afraid.

We need those unsung heroes like Barnabas who put courage into us –

by giving generously,

by seeing and affirming the grace of God at work in the lives of others,

by raising up new leaders and giving them the chance to succeed,

by believing in folks who’ve made a mistake and helping them believe in themselves.

We need more Barnabases, more sons and daughters of encouragement.

How about you?

Can you think of a person or a family in need of financial encouragement? A young couple who can’t quite make ends meet. A family whose breadwinner is out of work and the bills are stacking up. A person hit with medical expenses that insurance won’t cover. A single parent whose bank account and self esteem are both at rock bottom. Those are all real situations in this congregation. And you could be the one who makes a crucial difference. Might the Lord be nudging you to provide some financial encouragement

Do you know someone who’s discouraged, alone, struggling with a heavy load of grief or anxiety? What if you became that person’s Barnabas, and made it your goal to put courage into that person? How? Well, you could begin by praying for that person every day. You could write a letter of affirmation and support. You could get together and spend some time just listening, letting the person feel your support, and then taking all you’ve heard back to God in prayer. If there’s sickness or grief, you could look for ways to cover some of the practical needs – meals, shopping, cleaning, child care. (CARING WITHOUT WEARING) It’s amazing how much courage can be passed on through the gift of a good dinner. And don’t forget the ones who feel like failures. The divorced and divorcing. The anxious parents whose teenage kids are rebelling. The folks swallowed up by depression. The people dealing with job loss. The alcoholic and his/her family. The person whose spouse is having an affair. And on, and on… If you know of someone who feels like a failure, are you big enough to extend a hand of encouragement? Will you get in touch with that person as soon as you can? Will you let the Lord use you to help lift the crushing feelings of failure by reaching out, by coming alongside, by putting courage into that man, that woman?

You can do this. You can make a difference that will change the lives of many. You don’t have to be a professional counselor or an ordained pastor. Be a Barnabas.

Brothers and sisters , we are never more like Jesus Christ than when we put courage into someone who needs it. So I urge you to fix in your mind the name of at least one person you know who needs a Barnabas. And let’s pray for those people now, as we close in prayer.

To finish

Today we have seen a man of generosity ...

Generous in every way ....

And we need to be that way too.......We have coming up in this church something called a “go forward celebration Sunday “. It’s an entirely voluntary and anonymous “over and above” offering that is going to happen twice a year ...(not every month) That keeps us on track so that our trustees can use it use to help local people, including folks in this congregation, who need short-term financial assistance. People out of work, people needing medical help, people needing personal or marital counseling, people unable to pay their rent or mortgage or even feed their families.

It will also send Tim Winsor to Mozambique

On his next trip

And I can tell you the wisdom and help our trustees have exercised has put courage into the hearts of many folks right here in our own church family. And by the way, Our funds are getting a bit low. We’ve had more people needing help than we’ve had contributions to the cover lately. We’d love to hear from a Barnabas or two in the next few weeks in our “go forward celebration Sunday

WE need funds for all we are doing

To meet our care needs

To send Tim to Mozambique in February

To plant the church in Kitchener Waterloo

To continue to fund our youth programme ...

Church .... I want it to be said of Kings Family Church ...Now there is a generous church

There is a Church with a Barnabas spirit

Please can you give me an easier route to maturity?

2010-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Stepping stones or obstacles to maturity?

There are certainly a lot of distractions, diversions, disappointments, trials, temptations and traumas which come along to disrupt the process of becoming the person God wants you to be. Have you found that? Every day we struggle against the world the flesh and the devil, each of which are clearly opposed to your success at being God's person. But Paul reminds us that the tribulations we face are actually a means of "achieving" His supreme goal for us, that of maturity.
He says, "We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character, and proven character hope, and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 4 v 3-5)

James offers us a similar encouragement. "Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces endurance and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1 v 2-4)

Maybe like me at times you thought your goal was to escape 'tribulations' as the Bible calls them. But far from it, actually God's ultimate goal for you and me is maturity in Christ, to see you become the person he designed you to be. Tribulation just happens to be one of the primary stepping stones God uses to achieve His goal for us. However, I bet like me you wished there was another way!

I bet Joseph thought that... as God honed him and shaped his nation saving gift through trials. But maybe you can only speak such words of maturity like "...You meant to harm me, but God meant it for good." or "...it wasn't you who sent me here, But God." when the very trials you have faced have produced in you... maturity.

That's why Paul calls on us to exult or "find joy" in our tribulations. Why? Because persevering in tribulations is the vehicle to bring us to proven character... which is God's goal for us.

Our hope lies in proven character, not sadly, in favourable circumstances. Neither circumstances nor people can keep you from being what God wants you to be. Trials and tribulations are the most common means for bringing about His goal for our life.

I think we need to see our trials as stepping stones not obstacles and then persevere with an aim to develop proven character. Maybe only an understanding of this "way God works" will cause us to encounter such times with "Pure Joy". Hey I'm not sure I'm there on that one yet, but I do sense a revelation of what these trials in life are all about now. So it's a start, eh!

Thoughts on Phillipians... "Here's One I Made Earlier"

2010-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love the way the Bible not only speaks to us about Jesus and His nature and life but then shows us that the way He lived and His attitudes can be lived out by us and others in reality each day.
In Philippians 2 we find an exaltation to the church in Philipi to have the same attitude that is in Christ Jesus:

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

But then we find this passage that shows us that very quality demonstrated in the life of Paul himself and his valued co workers Timothy and Epaphroditus.

¹⁹I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. ²⁰I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. ²¹For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²²But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. ²³I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. ²⁴And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

²⁵But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. ²⁶For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. ²⁷Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. ²⁹Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honour men like him, ³⁰because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

We find in the life of Paul himself. He is not putting his own interests first as seen in the words about Christ in the first part of chapter 2 but he was willing to give away these guys who clearly serve him and the people of God so well. We find the attitude of them all to put the interests of others before themselves and this is clearly reflected in Paul's words "I hope in the Lord to send to you..." This is Paul making his decisions with a clear heart to put The Lord's will in front of his own... or to not run ahead of what God wants or even to put his own plans into action but only that which is in the will of God.

Timothy himself, we are told, not just has a care for the church but a genuine interest in the welfare of the people of God... I love the word there "genuine"... This was not a job but an attitude of heart. Although Paul benefited from having these guys around him and they no doubt were a blessing to him he saw how their gifting could serve the wider church and not "his own interests".

I find that neat... I find that encouraging... I find that helpful... that we are not just called to have the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus... But we then see it in three lives that evidence the grace of God that this way of living is both possible and a blessing to God and His Church.

Paul is now not saying as he says elsewhere "imitate me" but he is saying "here are some examples God has also made earlier" just like when a chef says... what does this dish look like when finished and prepared?... well here's one (or two in this case) I made earlier.

I thank God for His revelation of Jesus and His demonstration by these three men of what Christlike living looks like in the flesh.

Nevertheless (video of me preaching at Newlife Church Toronto)

2010-08-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

A while ago I spoke at Newlife Church Toronto on the subject of strongholds.

Corrie Ten Boom... "Living my Message"

2010-08-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

As I sit in my office from time to time I look up and see books that contain wonderful stories that evidence God's great grace in the lives of heroes of mine. Men and women of faith that have changed not only the lives of others by their actions but also been an inspiration to me and countless others.

Here's a snippet from one of those heroes Corrie Ten Boom as she encounters an SS officer after the war. Let's read and learn from God's grace evidenced in her life:

At a large Church in Munich, she spoke about how God asks His people to forgive one another and how, with His love, they can become like brothers and sisters no matter what their nationality is.

When Corrie had finished speaking, many people came up to thank her for what she had said. She shook their hands and thanked them for coming and listening. Then, when the church was nearly empty, Corrie spotted a tall man with blonde hair making his way towards her. In a flash she was back in the shower building at Ravensbruk. This man, an SS guard was standing by the door, hand on his gun, leering at the women prisoners as he made them strip. Corrie stood motionless as he approached her. She heard his voice as if it were a million miles away, "Thank you for your talk" he said. "It's so wonderful to know that God forgives all our sins, isn't it?"
Corrie looked at the man standing in front of her. Instead of seeing his smiling face, she saw the faces of Betsie and her father. The man thrust out his hand to shake Corrie's and as he did so, hatred filled her heart. She would not and could not lift her hand to shake his. "Oh God" she prayed silently, "Help me to live my message." As she prayed those words, it was though a strong jolt of electricity had run through her body. Her arm stretched out as though she had no control over it and she took the man's hand. As she did so, all the hatred she felt melted away and she knew she had forgiven him. "Yes, it's wonderful to know that God forgives all our sins" she said, meaning every word.

I love the hinge that story turns on as Corrie prays, "Oh God, help me live my message" or as we would translate it in our day, "Lord, help me walk the talk."

(excerpt from: Corrie Ten Boom - Keeper of the Angel's Den.)

Back to blogging... "UP"

2010-08-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those of you who have asked where all the blogging has gone. I thought I would come back with a suggestion for a family evening with your kids . I've always found it amazing how in times of great enjoyment, fun, and leisure God steps in and often brings a sense of revelation about something big, maybe much bigger than the event itself. I particularly remember going to a performance of Riverdance and as the thundering stamping of feet was taking place on the stage I became so aware of how they all, as a company of people, fixed their eyes on Michael Flatley in his flamboyant pirate type shirt and kept in time with him and followed his lead to such great effect that it was captivating and astounding to all who looked on. I remember thinking about how we are to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith". I remember having a profound sense of the Christians' call to look to Jesus and take our cues from Him and the affect of a whole company living that way and bringing about something spectacular.Well, such a moment happened this summer as I sat with my children and other camping friends watching the Pixar movie "UP". There is a moment in the film where in seeking to fulfil a lifelong dream of his now deceased wife, Carl Fredricksen is relocating the house to Paradise Falls. Much of the story revolves around that journey and mission.... That is until a greater mission and adventure is revealed which is to save "Kevin" (the brightly coloured female bird... hey, it's a film!!). At that moment the only way to get involved in this new adventure or even go on this new adventure is to unload the house of sentimental furniture and things held dear and live for the new purpose of salvation (albeit for Kevin!). It is a crucial moment of the film. It's a moment of decision, it's laying down something good for something that is right and is great and is just. As I watched the film I was thinking of how that moment set the course for the rest of Carl's life, a life of adventure.

I think such a moment is caught in the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3...

Pressing on Toward the Goal

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

What a sense of adventure... (squirrel!)

At your next family night in why not watch the film "UP" and see what I mean! Enjoy!

Dont Forget Who You Are

2010-05-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

If any man is in Christ he is a new creation the old has gone the new has come.

A Coffee And An Encounter...

So I was in "Coffee Culture" in Milton for a meeting with a couple of pastor friends and we found ourselves a comfortable spot in the window with our cappuccino's and sat for a chat when right into the centre of our space came a young man with a big gold chain around his neck and a NFL football shirt. He sat down real close as if he was with us- imposed himself on us more like! He then looked up at the flat screen TV over us and began to tell us in clear detail what he would like to do to the young lady on the screen, went into detail what he thought of her breasts and for a few minutes he trotted out this vulgar talk and how he was never going to be married and what a waste of time marriage was and how he was going to sleep around and on and on and on... until... being unable to contain myself any longer I said...

"You know what! I used to be just like you, I used to think the way you think, I used to say the things you say, and I used to look at and treat people the way you're doing right now.... But then Jesus Christ came into my life, changed me and He forgave my sin and cleaned me up on the inside and now I am married, have been for thirty years and I want you to know that I am so glad God replaced my sinful ways with His wonderful ways and He is now Lord of my life... and I am so glad that happened to me, you see it's all His work and I love it... and it could happen to you too."

What followed was one of those moments that can either go right or terribly wrong, would this big guy punch my face in or take offence at my words spoken forcefully to him?

It was a moment when shutters flap and women take their children off the street as a gunfight is about to happen... the two pastors with me sat wide eyed waiting for the response.

He looked up at me and said "I was baptised by immersion, I gave my life to Christ years ago but I have backslidden, turned against the very things I believe. Boy I know what you're talking about, my life has just drifted from this stuff but I still believe."

He then went on to share how his relationship with his girlfriend had gone sour she was the mother to his son and so now he was estranged from his son and had turned to drugs and found himself in trouble with the law... and he was having trouble turning things around but how he wished it could be different... How he would like to get his life back on track.

I had the opportunity to pray for him right there in the shop and gave him a copy of Tony Dungy's book "Uncommon"(a book I would highly recommend to any man).
What happened in that coffee shop as I spoke those words of change could of been summed up in the verse from 2 Corinthians 5 v 17, "Any man is in Christ is a new creation the old has gone the new has come." That was the story of my life I was sharing with him. A life of change.

How do we live that way?

So How do we live out this verse in our lives daily? Well, firstly the key is not forgetting who you are... James, the brother of Jesus gives us a picture of a man looking in a mirror and going away and forgetting what he saw and therefore living contrary to who he really is. But he goes on to say our lives will be fruitful if we see ourselves in the mirror as new creations in Christ and when we are living out our lives, "we don't forget who we are" but live out the identity Christ has made us to be. So when I encounter trials and situations that tend to perplex me I don't react out of my old nature but I react out of my true identity, "I'm a new creation in Christ."

I have given some helpful insights in how to live such a life in my sermon entitled "Free to... Walk In The Truth." Follow the link to The King's Family Church website.

What was I thinking... I'm her Father... and I said, "Yes!"

2010-04-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Tip from me... Do not open mouth until you know what you are letting yourself into!

So the request is made: "Dad can you come with me on a school trip?". Now what I should have said was, "Where to Clara?" but what I said was, "Sure, I would love to" after all it's the natural father's response isn't it... Well, that is before the reality of what you have agreed to sets in. To make it worse the whole deal was sealed with an enthusiastic hug of my neck for agreeing to go ."Thanks dad you're the best!"

However! (and it's a big however)

If such a thing happens anytime to you, you do well to ask one simple question: "Where will we spend our day out?" because it was only later I was told how I was spending the agreed date with my daughter at the local waste water treatment plant. A date with my daughter looking at how toilet paper is extracted from our sewers, of how "raw sludge" which is a nicer name for it than I would of given, is turned into cakes that looks like Oreo cookies to be used as fertilizer on farmer's fields and how methane is burned off using great flaming torches. Now this is the clean version of the trip and I have, for your own comfort, left out other things we saw that would turn a man's stomach, or the moments of heaving as we walked over the grids on top of the... the... STUFF.
The main point here, and there is a point is this, my daughter loved me being with her and despite the location I wouldn't as her father have been anywhere else but with her. As we rode along on the school bus to the plant she snuggled up to me and thanked me for spending the day with her and she took great joy in introducing me to everyone including the man at the waste water treatment plant (whose hand I wasn't about to shake ) as her Dad!

The Father Loves to Spend Time With Us

As we read the story of the unrighteous judge in Luke 18 we see a complete contrast to our own privileged position. This woman who had no standing in the court, no husband to speak up for her or defend her, no money to pay a bribe to this corrupt judge by his own admission. She gets her way by stalking him (like the paparazzi and princess Diana) she is around his every corner, outside every restaurant he eats in and waiting at his car as he leaves work in the evening... until... he gives her what she wants.

Not so with us... not from our position of relationship with the Father... Is God a judge who is mean and we have to squeeze what we want from Him? Is He mean and stingy and we have to stalk Him and plead with Him to get what we want? No No No.

You need to get the point

This whole story shouts out to us that if this poor woman of no standing got what she wanted from a corrupt judge "How much more" will we as God's dearly loved children receive from our loving Heavenly Father.

Look at the contrasts

She was a stranger... but we are His children whom He loves.
She was a widow with no access to the judge... we are given access right into our Father's presence through Jesus our Lord.
She had no one to plead her case at court. No husband and no attorney... but we have an advocate with the father "Jesus" (How great is that!) The judge's son is our lawyer.

The father loves us to spend time with Him and has provided the way for us to come to Him as dearly loved children... but are you making the most of your Father's presence every day?

Just like Clara and my day out let's enjoy and make the most of spending time with our Father and knowing His daily embrace in our lives.

Do you know He loves spending time with you ?

"If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more does our Heavenly Father love to spend time with us... His dearly loved children?"

Why not listen to my latest sermon: "Free.... To Enjoy The Father". (Available tomorrow HERE.)

Free To...

2010-04-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Recent weeks...

Over the past few weeks at Kings we have been looking at living in the freedom that Christ has won for us.......a freedom from guilt ,a freedom from sin and its power and bondage,a freedom from condemnation . We have answered the question "Is Jesus enough? ....with an emphatic Yes!" We are free . Free to live a new life ,free to walk by the Holy Spirit ,free to enjoy being sons and daughters who are loved by God .

But What is that freedom to ?

We know for sure that this freedom has set us free from all that separated us from God both in our sin and from the law that condemned us but what is that freedom to ...?
Is it freedom Like we are all on a cruise now and we just live it up ...? Is it freedom to be "Free man " like some hippy thing "Hey dude , I'm so free man" Is it just freedom from or is it really freedom to .......

In Romans 14 v 1- 12 we read a phrase again and again "We live to the Lord ". In amongst Paul's teaching on disputable matters (Things that don't matter all that much) we find Paul teaching us how to now live this life . We live it to the Lord .
We are under new Lordship ........we serve him ,not as reluctant slaves but as willing servants .
Its amazing how Paul the very one who wrote Romans that is painting such a clear picture of freedom to us to live in , he starts with the words in Romans 1 "Paul a servant of Jesus Christ " So Paul this exponent of wonderful freedom identifies himself as a servant.

So how do we live ?

We live

Romans 14 teaches us very clearly that how we live matters, and we will have to make account of our lives to God ,not for our sin that is paid for in full but for how we lived out this new life in Christ . The life we live now is a life of "belonging to the lord" a life serving the Lord with gladness , living to please our master but not as reluctant slaves but very willing servants .

I believe serving God with our lives is a wonderful privilege , and whether we feel are working just in our jobs day by day the reality is we are really working for the Lord for we are his servants .

Grace doesn't make you casual but passionate

lets not let this wonderful grace we find ourselves living in cause us to have a casual attitude to our walk with God . But rather let us be enthusiastic servants of our wonderful master and ....... FREE TO SERVE....HIM.

Bill Gates and Microsoft Sunday...

2010-04-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday... or Bill Gates and Microsoft Sunday?

Readings: Romans 4, Romans 5 v 1 -11

I was thinking The King's Family Church should have got a cheque from Microsoft after our weekend Easter Celebration for two of the illustrations were of Bill and his company. I was looking at Justification, which is our right standing before God. Fully forgiven, totally acquitted, and not guilty. Justification has two sides- let us look at them and apply them to our lives.

SO WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH?

Firstly, our sins have been deleted forever. The last few weeks Jess has been away so my computer has been at my mercy. On my computer I have a key and it has the word "delete" on it. If I have some text on my screen or a document or an icon or a page shown, I can just highlight it and push delete and it will be deleted. However on Windows that I use (Praise the Lord!!) it then sends up a little screen which says, “Do you really want to delete this item?" Ahhhhh! This is because my computer knows me well and if you have that on your computer, you should thank me because it clearly was made for me. The next response is to think about it for a moment- sometimes I delete and other times I realise that I’m about to say goodbye to hours of work.

Listen... God has a big DELETE key, He is ready to delete all your sin... and you have the right to say yes or no... "sometimes" is not an option on the screen. We need to know that when the small screen came up saying "do you really want to totally delete all this sin?" He pushed yes... emphatically.

The trouble is with Christians is that we love to bring up the old backup file called.. “MY CONDEMNATION FILE”.

However, justification is God forgiving you. It's God taking your sin and casting it into the deepest sea.

Question: The great Dutch Christian Corrie Ten Boom said, “and God puts up a sign at that place saying “No Fishing”. Why would God have to put up such a sign?

But Justification is not just about what God has taken away. It also speaks about what he has put into its place in our lives. Justification is more than forgiveness, as great as that is. If all it was was forgiveness, then I would say what a wonderful gift and I would praise God just for that the rest of my life. However, the second part of Justification is the gift of righteousness.

Let's imagine you were in debt for 10 million dollars and you know you could work your whole life evenings and weekends too and never get that debt played off, you could never ever pay it back. You are in debt 10 million. However you found you had an uncle with the surname Gates. A rich Uncle Bill.

You ask Uncle Bill if there is any chance he might have a spare 10 million dollars laying around and he says it’s funny because it was only this morning as he was cleaning out his pants for the dry cleaners that he found a spare 10 million dollars and you can have it! You go pay off that debt and you are so thankful!

A couple of days Later Uncle Bill calls you and says “I know you mess up at times so I put a little extra into your account to meet those future needs, OK?”

So you say goodbye and you rush like crazy to the bank or the ATM to check what your balance stands at now and you see: 15 billion dollars. You think “I THINK I'LL BE OK! I think I will manage on that!"

You see, he has not just paid your debt he has credited to your account something to live on. So too with Christ, He has paid our debt and credited to our account righteousness. We stand now in the righteousness of Christ. We live now knowing the old has gone and the new has come.

Question: How would such a person knowing the debt has been paid and there is full provision for the future, live and worship? For we are that sort of people.

Last illustration: It's He and He alone who justifies!

There’s a guy, he’s a lawyer. On his way home from the office he meets a homeless guy on the street, begging. As he asks for money, the lawyer looks at him and says, "I remember you! We were at school together; we were in Mr. Philbins science class. Hey, what happened to you?"

The man replies, “Well I fell on hard times and-”

"STOP! Buddy I don’t want to know how you got here, I want to help you get back on your feet again!"

The Lawyer gives him a cheque for a thousand dollars saying, "Take this and get cleaned up. Get it together, find a job and don’t mention it. It’s my privilege to help you."

So he takes the money to the bank, he peers in and sees how nicely they all dressed are, how neat and tidy the bank is, and he looks at how tatty his clothes are how dirty he is and he just feels so unworthy to enter the bank. So he doesn't go in or cash the cheque, he just leaves with the cheque in his pocket.

Next day he is begging again and he sees the lawyer again who asks, "Hey- did you go off and spend that money I gave you on booze or drugs or gambling?"

"No" He says, "I still have it- look... I just felt ashamed, I didn’t feel worthy to go into that bank with the cheque."

The Lawyer says to the homeless guy, "YOU SEE THAT CHEQUE, IT'S GOT MY SIGNATURE ON IT... SO YOU GO DOWN AND CASH IT COS IT'S NOT BASED ON WHO YOU ARE IT'S BASED ON WHO I AM. IT'S MY SIGNITURE ON IT. SO JUST CASH IT!”

That is the work of Justification in your life!!

BUT I DONT FEEL WORTHY CHRIS!!!!!

YOU NEVER WERE OR NEVER WILL BE. IT’S NOT TO DO WITH YOUR WORTHINESS
IT’S TO DO WITH GRACE THAT HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO YOU AND AS WE LIVE IN THIS LIFE WE DON'T LIVE TO EARN GOD APPROVAL BUT WE DO THINGS BECAUSE WE HAVE GODS APPROVAL.

Question: If Jesus name is the name on the cheque and we are saved through Him, why on earth are so many Christians trying to earn Gods favour when we already have it?

I'm sure it’s great to have Bill Gates as an uncle but its even better to live knowing you are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone.

Dealing With Both Of The Gaps In Our Lives.

2010-03-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Gap.

As Christians we know that Jesus has dealt with the gap between ourselves and God, we know He paid for our sin in His body on the cross and we will celebrate that fact this week, we know that it is not good works that qualify us to have a relationship with God but it's all because of Jesus. It's because of His substitution for us and His becoming our mediator, bridging the gap between us and God that we find ourselves in this privileged position.

The Other Gap

However so many Christians live with another gap in their lives, the gap between who they are now and the sort of Christian they would like to be or attain to being. Often Christians try to fill this gap themselves as if there is a level of spirituality to be attained. This is wrong thinking and we need to know that "we are God's workmanship" not we were God's workmanship but we ARE God's workmanship. So quickly we can become "our project" rather than God's workmanship.

The problem with thinking that way is not only that it is wrong but it leaves us striving and trying to attain favour and position that is already promised to us in Christ. What God has begun in us He is wanting to bring to completion.

Are you your work or God's?

Listen! You are God's workmanship, you are God's project. Having been freed from sin you now are called to live a new life. A life of freedom. Not a life of trying to attain favour with God that's already yours in Christ. Nor is it to obtain your own personal holiness as a Christian but a life living in the riches of God's grace through the relationship Jesus has brought us into.

Jesus Christ is our righteousness. Today, tomorrow, and forever. It doesn't matter what you did this week when you come to God you come in Christ's righteousness not your own. Your access not only was through him but continues to be through him.

The Christian life is not snakes and ladders where we get going and then if we foul up in some way we slip back to number 1 and start again with the cross. No! If we make mistakes (and we will) if we sin there is provision for that for Jesus paid for our sin past, present, and future.

Not that we just ignore it but we are of course grieved with how we have marred our relationship with our Heavenly Father and will be quick to seek to restore our relationship and confess our sin to a God who will forgive us. When we sin we don't go back to the start but we confess and carry on (1 John 1 v 9).

Do You?

This is the big question: do you? Do you live with guilt and condemnation, do live with a sense you just are not good enough? Do you live with a sense you will never be able to be good enough to really please God like you feel you should? Do you feel there is a gap between who you are and who you think you should be in God?

Well, there is something for you to KNOW.

And I have pointed out what you should know on my current sermon "Why do I feel so guilty?"

Click HERE to listen.

What forgiveness looks like... Joel Sonnenberg.

2010-03-19T09:45:00.001-07:00

Having been away on vacation with my family with the story of Mephibosheth still so clear in my mind and the grace and forgiveness shown to him by David, I picked up a book from Wall Mart on the life of Joel Sonnenberg. Joel Sonnenberg was only two years old when an 18 wheeler smashed into his family's car. In the inferno that followed over 80 percent of his body was burnt. I hope that reading his book and seeing his you tube will inspire you as it has me and show you a young man of true courage and the resiliance of the human spirit. Clearly a young man who has seen that God doesn't always deliver us "from" our troubles but will always be with us "in" our troubles.

Quote from the epilogue of the book:

"When I look back over my life so far, I can't begin to undersatnd why everything happened the way it did. But I do know the One who has been with me through it all and has brought me to this point. So even though I dont know exactly where I'm going in life, I do know for who I'm living. I know who is in control and because I've seen and appreciate what He's already done I can trust him with my future. Not that I don't have dreams of my own. I do. But I want my dreams to be the same dreams God has for my life."

This book is one for your shelves: "The Inpiring Story of a Miracle Named... JOEL."

By Joel Sonnenberg and Gregg Lewis

Ever get dropped? Does it still cripple you?

2010-03-09T10:38:00.001-08:00

As we read the Story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9 we see a guy who was dropped and lived with the results of that moment, not just physically but also spiritually. He was dropped and permanently disabled and had to go through life with this affecting him day after day.

I wonder if you got dropped in life? You got dropped good and proper! You were neglected... You experienced something, some event or some treatment that cut your legs away from under you. Maybe you were abused, mistreated, neglected, overlooked, forgotten, or passed by.

Maybe you were poorly handled, not by your nurse, but by others. Nobody saw much hope for you... maybe you carry to this day the scars of that neglect.

Not So Our God

Well not so our God! Our God has a heart like David. He restores, He overlooks the past, He invites us to eat at his table, He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, He lays all that on his Son. He removes our fear and shows us favour. He takes us from Lodebar (a place of no pasture) and He provides fresh pasture for us to dwell in. He heals the crippledness from our history and in His love overlooks our inadequacies.

And what are we? Like Mephibosheth we are coming to Him with no merit, no great history. Like him we had nothing, we can pay nothing, we can repay nothing. We expect our fate but find ourselves recipients of His favour.

The Loving Father

Like the prodigal son we have come home with the pig's smell on us, having squandered our lives and ignored the wisdom of the Father. We await our fate on our arrival home but find the Father's embrace and food, sonship, and fresh clothes!

Only to eat at the Father's table forever. What great grace and forgiveness!! That is the heart of our God. "The Prodigal Son" -is that the rite title? No! Rather: "The Forgiving Father"Yes! That's the right title.

Hear more about this grace shown to us by listening my sermon called, "What awaits me? My fate or God's favour?"

2010-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

Our deeply rooted faith sustains us
In 1995 a bomb exploded in Oklahoma City devastating both families and buildings around it . Amongst the rubble was a tree burned with fire from the cars parked below it and various parts of debris embedded in it from the blast . A year later at a remembrance ceremony it was noted that the tree although damaged had started to bud . It was a sign of hope amidst devastation and when the memorial gardens were planted the tree or"survivor tree" became a centrepiece . etched into the surrounding walls encircling the tree were the words "The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated, our deeply rooted faith sustains us
On Sunday we looked the book of Nehemiah as we sought to understand and so be better equipped to deal with the enemies tactics to keep us from completing our God given tasks or mission. As we move forward in our Christian lives we face opposition and it comes in many forms . in the passage of Nehemiah 4 we read how the enemy of Gods work used criticism ,cynicism, ridicule or even out and out threats to cause them to fear and cause the work to cease . We need to be ready for such tactics .
We are not to ignore it which would leave us vulnerable and easily picked off, but neither are we to fear or find ourselves giving the enemy our full attention for the result will be it will keep us from building the wall or getting the job done.

tempted to give up?

I wonder if you find times that voices begin to erode your confidence or criticisms cynical jibes or the opinions of others make you feel like giving up altogether, I know I do at times .
Well its at such times we need to glean help and wisdom from Gods word that directs us in what to do when those big distractions come . What is our best response when words or actions begin to undermine our faith in God or his calling in our lives ?

Why not listen to my sermon called " Our deeply rooted faith sustains us " on the Kings family Church website ......My hope it will fortify you to endure the blasts that seek to bring you down and give you wisdom to recognise the problem and both "Look to God" and "act in faith"

May your deeply rooted faith sutain you too.

2010-02-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

THREE MEN AND A RESTAURANT.

One of the strengths of Kings Family Church is found among those who meet regularly in a prayer triplet . Small groups of friends who meet to share their lives with one another . Often these groups gather for coffee or a meal ,some meet evenings others mornings or for lunch . My own group meets at 6 am in Cora's restaurant which serves the right sort of wake-you-up coffee for us .
Wherever and whatever time they meet the vital role these play in our lives is immense . Gatherings of people whose desire is for a couple of people to get to know them well rather than vaguely . The groups are completely confidential and those of us like myself who attend one hope we never fall out with the others in our group or they might have enough information about us to write a book about Ha Ha!
A key in these times is being vulnerable with those who we know love us and are for us those who will stand with us in good times and bad ...friends who will rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep . For me personally this group of guys are one of the highlights of my life .

When we read in scripture of the spies who went into the land to see what it was like (numbers 13) we read of 10 who came back faithless and with a bad report ...these guys would not be very good to have in your prayer triplet however, we read of two guys Joshua and Caleb who were full of faith and spoke words of assurance that if God is with them they can surely accomplish the task.....
now when I hear of guys of that sort of faith and encouragement my first response is to want to pass them the Cora's menu and say see you there at 6. The two guys I meet with are full of such faith and when I meet with them I feel they have my back .
They challenge me to believe that whatever I'm facing God is bigger ....or when I'm facing big problems i have an even bigger God .

ITS A JOY NOT A CHORE
What a joy to have such guys in my life .....I thank God for them and their care , integrity , willingness to confront me and for their faith for me . My job is to be to them everything they are to me .

Why not listen to my sermon called "obstacles or opportunities" online to hear more about this value able resource or better still find a couple of people who you feel safe with and make a habit of meeting and sharing your lives together with a prayer time and of course food!

Does the father really love me ?

2010-02-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a weekend of high activity. Rachel, my wife, having headed off to the UK leaving me with the children to look after. Let me say from the outset this was no chore... this was a real joy.

I love to bless my children and this weekend was no exception. Whether it was buying a top for Katy from Aeropostale or watching a film late at night under the duvet, eating at New York Fries or heading off to a hockey game, it was fun from begiinning to end and I loved doing it!

What is it about us that makes us feel God wants to bless us any less than our earthly father. The Bible makes clear the very opposite is true when it contrasts our fathers on earth with our Heavenly Father it says, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children HOW MUCH MORE does your Heavenly Father want to give the Holy Spirit to you." Hey listen! When it comes to fathering our God is perfect in his fathering of us.

I spend a lot of my time with people who feel God is out to pay them back or trip them up because they feel they deserve it. But when Jesus prayed He prayed, "Our Father who is in heaven..." and He prayed such a prayer because He died on the cross to remove our sin from us and to bring us into a relationship where now God is our loving Father. The question is whether we believe that?

I love the passage in Numbers 6 where God's very nature is revealed as a loving God who wants to bless us. The blessing that was given by God for the people to hear was so they would believe as they hear it time after time that God really was for them and full of grace and care for them.

Listen as you read these words:

Are you convinced God loves you and smiles upon you?

Are you convinced He's caring for you, keeping you, listening intently to you, smiling over you and imparting His peace to you?

Or do you still live with feelings that God is just putting up with you because He has to.

Let me make clear to you today on the basis of God's word that God wants to bless you and keep you and make His face to shine on you. He wants to be gracious to you and give you peace.

Why not click HERE to listen to my sermon called, "The Desire Of God... For You!" on The King's Family Church website.

Knowing Who Is With You To Empower You

2010-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

A People Empowered
As we read the beginning of the book of Acts we encounter a group of men and women who were very ordinary... and yet were made extraordinary by their encounter with the Holy Spirit. To them and still to this day to us, He is God's empowering presence... but do we know and recognise His is being with us?

Right Under My Nose!
On one of my first trips to Canada (around 16 or 17 years ago I guess!) I went to a hockey game. It may have been the Hamilton Bulldogs or some other AHL team I can't quite remember but what I do remember is watching an older Gentleman in the end seat of a row beside me as people said hi to him and shook has hand. They greeted him and acknowledged him being around, tapping his shoulder as they came down the stairs. In my estimation he must have been quite a regular there!

It was during the first intermission that he stood to go to get a drink at the same time as I did. As we ascended the stairs together I said, "I guess you are a regular here! Lots of people seem to know you."

"My son plays hockey." He replied as he shook my hand.

"Hi, I'm Chris McLean." I said.

"Walter." He said, "Walter Gretzky."

"Is your son out there in the ice tonight?" I asked.

"No... he's Wayne Gretzky." He said knowingly as if I was about to fall in.

I thought for a moment, "Hmmmmm... Wayne Gretzky... NO! Can't say I've heard of him!" I said, "Is he good?" (Yes! I really said that!!!!! I know... duuhh!)

"Oh, I see so your son plays hockey, eh! " I said, "Great... Excellent." I continued, "Well done him!" I continued, "Is he doing well at it?"

My next line as I look back on it now seems like one of those lines you wake up in a cold sweat over on a later date."Well... I'm off to Tim Horton's, he was a hockey player you know and is probably the most famous of all, eh!" I said, giving a little chuckle.

"Guess so." Said Walter, amused and gracious about my comment.

I nodded politely to him a couple of times later and even said, "Nice to meet you!" at the end of the game.

Those listening to me chatting with Walter as we climbed the stairs in the break probably still tell the story of the stupid British guy and for all I know, so does Walter!!

Maybe one day Ill get to meet him again and apologise, eh?!

I clearly didn't know that day who was with me right alongside me. It might as well have been Wayne whatever-his-name-is himself! I remember asking my brother Vic who he was at a later date and Vic just broke up laughing when I recounted the story.

This weekend I want us to be ever so clear about who is right beside us in our walk with God and His relationship to our heavenly father and that is the Holy spirit "God with us". Let's not be unaware of whom God has sent to be alongside us to help us, to empower us, and resource us to be a people who turn the world upside down.

Turning The World Upside Down
In the past week I have heard two stories of people who acted in a Godly way. One had found a wallet containing money and credit cards and promptly handed it in to the police With all the money inside! The other was a guy whose wife was away on buisness and a work colleague suggested they go out drinking and womanising. He shared with the guy the values his marriage was built on and how he was a Christian. which of course was promptly laughed at. However moments like this can be seen as like snowflakes landing on your face, almost insignificant and quickly fade away. But when there are millions of snowflakes traffic can be halted and to turn the world upside down we need as God's people to be filled with His prescence and be living lives that bring glory to Him... then the world will take notice. Then we can turn our world upside down.

We desperately desperately need to be a people filled with the Holy Spirit. Although we are ordinary we need to be a people whose lives are extraordinary because God's presence is dwelling within us.

Why not listen to my latest sermon entitled, "A World That Turns The Church Upside Down Or A Church That Turns The World Upside Down? Empowered!"

You can click the link HERE to find it on The King's Family Church website.

Hey! This year: "Keep Yourself In The Love Of God" position yourself so the father can bless you.

2010-01-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

As we look through the book of Jude, a book that calls on us to contend for the faith and to keep ourselves in God's love, we can see so clearly displayed God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.

We can see from verse one (...kept by Jesus Christ...) and from the last verse (v. 24 ...to him who is able to keep you...) that God ultimately keeps us. It's He who has begun the work in us and keeps us and sustains the work in us and it is He who will ultimately present us "spotless and with great joy to Our Father". However, sandwiched in those verses is a call for us to "keep ourselves in his love." (v. 21)

What does this mean? Does it mean we need to make ourselves more lovable to God? Does it mean we need to perform better? Clearly not, as the book of Jude is refuting error of a wrong understanding of grace. So, what does it mean?

It simply means we need to keep ourselves in a place where God can easily and actively bless us.

A Great Biblical Example For Us

An example of this would be the prodigal son. When the son left home and went off to squander the money that wasn't even yet rightfully his, was he any less a son? Did he still have a father who cared for him and loved him deeply? Oh yes! Without doubt! His father had such a love for him that it kept him on the rooftop awaiting the day his son was to return home again.

However another and more important question is this. Did the son put himself in a position where his father could actively bless him? Where he could show his fatherly care of him? Where he was available for the father to lavish his love on him?

The answer is NO! The son had removed himself from being in a position where the father could actively show him his love and care.

That's what it means to keep ourselves in the love of God. It means to position ourselves in the vicinity of God's care and blessing.

Well... where is that Chris?

The answer is in being among God's people for worship and fellowship.
The answer is in being in a prayer triplet and living accountably.
The answer is in regularly attending a connect group (home group).
The answer is in reading the Word of God with others and growing together.
The answer is in reading good books and articles that encourage you.
The answer is in listening to worship CDs in your car on the way to work.
The answer is living in a friendship of accountable prayer.
The answer is building yourself up and praying in the Holy Spirit.

The answer is in realising that this is a thing that I or no one else can do for you but as it points out so clearly... you need to build "yourself" up in the most holy faith and you need to keep "yourself in the love of God".

The question today is... are you doing that? Are you positioning yourself in a manner that allows the father to daily, activly bless you?

Come on... Let this be the year you "keep yourself in the love of God".

Why not listen to my sermon on this subject and start the new year in a manner that allows God the ability to bless you as you live in his presence.

You are Gods Masterpeice

2009-11-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 2 v 10 says to us we are Gods workmanship or masterpiece created for good works in Christ .

As we continue to look at issues we must be sure of in our hearts this must be one of those issues that Christians so often get wrong . Jesus said we are to love others as we love ourselves but what I'm finding as I spend time with many of Gods people is actually they don't like themselves at all . We are in a time of lining our own thinking up with Gods thinking as revealed in his word .

We are gods workmanship/masterpiece. Lets break that down .
WE ....its so good that it says we or we would exclude ourselves and say yes Paul you may be but I'm sure I'm not .
WE ARE there is a certainty about it . This is something to know ,something to live in the good of not something to attain to or a future thing but something we are made by God to be .
We are Gods .... its all his work at his initiative . he has begun a good work in us and is set on finishing his work we may think we are a few brush strokes and way off of being what we should be but god as the Master sees the finished work ...he knows what we will become ,,,when he looked at hot headed fly off the handle Peter he saw Peter the rock ...When we see a fearful hiding out Gideon he sees a mighty man of valour ......we are Gods work ..he is the author and the finisher of our faith .
We are Gods WORKMANSHIP MASTERPIECE ...we are not a mistake ,we are a handcrafted chosen piece of Gods great work ...worth the price of his son ....he had us in mind enough to not only make us (you are fearfully and wonderfully made psalm 139) but to uniquely have works chosen also for us to accomplish ....
so that's what you are ...If you need more proof listen to the sermon entitled "You are Gods Masterpiece " on the Kings Family Church website ...click logo

Great Heroes of mine

2009-10-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ive decided to add to my blog a list of those heroes who have shaped and influenced my life to be what it is .

belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Way up there on my list if not at the top would be a great hero to me Gordon Wilson (1927-1995). his daughter died in the remembrance Sunday bomb blast in Enniskillen Ireland when the blast from the bomb caused a wall to fall on her and others and killed her (and he was holding her hand) he forgave publicly those who did it and showed a shocked and watching world what true forgiveness looks like. The national newspapers on the following day carried the words "I forgive them " instead of the usual bitterness ,anger and hatred . Gordon Wilson went on to be a Senator and a key leader in the peace process in Northern Ireland . The world doesn't see many like him and when his moment came to shine in a crooked and perverse generation he took his moment and stood to show what the gospel of Christ produces in the life of a believer

Putting an end to relational conflict.

2009-10-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

God's Living Word

It's so great that the word of God has practical insights and answers to the every day problems we face as God's people. This week at King's we have been looking at "relational conflicts"

this may not be the best subject in the world but if we are honest with ourselves barely a week goes by without us facing some kind of relational conflict with someone in our world.

James 4 v 1-2

James encourages us not to underestimate the problem and sweep it away or brush it off with comments like "Well, I'm just not like them" or "We're wired differently" but rather he encourages us to face up to what is really going on in our hearts when relational conflict arises. As we read through the passage James shows us that we can see things just as fights and quarrels but what is really going on within us is war and murder. James who is always one to go for the jugular when we need to change wants to make it very clear to us what the real deal is here and for us to examine our motives and hearts. We are not getting what"WE" want. Rather than just pointing out our foolishness and pride or just leaving us with our knowing we need to deal with the motives of our hearts, James provides such wisdom as to how we can be free from this war that goes on within us when relational conflict raises it's ugly head.

What we need is humility, what we need to do is humble our hearts and act in a way that is Christ-like. Jesus our saviour humbled himself and became a servant for us to deal with our relational conflict with the Father. More than that He, the sinless one, became sin for us. The one who had forever had relationship with the Father was cut off from the Father as our sin was put on Him and our relational conflict was dealt with forever.

How can we in the light of His love and in the light of His humility allow hostility to exist between us and others. It's time to hang up the boxing gloves, it's time to see our relational conflict for what it is and above all it's time again to see how our wonderful Saviour dealt with the greatest relational conflict ever for us.

So What Are We Aiming At?

Let's be a community that loves like He did and forgives in the way He did and choose to be humble even when offended. That is a rare sort of Church and one the world will take notice of! Why not listen to my sermon on James 4 then you may want to put those boxing gloves away, eh! You can listen to my sermon the The King's Family Church website HERE.

Love is not an option ....its absolutely essential.

2009-09-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 13 in the Message reads as follows:

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

As we read the letter to the Corinthians we see Paul addressing a fragmented Church who are banging into one another and hurting each other as each person uses their gifts to show off and to puff themselves up as opposed to building the church up.

They are trying to show just how spiritual they are as if using the gifts is a measure of just how Godly or pious they are. However, gifts are clearly not the primary measure of the spirit's work in a believer's life... The true sign or evidence of the spirit's work in the life of a believer is a life characterized by love

Paul doesn't mince his words as he makes plain and clear that without love "You are nothing". For all your giving, for all your giftedness, even if you can reveal big spiritual mysteries or can move a mountain from it's very foundations, if love is not present you're wasting your breath and impressing nobody.

If we are going to measure our walk with God... Love is the measuring stick because...

You can be a Christian and not speak in tongues.

You can be a Christian and not have mighty mountain moving faith.

You can be a Christian and not speak prophetic words and pictures.

But you can't be a Christian and not love... it's essential and vital!

How sad we live in days where giftedness and ability are prized so often above character.

SO HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?

LOVE IN THE WAY GOD CALLS US TO?

The bible makes it clear that we are to love as we have been loved (1 John 4 ) and that our love is to a response "In view of Gods mercy... live like this..."

From the passage in 1 Corinthians 13... surely we can say "hasn't God been patient with us with his love, hasn't he been kind to us with his love, hasn't he been long suffering... hasn't he been so loving, having chosen not to keep a record of our wrongs."

So, in light of his great measure of love toward us let us put on love... and love in the same manner that we have received love from the Father. Why not catch up with my teaching on this subject entitled "All you need is love". Click HERE to listen!

ARE YOU SPEAKING GOOD WORDS OR DO YOU NEED DUCK TAPE?

2009-09-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm looking week by week now at not "what we are called to build" but "how we can practicality build a community that honours God". It seems we are not just encouraged in Ephesians 4 v 29 to "think about" or "have a go" at God honouring speech but it's clearly a command. It doesn't deal with percentages like "hey, let's make sure our encouraging words and discouraging words have a 60-40% average..." No! The measure is clear! None or 0% unwholesome talk and all or 100% words that are characterised by being good, helpful, bringing encouragement, and are laced with grace to bring grace to the hearer.

How often do we stop and think of the effect of our words on others? John Meyer has a song called, "My stupid mouth":

My stupid mouth
Has got me in trouble
I said too much again
To a date over dinner yesterday
And I could see She was offended
She said "well anyway..."
Just dying for a subject change

It's a song about the effect of the things we say to others and he makes two points in the song.

Firstly, his mother had said to him so many times "think before speaking" and secondly as he ends the song he says "I'm never speaking up again, I'd rather be a mystery than she desert me." Yes John, "not speaking" is an option and we have all thought of that sometimes. But, meanwhile back in the real world we need to speak to build relationships that matter. A better option maybe is to submit ourselves to the scrutiny of God's word in Ephesians 4 v 29 and in light of it's teaching and the teaching that surrounds it in the book of Ephesians we need to put off unwholesome talk and put on words that build up, encourage, and give grace to the hearer.

Why not click HERE and listen to my latest talk, "Before you say that, will it build others up?"

IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO IT... YOU MIGHT WANT TO GO WITH THE DUCK TAPE OPTION!!

Speaking About Zebras...

2009-09-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday while preaching I headed off on one of those "how did I get to be speaking about this?!" moments. All preachers have them and sometimes they are a dead end street and other times there is a nugget of truth that just pops out and fits with all you are saying.

My thoughts raced to a recent trip to the zoo with my family. As we drove around on a tram observing all the animals we past the Zebras, I listened to the commentary and heard the guide say "the zebras stripes are for camouflage"... Now, I don't know about you but if I was in the Serengeti and my life depended on camouflage I would have chosen brown or green or some less obvious colours. I certainly wouldn't go for black and white stripes! You might as well just draw a target on the side of me! But the thing is, that zebras on their own (yes, they can get picked off) but when a herd of zebra stand together as in the picture below, their prey just sees one large animal. It can tell the front and the back but as the herd stand together they are too big to take on .

In the church of Jesus Christ when we stand alone we are very vulnerable but when we stand together we find strength in numbers. Isolated we are easy prey for the enemy but God never intended we should be isolated. He has made us a people and it's in community we find security and strength. I was listening to evangelist J John on this principle a while ago where he said "one snowflake on it's own falls on your face in the winter and you can brush it off your face but when you get many snowflakes together they can stop traffic. " We must recognise in our day that alone we are weak and vulnerable and it's only in community that we find strength, encouragement, and all the care we need. I thank God for the great idea of the body of Christ and all the encouragement being together brings. We are always more together than we are alone. It's the way God designed it. As it says in Ecclesiastes 4 v 9-12:

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Are You Part Of A Gas Station Or A Community?

2009-09-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

We are living in days where Christian community is replaced with Christian gas stations.

You can now drive along in your road of life with God and you occasionally stop off maybe each Sunday to get your tank filled at the worship centre and then your back off on your own again doing your thing. I was stunned when talking to a Christian who said to me in my office one day, "We go to St. Timothy of Hortons (church name changed to keep me out of trouble for a change!) it's big, you get in get out and it's all done in an hour then you can get on with your Sunday!" Man- I nearly choked on my rasin tea biscuit! In and out in an hour? Is that what is going to define the Church in the future? What about being built together as living stones in community as dwelling place for God's presence?

For years we heard sermons on the church not being a building but the church being the people of God and yep... we got it! But today we are in grave danger of saying a great Church is a large gathering or somewhere we manage to get unbelivers and belivers to come to for an hour.

The church of Jesus Christ is to be a community of people who have been defined as God's people through the Gospel, founded on truth, and built together to be His dwelling place.

We are not built on buisness growth teqniques but built together through the Gospel. Our growth in relation to the Saviour has to be also measured by our relationships with other believers for we grow to maturity along with all the saints. A while back Bill Hybells stated that:

The local church is the hope of the world. There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right. It's beauty is indescribable. It's power is breathtaking. It's potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens it's arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness. Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp. No other organization on earth is like the church. Nothing even comes close.

This satement is as true today as the day he wrote it and is a challenges the church in our day if we truly belive it's in the context of community that the church fulfills it's calling.

I love the local church, for in the local Church I get encouragement, prayer, and prophetic words. In the local church I can rejoice in the progress of others and and they with my progress with Jesus. My life is constantly blessed by the 'one anothers' we read about in God's word. Loving one another, provoking one another to love and good works, exhorting one another, admonishing one another, etc...

So is Church a gas station to you? Somewhere to serve you as you drop in or is it a community? Where you're as commited to them and their progress as a people as much as they are to you.

Why not follow the link to my sermon on The King's Family Church website: "A Gas Station Or A Community?"

BAPTISM... A COMMAND OF JESUS- TO MAKE MARK AND MATURE HIS FOLLOWERS.

2009-06-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

The problem is...
I get a call from the hospital from some fearful parents, their child is near death or has died. One of the first things they are concerned about is will the fact their child has been baptised or has not been baptised make a difference to eternal life being sure for the one they love? It's amazing how ingrained some superstitions and beliefs are and they can often surface at such times. At a time like this the parents need to know the comfort of God in their troubles what rings in their ears is often the comments of a relative...

"Did you get him/her baptised ?"

What they are asking is did you get them christened? did you have a religious act? did someone sprinkle some water on them? did it take place so you know they are going to be safe?
Let me say as I look at the New Testament I see very clearly that every person who puts their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord is then baptised FOLLOWING them putting faith in the Saviour.

Baptism means nothing if it's not "following" our putting our trust in Jesus for it is He who secures our future and eternal life is for those "whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

Baptism is identifying with Jesus and crucial for all who put their trust in the saviour. We are not saved through baptism but we are baptised because we are saved. Jesus commanded his Church to go and make disciples, baptising them and teaching them all he had commanded. So we are called to make disciples (go make) we are called to mark disciples (baptising them) and we are called to mature disciples (teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you).

As we enter the water in baptism there can be a number of helpful symbolic meanings and they can help us be clear about our new faith, they can help clarify the old being gone and the new coming. For example: It's a bath- reminding us that Jesus has washed away our sins. It's a burial- as we go into the water we are identifying with the death and resurrection of Christ. It's a beginning- It's the start of a new life and a new allegiance.

But above all its a badge. It's identifying with Jesus and as we identify with him we are able when tested and tempted to sin to look back to our baptism and be reminded we are not our own any more we are the Lord's, that when he died we died and when he was raised to new life we were also raised to new life. If our thinking can be lined up with that truth as we look back to our baptism we will find strength to overcome sin. Also there is a looking forward to our Resurrection on the last day when Christ returns.

Often I hear people teach that Jesus was baptised to act as an example to us but really he was identifying with the teaching that John was proclaiming. John was teaching that the Saviour was coming and then when Jesus appeared he proclaimed Jesus to be the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and Jesus in his baptism was saying, "I affirm this message, I am identifying with the truth John is speaking here."

A New Baptism

Later Jesus disciples baptised people but not into the one who was to come but into the one who had come and the message of Good News which is in Jesus Christ.

As we are baptised we act in obedience and we identify with the message that Jesus is the Saviour of the world and as we are obedient in this act it comes with a promise that as we repent, turn from sin to God, and are baptised ...identifying publicly with Jesus... that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Click Here to hear more about baptism in my sermon, "Baptism is... identifying with Jesus." on The King's Family Church website.

Let's Extend Our Faith Toward The God Of Miracles...

2009-06-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

We all love miracles!

I love miracles... I love to hear people share about miracles, I love to witness miracles, hey- I've even had a few miracles happen for me that I thank God for. However the one thing I don't like is the time before a miracle. That is a time where your faith has generally reached its end, you have come to the end of your own resources, you have come to the end of your abilities to change a situation and you have come to an end of where your faith reaches and find yourself looking at God's zone... you know, the point where if God doesn't turn up you're sunk. If God doesn't turn up this situation is just not going to change.

What Jesus did and had others do.

What do you do now? What is the course of action best to employ at this moment? It seems to me that Jesus when meeting people time after time who needed a miracle or even when He himself called for a miracle extended his faith toward God.

He took a few loaves and fishes and thanked the Father for them. He brought his father into the situation. He thanked his father that he had heard him when he prayed for Lazarus to be raised, again he extended his faith toward God.

Again as we see Jesus encountering others in need of a miracle he called on them also to extend faith in that moment. He told the lepers to go to the temple and the Scripture says "as they went they were healed". He told a man with a withered hand to stretch out his hand, he told people at the wedding to fill up the jars with water. What was he doing? He was calling them to extend faith to do something.

It seems to me if when we are facing our perplexing issues and need a miracle if we do nothing that's just what we will get. These times are an opportunity to extend our faith toward God, to bring him into the situation and as we do what we can do he will do what he alone can do.

I also see this in the scriptures such as the story of Moses... in giving Moses miraculous powers God starts with these words, "What have you got in your hand Moses?" or Jesus to the disciples in feeding the 5,000, "What have you got to feed them with?" or as Elijah said to the widow of Zaraphath, "What have you got in your house?".

Moving From Needing To Believing

If we want to move from the place of needing a miracle into seeing a miracle, we need to move from seeing the need for a miracle into a believing point... and action point... a place where faith needs to be extended toward God. "Now Moses stretch out your hand over the water " The water opens and people go through.

So when you get to the end of yourself and your abilities to help and the only thing left is to throw yourself on God, act with faith and extend your faith toward God.

This may mean placing some dollars in someone's hand and praying for God to provide for them this may mean laying hands on the sick and expecting God to fulfil his Word to raise them up, but whatever it is- act with faith in the God of miracles. EXTEND FAITH TOWARD HIM.

(You can hear more on this subject in my talk "Miracles? Yes please... Why not!" on The King's Family Church website: www.kingsfamily.org or Click HERE for a direct link to my talk.)

SUPPRISE ENDING ....GOD WAS STILL THERE .

2009-05-26T12:35:00.001-07:00

When I read the story of people like Kim Phuc who was so badly burned in the Vietnam bombings and now goes around sharing a story of forgiveness and reconciliation to God. I'm reminded God knows the end of the story. It's a biblical principle seen time and time again in scripture... a baby put in a basket by his mother because the king has declared all newborn boys to be killed. She would rather risk her son with the Nile crocodiles than the present ruling king. How is God in that?! Yet from it comes Moses the deliverer of God's people. You see, before Moses was the great deliverer he was saved by the greatest deliverer.

Or there's Joseph in a well with his brothers asking shall we kill him or sell him ? You think the way he's been acting so far they might do well to kill him, the little show off. Yet God sovereignty superintends his life as a servant, a prisoner, a forgotten prophet... and through God's sovereignty we read the line, "and the nations of the world came to buy grain from Joseph..." No- God didn't forget, he reigned, and so did Joseph. He too had been saved by the greatest deliverer to be a deliverer himself.

Or even worse as the disciples ate and drank with Jesus at the last supper and then what followed was the betrayal the Cross and the burial of Christ. To them must of been not just uncertain but an end to everything they had thought would occur and Jesus had promised them. Had God let them down or what? Let me ask you, when do you think the disciples would of said God was doing the most? When he healed the blind man? When he raised Lazarus? The one certain thing is it doesn't seem they would say between the last supper and the tomb...

But those very same hours when it seemed like God was completely absent... in those darkest darkest hours God was doing his best work ever. In the time when it seemed to them that he was most inactive, he was actually most active.

Because those darkest hours were the epicentre of the salvation of mankind. These would be the hours that for thousands of years people all over the world would look back to and see demonstrated God's goodness and grace.

But if you had asked them at the time they would of said "Game over, waste of time... God's not in this!". Surely Peter's denials of even knowing him are clues to the feelings of the disciples.

But my experience is that God takes the most broken things and does his most amazing work through them and when I in my limited frail faith think God's gone, or thrown in the towel... really... actually... HE IS STILL AT WORK. Working all things together for those who love him and are called according to his purposes... (Romans 8 v 28)

AGAIN LET ME SAY IT... HE'S A CERTAIN GOD IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAIN TIMES AND IN THESE TIMES OF JOB LOSSES AND FINANCIAL STRAIN AND PRESSURE. HE IS PROBABLY DOING HIS BEST WORK IN US AND HE CERTAINLY HASN'T LEFT US AND THE TESTIMONY OF HIS WORD REMAINS- THAT PAUL, AND MOSES, AND BARNABAS, AND ELIZABETH, AND DANIEL, AND JOSEPH, AND ESTHER'S LIVES ALL SHOUT OUT THROUGH THE CENTURIES LOUD AND CLEAR FROM GOD'S WORD:

GOD NEVER FAILS

GOD IS NEVER ABSENT, HE'S AT WORK AND HE SAVES US NOT FROM BUT IN OUR TROUBLES AS WE PUT OUR TRUST IN HIM.

So! Surprise ending... God was and is here all the time and He is doing His best work right now!

Click HERE to listen to my sermon, "In the darkest of times God does his greatest work."

FLIGHT 1549...WHEN GOD GETS YOUR ATTENTION

2009-05-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

In my surfing of youtube recently (and I have been getting
therepy for this problem at YOUTUBE ANONYMOUS!) I found a CNN report of the US jet that crash landed in the Hudson a while back. They had an interview on CNN with the pilot, co-pilot and two or three flight attendants all on a panel. They were asking them all questions. The question was asked:

What was going on, not in the cockpit but in the plane?

The flight attendant answered, "Well, it was very quiet and it seemed like most people were praying..."

I BET THEY WERE!!! WOULDNT YOU BE ???

She said she was praying too. Let me say, they didn't need a captain's announcement to tell them to pray, "Ok everone this is captain Sully speaking... as you can see we are going down DUE TO THE FACT WE HAVE NO ENGINES WORKING. This would be a good time to put up your trays and straighten your chairs and PRAY."

No... they did't need that. FAITH CAME ALIVE ON FLIGHT 1549!

If you have ever flown on a night flight across the Atlantic and hit big turbulance or a thunderstorm the one thing it does is get you focused. Man... I'm FOCUSED. Wow, I'm focused! 3am and the plane turns around steeply and dives down over the Atlantic. I have no idea why... but something is clearly wrong. Guess what! MY CHRISTIAN FAITH IS ACTIVATED... HALLLALUYAH... SHUNDAMALABA... THE GUY BESIDE ME IS SAYING,"HEY PRAY ONE FOR ME!". I'm not angry with anyone. I'm forgiving all who sinned against me. I'm focused... and suddenly God has my full attention.

I'm very holy in those moments.
YOU'RE CONFESSING EVERYTHING...
YOU'RE FORGIVING EVERYBODY...
YOU'RE ASKING FOR FORGIVNESS FOR THE THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE DONE AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU DID!

GOD HAS MY ATTENTION!! FULLY AND COMPLETELY.

Listen, when life is spinning out of control we are more likely to move in the direction of God. It's more likely that during uncertain times God will be hearing from us because it is in uncertain times that God is more likely to get our attention... isn't that so? In fact it's often during a difficult time or illness that people begin to look or search or even pray. There is just something about uncertainty that causes us to look up rather than just around.

For this reason... God gets more done in us in the bumps along the way than in the smooth roads of life. Basically we don't learn anything when things are going well do we?

You learn the most about yourself...
You learn the most about your heavenly father...
You learn the most about your faith...

When times are difficult.

It's during these times that we need to get with God and his Word (we get it out, dust it off and hey! There are maps in here! I never saw that before!) and as we read this book we find that all the stories in there happened during times of uncertainity. You see, the Bible is a record of God's faithfulness during uncertain times.

If you're facing adversity at this time... if your job has been cut to three days a week... if the doctor hasn't given you a clean bill of health... if you're in a relationship problem... then press into God and his Word. A certain God and a certain Word.

As you focus on him in uncertain times his word will fortify you and speak to you words like:

I will never leave you or forsake you.
God is working all things together for good.

Hey... if you want to hear more. Why not listen to the message on The King's Family Church website:

http://kingsfamily.org/audio/chris_mclean_certain_god_uncertain_times

FOR THE MOTHERS WHO MISSED IT ON SUNDAY

2009-05-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

It was great to honour mothers on Sunday and a number of you enjoyed the video clip. However, it was a touch difficult to hear all the words so I have posted the video with subtitles for you to enjoy again.

Other than "texting at the table" and "your ipod is my ipod " I think we can all hear our mothers very clearly in this clip, eh!

Enjoy......

FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART MATTHEW 18 V 35

2009-05-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

WHO GETS FREED WHEN WE FORGIVE ?

I was watching the NOOMA video luggage recently which sparked some thoughts on forgiveness in me. I haven't quoted from the video and you would do well to watch the video yourself but these are some extra thoughts on forgiveness that watching it evoked in me.
Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another persons sin. Forgiveness is costly, we pay the price of the evil we forgive. People we meet who have been wronged in some way are going to live with those consequences anyway but the choice is whether we will do so in the bondage of bitterness or the freedom of forgiveness. That's how Jesus forgave us, he took the consequences of our sin upon himself.

John Stott wrote, "all forgiveness is substitutional because no one really forgives without bearing the penalty of the other persons sin." Why then do we forgive ? Because Christ forgave us. God the Father Himself "made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God."

How do you forgive from the heart ?

Firstly I think by acknowledging the hurt and the hate. If your forgiveness doesn't take into consideration the emotional hurt of your past it will be incomplete. We need to let God bring the pain to the surface so he can deal with it... Only then does healing take place.

I think in our forgiveness we need to be more specific, I'm not trying to layout a formula but I think saying Lord I forgive ____ for ____ is helpful and important regular step in our lives.

I try to keep on praying about the person until I feel all the remembered pain has been dealt with. Don't try to rationalize or explain the offenders behaviour. Forgiveness deals with your pain not another's behaviour.

This is what I've found in my life:

POSITIVE FEELINGS WILL FOLLOW IN TIME. FREEING "YOURSELF" FROM THE PAST AND THE OFFENCE IS THE CRITICAL ISSUE AND YOU SET THEM FREE AS WELL.

A PEOPLE WHO CARRY THE PRESENCE OF GOD

2009-04-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

As I drove through the United States on my way to our family vacation I saw a number of trees with yellow ribbons around them. They are ribbons of expectation, probably wives awaiting a husband home from Iraq or from duty in the armed forces abroad. A symbol of expectation.

At The King's Family Church I have started a new series entitled "A People Of Expectation" and the first in the series is about expecting the power and presence of the Spirit to be with us in every situation. Gordon Fee calls the Holy Spirit in us "Gods empowering presence".

Oh how we need Gods presence with us, if not we are like the disciples who were caught in a storm and were rowing hard for hours and making no headway. I find this temptation my life when facing a storm or difficulty. I've found that my own first reaction is to row harder rather than to call on Jesus, but what I fail to recognise when I act in that way is that when Jesus turns up, the storm is stilled, and they are immediately at the other side of the lake .

What about you ? When you face a challenge or a storm do you find yourself battling by rowing harder or calling on the one who is "God's empowering presence"?

Recently as I have visited those in prison, hospital, or facing an uncertain future due to the current financial crisis what has made the difference is not my being able to talk or reason with them but to be able to impart to them the presence of God who is with us always and will never leave us or forsake us. Do you need to stop rowing and make room for Gods empowering presence?

Let me encourage you to listen to this weeks message on www.kingsfamily.org or click on the Kings logo on the top right hand corner of the page to access the King's Family Church website.

VINTAGE CHURCH BY MARK DRISCOL

2009-04-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK

So.... I recommend a book and you mmm and weeeeell!

So today I'm saying loud and clear don't buy this book.

If you read this book in the next couple of months you're going to say,

Ahah! That's where Chris got these great quotes and ideas from.

SO PLEASE DON'T BUY IT AND I WILL LOOK LIKE THE WISE ORACLE OF ALL THINGS CHURCH.

Last year saw the rise in what I began to call "Driscolites" people who can't have a conversation about any topic without telling you what Mark Driscoll has to say on that subject, or people who cant preach unless they have included a quote or stolen a nugget of his and said, "It's interesting Mark Driscoll thinks like me on this". Yes... it was the rise of the Driscollites.

Now those of you who know me know I don't like to go with the latest "in thing". I prefer the old and tried and tested.

However, credit where credit is due. I've enjoyed this book more than any I've read in the last few years. Its clarity and helpful direction is very refreshing. But I still think you shouldn't buy it. I found the chapter on church discipline very well written and grace filled.

"MY MINISTRY" PEOPLE (a bit of a rant,sorry)

2009-04-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

One of the sad things I’ve noticed in Canada is the amount of people who move from Church to Church trying to do what they call "My ministry". It’s as if the ministry or function they have or the gift they have has become their identity. How much happier they would be if their identity was in Christ and they just got on and served the body of Christ. (To be honest many of them don’t serve at all unless they will be recognised.)

Some folk might say of me personally that my ministry is "pastor" indeed some even call me "pastor Chris" until they realise how much it irritates me. Pastor is not my identity, Chris or Christian is my identity and pastor is a function not a title.

How strange it would be if when attending Kings Family Church for the first time I introduced you to "Worship leader Pam” or "Trustee Mary " or even "steel worker Mike" I think you would find that strange if not plain weird. No, it's Pam or Mary or Mike or Chris. You see I value these people as brothers and sisters in Christ not by what they do, however wow! I value the role they play for the body of Christ and in my life.

I have a lot of different gifts I seek to use for the Church, worship leading, prophecy, preaching, leading, witnessing and pastoring, they are all things I do and ways I serve but none of them are my identity. Thankfully my identity is in Christ and my name is Chris.

One of the problem areas this can sometimes uncover when we hear people saying such things is Hey! I'm a professional. For example "This is Chris, he is a minister" yes, it makes me sound like a real professional but the trouble is I don't want to be a professional, I don't think I'm called to be a professional. If I'm a professional it undermines how I relate to the people I preach to.
"Yes it’s OK for Chris, he’s a professional, I’m sure he can pray for the sick etc but I couldn't." Was Peter a professional or Paul , I don’t think so- Paul makes it very clear his words were not eloquent and he didn't speak with wise persuasive words. To be honest... I think he was just like us.

May I never be or act like I’m a professional Christian!

Ministry is serving, serving the world, serving the Church and serving Jesus. Jesus washed peoples feet, was he a professional? Jesus like me had all sorts of opportunities to serve and showed the fathers love in whatever way he served. I don't hear Jesus saying "No, foot washing isn't "my ministry" you’ll have to find someone else"... No, he served.

So how about stop harping on about your ministry and let’s just serve like Christ and serve others as if we are serving Christ himself. I hope I never ever think myself above being a servant, because in God's kingdom and economy you will never be greater than when you serve.

SO LISTEN........

If you ever invite me to your party, which I hope you will, when I arrive don’t introduce me as Pastor Chris or Chris the minister... what you do is condemn me to an evening of people treating me weird and telling me how old auntie Doris was a churchgoer.If you do this I will go to the cinema or the pub next time where I can be myself.

Thanks for listening, I'm Chris and I serve (but not in a professional capacity!)

How about you?

BOOK REVIEW 100 WAYS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE

2009-04-15T13:25:00.001-07:00

I don't think I have ever recommended a Joyce Meyer book before
but in my looking for a book that can set people off in the direction of
starting a devotional time in their day I picked up "100 Ways To Simplify
Your Life."

It's a book that covers the basics not just of who God is but how to live
in and walk in God's forgiveness and help each day.

-How to put off the past
-How to have a new mindset as a Christian
-How to live the new life that is your in Christ

So far those who I have given this book to have expressed how its helped them understand how this new life is worked out every day. It's in small chapters with a bible reading.

I have read it and felt God speak to me through it.

I have watched a number of Joyce Meyer television programmes and I think she is thoroughly rooted in the word when she speaks, I think my concerns about her in the past have been rooted in how I meet people who are not connected to a Church because they see Joyce as their pastor. Now this may be a wrong from some of her TV followers but we need to recognise the gift she has and is to the body of Christ. She herself would be saying to them "Come on get into a good Church".

If you have not read one of her books this would be a good one to read and give to a young believer as it will help them with their life and doctrine.

Although, if I turn up to Church with a perm and jewel encrusted clothes... I may have gotten too into Joyce.

A PARABLE OF COMPLACENCY

2009-04-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

It been a week of reaching out , visiting the poor ,taking Chapel in the hospital with those whose lives are close to and end and sharing the good news at a youth detention centre
The importance of the gospel in all those places is a chance to respond to the message of salvation .
In 1969 a hurricane was heading towards the Mississippi coast ...its name was Camile.
And while most of the people abandoned the coast and went inland ..as is usually the case pockets of people decided to weather the storm . That included a group of 24 people who hunkered down in a three story apartment building called the rishalu complex
The apartments were about 250 feet off the ocean surf ..and most of the people in this group had weathered hurricanes before and they thought they knew what to expect....
Or what was coming so they decided to have a hurricane party....just after dark the police chief pulled up and he began to warn residents in the apartments to leave ...he said the storm is coming ...its intensifying ...you need to leave .....Well they actually laughed him away ...and said we are not leaving ..one person said you are going to have to arrest me if you want me off of this property I'm not going. He looked up to one of the balconies and a guy came out with a beer in his hand and waved at him....no one left at all ...and so he left alone. At 10 15 in the evening hurricane Camile slammed into the coast with winds of around 205 miles and hour ...worst than that the storm surge was between 22 and 28 feet high . it decimated everything in its path.
The rishaloo apartments were not damaged ..they were flattened ...all you could see after the storm was the foundations .
One person survived who was carried out a window by the current and was washed up inland several miles . At some point in that evening the bravado stopped and the drinks were put aside and tragedy struck....some moment in that time together it must have dawned on them all it was too late to be saved . we made a decision and its going to cost us our lives .

I have a feeling that Jesus was thinking about that sort of complacency when he said what will it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul.
May we keep preaching the gospel and pray for eyes to be opened to the urgency of responding to the message hey! you can die of complacency.

BOOK REVIEW ...TONY DUNGY "UNCOMMON"

2009-04-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yes I know , I made you buy the last Tony Dungy book too! Or if you were a
bit reluctant or a tightwad I bought you a copy ....but, Come on this is a fantastic book
and every Man should have a copy or every wife should buy her old man a copy and you will reap the benefits .
Tony Dungy if you have heard him speak at all is a man of "quiet strength " which was the title of his last book and as you read this book it is like him speaking to you in a coaching manner .

Its a book that deals with godly image .integrity ,Character and goal setting .
Now I know Ive recommended books like this before but this one is worth every cent and when I'm finished reading it (I'm on page244 at this moment ) I will find a guy who could do with reading it and stick it in his hands

I am reading it in my devotional times at the moment and each day I'm feeling both challenged and encouraged and find I'm facing the day having been with the coach for a good pre game chat

Hey you can get it at Chapters its in the endzone
Come on lets get ahead in the game!

THE GIFT OF A TEACHABLE SPIRIT

2009-04-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

The older I get ,and I'm older than I like to admit , I feel that to have a gift of a teachable spirit
is a most wonderful gift
I don't know everything
there have been enough people in my life through the years who have made that painfully clear to me .Therefore I might be secure enough to say "I don't know"In fact I really need to be secure enough to say"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about "
I don't know is always a good answer . especially if its true.
"I don't know could you please enlighten me "? is often an even better answer but needs a teachable spirit .
There will always be someone who knows more than you do and I advise you to find out who those people are and take them out to lunch as we can learn far more from people who know better than we do.

When you are in a mentoring relationship you are intentionally reaching out to somebody behind you on the path of life .
But when you are seeking counsel you are always looking to someone who is ahead of you in a specific area of life or wisdom they learned when they went through what you are facing .

Trouble is I feel , as a pastor everyone feels you should be on the top of your game in all areas of life ....if someone dies you will know what to do .......if someone has a marriage issue your the man .... If someone is perplexed by the way life is treating them in this season then just ask the pastor the oracles will fall from his lips .( Oh Yea!)
Now I'm not afraid to say loud and clear that anything I have learned is because I have a teachable spirit .... I learned from someone else ....
and I cant think of anything I prize more than having a teachable spirit and being with guys who knew more than I did (and I guess that's most people)
I learned about encouragement from Henry Tyler who had lunch with me when he could of sat at anyones table of far higher standing and he listened to me and encouraged me. Henry had the ability to make someone feel they were the most important person in the world .
I learned how to treat (and also how not to treat) my wife from Chris Smith who knowing my background would advise me on a better way to show love to my wife . I also learned to preach under him who although being the best preacher and modern day communicator I had encountered still took time to help me and direct me in my inept attempts at preaching .
( Church you only have Chris Smith to blame!)
I learned about prayer from Roger Bye who I observed kneeling with his bible through his glass office door window in Sevenoaks and I set about emulating and have continued to do so to this day (especially when Sunday is rushing at me like a freight train and I have nothing to preach )
I learned about humility from Ray Lowe who on many occasions could and maybe should of blasted me out of the water in my arrogance over a situation but was prepared to walk through numbers of e mails with me in a fatherly way I probably didn't deserve .

But before I go on listing all sorts of other people I value I want to thank God I have had such people in my life .
people who know more than me who I have rubbed shoulders with and who have made a real impact on my life .
Thank god for people who know more than me ...people like Henry and Roger and Ray and Chris and many others for the little I do know is because of these guys and there impact on me and God giving me a teachable spirit to learn from those who know more than me .

As a pastor I watch people face the same issues again and again . They go around the same roundabout of problems and still decide to take the same exit which leads them into more trouble .
The best thing you can ever ask for like Solomon asking for wisdom is a teachable spirit because like it or not you don't know it all ............. but there are others who know more than you and if you take them out to Cora's for a pancake breakfast turn up wearing a teachable spirit .

Dont dare drop the gospel.

2009-04-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

I wonder if like me you start to share the good news about Jesus with people and at times you just want to stop and say "Can we start again, I'm making a real hash of this " however you don't say it and somehow or other in the kindness of God and by his grace they come through to Christ . And you are amazed at Gods decision to use weak and fumbling people like us ...but he does ........ BECAUSE ITS THE GOSPEL THAT IS THE POWER OF GOD FOR SALVATION .
John Stott a writer who i particularly like
In a book called guard the gospel.(a commentary on 2nd timothy)..lamented that all around us we see Christians in Churches relaxing their grasp of the gospel ...and fumbling it and in danger of letting it drop from their hands all together .
Imagine a relay race where the baton is dropped by
one member of the team ..it disqualifies you from the race ..... and if not disqualified then it leaves you struggling .......
LISTEN WHEN WE DROP THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED FOR SIN IT HAS ENORMOUS CONSEQUENCES IN OUR LIVES
THIS IS WHY CHRISTIANS NEED TO HEAR THE GOSPEL AS OFTEN AS NON CHRISTIANS DO.

I WAS READING A STORY OF A PREACHER WHO WAS GREATLY USED OF GOD TO LEAD MANY PEOPLE TO CHRIST AND HE RECOUNTED IN THE EARLY DAYS THAT WHEN HE FIRST STARTED PREACHING HE KNEW LITTLE ABOUT THE BIBLE ...AND WHEN LISTENING TO ONE OF HIS TAPED SERMONS AT A LATER DATE REALISED WHEN HE HAD BEEN SPEAKING ON SAMPSON ...THAT HE HAD ALL THE WAY THROUGH USED THE NAME TARZAN INSTEAD OF SAMPSON...AND YET MANY PEOPLE HAD PUT THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST THROUGH HIS PREACHING.......

I'm looking at 1 Corinthians 15 v FOR WHAT I RECEIVED ...
He goes on to talk about his resurrection and his appearing etc
But of first importance
Paul is writing to immature Christians in Corinth who have been straying from the most important aspect of their faith ..the gospel ...and Paul is reminding them here that its not impressive speaking skills that save a person
No ...its the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified for Sinners
THAT ITS THE MESSAGE NOT THE MESSENGER THAT MATTERS MOST
PAUL IN BOTH THESE SCRIPTURES IS POINTING THEM BACK TO THE ONE THING THAT MATTERS MOST .......
WHAT GOD HAS DONE THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST AND THROUGH HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS.............
THAT'S THE FIRST THING
THAT'S THE VITAL THING

we must continue to trust in the Gospel of Christ ......and not drop the batten.

I remember going once to a Billy Graham meeting at crystal Palace at the outskirts of London and I had taken friends and relatives as well as a number of people from the Church .
As the evening progressed Billy Graham stood up to preach and there was a simplicity about what he said ,yes it was the gospel but he seemed a little wooden that night . `Oh no, I thought to myself Ive brought all these people on the night that no one is going to respond` and I sat biting my nails and feeling somewhat sorry for Billy Graham ...as he finished presenting the gospel he made an appeal which made me even more nervous for him and me and all I had brought .
and thousands streamed forward .....literally thousands ........ from everywhere

You see what i had forgotten was its not the man its the message .
The gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes .
I was getting caught up in the packaging and the delivery ...but missed what mattered most .

AND HERE PAUL IS SAYING WE SHOULDN'T TRUST IN THE FANCY DELIVERY OF THE MESSAGE ...... OR WE SHOULDN'T TRUST IN THE PACKAGING .... OR THE MARKETING OF THE MESSAGE ...
AND HE DOES THIS BY THE EXAMPLE OF HIS OWN LIFE ....HE SAYS ...REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST CAME TO YOU ... IT WASN'T ABOUT THE PACKAGING ...IT WASN'T ABOUT HOW IMPRESSIVE I WAS .....IT WASN'T I WAS AN AWE INSPIRING SPEAKER..
I WAS WEAK HE SAYS .......I TREMBLED
I DIDN'T USE FANCY WORDS OR CLEVER
MANIPULATIVE WAYS ......NO ... I ONLY HAD
AND THAT MESSAGE IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST .... THAT'S THE “GOOD NEWS “
ITS GODS MESSAGE ...THAT WE ARE TOLD OF THE THESSALONIANS....1V8
THE LORDS MESSAGE RANG OUT FROM YOU
THE LORDS MESSAGE ........ not Chris Macs delivery .

So if like me you blunder and fumble and wonder why god doesn't incinerate me for my blundering in my sharing his wonderful message ,remember its his gospel ,its the gospel of his son and its the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes .

I think it was Gerald Coates who once preached that the gospel needs to be preserved and the gospel needs to be proclaimed .............. Lets do just that and trust him for Saving faith for our hearers .