Wednesday 26 September 2018

Jesus Christ, The Same Yesterday, Today and Forever






I had the privilege to be raised in a Christian Home and had the input of my parents and grandparents into my life, they were involved in a small Pentecostal Church in the South Wales Valleys.  My foundations were established in Pentecostalism and The Bible,  and although I spend a number of years in the Restoration/New Church/House Church movement ,  I have recently returned to my Pentecostal roots and heritage and have become a member of my local Elim Church.

I was raised in a small Pentecostal Church and one of the things that has remained a constant in my Christian Walk is my memory of a plaque on the wall of the Church I spent both my childhood and early teenager years in.

Hebrews 13:8New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Towards the end of her life, and after both my Granddad and my Mum had gone to be with the Lord,   I used to run errands and spend a lot of my time with my Gran, she spent a lot of time studying the word (Bible) and praying,  she would tell me about the early years of the Pentecostal movement here in the United Kingdom, one story she told me a number of times was about the time my Great Grandmother (her mother) took her and her older sister,  who both had issues with their eyesight from the village they lived in to Swansea because the Evangelist George Jeffreys  was holding Evangelistic Meetings there, both my Gran and her sister were healed, and almost 80 years my Gran remembered that time how the Lord had healed her and saved her.

I mentioned earlier that I have recently joined the local Elim Church,   although I have never been part of an Elim Church previously but because of my shared Pentecostal heritage and roots with Elim,  I have found myself drawn to become part of the Elim Movement,and in 2015 we celebrated and commemorated our 100th Anniversary .   I have seen a number of old photos both in our Direction Magazine and our website and facebook page,  I found an old photo of an Evangelist George Jeffreys Evangelistic Campaign and there was a banner  on the side of the hall where this meeting was being held and it said.

Hebrews 13:8New International Version (NIV)

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

I have become an avid reader (well I’ve always been an avid reader) of our Direction Magazine, and one of our retired Pastors,  Pastor John Lancaster writes a regular article called “And Finally”  and in the January 2015 copy of Direction. Pastor Lancaster writes these inspiring, challenging and encouraging words.

“ Where do we go from here…. Elim must continue to be Christ-centred,  preaching and practising the Foursquare Gospel of Jesus Christ as Saviour, Healer, Baptiser and Coming King,  She must continue to be unashamedly Pentecostal,  in practice as well as doctrine…. At a time when evangelicals are ambivalent about some doctrines of the faith, she must continue to submit to the authority of the Scriptures.  She must be moved increasingly with compassion for a broken world and seek to minister to those deep needs in whatever form it takes. Above all, Elim must seek to glorify the Lord Jesus. Her supreme task is not to be ‘successful’ in human terms,  but to be a community of humble men and women who walk with God and respond to the promptings of the Word and the Holy Spirit wherever that may take them.”


Called By God from The Oswald Chambers Daily Devotional

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." —Isaiah 6:8

God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, “…who will go for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear “the voice of the Lord” continually asking, “…who will go for Us?” However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, “Now, you go.” He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, “Here am I! Send me.”


Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His “Follow Me” was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard— “the voice of the Lord.” In perfect freedom we too will say, “Here am I! Send me.”



Pentecostalism, in its purist form, tries to do. It tries to erase the smudges on the church for the last 20 centuries and get back to what the early Christians believed and practiced. That is our goal—to get back to biblical, original Christianity…..So Pentecostalism, at its roots, is basically a restorationist movement. We believe that we can cut through 20 centuries of church tradition and get back to the original church. It doesn’t mean that we do everything like the original church, but we’re trying to have the same doctrine and experience of the Early Church.”  

Dr George O Wood, Assemblies of God,  USA



"The first thing that impresses us about the call of God is that it comes to the whole man, not to one part of him. The majority of us are godly in streaks, spiritual in sections; it takes a long time to locate us altogether to the call of God. We have special days and religious moods, but when we get into contact with God we are brought in touch with Reality and made all of a piece. Our Lord's life was all one reality; you could never cut it into two--shallow here and profound there. My conception of God must embrace the whole of my life." –

Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender. Yet we tend to say, “Yes, but— suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about . . . ?” Or we say, “Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn’t go against my common sense, but don’t ask me to take a step in the dark.”

Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.

By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ’s statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis— only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God.

Oswald Chambers.

“Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point--a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go more and more toward a slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest--our best for His glory." –

Oswald Chambers, from the My Utmost for His Highest

Too long have we been waiting for one another to begin! The time of waiting is past! The hour of God has struck! War is declared! In God's Holy Name let us arise and build! 'The God of Heaven, He will fight for us', as we for Him. We will not build on the sand, but on the bedrock of the sayings of Christ, and the gates and minions of hell shall not prevail against us. Should such men as we fear? Before the world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God, we will venture our all for Him, we will live and we will die for Him, and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God, than live trusting in man. And when we come to this position the battle is already won, and the end of the glorious campaign in sight. We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ.

CT Studd

Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world."

William Booth

“While women weep, as they do now,
I'll fight
While little children go hungry, as they do now,
I'll fight
While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now,
I'll fight
While there is a drunkard left,
While there is a poor lost girl upon the streets,
While there remains one dark soul without the light of God,
I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!”

William Booth

Isaiah 6:8New International Version (NIV)

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Matthew 9:35-38 New American Standard Bible.

35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He *said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

John 4:35-38

35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured and you have entered into their labour.”

An extract from Kingdom Dynamics from the New Spirit Filled Life Bible.

, “Shepherding amid the Supernatural, Ephesians 4:11ff teaches us that all leadership gifts are given by Christ the Lord of the church to “equip” (that is to mend, prepare and enable to function) the whole body of the congregation............ , true supernatural ministry at work in the church begets vital, spiritually functional people throughout the whole church family. The body is to be built up by the mutual efforts of all members supplying their contribution to the whole.  The call to empower people requires mentoring, training, imparting and discipling/discipleship - all aimed at preparing the body for stability and increase.”

Too long have we been waiting for one another to begin! The time of waiting is past! The hour of God has struck! War is declared! In God's Holy Name let us arise and build! 'The God of Heaven, He will fight for us', as we for Him. We will not build on the sand, but on the bedrock of the sayings of Christ, and the gates and minions of hell shall not prevail against us. Should such men as we fear? Before the world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God, we will venture our all for Him, we will live and we will die for Him, and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God, than live trusting in man. And when we come to this position the battle is already won, and the end of the glorious campaign in sight. We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ.

CT Studd.

Should such men as we fear? Before the world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God, we will venture our all for Him, we will live and we will die for Him, and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God, than live trusting in man.

CT Studd

Luke 5:1-11 & 27-28  New American Standard Bible

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the [a]people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but [b]I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signalled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ [c]feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;10 and so also were [d]James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 11 When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him…..27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named [m]Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

Isaiah 6v8 New American Standard Bible.

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people

Matthew 28 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

The great commission

16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’



 Acts 13:1-4 New American Standard Bible.

13 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews;

Some  2,000 years ago, our Lord called his first disciples to take his message to the lost,  of the land of  Israel and now he is calling us to take his message to the people of our land.

The Church is a movement for change and transformation but for many of us The Church has become a monument to our spiritual forefathers who were a movement for change and transformation !.


We, the Church are the visible representation of God’s Kingdom Rule and Reign here on Earth, we are his messengers of hope, healing, love and compassion, salvation & restoration, the people we see every day are the people for whom Jesus died on the Cross for, we are the ones who are to bring hope and healing to our communities.


Thursday 5 July 2018

The Church, The Master's Masterpiece




I enjoy visiting Art Galleries and Museums,  and on a particular rainy day a few weeks ago, I decided to visit Liverpool for the day and go to both the Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum , both are a part of the National Museums Liverpool.

Since I was about 11 after reading about it in the Reader’s Digest Magazine, I’ve always wanted to see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa which is located in Lourve Art Gallery in Paris,   I have never had that opportunity,  I know that we can download a copy or even buy a Poster or a Postcard of this world  famous picture, but they are not the original.

On my recent trip to the Walker Art Gallery,  I was admiring their fine collection of pictures including some absolute masterpieces,   I entered one of the galleries,  and my eye was caught by this amazing picture just after the door way,  I thought surely it can’t be,  directly in front of me,  was the Mona Lisa,   I asked one of the guides and he explained to me, it was an earlier version of Leonardo’s classic and most familiar and well known pictures,  and that it wasn’t on display very often because the Lourve would be unhappy,  someone else said that seeing the Lourve’s Mona Lisa meant long queues and high security, but here on public display was an earlier version of this masterpiece.  There were many other excellent pictures there but my attention was just on this one picture.   I spent most of my time just looking and admiring the Mona Lisa,  I even texted a close friend to let her know.



I’ve been a Christian for just over 30 years now, I was very, very young when I surrendered my life, my will, my desire and very being to something that was beyond my own existence, my Saviour, my Redeemer and my Lord Jesus who died an agonizing death on the cross not just for my sins but the entire sin of mankind, and he rose again, he was and is God’s substitute for us. and  as a boy of 11 and since then I have come to love, respect and desire the Church, which is far larger than our denominational grouping and history.  I’ve read the Bible cover to cover  many times ,read countless Christian books,  some of which I’ve agreed with ,   some I have disagreed with,  and some of which have challenged, blessed, encouraged me and made me think. 


We, the Church are the visible representation of God’s Kingdom Rule and Reign here on Earth, we are his messengers of hope, love and compassion, salvation & restoration, the people we see every day are the people for whom Jesus died on the Cross for, we are the ones who are to bring hope and healing to our communities.





I have found myself being part of the Pentecostal/Restoration/New Church streams of the Evangelical branch of the Church for the last 30 years,  and have had a strong grounding in theology/doctrine and practice for those 30 years,   I have had many ups, downs, peaks and troughs,  but my love for His Church is still there,  like many I have had disappointments, scars and hurts, times when I’ve been confused and disappointed,  times I have given up and considered giving up, yet despite this I love my Saviour and His Church.


My background is in the Pentecostal movement,  although for most of the last 20 plus years I’ve been part of the Restoration movement,  my understanding and acceptance of the theology of the church or ecclesiology is based upon and grounded in my Pentecostal up bringing, which in recent days I have re-discovered that  although I have been influenced by many fine Christian writers  such as Neil Cole,  Martin Robinson and others,  my theology isn’t some sort of spiritual or Christian pick and mix , I have studied and prayed through scripture and waited on the Lord and have listened to many fine Christians leaders and others over time, and some have challenged me more than others.  

The church has faced many challenges and opportunities throughout it’s history and today we believers in the early 21st century, face many of the same challenges and opportunities that our brothers and sisters who came before us have faced, yet we face many different challenges and opportunities that are unique to this moment in time, i.e the challenge of homosexuality, which the Bible calls a sin, if the Bible says it's a sin, it's a sin. Are homosexuals wired that way from birth or become wired that way later in life through circumstances etc, my personal understanding is that we can choose either to a life of sin or to  a life of justification and ongoing sanctification,  I strongly believe that you can’t be a Christian and live a sinful life  by living as an  homosexual, if a Christian decides to live a homosexual lifestyle  he or she is crucifying the Lord again. Hebrews 6:4-6

Hebrews 6 New Living Translation (NLT)

6 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds[a] and placing our faith in God. 2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

7 When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. 8 But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.

9 Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers,[b] as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.

I believe that we the church need to face head on, both the many challenges and opportunities that this current age has, have and will give us,  in the United Kingdom we face different challenges that our brothers and sisters in for example  the USA, such as the Scottish Independence Question,  my personal perspective is that Scotland would be making a major mistake by leaving the UK, in the USA how does the Church face up to the recent deaths and subsequent violence in regards to the Black Lives matter campaign.

Despite whatever some people tell us or act,  the Church, ( I don’t mean our particular denominational grouping) is here until our Lord returns, to bring his victorious army with Him to Heaven, not to rescue a defeated army that are holding on and out, until He returns,  instead of holding our lentil fields let us advance

C T Studd

Too long have we been waiting for one another to begin! The time of waiting is past! The hour of God has struck! War is declared! In God's Holy Name let us arise and build! 'The God of Heaven, He will fight for us', as we for Him. We will not build on the sand, but on the bedrock of the sayings of Christ, and the gates and minions of hell shall not prevail against us. Should such men as we fear? Before the world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God, we will venture our all for Him, we will live and we will die for Him, and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts. We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God, than live trusting in man. And when we come to this position the battle is already won, and the end of the glorious campaign in sight. We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ.
  
2 Samuel 23:11 New Living Translation

11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, 12 but Shammah[e] held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

I’ve been listening to a great series of teaching video’s called Cappuccino Communication that John Glass,  The former General Superintendent of the Elim Pentecostal Church has published online,  in the most recent series I have watched and listened to,  John has spoken on the yoke from Matthew 11:28-30


Matthew 11:28-30 The Voice.

28 Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Put My yoke upon your shoulders—it might appear heavy at first, but it is perfectly fitted to your curves. Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. When you are yoked to Me, your weary souls will find rest. 30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.


I don’t know who else finds this,  but when the Lord wants us to learn something, well at least with me, he keeps bringing my attention to the same passage of scripture,  I’ve found this to be true this week and at other times of my life.  Many of us in the church are weary because of situations and circumstances sometimes in the Church and at other times outside the Church, let us focus once more on our Lord and Saviour Jesus,  and became involved in, interested in and committed to once again to His Church.


I believe that are two key areas,  we need to look at today in the Church,  and these are Discipleship and Doctrine(Teaching) we need to see a resurgence of  Ephesians 4:11 ministries within the Church,  in some parts of the Church we have emphasised the ministries of the Apostle and of the Prophet and have in some ways neglected the equally important ministries of the Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher,  in some ways we have put the Apostles and Prophets on  a pedestal , thinking of  the Ephesians 4:11 ministries is  some sort of hierarchy ( which I believe is incorrect) all Ephesians 4 :11 ministries have a different function, ministry and calling  but are all equal, yet  the Apostle is the first among equals.

Matthew 28:18-20 NASB Discipleship

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”



Acts 2:42- 47 NASB Doctrine

42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and [ao]to prayer.

43 [ap]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and [aq]signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed [ar]were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread [as]from house to house, they were taking their [at]meals together with gladness and [au]sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding [av]to their number day by day those who were being saved

Ephesians 4:11- 16 NASB Leadership

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the [d]saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the [e]knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature [f]which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 [g]As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness [h]in deceitful scheming; 15 but [i]speaking the truth in love, [j]we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together [k]by what every joint supplies, according to the [l]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.




In conclusion

We the Church are the Master’s Masterpiece,  some translations say His Workmanship,   For many years, I have wanted to see Leonardo’s Mona Lisa,  I could have waited another 30 plus years, and hopefully seen it after joining a massive queue, I could have glanced the Mona Lisa, behind a glass pane for a few brief seconds,  before being rushed through by a French security guard, yet because I saw the Liverpool Mona Lisa,  I spend over an hour admiring that wonderful  picture ,  and wanted to share with everyone I meet or spoke to, that day,  we need to be re-captured by our Lord’s Vision, Desire and Plan for His Church, and let that re-inflame our hearts again.

Jesus Christ as Saviour, Baptiser with the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Soon-coming King.

Ephesians 2:8-10 New Living Translation

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 3:10-11 New Living Translation

10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Every Blessing in Him

Because of His Mercy, Grace and Love

For the sake of His Church and His Kingdom

Blair Humphreys


Southport,  Merseyside

Today's post

Jesus Christ, The Same Yesterday, Today and Forever

I had the privilege to be raised in a Christian Home and had the input of my parents and grandparents into my life, they were ...