Friday, 29 March 2013
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Monday, 25 March 2013
Acquitted - Bethel Church feat. Jeremy Riddle - Sunday Night Worship Jan...
This is an amazing Worship Song
Saturday, 23 March 2013
For the sake of the world, Bethel Music
I've been singing this great song, oops I meant attempting to sing, but nevertheless this is amazing song which has challenged and encouraged me. Be Blessed today when you listen to it
Friday, 22 March 2013
INTERVIEW: Rob Bell on Why He Supports Gay Marriage
INTERVIEW: Rob Bell on Why He Supports Gay Marriage
I don't support or agree with Rob Bell's views in this matter, I believe he is in error
I don't support or agree with Rob Bell's views in this matter, I believe he is in error
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
The Church, God’s Own People Part 2 They devoted themselves to Discipleship
The Church, God’s Own People
Part 2 They devoted themselves to Discipleship.
Acts 2:41 -47 New American Standard Bible
41 So then, those who had received his word were
baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They
were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a
sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the
apostles. 44 And all those who had believed 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 from house to house, they were taking
their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and
having favour with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day
by day those who were being saved.
Throughout the last 2,000 years of Church
History, we have had countless
models, missions, strategies, programs and systems that are/were supposed to make us more effective and efficient in
the ways we do, be and are the Church,
some of these have been more fruitful than others, I’ve been a Christian for
over 30 years and have seen these ideas
both working and failing, we have tried so many things and if we’re honest have
any of them worked as we hoped, dreamed and expected?
For many years we have built man-made structures
and systems that are no longer relevant to us the Church, these things have
served their purpose and in many ways have outlived their purposes.
I thought a
lot in recent days about the Mission and Vision of/for the Church is our
Mission and Vision the same as the Mission of the Church and the Vision of the
Church that Jesus and the early disciples had?
The first question we had to ask ourselves is what
our Lord Jesus’s Mission and Vision of the Church is? For that we must examine
Scripture, many have called these verses the Great Commission.
Matthew
28:18-20
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them,
saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 [a]Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching
them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you [b]always,
even to the end of the age.
Quite simply our Lord’s Mission and Vision for His
Church is found in Scripture, what the Bible teaches us about the Church should
be our first point of reference and our
last point of reference, indeed our only point of reference not the latest
podcast, prophecy, program, project or plan nor indeed our traditions or
history, it’s time that we no longer
relied on anything that isn’t found in Scripture and see a restoration of New Testament
Christianity, not on man made
systems and strategies, it’s time to change and now is the time to change!
I’m not saying we should ignore what Godly Men
& Women have written for and about the Church but we should only read books
etc. that have a strong and exclusive grounding
in the Bible.
We have tried many things to increase our
Churches, and see people born again, lives transformed, hope restored and
renewed, but can we say with total honesty, that what we tried has worked or has sometimes worked for a certain time and/or situation, yes we keep trying these trusted
old and not so old methods and despite our best efforts they’ve failed or haven’t
been as fruitful, the Bible speaks of old and new wineskins
Matthew
9:17
New American Standard Bible
17 Nor do people put new wine into old
wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the
wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are
preserved.”
I believe that the old wineskins
speak of our old ways of doing things, and the new wineskins speaks of the
Biblical ways of both doing and being the Church.
For many years our model of
Church has been called Attractional Church and recent years a new model has
been promoted the Incarnational church or Missional Church.
I’m going to be controversial
I believe the Church needs to both Attractional and Incarnational! We need to
bring people in and send people out, I'm not going to promote or invent a new
way of us being and doing Church, I will say it’s time we return to our roots or
go back to basics, we need to be a Church of Disciples, A Church were our growth strategy
is based on Discipleship, our Mission is his Great Commission our Vision is His
Vision.
In my next post, I will continue
with Discipleship and give a Biblical example of what a Church based on
Discipleship will look like?
Yours in His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside, UK
Rooftops - Jesus Culture (lyric video)
From the Rooftops with Lyrics, because if you're like me you forget them
Monday, 18 March 2013
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“The community of the saints is not an "ideal" community consisting of perfect and sinless men and women, where there is no need of further repentance. No, it is a community which proves that it is worthy of the gospel of forgiveness by constantly and sincerely proclaiming God's forgiveness...Sanctification means driving out the world from the Church as well as separating the Church from the world. But the purpose of such discipline is not to establish a community of the perfect, but a community consisting of men who really live under the forgiving mercy of God.”
―
―
Saturday, 16 March 2013
I was wondering… about playing against type
http://blog.christianconnection.co.uk/i-was-wondering-about-playing-against-type/
*
I made a decision, some time ago not to re-post other people's blog's but this
caught my attention, so I'm reposting it.*
I
was wondering… about playing against type
I
had a type. It changed occasionally (OK, regularly), sometimes depending on the
last film I had seen or whoever I had just passed in the street. But there was
always someone – a hypothetical someone – who ticked all the boxes. An
invisible standard, lurking in my subconscious, by which all potential suitors
would be measured. I just had to wait for him to glide majestically into view.
And
then I passed 30.
Maybe
you’re there already; maybe the magical milestone is still to come, but
whichever side of the big 3-0 you happen to reside, there’s something you might
have noticed. Although I didn’t look dramatically different – well, apart from
a sudden love for support tights and elasticated waists, obviously – once word
was out perceptions changed. Have you seen ‘Bride Wars’? I won’t judge you if
you say yes. Thanks to my hairy, tattooed brother (yes really) I have, and a
concept from it stuck in my mind. In summary: 30 is the last age a man will go
out with a woman of his own age; after that, he always goes younger. A woman
over 30, therefore, should expect the attentions of older men, not men the same
age, who would only be interested in younger women.
Hmm.
Thankfully God didn’t write ‘Bride Wars’.
And
yet it seemed some people enthusiastically bought into this notion. I was
suddenly suggested as the perfect companion for significantly older men. In one
case, I was solemnly assured, because the gentleman in question had “never
grown up” (hopefully not one of those chaps fond of wearing nappies). I was
also told if I could hang on for a few more years I could catch the
second-time-rounders back on the ‘market’, or even bide my time, staring
intently from a distance without introduction, for some poor chaps to recover from
tragically being widowed. None of it seemed terribly romantic. Slightly
alarming, yes. Sinister? Just a little. A pre-defined role as a companion to
the heartbroken (or Peter Pan) and I – and maybe they -didn’t get much say in
what happened next. So much for having a type. I was already being typecast.
But
then I looked around at couples I knew and saw a lot more variety. Differences
in age, culture, race, education, height, weight and background. Men older than
women but also (gasp!) women older than men. One couple born on the same day in
the same year now excited about becoming grandparents. Couples who met at youth
group and university and church but also couples who met on blind dates, by
chance in nightclubs, even on trains. Unexpected matches in which both
flourished. Where types didn’t apply, because something deeper had kicked in.
So
when long-time single friends* announced they had found love with older,
divorced single parents despite having devoted years to hooking super-hot,
younger, uncomplicated matches it made me wonder. On paper (or online) it can
seem so straightforward. This is what I want. Don’t even talk to me if you
don’t fit. The delightfully misused ‘God will give me the desires of my heart’
wheeled out to justify preferences, but unless we’re perfect (except me,
obviously) we need to broaden our horizons. Let character, sense of humour,
inspiring conversation, kindness, even differences and challenges, draw us to
others. Prepare to be surprised. See what we might be missing. Say goodbye to
types and hello to possibilities.
*Male
and female. Did you guess?
Written
by Vicky Walker Posted in: Dating,
Singleness
About
Vicky Walker
Vicky
Walker is a writer and speaker, among other things. Her book ‘Do I have to be
good all the time?’ about life, love and awkward moments is available now from
www.vickywalker.info
The Church: God’s Own People. Part 1: They devoted themselves.
The
Church: God’s Own People.
Part
1:
They
devoted themselves.
Acts
2:41 -47 New American Standard Bible
41
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and
that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting
themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many
wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And
all those who had believed 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 from house to house, they were taking their meals together
with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favour
with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day
by day those who were being saved.
Can
you imagine the local Church you are a part of,
suddenly found itself doubled or even tripled overnight ?, what would
you and your fellow believers do ?, what changes what you need to put into
place ?, what strategies and systems would you need to disciple the new
believers? The Church in Jerusalem led by men like Peter suddenly found
themselves with 3,000 new believers, we notice the strategies and systems they
put into place, yes there were still issues, situations, problems, challenges
and opportunities in the early Church, indeed nothing has changed in the last
2,000 plus years, and I’m not saying that they got it right all the time but at
least they put things into place.
When
King David died his son and successor King Solomon, was commissioned to build
the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, he didn’t go to visit Egypt or any other
neighbouring country, travel to or write to any other Temple he turned to God’s
Word, his father David had given Solomon the Lord’s plan for building His
Temple.
1
Chronicles 28:9-21 ESVa
9
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a
whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and
understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you,
but if you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever. 10 Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the
sanctuary; be strong and do it.”11 Then David gave Solomon his son the plan
of the vestibule of the temple,[a] and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper
rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat; 12 and the
plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the Lord, all
the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the
treasuries for dedicated gifts; 13 for the divisions of the priests and of the
Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the Lord; for all the
vessels for the service in the house of the Lord, 14 the weight of gold for all
golden vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service,
15 the weight of the golden lampstands and their lamps, the weight of gold for
each lampstand and its lamps, the weight of silver for a lampstand and its
lamps, according to the use of each lampstand in the service, 16 the weight of
gold for each table for the showbread, the silver for the silver tables, 17 and
pure gold for the forks, the basins and the cups; for the golden bowls and the
weight of each; for the silver bowls and the weight of each; 18 for the altar
of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden
chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the
covenant of the Lord. 19 “All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand
of the Lord, all the work to be done according to the plan.”20 Then David said
to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be
dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or
forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is
finished. 21 And behold the divisions of the priests and the Levites
for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work will be
every willing man who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and
all the people will be wholly at your command.”
When
Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, he followed the example of Moses when He
built the pre-cursor to the Temple, which is the Tabernacle, both have received
their commissioning from the Lord, Exodus 25:40 an Hebrews 8:5, both the Temple
and the Tabernacle were types or shadows of the Church, Hebrews 8.5.
The best way indeed the
only true way to build Church is according to the plan The Lord has given us,
that is found in His Written Word our Bible, we will continue to look at that in Part
2 onwards
Yours
according to His Mercy
Blair
Humphreys
Southport,
Merseyside
Friday, 15 March 2013
Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra-Ordinary God. Part 4:
Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra-Ordinary God.
Part 4:
I Corinthians 1-12:13, 3:4-11, 3:21 – 23 New Living Translation.
12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter, [d]” or “I follow only Christ! …… 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? 5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 11 for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ…. 21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter,[g] or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
When we look at the Church today, what do we see and what do we mean by the word Church ? to some the word Church has a negative effect on the other hand, the word Church has a positive effect, to others Church should be consigned to the past, and it doesn’t have any relevance to them and society both today in the present or indeed tomorrow the future, some think of the word Church and they think of a physical building others think of the New Testament concept of God’s people or a spiritual building.
The Church today is divided into various camps or tribal groups, that more often or not have very little to do with other camps or tribal groups, sometimes different churches can be close to each in terms of a physical distance, but miles apart in so many other ways. Is the Church somewhere we can go to or is it a body of people that we belong to, and are joined alongside each other to work alongside each other to see the Good News of the Gospel of the Kingdom preached to those without the Good News of Salvation through our Lord and Saviour Jesus.
We are divided into groups or denominations that have more to do with our past, and very little to do with our present or future. We hold onto ways of both doing and being church because of our history and our responsibilities to that history, and the expectancies of others. Sometimes we're divided into seemingly rival tribal groups, because for some our revelation of being and doing church is driven by being the people of God where His Presence dwells, but on the other hand we're divided because of politics and personalties !.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 follow men and sometimes women, we follow the traditions that were our spiritual forefather’s doctrines and their distinctiveness from other tribal groups and when someone from another tribe says let’s meet together for fellowship and to share together, we say we can't because we’re group a and your group b and our big chief said in 1920 said that we need to avoid group b because your understanding of church and Christianity is different from way he told us to be the church and to be a Christian and therefore you’re wrong, or we do meet together but in a spirit of reluctance and/or a spirit of mistrust, we’ve created theories, doctrines, theologies and solutions how we’re to be the church and to life our Christian lives and be a Christian Witness, but many of those theories etc belong in the past, and have become hindrances and obstacles for us today.
Many of our tribes or denominations have become tied to the way we did Church, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or a 100 plus years ago, we look for structure and safety in the past. We think that the way we do and are the Church is the right or indeed the only way to be do or be Church, we mistake our history for our present and future and wonder why despite our best efforts, our prayers indeed our prophecies, we’re unfulfilled !
When our Lord Jesus walked the streets of his homeland, he saw a fig tree and when he looked for fruit he found only leaves Matthew 21:18-20, 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?
I would say that so many of our churches are like that fig tree, yes we have life but it has gone to produce only leaves, instead of producing leaves alongside fruit, indeed later in the same chapter, Jesus spoke about the physical nation of Israel, saying that because they trusted in themselves rather than trusting in the Lord, that had lost the Kingdom of God, Matthew 21:43 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.
For many of our churches today, we’ve lost the Kingdom of God because we’ve trusted in ourselves, our systems, structures and strategies instead of trusting Him , our Lord and Saviour Jesus, we’ve just grown leaves not fruit and God has gone and left us, even then we’ve created a theology and/or theory/or solutions around that, see Habakkuk 3:15-18 17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
However there is a message of hope, for those Churches that once proclaimed God’s Message, Haggai 1:6 6 You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! See Haggai 1, our transformation isn’t due to our living in the luxury houses that are our own tribal groups/denominations/churches but rather our transformation comes through being part of His Church, or the Temple or the House of the Lord. We’ve become consumed that our way of doing and being Church is also the Lord’s way of doing and being Church, but our ways are not his ways of doing and being Church see Isaiah 55:8-11
We have set in place man made structures, systems and organizations to how to do and be the Church today, we set in place committees, clerical systems and called and commissioned those He’s not called and commissioned to lead us in being the Church and we wonder why nothing is working, we’ve watered down and diluted our message to make it pliable to others, we’ve accepted things that go against Biblical Standards like Homosexual Clergy and wonder why God isn’t moving amongst us and blessing us
Yet, there is hope for us the Church, the old wineskins of our ways, those beloved ways of doing and being the Church aren’t working and if we try to add His way of being and doing Church or the new wine to our old wineskins, our old wineskins are going to tear and break up, instead we need His new wineskins of doing and being the Church, his structure, systems, and Leadership* and following those He has called and commissioned to lead us forward, see Luke 5:37-39.
We notice in Scripture, there is a God Ordained indeed Organized way of being and doing Church, no longer will our man made systems cope with the things, our message should be say no, to the status quo, We don’t need any other or more denominations or tribes, we don’t need another methodology of doing and being the Church. We need to be a Movement and not a Monument. We need to see a restoration of Apostolic Christianity, which is a Movement for the 21st Century Church not a Monument to the 1st Century Church. We need to see Revival through a Renewed Church.
It says in Ephesians 4:11-13* 11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. See Ephesians 4:11-16 for context.
Yours in His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside
Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra-Ordinary God. Part 3
Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra-Ordinary God.
Part 3
I Corinthians 1:12-13 and 3:4-11 New Living Translation.
12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter, [d]” or “I follow only Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! …… 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? 5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. 10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.11 for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ
Today when we walk in the places we live, we see buildings that are used for various purposes, some buildings are where we live, other buildings are where we work, shop, rest and relax, there are specialist buildings such as Train Stations, Churches and Hospitals, each building has a specific function and role to fulfil that more often is unique to that building, sometimes buildings can be adapted and changed to serve a different purpose than their original purpose, some buildings have been left desolate and have become ruins and monuments, some buildings are empty because no one can find a use for them anymore. Each building we see regardless of its use and purpose needs a foundation.
The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 NLT, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” see Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 47- 49 for the context. Luke 6:47-48 NLT says , “47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house that digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.
Today in 2013, we see various versions of the Bible, that are available for us to read and study, I use the New American Standard Bible, and when I write I use Bible Gateway which has dozens of Bible Versions. I use various versions of the Bible since I was saved at 11 but at the end of day as The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3: 15-17 NLT, “15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
To develop and progress in our Christian walk and witness, to be more effective disciples of our Lord and Saviour we must read and study God’s Written Word daily. When I was in Sunday School, I remember singing this song “Read your Bible, Pray every day, if you want to Grow “If that was important for me as a child how much more important is for me as a more mature Christian today?
When someone builds a foundation for a building, if they decide to use cheap or substandard building materials wouldn’t that building look strange or be dangerous and likely to collapse, yet if we don’t as Christians build using the correct building materials wouldn’t our lives and our Christian Witness look equally strange, look dangerous or likely to collapse see 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 NLT.
We build our Christian Life and Witness not on the latest fads or fashions, the opinions or perspectives of others however appealing or relevant they seem, we don’t build on what the non-Christian or anti-Christian demands of our Society are. We build on God’s Word the Bible that has been and still is God’s Inspired Word; there is nothing more relevant to us today than God’s Word
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:20 NLT, “20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.”
To lead His Church into the fullness and completeness that He always intended it to be, Our Lord Jesus set apart Leadership Gifts, that this He has called in the past and is calling today specific individuals to positions of Leadership in His Church, today we have various names, titles and badges and descriptions of Leadership that vary from Church to Church!.
We have built man-made structures and systems from the early days of the Church to co-ordinate what happens in the Church, I’m not against co-ordination or structure and systems but the organization of Church isn’t the central purpose of the Church, in many cases we have made a god of organization. The Church is a living and breathing organism, the organization is the servant of the organism but more often or not the organism has become the servant of the organization.
I’m not saying that the Church and our Church Meetings become a free for all, the place of gossip and chat, good ideas and the downright weird and wacky, although it can happen, however, there is a divinely inspired framework for the correct method of Church Structure.
In the New Testament especially Paul’s epistles, we see God’s structure for the Church and how the Church should be organized and lead. Today we have Vicars, Priests, Bishops, Archbishops, Reverends etc. etc., we give people titles and badges and recognition, but are they God given titles, badges and recognition or are they man given?
We see both in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, part of God’s structure and framework for the church, 1 Corinthians 12:28 ESVA, “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. For the context see 1 Corinthians 12:27-30, and Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT, “11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. For the context see Ephesians 4:11-16.
The first part of God’s structure for the Church are The Apostles, The Prophets, The Evangelists, The Pastors or Shepherds and The Teachers which are five distinct ministry areas given to certain individuals in the Church, these Men and their ministries are gifts given by our Lord and Saviour as gifts to His Church, the second part of God’s structure are the Elders and Deacons, I believe that all the other ministry areas here are given to Men, and although I respect and honour the role/s of the Ladies in the Church, the biblical example of Leadership in the Church is uniquely for Men. The descriptions of the roles of The Elders and Deacons in the Church are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13. Firstly Elders In 1 Timothy 3:1-2 NLT, “This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, [a] he desires an honourable position.” 2 So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. [b] He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. Then Secondly Deacons in I Timothy 3:8 NLT, “In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity.”
I believe that the correct indeed the only way for His Church to move forward in the 21st Century and face all the challenges and opportunities that it brings is firstly live as disciples, be in relational covenant with each other and follow Our Saviour’s leadership and direction in our lives, and follow the example and influence of those God has called to lead us, I would describe this a restoration or renewal of Apostolic Christianity. For my American readers, I mean New Testament Christianity, not Apostolic in the context of the Oneness Gospel.
Yours in His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside
Thursday, 14 March 2013
THE LIFE THAT GOD HAS ORDAINED FOR A CHRISTIAN.Watchman Nee
THE LIFE THAT GOD HAS ORDAINED
FOR A CHRISTIAN
The Bible shows us that God has ordained for every Christian a life that is filled with joy. This life is completely at peace, has no barriers in its fellowship with God, and is not contrary to His will in any way. The life that God has prepared for a Christian is one that does not thirst after the world. It walks apart from sin and is victorious over sin. It is holy, powerful, and victorious. It knows the will of God and fellowships with God without interruption. This is the life that God has ordained in the Scripture for a Christian.
God has ordained a life that is hidden with Christ in God. What can touch this life? What can affect or shake this life? Just as Christ is unshakable, we also are unshakable. Just as He is transcendent over all things, we also are transcendent over all things. Our standing before God is the same as Christ's standing before God. We should never consider that we are destined for weakness and failure. There is no room for such a thought for a Christian in the Bible. Colossians 3:4 says, "Christ our life." Christ is far above everything. Nothing can touch Him. Hallelujah! This is the life of Christ!
The life that God ordains for a Christian is one that is filled with peace and joy. It is a life that is full of activity, vitality, and God's will. But what kind of life do we live? If we are not living the life that God has ordained, we need to overcome and break through in this matter. Consequently, we need to consider our experience today. This is not an easy subject to speak on. Some of our experiences may be quite sad. However, we will see our lack when we humble ourselves. Only then will God grant us grace.
The Overcoming Life, Watchman Nee
Part 2:
Ephesians 3:10 -12 and 16 – 21 NIVUK
So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him…………… 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen
I grew up in the South Wales Valleys, were the common themes for many were Chapel, Rugby and the Colliery, the threads that would often hold those communities together would be those mentioned above, the hymns of the Chapel such as Guide me, O Though Great Jehovah would be sung with at least equal gusto on a Saturday Afternoon watching the Rugby.
In many ways, our lives would have been influenced and affected by the strong religious traditions of something best described as chapel culture, when we spoke of the church, we would often have of thought of the Anglican Church with their vicars etc., for many people from a chapel background the church was a strange place that could be described it’s church, but not as we know it!.
The traditions of Chapel Culture would be at least influenced by protecting and promoting Welsh Language and Culture, and to distinguish it against the English Language and Culture. I would say that in the Village where the Church I was raised in, is located. Approximately half the Chapels would speak Welsh in all their services. I love Wales, its Language, Culture and its People but there aren’t The Lord who died for my sins and the sins of the entire World, and rose again in Victory and is coming back for us when He comes to reign and rule and establish His Kingdom in its full splendour and glory.
We have made idols of so many things in the Church, whether that be our traditions, heritage and our national or cultural identities, our churches have become monuments to past moves of God, or to the men who God raised up to move his Church forward. The Church has become known to what we’re against rather than what we for, we fight battles and wars with society rather than supporting and encouraging society, yes there are anti-Christian influences and challenges facing us today, with the prospect of Gay Marriage and the attempts of our politicians to force change in the legal definition of marriage.
When people think of Church they think of a dying religion and something that is part of the establishment. We should stand against the enemy, the devil but our weapons aren’t the weapons or the strategies of the world, see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 .We try to convict the people we meet whose lives aren’t in accordance with scripture of their sin but we aren’t the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin and shows them God’s righteousness see John 16:-8-11 instead we’ve alienated those He sent us to show His Love and Compassion to.
When Jesus walked the streets of the lands of Bible Times, he wasn’t part of the establishment, whether that was the political or the religious establishment, Jesus is God’s ultimate revolutionary, he isn’t some kind of Jewish Che Guevara, he was and is the Son of God, who came as baby, lived a normal life, then for the last 3 years of his life, bought God’s message of transformation, hope, redemption, salvation, deliverance and peace to those he meet regardless of their sexuality, disability, cultural or ethnic background, he raised up normal men and women, that were often the lowest and sometimes the most despised people in society, like his ancestor King David, who’s mighty men came from those in debt, distress or the discontented, see 2 Samuel 22:3, he died an agonising death on the cross, of all the tens of thousands than were crucified by the Roman and other empires, only one death made a difference, Jesus took the entire sin of the entire world from that day until he day He returns, and died as the sacrifice for not only the sins of the church, but the sins of those yet to know Him. He arose Victorious from the tomb, and entered Heaven after preparing His early disciples and sending the Holy Spirit see John 20 so that His Church may go forward and see people saved, lives transformed, hope restored and renewed and salvation bought to the ends of the earth.
Today, we the Church like David’s Mighty Men and the early Disciples are God’s Mighty Men and Women of Faith, who have been tasked by our Saviour and Lord to advance His Kingdom and His Church into our streets, neighbourhoods, communities, regions, nations and the nations of the world.
When God commissioned the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8 see here for context. Isaiah 6:8-9 8 And 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 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
Throughout the History of the Church, God has called and commissioned Ordinary People just like You and Me, he’s not called the seemingly best equipped or seemingly the most talented or indeed the best gifted, when God sent the Prophet Samuel to anoint Israel’s next King he sent him to the home of Jesse in Bethlehem, and when he looked at Jesse’s Sons he saw some great and talented warriors but they weren’t God’s choice see 1 Samuel 16:5-13, God is calling the Ordinary People to rise up for Him see 1 Corinthians 26-29 but let us not be like the Prophet Jonah, who when God called him to Nineveh went in the opposite direction!
Today God is calling again Whom shall I send, and who will go for us, will we say Here am I send Me, and will we ready to Go to those who sends us and where He sends us ?
Yours in His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra-Ordinary God. Part 1:
Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra-Ordinary God., Part 1
Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra-Ordinary God.
Part 1:
Ephesians 3:10-12 &; 20 &; 21 ESVUK
10 so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places 11. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord 12, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him…………………20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us 21, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.
I love the Church, I think it’s amazing; I love Jesus more and more each day and love looking at, reading and studying His written Word the Bible. and I love being a part of His amazing Church, When you think about it That the Church belongs to Jesus and His written Word the Bible explains to us how to live our lives as Christians who are the people who make up the Church, it can revolutionise your love for the Church and our Saviour.
I was raised in a Christian Home and both my dad and my late mum, with my late grandparents give me a love for Scripture, the Church and our Lord and Saviour Jesus, I was * saved or * born again or * accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour (*depends on your theological viewpoint!) when I was 11 in a Children’s Meeting, Easter Monday 1981.
I was raised in a little church in Resolven, which is near Neath, South Wales now called The Resolven Community Church, which is part of a larger grouping called the Apostolic Church which are part of the Pentecostal Movement here in the UK the others are The Assemblies of God and Elim, both of which are a real blessing to know. I spent the first 13 years of the Christian Life within The Apostolic Church I thank the Lord for the privilege of being raised in that denomination and the grounding and foundation I had there, and the friends I have there today.
Those who know me know I love reading and one of the things I love reading about is the Church. I devour books at the best of times, but I’m always drawn to books about the Church. I’ve been inspired by many godly writers such as Alan Roxburgh, Neil Cole, Floyd McClung, Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton amongst others and have been challenged by what God has said through them. I’ve also been inspired by some great Church Leaders like Keri Jones, Arnallt Morgan, Mark Davies, Roger Aubrey, Mick Walford, Mike & John Sutton-Smith, Geoff Grice and Steve Smith who have through the last 18 years have inspired and challenged me to go on with the things of God, and go deeper with God. I would like this opportunity to say thank you and to Arnallt diolch yn fawr.
When you think about it, there are various models of Church and different perspectives on what the Church are, and what it should or could be. My Spiritual grounding and heritage has been and still is the Pentecostal/Charismatic/ Restoration stream/s which are part of the broader Evangelical Spectrum although I admire and respect those whose Christian path has been or is different from mine.
My background is of someone growing up in the Welsh Valleys, although I now live in the North West of England, when I think of my younger days that Church more or often or not was somewhere we went, rather than something we are part of. I thought of a Physical Building rather than a Spiritual Building, Yes Physical Buildings are important but they serve the Spiritual Building, by the way that’s you and me.
There are countless ways or models of doing and being the Church such as Missional church, Simple church etc. ,etc. there are large churches, small churches, medium churches, full churches, half full churches, empty churches, traditional churches, free churches, Baptist churches, Anglican churches, Pentecostal churches the list can go on and on If you look in your Telephone Directory or search online, how many churches are listed in your City, Town or Village ?, * Note I use the word Church to describe the Church in general and the word church to describe churches, that is in the local church or the church grouping You or I are part of, and isn’t meant to diminish any one church or group of churches *
I don’t believe that there should only be model or type of church, I believe that each model or type of church is equally valid and has an important and relevant part to play in our role to Evangelise those who yet don’t know the Lord, The Lord has called us to work alongside in a sense of co-operation not to compete against each other in attracting unbelievers those who yet don’t know the Lord or have a relationship with Him.
I believe that different models or ways of doing and being the church can reach different types of people. For one person may feel comfortable in for example a more traditional type of church and for another person may feel more comfortable in a more lively church, then someone else may like a more simple way of doing church for example in a smaller setting, then someone may feel more comfortable being amongst a crowd.
Our Lord, Saviour & Redeemer Jesus Christ says in Matthew 16:18b ESVUK.
“I will build my church, and the gates of hell[b] shall not prevail against it.”
The Apostle Paul, says in Ephesians 4:1-7 ESVUK
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift
Our Lord, Saviour and Redeemer give his life for One Church and He’s coming back for One Church, regardless of what part of the Church You or I belong to we are One Church.
In part 2 onwards I will look in more depth into the Book of Ephesians mostly and other books of the Bible to see what it means to be the Church and how we go about being The Church, I’m hoping to expand in more depth at a later point Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the Extra –Ordinary God.
Yours in His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside, England
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
The Church, Gods Idea
Ephesians
3:9-11
English
Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
9
and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for
ages in[a] God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold
wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the
heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he
has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Can
you imagine a day, when God’s Church is no longer divided into distinctive
groups that meet separately Sunday by Sunday, when we no longer see ourselves as different tribes of one nation or different regiments in the same army, when we no longer keep our
distance from each other because of our variety of methodology.
When
our nations are shaken and transformed when God’s army raises from its slumber
and self-imposed exile of both the barracks and the training ground, when rather
than one or two going out on a reconnaissance mission the whole army raises up as
one and advances into satan’s territory and we reclaim our communities, our
people, our universities and education system, our hospitals, our governments,
our legal systems etc, etc. When our nations are
no longer under the dominion of satan but the under the domain and authority of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus, the rightful King.
To
be continued
Monday, 11 March 2013
I was wondering… about playing against type
http://blog.christianconnection.co.uk/i-was-wondering-about-playing-against-type/
* I made a decision, some time ago had to re-post other people's blog's but this caught my attention, so I'm reposting it.*
* I made a decision, some time ago had to re-post other people's blog's but this caught my attention, so I'm reposting it.*
I was wondering… about playing against type
I had a type. It changed occasionally (OK, regularly), sometimes depending on the last film I had seen or whoever I had just passed in the street. But there was always someone – a hypothetical someone – who ticked all the boxes. An invisible standard, lurking in my subconscious, by which all potential suitors would be measured. I just had to wait for him to glide majestically into view.
And then I passed 30.
Maybe you’re there already; maybe the magical milestone is still to come, but whichever side of the big 3-0 you happen to reside, there’s something you might have noticed. Although I didn’t look dramatically different – well, apart from a sudden love for support tights and elasticated waists, obviously – once word was out perceptions changed. Have you seen ‘Bride Wars’? I won’t judge you if you say yes. Thanks to my hairy, tattooed brother (yes really) I have, and a concept from it stuck in my mind. In summary: 30 is the last age a man will go out with a woman of his own age; after that, he always goes younger. A woman over 30, therefore, should expect the attentions of older men, not men the same age, who would only be interested in younger women.
Hmm. Thankfully God didn’t write ‘Bride Wars’.
And yet it seemed some people enthusiastically bought into this notion. I was suddenly suggested as the perfect companion for significantly older men. In one case, I was solemnly assured, because the gentleman in question had “never grown up” (hopefully not one of those chaps fond of wearing nappies). I was also told if I could hang on for a few more years I could catch the second-time-rounders back on the ‘market’, or even bide my time, staring intently from a distance without introduction, for some poor chaps to recover from tragically being widowed. None of it seemed terribly romantic. Slightly alarming, yes. Sinister? Just a little. A pre-defined role as a companion to the heartbroken (or Peter Pan) and I – and maybe they -didn’t get much say in what happened next. So much for having a type. I was already being typecast.
But then I looked around at couples I knew and saw a lot more variety. Differences in age, culture, race, education, height, weight and background. Men older than women but also (gasp!) women older than men. One couple born on the same day in the same year now excited about becoming grandparents. Couples who met at youth group and university and church but also couples who met on blind dates, by chance in nightclubs, even on trains. Unexpected matches in which both flourished. Where types didn’t apply, because something deeper had kicked in.
So when long-time single friends* announced they had found love with older, divorced single parents despite having devoted years to hooking super-hot, younger, uncomplicated matches it made me wonder. On paper (or online) it can seem so straightforward. This is what I want. Don’t even talk to me if you don’t fit. The delightfully misused ‘God will give me the desires of my heart’ wheeled out to justify preferences, but unless we’re perfect (except me, obviously) we need to broaden our horizons. Let character, sense of humour, inspiring conversation, kindness, even differences and challenges, draw us to others. Prepare to be surprised. See what we might be missing. Say goodbye to types and hello to possibilities.
*Male and female. Did you guess? 
Friday, 8 March 2013
To boldly go, where no-one has gone before !
To
boldly go, where no-one has gone before !
When
I was growing up, my parents and grandparents would take me and my two sisters
on holidays to Ifracombe on the North Devon Coast, and more often or not we
would go by the MV Balmoral, which would sail between Swansea and Ilfracombe in
the Summer months, and while there go for boat trips that would sail from
Ilfracombe harbour, I have many happy memories of going there as child and
early teenager, because of these memories I enjoy spending time by the Coast and now live in a Seaside Resort,
although I have not been on a boat trip for a while, I'm fascinated both by
boats and the Sea.
I
remember a few years ago, while on holidays in Porthleven, Cornwall, spending
time in the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth and had an interesting and
enjoyable time there, although one thing I noticed more than others that the
boats on display, none of them were in their original context , it was
fascinating looking at these boats and reading all about them, but all them weren't
doing the job they were designed and build for, yes, being on the water.
Porthleven is a lovely, fishing village situated near Helston, and has a very
picturesque harbour and I noticed that all the boats were doing the purpose
they were designed and build for. Like other seaside holiday destinations,
Porthleven has several shops selling goods to tourists, some of these shops
sell model ships, they look exactly like the originals, but they could never
do, the same job as the original ! they were just for display
For
centuries Great Britain has been a maritime nation, and many of our national
heroes have been sailors, from the historic figures like Sir Francis Drake,
Horatio Nelson, Captain James Cook, to the fictional heroes such as Horatio
Hornblower, many of our wars and the battles that we fought have involved
fighting on Sea, from fighting the Spanish Armada, The Battle from Trafalgar,
The Battle Of Jutland, The Battle of the River Plate. Most of our imports and
exports travel by sea, the sea has important part to play into our history,
present and future as Great Britain. The sea routes used today both for
business and pleasure had to be discovered, and the ships that travel those
routes use sea-charts to show them where they are going and how to get there,
from the smallest cabin cruiser to the mighty container ship. Yet someone had
to go out and navigate the sea in order for these sea-charts to be produced.
Many of these men, such as Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook, stand tall
throughout our history.
We
see in our Bibles, countless references to sailing and to sea, from Noah's
Voyage, to Jonah and we know that the Lord's Disciples Peter, Andrew, James and
John were fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and many of the early missionaries
such as Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Mark, Timothy and Luke often travelled by sea to
spread the Good News of the Gospel of Salvation to the people of the known
world. In Ephesians 4:12, one of the meanings of the Greek Word we translate as
equip is prepare a ship for voyage (one of the other meanings, is to set a
broken bone).
In
the 19th and 20th centuries many people left these shores and other shores to
travel the world, to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Salvation, following
the example of men like William Carey, John Wesley and George Whitfield, I
remember growing up in small Pentecostal Church in the South Wales Valley's,
and hearing about many men and women who went forth as missionaries, and being
inspired by the reports that came back from our missionaries in places like
Nigeria and India, I had the privilege not only of having a retired missionary
as one of my Sunday School Teachers, and having two former missionary couples
as my Pastor and his wife , but also being related to one of the earliest
Pentecostal Pioneers from the United Kingdom to Nigeria, who in his later years
inspired me to seek and serve God. While a student in Bible School, several of
my lecturers had been missionaries, and I know how much they inspired me and my
fellow students.
In
the early part of the 21st Century, many of us may not have the same
opportunities to travel to other lands following in the footsteps of our
brothers and sisters who went before us, there are still opportunities we can
take, perhaps in short-term mission trips, we have advancements in technology
they didn't have anything like the Internet, I remember being in School in the 1980's
and never thought then I could not talk to people in places like America and
Australia via a computer and a phone-line but to count them as friends as well.
On the other hand we don't have to travel to other lands to be a missionary, we
can be missionaries in our villages, towns, suburbs, cities but most
importantly in our communities. I know that in the coming days, the Lord will
inspire many of us to become missionaries on other towns, cities and regions
throughout our own lands but other lands as well.
In
the last 12-18 months, I have been greatly inspired by the writings of people
like Alan J Roxburgh, Alan Hirsch, Neil Cole, Martin Robinson and Floyd
McClung, especially when it comes to being Missional and being challenged by
the concept of mission dei or God's Mission. I may not have the opportunities
to travel to other lands to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Salvation,
but it doesn't mean that there are no opportunities here in the United Kingdom.
I've just read something that David Cameron, the Prime Minister here in the UK, said about Broken Britain and Social Recession. (If you
would like to read more about Missional, I strongly recommend (Introducing the
Missional Church by Alan J Roxburgh). Both my prayer and desire is to see God
raise up His People here in the UK and other lands to see the spiritual needs
in our own lands, and be willing to follow His direction either to pray,
support or go, hopefully to do all, some of us He will send to our neighbours,
some of us He will send to our streets, some to our towns and cities, but all
He asks are we willing to go to those He will send us ?
Some
of us in coming days, He will ask to be Pioneers, and to go where no-one has gone
before or for some time, to break into new territory or to go and re-claim
territory. I'm now going to share some Scriptures with you, and my Prayer is
that God will use these Scriptures to challenge you for the first time or to
challenge for you for the thousandth time, and follow his direction, which will
not only impact your own live, but impact the lives of others, those who is
sending you to.
If
you're wondering if my title sounds familiar, it's from Star Trek, the days
ahead will be days of challenge, courage and grace but most importantly of
opportunity, and I pray that we take the courage and the grace, to take the
opportunities those challenges will present to us.
Isa
6:8-9a TNIv
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!" 9 He said, "Go and tell this people
Matt
28:19-20 NIv
19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [a] 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."
Romans
10:14015a NCV
14 But before people can ask the Lord for
help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must
hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them;15
and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent.
Yours
by His Grace
Blair
Humphreys
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