Last week, I had the privilege of being part of
a group of volunteers collecting both
money and food on behalf of well-known
charity that need both money and food to help those in our community that the
Christmas period instead of being a time of happiness and enjoyment is a time
of stress and heart-break . I was really
blessed and encouraged to be part of a team that seeks to help those at this
difficult time, earlier this week I was
saddened and shocked to watch a TV programme called Benefits Britain, that showed high levels of poverty and deprivation
in a Blackpool.
It’s very easy to be sanitized to poverty and
deprivation on our doorsteps, when we see
news reports on foreign crisis and political upheaval or caught up with our own problems, desires,
issues, dreams or our well intentioned plans.
The church that I’m part off, is located next to a lake and is used for a
variety of water sports, because it’s
winter and there have been high tides and high winds, today I noticed that a sailing dinghy had capsized
and while the sailor had fallen into the lake,
there was a rescue launch that had come to rescue the sailor and to make
sure the sailing dinghy was able to continue its voyage , I
was sitting in my normal seat and was enjoying the time of fellowship , and
because of the bad weather the local marine lake had higher waves than usual I
noticed that a sailing dinghy was capsized, fortunately before I could go into Baywatch mode, a rescue launch had come to the rescue of the
stricken sailor.
The Lord spoke to me through this, that we the church in the words of the hymn
are to rescue the perishing , we have a comfortable form of westernized Christianity, well meaning,
polite , perfect all the t’s crossed and i’s dotted , we need to have a
brand of brave, engaging, challenging missionary church that says no to
the status quo, that risks all, it’s reputation, recognition and respectability .
“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. 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
“Some want to live within the sound
Of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop,
Within a yard of hell.”
― C.T. Studd
Today in a leading national newspaper, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby mentioned the growing need for Foodbanks here in the United Kingdom
State must back food banks, says Welby:
Archbishop of Canterbury steps into austerity row with radical report
1.
Archbishop called for £150m state-backed system
to combat hunger in UK
2.
He called on PM to reverse decision not to take
EU funds for food banks
3.
Archbishop is to launch a Parliamentary report
in Westminster on Monday
4.
Report's proposals call for bigger food banks
to distribute more free food
5.
Also asks for a provision for free school meals
during school holidays
A new row over food banks erupted last
night after a report backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury called for a £150
million state-backed system to combat hunger in Britain.
The Most Reverend Justin Welby appeared
to be on course for a clash with David Cameron after calling on the Prime
Minister to reverse his decision not to take European funds to boost UK food
banks.
Writing in today’s Mail on Sunday,
Archbishop Welby makes a powerful call for more help to prevent families going
hungry. The Archbishop is to launch a Parliamentary report in Westminster
tomorrow, and calls on the Government to take ‘quick action’ to implement its
recommendations in full.
In past generations, Christians such as William Wilberforce and
the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury were noted social reformers , we
need those amongst us to become social reformers or missionaries to our communities.
Isaiah 58:6-14New International Version
- UK (NIVUK)
6 ‘Is not this the kind of fasting I
have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the
hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like
the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go
before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will
answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: here am I.
‘If you do away with the yoke of
oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves on
behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the
darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient
ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken
Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 ‘If you keep your feet from breaking
the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honourable,
and if you honour it by not going your
own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the
Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.’
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Finally, the Lord is calling again
Isaiah 6:8 New American Standard Bible
(NASB)
Isaiah’s Commission
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!”
Be Blessed today
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside
7th December 2014
