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.

The famous American Preacher and Revialist, Jonathan Edwards is well known for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" which he bought to his Church in 1741, this in someways is an homage to that title.

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

A Joke about RyanAir

Ryanair's Micheal O'Leary arrives in a hotel in Dublin, he goes to the bar and asks for a pint of draught Guinness. The barman nodded and said, "That will be one Euro please, Mr. O'Leary."

Somewhat taken aback, O'Leary replied, "That's very cheap," and handed over his money.

"Well, we try to stay ahead of the competition", said the barman. "And we are serving free pints every Wednesday evening from 6 until 8. We have the cheapest beer in Ireland"

"That is remarkable value" Michael comments

"I see you don't seem to have a glass, so you'll probably need one of ours.

That will be 3 euro please.

O'Leary scowled, but paid up. He took his drink and walked towards a seat.

"Ah, you want to sit down?" said the barman. "That'll be an extra 2 euro. - You could have pre-book the seat, and it would have only cost you a Euro."

"I think you may to be too big for the seat sir, can I ask you to sit in this frame please"

Michael attempts to sit down but the frame is too small and when he can't squeeze in he complains "Nobody would fit in that little frame".

"I'm afraid if you can't fit in the frame you'll have to pay an extra surcharge of €4.00 for your seat sir"

O'Leary swore to himself, but paid up. "I see that you have brought your laptop with you" added the barman. "And since that wasn't pre-booked either, that will be another 3 euro."

O'Leary was so annoyed that he walked back to the bar, slammed his drink on the counter, and yelled, "This is ridiculous, I want to speak to the manager".

"Ah, I see you want to use the counter," says the barman, "that will be 2 euro please." O'Leary's face was red with rage.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do Mr. O'Leary,"

"I've had enough, What sort of Hotel is this? I come in for a quiet drink and you treat me like this. I insist on speaking to a manager!"

"Here is his E mail address, or if you wish, you can contact him between 9 and 9.10 every morning, Monday to Tuesday at this free phone number. Calls are free, until they are answered, then there is a talking charge of only 10 cent per second"

"I will never use this bar again

"OK sir, but remember, we are the only hotel in Ireland selling pints for one Euro"

Renewed Thinking

Renewed Thinking

Romans 12 The Message ^1-2   So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:1-2 The Voice Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. ² Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.

Romans12:1-2 Niv Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary Romans 12:2

The mind must be renewed for him. This is pressed (Rom. 12:2): “Be you transformed by the renewing of your mind; see to it that there be a saving change wrought in you, and that it be carried on.” Conversion and sanctification are the renewing of the mind, a change not of the substance, but of the qualities of the soul. It is the same with making a new heart and a new spirit—new dispositions and inclinations, new sympathies and antipathies; the understanding enlightened, the conscience softened, the thoughts rectified; the will bowed to the will of God, and the affections made spiritual and heavenly: so that the man is not what he was—old things are passed away, all things are become new; he acts from new principles, by new rules, with new designs. The mind is the acting ruling part of us; so that the renewing of the mind is the renewing of the whole man, for out of it are the issues of life, Prov. 4:23. The progress of sanctification, dying to sin more and more and living to righteousness more and more, is the carrying on of this renewing work, till it be perfected in glory. This is called the transforming of us; it is like putting on a new shape and figure.

On  Facebook, and when we update our Status on Facebook, it asks its users the question “What’s on your mind?”

In the English Language we have one word for Mind, and that word is Mind, I’m sorry for stating the obvious, The Bible was written in two languages,  the first of these was Hebrew which the Old Testament was originally written in, although it was later translated into languages like Aramaic, Greek and so on. The second language was Greek, which the New Testament was originally written in, although it was again translated into other languages, in many ways for the Roman Empire and other Empires of that time especially in the Eastern Mediterranean area, The Greek Language was the lingua franca, we call the Greek Language used then as Koine Greek.

The users of Koine Greek would have used 3 different words that we today would read in our Bibles as the English word “Mind” these are:-

1.   Sophrono or right mind, Strong’s ref 4993 To be of sound mind, sane, self-controlled, serious, moderate, sober-minded, restrained, disciplined, able to reason. From sozo.” , to save” and phren, “ the mind”  see Mark 5:15

2.   Dianoia or a thinking through Strong’s ref 1271 Dianoia combines nous, “mind” and dia, “through” The word suggests understanding, insight, meditation, reflection, perception, the gift of apprehension, the faculty of thought. When this faculty is renewed by the Holy Spirit, the whole mind-set changes from the fearful negativism of the carnal mind to the vibrant, positive thinking of the quickened spiritual mind see Mark 12:30

3.   Sophronismos or a sound mind Strong’s ref 4995, A combination of sos “safe” and phren, “the mind” hence safe-thinking. The word denotes good judgement, disciplined thought patterns, and the ability to understand and make right decisions. It includes the qualities of self-control and self-discipline see 2 Timothy 1:7

For many of us,  our thought patterns have been influenced by what our society and culture think or indeed think of us!,  the influence or propaganda of a non-Christian world view or group think has had or indeed having an undue influence on the way we think as Christian Believers, it’s time we changed the way we think.

Colossians 3:1-3 Esv

 3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

1 Peter 1:13-15 Esv

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, [a] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct

Ephesians 4:17-18 Niv

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Blessings Blair

A Response to the False Presentation of the Gospel by Rob Bell, Steve Chalke and others

I've been both saddened and shocked by the decision by Rob Bell, Steve Chalke and others to preach another Gospel,  it would be very easy to criticize and condemn them,  it's better to give a response from Scripture

Galatians 1:3-11 Nasb

³ Grace to you and peace from ^[a]God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil ^[b]age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you ^[c]by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;⁷ which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel ^[d]contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be ^[e]accursed! ⁹ As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel ^[f]contrary to what you received, he is to be ^[g]accursed!¹⁰ For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

Blessings in His Name

Blair Humphreys

Southport

Has Rob Bell lost the Plot?

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What You Should Know About

Waiting, Wasting, Wandering

Waiting, Wasting, Wandering