What a joy it is to see people being healed. Once again the visit of Joaquin Evans has boosted our faith and confidence in the area of Healings and Miracles; this is great evidence of someone gifted by God to equip His people to do the works of Jesus.
A lady was blind in one eye because of a tumour behind that eye - her sight was restored.
Two people who needed knee replacements became pain free and fully mobile.
At least two people with deafness have been healed.
A woman who had a lump in her breast no longer does.
A lady working at an airline check in desk had a bad neck, she was healed as she sat at her desk in the airport.
A young man with a bad knee was healed in a McDonalds restaurant.
And much more.
Our Christianity is becoming more like the normal Christianity we read in the Bible!
Thursday 1 December 2011
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Cloud of Glory
Sometimes it is difficult to know how to respond when God reveals himself in a new way to you. On Sunday 30th October I was in the evening meeting at Bethel Church, Redding, California with some friends and my daughter, Kerry, when God manifested his presence with a cloud which appeared in one corner of the room. Those in that section of the room were immediately excited (there was some anticipation because there had been similar occurrences recently before) and started to exclaim; those of us in the rest of the room started to look earnestly, and noticed swirls of "sparkles" in the trail of the overhead lights. These became more obvious and as time went on. Spontaneous worship came from the congregation and the cloud seemed to thicken some more, erupting in small explosions of light. The cloud actually consisted of metallic particles (gold, silver and red in some areas) and some small feathers. It was an awesome experience watching, but when we moved across to the area of the room where it was happening we experienced a greater measure as we entered into the cloud. Gold dust rained down on us. People were healed spontaneously in the meeting as God met His people in a wonderful way.
After a while of being "in the cloud" we could even taste his presence - a metallic taste in the mouth.
It was like a large family at Christmas experiencing a special treat from Father. The cloud was still present as we left the building, almost 3 hours after it had first arrived.
For many years I have longed for such visitations of God, even more than that for a habitation similar to what happened at Azusa street where the cloud of God's glory remained in a building for three and a half years, so thick that children could play hide and seek in it, and so healing that tumours just dropped off people's bodies.
You can read some reports of these things in the book "They told me their stories" available on Amazon.
God let it be so in our day and even greater.
After a while of being "in the cloud" we could even taste his presence - a metallic taste in the mouth.
It was like a large family at Christmas experiencing a special treat from Father. The cloud was still present as we left the building, almost 3 hours after it had first arrived.
For many years I have longed for such visitations of God, even more than that for a habitation similar to what happened at Azusa street where the cloud of God's glory remained in a building for three and a half years, so thick that children could play hide and seek in it, and so healing that tumours just dropped off people's bodies.
You can read some reports of these things in the book "They told me their stories" available on Amazon.
God let it be so in our day and even greater.
Wednesday 26 October 2011
New wine and new wineskins.
Sitting in a room in Redding, California at the moment, woke up at 5am from jet lag (not my favourite). So good to see my daughter, Kerry, yesterday - 7 weeks since she left the UK to be here. Also had a great time talking with some friends here yesterday and seeing some video footage of one the meetings at Bethel in which a cloud appeared in the room - as you can imagine there is a lot of excitement around! God is turning up and doing all sorts of new things.
New wine is being poured out on the earth - we need to be faithful in getting new wineskins to contain what is being poured out. This requires a desire by leaders for God's presence above all else and a willingness to change.
It is time for us to consider these things carefully and with the wisdom that comes from heaven.
We need to have a Kingdom first mindset allowing all the God given ministries full expression not just in church but affecting the world around us as well. That is part of the adventure that we are on - I believe that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are an expression of the life of Jesus given to his church so that we can see his fullness on the earth. We need to look at these things in light of the revelation God is giving us at this time.
New wine is being poured out on the earth - we need to be faithful in getting new wineskins to contain what is being poured out. This requires a desire by leaders for God's presence above all else and a willingness to change.
It is time for us to consider these things carefully and with the wisdom that comes from heaven.
We need to have a Kingdom first mindset allowing all the God given ministries full expression not just in church but affecting the world around us as well. That is part of the adventure that we are on - I believe that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are an expression of the life of Jesus given to his church so that we can see his fullness on the earth. We need to look at these things in light of the revelation God is giving us at this time.
Wednesday 27 July 2011
Authority in God's Kingdom
The use, misuse and abuse of authority is a big subject and it has exercised my mind a lot over the last couple of years. This has led me to study the New Testament on this subject and it has been an interesting study.
How did Jesus use his authority? My study has led me to the conclusion that Jesus used his authority for the benefit of others and did not exert his authority over people - I believe that this is a good model for Christian leadership. Certainly Jesus has authority over all mankind, but the way he uses that authority should be our model.
A common teaching about "Leadership authority" has been taken from Matthew chapter 8 and the story of the centurion and his servant where the centurion talks about "being a man under authority, with soldiers under me" and this has been used to teach about a hierarchical structure of leadership; to my mind this passage teaches about understanding the nature of authority that Jesus had over sickness, as this is clearly the context. The centurion was entirely confident that Jesus had authority over all sicknesses and if he said "Go" it would go - that is amazing faith. To my mind it is not good use of scripture to make this into a model of how authority should be exercised over other people and the necessity of "coming under" someone else's authority. Rather Jesus teaches in Matthew 20 a different structure contradicting the idea of exercising authority over people, but rather talking about being servants who will use God given authority for the benefit of others. This teaching is underlined elsewhere in the Bible, particularly in Philippians 2 and 1 Peter 5.
God has given us authority over all sicknesses and powers of darkness - let us use this authority to serve others bringing healing, freedom, joy and peace.
How did Jesus use his authority? My study has led me to the conclusion that Jesus used his authority for the benefit of others and did not exert his authority over people - I believe that this is a good model for Christian leadership. Certainly Jesus has authority over all mankind, but the way he uses that authority should be our model.
A common teaching about "Leadership authority" has been taken from Matthew chapter 8 and the story of the centurion and his servant where the centurion talks about "being a man under authority, with soldiers under me" and this has been used to teach about a hierarchical structure of leadership; to my mind this passage teaches about understanding the nature of authority that Jesus had over sickness, as this is clearly the context. The centurion was entirely confident that Jesus had authority over all sicknesses and if he said "Go" it would go - that is amazing faith. To my mind it is not good use of scripture to make this into a model of how authority should be exercised over other people and the necessity of "coming under" someone else's authority. Rather Jesus teaches in Matthew 20 a different structure contradicting the idea of exercising authority over people, but rather talking about being servants who will use God given authority for the benefit of others. This teaching is underlined elsewhere in the Bible, particularly in Philippians 2 and 1 Peter 5.
God has given us authority over all sicknesses and powers of darkness - let us use this authority to serve others bringing healing, freedom, joy and peace.
Sunday 10 July 2011
Wisdom from Heaven
We have been away on holiday recently; we had a good rest. In particular I like the sun, hot weather and cooling off in a nice swimming pool. These are luxuries that not everyone in the world get to enjoy.
As I swim up and down the pool my mind wanders around different subjects and this holiday I found myself mulling over the thought about living in a culture that is not judgmental and cynical. Some people believe that this is a naive fantasy of mine, but during the 3 months that Kim and I were a part of Bethel church in California this is what we experienced and we loved it.
It is so easy to be critical without being constructive, to be cynical or negative and think we are being wise. I think to understand this more we need to consider the way that God is and behaves. God is ultimately wise and all knowing, yet he works all things for the good of those who love him; he speaks words to uplift, encourage, comfort and strengthen. He will convict us of wrongdoing always with a way forward.
In short, part of the conclusion I came to is that we need to become more like Jesus day by day and love him more. We need to seek the wisdom that comes from heaven which is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy (James 1 v 17 NASB)
As I swim up and down the pool my mind wanders around different subjects and this holiday I found myself mulling over the thought about living in a culture that is not judgmental and cynical. Some people believe that this is a naive fantasy of mine, but during the 3 months that Kim and I were a part of Bethel church in California this is what we experienced and we loved it.
It is so easy to be critical without being constructive, to be cynical or negative and think we are being wise. I think to understand this more we need to consider the way that God is and behaves. God is ultimately wise and all knowing, yet he works all things for the good of those who love him; he speaks words to uplift, encourage, comfort and strengthen. He will convict us of wrongdoing always with a way forward.
In short, part of the conclusion I came to is that we need to become more like Jesus day by day and love him more. We need to seek the wisdom that comes from heaven which is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy (James 1 v 17 NASB)
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Managing Freedom
Freedom is a very big issue. Throughout history some of the most inspirational stories have come from exploits that provided freedom for individuals, communities and nations. The second world war for example was fought to oppose tyranny and bring freedom. Having visited the D-day beaches and seen accounts of the sacrifices made to establish a beachhead through which resources could flow for the purpose of liberation was a very moving experience. Great Britain had remained a free nation, but with that freedom came a great responsibility to be a source of hope and freedom for others. Once other nations were free again they were able to pursue prosperity and creativity in their own way.
Jesus came to bring freedom to all our lives; how will we use that freedom? I believe that we have a responsibility to use our freedom in the context of community to help others develop to their full God given potential. Our freedom is not meant to be a source of selfishness.
One thing I have been thinking about recently is how we can create a church culture that is free from suspicion - I don't mean without discernment, but I do mean a culture that is not governed by the fear of other people's thoughts and reactions. I am dreaming of a church community where people love one another so much that they will protect their relationships from fear, cheer one another on, celebrate other people's successes, and have the strength of relationships that can "speak the truth in love" confronting issues in a loving honest way.
To quote an amazing bringer of freedom "I have a dream."
Jesus came to bring freedom to all our lives; how will we use that freedom? I believe that we have a responsibility to use our freedom in the context of community to help others develop to their full God given potential. Our freedom is not meant to be a source of selfishness.
One thing I have been thinking about recently is how we can create a church culture that is free from suspicion - I don't mean without discernment, but I do mean a culture that is not governed by the fear of other people's thoughts and reactions. I am dreaming of a church community where people love one another so much that they will protect their relationships from fear, cheer one another on, celebrate other people's successes, and have the strength of relationships that can "speak the truth in love" confronting issues in a loving honest way.
To quote an amazing bringer of freedom "I have a dream."
Monday 30 May 2011
Doing the works of Jesus
I have been a Christian for about 36 years and have throroughly enjoyed my life adventure with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). God is infinite and there is no end to knowing him so there is always more to discover. God loves to reveal new things to us, and at the moment it seems to me that God is revealing an "old truth" to his church - that is that we need to "seek first the kingdom".
My adventure into this new revelation (for me anyway) started about 4 years ago when I suddenly realised that I didn't fully believe all that the Bible teaches - that sounds like a shocking statement, but the realisation stirred a fresh hunger in me for a fully Biblical lifestyle.
John 14 v 12 states that anyone who has faith in Jesus will do the works that Jesus did, and not only that but even greater things. Over the years I had been taught that this was not possible and so my expectation and faith fell short of what the Bible says. But suddenly I saw someone who did believe this verse was true, not only believing it but demonstrating the reality of it through miracles, healings etc etc. I had to find out more and thus began an exciting and challenging journey, not only for myself but also for North Kent Community Church as we seek to do the works of Jesus and even greater things.
I realised that I had been living below the full level of the gospel of Jesus; this good news is even better than I had understood before in that Jesus not only forgave my sins and filled me with the Holy spirit but he also raised me up to be seated with him in heavenly places. I can live from a heavenly perspective with heaven's resources. This makes all things possible.
I also came to realise more fully that Jesus lived on earth as a human being filled with the Holy Spirit and it was in that capacity that he performed his miracles etc. He is God, but lived on earth as a man whilst retaining his deity.
These realisations have opened my eyes to the possibility of my life being an expression of the Kingdom of Heaven just as Jesus was. Some people ask me, "What is the Kingdom of Heaven?" My answer now is that it is simply "a reflection of the King of Heaven".
My aim is to reflect Jesus more and more effectively through my life.
My adventure into this new revelation (for me anyway) started about 4 years ago when I suddenly realised that I didn't fully believe all that the Bible teaches - that sounds like a shocking statement, but the realisation stirred a fresh hunger in me for a fully Biblical lifestyle.
John 14 v 12 states that anyone who has faith in Jesus will do the works that Jesus did, and not only that but even greater things. Over the years I had been taught that this was not possible and so my expectation and faith fell short of what the Bible says. But suddenly I saw someone who did believe this verse was true, not only believing it but demonstrating the reality of it through miracles, healings etc etc. I had to find out more and thus began an exciting and challenging journey, not only for myself but also for North Kent Community Church as we seek to do the works of Jesus and even greater things.
I realised that I had been living below the full level of the gospel of Jesus; this good news is even better than I had understood before in that Jesus not only forgave my sins and filled me with the Holy spirit but he also raised me up to be seated with him in heavenly places. I can live from a heavenly perspective with heaven's resources. This makes all things possible.
I also came to realise more fully that Jesus lived on earth as a human being filled with the Holy Spirit and it was in that capacity that he performed his miracles etc. He is God, but lived on earth as a man whilst retaining his deity.
These realisations have opened my eyes to the possibility of my life being an expression of the Kingdom of Heaven just as Jesus was. Some people ask me, "What is the Kingdom of Heaven?" My answer now is that it is simply "a reflection of the King of Heaven".
My aim is to reflect Jesus more and more effectively through my life.
Friday 20 May 2011
Kingdom Culture
Kim and I were on holiday in Italy recently and we had the opportunity to spend 3 days in Rome. I have wanted to go there since I was at school studying Latin and Roman History (I didn't study much other history it seemed!).
It was an amazing time, standing in the place of at least 2,000 years of history; walking in the Roman Forum and on the Palatine Hill, looking around the Colosseum, visiting a church with 4th century church beneath it and below that a Pagan temple amidst Roman buildings.
The buildings are staggering and to people from other parts of the world around 100 AD a visit to Rome could have been an overwhelming experience. Imagine going from a relatively primitive setting to one where you are surrounded by opulence, colour, magnificent architecture etc etc - no wonder the idea of becoming a Roman citizen was appealing, and it was this appeal that helped Rome spread its culture and influence around a large part of the world. In its day Rome must have been an awe inspiring place.
As I thought about it, I was inspired by the way that one small place had affected much of the planet, not only 2,000 years ago but also today - the Roman Culture and language has impacted so many things.
It made me think about the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13 and Mark 4 - the Kingdom of God is like the smallest seed that grows to become the largest of all the garden plants providing shelter for many things. As we focus on developing a Kingdom of God/Heaven culture amongst us, although it may start small it will grow into the biggest thing we have known providing shelter for many.
Transforming from a primarily church focussed culture to a Kingdom Culture is quite some transition, but I believe the more we see it with clarity the more we will realise it is the "pearl of great price" that has the capacity to transform the world around us for generations to come. The language of the Kingdom can affect the way we communicate in amazing ways, and I believe it will enable us to communicate far more effectively to all, just as Jesus did. I believe more people will want to become citizens of Heaven when they see the Kingdom of Heaven demonstrated before them.
How do we make this transition? I will try to start looking at that question over the next few weeks on this blog.
It was an amazing time, standing in the place of at least 2,000 years of history; walking in the Roman Forum and on the Palatine Hill, looking around the Colosseum, visiting a church with 4th century church beneath it and below that a Pagan temple amidst Roman buildings.
The buildings are staggering and to people from other parts of the world around 100 AD a visit to Rome could have been an overwhelming experience. Imagine going from a relatively primitive setting to one where you are surrounded by opulence, colour, magnificent architecture etc etc - no wonder the idea of becoming a Roman citizen was appealing, and it was this appeal that helped Rome spread its culture and influence around a large part of the world. In its day Rome must have been an awe inspiring place.
As I thought about it, I was inspired by the way that one small place had affected much of the planet, not only 2,000 years ago but also today - the Roman Culture and language has impacted so many things.
It made me think about the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13 and Mark 4 - the Kingdom of God is like the smallest seed that grows to become the largest of all the garden plants providing shelter for many things. As we focus on developing a Kingdom of God/Heaven culture amongst us, although it may start small it will grow into the biggest thing we have known providing shelter for many.
Transforming from a primarily church focussed culture to a Kingdom Culture is quite some transition, but I believe the more we see it with clarity the more we will realise it is the "pearl of great price" that has the capacity to transform the world around us for generations to come. The language of the Kingdom can affect the way we communicate in amazing ways, and I believe it will enable us to communicate far more effectively to all, just as Jesus did. I believe more people will want to become citizens of Heaven when they see the Kingdom of Heaven demonstrated before them.
How do we make this transition? I will try to start looking at that question over the next few weeks on this blog.
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Creating a community of love and power
Last Sunday (1st May) I spoke at NKCC's Sunday morning meeting about creating a community of love and power. As I studied the 3 most obvious passages in the Bible about spiritual gifts it became very clear to me that these gifts are placed firmly in the context of a loving church community that was reaching out to others with God's love and power.
Jesus came to demonstrate this to the world - his love was demonstrated not only on the cross but in his daily interaction with people, healing their diseases and setting them free from affliction.
At NKCC we are working to increasingly develop this culture of love and power amongst us and through us to others. We want to dismantle any structures of loveless power or powerless love that exist amongst us and replace them with Jesus' model of love demonstrated.
The NKCC messages are available at www.nkcc.org.uk under audio downloads.
Jesus came to demonstrate this to the world - his love was demonstrated not only on the cross but in his daily interaction with people, healing their diseases and setting them free from affliction.
At NKCC we are working to increasingly develop this culture of love and power amongst us and through us to others. We want to dismantle any structures of loveless power or powerless love that exist amongst us and replace them with Jesus' model of love demonstrated.
The NKCC messages are available at www.nkcc.org.uk under audio downloads.
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