Author: missionspaul

The dove

An American newspaper asked, “what in your opinion is the chief danger, social or political that confronts the coming century?”
The reply came, “In answer to your inquiry, I consider that the chief dangers that confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God and heaven without hell.”
The question came in the Salvation Army’s newspaper, War Cry. It was replied to by the founder General William Booth on the 5th January 1901.

John 1: 32-34
Have we lost what the General thought we were in danger of losing?
What has happened in some places is that the Church has continued without the dove.
To remain means not just staying but to endure and to stand against opposition.
The dove remained on Jesus.
The fact is a Church can continue whether or not the dove leaves or remains. The Christian can also.

Is the dove remaining?
(Found within a 15th century French book)
God be in my head and in my understanding
God be in my eyes and in my looking
God be in my mouth and in my speaking
God be in my heart and in my thinking
God be at my end and in my departing.

Make sure the dove remains.

Can people see the Spirit in us?

I am being reflective this morning. I have more questions than answers.
I’m thinking about the Holy Spirit.

John 1:32-34

Can people see the Spirit in us?
I recently asked someone if I could trust a certain leader in a certain country. “Oh yes, he is baptised in the Spirit and speaks in tongues” was the reply.
Is that reply meant to put my mind at rest?
Can I trust that person now?
What did the reply really mean?
How has the experience changed them?
Do they know God more?
Have they come to understand who they are?

Can people see the Spirit in us?
How do we become truly spiritual people?
Is that what we are?
If we are spiritual then why is so much centred on things? On stuff? On improvements to our life and what we want?
How can we be spiritual and superficial at the same time?
We proclaim one thing and behave another.
We search after dramatic spiritual experiences but we are apathetic to daily spiritual experiences.
That search has meant we have travelled across the globe through our TVs, books, CDs and the Internet …. The presence of God is OUT THERE.
BUT if we are baptised into the Holy Spirit then surely that is a journey of going WITHIN?
The dramatic spiritual experiences are found in the health and wealth that God brings. But it produces apathy in worship and discontentment in what we have and who we are.
Those with the least in terms of health and wealth seem to be the most joyful. They have something of heart not head.

Can people see the Spirit in us?

But still …

Judges 8:4
This is a short word to inspire you to have ‘but still’ or a ‘yet’ in your life.

(The Jordan river was the largest watercourse in Palestine. It was a psychological barrier for the people as it was a huge risk in crossing it. It spoke of a transitional move from one experience to another).

Gideon refused to be discouraged by the people of Succoth and Penuel who refused to give him and his army food.

Instead he stayed focused.

Crossing the Jordan, exhausted, in fear, maybe sickness, disturbed by many questions perhaps.
But it does not matter how you are when you cross, what matters is this: are you still in pursuit?
Are you still becoming all that you can become?

BUT STILL …

Though the fig tree does not bud, but still I will rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk 3:17

JESUS CHRIST DID NOT ENTER ….,

Hebrews 9

v11 …. a man-made tabernacle but a perfect one.
HE AVOIDED THE POLITICS OF RELIGION AND SMALL-MINDEDNESS.

v12 …. through the way where others bore the sacrifice.
HE AVOIDED THAT WHICH COST HIM NOTHING LESS THAN HIS ALL.

v24 …. a copy of the real heavenly place but he entered Heaven itself.
HE AVOIDED REPLICAS OF THE REAL THING.

v25 …. into repeated actions but a once and for all act.
HE AVOIDED REPETITIVE DUTIES BASED ON DRY RELIGION.

What are you avoiding?

I commit …

I have tried to live by these 8 promises. I have often failed in them, I will no doubt fail again. But I keep getting back up and along the way I look back and thank God for the successes. Maybe you also have a similar list?

1. I commit myself to experience God that I may be continually transformed by Him.

2. I commit myself to be the next generation and to affect the next generation. The effect will be in that of honour, imparting confidence and setting an example to others.

3. I commit myself to be a man who speaks up. To be a mouthpiece for God’s message. I will not join the silent majority but will speak out against ungodliness and negativity that destroys the Church.

4. I commit myself to not hiding from being identified with Christ. I choose to deny myself, take up the cross and follow Jesus and in doing so tell others about the gospel.

5. I commit myself to pleasing God by not letting go of faith.

6. I commit myself to believe in God even when circumstances suggest He is not here.

7. I commit myself to walk with God and in doing so I am prepared to be out of step with the world.

8. I commit myself to seek after God pursuing His presence for every area of my life.

This is my promise, my commitment and covenant.

Joshua 22: 5; 24: 14, 24.

The realignment

Hebrews 13:7-8

Jesus plus is not the real Jesus.
Jesus plus other faiths is not the real Jesus.
Jesus plus riding roughshod over people to get to the top is not the real Jesus.
Jesus plus abuse
Jesus plus violence
Jesus plus selfishness
Is not the real Jesus.
If you want to get to the top get to the bottom.
If you want to conquer die on a cross first.
If you want to rule then repent for all your unruliness.
This is Jesus Christ.
Every generation needs to realign itself to Him.
How is always more important then when in relating to people.
How is always more important then when in being successful.
How is always more important then when in knowing God.
There is a move growing that will try and destabilise Christ in the life of the Church. It will not destabilise Him. He will remain.
The move is not new, it is this: all roads lead to God.
They do not.
There is only one way.
It is through Jesus Christ. We must be realigned to this truth.
It is only through Jesus that we can be known by God.
The way we come to God is the same path God takes to meet us. Through Jesus.
He speaks, heals, blesses, provides, encourages, comforts, challenges, promises, leads us, through JESUS!

The soldier’s uniform.

Anyone like me growing up in the Salvation Army as a child knew the challenges of wearing the ‘uniform’ as a witness to Christ. I knew early on the experiences of being laughed at. However, it was hardly an interpretation of the verse:
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24-25

We have not yet had the experience of inviting people to come to Christ and have to tell them that they will probably be persecuted, lose everything, be tortured, imprisoned and perhaps die.

One Christian friend working in the most insecure of places told me, “We are careful, but we are not afraid.”

A soldier wears their uniform with pride. They are not afraid of being identified with the army. We need this same fearlessness today.
Apostle Paul was arrested, beaten, whipped, mocked, called crazy and stoned.
John Wesley was pelted with rocks, rotten fruit and dead cats!

Don’t be tempted to play it easy.
Hebrews 11:27 and 12:1-2; let us persevere.

“Let us all be of one business. We live only for this, to save our own souls and the souls of those who hear us.” John Wesley.

When his wife pleaded with him to get some sleep, “How can I sleep when my land is not saved?” He would often pray all night in agonising tones, “Lord, give me Scotland or I die!” John Knox.

“O Lord give me souls, or take my soul!” George Whitfield.

“On to Calvary! On to death for the world! Let us not refuse the smiters! No halting! No rest! On, suffering, sorrowing, weeping, dying for God and man, till the hosts of hell fly from their last defence and we march on over a burning world into everlasting glory.” William Booth.

But of course we know better …

As International Missions Director my biggest challenge is to persuade Christians to give £1 per week to the work of Elim Missions.

In Nigeria, my counterparts biggest challenge is to persuade Christians not to deny Christ at their death under the hands of Boko Haram.

Acts 1:8

If you are moved by this thought as I am then please do something by helping me to enlist as many Christians to the very small challenge of £1 per week. It certainly isn’t everything. But it is an indicator of if everything is too much.
Please:
Share this devotion
Sign up for the pound by pound
Ask 10 people to sign up with you.

http://www.elimmissions.co.uk/poundbypound

Don’t let our wisdom keep us in our ivory towers of debate. Let us become foolish and lavish and generous. Wait a minute, delete that last sentence, it doesn’t apply, this is just a pound per week!
At this moment I cannot say too much but everyone knows what has been happening in the north of Nigeria with schoolchildren. We need to raise funds to continue our work which is reaching a new level of activity.
I need thousands and thousands of people to sign up to give £1 per week.
Recently an intercessor from India sent me a message of a vision she had. (She knows absolutely nothing about the pound by pound scheme as it hadn’t even been advertised when she received the vision). In the vision gold coins were slowly dropping from the sky but I hadn’t to be discouraged by the progress as they then speed up till the bag is overflowing.
So I know this is the right thing to do.

Let’s lay our lives down and give £1 a week. It doesn’t read right does it?!
Let’s give a £1 a week to help those who are laying their lives down. Neither does that!

Come on, we can do this. Surely we don’t know better!

He came and He got you.

A child was playing hide and seek with some other children. It was her turn to hide and that is what she did. But the other children were cruel. While she was hiding they ran away and left her behind.
When the little girl realised she had been abandoned by her friends, she ran home and threw herself into her father’s arms and cried, “Daddy, I was hiding and nobody tried to find me.”

In World War 2 during a time of trench battle, a lieutenant commanded his men to sneak across a field and attack the enemy. As the men obeyed and crawled across the field there was a blast of gunfire. They all ran back to their trenches as fast as they could. All except one soldier who was critically wounded on the field. The soldier cried out for his friend, George, to come and get him.
George in turn begged his lieutenant to allow him to go. After constant begging he was given permission with reluctance.
George crawled to his friend and pulled him to safety. He got his wounded friend back to the trench, but it was too late, he was dead. The lieutenant berated George, “Why did you risk your life? There was no point. You fool.”
George replied, “I was no fool. When I got to him he was still alive and the last words he said were, ‘George, I knew you’d come.”
That’s what a friend does.
That’s what Jesus has done.
In our despair and hopelessness He came.
In our hiding He came and found us.

Superficial

What causes you to weep?
Is it still those who have not accepted Jesus as their Saviour?

What causes you to go without food?
Is it still fasting for a family members salvation?

What causes you to laugh?
Is it still with joy at hearing of someone’s testimony of finding Jesus?

What do you waste time on?
Do you still shut everything off so you can lie prostrate desiring His presence?

What do you think about?
Do you still try and memorise God’s Word during the day?

What do you believe in?
Are you still saying YES to the big challenges God sets before you, knowing this is a chance for more people to know Him and for God to be glorified in your life in a greater way?

A superficial Christian will run to the next big thing, that conference, that programme, that grouping because they need a splash of water. Yet they may have lost that full-immersion experience, the passionate, radical, all-consuming, desperate desire for the reality of God in their life.