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Fellowship

May 12th, 2010

I haven’t been able to shake it from my mind or heart – God’s called us into doing life with Him.

1 Cor 1:9
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Paul’s introducing his letter to the Corinthians and makes this passing comment. God – who has called you into doing life with Him – is faithful. The statement’s so simple, yet has the potential of being so huge.

‘Who has called you.’

God made the call to give us the opportunity of doing life with Him – it was part of his pursuit of humanity.
He initiated it.
He instigated it.
He made the first move.
He walked towards us.

He called out to you and me so that we would be able to walk in ‘fellowship with Him’.

Here’s a couple of definitions of ‘fellowship’:
 the state of sharing mutual interests, experiences, activities, etc.
 companionship; friendship

Wow – that’s what God has called us into with Him! He wants to share with us mutual interests, experiences and activities. He wants to be our companion and friend. The things we love to do and the things we find mundane – He wants the chance to be able to do them with us.

I think of some of my closest friends, and a significant part of the strength of the friendship comes from the common experiences we’ve shared together. Adventures together, doing ‘stuff’ together. Common experiences that we not only enjoy in the moment, but in the lead-in time of planning and the lead-out time of talking about what happened. They draw us together.
The crazy thing is that God wants to be drawn into those experiences with us in the same way. He wants us to be conscious of his presence with us wherever we go. To fellowship with Him. To have common experiences and interests. For us to be able to say – Lord, I remember doing … with You.

It makes me think about the ‘…’ activities I do with God. Am I including Him? Am I asking Him to be part of them? Or do I have ingrained in my thinking that God really only wants to presence Himself with me when I’m doing ‘spiritual’ stuff like going to church or having a quiet time, or praying with others?

What’s your ‘…’?
What could you do with God today that you thought you were just going to do by yourself?

The invitation is there for us to fellowship with Him – enjoy it.

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Food – What are you eating?

October 29th, 2009

I am loving food at the moment after finishing fasting earlier in the week! I honestly felt like I was about 8 years old on Christmas eve last Monday night. After talking at length with my wife on Monday morning about what we were going to enjoy eating on Tuesday, it’s a bit of an understatement to say that I was a little excited about the thought of once again being able to eat.

For all those who have taken part in some way in fasting over this previous month, well done! I hope and pray that you have had significant eye-opening moments. Perhaps a moment where God revealed something to you that you hadn’t seen before, maybe an answer to prayer in a way that you weren’t expecting, maybe simply a grater awareness of God.

One of the moments that has happened for me over the month was gaining a new perspective on what Jesus said in John 4 to his disciples, where he pointed out that ‘his food is to do the will of the father who sent Him’ (Jn 4:34). During this recent fast was probably the closest time in my life where I have felt like that had become a reality for me. As I spent time with Him, it was as if there was a physical strength that came from it. It was almost like eating actual food. It was truly remarkable to me that something that is such a strong driver in my life at such regular intervals could also be something that I could replace with something greater.

Perhaps when Jesus said this, He was so into what was taking place (while he was talking to the woman at the well) that He wasn’t actually interested in eating food. He was quite content to receive His energy and strength from another source.

It raises the question doesn’t it – what are we eating?

Where are we finding our strength and sustenance?
Where are we going to for the next energy boost?
What’s going to add the vital vitamins and minerals that we need to survive?

Am I feeding on only purely physical food, or am I prepared to gain a level of sustenance from somewhere else – God Himself?

Go to Him today, to gain what you truly need.

Much love.
Stanley

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Sheep pt 3: Hearing but not seeing.

October 15th, 2009

My incredible, fantastic, handsome, wise, generous – is that enough kudos Will? – youth intern did some research on sheep.

He found that sheep have good close-range sight, but poor long-range sight and excellent hearing.

Sheep can use their ears to locate something that their poor long-range sight can’t see. Used for alerting them of predators, they can twist their ears all around to be able to locate where possible danger may come from. They can also do the same to locate where the voice of the shepherd is that they’re meant to be following.

In the story Jesus tells in Jn 10 about the shepherd and his flock, He says, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (Jn 10:4)
How often are we like the sheep?
We can see with at least some clarity what’s directly in front of us, but we struggle to see beyond into the future to see which path that the next step in front of us will take us on.

That’s why hearing is so important.

Many of us are involved in fasting at the moment in some way for you – how’s the twisting of the ear going to locate His voice and the direction to which He’s calling you to go?

Easier asked than answered – but so important to do.

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Sheep pt 2: He stays to protect

October 15th, 2009

Like many, I love the statement “the thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). I love all that it stands for and represents in our journeys with God.

You may notice from the last blog, that this is during the same illustration that JC is using about the sheep. About us listening out for and following his voice.

He has come to bring His sheep life! (and I heard a loud baa! – sorry, couldn’t resist)

He has come to lead us from a place of restriction to a place of freedom.

But what happens when that freedom gets challenged?
Something happens in our world that causes that restrictive, cramping feeling.

Well – v11 goes from there to talk about how He’s the good shepherd. He compares a good shepherd to a hired hand – someone who’s paid to do the job, but doesn’t own or really care about the thing that he’s looking after – sheep in this case. It tells us, “…so when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away” (v12).

Jesus is making the point – I’m not like that, I’m the good shepherd. So when the wolf comes, He sticks around to fight on behalf of the sheep, to protect them, to lay down His life for them.

When restriction comes into my world, I need to remember that He wants to stay and fight on my behalf. When the enemy comes to plant the seeds of negativity, of a lack of faith, of the thoughts that lead to retreating and pulling back – the good shepherd sticks around to fight on my behalf.

I’ve got to remember that he’s there and that He has ownership of me. I’m not a commodity, or something that He’s simply looking after for a bit, then will cast aside or sell off – He has ownership and responsibility over me and therefore has vested interest in me.

My tendency and perhaps yours too, may be to disengage with him in that challenge. But actually, He wants us to engage even more, as we lean on Him to help win the battle over the pesky little wolf.

In the battle – He stays to protect. To lead us towards life in abundance.

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Sheep pt 1: He goes in, before he leads out.

October 15th, 2009

Sheep pt 1: He goes in, before he leads out.

I’m both challenged and inspired by the thought that ‘… His sheep follow him because they know His voice’ (Jn 10:4). Challenged by the question – how well do I know His voice? And inspired by the thought – He will lead me.

I was reading through this illustration (Jn 10:1-21) that Jesus used the other day and I was struck by something I hadn’t really noticed before.

V3 says, “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” In the illustration JC is talking about sheep that are in the pen, about how the thief will come in over the wall, but the shepherd will come directly through the gate.

I had always noticed the part about JC going on ahead and that the sheep would follow happily behind as they listen to his voice, but I hadn’t noticed the part where he goes in, before he goes on ahead. He goes into the pen in which the sheep are confined in, in order to lead them out to the wide open space of where the tasty grass is.

In our lives, he comes in, before he leads us out.

He comes into our lives that are held in the restrictive confines we find ourselves in, to lead us out into the wide open spaces of possibility and freedom. Before he is able to lead us out into those places, he needs to come into our lives, but not only that – he’s purposeful about doing it. About looking for a way – not over the wall or with deception like the thief – but in clearly through a gate within our lives. Not so he won’t be noticed, but so that He will be noticed. He wants us to know that He’s coming in –to lead us out into the free and open places that He desires for us.

What areas in your life is looking to come into today?

Which areas does He want to lead you out into – if you would hear His voice?

In this season of fasting, it’s a great reminder to tune into his voice to help lead us, but also listen out for the areas He’s wanting to put His index finger on, to come into, so that He may lead us out.

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To Fast

October 1st, 2009

Welcome to my first blog and a month focused around prayer and fasting.

As many will know, we’re about to head into Oct where we’re challenging everyone who calls LIFE their home church to consider fasting in some way. I’ve been personally challenged about it, and it’s taken a while, but I’m now excited about the idea… going without food is not usually my idea of fun and excitement – if you know what I mean!

I’m excited from a few angles.
I like a challenge… I like the idea of doing something that scares me enough to be stretched (or shrunk as the case may be).
I like what God’s going to do – In His people, in my life and in the life of His church… in miracles, in supernatural direction and provision, in shaping and molding us to be more like him.
I like the idea of knowing Him more… most important I like that it will be a catalyst in me getting closer to Him – I know I need that.

For me, it’s all part of the process of dying to self.
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 10:39). What an incredible challenge. In order to truly experience the life that God wants me to lead, there is a need for me to die to those things that I think bring me life. Like the ads that tell me ‘if you want to be truly happy and for life to be easier – buy this’ – yeah right. Life is only ever complete when God’s in the middle. No matter what’s on the peripheral, God’s gotta be the hub. Easier said than done though – and I’m thankful for the reminder that fasting is to bring Him back into right positioning in my life.

Perhaps you’re feeling the challenge to fast and would like help with some the practicals of ‘how to’ etc. Below is a link to find out more. Plenty of other great resource out there – this is just a helpful site to get started…
http://www.mychurch.org/blog/5295/21-Days-of-Fasting–Prayer

If you are entering into a fast yourself, enjoy the journey ahead as you draw close to Him through a focused time of prayer and fasting. May God draw close to you and may you be amazed by what happens.

Thanks for reading – and whatever you do when you’re fasting – don’t talk about food, don’t think about a nice juicy steak, or about chomping into a big bowl of pasta… sorry, not sure if that will really help…!

Enjoy
Stanley

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