Neither Hot nor Cold Revelation 3:16

When we think of hot or cold, one thing is certain, they are both relative to our environment. When walking inside our home from a 41 degree Celsius day into a room that was 28 degrees Celsius felt cool to my skin. In fact it stayed cool on my skin for some time, at least till it was time to sleep and it was still 32 degrees outside and 28 degrees inside. Scientist tell us that the most comfortable temperature for the human body is around 22 degrees Celsius. Hence we know by study where about we should adjust our climate controls.

In the same way the environment effects our temperature in the natural it can also be said that it effects us in the spiritual. We know the story of the frog that boiled to death simply because it stayed in water that was slowly increased in temperature, apparently unawares that the increase in temperature can kill it. Jesus speaking to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:16 says "..you are neither hot nor cold..". Jesus speaking of their faith says because of this they had become ineffectual to those around them. I believe we too can become like this if we don't have a spiritual barometer to measure where we are at in our faith. As a result, the church believed they were rich when in fact Jesus said they were poor.

What then is our spiritual barometer? When I was young, my parents had a sauna built not too far from our backyard swimming pool. Especially in winter, we would spend the evenings heating the sauna and finish by throwing ourselves into the cold water of the swimming pool. When we were in the sauna, we would sometimes pour cold water onto the hot rocks of the sauna's heating elements. As a result the water would be changed into steam and produce an intense heat in the small room.

When we use the above analogy, we see that when water is applied to something hot it is transformed into gas or steam. In the same way, when we apply the water of the word of God to our lives, if we are "hot" or have a fire caught up in our bones as Jeremiah spoke of in chapter 20:9, then that water should be transformed. The water of the word of God should become the revelation of God's Spirit in our hearts.

Any person can read the bible and pray, but it is God's Spirit that brings the change. It is this revelation that I believe is our spiritual barometer for our lives and when we are burning with God's Spirit in our hearts and lives it will not be the environment that effects us but we who effect our environment.

God Bless

Engaging the Harvest - Matthew 9:37

As we look around us today, with the threat of Isis and the like, peering down a barrel at our western civilisation, it is easy to think the end is near and indeed as believers we are living in the end of the end times, with many signs pointing to Christ’s imminent return.

And depending upon our eschatology or end times view point, we can have predominantly two different thoughts, that is one Jesus’ return is on us and everything that could be done for humanity has been done and now it is simply a waiting game. Or two, that now like never before has there been an opportunity for the church to arise and reap the great harvest of souls that lies before us.

As politicians argue whether to allow Muslims or not to enter their borders for fear of reprisals, one thing is certain, the great commission of our Lord Jesus continue to ring in our ears and what could be the greatest harvest of souls we have ever seen.

As Jesus said in the Matt 9:37, “The harvest is white but the labourers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that he may send out labourers.” The harvest is as white today as it was in Jesus’ time, if not more so with more and more choosing to follow the gods of this world rather than the Lord of creation. And with the church busy filling their fancy buildings and thrusting less and less into the harvest, it is no wonder the church seems powerless to many.

Many people ask, why has the church become so weak, where is the power of the Spirit that we once saw and knew of in all of our gatherings? Church has focused on the gathering of the faithful but forgotten that we are called to “go into all the world”. We have become experts at creating comfortable conferences but forgotten that it was to a lost and dying world that we were called in the first place. We have relied on our own abilities and strength to make us look good and forgotten that it is the Holy Spirit’s power that draws all men unto Christ.

What then must we do in these last days? We must return to the source of our strength and to the mandate that Christ left us and then we shall once again see the power of the Spirit return to the Church of Jesus Christ on this earth.

Luke 10:2 - The Harvest is White but Labourers Few

As I was in prayer this morning, I started to meditate on this verse "the harvest is white but the labourers are few". A verse that many would be familiar with and I am sure would accept as true. Especially in recent times, the concept of evangelism has become something seen as the activity of a few and in that those whom we might call professionals or paid workers. Yet this I believe was never God's initial intention. But rather that all those belonging to His Kingdom would be actively engaging in the harvesting of the world.

What is it though that harvesting is all about, is it something that only those few who have been trained and set apart for such work can carry out or is something more that every believer is both able and capable of doing? The short answer to this is in the latter and the example we have in scripture is of cause that of Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 who after being filled with the Spirit stepped forward to speak the word to those he encountered on the street. Four amazing words in this chapter continue to amaze me today, "then Peter stepped forward". Though unremarkable to read, these four words describe the incredible change that Peter had experienced by the power of God's Holy Spirit coming upon him. As a result of this power, Peter stepped forward and over 3,000 souls were added to the Kingdom on that day.

In light of this, it begs the question why more of us don't rely on the power of God's Spirit to do the work of the harvest He has called everyone to. When we examine the concept of harvest from days gone by, it is easy to understand why the disciples who were fully aware of the work involved in harvesting and what would be expected of them. Today those concepts and understandings are somewhat lost as todays generations hop down to the supermarket to collect their foods which are bagged up and ready to consume. Yet in Jesus' time this was not the case, to eat bread required that one would pick or buy the wheat in it's raw and unprocessed form, grind and mill it to flour and spend the time preparing it for baking. In the same way harvesting the fish of the sea came with similar toil. Yet in our generation we have lost the concept of toil and hard work to gain the result of the harvest that we so eagerly desire.

I believe it is often expected that the harvest comes to us, packaged and clean and ready for consumption, so to speak... Yet if we have ever been involved in harvesting souls from the earth for the Kingdom of God this is often not the case. Coming often very unclean and dirty and needing lots of support and help to grasp God's ways and Kingdom principals. This really is what the harvest is all about. Taking us out of our comfort zones and from being focussed on ourselves and our own needs to focusing on those around us and fulfilling the great commission as set before us by our Lord in Matthew 28.

The harvest continues to be white or ready for harvesting, the question is will we of this generation being willing to sacrifice our comforts and time for the lost and dying world around us. This includes the multitudes of unbelievers who are coming to our shores every day as immigrants. Understanding that it does not require learning but rather a willingness and open heart to receive power from the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task set before us.

Seven Nights of Fire - Flyer