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

The Temptation of Jesus - 1John 2:15-17

This morning in prayer the Lord reminded me of how Jesus was tempted, this was pertinent as I am speaking on this subject tonight at bible college and wanted to receive some insight.
When we look at Matthew 4 or any of the gospel accounts to Jesus' temptation, there are obvious things that we know Jesus went through when he had completed his fast. Three things in particular are mention, that is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. We also know that our King conquered all three of these areas.

As it is, each of the above mentioned areas represent the three aspects of man's life, that is the physical, soul or mental and the spiritual aspects. As a result of Jesus being tempted in these three areas, over every area of man's life, he has made it also possible through His death on the cross and resurrection possible for you and I to be conquerors in these areas.

Lets therefore take a closer look at these areas...

The Lust of the flesh, is obviously things of the flesh or physical man which cause us to sin. Whilst the word for lust in the Greek is in itself not a negative word but is neutral, when it is used in conjunction to those things which overtake us, sexual immorality and fornication for example, it is consider negative and the cause to sin. In Romans 13:14 Paul commends us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and not to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. In other words not to be in a state that our flesh chooses for our lives or our outcomes. In fact Galatians 5:16 tells us to "walk in the spirit" as opposed to fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.

The Lust of the Eyes, in my understanding refers to the soul or mental state of man. Matthew 6:22 tells us the eyes are the window or lamp to the soul. That can therefore mean that what we set our eyes on or gaze upon has an effect upon our soul. In turn our eyes are a reflection of our souls and their state. Job declared that he would look not lustfully upon any woman. In this particular example we see lusts of the eyes referring to coveting that which is not ours. Giving therefore to God which is God's and not desiring things that do not belong to us. In a similar fashion, one of the Ten Commandments was to have no "graven images before me" as seen in Exodus 20:4.

The Pride of Life, refers to man thinking more highly of himself than he should. We also know that "pride comes before the fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Pride therefore is a precursor to sin and the fall of man. Adam and Eve rebelled before God as they perceived they could be "like God" as Satan told them. Proverbs 8:13 tells us that the "fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance". The book of Philippians tells us that our Lord stepped down from his rightful position to become man, he humbled himself for you and I and became one of us.

Christ has conquered every area of life, including sin, death, sickness, disease and all the powers and authorities and right now sits at the right hand of the Father making his enemies and ours his footstool. As believers we must revel in this knowledge of what He has done for us!

The Armour of God Diagram - Ephesians 6

Please see below a diagram which I find useful in prayer...

Job - Justification

Once again I return to the amazing book of Job and search for the greater meaning and understanding of these texts  for todays believers. As I continued reading this morning, it is not hard to see even todays arguments and thoughts as a repeat of those of Job's so called friends. As they sit and debate with Job, it is obvious that they are not looking for the true cause of Job's affliction but seeking to justify it with their own experiences.

We do this in society today, as I sit and listen to people as they debate the ongoing and escalating problems of the world and by far not the least being the rise of attacks from Islamist extremists. It is easy to hear how people justify the reasons behind this uprising with their own understanding and experience. Often seeing the problem merely associated with allowing people of different races or religion to mix with one another. But taking this as a classical example, allowing different religious ideology mix is not the problem but the basis or grounding of the ideology which is the real issue.

In society and during Job's experience we compare our circumstances with what we know and understand and this is often the case when it comes to justification. Justification is something that many simply cannot grasp, that is that Christ would grant mankind a pardon for the their sins. In our own minds this kind of grace, being unmerited, doesn't make any sense. But for Jesus, the Lamb of God who came to take away our sin it makes perfect sense.

God being all knowing, but also completely full of love towards His creation always had a plan of salvation for mankind, in fact bible scholars who interpret the Pentateuch tell us that hidden in the symbolism of the text, even in the first few verses of Genesis is found God's plan of salvation.



This verse found in Genesis is a good example

When we are able to compare our circumstances and experiences to this sort of wisdom and understanding, then we also might be able to comment effectively with today's problems, but until then, we are more or less just blowing in the wind. It is therefore imperative that we rely on our heavenly Father and His precious Holy Spirit to reveal such things to us.