Sunday, November 30, 2008

WHO WILL CRY WITH ME?


Today a man in his late forties went to Howth with a single intention: To end HIs life. He was heartbroken over a rejection by his daughter and was also living a life on methadone. He cried out in prayer and then changed his plan. Hours later he was walking in Temple Bar and met myself and 3 brothers lifting up the Holy name of JESUS. He was bitter over a previous church experience but God gave opportunity to minister to him, pray for protection, minister the gospel of salvation, healing and deliverance and invite him to a place of healing to which he promised to come tomorrow. He may come...or he may not but my sincere prayer is that the destroyer would not have him but that he would fall on the rock which is Christ. That is one side of the story...the other side is that thousands of others today looked the other way and rejected Jesus. Who will cry with me over these two stories?

The Photo is of George Whitfield preaching at Leeds in 1749...I look forward to meeting that chap!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Who does the work?


We have turned the Church into some kind of hand out welfare programme where people come and Watch! No wonder it's half dead! The five fold ministers job is NOT TO DO ALL THE WORK but to equip the Saints for Work (Read Ephesisans 4:11-13). We should have more activity outside than inside! I am an evangelist and my job is to equip and train people to share their faith...not to have them sit back and watch me do all the work myself. a Healthy body is a functioning body not a "Couch Potato". I love hearing gifted teachers and preachers but God's plan is that I'd be trained by them and get up and out with this training. We need bums off seats not just on seats!!!

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Who ya lookin at?


Adam and Eve were God focussed before sin and then after sin they became self focussed, becoming aware of their nakedness and hiding from God. What Gospel are we bringing to people today? Is it the message about the holiness of God, the depravity and lostness of man and the sufficiency of the death of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ...or...is the message that they are beautiful and need only to realise it! I first heard this message from my brother about 25 years ago when he was a Hare Krishna and spoke of the need for "self realisation" that we are in fact gods!! Sadly I am hearing this message again in Christian circles when I should be hearing the gospel!

We are all made in God's image but boy has sin corrupted all and seperated all from Holy God. That's why all religions utterly fail. They all deal with "self improvement" but what improvement to imperfection can produce a holy person whom could live with a Holy God for a second or eternity? Sin has a price and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. The justice of God must be satisfied. I truly deserve eternal hell. Why? Because I broke the perfect law of God! The last unholy guy in heaven got turfed out and took a third of the angels with him. Since that day no more unholy are getting in. We don't need to be telling people they are "good" when they are in fact monstors of iniquity whose only hope is a humble sorrow and repentance and turning toward God in faith in light of Calvary...Anything else is Humanism.