Carrubbers' Blog

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Every part of the church family.

Pause

Before we get into the passage and prayer points, I wonder if you will pause with me first to give God thanks for our church family. You are all precious to God, and a gift to me and one another.

One of my favourite passages in the bible talks about the dynamic of each part of the church family as the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4: 11-16 says:

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Praise

For the diversity and uniqueness of one another and the many ways we are blessed by each other in Carrubbers.

Praise for those who keep us together and growing through faithfully praying.

Pray

On Sunday Cameron shared some news from the Elders. Pray for these men as they seek to lead us in light of the big changes ahead (Project 140, church planting, leadership transitioning)

Pray for Wayne Sutton in these last years of service amongst us and for what God has for him after 2026.

Pray for David Nixon as he prepares to take on the mantle of senior pastor

Pray for the next stage in the search for a Female Apprentice to join the staff.

Pray for each one of our church family, many serving sacrificially to help us grow into maturity in all kinds of ways.

Pray for those wanting to get involved that they would know how best to do this and what part they can play.

Pray for those in challenging seasons who have had to step back from formal ministry, that they would know encouragement from the body, and see how they too play a part – even in this season.


In and Out the Sheep Pen

Pause

The Christian life can feel pretty isolating at times. Perhaps your one of the only or the few Christians in your workplace. Maybe you’re the only Christian in your family and it’s caused a lot of tension. How can we know and enjoy the comfort and presence of God in these moments?

Passage

God knows we need to be led, encouraged and kept secure in him. And that is why we have Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

John 10:1-9

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 

How do we stay secure? We listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd, we are led by him (v.3), kept safe from enemies seeking to lead us away from God (v.5), and brought to places where we grow and thrive (v.9). Notice, Jesus doesn’t keep his sheep locked away safe in the sheep pen all the time. He leads them in and out. When we gather as a church or in homegroups, it is precious time to be encouraged and to hear the voice of our shepherd. But we also go ‘out’ into the world, but the same shepherd is leading us, and we can still hear his voice. His will, is for us to join him in his mission to call more sheep to join his flock!

Pray

For each other: our time together when we gather, coming ‘in’ to the sheep pen, and for one another when we’re ‘out’ in the world.

Project140: Building warrant to be completed, for external funding applications to be accepted, appointment of a project team/contactors.

Apprentice: Pray for the applications for the female apprentice role, the deadline is end of next week. Ask that God would bring the right person for the growth of his kingdom.


Praying together: Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread men! By Linda Swinson

Wednesday 21st February 2024

“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

How often have we heard these words said to us?!  They are so familiar as they often read out at communion services.  But how often do we stop and think about what Paul is reminding us of?

Before this passage Paul was telling off the church for overeating at the communion table and causing the food to run out before everyone was fed.  Paul is reminding the church to treat this meal with more reverence and to remember the true meaning behind it.

Recently, I shared this passage with the young folks at One Way Club.  I used gingerbread men as a way of illustrating that the bread of communion represents Jesus dying on the cross to pay the price for our mistakes.  So next time you find yourself enjoying a gingerbread man, thank Jesus for his death on the cross for your sins!

Carla Works reminds us that communion “is not merely a ritual but a powerful testimony to our shared faith and the redemptive work of Jesus.”

Let’s remember that on Sunday evening when we next take communion together at a Carrubbers family.

This week please pray for

  • The follow that will go on this week after last week’s mission weeks in various Scottish universities.
  • For God to strengthen and support the Meszaros family as Jacob undertakes more chemo this week.
  • For the opportunity to have a female apprentice join the CCC team – for the right candidate, for the interview process, and for great blessing in the days ahead.
  • For Eric John and Daniel Moore how are currently in India teaching pastors and preaching the good news in many villages in and around Vijayawada.
  • For the wonderful young people we have coming along every week to our various ministries, on a Sunday and mid week – that they would make a commitment to follow Jesus and that their faith would grow as they grow.
  • For all the volunteers who faithfully serve our church family every week. 
  • For more folks to sign up this Sunday to help share the load and share the blessing of ministry.

Linda


Church family prayer night

'Prayer is the chief exercise of faith', John Calvin.

 

“The Holy Spirit is in charge. As long as He remains in charge, The programmes will thrive.

The minute we try to do things by our own power we will fail.” David Wilkerson

  

This Friday night we invite you to come and join your church family for a night of prayer, depending on God as we step into a new era in church life… all are welcome from the youngest upwards…

  • The programme will follow four distinctive 90 minute sessions from 5pm, Each slot will begin in worship and will have a 15 minute break in the middle for food/ refreshments.
  • Material and activities in the first slot from 5pm to 6:30 will be family and child friendly, led by Karen Clark.
  • Food. A light meal(pasta based) will be available for families at 5:45pm, and at later breaks for others.
  • Text a prayer.  The number to text if you wish prayer for a particular person or subject is: 07956618141 . Questions about any aspect of prayer also be texted to this number.  Prayer requests and questions can also be sent to cameron.rose@carrubbers.org

Hope you can come and join us and do invite others who may not get this email to join you.


Praying together for church family

Please take a moment to pray for the grandad and family of Laura Combe and Sarah Wilson  

Grandad is 88 and been independently living and leading a good quality of life up until recently when he started vomiting on and off for the past three weeks , he is now admitted to hospital and under investigation and it's found he has heart failure and an infection in the lungs and they are treating both.

He hasn't professed faith yet though has had some good conversations over the past 11 or so years. Please pray for his salvation

Please pray for his wife Sadie who will be finding this difficult , and for their son and daughter (mum came down yesterday from Skye)

Please pray for family far away  (Sarah James and Amelia Skyped him before the GP was out yesterday ) and his brother and sisters who live in Australia and America )

And lastly for Laura as the person locally who has been getting the doctor out and communicating with the doctors and nurses, it's hard bearing up and keeping cheerful for grandad and staying strong for the family .

Thank you


W2W Blog: Praying for our teens

W2W Blog: Praying for our teens                             

I think teenage years are one of the hardest stages of our lives… yesterday we saw the teens God has given our church family at Carrubbers stand up and declare that like Daniel they want to put God above other things in life. The reality is far harder to live out as we well know. So today, lets pray for them (and their parents who need God’s wisdom to guide them through these years).

If you don’t know any by name to pray for that’s ok… God knows each one… each is fearfully and wonderfully made (psalm 139)… he knows how to answer your prayers in each of their lives…

(Prayers are taken from Daniel chapter 1… from the book each of them was given yesterday: Rachel Jones “5 Things to Pray for the People you Love”)

1. Pray that each of our teens would have citizenship in heaven (Dan1:3)

First, lets pray that each of them makes, or continues to hold fast to the decision they’ve made to trust God for salvation. That they would have a keen sense of their identity in Christ. Just as God’s people were aliens in Babylon, pray that these teens would see themselves as a foreigner in this world but a citizen in heaven. As they begin to make decisions that affect the direction of their lives, pray that they would want to spend it working for the kingdom of heaven before any earthly employer

2. Pray that our teens would have firm resolve (Dan 1:8)

Pray that each one wold have the same firm resolve as Daniel, resisting the pressure to do what is wrong. As their peers and the media call on them to conform to “normal” teenage behaviour – gossip, sex, drunkenness etc – pray that this teenager would be prepared to stand up for what is right and be prepared to live a life that’s distinctively different.

3. Pray that they would have good health (Dan 1:15)

Whether its changing bodies, changing hormones, changing sleep patterns, changing work pressures, changing peer pressures or changing appetites… pray that God would keep these precious teens healthy physically, mentally and emotionally

4. Pray that our teens would have good knowledge and understanding (Dan 1:17)

Pray for these young people in their studies that they would have a good attitude which honours God, being eager and willing to learn. Pray that they would respect their teachers in the way they behave and that they would work hard to make the most of the gifts God has given them.

5. Pray that God would give them true wisdom (Dan1:20)

Ask God to give these teens a deep love for God’s word and a real desire to apply it to their lives. Wherever they stand in their faith right now, pray that God would increase their wisdom “ten times over”. Pray for their parents, Christian friends, bible class leaders, exodus leaders and all of us as their older sisters/ aunties in Christ that we would encourage them in their faith, and have wisdom to know how best to guide them and to model godliness to them.

Praise God he has given us these precious teens in our church family


W2W Blog: Wsidom in the Secret Heart

W2W Blog: Wisdom in the secret heart

(adapted from Helen Azzopadri’s W2W talk on Psalm 51)

Over this past year we have been looking together at the different ways we pray and tonight we finish off with confessional prayer. Confession meaning acknowledging the wrong actions, words or thoughts (or our sin) before God and not only recognising them but saying sorry for them and asking for forgiveness. And we are in for a treat because Psalm 51 not only gives us a great framework for our own confessional prayers but also reveals to us why it is so important.

David was in a mess here. (see 2 Sam 11 and 12 for the background story) Lying, deceiving, an adulterer and a murderer. But what we will read here in Psalm 51 is David’s response to his wrongdoing and perhaps it will help us to learn how we can respond to our own.

‘Have mercy on me’ –  (vs 1-2)

 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

 What we see in this first section is David appealing to God for forgiveness. And this forgiveness for his sins will come only through God’s ‘abundant mercy’ and nothing else and I think David knows this full well. There a few different words for sin here in these opening verses; transgressions, iniquity, sin and evil down in verse 4 and interestingly they actually all have slightly different meanings.

  • Sin – is to completely act against God’s law and rebel against Him
  • Transgression – is like to ‘cross the line’
  • Evil – a wicked or immoral act
  • Iniquity – is to twist or act unjustly

So we can see that sin takes many guises. Sometimes we twist the truth about a situation to make us look better or to avoid blame. Or we out-rightly decide we want to ignore God’s laws for example being the place of sex in marriage. I am sure that we are guilty of at least one if not all of these at one stage in our lives and that is why we, and David here in the Psalm, are so in need of God’s mercy.

‘I confess’ – (vs 3-6)

3For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.

5Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom in that secret heart.

This is the part where David recognises his wrongdoing. Based on what we know from 2 Samuel 11&12 it doesn’t seem as if David fully grasped the extent of his sin until the prophet Nathan pointed it out to him. Now we don’t know what was going on in David’s head prior to that but I think its certainly true of me that sometimes it takes someone close to me to graciously point out where I am going wrong and guide me towards an attitude or action that is pleasing to God. Sometimes it is hard to see all the sin within us but we can learn here that when we are aware of it we need to take it straight to the Lord and confess it. Now David knows that the sin is his own and that God would be fully justified to bring judgement upon him. Because it is only against God that he has sinned (vs4). This isn’t to suggest that others haven’t been hurt through the consequences of David’s wrongful actions; Bathsheba left a widower and Uriah dead. But David acknowledges that God is the ultimate judge for sin and therefore He is the one we must confess to.

‘Renew me and restore me’ – (vs 7-12)

7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

10Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

This is the moment in the Psalm where the mood changes. We move away from talking about sin and judgement and see many references of being made new and made clean. David has made his request and has confessed his sin before God with faith in what God will do next. And I think it’s in these verses where we really see Jesus in this Psalm. David knows it is only God who can make him ‘whiter than snow’. Now Art is one of the things at school I was worst at. I was the pupil who when the teacher walked past they would say ‘That’s interesting Helen…what is it supposed to be?’ But one thing I do remember is about primary colours. Yellow, Blue and Red and how you can mix these colours to make lots of other ones. So lets imagine the sin within us is represented as black paint, and the blood shed by Jesus on the cross is red. If we were to actually mix those colours we would end up with some sort of dark red or brown. But what this passage is in fact saying is that your sin, covered by Jesus’ blood actually makes a really pure white, a white that is whiter than snow. Bright, new and clean. In verse 9 David asks God to ‘blot out his iniquities’ which literally means to have them removed from the record book. And we know that this is what Jesus has done for us on the cross, he has wiped that slate clean and because of that sacrifice we can have that clean heart. So we are renewed but also restored. Our relationship with God is restored and so is our joy in the salvation that God has graciously given.

‘Then I will worship…’ – (vs 13-19)

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.

14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

you who are God my Savior,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17My sacrifice, O God, is17 Or The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart

you, God, will not despise.

18May it please you to prosper Zion,

to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,

in burnt offerings offered whole;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

This final section shows David’s response to God’s restorative work in him. He is a new person with a new testimony to share with others. Not only is he thankful for God forgiving him but also he sees it will make him encourage others to turn away from sin and back to God.

Verse 14 says something important here which I want to highlight briefly. In the midst of David’s thankful response he asks to be ‘delivered from bloodguiltiness’. He recognised that as time went by he may go back to feeling guilty over the blood that was shed because of his wrongdoing and he wants God to continue to deliver or rescue him from that. How often do we deny ourselves the opportunity to move forward and enjoy the full restoration process that God gives because of our guilt? We should almost ask how dare we not forgive ourselves when God has? How can we hold back forgiveness of ourselves when God so freely gives it? I know sometimes it can seem easier to accept God’s forgiveness but not our own, which seems crazy when you say it out loud. Our sin can leave us feeling unqualified and worthless. Perhaps that’s because this what Satan wants, he doesn’t want us to feel released form that burden. But it can also be because we haven’t allowed God to do that full restoration process in us. We should not allow sin to condemn us because it makes us hopeless and keeps us from change. Romans 8:1+2 says, ‘Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of Spirit of life set [us] free from the law of sin and death” So yes we should allow ourselves to be convicted by sin, but not condemned. Because conviction should lead to repentance, enable inner change and bring us closer to God. Condemnation drives us away from God and that’s why I think David asks to be delivered from his guilt, so that he can experience the freedom from guilt and the joy and peace there is in being brought near to God once more.

Being this new person with this new testimony David can now be a true worshipper of God because he does not have that sin holding him back or burdening him. And all of this testifies to God’s mercy in forgiving David his sins and his restorative power in making David this new man, the man we know to be a man after God’s own heart.

So why is it so important?

So now we have looked at the passage and been on that journey with David lets reflect for a moment on why prayers of confession are so important.

Firstly because it restores our broken relationship with God. Now it is interesting to note at the stop of the Psalm that this Psalm was written to the choirmaster. So in fact its been written as a song to be sung by the people of Israel. So this wasn’t exclusively David’s response to his own sin but actually was intended to be for all people to use to cry out to God for forgiveness, which includes us today. I think David had recognised something crucial here – for every single one of us it is sin that creates a barrier between us and God. And the only way for us all to restore that right relationship with God is for us to truly, and I mean truly, recognise the extent of our wrongdoing and come to His feet and repent.

Have you ever had a big falling out with a friend or family member over something? I know I have, and how much it can tear you apart and make you feel very distant from each other. But how when you can come to a place of reconciliation, say sorry and begin to restore that relationship again how freeing and relieving it feels?! Well sadly sin is just like a big argument in our relationship with God, it wrecks it and makes us feel far apart from him. Barbara Hughes says

Unconfessed sin makes us avoid prayer because God seems distant but confession restores our relationship with Him and brings us back into his favour”.

Now we can see from this Psalm how well David knew and understood God’s character and his ‘abundant mercy’, he believed God was able to forgive all the terrible things he had done. Now what is even more amazing for us as Christians on this side of the cross is that we can have complete and unwavering confidence in God’s mercy and forgiveness because we know that Jesus took the punishment for all our sins, transgressions, iniquity and evil there on the cross. And there is nothing that he won’t forgive. We see in verse 16 that David knew that animal sacrifices would not be enough to cover his sin. But we know that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be made ‘whiter than snow’ and we can again have joy in His presence and enjoy that restored relationship with Him once more.

‘Wisdom in the secret heart’

Another reason this type of prayer is so significant is because it paves the way for the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and begin to start that inner change in us. And this consequence of confessional prayer has almost been a revelation for me as I have studied this passage. In verse 5 David points out that we are all born under the curse of sin and enslaved by it and that no one is an exception to that. So this sin is not superficial, if we want to turn from our sinful ways and live the way God wants us to its not an outward change that needs to take place. The inner change that takes place within us is deep, because the sin runs deep. When Samuel anointed David back in 1 Samuel he said, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7) It is important to remember that when the Bible talks about heart, its not about love and emotions as it is seen is society. But the Bible says the heart is the wellspring of all our actions, the place we store God’s wisdom and make all our choices. So if we want God to teach us this ‘wisdom in the secret heart’ then we need to allow the spirit to do its transforming work within us. The way to allow that process to take place is to spend time in God’s presence, asking for forgiveness to be less like us and to be more like Him. The more we see how good God is and how broken we are the more we will want Him to teach us that ‘truth in the inward being’, that ‘wisdom in the secret heart’ so that our spiritual lives can grow and flourish and have that new testimony that David talks about.

Conclusion

Of course we will still fail, time and again, these confessional prayers don’t make us instantly perfect. Yes, we do mess up and do things that go against what God has said to us in His word. But God has provided us an incredible way, through his Son Jesus, to come to Him and repent from these things so that we can be restored that right relationship with Him and we can allow the spirit to do its transforming work in our hearts.

I think this quote sums up what we have looked at quite nicely

“The goal of confession is not self-abasement (meaning degrading yourself or putting yourself down) but a renewal of the joy and gladness that the faithful have in God’s presence”. 

For reflection why not listen to this song written with the words of Psalm 51:

Shane and Shane “Psalm 51” Wisdom in the Secret Heart on Spotify or itunes.

 Questions to think about:

  • ‘Have mercy on me’ (v1-2) How does God’s character contrast with the nature of sin?
  • ‘I confess’ (v3-6) Is it always easy to recognise our own sinful behaviour? Why/why not?
  • ‘Renew me and Restore me’ (v7-12) Look at Ephesians 1:7-8. David asks God for a ‘clean heart’ and to be made ‘whiter than snow’. How does what Paul says reiterate the significance of Jesus’ work on the cross that makes us new?
  • ‘Then I will worship’ (v13-19) When might it be good to share with others about the times we have known God’s forgiveness for our sins?
  • How can our own guilt of sin hold us back from that restored relationship with God?
  • Practically how does confessional prayer fit in with our daily prayers so that that inner change can take place in our hearts?

W2W Blog: Praying like Paul

Praying like Paul

Do you ever feel like you just don’t know what to pray for someone? Maybe it’s because you don’t know them too well - a missionary perhaps – or someone at prayer meeting or homegroup you haven’t known long. Or perhaps you find it hard because the situation they are in is so desperate you just don’t know what God’s will is for them - it’s hard to know what to ask for in such circumstances.

Paul’s prayers are a great way of praying for people, knowing confidently that you are praying in line with God’s will. The incredible fact is, as you pray scripture for them, God’s word will nourish your own heart too. There was Paul in prison after all, his circumstances were not looking good but his mind and heart are far from his own situation as he lifted up his brothers and sisters in Philippi. Paul’s prayers so often focus on knowing God more intimately, and becoming like Christ. There is often a note of rejoicing in what God has done and in what God will do as he brings to completion his plan of salvation for mankind. Such a focus in our prayer life helps us remember the bigger picture doesn't it?

In Philippians 1:8 Paul says, as he prays for the church, that he “long(s) for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

What did Paul mean when he said he longed for the Philippian Christians with the affection of Christ Jesus? I don’t think it was that he knew each person intimately in the way we might know family or close friends… I think this longing had more to do with the way God had helped Paul develop a heart like His own; seeing the Philippian believers as brothers and sisters, precious family members, all growing and reflecting God's glory.

This was one of the things we explored together as we met last time at Women to Women… Eilidh took us to a few passages that talked about the heart Jesus had for people… his compassion, his sacrificial love, his care for the people’s physical as well as their spiritual needs. And Jesus' love and affection is abundantly on offer to each one of us too. Even the fact that he lived on earth and experienced things like pain, emotion, temptation, frustration means that as well as dying for us, he is completely able to empathise with us as he intercedes at God’s right hand side.

As we pray for others, we'll be reflecting God's own heart as we lift them up, and through our prayers will grow to know Jesus more intimately.

Why not catch up with Eilidh’s talk from Philippians 1:1-11 (click here)

I’d also thoroughly recommend a book which has profoundly helped me think about Prayer. It’s Don Carson’s “Call to Spiritual Reformation” which looks at each of Paul’s prayers in turn.


W2W Blog: Paul's prayer for the Philippians

Prayer for the Philippians

Having looked at the role of Jesus and the Spirit in our prayers, having thought about praying privately and publically, we are now going to spend some time looking at examples we have been given in God’s word of prayer… this one from Paul, and next month, we’ll look at a prayer of David’s…

Take some time to read through this prayer before we meet on Wednesday…

Phil 1: 3-11

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Do come and join us as we look at this incredible prayer and allow God’s word to challenge and encourage us.


W2W Blog: Follow the way of Love

Follow the way of Love

1 Corinthians begins with these words “Follow the way of Love” a command Paul gives the church after painting a picture of what love really is.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

So how do we “follow the way of LOVE”?

On Wednesday at Women to women we saw that Paul guided the Corinthian church to do this in three ways:

1. Love is seen when we… are more concerned that the church is being built up than we are about using our own gifts

 "So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church". I Cor 14:12 Spiritual gifts are not for our own edification but for the edification of others…

So let me ask … do we know what our spiritual gifts and are using them with this mindset of serving and encouraging and building others up - or are we constantly asking “what am getting out of this?”

2. Love is seen when we are more concerned about other’s hearing the gospel clearly than we are about getting our turn

In a church where everyone wanted to speak in tongues whether there was interpretation or not, Paul says in v 18 and 19 that its better to speak 5 words clearly than 10,000 in a language that no one will understand. When we speak God’s word clearly, we are loving the people we speak to…believers will be build up and unbelievers will hear the gospel.

Do we pray in a way that other’s might struggle to follow? Do we aim to make the gospel, God’s word, clear through our prayers?? I was in a small prayer group recently, struggling with evangelism and a particular situation that seemed overwhelmingly hopeless, and someone, knowing little of my struggle, prayed clearly about God’s heart for the lost, and his sovereignty over our circumstances. What an encouragement.  Hearing scripture prayed, and clearly applied to a situation, is such an encouragement – not just to see that situation from a bible perspective, but an encouragement to trust God.

3. Love is seen when we’re more concerned about reflecting God’s image than about being seen ourselves.

The church of Corinth’s gatherings were fairly chaotic with everyone wanting to use their gifts. Paul says in 1 Corinthians v 33 that God is not a God of Confusion but of peace. So the way we conduct ourselves together should reflect who God is… people shouldn’t be going home confused about what’s going on but having had a glimpse of God from being among God’s people.

When we meet to pray – since we’ve been thinking about prayer this year - do we get all self-conscious and worry about what others might think of us for the way we pray… I think we all do to some extent. But let’s try to be more concerned with how we might reflect God’s image to those we pray with rather than worrying about how we are seen ourselves.

If you missed the last W2W, here’s the link for the talk.

Why not put April 5th in your diary and join us at the next one.


W2W Blog: Praying in Public

Praying with others…   

Do you have or take the opportunities there are to pray together with other Christians?

Why is it important that we pray together with one another and not just in private for one another?

How do you feel about expressing something as personal as prayer out loud before someone else? What will they think? Will you find the right words to say for the situation?

Perhaps you think that praying in public doesn’t seem personal enough? I mean actual prayer meetings can have us praying about people and ministries we don’t know much about. They might not seem like a very exciting place to be so why go?

We see lots of examples in Scripture of the early church praying together… take Acts 4 for example:  

23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.

27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

This prayer gives us three good reasons why praying together is important:

  1. It was the natural reaction of the people to unite in prayer to support Peter and John in this way
  2. It was a way of affirming Scriptural truth to their own hearts and to the hearts of Peter and John
  3. It formed the basis for action, both God’s action and their action in response to the situation

Forward on a few years to the church in Corinth where public prayer was happening in tongues and the church were full of division. We’re going to be looking at Paul’s strongly worded letter to them on Wednesday night at Women to Women and see how he teaches them to be defined by love as they meet together… we’ll be applying the principles from 1 Corinthians 14:1-33 to our own prayer lives and hopefully encouraging each other as we pray together. We’d love you to join us.


W2W Blog: You can pray

Tim Chester -You Can Pray

 

Anna Coleman writes.....

If you're anything like me you may become easily distracted when praying, you’re not alone many people have the same problem. In fact, if you struggle to pray in the first place, that's not unusual either. There can be many things that prevent us from praying.  When I saw this book on a local bookshelf and read the description on the back I thought it may help me with my difficulties in praying alone and with others. Tim Chester starts by telling us how we can be great pray-ers and he admits right from the start that that's a really bold claim. 'The secret of great praying has nothing to do with human effort or skill,' he explains. 'Lots of people would like to think that it does because they want to make prayer an achievement.' But he goes on to explain the secret of great praying is knowing three things about God:

  1. God the Father loves to hear us pray.
  2. God the Son makes every prayer pleasing to God.
  3. God the Holy Spirit helps us as we pray.

The following is just a wee excerpt from the book

   “Perhaps this morning you found a moment to pray. What happened in that moment? Perhaps you tried to find a quiet spot, but you could still hear the children shouting. You tried to focus on God, but you kept circling back to the problems of your day. You tried to say something, but it sounded pathetic. After a couple of minutes your mind had wandered. You gave it another go. You prayed for a couple of friends and asked God to bless the mission of your church. Maybe you weren’t sure what to do next. So, feeling a little guilty, you gave up.

  All this may be true, but it is not the whole truth or even the main truth. This is what was really happening in that moment. The Lord of the universe looked on you and saw his child. He thought of his Son. He remembered his death. And so he welcomed you into his presence. You may have been sitting on your sofa, but as you prayed, you stepped into the courts of heaven to stand before the Ancient of Days. You may have felt your sin, but the Father saw only the righteousness of his Son. You may have felt the inadequacy of your prayers, but in your faltering words the Father heard the echo of his Son. All your confused and selfish motives were purged by the blood of Jesus so that your prayers were transfigured into the most beautiful liturgy. As you spoke, the Father’s heart filled with joy. The Father gave his Son so that he could enjoy moments like this with you.  Tim Chester ‘You Can Pray’

Reading this one page  has really helped me to pray without fear of disapproval from God for my lack of ability to say the right thing. I can just pray just as I am no fear of judgement or condemnation. There is now only the knowledge that I am being heard because The Lord is greater than me, because of the work of Christ on the cross and when God looks on me he sees his Son Jesus. God wants to hear me pray and so He made it possible in and of Himself for me to do so. The gift of prayer is mine because of the grace that has been freely given to us. 

Tim Chester also looks at: Why prayer is easy (how we pray), Why prayer is difficult (why we pray) and, The arguments and priorities of prayer (what we pray). Prayer is a child asking his or her father for help and that should be something we are all able to do.

The focus of this book is on the certainty that because we pray through Christ Jesus, because of His ultimate sacrifice, that we can boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, our prayers lack for nothing. The lack usually comes in the shape of our own attitudes and weaknesses. Tim Chester discusses what makes prayer difficult and what makes it easy. Each chapter ends with a prayer based on Scripture passage for example

          2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfil every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV).

 Tim then uses these verses for this prayer

       “Our God, we pray that you make us worthy of your calling and that by your power you may bring to fruition our every desire for goodness and our every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in us, and we in him, according to your grace and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”

I would recommend this book to anyone struggling with prayer and those that aren’t as it is a really good reminder of the fundamentals of prayer and the end focus of glorifying God.








The Spirit helps us as we pray

The Spirit helps us in our prayers…

Karen Clark writes...

Last week at W2W we looked together at the contrast between life lived in our own strength (Romans 7) and life lived in the spirit (Romans 8) and were so encouraged by all that it means to have God’s own Spirit living in us… check out the action words from this section of the passage…

Romans 8:Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

How incredible that God’s Spirit lives in us… that changes our relationship with God entirely doesn't it?… it's not the kind of relationship where you meet up for coffee occasionally... it's an all day everyday relationship because He lives in us…

So how does that change our prayer lives? Well rather than thinking of prayer as a morning and evening and before food kind of thing, prayer becomes constant communication. He is involved in every aspect of our lives and keeps us in constant communication with the Father.

Check out these verses from later in Romans 8:

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

If you’d like to listen to Heather’s talk from Wednesday night please email me and I’ll send you the link.


W2W Blog: Writing our Prayers

Writing Christmas cards is something I enjoy doing though sometimes, when I am running late to get them finished, they can be a bit on the stressful side…

I enjoy getting them through the door though, especially if there is a wee note inside from a friend I’ve not seen in a while.

If I had time to write a note inside my cards this year what would it say? Something about moving, about work, about family perhaps…

But imagine with me that you were to write a Christmas card to God… that you took time to write a note inside… what would you write? He knows how your year has been, all you’ve been up to and what your “news” is… so what would be on your heart to say to him this Christmas?

I decided to have a try…

Here’s how my notes to each of the God head began… 

Dear Heavenly Father

As Christmas approaches, there is so much to thank you for this year… (many things come to mind) … but amidst all the stuff, and the speed at which the year has flown by, the challenges and the joys of the year, thank you that I can know an incredible peace that you are in control of it all… thankyou that every day of my life this year was known by you.. and that you were in all the ups and downs working your purposes out. When I think about how you planned the first Christmas before the world was even created I feel somehow safer. The ups and downs of my life are small in comparison to your greatness. Yet you know and care about all of my needs. Thankyou for your great provision… … and especially that my greatest need has already been met in Christ and no one or nothing can take that away. Thank you for being my Father and for the incredible gift you gave in sending your son to be my Saviour….

Dear Lord Jesus

This is the time of year we think of you as a baby… come to earth as a human being… leaving all the privilege and position of sitting at the throne of heaven so that you could become like us. Human. As I struggled this year with temptations, and sin, you were there, at the right hand side of our Father, rooting for me to resist and to walk in obedience, knowing too well the struggle and showing me I needn’t give in. And when I did mess up, you were there graciously reminding me that you had died for that sin also. Thank you for being my Saviour. Thank you for your constant love for me. Thank you that you understand…

 

Dear Holy Spirit

How could I manage without you? Thankyou for the times you have prodded and prompted me to open the word, or brought scripture to mind when I needed encouragement, or helped me think of the words I needed to speak truth to someone. Thank you for your constant companionship, your enabling, your counsel. Thank you that whatever the year ahead holds I am not alone and I can be confident that you will help me.

Writing our notes – or our prayers - is one way we can slow down and think about what we most want to say to God… Can I encourage you to take some time over the Christmas period, reflecting on the year drawing to a close, and express your own heart to God.

And can I encourage you to reflect on some of the written prayers in the bible as you pray for the year ahead… believe it or not there are over 600 prayers in the bible… check out this list:

As 2017 approaches, my prayer for you would echo that of Paul for the Ephesians:

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Eph 1:15-23

 


W2W BLog

John15: 1-17

If you missed our W2W night together at the start of December, here’s a chance to tune in to Debbies helpful introduction to the passage.

click here

There are some questions to dig deeper, and some prayer points to use in reflection

Questions:

 1)  Using our passage, what does it mean to abide in Christ from day to day?

 V7a - What does this look like in reality?

 V 9,10 - What does this look like in reality?

 V12 - What does this look like in reality?

Are there any areas where we need to change our thinking/ actions?

How can we encourage each other in these things?

2)  What can we look forward to seeing in our lives when we abide in Christ?

V2, 5, 8 -  What does this really mean?

V7b, 16 -  What does this really mean?

V8, 11-   What does this really mean?

3)  How does this passage remind you to approach prayer more carefully?

4)  How does this passage encourage you to be more adventurous about what you pray for?

Prayer Points:

If you are a Christian, thank God that you can be a fruitful branch on a life-giving vine.  Praise Him for the relationship you have with Jesus.

If you are not yet a Christian, consider speaking to someone tonight who can explain how to have eternal life.

Ask God to help you to walk more closely with Jesus day by day.  Pray through your notes from Q1

Thank God for the fruit that you are aware of in your life.  Praise Him that He is glorified through this.  Praise Him for the joy you experience through this.  Pray that God would make your life more fruitful.

Pray specifically for three friends who you can speak to about Jesus over the Christmas season.  Pray that you will be able to take the opportunity to invite them along to one of the December services/ events at Carrubbers.

Take 30 minutes at some point over the next month and pray through John 15:1-17 again… using your notes and the prayer points above to direct your prayers.


W2W Blog: A wee message of Joy

A wee message of Joy

Sometimes, when you’ve had a tough few days, you just need to hear some good news don’t you?!!

It was a tough day:

- Jesus had been talking to the disciples at the last supper about his impending death:

- He was going to be leaving them

- He was going to be betrayed

- He was going to die

How must the disciples have felt when they heard this? When Judas got up and walked out? When Peter who adamantly claimed he would follow Jesus no matter what was told he would deny even knowing Jesus before the end of the night? They were no doubt confused and scared.

But Jesus wanted to reassure them and encourage them

In John 15:11 He says I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Jesus’ joy in us?

Our joy complete?

This must be good news!!

What is it he says that will bring them such joy in the midst of their confusion?

Here’s what he says:

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Jesus is God - the perfect man, the great “I am”

Jesus is the true vine – unlike Israel in the Old Testament, He bears fruit in our lives.

God is the gardener, tenderly caring for us and pruning us to be more fruitful.

Jesus calls us to remain or "abide" in him;

Abiding means being connected, nourished, fed by Jesus in his word.

It means being in a love relationship with him, and with the father, who works in us to produce more fruit.

It means being called friends and not servants.

And it connects us to one another in love.

Do join us on Wednesday night at Women to Women as we explore this chapter more and talk about how we abide and how abiding affects our prayer lives.

Women to Women starts at 7:30pm in the church santuary, but why not pop in earlier for a cup of tea and some fellowship.


W2W Blog: Burdened by Prayer?

Burdened in Prayer?

Karen Clark writes...

Have you ever felt burdened as you pray for those you love, those you are responsible for, or those you care about who are struggling? Sometimes I think there are times in life we are asked to share each other’s burdens in this way, by joining with them in prayer.

Who comes to mind for you I wonder?

Paul had been responsible for starting, teaching in and encouraging many churches and many people during his various missionary journeys… we know from his letters that he cared about them enormously and often wrote of his prayers for them to grow, to trust, to be transformed.

But in 2 Corinthians 11:28&29 he expresses something startling about the burden he feels for them. After a list of all the trials he has faced in ministry (including a few near death experiences) he writes Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” Caring for and praying for those we love can be a real burden.

So how does what we have been learning about prayer in Women to Women these last months apply in this situation?

Firstly we remember the God to whom we pray… he is infinitely bigger than the situation and circumstance. The Hebrews (ch1-4) needed reminded that Jesus was greater than Moses, the High Priests, the Old Covenant, the Angels… what do we need to be reminded that Jesus is greater than? He is greater than the struggle your friend is going through, He is greater than the person or situation at work that is painful. He is greater than the NHS whom your family member seems at the mercy of. He is greater than the financial or political stresses in the world right now. He is greater than everything and anything else in all creation so let’s lift our eyes to Him today in the midst of the burdens of life. He has made a way that will once and for all bring hope to our lives and brings us into a relationship that means we are not alone in our situation. Matt 28:11“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Secondly we remember that we are called to draw near - not because we are good enough... it really doesn't matter whether you feel in a good place or a bad place. We are called to draw near on the basis of what Jesus has done for us… we were reminded that its entirely because Jesus has made us acceptable to God, and has made a way possible for us to come to God that we can draw near to find grace and mercy to help us in our time of need. Keeping the incredible gospel in our minds as we come to God will shape our prayers, will help us give thanks, will help us keep things in perspective, will help us pray for God’s will to be done in the situations. We can pray for those we love that they will hold on fast to the gospel or come for the first time to the gospel, and draw near themselves to the God who can help them. (Heb 4:14-16, 10:19-23)

What a privilege to be able to come to God in prayer for those we care about.

If you would like to listen to Heather or Cara’s talk from the last couple of W2W evenings, they will soon be available on the sermons page of the website. Meantime they are available through the dropbox links below or by emailing Karen. They were both interactive talks so do email Karen if you’d like a copy of the work sheet that accompanied them.

Heather's talk

Cara's talk


W2W Blog: Praying with Confidence

Praying with Confidence

Have you seen the banners around town and on buses that say “Try Praying”? I applaud the desire to encourage people to seek God but it raises questions for me about what people believe when they see these and think about prayer? Who is it people think they praying to? And why is it that people think God might listen to them and answer as they pray?

It may be because they think they are good people, because their situation is a desperate one - one they don’t deserve to be in, or because they believe there is something God can do about their situation?

As God’s children who have been taught to pray “Our Father”, we have a very different approach to prayer because we know the God to whom we pray. We know he loves to hear us, we know he can answer us, we know he works all things for our good. But where do we get our confidence that God will hear and answer when we pray?

This week when we meet together at Women to Women, we will be looking at where that confidence comes from and how we can draw near to God in our times of need. Why not take a read of the passages we'll be studying before you come…

Heb 4:14-16: “Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need.”

Heb 10:19-23: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

See you on Wednesday night, at 7 for 7:30pm…


W2W Blog: Prayer for New and Used Believers

Prayer for New and Used Believers by Heather Holdsworth

(This article was written for a book called, ‘How Prayer Impacts Lives’ Christian Focus Publications 2013)

How do you know when someone is a true disciple, a wholehearted follower?  With what do you gauge commitment?  In our evangelical hamlets, measurements are constantly taken.  And most often, the unit by which we log devotion is activity.

 With each morning, demands roll in.  Flurries of tasks squeeze the stopwatch and the ticking begins.  Sixteen hours of useable minutes and so much to do.  The countdown arrives unbidden, before one page of Scripture sees daylight. 

Focus. 

Open eyes.

Open Bible. 

 Each minute puts pressure on the text for results, to find some bright phrase to align our day.  With the reading over, comes the puzzle of prayer.  It seems a call to inaction. 

‘Be still’. 

‘Wait’. 

‘Abide’. 

The instructed pause on our lives of purpose; can we seriously afford the time? 

 And prayer becomes a briefing; where we roll out events to highlight areas of responsibility.  We notify the Christ to pour smoothness on this day – emotional cheer, financial calm and easy parking – the evidences of God’s sanction on our activities. 

 We move out and the action starts.  Is our soul still?  Did we ‘abide’?  If there was time for an honest moment, we sit closer to guilt than satisfaction.  But hey, many Christians don’t even have devotions – read any survey.

 And what about when the sun doesn’t shine for the kids’ Bible Club and the bank balance shade is more red than black?  When the doctor pauses too long before giving those results and your mum’s forgetfulness triggers family emails?  When God didn’t follow the script you covered in the morning memo – what then?

 You cordon it off.  You use the yellow tape.  ‘SOVEREIGNTY – DO NOT CROSS’.  Christ’s action or inaction lies under a distant tarpaulin, policed by you.  And you stand at the perimeter, guarding God.  And maybe while you stand you sing heartily so that the words from your lips are louder than the questions of your heart. 

 You patrol the tape and defend a God who is recognised but not known, charted but not dear.  And you silence your soul.  For the One you nodded to on the way into your life of purpose hasn’t come through.

 You left him at the planning meeting with clear objectives – to bless the lists; to make guest appearances at special meetings.  But that isn’t relationship.  Not in anyone’s book.

 So what do we do?  How do we find relational contentment with an unseen God?  Jesus’ frequent method of engaging people was parables; obscured stories relying wholly on two things for meaning – a teacher and his insight.  As the disciples pursued Jesus away from the crowds on the beach to homes and along pathways, something happened.  Doubt and unwashed faith trumped any urge to be seen, any need to sound right.  Frank dialogues with the Saviour in unplanned places were what changed perceptions, rocketed growth, and made them come alive!

 I am done with confining God to small spaces, with segregating him to a convenient zone while I hold sway over the activities of life.  I am finished with treating him as capable only to deal with the tasks assigned.  I’m done with the divide between ‘devotions’ and devotion.  It’s as smart as trying to split body from breath.  If this relationship works, it has to work in every situation and every space. 

 A friend asked some years back whether I struggled with prayer.  “Yes, I do”.  My husband looked over at me, puzzled, “Heather, you talk to God all the time.” 

“Well yes, I talk to him all the time, but I struggle with prayer”; that earnest staging of correct theology.  There was quiet and then the question, “And what is it you teach kids that prayer is?” 

My automatic response, “Well, prayer is ... ah.  Yes!”

But how is this workable?  Lengthening our devotional practices?  There are so many pressures, we honestly don’t have the time.  No, I am not speaking of more obligations – here is the gold. 

Reactions

 Throughout each day we experience life and react.  Each news headline provokes a response.  What if God was actively invited into the way we process life?  What if information was handled with him?  What if the photo from a bomb blast began a different sentence, “Lord, you see that lady, this child.  You hear their agony.  I’m listening – how do you want me to pray?”

And when a car passes with a fish on its window, pray strength for his faith and hope for his family. 

And at night time when those news stories of terror have fuelled imaginations of attack?  Process the thought with the one who has power.  Engage.  “Lord, this fear is not my reality right now.  But somewhere it is true of one of your disciples.  Send angels; bring help; confound her attackers ...”  For a long time I prayed daily for the persecuted church.  And the enemy of souls realised that his plan of paralysing me through fear was backfiring badly.  And he moved on to another scheme. 

 

Triggers

Each day you do things the same as the last.  Your teeth need brushing, shoes need to be put on and your desk lamp needs to shine.  I use daily things to prompt me to pray for people.  For Julie and Erin when I brush my teeth, for Viktor as I switch on his old desk lamp and each night as I switch off the bedside light a little luminous star shines from the shade!  That tiny glow triggers a chain.  I begin by praying for a friend 4000 miles away and later when her star shines, she prays for me.  And then I swim out, deep and far into the oceanic current of God’s mercy and WORSHIP my Saviour who has gone beyond being recognised and charted to being my utter delight!

Inviting God into your living means you track together all day.  And he leads and he speaks and your sight is shaped by his heart.  It’s a life-giving conversation. 

Eyes open

Ears wide.

An active participant in life with the Master of it.


W2W Blog: Knowing the God to Whom we Pray

Knowing the God to whom we pray…

What difference does it make to you that the God to whom you pray is your Father?

What difference does it make to you that the God to whom you pray is sovereign over all the circumstances in your life?

What difference does it make to you that the God to whom you pray is all powerful and able to answer?

What difference does it make to you that the God to whom you pray is totally wise and knows what is best for you?

What difference does it make to you that the God to whom you pray is a loving and caring God?

And so we could go on…. Our God is such an incredible God, and he wants to know us personally…

As we begin a year of thinking about prayer – our means of communicating with this incredible God- we are planning to start by having a special night of thinking about the God to whom we pray.

Heather will be sharing with us on Wednesday from God’s word at 7:30pm. Whether you usually come to Women to Women or want to come for the first time… we’d love to have you join us. Tea and Coffee are served from 7 ish so come early and get to know a few more folks.

Meanwhile:

Here are a couple of resources you might find helpful to meditate on the character of God

31 days meditating on the names of God by the navigators

Praying the attributes of God devotional book by Rosemary Jensen


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