A Season of Breakthrough

The following post is based on the story of Luke 5:1-11. Jesus has spent the morning teaching the crowds by the beach and even has to move onto a boat, pushed slightly away from the shore so that more people can hear him teach. Whilst he's in the boat, He sees Peter weary and disappointed by the lack of fish that he had caught the night before and so instructs Peter to throw is net out the other side of the boat. Peter's response reveals a whole host of feelings that could have got in the way of listening and obeying Jesus. He says,

"Master, we've worked hard all night and we haven't caught anything..." 

This is Peter before his divine encounter. He is frustrated and carrying the weight of disappointment on his shoulders. Perhaps he's feeling embarrassed that they haven't caught anything, he was after all an experienced fisherman right? Perhaps he's feeling hopeless? Sometimes things never change do they? He's been working all night, so it's likely he's tired,weary and wet and simply wants to go home and rest.

Yet Peter was about to have an encounter with Divinity, he was about to experience his breakthrough. And because he didn't give up, he received everything and more that he was looking for - a whole load of fish and a revelation of the glory and power of Jesus that would change his life forever (Luke 5: 6-11).

I don't know about you but there are times when I can feel like Peter: frustrated, empty -handed, weary and hopeless. But I find encouragement in this story of Peter's determination not to give up and his obedience to the simple instruction of Jesus. And as I reflect on this story, I wonder if this is a timely reminder for all of us in whatever our situation is right now...

I feel like we are now in the moment of breakthrough and I hear all of Heaven cry out, "Don't give up!" The dreams in our hearts weren't put there by mistake, they are dreams and longings with purpose. They are pregnant with purpose and now is the time of breakthrough.

I hear the Lord say, "Learn from the faith of the Canaanite lady (Matthew 15: 21-28). She was not an Israelite, yet she pushed in and received the promise of healing for her daughter. What you see is her moment of breakthrough - what you do not see is the years of pain and anguish and crying out that she persevered through to get to this point. When she saw me passing by, she knew it was her moment of breakthrough - her appointed time had come. And now I say to you - your appointed time has come."

"Ask of me and I will give you the nations. Learn from me and I will take the heavy yoke. Do not let this moment pass you by. I am close. I have heard the prayers of your heart and I am here to answer them. You have grown strong from asking and now I will show myself strong on your behalf." (2 Chronicles 16:9)

A rising wave?

Rich writes:

I was listening to the BBC World Service this week. Fresh protests in Egypt, upheaval in Syria and Yemen, the Eurozone debt crisis. I hadn't listened to an international (rather than domestic) news bulletin for a while, and it brought home to me the magnitude of the events taking place at the moment.

I was reminded of how a wave builds before it breaks. If the build up is slow enough it's possible to miss it, unless you pause to feel the water moving. It's once it breaks that it becomes impossible to ignore. At that point you ideally need to be up and surfing already!

What do I mean? There have been a lot of prophecies about 'a coming wave' over the last few years.  This video here, of someone surfing a huge wave, gives an idea of what this is about.  A hugely powerful and potentially destructive wall of water, which for those who are ready provides the ride of their life!

When the wave breaks, I want to be dependent enough on Jesus, and rooted enough in an (outward-focused) community, that that I can surf, not swim (and let along sink!).  Sitting on the beach just isn't an option.

A Reminder

Rich writes:

In the light of all the rioting in London and other cities the past few days, I thought I would re-post a few paragraphs placed on this blog a few months ago (in February).  We join the flow with me talking about being up a swaying tree in a strong wind:

"Surprisingly it also felt quite safe, despite the height, the wind and rain.  Sometimes the safest place to be is right in the midst of the storm, because you're being held secure by something (someone!) much stronger than the wind.

And that's what this entry is about.  Because when I asked God last year what he had in store for the world at this time I had a sense of tectonic plates shifting - the very things which underlie 'our reality' creaking and groaning and moving.  A sense of uproar and the uprooting of things that seem secure.  Scary stuff!

When I asked God what the opportunities were for the Church, I felt an overwhelming sense that His agenda is to show people that what they've put their trust in isn't as secure as they might think.  In fact there's only one place that's really secure, and the Church should know exactly where it is.  That's the opportunity for us - we can point to the One who is always faithful, always secure, right in the midst of the storm.  The Rock."

It's easy to be fearful at times like this.  But let's be mindful of the opportunities for God's Church.  Let's place our security in Him.  And let's pray.  Pray for peace, but even more, pray for His Kingdom to come.

The Unseen Kingdom

"The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst."  Jesus, to a group of Pharisees in Luke 17 v20.  What does it say to you?

The latter part of Jesus' statement is sometimes translated 'the Kingdom of God is within you', and I had this phrase running through my mind all morning.  When I looked it up (on my phone in a work meeting!) to see where it was from I realised that the passage goes beyond emphasising that the Kingdom means the Presence of the King, or that Jesus and the Father make their home in me (John 14:23, and something I've been dwelling on recently).  It also describes some of the dynamics of the way God is working in the UK at the moment.  Let me explain what I mean...

Every so often I'm reminded that I only observe a small part of what God is doing - I see what He does in my life and those of my friends, my Home Group, our Church.  It's easy to become bogged down in these day to day battles (and victories :-), but every once in a while I feel privileged to gain a wider perspective, catch a glimpse of the national or global or even universal strategy that our Father is working out, and which we are each a part of.  This is super-encouraging because there is a lot going on, but a lot of it is below the radar...

It's not being picked up by the people the BBC employs as 'horizon scanners', and there are no leading articles in the Times; what's happening in one place is not even being noticed by other parts of God's Church because it's not centred around inspirational individuals or one particular Church movement.  There is no 'one big thing', or single conference or Church group where everything is happening.  Whereas in the past, moves of God have often seemed to revolve largely around a very small group of anointed individuals (who often set up a new denomination or group) I'm convinced that this is not the case with what God is doing in the UK at the moment.  

Instead of this old pattern, it seems to me that the Kingdom is coming in power across all the denominations, new and old, with loads of inspirational individuals catching the fire and local Churches coming alive, seeing people healed and transformed in their communities.  The stories are exciting, but they're below the radar, only God has the complete picture.  And He can show it to us when we ask.  This isn't so much a revival as something even better - a widespread breaking through of the Kingdom.  There are inspirational people and movements out there to learn from, it's just that (perhaps in contrast to the past) there are a great many of them, few of them famous but all of them moving powerfully in the Spirit.  

If we watch with human eyes for the next 'big thing' or 'anointed individual' we may miss out.  The Pharisees that Jesus was speaking to were very keen on putting God in a box.  We need to make sure that we don't put God in the box described by previous moves of the Spirit; He is always bigger than we think.  Let's ask God to point out what He's doing below the radar all around us so that we can join in.

And this takes me right back to the verse at the beginning of this post: 'the Kingdom of God is within you'.  Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19 and elsewhere).  If we want to do the same works that He did (or 'even greater things') as He promises his believers will (John 14:12) then we too need to see what the Father is doing.  How can we do this?  We can do this because He is within us.  We tune in to Him moment by moment and live out His life, the same life that Jesus lived out 2000 years ago.  Easy to say, but hard to do moment by moment.  God can show us how, and who to learn from.

So let's keep our spiritual eyes open - the Kingdom of God is closer than you think - it is right in your midst.

Preparing for the coming revival

Aaron writes...

A few weeks ago a friend sent a text round to a few friends after he had spent some time in prayer. It read....”Hi, what are you doing to prepare for the coming revival?” It got me thinking and more importantly it got me praying!

In the story of Joseph after he has given an interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream regarding the 7 years of abundance and the 7 years of famine, Joseph goes on to say,

"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine." Genesis 41:31-36

Did you notice that at the beginning of this great plan of salvation, the storehouses of food were originally intended just for Egypt? Joseph’s original plan was that only Egypt would benefit from the plan that was revealed by God. However if we look to what actually happened when the famine eventually did come, it seemed that God had a much bigger plan. Genesis 41:56-57 reveals just how big it really was...

"When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere."

Whilst Joseph’s eyes were on rescuing Egypt, the people he had come to love and serve, God’s eyes were on the whole world – the ones He had always loved and had always come to serve. In a similar way, I wonder if God is calling His church not just to resource the church as it is today but also as it will be in the future. A much bigger vision is laid out before us than perhaps we have come to realise.

The days are getting darker, the famine that the world experience in Joseph’s time seems just a glimpse of the natural disasters that are becoming common place all over the world today. The financial crisis and high levels of unemployment, again are too adding to the growing sense of despair that is reflected in the newspapers and media daily. Could it be at this time when many are asking “Who will show us any good” (Psalm 4:6a) that the church rises up and prays “God, let the light of Your face shine upon us.” (Psalm 4:6b) In the book of Acts, the Lord “added to the churches number, those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47) and I know it is the prayer and hope of many that this would be the case once again here in the UK. There is a growing excitement and anticipation that God is on the move and that we are only just round the corner from a great revival, a time when God pours out His Spirit on His church once again and brings in a new harvest of people who are ready to respond to the gospel.

In the meantime however, could it be that like Joseph, God is calling His church to build storehouses in order that we will be ready for this dramatic increase in those who are ready to follow Jesus? Just like a newborn baby needs their parents undivided attention care and provision, so too will those who are newborn in the faith. And we have to ask ourselves, will we be strong enough in faith, love and hope in order that when those who are new in faith will find the care and provision that they will need to grow strong in the Lord and live a life read to lay down their lives for Him? I believe this challenge reflects the need not only to prepare with spiritually but physically as well.

Over the last few years I have been humbled by a small church that meet at the community centre I work at. When I first arrived at the centre 5 years ago I attended a service in order to show my support and hear about their vision for the future. I was humbled when I entered their service to find only the pastor, his wife and their three children in the room. It turned out that this was the entire membership of this small church. But the thing that really stood out to me was that the room was laid out as if there had been 50 people in the room. The room was filled with lines and lines of white plastic chairs. It seemed that they were not fazed by the lack of attendance at that present time in their church’s life but instead were believing in God’s promise that He was going to build His church. And in the meantime, they knew they were called to be co-labourers with Christ and so had  decided to resource the church not just with chairs but also with Bibles, games and food so that when the church did grow they would be ready for the newcomers. Today this church has 40 people attending at every service and the pastor has had the privilege of seeing his God given vision come to pass. I can’t help but wonder if God honoured His promise to grow His church amongst this humble and faithful group of believers because they were willing to prepare for those who would eventually turn up?

We each have a part to play in the coming revival that will soon be with us on these shores, whether that’s through prayer and interceding for the lost, raising up leaders amongst the current congregation, giving financially in order to resource the church with more equipment and space or simply laying out chairs for a congregation that doesn’t even exist yet. May God find us to be a church that is ready to both believe in His promises for the future and also prepare for them today.

Practical ways to prepare for revival:

1)      Prayer: God was the one who initiated the whole storehouse plan in Egypt by revealing His plans to Pharaoh and Joseph. He will still reveal His plans and salvation strategies to those today who are ready to listen.

2)      Listen to the testimony and teaching of those who have experienced a revival elsewhere in the world. The following churches and ministries are ones which both Rich and I honour, admire, appreciate and learn A LOT from!

·         www.Ibethel.org

·         http://www.catchthefire.com/

·         http://www.freshfire.ca/

·         http://www.ficm.org.uk/

·         http://www.jasonupton.net/site/

3)      Get stuck into His Word! Some good places to start for teaching on preparing for God’s promises include:

·         Genesis  37-50

·         2 Timothy 2:1-7

·         Acts 1-2

·         2 Peter 3:9

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed...

It seems that the air is “pregnant with promise” [1] at the moment. Promises for individuals to live out of their true calling and their true identity. Promises for the church as a whole, for us to be the light God has called us to be, to see our services filled with His glory, to see freedom in the lives of those all around us.  Yes, the air is "pregnant with promise".

At All Saints church, we’ve been doing a sermon series on the heroes of faith found in the Old Testament characters and every week, we’re faced with the same message – will the people of God believe God for the fulfilment of His promise? Will they remain hopeful when the circumstances of their lives contradict the very promise that was given to them?

Amidst this multitude of heroes, one person in particular stands out from the list of Old Testament heroes and gets a detailed analyse of his life, when the Apostle Paul holds him up as an example for the early church to follow and as an encouragement to stand strong in the promises of God. In Romans Paul writes of Abraham...

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed....”

When everything looked so opposed to the promises of God, Abraham held fast and simply believed. Paul goes on to write... “(Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.” Abraham simply believed God. He took Him at His word knowing that He who promised would be faithful to fulfil it (Hebrews 10:23).

And so the challenge comes to us – will we celebrate the promises and faithfulness of God before the fulfilment of these promises. Will we be a people who simply celebrate God’s goodness and victory even before we see it in our own eyes and so fulfil the calling of the church to live by faith and not by sight? It’s a challenge because I know that I often through my complaining, impatience and ungratefulness I reveal that my belief is somewhat shallower than I sometimes like to admit. I simply grow tired of waiting and doubt begins to creep it's way into m life. Did God really say that? Did God really promise me this? Is it really worth the fight? And I find myself right back in the Garden of Eden, being tempted by the enemy to disbelieve God and doubt His promise for me.

But like Abraham I can strengthen my faith by giving glory to God (Romans 4:20 ESV). God hasn’t left us unequipped for the battle over hope but has given us the gift of praise, the truth of His word and the power of His Holy Spirit to ensure we are able to overcome all doubt and live our lives hopeful even when the circumstances of our lives may tell us a different story. Abraham has prepared the way for us and we are called to follow in his footsteps. Against all hope, we are called to believe.

N.B. The following links and Scriptures may be of some use to you, if today you find yourself needing encouragement as you cling on to the promises of God.

Sermons:

• Danny Silk sermon – Hope happens - http://www.ibethel.org/site/sermon-of-the-week
• All Saints sermons http://allsaintspeckham.org.uk/default.aspx?menuId=1319

Key Scriptures:

·         “I am watching over my word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:12

·         “We live by faith and not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

·         “Yet (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith as he gave glory to God.” Romans 4 ESV

·         “No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him – but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

·         “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”  Hebrew 10:23

·         “He who began a good work in You will carry it on to completion.” Philippians 1:6

---

[1]  Borrowed from a Bill Johnson sermon J

Where's your hope?

I just found a really great climbing tree!  Lots of evenly spaced branches and a crown right at the top that made a perfect sitting spot, where I could look out over the top of the leaves, swaying backwards and forwards enjoying the uneven rhythms of the wind.  Surprisingly it also felt quite safe, despite the height, the wind and rain.  Sometimes the safest place to be is right in the midst of the storm, because you're being held secure by something (someone!) much stronger than the wind.

And that's what this entry is about.  Because when I asked God last year what he had in store for the world at this time I had a sense of tectonic plates shifting - the very things which underlie 'our reality' creaking and groaning and moving.  A sense of uproar and the uprooting of things that seem secure.  Scary stuff!

When I asked God what the opportunities were for the Church, I felt an overwhelming sense that His agenda is to show people that what they've put their trust in isn't as secure as they might think.  In fact there's only one place that's really secure, and the Church should know exactly where it is.  That's the opportunity for us - we can point to the One who is always faithful, always secure, right in the midst of the storm.  The Rock.

I had a series of similar pictures about things like boats' anchors coming loose - the same message really.  When I shared all this with a friend from a Church in Sheffield he told me that a lot of people at his Church were hearing very similar things in regard to the UK.  There were various pictures and prophecies going with it:  one was a huge wave sweeping across the UK.  Dangerous and destructive but hugely exhilirating for those prepared to get their surfboards out and ride it.  Will God's people step up?

I think God has been preparing us for exactly this.  I've been told about a few Joseph prophecies circulating around the last few years - about God raising up people to help Him build 'storehouses' for a coming time of difficulty (read Joseph's story in Genesis 41).  I had a very similar picture.  I saw England, with oases springing up across it - pools of water.  Then as I watched the land around became a desert.  Our Father had prepared the oases in advance.

And what are they, these oases and storehouses?  I think they are communities of God's people who are truly sold on living all out for Jesus.  Seeking His Kingdom first, praying for it and living it as best they can.  In step with the Spirit.  When the wave comes, these communities will be the surfboards that allow people to ride with Jesus.  When the desert springs up these oases will be where people flock for life-giving water. 

So the question is: are we ready?  Are we completely yielded to Jesus and His love? Yielded to His challenge?  It may not be comfortable, but sitting at the top of a swaying tree in the middle of the storm isn't always 5 star luxury.  It's not meant to be.

Ps.  I've had a new album on whilst writing this post, and as I finished, a song called 'Rain Came Down' started.  Guess what it's about?  A thunderous storm, and a house built on the rock.  Who'd have thought it?!