“Rules for a Preacher’s Conduct” John Wesley

Here are the “Rules for a Preacher’s Conduct” which every Methodist preacher had to read and keep or be put out. This list was put together for convenience, though it does not quite cover everything. Other rules are scattered here and there among the general rules and regulations of the Societies.

Be diligent. Never be unemployed: never be triflingly employed. Never trifle away time: neither spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary.

Be serious. Let your motto be, Holiness to the Lord. Avoid all lightness, jesting, and foolish talking.

Converse sparingly, and conduct yourself prudently with women.

Take no step toward marriage without first consulting your brethren (After losing out on a particularbride Wesley didn't take his own advice and sadly his marriage did not go well, ending in a separation).

Believe evil of no one without good evidence; unless you see it done, take heed how you credit it. Put the best construction on everything. You know the judge is always supposed to be on the prisoner’s side.

Speak evil of no one; because your word especially would eat as doth a canker. Keep your thoughts within your own breast, till you come to the person concerned.

Tell every one under your care what you think wrong with his conduct and temper, and that lovingly and plainly as soon as may be: else it will fester in your heart. Make all haste to cast the fire out of your bosom.

Avoid all affectation. A preacher of the gospel is a servant of all.

Be ashamed of nothing but sin.

Be punctual. Do everything exactly at the time. And do not mend our rules, but keep them; not for wrath but for conscience’ sake.

You have nothing to do but to save souls; therefore spend and be spent in this work. Observe! it is not your business only to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many as you can; to bring as many sinners as you can to repentance, and with all your power to build them up in holiness without which they cannot see the Lord. And remember!—a Methodist is to mind every point, great and small, in the Methodist Discipline. Therefore you will need to exercise all the sense and grace you have.

Act in all things not according to your own will, but as a son in the gospel. As such, it is your duty to employ your time in the manner in which we direct: in preaching and visiting from house to house; in reading, meditation and prayer.

Be sure never to disappoint a congregation. Begin at the time appointed. Let your whole deportment be serious, weighty, and solemn. Always suit your subject to your audience. Choose the plainest texts you can. Take care not to ramble, but keep to your text and make out what you take in hand. Take care of anything awkward or affected, either in your gesture, phrase or pronunciation. Do not usually pray extempore above eight or ten minutes (at most) without intermission.

'THE TOZER CREED' ON HOW TO MAKE SPIRITUAL PROGRESS by A.W. TOZER

Time is short, and eternity is long. The end of all things is at hand. Man has proved himself morally unfit to manage the world in which he has been placed by the kindness of the Almighty. He has jockeyed himself to the edge of the crater and cannot go back, and in terrible fear he is holding his breath against the awful moment when he will be plunged into the inferno.

In the meantime, a company of people exist on the earth who claim to have the answer to all life's major questions. They claim to have found the way back to God, release from their sins, life everlasting and a sure guarantee of heaven in the world to come.

These are the Christians. They declare that Jesus Christ is very God of very God, made flesh to dwell among us. Thy insist that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. They testify that He is to them Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption, and they steadfastly assert that He will be to them the Resurrection and the Life for eternity to come.

These Christians know, and when pressed will admit, that their finite hearts have explored but a pitifully small part of the infinite riches that are theirs in Christ Jesus. They read the lives of the great saints whose fervent desire after God carried them far up the mountain toward spiritual perfection; and for a brief moment they may yearn to be like these fiery souls whose light and fragrance still linger in the world where they once lived and labored. But the longing soon passes. The world is too much with them and the claims of their earthly lives are too insistent; so they settle back to live their ordinary lives, and accept the customary as normal. After a while they manage to achieve some kind of inner content and that is the last we hear of them.

This contentment with inadequate and imperfect progress in the life of holiness is, I repeat, a scandal in the Church of the Firstborn. The whole weight of Scripture is against such a thing. The Holy Spirit constantly seeks to arouse the complacent. "Let us go on" is the word of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul embodies this in his noble testimony as found in his Philippian epistle: "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ . . . that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection . . . but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

If we accept this as the sincere expression of a normal Christian I do not see how we can justify our own indifference toward spiritual things. But should someone feel a desire to make definite progress in the life of Christ, what can he do to get on with it? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Strive to get beyond mere pensive longing. Set your face like a flint and begin to put your life in order. Every man is as holy as he really wants to be. But the want must be all-compelling.

Tie up the loose ends of your life. Begin to tithe; institute family prayer; pay up your debts as far as possible and make some kind of frank arrangement with every creditor you cannot pay immediately; make restitution as far as you can; set aside time to pray and search the Scriptures; surrender wholly to the will of God. You will be surprised and delighted with the results.

2. Put away every un-Christian habit from you. If other Christians practice it without compunction, God may be calling you to come nearer to Him than these other Christians care to come. Remember the words, "Others may, you cannot." Do not condemn or criticize, but seek a better way. God will honor you.

3. Get Christ Himself in the focus of your heart and keep Him there continually. Only in Christ will you find complete fulfillment. In Him you may be united to the Godhead in conscious, vital awareness. Remember that all of God is accessible to you through Christ. Cultivate His knowledge above everything else on earth.

4. Throw your heart open to the Holy Spirit and invite Him to fill you. He will do it. Let no one interpret the Scriptures for you in such a way as to rule out the Father's gift of the Spirit. Every man is as full of the Spirit as he wants to be. Make your heart a vacuum and the Spirit will rush in to fill it.

Nowhere in the Scriptures nor in Christian biography was anyone ever filled with the Spirit who did not know that he had been, and nowhere was anyone filled who did not know when. And no one was ever filled gradually.

5. Be hard on yourself and easy on others. Carry your own cross but never lay one on the back of another. Begin to practice the presence of God. Cultivate the fellowship of the Triune God by prayer, humility, obedience and self-abnegation.

Let any Christian do these things and he will make rapid spiritual progress. There is every reason why we should all go forward in our Christian lives and no reason why we should not. Let us go on.

'Jonah the prophet who ran away' by Brother Andrew of Open Doors

"But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord" (Jonah 1:3).

It is easier to identify with Jonah than with any other prophet. Others are so holy. Jonah is so much like us.

God says: Go ye!

Jonah says: No!

Jonah's basic problem: he had too much love for himself. He thought: "God will make a fool of me. I'll lose face."

He refused to be a fool for Christ.

He wanted God, but not God's kingdom. He wanted blessing without responsibility.

He was not making people ripe for hell. He just let them go to hell. He had no compassion for the lost.

What he did have was money. So rather than going east to Iraq, he headed west and bought a ticket on a Mediterranean cruise. He figured it was his money and he could spend it any way he chose. He didn't stop to think that he was spending God's money. Jonah pays with God's money to escape from God's call.

There is a burden on us. It's called the Great Commission. "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19a). I believe God has called enough people in each generation to fulfill the Great Commission in their lifetime. But too many have run away.

Where is our compassion? God is not willing that ANY should perish! That applies to Nineveh and Amsterdam and New York. WE are responsible for the Ninevehs of this world.

Why do we not weep for Muslims? Yes, why don't we weep for fundamentalists? Is it because we'd rather be entertained?

A man must be either entertained or challenged. It costs all your money to be entertained: television, radio, literature, cruises, time share condominiums, sport, travel (that includes the Holy Land), luxuries, food, eating out... (plus all at the expense of "family life.") And then, we've LOST all, everything.

We put so much on credit that there's nothing left for God's work. We borrow for "things." Do we ever borrow for missions? We cannot give what we do not have, and "to have" is unscriptural - the verb "to have" is not in the Hebrew language. However "to be" is; it is even God's name.

It costs nothing to be challenged - only your life.

We're stewards.

All that we have is entrusted to us.

And one day we must give an account (Romans 14:12).

Jonah ran because he saw opportunities as an enemy instead of the enemy as his biggest opportunity.

An encouragement to pray and keep on praying from Charles Wesley

I was preparing a talk and remembered this hymn by Charles Wesley that I used to sing in the fellowship group I attended some thirty years ago. Yes, we used to sing all twelve verses, and with great gusto, to a tune for the guitar written by a man called John Kelly. Reading it again proved to be a great encouragement for me and I hope that it will be the same for you. It brings back memories. Does anyone remember singing it? AK

Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His mighty power,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.

Stand then in His great might, with all His strength endued,
But take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God;
That, having all things done, and all your conflicts passed,
Ye may o’ercome through Christ alone and stand entire at last.

Stand then against your foes, in close and firm array;
Legions of wily fiends oppose throughout the evil day.
But meet the sons of night, and mock their vain design,
Armed in the arms of heavenly light, of righteousness divine.

Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul,
Take every virtue, every grace, and fortify the whole;
Indissolubly joined, to battle all proceed;
But arm yourselves with all the mind that was in Christ, your Head.

But, above all, lay hold on faith’s victorious shield;
Armed with that adamant and gold, be sure to win the field:
If faith surround your heart, Satan shall be subdued,
Repelled his every fiery dart, and quenched with Jesu’s blood.

Jesus hath died for you! What can His love withstand?
Believe, hold fast your shield, and who shall pluck you from His hand?
Believe that Jesus reigns; all power to Him is giv’n:
Believe, till freed from sin’s remains; believe yourselves to Heav’n.

To keep your armor bright, attend with constant care,
Still walking in your Captain’s sight, and watching unto prayer.
Ready for all alarms, steadfastly set your face,
And always exercise your arms, and use your every grace.

Pray without ceasing, pray, your Captain gives the word;
His summons cheerfully obey and call upon the Lord;
To God your every want in instant prayer display,
Pray always; pray and never faint; pray, without ceasing, pray!

In fellowship alone, to God with faith draw near;
Approach His courts, besiege His throne with all the powers of prayer:
Go to His temple, go, nor from His altar move;
Let every house His worship know, and every heart His love.

To God your spirits dart, your souls in words declare,
Or groan, to Him Who reads the heart, the unutterable prayer:
His mercy now implore, and now show forth His praise,
In shouts, or silent awe, adore His miracles of grace.

Pour out your souls to God, and bow them with your knees,
And spread your hearts and hands abroad, and pray for Zion’s peace;
Your guides and brethren bear for ever on your mind;
Extend the arms of mighty prayer, ingrasping all mankind.

From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray,
Tread all the powers of darkness down and win the well fought day.
Still let the Spirit cry in all His soldiers, “Come!”
Till Christ the Lord descends from high and takes the conquerors home.

Devotional on John 19.16 by C.H.S.

Let us muse upon the fact that Jesus was [brought outside] the gates of the city. It was the common place of death. That little rising ground, which perhaps was called Golgotha, the place of a skull, from its somewhat resembling the crown of a man's skull, was the common place of execution. It was one of Death's castles; here he stored his gloomiest trophies; he was the grim lord of that stronghold. Our great hero, the destroyer of Death, bearded(challenged) the lion in his den, slew the monster in his own castle, and dragged the dragon captive from his own den. Methinks Death thought it a splendid triumph when he saw the Master impaled and bleeding in the dominions of destruction; little did he know that the grave was to be rifled, and himself destroyed, by that crucified Son of man.
— from "The Procession of Sorrow," delivered on March 1, 1863, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. Do you know who C.H.S. was? Read his testimony a few posts before this.

COMING AND GOING: Spreading God's word in North Korea

I got this article sent from Open Doors which I hope you find interesting and hopefully wish to participate in. We are encouraged daily by Christ to pray: 'Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven', when you do this, please lift up the needy country of North Korea that God may open those gates that the King of glory may indeed come in. AK

Through the centuries, God has extended His message of Christ’s work on the cross reconciling sinful man with a holy God. At times the message has extended out to new people groups through such means as missionary work, exploration, and commerce. At other times He has brought people to the gospel message as they travel to foreign lands, study abroad, or seek employment. We see this powerful work of building His church in North Korea, both the coming and the going of the gospel.


Businessmen from the north and the south have the opportunity to interact with each other in an industrial zone between the two Koreas where they enjoy far greater freedom than other places in the north. Christian businessmen from the south do not leave their faith behind, but bring it with them thus allowing them to share the truth of God’s grace and reconciliation while working in North Korea. The elite living in North Korea also have unique opportunities for exposure to Christ through their access to international events and the news and media. Other elite North Koreans have enjoyed the rare opportunity to travel beyond the North Korean borders where again they can encounter the gospel message.


Although not the privileged or elite many North Koreans are drawn to risk everything they have to cross the border into China. God has on countless occasions used this means to bring North Korean people to China that they might hear His gospel from the Chinese Christians who care for them, body and soul.
And so, through all of the political striving of man, God continues to build His church in North Korea, both in the coming and going.
As you remember the people of North Korea this week, pray:

Pray that God’s church in North Korea will grow in power. Acts 16:5
Pray that God would override North Korean efforts to limit business travel in the industrial zone. Psalm 3:8
Pray for Christian businessmen from the south, and North Koreans who respond to the gospel in China, to have opportunities to proclaim the gospel in authority and power, without hindrance, in North Korea. Acts 19:20
Pray for the Chinese Christians who care for the refugees along the border to share the gospel boldly and with wisdom. Acts 13:48
Praying with you,
Irene and the Prayer Force Team

'Lament by Evangeline Paterson

Weep, weep for those
Who do the work of the Lord
With a high look
And a proud heart.
Their voice is lifted up
In the streets, and their cry is heard.
The bruised reed they break
By their great strength, and the smoking flax
They trample.

Weep not for the quenched
(For their God will hear their cry
And the Lord will come to save them)
But weep, weep for the quenchers

For when the Day of the Lord
Is come, and the vales sing
And the hills clap their hands
And the light shines

Then their eyes shall be opened
On a waste place,
Smouldering,
The smoke of the flax bitter
In their nostrils,
Their feet pierced
By broken reed-stems . . .
Wood, hay, and stubble,
And no grass springing.
And all the birds flown.

Weep, weep for those
Who have made a desert
In the name of the Lord.

From Deep Is the Rock

Carlos and Michaela Lozano

Please pray for my very good friends Carlos and Michaela Lozano who are at present learning the Cambodian language before they go out to serve God in that very needy country.Carlos who is originally from Argentina, met his young wife to be, while serving on an O.M. ship. Michaela who is originally from Germany was brought up by her missionary parents in Japan. They have also both studied at the Belfast Bible College, each gaining a degree in Theology with Michaela taking on an extra year of study to do her Masters degree which she passed in June 08. They also were among the leaders in the Youth Outreach group with myself and others in Belfast, so their going is a great loss to us.

Carlos' many talents include being an excellent magician and being able to walk around on his hands for several minutes! He can also 'put his hand' to almost anything, whether electrical or mechanical, which will prove useful as a missionary. On the other hand, Michaela's gifts include working with children, as well as being a surperb linguist and dramatist.But more than that, they both have a heart of love for God and the lost, and it has been a joy spending time with them.

They will be sorely missed by all who know them in Ireland and we pray that God would protect them from harm and grant them much fruit for their labour in that country.
Carlos in Cambodia last year.

Conversion stories wanted: Do people still get converted in a Postmodern age?

In this post I invite everyone who has had a 'conversion' experience to write about it here! Whether you consider your conversion to have been a process or through a crisis point in your life, it does not matter. It also does not have to be like Mr Spurgeon's as in the previous post, rather, feel free to describe it in your own way, whether in a short paragraph or a much longer piece of writing, as you desire.I would love to here from you.It may also give someone the opportunity to do this for the first time and for others who read it,through your story encourage those who are still 'on the journey to Christ'. Many thanks to all those who have so far told their great story. I will be putting them on as a separate post on my new blog http://storiesofconversion.blogspot.com/
If you would like to participate, just click the comment link,found at the below the last comment made,then write your story.Peace and Grace. AK

Spurgeon's Conversion in his own words

I never cease to be encouraged to tell others about the grace and forgiveness of God when reading the story of Spurgeon's conversion. Many around us are searching for God but there is no one to tell them:as Paul declares: 'How can they hear without a preacher?'May we who know the message be prepared to speak for Him.AK


' While under concern of soul, I resolved that I would attend all the places of worship in the town where I lived, in order that I might find out the way of salvation. I was willing to do anything, and be anything, if God would only forgive my sin. I set off, determined to go round to all the chapels, and I did go to every place of worship; but for a long time I went in vain.

I do not, however, blame the ministers. One man preached Divine Sovereignty; I could hear him with pleasure, but what was that sublime truth to a poor sinner who wished to know what he must do to be saved? There was another admirable man who always preached about the law; but what was the use of ploughing up ground that needed to be sown? Another was a practical preacher. I heard him, but it was very much like a commanding officer teaching the manoeuvres of war to a set of men without feet. What could I do? All his exhortations were lost on me. I knew it, was said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved;" but I did not know what it was to believe on Christ. These good men all preached truths suited to many in their congregations who were spiritually-minded people; but what I wanted to know was,—"How can I get my sins forgiven?"—and they never told me that. I desired to hear how a poor sinner, under a sense of sin, might find peace with God; and when I went, I heard a sermon on "Be not deceived, God is not mocked," which cut me up still worse; but did not bring me into rest. I went again, another day, and the text was something about the glories of the righteous; nothing for poor me! I was like a dog under the table, not allowed to eat of the children's food. I went time after time, and I can honestly say that I do not know that I ever went without prayer to God, and I am sure there was not a more attentive hearer than myself in all the place, for I panted and longed to understand how I might be saved.

I sometimes think I might have been in darkness and despair until now had it not been for the goodness of God in sending a snowstorm, one Sunday morning, while I was going to a certain place of worship. When I could go no further, I turned down a side street, and came to a little Primitive Methodist Chapel. In that chapel there may have been a dozen or fifteen people. I had heard of the Primitive Methodists, how they sang so loudly that they made people's heads ache; but that did not matter to me. I wanted to know how I might be saved, and if they could tell me that, I did not care how much they made my head ache.

The minister did not come that morning; he was snowed up, I suppose. At last, a very thin-looking man,* a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach. Now, it is well that preachers should be instructed; but this man was really stupid. He was obliged to stick to his text, for the simple reason that he had little else to say. The text was,—

"LOOK UNTO ME, AND BE YE SAVED, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH."

He did not even pronounce the words rightly, but that did not matter. There was, I thought, a glimpse of hope for me in that text. The preacher began thus—"My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It says, 'Look.' Now lookin' don't take a deal of pains. It ain't liftin' your foot or your finger; it is just, 'Look.' Well, a man needn't go to College to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. A man needn't be worth a thousand a year to be able to look. Anyone can look; even a child can look. But then the text says, 'Look unto Me.' Ay!" said he, in broad Essex, "many on ye are lookin' to yourselves, but it's no use lookin' there. You'll never find any comfort in yourselves. Some look to God the Father. No, look to Him by-and-by. Jesus Christ says, 'Look unto Me.' Some on ye say, 'We must wait for the Spirit's workin'.' You have no business with that just now. Look to Christ. The text says, 'Look unto Me.'"

Then the good man followed up his text in this way:—"Look unto Me; I am sweatin' great drops of blood. Look unto Me; I am hangin' on the cross. Look unto Me; I am dead and buried. Look unto Me; I rise again. Look unto Me; I ascend to Heaven. Look unto Me; I am sittin' at the Father's right hand. O poor sinner, look unto Me! look unto Me!

When he had gone to about that length, and managed to spin out ten minutes or so, he was at the end of his tether. Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few present, he knew me to be a stranger. Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, "Young man, you look very miserable." Well, I did; but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued, "and you always will be miserable—miserable in life, and miserable in death,—if you don't obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved." Then, lifting up his hands, he shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, "Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin' to do but to look and live." I saw at once the way of salvation. I know not what else he said,—I did not take much notice of it,—I was so possessed with that one thought. Like as when the brazen serpent was lifted up, the people only looked and were healed, so it was with me. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, "Look!" what a charming word it seemed to me! Oh! I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which looks alone to Him. Oh, that somebody had told me this before, "Trust Christ, and you shall be saved." Yet it was, no doubt, all wisely ordered, and now I can say,—

"Ever since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die."

The History of O.M.

"What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Enjoy this potted history of one of the greatest missionary organizations in the world today.It started so small yet continued to grew into a large and robust body of passionate, as well as compassionate missionaries.

You might also like to check out George Verwer's website and join with a network of OMers and others who are aiming with God's help to being about a transformation in the world.

Paul the Evangelist : The apostle who being constrained by love became all things to all men that he might win some for Christ.

If Peter saw more people come to faith in Christ (8000 after two sermons) than any other evangelist, Paul had probably the most dynamic and certainly the most far reaching,apart from Christ. He was truly the evangelist to the Gentiles, but not only so. He also preached to the Jews in the Synagogues until he was kicked out. The one time arch-enemy of the Christian Church was to become the fearless apostle.

After his dramatic conversion when he met the risen Christ on the Damascus road, God told Ananias a disciple in the city that Paul was ‘a chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles, and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he will suffer for my name sake’ Acts 9.15.This proved to be true -and suffer Paul did!

Paul was the product of three backgrounds, Jewish, Greek and Roman, which proved to be of great importance in his proclamation of the gospel. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews ( Phil 3.5), not merely a Greek speaking Jew but one who could speak Hebrew as well as being a Pharisee- who were the purest of the pure. He was also brought up in Tarsus and educated in a Greek environment,hence when the situation required it, he could quote Greek poets and philosophers when preaching to win a hearing with the Greeks he was seeking to reach for Christ ( Athens). Paul was also a Roman citizen and was (several times)to use this to his advantage, such as getting a fair trial( though this didn’t always happen).

We also have a unique background, the value of which we should not underestimate( or overestimate) that may provide a key for us to go through doors to reach people that other Christians may not be able to go through ( can you think of any examples?).

Paul’s own conversion also had a great impact upon the rest of his life and ministry. On the Damascus when he was literally confronted by Christ he was told he had been persecuting Christ himself. This was because he had been involved in the deaths and persecution of many Christians including Stephen. What astounds me is that Stephen actually prayed,while he was being stoned, in imitation of Jesus, that God would not hold their sin against them. If this did not shake up Paul at the time,after his conversion when he had time to reflect upon it, it must surely have had an impact on his life and teaching.

To study the lessons that we could learn from Paul with regard to evangelism would take many weeks so I will only look at a few of them very briefly.What for instance made him such a great troubadour of Christ? I believe this was obviously to do with his close relationship with God.In his letters he often writes of this intimacy when he speaks of the believer not only being 'in Christ' but of Christ also being in the believer. In Galations he also made the amazing confession 'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me'.Paul didn't however make out that he alone could have this close relationship, rather he invited all believers to imitate him as he had imitated Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).

Another important aspect to Paul's life and ministry was that he was empowered by the Holy Spirit and in turn encouraged those who believed to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5.18).Also Like Christ he knew 'his calling' in life, in his case, as an apostle to the Gentiles, as well as that of a teacher and prophet.If we are lacking in spiritual power we are encouraged in scripture to ask the Father to fill us with the good gift of His Spirit and also ask Him what his will for our life is.

Most people when they think of Paul, rarely think of him as a great lover of humankind. I have heard him being called a misogynist or a dictator or single minded, but never as compassionate or winsome or loving. But those who don’t believe he had compassion like his Master, in my view don’t know him or fully understand him.

For the rest of this study see the first comment of this post.

An indiscriminate act of kindness : Foy Vance

In Ulster during 'the troubles' we experienced many 'indiscriminate acts of violence'.I'm sure Mr Vance is playing on this phrase which he uses to powerful effect.I also like the phrase 'random acts of kindness'. As Christ's followers we must always be open to being the vessels of such actions. I only recently heard this singer and can wholeheartedly say 'enjoy'.

She came from the cold wet
Dropped her luggage bags
Looked the concierge in the eye
Said, 'I need a room for the night,
But I don't got no money.
Would you take payment of any kind?'

He said, 'It's alright
I got a room here, you can share mine.
Make the bed in the morning and that'll do fine.
You can change in the bathroom,
Hang your clothes on the line.'
A tear came to her eye
She thought how could he be so kind
How could he be so kind (x2)

She sat down on the bed with a needle
He said, 'I'd hate to see you bleed,
Just fetch a warm towel,
I'll sit with you til you're dry.'
She started to cry
Said, 'Why? why? why? why? why? why?'

Consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness.
(x3)

She was cold turkey
He was holding her hand
She said, 'I was ruined by man,
This was never in my plans.
I dreamed of men who loved me,
Together we'd see the world.
Somehow I lost myself among the insults they hurled.'

'I'm sure your a wonderful woman,
And someday there will surely be someone.
So just relax now, it's important that you're calm.'

She said, 'How is it you can see past me as I am?'

Consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness.
(x3)

'When you took your chances,
It was like you placed a bet.
And sometimes this is the reward you can get.
I was always taught
If you see someone defiled,
You should look them in the eyes and smile,
And take their heart, no better yet
Take them home, home, home.'

She awoke early in the morning
Made the bed, gathered up her clothes to leave
Saw the concierge curled on the settee
Said, 'What you did for me was hard for me to believe.'

'I was just doing what was right.
No one that knows love could leave you out there on such a night.
If you can help someone,
Bare this in mind
And consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness.'

Consider it an indiscriminate act of kindness.
(x7)

Jesus the Master Evangelist invites each of us to be trained as fishers of men.

In this short series we will be looking at different New Testament evangelists Paul, Peter, Andrew and Philip(Peter and Philip can be found in a few recent posts).

However each one of these evangelist learnt from the Master Himself. Christ also invites each of us to learn from Him and to allow Him to make us 'fishers of men'.

The importance of Personal Evangelism

Imagine the situation where one Christian leads only one person to the Lord in a year. Then in the following year that same Christian invests their time bringing that new convert into spiritual maturity. The next year, the two Christians then each lead a person to the Lord and spend a year leading them into spiritual maturity. Every year, this doubling process will continue. As a result, in 20 years there would be one million converts!


When Andrew brought Peter to Christ, Peter later led 3000 to Christ on the day of Pentecost. When a Sunday school teacher brought D.L.Moody to Christ, through him, millions came to Christ.


Jesus himself also showed us through his parables and stories how the Church would grow through multiplication (Matt. 13- Parable of the Sower and the Mustard seed) These I believe were to encourage the disciples to keep on doing the work of evangelism.


Jesus: The example of an evangelistic lifestyle


1. He lived a life of intimacy and obedience to the Father. ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.’ (John 5 19-21).

2. Jesus ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit

‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor’ (Lk 4.18).

3. He knew his mission which was ‘to seek and save the lost’ (Lk.19.10).


Jesus and the woman at the well a model for personal evangelism(John 4)
In his relationship with the woman notice:

1. His relevance. Just before Jesus had been talking to Nicodemas ,Jewish male and learned Pharisee. He doesn’t use the same language but tailors it to suit the woman. He asks for water then offers her living water things which she could relate to.

2.His humanity and naturalness. Despite the different backgrounds and the breaking of social taboos ( the Jews do not associate with the Samaritans:Today read Roman Catholics , Muslims, Hindu’s. J.W.’s ) Jesus puts her at her ease.

3. His knowledge. Jesus knew the history of the relationship between the Samaritans and Jews. ( It is therefore important to know about those who we seek to reach though studying other religions, races etc so we don‘t make serious social mistakes that will alienate them ).Jesus also was given supernatural knowledge regarding the woman’s husbands.

4. His moral integrity and directness. It was not ‘easy believism’. He confronted her with her sin which she was prepared to acknowledge.

5.He refused to be side tracked. His goal was that she put her faith in him. Her question over the Jewish/Samaritan divide is not dismissed but neither does it deflect Him.

6. His compassion and sensitivity. ‘People want to know that we care before they care about what we know.’ Jesus deals with her as a woman in her own right. He takes into account her background : religious, moral and emotional. He could easily have condemned her out of hand. It was for those like her he came to save. ‘our failures in evangelism are often failures in love.’


Notice in this story recounted by John that Jesus was always sensitive to what his Father was doing.It should be noted that in doing sensitive personal evangelism that God will often be working with the person we are trying to reach in a way we will never understand. Such a divine appointment might be viewed as a door that God has opened for us which must then walk through.

In the story of Jesus with the woman at the well we see that he was both tired and thirsty and had merely asked the woman for a drink, but out of this meeting a great revival was to break out in the village. It was the woman who brought the question of religion and spirituality into the conversation not Jesus,then from this Jesus was able to respond in kind, this time offering her 'living water'. She gave him the opening which he walked through. Consider the many examples of how an effective message was proclaimed in response to a question from a seeker.

a)The Philippian Jailer who had experienced the earthquake and only for Paul and Silas would have killed himself cried out ‘ What must I do to be saved’ (Acts 16.30).

b) In response to the 'Speaking of tongues' at Pentecost some of the Jews asked ‘What does this mean’ (Acts2 v12). From this event three thousand became believers.

c) When Peter and John healed the beggar the crowd came running to them obviously wanted them to give some sort of explanation. The healing was also in response to a question. It says the number of men grew to about 5000 (Acts 3).


It would therefore seem that God the Father had prepared these people for the ‘evangelist’ who was to become something of a spiritual midwife. His job was to lead the person to faith even though the greater work of the Spirit had been going on apart from him. This takes the glory away from the evangelist who is merely an instrument in the hands of God.

Notice also how Paul in his letters often refers to having a door opened for the message
‘And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains’ (Colossians 4:3.See also 2 Cor 2.12., 1 Cor 16.9)


Giving out tracts with sensitivity

Even in the ministry of giving out tracts we should also be looking for evidence that God is working in this way. Our aim is connect. Sometimes when we give out tracts the person does not want to talk. They are possibly too busy or uninterested at that time: we should always let them walk away. We must respect that. We can not force them or cajole them against there wishes (we are actually asking them for a favour : to take a tract). But if ,when we ask them would they like a pamphlet ( I don’t normally use the word tract), they smile and take it gratefully, I sometimes take this as an invitation to speak further. They may of course be Christians but on the other hand they may possibly be interested by Christian things and would be prepared to have a spiritual conversation.

I would then ask them are they a Christian. Nowadays the word ‘Christian’ can be ambiguous for some and they will not feel threatened by it. Depending on their answer it may result in a fruitful conversation. If on the other hand you ask them are they ‘born again’ or ‘saved’ this may cause a person to get their back up right away and the conversation might end sooner than hoped. Though these are biblical concepts, nowadays they carry so much baggage that I personally prefer not to use them. Jesus certainly used the term ‘born again ’ to Nicodemas but he was the only one and he was trained in the Scriptures. Jesus used different approaches with different people.


General conversations with non Christians.

In this story Jesus started with the natural and finished with the spiritual. He acknowledged his natural thirst and went on to speak of her spiritual thirst ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water’


At the end of the day most people will acknowledge that there is something beyond the natural realm. Even David Beckham one of the most ‘worldly wise’ who has everything the world has to offer acknowledged once that he had ‘a spirituality‘.

In this Post-modern era, spirituality is popular and people are willing to talk about it. Let us talk to them and listen in order to be able to understand what they are saying. If we do this, and listen to the Spirit within we can respond with words that are both relevant and effective. If we don’t listen well to them they may well do the same to us.

Can we too have an evangelistic lifestyle like Christ: Having an intimate relationship with God;Being empowered by the Holy Spirit and also having a sense of the call of God 'to seek and save that which was lost'.

I believe we can. Jesus invites us to come follow him and he would make us fishers of me. He also invites us to come to him, take his yoke and learn from him. To add to this, even when we fall and fail seven times a day, he encourages us again and again to stand on our feet again as he is gentle and lowly of heart. We just need a willing and good heart to serve him.

As regards intimacy with God he tells us to abide in Him and that if we love him and obey his commandments he promises that he and his Father would come and make their dwelling in us.

As regards being empowered by the Holy Spirit-He declares to all the thirsty:'If any man thirsts, let him come onto me and drink and out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.'

As regards the call of God, what more could be plainer Jesus declared to his disciples: 'As the Father has sent me:so I send you.

Charles Wesley writes:

'Now is the time no more delay,now is the acceptable day,
Come in this moment at His call and live for Him who died for all.

My gracious Master and my God assist me to proclaim
To spread through all the earth abroad the honours of His name'

Paul writes here for both his own ministry and that of the Church in general.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4.2-6)


Meditation

‘COME FOLLOW ME AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN’.

Christmas Greetings to all who read this blog: 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing'

The Gaze of the Soul by A.W.Tozer

This is a inspiring essay taken from Tozer's book 'THe pursuit of God'. The rest of the book can be found on my favourite links.

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
Heb.12:2

Let us think of our intelligent plain man mentioned coming for the first time to the reading of the Scriptures. He approaches the Bible without any previous knowledge of what it contains. He is wholly without prejudice; he has nothing to prove and nothing to defend.
Such a man will not have read long until his mind begins to observe certain truths standing out from the page. They are the spiritual principles behind the record of God's dealings with men, and woven into the writings of holy men as they `were moved by the Holy Ghost.' As he reads on he might want to number these truths as they become clear to him and make a brief summary under each number. These summaries will be the tenets of his Biblical creed. Further reading will not affect these points except to enlarge and strengthen them. Our man is finding out what the Bible actually teaches. High up on the list of things which the Bible teaches will be the doctrine of faith.
The place of weighty importance which the Bible gives to faith will be too plain for him to miss. He will very likely conclude: Faith is all- important in the life of the soul. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Faith will get me anything, take me anywhere in the Kingdom of God, but without faith there can be no approach to God, no forgiveness, no deliverance, no salvation, no communion, no spiritual life at all.
By the time our friend has reached the eleventh chapter of Hebrews the eloquent encomium which is there pronounced upon faith will not seem strange to him. He will have read Paul's powerful defense of faith in his Roman and Galatian epistles. Later if he goes on to study church history he will understand the amazing power in the teachings of the Reformers as they showed the central place of faith in the Christian religion.
Now if faith is so vitally important, if it is an indispensable must in our pursuit of God, it is perfectly natural that we should be deeply concerned over whether or not we possess this most precious gift. And our minds being what they are, it is inevitable that sooner or later we should get around to inquiring after the nature of faith. What is faith? would lie close to the question, Do I have faith? and would demand an answer if it were anywhere to be found. Almost all who preach or write on the subject of faith have much the same things to say concerning it. They tell us that it is believing a promise, that it is taking God at His word, that it is reckoning the Bible to be true and stepping out upon it. The rest of the book or sermon is usually taken up with stories of persons who have had their prayers answered as a result of their faith. These answers are mostly direct gifts of a practical and temporal nature such as health, money, physical protection or success in business. Or if the teacher is of a philosophic turn of mind he may take another course and lose us in a welter of metaphysics or snow us under with psychological jargon as he defines and re-defines, paring the slender hair of faith thinner and thinner till it disappears in gossamer shavings at last. When he is finished we get up disappointed and go out `by that same door where in we went.' Surely there must be something better than this.
In the Scriptures there is practically no effort made to define faith. Outside of a brief fourteen-word definition in Hebrews 11:1, I know of no Biblical definition, and even there faith is defined functionally, not philosophically; that is, it is a statement of what faith is in operation, not what it is in essence. It assumes the presence of faith and shows what it results in, rather than what it is. We will be wise to go just that far and attempt to go no further. We are told from whence it comes and by what means: `Faith is a gift of God,' (Eph 2:8) and `Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' (Rom 10:17) This much is clear, and, to paraphrase Thomas à Kempis, `I had rather exercise faith than know the definition thereof.'
From here on, when the words `faith is' or their equivalent occur in this chapter I ask that they be understood to refer to what faith is in operation as exercised by a believing man. Right here we drop the notion of definition and think about faith as it may be experienced in action. The complexion of our thoughts will be practical, not theoretical.
In a dramatic story in the Book of Numbers faith is seen in action. Israel became discouraged and spoke against God, and the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. `And they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.' Then Moses sought the Lord for them and He heard and gave them a remedy against the bite of the serpents. He commanded Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole in sight of all the people, `and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.' Moses obeyed, `and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived' (Num.21:4-9)
In the New Testament this important bit of history is interpreted for us by no less an authority than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is explaining to His hearers how they may be saved. He tells them that it is by believing. Then to make it clear He refers to this incident in the Book of Numbers. `As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life' (John 3:14-15).
Our plain man in reading this would make an important discovery. He would notice that `look' and `believe' were synonymous terms. `Looking' on the Old Testament serpent is identical with `believing' on the New Testament Christ. That is, the looking and the believing are the same thing. And he would understand that while Israel looked with their external eyes, believing is done with the heart. I think he would conclude that faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.
When he had seen this he would remember passages he had read before, and their meaning would come flooding over him. `They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed' (Ps.34:5). `Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us' (Ps.123:1-2). Here the man seeking mercy looks straight at the God of mercy and never takes his eyes away from Him till mercy is granted. And our Lord Himself looked always at God. `Looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the bread to his disciples' (Matt.14:19).Indeed Jesus taught that He wrought His works by always keeping His inward eyes upon His Father. His power lay in His continuous look at God (John 5:19-21).
In full accord with the few texts we have quoted is the whole tenor of the inspired Word. It is summed up for us in the Hebrew epistle when we are instructed to run life's race `looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.' (Hebr 12:2) From all this we learn that faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God.
The rest of this essay is found as a first comment on this post. AK

Philip the Evangelist: A man filled with the Holy Spirit

Both Philip and Stephen were among the first deacons in the first Church in Jerusalem that were marked as being full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Stephen became the first martyr and Philip became the first Christian who was known as an evangelist. He was a married man and Acts records that he had four daughters who were all prophetesses (Acts 21.9).

Things had not being going well for the Church as they were under immense pressure from the Jews primarily led by Saul. Nevertheless as Tertullian the early Christian writer wrote: The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church'.

It was the banishment of Philip from his hometown that resulted in many Samaritans finding Christ and it proved to be that the death of Stephen resulted in the salvation of Saul and his great witness to the Gentiles. We must therefore never underestimate what God through his Spirit may be doing 'unseen' in disappointments or outside pressures that we have no control over. God may actually, in love, be forcing us out of our comfort zones in order that He may use us in ways we never imagined. We must therefore always refer back to Him with the prayer: 'Why is this happening',what are you saying to me in this situation', or as Paul said after his confrontation with the risen Christ when he lost his sight: 'What would you have me to do.'

It might not always appear to be significant but at the very least it would mean drawing close to Christ for succour and help in such a time of need (Hebrews 4.16). I sometimes wonder why Paul ended in prison so often, perhaps the Lord wanted to minister to him and allow him time to pray and reflect-and write.

Stephen was not only an evangelist but also had the gift of miracles being able to heal the sick as well as cast out demons. In Samaria we see Philip as a sort of mass evangelist (Acts 8.4-25), but we also see him as a personal evangelist when he deals with the Ethiopian eunuch ( v 26-40). In God's dealing with the latter it reveals to us his concern for the individual and how he will use his servants to reach those individuals.

The first mission to Samaria seemed to be almost forced upon Philip and others through the onslaught of persecution. Philip's mission to the eunuch would appear to have been more directive with 'an angel of the Lord' directing him to a certain area where he would meet a prominent member of the Ethiopian government. There are perhaps times when the Spirit moves us and speaks to us more clearly than other times. Certainly if we are not open to Him speaking to us we are less likely to hear.



How does God speak to us today? Have you heard Him speak to you recently through his living word or through a sermon or book or even through 'a still small voice' from within? In the first lecture we saw that Jesus had an intimacy with the Father and did only what he saw his Father doing. He also said that his sheep knew his voice. It is through the experience of listening to him, then stepping out on his word that will teach us to discern the Shepherd's gentle voice from the Adversary's lies.

In the instance with the eunuch, Philip does not need to rush or push too hard to discover that God has opened up the wonderful opportunity to witness. The eunuch was reading Isaiah 53 out loud which was how they read in those days (Stott).He was at least 'a God Fearer' if not a Jewish convert and had just been to Jerusalem to worship. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading and was then invited on to the chariot to explain the meaning of the passage. Then Philip 'beginning with this Scripture he told the good news about Jesus.' Philip didn't have his pet verses or his 4 Spiritual laws that he had to impress upon the eunuch, but rather started where the seeker was and from that explained to him the way of salvation. The result was that the Eunuch believed and wanted to be baptised! After he baptised the eunuch his work was then done. Philip was then called away to preach and minister in other areas. The eunuch armed with spiritual food 'went on his way rejoicing'.

What lessons can we learn from Philip?

1. Experiencing difficult times in forcing us out of our comfort zone can provide opportunities for us to witness for Christ. Would Philip have preached to those in Samaria and later to the Ethiopian otherwise?

2.Philip by listening to God was open to what the Spirit was doing. Have you ever felt God speak to you in regard to moving out of your comfort zone?

3.Philip was prepared to preach to the Samaritans who were half Jew, half Gentile and saw great fruit. Would we be prepared to speak to those who are different from us?

4. The Ethiopian eunuch had been spiritually prepared for Philip by the Holy Spirit. Have you met people that are 'not far from the kingdom' who only need an encouragement or word of invitation to become a disciple of Christ? In this situation little sowing is required but the important work of reaping certainly is.

5. Paul encourages us to be filled with the Spirit continually. When was the last time we asked God for more love, more power, more of the Spirit in our lives?

6. Jesus declared that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1. 8.). Where is your Samaria?


MEDITATION

' On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

John 7.37-38

PETER THE EVANGELIST WHO LEARNED TO LISTEN BEFORE HE SPOKE

THe martydom of St Peter took place in Rome under the emperor Nero around A.D.62-64. As far as we know from tradition, he showed no fear at his execution, in fact it is recorded that he told the guards that he wanted to be crucified upside down as he was not worthy to be killed the same way as his Master.He was originally brought to Jesus by his brother Andrew (John 1.41-43)and later Jesus then called both Andrew and Peter at the Sea of Galilee saying to them :‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’(Mk1.14).

At another time whenthe two brothers were out in their boat and had failed to catch any fish Jesus told them to cast their nets into the deeper waters to which Peter replied: ‘we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets."(Lk.5.5) As a result of their action they caught so many that Peter fell down at Jesus’ knee and cried out:”Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord". Jesus then responded to him and said; "Don't be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." Peter therefore knew at an early stage the ministry that he would one day have.

It should be noted that in any list of the disciples recorded in the gospels Peter is always mentioned first and among the inner three along with John and James. Peter was truly devoted to his Master, however sometimes he was too quick to show it,which resulted in failure.It would seem that when he had first of all listened to Jesus then obeyed him, things went well; however when he took the initiative in order to help Jesus out, he ended up letting himself down.

For instance in Matthew 16.13-23 we see these both happening. First of all Jesus asked the question: ‘but who do you say that I am?’to which Peter repliesd: ‘you are the Christ the Son of the living God’. This was good and Peter was commended by Jesus, who then told him that it was the Father who had revealed this to him...
However shortly after when Jesus was describing what would happen to him in Jerusalem with regard to his suffering, death and resurrection, Peter starts to rebuke Him. This Jesus did not commend, rather strongly rebuking with the words: ‘get thee behind me Satan you are a hindrance to me, you are not setting your mind on the things of God but of man.’ Poor Peter!

In the story of Jesus walking on the water, again Peter wants to get involved. This time he asks Jesus: ‘Lord if it is you will command me to come to you on the water.’ This Jesus did and Peter succeeded in walking on the water, at least until he started to doubt.

Some time afterwards, Peter, despite Jesus stating the opposite, boasted that though all would leave Jesus during his time of trial, he would not. Jesus then predicted that he would deny him three times! After Peter denied his Master he was probably very much a broken man,but it is recorded that the Lord had prayed for him and prepared the way for him to be fully restored.

In John 21 which records the events after the death and resurrection of Jesus we read the story of the disciples being unable to catch any fish, even though they had been fishing all night. The next morning on discovering that they hadn’t caught any, Jesus teld them to cast out on the right side and immediately they caught a full load. John then realised it was the Lord and told the rest. At this, Peter, fully clothed jumped in the sea and made for the shore. Remember that the last time a similar event took place Jesus had promised Peter that he would from then on catch men. Perhaps he thought, despite his failure, that Jesus still had a work for him to do!

When the rest of the disciples arrived on the shore Jesus had already prepared a fire to cook the fish. Remember again that when Peter denied the Lord it was beside a fire. I’m sure when Peter saw any type of fire it brought him pangs of guilt and shame as it remind him how he denied his Master. But here we see how the Lord in his mercy brought him back to the fire, but instead of denial Peter was able to affirm three times his love, and three times the Lord commissioned him to feed his sheep and tend his lambs.

Gone was Peter’s boasting, instead a great sense of humility when he stated in his third reply: ‘Lord you know all things you know that I love you.’
Peter was no longer the self confident apostle but one who had been chastened by the Lord and had learned to listen before he spoke out of turn.

In Acts 2 it is recorded that on the day of Pentecost when the disciples started to speak in tongues Peter responded to the people’s comments : ‘they have had too much wine’ with an explanation, then a sermon which ultimately saw three thousand come to the Lord.

Peter’s next opportunity came after he healed the cripple at the gate called Beautiful (Acts3). After the healing had caused such a stir Peter again gave the people an first an explanation, then a sermon, and even though he and John were both arrested, five thousand believed through their message!

Note that these were not evangelistic crusades as such with lots of organization with lots of money spent on publicity. On the morning of these events Peter did not even intend to preach a sermon, though I'm sure he was always open to the Spirit's leading. He just responded to the commotion of the speaking in tongues and the healing in a dignified way, through explanation, then a sermon.

The gospel reaching the Gentiles was in the first place due to a God given vision, and obedience to the Spirit (Acts 10). It was not Peter’s own idea for sure- in fact he was, if anything a little hesitant. Peter’s letters also do not portray the brash evangelist. He seems concerned with Christians being a good witness in the world and staying steadfast in the midst of suffering and trial. He does however have a few things to say about speaking the words of Christ or words for Christ.

In 1 Peter 3 he tells wives not to preach at their non-Christian husbands, rather that they might be won without a word if their behaviour is right.In verse 15 of the same chapter Peter also writes: ‘But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect’.

Always be prepared like the scouts. Like Jesus with the woman at the well he was prepared for what the Father opened up for him. If we do not expect to see doors open we more than likely will miss them. We must learn to see and seize them! We must still be gentle and respectful as Jesus was with the woman at the well, and as Paul was with the woman who were praying along with Lydia by the river.

We don’t need to be brash , we don’t need to bully people. We just need to be willing and prepared to speak when He does open up the door. We must also be willing to persevere and not give up at the first sign of inconvenience or trouble.

I used to think that Jesus and the apostles just preached and always got great results in terms of people becoming followers of Christ. Then one day I read again one of my favourite verses: ‘Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me’. It made me think of Him knocking and waiting at the doors of the hearts of men and women.How long did he have to wait for us. Think of how many times we ignored his knocking before we responded. Are we sometimes too ready to give up on people too soon?He waited for us can we not wait in his name for others.We like instant coffee but we will never get instant saints.

Peter learned to listen to the Spirit within as well as listening to the people. Despite that he still needed boldness to take the opportunities when God had opened them up to him.

It didn’t have to be an organised evangelistic event (was there any in the New Testament or were they all spontaneous?, but it could be just going about doing everyday things: that is what makes the Christian life exciting.

Peter was no longer self reliant but God reliant and seeking always to please the Master, practising the presence of God.

Becoming Like Christ by Richard J. Foster

For the Christian, heaven is not a goal; it is a destination. The goal is that "Christ be formed in you," to use the words of the apostle Paul (Gal. 4:19; all passages quoted are from the NRSV unless otherwise noted." To the Romans, he declares, "Those whom [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son" (8:29). And to the Corinthians, he says, "All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image" (2 Cor. 3:18; emphasis added in all three). Thus the daring goal of the Christian life could be summarized as our being formed, conformed, and transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. And the wonder in all this is that Jesus Christ has come among his people as our everliving Savior, Teacher, Lord, and Friend.

He who is the Way shows us the way to live so that we increasingly come to share his love, hope, feelings, and habits. He agrees to be yoked to us, as we are yoked to him, and to train us in how to live our lives as he would live them if he were in our place.

Now, we must insist that this way of life is reliably sustained in the context of a like-minded fellowship. Essential to our growth in grace is a community life where there is loving, nurturing accountability. Christlikeness is not merely the work of the individual; rather, it grows out of the matrix of a loving fellowship. We are the body of Christ together, called to watch over one another in love. Unfortunately, in our day there is an abysmal ignorance of how we as individuals and as a community of faith actually move forward into Christlikeness.

We today lack a theology of growth. And so we need to learn how we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). In particular, we need to learn how we cooperate with "the means of grace" that God has ordained for the transformation of the human personality. Our participation in these God-ordained "means" will enable us increasingly to take into ourselves Christ's character and manner of life.

What are these "means of grace"? And how can disciples of Jesus Christ cooperate with them so they are changed into Christlikeness? To find out read the first comment to this article.

The Temptation of Jesus by the Devil in the Wilderness

We don't know in full the anguish and suffering that Jesus felt after his 40 day fast in the Wilderness when he was tempted by Satan. One thing for sure, Satan did all in his power to seduce and bully Christ into subverting the will of the Father.This clip portrays at least a little bit of this! Regarding ourselves if we do not feel the power of temptation in our own lives we are perhaps either giving in to it that we don't notice it or Satan is happy with the way we are living and are not causing his kingdom much damage. Of course at times, as in the life of Christ,there will be times when we are not particularly battling and things are relatively calm perhaps when Satan will leave us to plan future assaults.We can also take encouragement from Christ here who did not give in but with a word was able to defeat the enemy of all our souls.Like Christ, our new nature does not want to sin (1John)though Satan will do all in his power to do his evil works. These can be most obvious things such as the sins of the flesh, but they will also include subtle sins, the greatest of which is probably spiritual pride!( By the way this was the one that got Lucifer himself). If this is our besetting sin we are in big trouble as it can often lead to justification of all manner of sins, such as the self righteous condemnation of people or groups, or even lead to so called 'holy wars' where we could feel justified in putting to death someone in the name of Christ( C.P. Crusades. What then is the solution to protecting ourselves from these attacks? My thinking is that we should stay close to Christ, watch and pray and put on humility and the whole armour of God so that we would be able to stand in that evil day.AK

Who are the Dalits?

Cultural Structure
One of the more confusing mysteries of India is her caste system. The caste system, which has existed for more than 3,000 years, was developed by the Brahmin (priest) caste in order to maintain their superiority. Eventually, the caste system became formalized into four distinct classes (Varna).
The Brahmins are the highest Varna and are the priests and arbiters of what is right and wrong in matters of religion and society. Below them are the Kshatriyas, who served traditionally as soldiers and administrators. The Vaisyas are the artisan and commercial class, while the Sudras are the farmers and the peasants. It is said that the Brahmin come from Brahma’s mouth, Kshatriyas from his arms, Vaisyas from his thighs, and Sudras from his feet.

Beneath the four main castes is a fifth group, the Scheduled Castes. The people of the Scheduled Castes are not part of the Varna system. They are the untouchables, the Dalit.

A Dalit is not considered part of human society, but instead is considered something less than human. The Dalits generally perform the most menial and degrading jobs. Caste rules hold that Dalits pollute higher caste people with their presence. If higher caste Hindus touch an untouchable or even come within a Dalit’s shadow, they must undergo rigorous series of cleansing rituals.

Approximately 250 million Indians (a full 25% of the population), are Dalit. In a country where everybody is supposed to have equal rights and opportunities, one out of four people is condemned to be untouchable.



Although the Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms for all Indians, Dalit are systematically abused. Dalit are poor, deprived and socially backward. Their most basic needs of food, shelter, and safety are not fulfilled. They also cannot access decent education and employment. The systematic denial of their basic human rights results in a lack of education, food, healthcare, and economic opportunity, thereby keeping Dalit in perpetual bondage to the upper castes.


The Dalits represent one of the greatest outreach opportunities for the world Church.They are wanting to be freed from the oppressive caste system.May the Church rise to to task and through prayer and ministry bring them into the freedom that is in Christ.

Live packed up and ready to go.

I was in my parent's home yesterday when my cousin phoned from Australia to tell my Dad that his sister Mary had just passed way at the age of 86. In the last three weeks I have also been to the funeral of my Uncle Raymond (86) and Aunt Edna
(76) as well as my good friend Jimmy who was 76.There is one thing for sure, time does not stop and death will come to us all.How then should we live? Read Jesus,read Paul:they will give us good advice! I remember reading the following piece by Jim Packer some years ago. May you be challenged by it as I was.AK

"Be wholly committed to Christ's service each day. Don't touch sin with a barge-pole. Keep short accounts with God. Think of each hour as God's gift to you, to make the most and best of. Plan your life, budgeting for seventy years (Ps.90:10), and understanding that if your time proves shorter that will not be unfair deprivation but rapid promotion. Never let the good, or the not-so-good, crowd out the best, and cheerfully forgo what is not the best for the sake of what is. Live in the present; gratefully enjoy its pleasures and work through its pains with God, knowing that both the pleasures and the pains are steps on the journey home. Open all your life to the Lord Jesus and spend time consciously in his company, basking in and responding to his love. Say to yourself often that every day is one day nearer. Remember that, as George Whitefield said, man is immortal till his work is done (though God alones defines the work), and get on with what you know to be God's task for you here and now" (J.I.Packer, "God's Words", InterVarsity Press, 1981, p.214).

Jimmy Graham : A man after God's heart

On Tuesday I spoke at the funeral of my very dear friend Jimmy Graham. His departure is a deep loss to myself and to those who were close to him. I had known him for about four years having first met him in a second hand book shop. At that time Jimmy was in very poor physical and emotional shape. He had just undergone a major operation for cancer and was deeply depressed: so depressed in fact that he almost despaired of life itself-have you ever been there? Also,due to the effects of the operation it caused one side of his face to drop down making Jimmy look a sorry sight.But God had already begun to work in Jimmy's life. Over a cup of tea he told me his story as well as his longing to know God and the way to heaven. We exchanged phone numbers and promised each other to make contact at least once a week.Little did I know that this 'chance' meeting would develop into a great friendship.

Jimmy was a ready learner and from that time on he really started to grow in his faith and displayed an incredible desire for both God and His word. He had always known the facts about the Bible, but in his own words he never knew the author who wrote it. One of his greatest loves was to go down to the Loughshore at Jordanstown which overlooks the Belfast Lough. It was there he would sit and read the Scriptures and other spiritual books by such authors as J.C. Ryle and C.H.Spurgeon, or the biographies of Tyndale, Wycliff and General Gordon among others.

Here Jimmy also sought to share his faith, and was used by God to bring Ken, who was also to become a really close friend, to Christ. After he met Ken he would spend hours each day tutoring his prodigy in the things of God. Many others who walked along the shore were also influenced by him in his quiet unassuming way. For instance, on one particularly dark, wet,windy night, someone could not start there car in the car park. Jimmy, who could put his hands to anything, soon sorted out the problem and before the grateful driver had sped off,he had had offered them a Christian booklet to read when they had time.For his ministry there Jimmy saw himself as, and loved to be known as 'the preacher at the beach'. It was also there that he was to write some great poetry as he sat down near the shore. Over the months his health steadily improved and the Lord restored his cheeky smiling face.

Sadly however, he never completely restored to full health and had to spend the end of his days between the Hospital and the Nursing Home. Nevertheless he held onto the hope that he would get out and share the news of God’s love with others, and move into a little bungalow with his thousands of books and old records. Now the preaching will be left to others who were influenced by him, and the house- well- he will now 'dwell in the house of the Lord forever'-which is far better.



Jimmy was never happier than with an open Bible (i.e.Matthew Henry Study Bible)at the Loughshore. He would also have heartily agreed with the following words of John Wesley, which formed part of his preface to his collection of sermons:

'To candid, reasonable men, I am not afraid to lay open what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have thought, I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God: Just hovering over the great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity!

I want to know one thing, -- the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way: For this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be _homo unius libri_. [A man of one book.] Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone: Only God is here.

In his presence I open, I read his book; for this end, to find the way to heaven. Is there a doubt concerning the meaning of what I read? Does anything appear dark or intricate? I lift up my heart to the Father of Lights: -- "Lord, is it not thy word, `If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God?' Thou `givest liberally, and upbraidest not.' Thou hast said, `If any be willing to do thy will, he shall know.' I am willing to do, let me know, thy will."

I then search after and consider parallel passages of Scripture, "comparing spiritual things with spiritual." I meditate thereon with all the attention and earnestness of which my mind is capable. If any doubt still remains, I consult those who are experienced in the things of God; and then the writings whereby, being dead, they yet speak. And what I thus learn, that I teach'.

If these words have spoken to anyone please contact me through email at akevangel@gmail.com


Jimmy and Ken at the Loughshore/

THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST

'More than two thousand years ago, there was a Man born contrary to the laws of life. This Man lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He did not travel extensively. Only once did He cross the boundary of the country in which He lived; that was during His exile in childhood.He possessed neither wealth nor influence. His relatives were inconspicuous and had neither training nor formal education.

In infancy He startled a king;
in childhood He puzzled doctors;
in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the waves as pavement, and hushed the sea to sleep.

He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His service.
He never wrote a book, and yet perhaps all the libraries of the world could not hold the books that have been written about Him.
He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined.
He never founded a college, but all the schools put together cannot boast of having as many students.
He never marshaled an army, nor drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; and yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under His orders, made more rebels stack arms and surrender without a shot fired.
He never practiced psychiatry, and yet He has healed more broken hearts than all the doctors far and near.

Once each week multitudes congregate at worshiping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him.

The names of the past, proud statesmen of Greece and Rome have come and gone.
The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone. But the name of this Man multiplies more and more. Though time has spread nearly two thousand years between the people of this generation and the mockers at His crucifixion, He still lives. His enemies could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.

He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of heavenly glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the risen, personal Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
We are either going to be forever with Him, or forever without Him. It was the incomparable Christ who said:
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest."
(Matthew 11:28)
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me."
(John 14:6)
"There is one God and one mediator
between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus."
(1 Timothy 2:5)

THEREFORE:
"Believe in the Lord Jesus,
and you will be saved."
(Acts 16:31)

North Korean Believers Remain in Chains

This is a copy of an email I was sent from Open Doors which gives an update regarding the persecution of Christians by the North Korean government.Please continue to pray for the Christians in this land and that the desperate situation they face will soon come to an end.AK


The United States has recently removed North Korea the No. 1 persecutor of Christians from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. As a result, according to news reports, North Korea said it will allegedly restart dismantling of its main nuclear facilities and allow inspections by U.N. monitors.

The 2008 Open Doors World Watch List ranked North Korea as the top violator of religious rights for the sixth year in a row. More Christians were arrested in North Korea in 2007 than in 2006. Many have been beaten, tortured or killed because of their religious beliefs. Open Doors' local source estimates the number of underground Christians to be at least 200,000, and it's likely that there are as many as 400,000 believers. At least a quarter of the Christians are imprisoned for their faith in political prison camps, from which people rarely get out alive.

Carl Moeller, President/CEO of Open Doors USA, says:


“There is no other country in the world where Christians are being persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner. Often three generations of Christians are hunted down and killed or placed in prisons. Taking North Korea off the terrorism list just prolongs the life of a failing regime by giving it legitimacy. And it means this totalitarian regime will make life harsher for Christians. We need to keep the pressure on the United States government not to forget the terrible status of Christians. Future dialogue should include freedom of religion and other basic human rights. North Korea has not softened its targeting of thousands of Christians one bit. We must not forget the Christians in North Korea and how the regime of Kim Jong Il keeps them in chains. Please pray with me to have those chains broken."

The remaining countries on the United States terrorism blacklist are Cuba, Syria, Sudan and Iran. North Korea had been on the list since 1988.
Please continue to pray for believers in North Korea and also for the repercussions of removing North Korea from the U.S. terror list.
Praying with you,
Christina and the Prayer Force Team

The greatest prayer in the world

Enjoy this wonderful singing of perhaps the world's greatest prayer, by perhaps the world's greatest singer.

SEND THE FIRE!

I have posted this video especially for the evangelism class I teach at the Bible College.I tried to play it last week in the class but the volume of the laptop was not loud enough for everyone to hear!The song was written by William Booth,the General and Founder of the Salvation Army.Booth was an incredible individual.One of the best biographies about him is 'The General next to God', which is difficult to read and not be inspired to reach out to the lost in evangelism and social action.Like his mentors and heroes before him,John Wesley and Christ Himself, there was no conflict between these two duties of the Church. Booth, before preaching in a certain town, prayed that God would convert the worst sinner in it, in order to be an example to the rest of God's grace and mercy.No wonder the Salvation Army was full of prostitutes, thieves, thugs, alcoholics,pimps,wife beaters-EX, who were now saints.This Army of grace also suffered a lot of persecution from gangs paid by the brewries and bookmakers who were losing trade due to the conversions that took place.My own grandfather who had fought in two World Wars,a short time after the second one, ended up at one of their meetings.That night he responded to the altar call and left behind his Woodbine cigarettes-he was never to smoke again!

This hymn is a prayer for God's Holy Spirit to come upon us and fill it with His fire,in order to burn off our sin,our lukewarmness and our lack of passion for God and the lost.Come Holy Spirit and fill us with your fire today.

Seeing Jesus in the underdog ''YOU DID IT TO ME.'

My friend Mark sent me this story that he read in the UCB daily readings. I have heard the story before and believe the minister in question was Tony Compolo.The message is well taken and is similar to the video 'Free hugs campaign' I have on my Video links. Check it out next. AK
A minister on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia USA noticed a homeless man coming towards him. He was filthy and his beard was caked with rotten food. He was holding a cup of coffee and the lip of the cup was dirty. Staggering up to him the hobo exclaimed, 'Hey, mister. You want some of my coffee?' The pastor really didn't, but he thought it was the right thing to do, so he said, 'Sure, I'll take a sip.' When he handed the cup back he remarked, 'You're generous giving away your coffee.' Looking at him the derelict replied, 'Well, it was particularly delicious today, and I think if God gives you something that good you should share it!' The pastor continued: 'I figured I was being set up and it would cost me five bucks. So I asked him, "Is there something I can do for you in return?" The man answered, "Yeah, you can give me a hug!" (To tell the truth, I was hoping for the five dollar option!) He put his arms around me, and I suddenly realised he wasn't going to let me go! People were passing by and staring at me. There I was, dressed in my establishment garb, hugging this filthy bum! I was embarrassed. Then little by little my embarrassment changed to awe. I heard a voice echoing down the corridors of time saying, "I was hungry; did you feed Me? I was naked; did you clothe Me? I was sick; did you care for Me? I was the bum you met on Chestnut Street...did you hug me? For if you did...you did it to Me."'