I wonder what your lasting memory of yesterday will be! For me it was the awesome collective worship experience that totally opened us up to the Word of God. The moment we began to sing our hearts were immediately connected in a united assault on heaven's throne room. There came a point yesterday morning where it seemed like Top House became a meeting place for heaven and earth and when people began to literally embrace the very presence of God. This was followed with the same depth and excitement in worship during the evening service. However, we need to keep in mind that while we thank God for times like these, our growth and development as Christians, and as a church, should be more dependent on what we are taught rather than what we experience.
Sunday morning: This was one of those mornings when Gemma felt it was inappropriate to give the announcements and when it became difficult to "close the service" and when the Word of God was eagerly and well received. I continued to speak on "Walking with the Spirit", and began by making the point that "You cannot truly and fully walk with the Spirit if you have not truly and fully received him".
Our reading was Luke 11:9-13 where we saw that the asking, seeking and knocking is in relation to the Holy Spirit, and that we are therefore encouraged as Christians to pursue and desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But this raises the question: "Did I not receive the Holy Spirit when I became a Christian?". I sought to answer this question by asking and answering two other questions:
1) Was Joel's prophecy regarding the Holy Spirit fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost? We saw clearly that it was, when the Holy Spirit for the first time was poured upon "all people"; i.e. all who had gathered in the Upper Room (Top House) as opposed to individual priests; prophets; kings and judges.
2) Are there 2 experiences of the Holy Spirit? We saw clearly that there are. Our first experience of the Holy Spirit is when we became Christians (John 3:5-6; Rom. 8:9). The second experience is the fulfilment of what Jesus said in John 7:37-39, "Whoever believes in me, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit...". We saw that the disciples were saved and on their way to heaven "before" they were filled with the Holy Spirit; as were the new coverts in Samaria (Acts 8); as was Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9); as were the Ephesian Christians who were met by Paul (Acts 19). We also saw that when Paul wrote to the Ephesians he acknowledged they were "sealed" (1:13); "seated with Christ" (2:6); "saved by grace" (2:8,9); and were "God's workmanship" (2:10); yet he still felt the need to encourage them to "be filled with the Holy Spirit" (5:18).
Although nothing else was planned, we finished off with an extended time of worship and praying for those who came forward.
Sunday night: Well!!! Let's stay focused here. The place was as packed as I've seen it in a long time. Were people blessed? Yes. Were people ministered to? Yes. Were people encouraged? Yes. Did people get saved? Yes. Did people get healed? Some say they were. Several people commented to me at the end of the night saying "this was a great day". And it was!
If I was to sum up Bree Keyton's message to the church it would be "stop being crying wimps and rise up to the challenge of being Davids in the face giants". Forget the sword; forget Peru; forget the snake; but do not forget God's challenge to be a David against the giants of fear, despair, poverty, and sickness etc.
Let's put it into perspective: I've been reading stories of Jesus physically appearing to Muslims in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and other places and of these same people becoming Christians as a result. The problem for me is not the experiences that people have, but our willingness and our ability to believe the "personalised stories" when we hear them. I think we can all tell more stories than we dare. I personally like what the Bible says about Mary the mother of Jesus, "she hid these things in her heart". Sometimes it's best to hide things in our hearts!
Thursday Night Prayer: Don't forget this coming Thursday night at 7.45 we are having a special time of prayer for the church and the way forward. It's one thing to talk to each other about things; it's another thing to talk to God about things!
Next Sunday is Father's Day: We are only having ONE service on Sunday at 11 am. This will be taken by FIST. Craig Seawright will be speaking. Don't forget the offering will be our first special building fund offering. To make it special we should seek to commit over and above what we normally give to the church.
Barbeque: As there is no evening service we have opened up our home for a barbeque from 5 pm onwards (changed from 4 pm). Please note, as announced on Sunday, we are not providing the food, you are! Bring you own food to barbeque for you and your family (including drinks - bring a can or a bottle). We will have two barbeques burning, so you can go right ahead and cook your own food. We will have a shed at the bottom of the garden where you can put your children until it's time to leave, or if it's a nice day we will give you some rope so you can tie them to the fence!
Sponsored Abseil: There are 30 people signed up for this. There is still time for others to step up! Please make sure that you sponsor someone. Each person needs to raise £30 to cover the cost of the abseil. Anything raised over this will be donated to the building fund. Kathleen and I are sponsoring £50 each (one of us to Deborah and one to Gemma because the bank will double theirs). I only mention this by way of example.
Stay focused; stay strong; and keep being a God-influence.
Pastor Jack
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