INSPIRE 09 IS SOON!!

Our Inspire Conference is only just around the corner! In fact, the earlybird rego’s close next week!

Faith is rising... as we are getting expectant about our exciting theme – ‘Supernatural’.

Weekly Wednesday morning prayer meetings have been kicked off – and plans and preparations are all go!

I hope you can get to Inspire - 23^rd July till 26^th July... because I know God will speak into your life – and we will experience His presence and His supernatural power!

Get expectant – get faith-filled – and get your rego in!

Jan

We Need One Another!

Sometimes less is more... so today I give you a great quote:

"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute.
It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; He does not fill it, but on the contrary, He keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Moving Past Your Past

We all have a ‘past’... good or bad – we have a ‘past’.

God doesn’t want our past to hold us back – but instead, spring us forward.

He has a great future for each of us... and doesn’t want us to let our past limit our future.

There are many examples of people in the Bible that could have limited themselves because of their past.

Look at Paul!... He murdered Christians in his past – but after an encounter with God, went on to become a powerful man of God.

Or if our past was really amazing, we can be tempted to live in the ‘good old days’... instead of stepping into the ‘present’ and the ‘future’ that God has for us.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:13-14... “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us up to heaven.”

Don’t be held back!... Go forward with God!

Jan

Answers To Your Relationship Questions

Last week in the 6pm service I spoke on relationships briefly for 10 mins and then we opened the floor for questions which arrived via text. We got a lot of questions such as:

• Sex before marriage is obviously wrong as a Christian. But what else is ok when dating? From kissing to sex there's a huge gap.
• Is it ok to date when you are a teenager?
• How should we treat other 'Christians' we know are fornicating?
• Do you have any advice on how to prevent yourself thinking lustful thoughts when so many girls these days wear such revealing clothes?

If you missed the message then check out the podcasting section on our website, check out iTunes or click HERE.

There were some questions that didn't get answered though so I will try to briefly answer them here in this post.

Q: How do we keep forgiving when someone keeps sinning?
A: Our ability to forgive needs to come from Jesus. If we try to just force ourselves to forgive it will never stick. We actually need to ask Jesus to do a work from the inside out. This means that it may take some time to fully deal with the offense / hurts but they will be dealt with in a deep and meaningful way that will lead to freedom.
Matthew 5:3 (NLT)
³ “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,^a]">[a]
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Let me also add here that forgiving someone does not mean having to trust someone or even have a relationship with someone. If someone is constantly breaking your trust, abusing you, etc. then you need to get out of that relationship. Please talk to one of the pastoral staff here if you are faced with this situation.

Q: How can you forgive yourself after God has forgiven you?
A: Our pride steps in the way and often prevents us from receiving. In such a case we need to ask God to deal with our pride and to help us to receive His forgiveness and grace.
We need to take captive our condemning thoughts and replace them with God's truth and the revelation of that truth can sink in and bring freedom.
I find it no coincidence that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha which means 'The Place Of the Skull'. It is in our minds that the greatest war wages and it is here that God's Word will triumph if we will meditate on it!
Matthew 27:32-34
³²As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). ³⁴There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

Q: How do you know when you are ready for love?
A: What a great question! I would say that if you are desperatly seeking a relationship... then you are probably are not ready for one!
Some of the wrong reasons / motivations that we seek relationships out for include: the need to 'fit' in / peer pressure; looking for someone to complete you; lonliness, desperation or insecurity; to control or dominate the other person; for sexual gratification; to recover from a previous relationship; to make someone else jealous.
Remember that love cost me and benfits others. Lust is all at others expence and is for my gain.

Rember the great advice given in the Song of Solomon 2:7
⁷ Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.

Here are some signs that you may be ready to pursue a relationship:

• You are comfortable with your singleness but you know that God has more for you.
• You are emotional mature and are ready to put someone elses needs before your own.
• You are in a stage of life that you can pursue a relationship towards marriage (it's kinda tough hanging out for marriage when you're 11).

For more resources regarding dating and relationships check out the 'Dating & Relationship Resources' page in our church website. Click HERE to go check it out now.

I hope this has been useful. Leave a comment and share your thoughts or experiences with us.

Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now

The following post WILL disturb you and leave you feeling unsettled!
I know because that is what it has done for me.

Click HERE to check out a post that I have written on the 3 Critical Issues Facing The Church Right Now.

Let me know what you thought of it by leaving a comment.
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive

Are You 'Changed'?

I have been having a grand old time revisiting the book of 1 Samuel. I love reading the Word of God. It continually amazes me the fresh revelation to be had even when I have read the passages 100's of times.
Just yesterday I came upon this incredible piece of Scripture:

1Sa 10:5-7
(5) Next, go to Gibeah, where the Philistines have an army camp. As you're going into the town, you'll meet a group of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They'll be going along prophesying while others are walking in front of them, playing small harps, small drums, and flutes.
(6) The Spirit of the LORD will suddenly take control of you. You'll become a different person and start prophesying right along with them.
(7) After these things happen, do whatever you think is right! God will help you.

Just for some background... the prophesying mentioned here is not foretelling of the future or speaking words from God over a persons life. Instead it refers to a passionate and enthusiastic praising of God inspired by the Holy Spirit... or put slightly differently an ecstatic expression to an intense religious experience.

This wasn't just the run of the mill Sunday sing-song. These were powerful moments when people connected with God's presence.
Interesting how it says that from this sort of encounter Saul would become a changed man.
Which leads me to question... what happens when we are not regularly having these encounters? Do we simply slide back into our 'old selves' and 'old ways'?

Another interesting thought was that once Saul had these encounters, once he had met with God and was walking in the anointing... he was simply charged to 'do whatever you think is right.'
When we are walking from a fresh encounter with God we know that we are keeping in step with the Holy Spirit.
What happens when we aren't having these encounters?


I'd love to hear your thoughts about my thoughts : ) Go on... leave a comment!
Godspeed & Kaizan
Clive