Resigned Fatalism!

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Every week is an event in Tenerife and this one was no exception. I do not know if you have heard the expression? ‘I have had it up to my neck’ or ‘I am at the end of my tether’ I am sure the latter is purely a Northern Ireland phrase? They both mean the same thing however, I have had enough, my patience is at an end..I do not want to pursue this any longer or do this anymore!!  Oh yes! You know what that is!! I got to that place this week? Since the 12 February I have been waiting to be connected to the internet, even in Tenerife and with the Spanish ‘manana’ syndrome that’s a long time. The company I signed up with, will for this blog remain anonymous (but you can find out on my fb page!!!) they kept making promise after promise that never materialised and after yet another telephone call to yet another operator I finally gave up and on Wednesday this week cancelled everything and returned all the equipment they supplied, at my expense of course!! Oh it really got to me and I was so annoyed but when I calmed down I realised how silly I had been about the whole thing..Is this what my life has come to revolve around? Telephone and internet?????  Was this a life threatening situation or just a trivial irritation that will eventually be corrected? The answer???? Send in less than 5 words to……NO! I KNOW THE ANSWER!

All joking aside, there is a serious point to this and it struck me while preparing for this Sundays service. It’s Easter Sunday, the greatest day in the whole year for those of us who call ourselves ‘Christian’. For those of us who claim to be ‘Christian Leaders’ it is the day when most likely you will be preaching on the RESURRECTION, I will and what a message that is to preach. Or will YOU???

In my preparation I turned to the Apostle Paul’s great Chapter on the resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15 and the first line of verse 12 just caught me right between the eyes! “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” It seems to me that every Easter brings its fair share of biblical critics who continue to shout this, who are out to discredit the Word of God, who never will accept the miraculous deeds of our great God but from those people I expect nothing less. They are spiritually blind and will never see the truth until the Holy Spirit of God opens their eyes.. My problem these days is that I hear echoes of these people’s words coming from the lips of so-called respected pastors/leaders/teachers and while it may not necessarily be concerning the resurrection or even overt criticism of Scripture, it is a compromising spirit, a watered down gospel, an easy believism, a don’t rock the peoples boat sermon even at Easter! Oh, I don’t think that it has come about because they are having grave misgivings over their beliefs, no? I believe much of what is said, or rather what is not said from our pulpits is because WE have ‘got to the end of our tether!’ a fatalistic resignation has set in and we have opted for an easier life..It’s easier to preach nice heart-warming messages. It’s easier to give people what they want, after all for most; it’s them who pay the wages. It’s just plain easier if I don’t say anything that others will disagree with me on… I understand all of that, I really do…If anyone reading this does not understand the pressures and problems of leading God’s people, take time this week to look up Moses and find out! BUT… Have a listen to this “But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,” Acts 4:19 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29. Twice in two Chapters, Peter, told by the Sanhedrin to stop preaching Jesus in Chapter 4 then reprimanded by them in Chapter 5, because he had not done what they ordered him to do…Peter’s response I have got to, I can only do what I am doing..like Paul after him, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” 1 Corinthians 9:16.

Today I write not to condemn or to judge for I have worn that T-Shirt, walked in those shoes and this week has been a reminder to me too. I got so frustrated and let something which was really in the end so petty get me annoyed that I was in danger of getting distracted and letting this send me off course??? It is usually something very similar that does the damage. It just keeps niggling away and the frustrations keep mounting up until they become like Mount Teide one day might??? God forbid…….The next thing you know you have had enough of being on the wrong side of everybody, of being the only one who seems to stand up for what is right, the only one who is prepared to say it’s wrong AND you just settle for an easier way of doing, saying, preaching things lest you get upset again, lest you get criticised again, lest you get hurt again…

Brothers this Easter can I encourage you to take a long hard look at yourself, at your ministry and the message you are preparing and put all of those things alongside this word of Pauls, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?........... As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:14-15

So who is up for the challenge? You and I have received the greatest calling given to any human being, what a privilege it is, just remind yourself of that and determine to put away any thoughts of compromising your position in either word or deed.. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” Hebrews 13:17.

Peter Cartwright was a great circuit-riding Methodist preacher in Illinois, USA. An uncompromising man, he had come north from Tennessee because of his opposition to slavery. One Sunday morning when he was scheduled to preach, his deacons told him that President Andrew Jackson was in the congregation. Knowing Cartwright was used to saying whatever he felt God wanted him to say, regardless of how people might react, they warned him not to say anything that would offend the President. He stood up to preach and said, “I understand President Andrew Jackson is here. I have been requested to be guarded in my remarks. Andrew Jackson will go to Hell if he does not repent.” The audience was shocked. They wondered how the President would respond to this, but after the service he told Cartwright, “Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world.” Hughes, R. Kent (2010-03-10). Acts: The Church Afire (Preaching the Word)

That’s the way to do it….The Lord never promised it would be easy or would not necessitate courage but this Easter I am rejoicing in this and I hope you will too. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15: 57-58

Have a great Easter and may God through the Holy Spirit enable YOU to preach with power this Sunday and may that bless your soul..I am praying for YOU brothers!

Caveat emptor!

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
I almost bought a car this week? An old one but it was in great condition and not a bad price. It was an opportunity and would have helped us cut out the need to maintain a rental car. However it didn’t happen? Now I know a little about cars…not quite the ‘you could put what I know on the back of a postage stamp’ but not far off it! I took it for a drive and was impressed, even lifted the bonnet and sounded quite expert in front of my wife.. Looked good, clean and it sounded great too!

Acknowledging that I don’t really know much about cars I asked a friend if he had a friend who knows about cars and sure enough a couple of days later, his friend took a look at the car.. Well, talk of Homer Simpson, Doh!!!! This guy knew what he was about and proceeded to, not only tell me but show every defect and fault this car had and it was not good news…needless to say I didn’t buy it. Here’s the point, I saw nothing!! I was blind to every defect and some of them were glaringly obvious, indeed as soon as this guy started pointing them out well they really were obvious. How did I NOT see them?

I have become acutely aware of the constancy of Scripture when it highlights the rise of false teachers, preachers and doctrines as we near the return of the Lord. They are not always as obvious as the well-dressed couple who knock your door and offer you a certain magazine or the nice young men with badges clipped to their pristine white shirts. No, false teachers are appearing in much subtler garb and from within the ‘evangelical family’ too! They peddle their wares in the guise of ‘truth’ and make alluring promises and sadly many are following after them..I get so angry when I hear their messages of prosperity and gain, of promises that are more appropriate for a Disney Movie than a pulpit and how they have this inane ability to contort even the most obvious of Scriptures (E.G. What it teaches about Heaven AND HELL!) things that, as many of the resurgent writers put it, just cheapen the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. AND people actually beleive them, they are blind?

So who is to blame for the masses that follow these ‘Christian Pied Pipers’? Is it not like me and that car, if I knew more about cars? If I had known as much about cars as my friend did I would have seen the problems myself right away, I would not have needed someone else to tell me! I understand that those agencies in their respective countries who watch for counterfeit currency are so highly trained and expert on, NO! not the counterfeit, BUT the genuine money. They know the real thing so well that as soon as they see a counterfeit it is easily recognisable as false! So there’s the answer to both the questions of who is to blame and how do we avoid it?

So many believers today have such a scant knowledge of the Word of God..Without the knowledge of the Scriptures there will never be any discernment to know what is right or wrong and people will remain blind and follow blindly afer every fade that sounds good, feels good?..Surely the lesson is that of the Bereans, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Acts 17:11. Tell me Christian? Do you know the Word of God? Do you read your Bible every day? You don’t really have an excuse these days..So stop making any more, what about you start right now…Easter always stirs our hearts as we re-read the story of the Passion of Jesus, just keep going……. and if you live here in Tenerife, well you can always join us on a Wednesday afternoon and study the Bible with others. When you get into your Bible then you have someone who can help you understand, help you SEE…. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth… he will guide you into all the truth” John 14:14-16 + 16:13. That way you are doubly sure you will never be fooled by a bit of polish or a coat of paint, or more importantly a convincing speech by a false teacher!!!

Tongue-n-Cheek!

“For we…………………. against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…17and take……the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit,  with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance..” Ephesians 6:12+17-18
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy(mighty to the bringing down of) strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Two things happened this week that have troubled me, and I haven’t been able to get out of my head? It has resulted in me bringing them, not surprisingly you will discover, together in my weekly blog! The first was a report of someone spreading gossip which was, shall I say, less than truthful. Not unusual in our world it seems but surely not something that ought to be the norm among believers?? Ah! The tongue, six inches long but can kill a man six foot tall. A slippery weapon in the wrong mouth, a dangerous combination? James says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.(useless)” In Chapter 3 James declares this, “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness… It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Yet it is the very tool, the very weapon that we have been given to speak forth the mighty, powerful,transforming, living Word of God?

Wondering where I am going with this??? Let me now tell you of the second thing that I came across! An article in one of our local newspapers here in Tenerife was highlighting the rise in Satanic and Occult worship on mainland Spain and was reporting that one high profile Satanic group was interested in setting up their headquarters in the Canary Islands. The article spoke of activity already seen in parts of Tenerife indicating voodoo type sacrificial rites in and around cemeteries in Arona.

Tomorrow, Sunday 17 March 2013 we are having the inaugural service of Cristianos Community Church. We are one of a growing body of Evangelical witness here in the Canary Islands and the Lord is raising up a body of people, ‘for such a time as this’ who have at our disposal weapons that are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. A message that can set people free and YET in the middle of it all we have an ‘enemy’ within with ‘wagging tongues’ that is unwittingly disarming the very power that is needed to fight this real enemy outside!
Can I hear a loud cry from the people of God who will join with me and saying to all my brothers and sisters, we are involved in warfare and the lives of people are at eternal risk..we must use ALL the resources we have been given, including our tongues, to advance the Kingdom of God and NOT hinder it…If we cannot speak the truth and with grace then can I say with ‘Tongue-n-Cheek’(seriously)? Shut up……..

Player or Spectator?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
“And he (Jesus) said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and  u take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Last September I had the opportunity to visit, for the first time, the United States of America. I was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and during my stay Pastor Daniel (Cedar Rapids Family Church) invited me and a couple of other guys to a Football Game…American Football that is! What a day that turned out to be and what an experience..Iowa doesn’t have an NFL team so the fans turn up in their thousands for the next best thing a College Game and none better than a game that involves the ‘Iowa Hawkeyes’ The Best College Team in the States!!!
I found myself in the Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City) surrounded by Hawkeye fans that far outnumbered the Central Michigen supporters and the noise was thunderous to say the least. Songs and chants filled the stadium for one team then the next. It was quite different to any ‘soccer’ game I’d been to. BUT when the game got started ah..this noise I recognised. The spectators began shouting from the stands at everybody from the referee to the thrower to the catcher, to even the TV controller who would step onto the line every so often and just halt the game…Well the adverts are important!! It’s amazing how expert the fans are. They know all the rules, they could referee a game better than any professional and as for the teams on the field well, if only the coaches had known about all these fantastic wanna-be footballers that surrounded me….in the stands.  Funny how loud these people can be, indeed at one point I was accosted from behind to turn round and hear a little old lady apologising to me for almost deafening me at a pivotal point in the game..
Just happens I have been reading a great book by Kyle Idleman, ‘Not a Fan’ in which he asks the question of Christians, are you a Fan or a Follower? Are you a committed, deny yourself follower of Jesus Christ or are you just ‘An Enthusiastic Admirer?’
As I read further into his book I kept thinking back to last September and all those screaming, we could do it better than you, professional spectators, who will never play a game in the field. It’s going to cost them too much, they might just find they don’t know much after all and well they don’t want to look silly! It’s safe in the stands, it’s safe with the crowd and there is a crowd there! BUT the game isn’t played in the stands; it’s played on the field. The game will never be won in the stands; it can only be won on the field! Oh yes, they are right, wrong decisions are made…on the field. Players will ‘foul up’ on the field…. but on the field!                                                                                                               They are the ones playing the game, making the difference, changing the score. They are the ones taking the risks but they, and only they are the ones who will win the game……Hey they are the ones, the only ones who will get the CROWN! (2 Timothy 4:8)
(I left Kinnick Stadium that day with an empty plastic coke cup? Not much of a reward that! Oh yes I had my Hawkeyes Hoodie and baseball hat but I was only a SPECTATOR.)

Grow Up

“….brothers, I could not address you as a spiritual people, but……… as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready” 1 Corinthians 3:1-2(ESV)
My wife and I have just returned from a short visit home to attend the dedication of our youngest grandson. Harry is now 8 months old and is growing so quickly. He is so much more alert and inquisitive and conscious of everything around him. He is beginning to move around independently when you put him down on the floor. Turning from his back onto his tummy he holds his head up and tries to push forward with his legs. Not quite got the hang of it yet but it will not be long..The point is, little Harry is not the same today as he was when he was born 8 months ago. He has grown in size and in personality, in ability and character. He is doing and being what he is naturally supposed to do!!
The Christian life begins with the ‘new birth’ and that analogy with physical birth is one that the Apostle Paul refers to, especially in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3 when he expresses his frustration with believers  who have not grown as they should have! They are still only ‘infants’ feeding on milk, when they should have been ‘adults’ feeding on meat. The results were problems in the church caused by infantile behaviour! The greater problem however was that they seemed completely unaware of it and needed the Apostle to bring it to their attention. Ironically they thought themselves spiritually astute?
It is still so frustrating that centuries on there are still believers who are just like those at Corinth in the 1st Century. The saddest thing is that 20 centuries latter believers seem to have grown so accustomed to it they do not even try to change! Milk is fine, easy to digest and does not take long to get down? They are happy with their stunted growth?
So what is wrong and what do we do about it?
Can I suggest that, while it is the believers own responsibility to ‘work out their salvation with fear and trembling’ that there is a responsibility on us..the Church, the leaders and the Pastors too. After all as a parent if you saw this happening to your child would you not be moved to take action? We need to challenge the status quo, begin to faithfully, consistently and Biblically preach and teach the solid meat of the Scriptures and not what has become the common Sunday diet of nothing more than a milkshake and believers YOU need to GROW UP!