YOU need NEVER be lonely!

 

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel,
 which means ‘God is with us.’”  Matthew 1:23(NLT)

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counsellor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.”  John 14:16-17 (Amp Bible)

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

The picture alongside these words is a typical stereotype of loneliness, an old man or an old lady BUT the fact is loneliness affects everybody and sadly in our modern times, according to statistics, it is now the experience of many of our younger population. It is being suggested, for example, that social networking has done away with the need for face to face relationships and loneliness has become a sad consequence? One recent headline I saw was ‘Loneliness is as harmful as smoking’???
I am living on an Island where I hear this word used time and time again. Whether it is through bereavement, fractured families or just plain singleness, perhaps because of all or any of these reasons people have come or remain on Tenerife believing that in this ‘holiday environment’ things will not be as bad as living back home! The fact is they are and in many cases they are worse? Could there be a link between that and the big problem with addiction to drink or drugs, or worse still a link perhaps to the tragic figures of suicides on the Island???
I don’t know it could be but this I do know loneliness is real and if you are experiencing it you will know the effect it has on every level of your life. Mother Teresa once said, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.”
Tell me are you feeling lonely today? Do you feel as if you are at the end of your tether? Do you feel rejected by family and friends, isolated by the community around you? Maybe you have lost your partner of many years just recently and realised that all of your life was lived as a couple, singleness is not an option? Maybe you’ve lost your job and with it all the friends at the office, factory? Whatever the reason you are in a bad place today and you want somebody to tell you it’s going to be all right..
So that’s just what I’m going to do….
OK I know this is not what you have come to expect from this page BUT I think this is so important to so many people that it needs to be heard and why not on this blog spot after all if the Church does not have an answer for this, who does??? And boy does the Church have the answer, well if by the word Church I mean the Church that believes and acts upon the Word of God and Cristianos Community Church does….

So are you faced with loneliness another day? I have great news for you, God is the answer!
Yes my grammar is correct. God has the answer it is Himself!
It was one of those great re-realisations that which I knew but discovered afresh.
During the Bible Study at the Church on Wednesday we were sharing our thoughts on the themes presented in the Prologue to John’s Gospel (Chapter 1:1-18). Among those themes and words was ‘Dwell’. It is found in verse 14. “And the Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh (human, real flesh) and dwelt among us (pitched His tent, moved into the neighbourhood, became one of us) ..” italics mine!
I began thinking about this amazing statement of Johns. My thoughts went back to the Old Testament to the time when King Solomon was dedicating the Temple in Jerusalem to the worship of God. The building which was to become the House of God, where the people could meet with Him…BUT Solomon in his prayer of dedication said this, “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!” 2 Chronicles 6:18
Wow! That God should indeed come to earth that’s amazing BUT then I think a bit more and I turn back to John’s Gospel and I read the words of ‘The Word who became flesh’ as He spoke to His disciples before He was to be crucified..He was returning to His father in heaven. He was leaving BUT he would NOT leave them alone..They would NOT be lonely WHY? How? “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counsellor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
The Holy Spirit that’s why, that’s how!! And so for those disciples and for every other believer ever since and yes, even today, God the Father has given us His Holy Spirit who will come and live within us (DWELL) forever so that we can understand and accept utterly, the promise of God as written in the Book of Hebrews “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5.
John again says, “That to all who did receive Him, (welcome Him, accept Him, open their lives to Him) who believed (into) His Name, He gave the right to become Children of God” John 1:12 and by that says the Apostle Paul, “you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father (you can say with a full heart, “Father, my Father”).” Romans 8:15

I write today having the spent the last week without my lovely wife Lorraine. She has been back in Ireland sorting out our personal things that we left behind when we moved back to Tenerife in January. I have missed her an awful lot and at night especially I get to wishing that she would be back soon..(next week thank God!) For some of you, I know this can never be again!
The point is however I have been on my own BUT I have not been lonely..Because I have the promise of God of His presence with me every moment of every day, His assurance that He will NEVER leave me and the joy of having His Spirit live right within me..Paul again, “The Spirit Himself testifies together with our own spirit, (touches our spirits and confirms, assuring us) that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16
This just blows me away! That the God of heaven, the Almighty, He not only came to earth to establish a relationship with me BUT that he should actually come and take up residence in me FOREVER. I will never, ever be alone again; I will always know ‘God is with me’

It cannot get more powerfully personal than that and that’s the great news I want to share with every lonely heart today. YOU do not need to know loneliness ever again..Because God wants to be in YOUR life too..believe Him, receive Him, He will come I promise.

Whoever, wherever YOU are today things do not have to be the way they are..God can transform YOUR life. We are happy to help you further if you would like to contact us on any of the ways shown in our Contact page..

Can I suggest to you that tomorrow pluck up the courage get out of your environment, visit an Evangelical Church in your town, you’ll find people that love you. Ask them for a Bible, if you haven’t got one already and start reading John’s Gospel find out for yourself that everything I am saying is true and can be true for you…God bless and……………………
Be encouraged YOU are not alone.

WHY? Or rather WHO?

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” 1 Peter 4:12
 “In the world you will have tribulation (trouble).” John 16:33

Forgive me if I was tempted to take some pride in what I said last week and even suggest I ‘told you so’! I like most of the Western world watched last Monday evening as the USA once again witnessed hatred spilling onto its streets and blood being spilt in the name of some cause or another..I am asking WHY? AGAIN! Yet it takes an explosion of relatively limited force that cost the lives of a few! (AND please do not misunderstand me I am not by any means diminishing or undermining the real pain and agony of those grieving or forced to come to terms with horrendous injuries again!!No, for that dear father looking upon his shattered family and the body of his little son, this was NO small thing! This was an act of brutal terrorism, an awful tragedy and utterly inexcusable!)
BUT the question I ask is about the question? How come we stop asking that WHY until something like this happens AGAIN? As one young friend Kevin pointed out, on the same day as the Boston Bombs, almost 150 people were killed by terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and by an earthquake in Pakistan, never mind the dreadful statistic that EVERY day 30,000 people die around the world from starvation that is even more inexcusable when the world produces enough food that means this just should not happen..? 
I am not sure either if we even have the right any more to ask the question WHY!
I have this thing in Church where I would often end a prayer with “And all God’s people said “Amen!”’ And everyone does say Amen!  Well I was reading the OT the other day Deuteronomy 27 when you find the people saying it the most!!! It’s for the curses God said He would bring on them if they disobeyed His Word..And all the people of Israel shouted Amen! Well are we not living in a world that is cursed because we’ve said “God we don’t want You in our Country, we don’t want You in our Government, we don’t want You in our Schools, we don’t want You in our hospitals, we don’t want You in our homes and as for the places we work in??? Well You’re not allowed in there either! We don’t want Your Word to inhibit our way of life!! Go on God get out, leave us alone”…And all the people said????

I have been wrestling with these issues preparing my message for tomorrow (Sunday 21st) and have come to the conclusion that much of what those who continue to ask the question why, particularly of God, is nothing more than shrill and hollow and contributes nothing to peoples insecurity, fear and pain..I believe that at times like these I as a Christian Pastor must bring something that helps, something that brings comfort, and something that brings HOPE! And that something is not some trite theoretical answer to a questionable question but the incarnation of a person. The Christian message is the only answer for our fallen, broken world, there is quite simply NOTHING else that even scratches the surface..
The Word of God is honest about the World we live in, Jesus said in John 16:33 “In this world you WILL have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world” that’s why He could say to His disciples before He was to leave them and as they faced their future in the world, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me….. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:1-6+27
(Interestingly the very words read by Mr. Cameron, Britain’s Prime Minister at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral! I hope he listened to what he read)

Because of Jesus, we can face all the suffering the world can throw at us who knowing that 'He (God) became flesh (John 1:14) and dwelt, pitched His tent with us'. Became one of us and entered into our suffering. He knows what it is..and then bearing all the wrong, all the mistakes, all the SIN that was yours and mine, the cause of ALL the suffering. He took it upon Himself, and died for that sin. It was NOT His sin, for He knew NO sin, it was the sin of ALL of us and He paid the price for it. He died, He was buried BUT He rose again, and has defeated the power of sin, of Satan, of death and of the grave, of suffering! Jesus is alive and one day He will make everything right. He will judge everything and everyone BUT more importantly He will bring about a future that is free from ALL the suffering. So it is we can endure with Hope.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,    
what God has prepared for those who love him”—1 Corinthians 2:9

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Yes, it is an exclusive faith, Jesus said so Himself, He is the only way to God for that is the ONLY WAY of experiencing a future life where there will be no more suffering, or sorrow; no tears, and no more death, but anyone and everyone can come, indeed everyone must come.. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (of God’s standard)” Romans 3:23

It is ONLY in Jesus Christ that it makes sense folks? Makes sense of all my suffering? That in my suffering I enjoy a closeness, a fellowship and intimacy with Jesus Christ that will far outweigh the pain and the hurt I feel in my body..
Think of Stephen in Acts 7. They are about to put him to death. They pick up the stones and are about to stone him to death, what did he say…v56 “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and he Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” I see Jesus! I am looking into heaven right now…. I see Jesus go ahead do you worst.. insane what? In the middle of his suffering Jesus appeared. Amen!

What about Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego thrown into the fiery furnace, what did Nebuchadnezzar say?  Did we not cast 3 down into the pit but I see a fourth, one like the Son of God!

What about our Commission…Matthew 28 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Is it when we are doing that that we experience… “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

It seems to me that if we are serious about knowing Jesus, wanting fellowship with Jesus then we are going to endure suffering BUT it is in the suffering that we will experience Him as in no other way and in so doing we can find joy in those sufferings.


If you want to know about this Hope, this Jesus I speak about, then please do contact me.
By the way if you do want to find the answer to the WHY? Here are a few useful places you can go to..
Billy Graham’s daughter Anne speaking on the anniversary of 9/11 http://www.ggcg.org/why911.html
Author Lee Strobel in response to the Aurora Shootings of July 2012
http://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2012/07/why-does-god-allow-tragedy-and-suffering/
D.A. Carson ‘How could God allow suffering?’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U21MquBWfag
Have a blessed and peaceful week.

Love or Hatred!

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Matthew 24:10
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God…….Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Hebrews 13:7+17
No creature (no person, no action, NO WORDS!) is hidden from His (God’s) sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

My blog this week has been prompted, not by what has happened here in Tenerife, but elsewhere, yet the repercussions can be felt everywhere including here! (and sadly seems to follow the trend of last weeks blog???)
One of Britain’s iconic leaders, Margaret Thatcher, died of a stroke and throughout the week there have been all sorts of programs ranging from tributes to criticisms, from legacies left to legacies lost and reports on the cost of the official funeral to take place next week in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Alongside these have been the news reports of protests and of anti-Thatcher rhetoric that is quite simply disgusting. The lady, good or bad, depending on whichever political flag you fly is dead and surely we can at least show some respect? What is even more infuriating is that so many of these so called, aggrieved protestors don’t look as if they had even been born when Mrs Thatcher was in power??
What has this world come to I ask and yet as the verse from Matthew tells us, "then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Matt. 24:10 signs of our time and..I find myself reciting the words of John in
Revelation 22:20 “Even so, Come Lord Jesus”

BUT! Bad as this may be, there was something else that has had similar reactions of which I really want to speak for I am no political pundit but a Pastor who is heartbroken!
This week we also heard news of the tragic death of Rick Warren’s son, Matthew. Rick as many of you will know is the Pastor of Saddleback Church, USA and author of many books, EG ‘The Purpose Driven Church’ and ‘The Purpose Driven Life’. Both the man and his books have been used greatly by the Lord and I am sure will continue to be for many years to come. What I find so sickening is that like Margaret Thatcher, this death has too become a vehicle for some very sad people to castigate a man for his faith, for his way of serving the Lord and as Rick has said himself it is pure ‘hatred’!!
Right now I want to say to all these ‘practitioners of verbal garbage’, leave these grieving  folks alone, go and do or say something positive and worthwhile and as the Bible conveys better than I, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say…….. ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7:3-5
I cannot begin to imagine the agony that this family is enduring right now, and then your poisonous words added to that agony…enough is enough!
As anyone with a modicum of decency would do at such a time, I extend my heartfelt sympathy and assurance of our prayerful support to Rick, Kay and all the family and to say to Rick, trying not to sound as if I know what you are enduring..“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12

I suppose it’s unlikely that any of the guys to whom this refers are going to be reading MY BLOG??? BUT hold on YOU ARE!!!
So let me go on to say this……………………………….

The Word of God tells me that we are to listen to, look after, submit to, respect and LOVE those who lead us!!! We may not agree with all their Theology, we may not communicate the Word the same way they do or like the colour of the tie they wear (yes I have had that remark made!!!)  BUT if these men are faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ! If they Preach Christ as the man’s only Saviour! If they are called to Pastor God’s People! If THEY are the ones who are watching over YOUR soul and have to give an account for YOU! THEN YOU and I have an obligation to look after these men.

Just as I am sickened by the two particular events above I am equally sickened by the way people treat those God has given to lead them..you might not openly criticise, but seldom do you speak a word of encouragement! Oh! You say, "I don’t want to puff them up with pride"….come on give me a break, no give them a break..Isn’t it a tragedy that in the USA they have to have an ‘Encourage Your Pastor Sunday’!!! Yes that’s right..
Every Sunday, every day should be an ‘Encourage Your Pastor’ Day. If you had any idea at all of what it takes, physically, emotionally, spiritually for your Pastor to pastor his people. He feeds; He nurtures; He visits; He brings comfort and encourages YOU. Would you  think of these things the next time before you say a word of criticism or discouragement..AND while I’m on the subject, what about his family too?

When my three children were growing up ‘in the manse’ they give themselves a nickname,
‘The PPKs’ ‘The Pastors Perfect Kids’ NO not a reflection on how they behaved but an expectation of the congregation on how they MUST behalf. How they must turn out!
An expectation that was totally unrealistic, impossible to achieve and certainly not Biblical in origin and may I suggest puts pressure to conform and has led to many a problem within the Pastors family and for the children themselves, might it be that this sort of attitude can lead to or contribute to something far graver? I am not saying that this had anything to do with Matthew’s death. But when trying to deal with delicate, personal issues at home, that there be added pressures of people outside it who think they know better. How many other Pastors and their wives have had their homes turned upside down by people’s disapprovals glances or words about their children? Is it that such pressures had a bearing only a few weeks ago when another Pastor, a colleague back in Ireland, had too to come to terms with the death of his son, self-inflicted!!!

This weekend consider those who grieve and show some respect. Please uplift and support Rick Warren and his family, my friend in Ireland, and pray too for the Thatcher family and pray that due respect and dignity will be afforded at the funeral next week! That God will comfort those who mourn and make sure that from now on YOU think before you speak. The old cliché is right!! God gave you two ears to think and only one mouth to speak so think twice as long as you speak and when you speak, speak words that build up, that encourage
AND for God’s sake let us at least in the Church have...
LOVE instead of HATRED!

Hazard Warning- Church can cause injury!

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 17:34-35

Last Sunday, Easter Sunday my wife and I both simultaneously got a text message from Joanne, our middle daughter, telling us that Matthew, her middle son, had been hurt in an accident at Church and they were now in the Accident & Emergency at Coleraine Hospital.
Matthew had fallen and split his chin open.  Hurt in Church!!!!
I wonder how many people have been hurt in church??  No, not by an accident but by another person?? The casualty list, I suspect is an ever increasing one. Someone once said, with a hint of sarcasm, I’m sure, ‘we are the only army that shoots it’s wounded!’
Is there not something drastically wrong somewhere when a deep, inexplicable irony is overwhelming our churches? We claim to be people of the Word! The Bible is our absolute authority and we are very quick to point a finger at ‘the world’ when it refuses to live by it or tries to criticise it, yet we can justify our own ambivalence to it? After all does the Bible not tell us as believers that we are to love on another? That’s the verse I have quoted at the top..The REAL Lord’s Prayer and in the Prayer of our Saviour, the Head of the Church, He exhorts us to love one another!! How therefore do we work this out, demonstrate this love for one another??? 
Here’s how………………………………………..  
care for one another. 1 Corinthians 12:25

let us not pass judgment on one another. Romans 14:13

agree with one another. 2 Corinthians 13:11

welcome one another. Romans 15:7

instruct one another. Romans 15:14

serve one another. Galatians 5:13

Bear one another's burdens. Galatians 6:2

bear with one another. Ephesians 4:2

Be kind to one another. Ephesians 4:32

forgive one another. Ephesians 4:32

submit to one another. Ephesians 5:21

Do not lie to one another. Colossians 3:9

encourage one another. 1 Thessalonians 4:13

build one another up. 1Thessalonians 5:11

do good to one another. 1 Thessalonians 5:15

exhort one another. Hebrews 3:13

teach and admonish one another. Colossians 3:16

stir up one another to love and good works. Hebrews 10:24
Do not speak evil against one another. James 4:11

Do not grumble against one another. James 5:9
confess your sins to one another. James 5:16

pray for one another. James 5:16

Show hospitality to one another. 1 Peter 4:9

fellowship with one another. 1 John 1:7

Above all, keep loving one another 1 Peter 4:8
Now there is a proper Scriptural Church Constitution Eh!!!

Can you tell me where in the Bible you can find verses like….
Criticise one another?
Hate one another? (is that one a bit strong???????)
Gossip about one another?
Lie about one another?
Make fun of one another?
Ignore one another?
Mock one another?
I am absolutely sure there are some reading this could think of a whole lot more besides.

So to the point, if you haven’t got it yet..Church to me is the very place where we are to find acceptance, all of us. After all what qualifies any of us for membership? Nothing but the grace of God. It is the place where we can find love and compassion and comfort and care! Yet there are a lot of people around that have found little or none of these things and have walked away from church and today are far away from God. Peter, who I have quoted above makes what Jesus prayed the priority, the single most important sign that the Church is the Church that Jesus gave His life for, that the people (that is the Church) love one another. There is no options, no choices, no exceptions and no room for excuses..How else will the world know the difference, “By this ALL PEOPLE will know that YOU are my disciples!”
So what sort of testimony is YOUR Church showing to an unloving, uncaring world outside it?
BUT before you answer that what sort of testimony is YOUR own life..Test it by those very words of Jesus???
I can only come to one conclusion, if I am a follower of Jesus, I WILL LOVE MY BROTHERS AND MY SISTERS…YES!!!
 If you don’t then I doubt you are a follower of Jesus!
Here’s one other thing that is very much tied to this and is I believe the need of our day… forgive one another. Ephesians 4:32  In the Lord’s Prayer as most of us know it, Jesus says, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12.
A forgiven saint has a forgiving spirit!!! Ah! An unforgiving spirit??? Well read verses 14+15.          If I belong to Jesus I must forgive and I must love. “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25
Do you? it is the only way to enjoy life..I know what it is to live with an unforgiving spirit.                It does no harm to the other person but it eats away inside me…AND as for loving my brother and my sister, well when I am struggling with those who have hurt me I turn to a verse of Pauls, “For the love of Christ compels us” 2 Corinthians 5:14 A great friend of mine, Pastor Etienne, from Burkina Faso he taught me this.......
When I don’t want to get up, His love compels me!
When facing decsions, His love compels me to do what He wants!
When I come face to face with people, His love compels me to deal with them right!
When I don’t want to forgive, His love compels me!
When I don’t want to love, HIS LOVE COMPELS ME TO LOVE!

Going back to where I started, thankfully little Matthew is doing fine and the injury is already healing. BUT the hurts that I have been talking about, they are just as real but they don’t heal just as quick..If you don’t deal with them they can become a cancer of bitterness so brother or sisters, whichever side of this you are on. Hurting or the one causing the hurt!
Now is the time to forgive one another, put all malice aside and love one another for Christ’s sake. I am not suggesting it is going to be easy but if you come to the Lord Jesus He will give you the grace and the courage and HE WILL HEAL YOUR HURT!

Here’s something I am going to ask you to do this week.
If you have been hurt..I know I cannot imagine how hurt you have been BUT I do know it has been enough to stop you going to church..Can I encourage you to get up tomorrow morning, and go to Church, I mean one that believes and teaches and lives out Jesus Christ. I’ll pray for YOU tomorrow.

If you are the one who has caused hurt..Perhaps you don’t even realise it..Someone has tried to tell you but you haven’t listened..I pray for YOU that the Spirit of God would reveal these things to you..Then go and say sorry..That’s the courageous thing, that’s the Christian thing to do..BUT then forgive yourself and ask God to change your heart to a heart like Jesus’

Let’s be determined to stop hurting one another and start loving one another..After all that is what we should have been doing all along!

Big thank you to Matthew for letting me use his story!