Pete's Story

So you may or may not know me. My name’s Pete, I’m American, and I’ve just moved here to serve at the church. You’ll be seeing a lot of me as I’ll be helping out a lot with youth stuff. Rachel asked me to give you a bit of my story.

Rewind 6 years. It’s 2007, I’m 17, and I arrive in Eastbourne to do Impact at Kings for the year. God had told me to come, and I didn’t quite know why. I spend the year getting stretched, shaped, and grown and have time of my life. In August of 2008, I return to the US and go to university.

Fast forward to spring break of 2011. I’m on a ski trip to Canada, and feel God put Eastbourne back on my heart. I had always wanted to come back, but this is when God really begins to confirm it.


A year later, in April 2012, I’m about to graduate from uni and email Kings church, telling them about my desire to come back and wondering if they can help. They tell me they’d love to have me back and we embark on the visa process.

August 2012 rolls around and Kings says that the visa is taking a longer time than they anticipated, but they want me here before it’s estimated date. I buy my tickets, intending to come as a tourist for the first couple months, until my visa comes through. I make it to the border in London and they deny me entry, put me in a detention facility for the night (complete with real live terrorists—yikes!), pack me onto a plane, and send me home.

I go home and get two new jobs, and wait for the visa to come through. After 9 months of wondering if in fact this was God’s plan (God speaks to me in some amazing ways including some amazing dreams), my visa finally comes. I give my two week’s notice at work, pack my bags, and move over! Now I’m here and excited to get stuck in. I can’t wait to get to know each one of you.

Also, please bear with my accent. I know I sound weird, but I can’t help it. :)

Attitude to work

The season of coursework deadlines and exams has got me thinking, but with all the typing I've done lately this won't be a long post...I hope!

I used to get pretty stressed about coursework, the worst was my A level history when I struggled to sleep. On one occasion I was so upset about it I started hyper-ventilating from crying too much. But I have become far more peaceful through uni with my deadlines, which I put down to a number of things. My housemates are pretty chilled too, so there's not an atmosphere of people being stressed. I have learnt more about my style of working and how I work best. And finally I have learnt to trust in God's peace and strength, knowing that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13.

What I want to write about is now I know how I work best I have also learnt that this means I cannot compare how I am doing with other people's progress. This can cause you to feel stressed when someone else has written far more of an essay than you, or they're not bothering to revise for an exam till the last minute because they're really confident. Know that God has given us each unique gifts (Romans 12:3-8) which I think can be applied to this context too. We have different abilities and strengths, so don't compare yourself to others God made you differently, that shouldn't be something to worry about. Some people may find the comparison motivates them. That's fine, if that works then great.

A final verse I've found encouraging is Micah 6:8 - All that God requires of us is to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.

The Message translation says:

"But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,

what God is looking for in men and women.

It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour,

be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourself too seriously—

take God seriously."

So if it gets to the end of the day and you've not done the work you had wanted to do, don't beat yourself up about it, that wasn't what God requires of you.

Although  I'm not saying it's a get out of work, as Colossians 3:23-24 says:

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

God, Me and the Future ...

Soooo when Rachel asked me to do a blog, I thought eeeeekk scary times! But I realised that people are probably going through the same things that I have gone through, so I would really like to be able to encourage people that these situations are not permanent! They do end, and with the power of God we can get through tough times and doubts etc.

For me the thing I have always struggled with since I've been a christian is what is God's plan for me? Where do I fit into his world? Why hasn't he shouted in a booming voice, “NAOMI I WANT YOU TO BE MIDWIFE AND YOU SHALL WORK AT THE DGH”?? I never felt a really calling or belief that God had any role for me, any specific job, any specific thing He wanted me to do. I wasn't one of those people who has known since they were 5 that they wanted to be a firefighter or a teacher or an engineer or a train driver or something. Actually I used to want to be a vet until I realised I didn't really like dogs, so that plan went straight down the drain...

One verse that has really stuck with me the last few years is Jeremiah 29 v 11, [God was speaking through Jeremiah to his people who had been exiled from Jerusalem] and it says...

 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, they are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope”.

Another is Psalm 139 v13...

“You created every part of me. You put me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

These verses really spoke to me when I was doubting God, in that I knew that God knew me, I knew that God has always had a plan for me and that he will show me his plan when the time is right!

So yeah, just a quick encouraging word that God HAS got a plan for you and that he always had! I've had many doubts over the last few years, especially end of year 11, going up to college and not having a clue what on earth I wanted to do with my life. Persisting with church and going to True, has really helped me see that it's not what I want to do, it's want GOD wants to do!

Yeah, so from finishing GCSEs and not having a clue, I'm now hopefully going to university in September, I know where I want to go after that, I have been blessed by God with an absolutely amazeballs group of christian buddies and have a hope and future with the holy spirit guiding me through it all!

Make GOD the centre of your life and the rest will happen :)

xxx

Living for Jesus?

By Shereen Shafiee

The word "Christian", what does it actually mean? How do we live it? 

We live in a world that is becoming increasingly secular. How are we supposed to maintain a "Christian" status? How do we live our lives for Jesus whilst everyone seems to be doing the opposite?

It's not easy, walking with Jesus. In fact it's one of the hardest things I've ever experienced. You become an outcast, to the world, to your friends and sometimes you think "Is this whole Jesus thing really worth it?" because you don't see results.  I just want to remind you to keep standing. Just keep pressing. Don't give into your past for comfort, let's DO something different. Let's really, authentically seek CHRIST. You've probably heard that one before. But this isn't some little Christian cliche that I'm saying - I'm telling you to go and get on your face before God and just pour your heart out. Take each day, day by day and you will find that your entire perspective will CHANGE. It's not that it will make life any easier and suddenly all your problems will disappear... its just that when those problems come they'll look a little different. You will still smile as if you have this secret between you and God. You'll smile because you're comforted by your Father's arms.  You'll SMILE because... you know that deep down, these attacks are making you better and not bitter.

So, I want to encourage you to be bold. Take a stand for Christ. You shouldn't have to just tell someone you're a Christian, they should see it in you. This is something I have to constantly work on and God is still moulding me. You see, this Christian life, it shouldn't just be words. Let today be the day that you decide who you will serve. Will you serve the living God, Jesus? Or will you continue to live for the god of your emotions,  indulging in a life of selfish ambitions? God doesn’t want us to just attend church, ministry begins outside of the church. Christianity is more than singing or playing instruments, it’s having a relationship with the Creator. When Jesus said “follow me”, He didn’t mean “look at me from a far”, “life will be easy”, nor did He say “watch others”. Jesus simply bids us to follow closely beside Him, having an intimate connection to Him and His presence. So let’s put aside the games and distractions and start actually living what we read. 

Salvation is free and available to all who accept the invitation. Unfortunately, so many “accept Jesus as their lord and personal savior”, but never allow Him to reign on the throne of their hearts. So I want to encourage you today to really live this out. It's okay to be different to the world, Jesus said we would be. But that's what makes us so special! God chose us, loves us and knew us before we were even born. He even knows the amount of hairs on our head  (Luke 12:7)! Sometimes I think, how amazing is it that the same God who called the universe into existence would invest into me?! One person among the billions of people, stars and galaxies- One soul in the entire universe and history of people who ever lived. That's not something you can really fathom. But it does make you think, the least we can do is live for Him. Like really and truly, let Him have our whole heart. 

Now this is something that I have to constantly remind myself as well, I'm always falling short and making mistakes. But I know that He's always there to pick me right back up. 

Luke 12:6-7 "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." 

 Ephesians 1:4 "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes." 

"You did not choose me, but I chose you..." John 15:16.

He loves us, He knows us and He chose us! Let's rejoice in that. Let's allow Him to have His will in our lives. SO, let's start today! We will DESIRE what we constantly give our attention to. So let's start giving our attention to the only living God. Amen

         We're in a battle

Fight,  Charley, fight!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a Facebook status saying this:

"Sometimes it's easy to forget we're in a battle. We lie down and give up trying because things get tough, and life is tough! We then ask ourselves why we are weary and weak, because we've just let ourselves been trampled all over. But what we need is to get up and fight! God gives strength to those who ask! Let that be your strength to carry on."

What God has really been revealing to me over the past few weeks is that life is indeed hard. I never really had to work for anything when I was younger, I took life as it came and to be honest, it was a breeze. But my eyes are being opened to the trials we have to face - and that life isn't a dream. We don't always get what we want, or have things go the way we want them to. But I am learning that when trials come, I know that God is good! The verse that has been implanted firmly in my mind lately has been this:

Matthew 22:37

And Jesus said: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."

These instructions are giving us strong advice and providing us with a form of protection. What we need to do is love God with all of our being. It is then that we will know the beauty, faithfulness, goodness and love of God. We need to believe all of the things that we read about God in the Bible - for he is so good! I am praying for the spiritual armor of God to clothe me against the enemy, and I am asking God to be my strength throughout the storm. I am going into battle; and I will fight against all of the evil thoughts that attack my mind and aim to blur my vision. Let us cling to the truth.

Understanding God’s Love Part 2 (Verses)

Understanding God’s Love Part 2 (Verses) 

 By Jacob Dann

So in my earlier blog (Understanding God’s Love) one of the things I talked about was how we can use the bible as a weapon against the devil, and use it to fight the lies he puts in our mind that God doesn’t love us. There are so many verses in the bible that tell us God loves us, and reading and memorising these verses can really help us to understand God’s love more, and go to God in confidence when the devil tries to shake us. So here are some verses I’ve found about God’s unending love.

Romans 5:8- But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Zephaniah 3:17- The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Psalm 86:15 - But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Proverbs 8:17 - I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Psalm 136:26- Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God

 

The Father’s Love Letter – By Barry Adams

My Child…

You may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 139:1)

I know when you sit down and when you rise up (Psalm 139:2)

I am familiar with all your ways (Psalm 139:3)

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10:29-31)

For you were made in my image (Genesis 1:27)

In me you live and move and have your being (Acts 17:28)

For you are my offspring (Acts 17:28)

I knew you even before you were conceived (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

I chose you when I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12)

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book (Psalm 139:15-16)

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17:26)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)

I knit you together in your mother womb (Psalm 139:13)

And bought you forth on the day you were born (Psalm 71:6)

I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me (John 8:41-44)

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16)

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you (1 John 3:1)

Simply because you are my child and I am your father (1 John 3:1)

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11)

For I am the perfect father (Matthew 5:48)

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17)

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31-33)

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)

My thoughts towards you are countless as the sand on the seashore (Psalms 139:17-18)

And I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17)

I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40)

For you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5)

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah 32:41)

And I want to show you great and marvellous things (Jeremiah 33:3)

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)

For it is I who gave you those desires (Philippians 2:13)

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:20)

For I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

I am also the father you comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

When you are broken-hearted, I am close to you (Psalm 34:18)

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart (Isaiah 40:11)

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:3-4)

And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth (Revelation 21:3-4)

I am your father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus (John 17:23)

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed (John 17:26)

He is the exact representation of my being (Hebrews 1:3)

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8:31)

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10)

I gave up everything that I loved that I might gain your love (Romans 8:31-32)

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23)

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-39)

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15:7)

I have always been father and will always be father (Ephesians 3:14-15)

My question is… will you be my child (John 1:12-13)

I am waiting for you (Luke 15:11-32)

Love, your Dad. Almighty God.

 

I hope these verses and the ‘love letter’ have helped inspire and strengthen you, I wanted to end with a lyric from one of my favourite Christian songs, ‘you love me anyway’ by The Sidewalk Prophets… ‘I am the thorn in your crown, but you love me anyway. I am the sweat from your brow, but you love me anyway. I am the nail in your wrist, but you love me anyway. I am Judas’s kiss, but you love me anyway.’

Understanding God’s Love      By Jacob Dann

Almost every Christian book I’ve read, song I’ve listened to, bible verse or preach I’ve heard have mentioned something about God’s love. In fact phrases like ‘God loves you’ are thrown around so much they can sometimes go in one ear and out the other. Or sometimes we just simply don’t believe it. I can definitely relate to that one! From the day I became a Christian to very recently I really struggled to believe that God loved me, every time someone would say ‘God loves you’ I would think ‘how!? How could God love me?’ But in the last few weeks I’ve started to understand that God does love me, and it’s changed my life! Now I get it I just want to shout it from the roof tops, which is why I’ve braved it and decided to write a blog on it. So if you struggle to believe God loves you, please keep reading, because when you get it, it really does change your life!

Firstly it’s important you know where that little voice in the back of your head saying ‘God doesn’t love you!’ comes from, it’s the enemy, the devil, and he wants to do all he can to destroy your relationship with God. But it’s also important that you realise that you have God on your side, who really is greater, stronger and wiser! So what do we do when those thoughts come about? Well it can be very easy to just believe it, give in and give up, but believe me, that helps no one! Instead, pray! That can seem very obvious, but it’s not always that easy, for months I would give in and give up but when I started praying regularly that God would help me to understand his love, he did! The more time is spent with God and the more I got to know him, the more I started to understand that he loved me. Think about it this way, in all relationships it takes a while to truly trust the other person, and believe that there love is genuine, and without spending time with them, how are you going to believe this? It’s the same with God, you can listen to all the preaches and songs telling you that God loves you, but until you start spending time with him yourself, it’s likely that it will just go over your head and that’s when those thoughts can start creeping in. Also spending time with God can strengthen our foundations, and when the devil does attack us, we are more confident to go to God and fight, instead of feeling like we can’t go to him.

Like any battle, you need weapons, prayer can be a very powerful weapon, another one that we sometimes forget about is the bible. The bible is a brilliant source that God lovingly created for us to get to know him better, so use it! Just like praying helps to understand Gods love more, so does the bible, and a lot of the time the answers to our prayers can be found in the bible. So how do we use the bible as a weapon against the devil? Well like I already said the thoughts that God doesn’t love you comes from the devil, but there are loads of verses in the bible that say the opposite, these verses are the weapons I’m talking about! Reading verses about Gods love for me regularly have really helped me to believe it, and when those thoughts do come creeping back instead of listening to them and believing them I can go back to these verses and use them as weapons against those thoughts. This is why it is really important to know some verses, so you can fight!

God Given Strength by Beth Fitz

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog, and I’m actually so thankful for Rachel for requesting one from me - it is something I rarely think about doing but gain so much from, unexpectedly! I totally recommend trying it. God does so much in our everyday lives. If we just stopped, and thought, then I think a lot of us who think that are Christians but don't think of themselves as HEARING from God, would actually be astonished - about how much he is in touch with our lives.

SO, I had no idea what to write about, and I was having a read through my previous emails, and Jez suggested doing a blog on prayer. BORING, right ahha I am kidding, but no. I think one thing that God has put on my heart recently is strength. S.T.R.E.N.G.T.H. that beastly word, often associated with body builders and weight lifters haha. At college all the gym lads talk about the numbers they are lifting, etcetc, and in the human world - they have physical, muscular strength.

But that's not the only side of the word. on the news and such we hear stories, stories of people who are STRONG in character, belief, love and so on - these people are admired! 

Often I think that it is seemed to be a trait which is unreachable; desirable; but made for only a select few. It’s what superheroes and brave, one-in-a-million people have. But, I don't know, I think that God wants to tell us something different. I think he wants us to know that every one of us, each and EVERY one of us has strength - inner strength, that's amazing, and possible of ANYTHING. In the bible, it says in Philippians’ 'we can do all things in Christ who gives us strength' - one of my personal favourite verses. it can be whipped out in all occasions; when there are people moaning about how a maths question that is IMPOSSIBLE, or even when someone just seems too low to get through a situation. However I do not think that it is used ENOUGH as it should be in our everyday lives. The Lord is out best friend, he adores us SO much and it delights his heart to see us relying on him. When we were in Romania, it was AWESOME to see his people so dependent on him - and heck, he delivered! If we let God into so much more of our lives, if we turn to him as our first port of call when the going is good, smooth AND when we hit rough waters, how can we NOT see so much more of him every single day?

We are stuck in this world, full of sin, death and sadness- Jesus knows what it's like. But we haven't been left for dead. We have a MISSION for this world, and that is not just to get through it with a smile on our face. The Lord our God is here, with us, powering us through, even if it feels like we can barely make it through the day! We can do ALL things, through Christ, who gives us strength. We just have to soak it up! We can do that by spending time with him; ask. and you shall receive. :)

 

So yeah, that's just what God has put on my heart. It should be our mantra, that we are, unstoppable. Even when we're going through turmoil - we have been given the power, the backbone the muscle of GOD behind us. Dude, this guy created the heavens and the earth. #crazy he knows the ins and outs of absolutely EVERYTHING. And he's our father? Wow! Yeah!

 

I’m going to stop now, I could go on forever in these things. I just pray that everyone can USE the amazing power we have access through. Whether it's keeping it together through a family crisis, or physically pulling yourself up a mountain expedition.

AMEN:) we have His strength.

xoxoxox

 

Adventure Overseas...

So we've just got back from Romania and I've just got time to reflect.


It was INSANE!

Haha, okay but seriously, one of the most rich and rewarding 

experiences of my life.. It opened up my eyes to the amazing magnitude of God, of the lifestyle, beliefs and cultures of people so unlike us, of the richness of God's love and people's faith for Him.. Insane. I'm just going to outline a few of my favourite experiences, and what they meant to me! One of the most amazing days for me was the day in which team B (the best team;) went to the gypsy village of Harman, and met with Florin and lead some of his church service in the evening. When we got there, we were about to set out evangelism and giving out tracks in the street when it started tipping itself down with rain- so we had to wait! As the rain began to pour we sat inside the church room and just started to play and rehearse for later on ((if you can call it that:s) and through the back door burst a whole load of little children- who had run from the park to hide from the rain! 

What amazed me was that these kids really had no-where else to go. Instead of popping home to hide from the showers, these youngsters ran to the CHURCH-this is how much it is the centre of the community! This was something that really affected me. In this poor place of trouble and hardship, it was the church, and God, that was the focus, the light that shone in the bleakness. Once the storm had cleared up a bit, we set out armed with church tracks and a few  translators to spread the Word into the village. What I think we all noticed was the receptivity of nearly all of the people we approached – whereas in Britain, I think a foreigner with no language skill in English would get ignored or turned away: but in Harman 100% of the people we spoke to were open to what we had to say. 

Whether this reflects the privacy and self-pride of the British or just how often it can happen in the streets for us I’m not sure; however there was a conceivable difference which has to be noted. When we got to the park where we’d run the kids club, we all nervously started to play some games with the children! What I think made the experience so rich for me was the feeling of being thrown into the deep end here. We were given virtually nothing beforehand as to what we were going to be doing: literally just shown the growing number of youngsters and expected to entertain them! We ended up having a ball and all of the team learnt a massive amount from that day. Florin did, thankfully, take charge and he really was the best to us in terms of translating and so on. Adzee and I were both given 30 seconds to think of short testimonies about Jesus to them all; such was the spontaneous nature of the afternoon!

The evening service at Florin’s church was not so much of a rush: Jake had been given a few hours in which to write his speech. Again the moment of worshiping, and hearing the Word of God in 2 different languages to people from 2 completely different cultures in the same room literally baffled me. I can’t even begin to unwind the wonder of the Lord I felt in that church; that God is so personal, yet huge and with so much power all across the world.

The whole week has humbled me entirely, to the magnitude of God. In this country, in our culture and in our wealth we rely so much on objects, things, services. The right we believe we have to medication, care, even to just be listened to! Time spent with people who don't think so much of themselves, don't think so much of the world and who don’t expect so MUCH makes me rethink every single moment of my life now back to normality.

I really could write a book on how much just one week in Romania, one week where the days were spent physically doing God’s work has changed my life. I’ve just outlined one of my most fantastic days; but I don’t think this blog does it justice! The ways in which the Lord moved just within our small group of believers, praying in the backyard of a house on a street in Brasov, will not be leaving me anytime soon.(: 

Englishman in Romania: God's Mission

Matthew 28:19 says “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.

On the 9^th July, 21 people from Kings Church went to Brasov, Romania in hope of seeing God at work and experiencing more of God’s mission and purpose for their lives. We started the trip feeling nervous and excited unsure of what to expect: what we would eat, or drink, or how we would be sleeping? However Jesus said in Matthew 6:25 says “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” So nerves were overcome by excitement and expectation for God to provide.

On our first day we got stuck in gardening and painting at the house where we were staying in. The garden was very over grown and a lot had to be done to it but the youth eagerly volunteered to clear it up. During this time, the other half of the team started emulsifying and painting the house. We then headed into Brasov for some sight seeing and shopping; the town is beautiful and we enjoyed getting to grips with Romania.

On Wednesday and Thursday the team split in two. Team A went off to a youth camp whilst Team B went to work with Florin in Harman a rural town outside of Brasov. At the youth camp we lead games, swam in the river, befriended the youth and played football in the rain. We also did a performance of “Snow white and the 7 dwarves” and helped them with their group Bible study of Matthew 6. This was fantastic and gave us a good opportunity to talk to them about Jesus. In Harman with Team B they led a church meeting where some of our youth preached, gave testimonies and led worship as well as leading a kids club with some of the children from the apartment blocks. We turned up at the park to play games and suddenly found ourselves surrounded by 70+ enthusiastic children wanting to play Duck, Duck, Goose (or Ratza, ratza geesa) and other games.

On Friday our teams were reunited and headed out to the mountains in Busteni for a cable car ride up to the peak (amusingly some of our leaders were quite terrified on the cable car ride!). Everyone went for a hike to the Cross monument at the peak of the mountain. Although this was a 3 hour round trip we thoroughly enjoyed catching up with each team’s activities and hearing about how God had been working in their groups. We then spent the evening with CCB youth group, Adzee gave a very practical preach about living supernaturally, whilst others shared prophetic words from God. It was encouraging to see the Holy Spirit working in the youth as we prayed for the Romanian youth. God was working in amazing ways.

On Saturday it was back to work. The teams separated again - Team B were off to the Youth Camp to lead a day of Olympics and games whilst Team A headed out to Harman to work with Florin and spend the afternoon with the Gypsy Villagers. We cleaned the church carpet and then headed off to the park wearing T-shirts that said “Isus te Ubeste” (Jesus loves you) and sharing the gospel with people. This was an incredible experience for all of the youth which opened their eyes to how much people rely on God. In the evening Team A joined the CCB youth group and 20’s for an evening of prayer which ended our day brilliantly, spending time with God.

For our last day we joined the CCB Church for their Sunday morning meeting where our very own Steve Blaber preached exceptionally on mission, encouraging and inspiring all who were listening to step out in faith and listen more to what God says to us. In the afternoon Dani (church leader) hosted us and cooked us a very filling and yummy BBQ before we went into town to play CCB at Volleyball. The match was close with Romania Vs England. Romania won the first match but England brought back the second match to draw 1-1. So a final game was played with the Romanians winning 25-12.... a very close game so we will be back to challenge you.

Every morning out team was up and ready for our devotionals where we prayed for each other, shared words of knowledge and encouragement and spent time worshipping our Father. This week in Romania was by far the most any of our youth had been stretched before. God called each of them to step out in faith, put reliance in Him and have faith for him to protect them. Once again God proved to be faithful and revealed things to all of us which we will remember forever and know that God will continue to grow each of us in him. We are so thankful to CCB Church for looking after us so lovingly who have been real witnesses to Jesus Christ and have encouraged us to start living more missional lives.  

      

the times they are a changin'

So I know for many of us we are a coming to an end of the season in our lives and starting to prepare for the next season. It may be that you are getting ready for GCSE’s, AS levels, A-Levels, Uni or even work!! 

Or maybe you haven’t even thought about it and just want to enjoy your summer. Well either way a new season is upon all of us and its how we prepare for our new seasons that matters! Instead of asking God 'why?!' all the time. Let's be those who ask “How can I honour you during this time”?

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Solomon writes:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time for war, and a time for peace.”

For everything there is a season, in everything we do is during a time of a new season. Seasons can be hard and they can be easy! When we read in 1 Samuel about David, we see how he is running away from a King who is trying to kill him. He is going through a period of wilderness but God was preparing him to be King. In Genesis Joseph brothers sold him and he became a slave. The Joseph became a Governor over the land Of Egypt and his brothers came to him for grain. Joseph had to go through a season of hardship to build him up for what God had planned for him. In Exodus we read about how Moses ran away from the Pharaoh and his land and then returned to deliver the people of Israel out of Egypt. All these men that we read about in the Old Testament all faced hard times, whether it was prison, persecution, slavery or being hunted. God had bigger plans for all of these men but during those times of struggle they didn’t know what was to come. They had real faith in God and trust that he would help them through that time and trusted that it was only for a season and would get better.

In the New Testament it is very much the same story. Jesus was ridiculed, persecuted, slandered, beaten and nailed to a cross for the sake of our lives to have freedom from Sin. He endured and had strength and trusted in God’s plan. This then reflected of Peter and Paul, they were men who preached the gospel but were persecuted and eventually killed for trying to share the Gospel. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that he “has a thorn in his side” but yet he still perseveres and makes it his ambition (Romans 15) to share the Gospel. 

 

I’m not writing to say that we will face prison, persecution, or be ridiculed or to say that every day is going to be a battle. But to say that during those hard seasons, or times when things seem to be a struggle; we should trust that God has a plan for us and that it is a good plan.  God is working within us continually, even during the hard season where we don’t understand. In Philippians Paul writes “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ”. God will not start a work in you and then not complete his work, we aren’t sculptures that he decides not to finish and give up on but we are his children whom he wants to give strength to.

When new seasons come we need to persevere and stay focused and centred on God for he is the only one who can give us strength and endurance to face these days. If there is one thing I have learnt this year it’s that our Father is a faithful Father who meets every need, calms every storm and gives strength when strength is needed the most. During these seasons take delight in God for he is good and is worthy of being delighted in. PRAY!  

a word for the guys...

Check out this thought provoking and helpful blog from Joel...

So I’m going to list and talk about some of the things that I think as young men of God we can find difficult at times. I’ll look at what the Bible says, how we find it difficult, and how we can improve on this in the future.


Honour
We’ve chatted a lot about honour in True recently, in Life Groups and Tris did an excellent preach on it as well, looking at the three ‘directions’ that honour can take. I think possibly the direction that we can struggle most is honouring others. The Bible says in Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour”. I think that this is particularly relevant because we are brothers in Christ. “Outdo one another in showing honour” makes me feel so challenged to continually honour everyone, and I hope it challenges you too. Guys like to have a lot of banter, and a lot of such is mostly, good hearted fun. (Like when we all tease Jez when he loses!). This kind of fun I think also helps build good relationships – definitely a good thing. What’s important to remember though, is to keep an eye on yourself. Make sure that the teasing is not over-frequented and that it doesn’t get out of hand. It can be easy to let this banter get out of hand, and become hurtful to the recipient.

Pride and humility
As men, we are proud. We don’t need directions from anyone, we can fix or construct anything with our bare hands, and we certainly don’t need instructions when we get a new gadget! It’s easy to think that we can go alone and that we don’t need anyone’s help, especially when it comes to more difficult life issues like our walk with God. It can be difficult to admit that actually, we are struggling in our walk with Him, and that we need some encouragement. Accepting that we are struggling with something is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that we know we are out of our depth and that we need help from others and from God. If we cry out to Him, he will not let us down. Just remember that He will do that in His own timing, I found this Psalm, which I love. Psalm 69:13 “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me in your saving faithfulness.”


In about AD56 when Paul wrote 2 Corinthians his opponents claimed that his suffering (which can be read about in chapter 11:24-29) proved he was not an apostle. Paul simply stated that his suffering highlights his dependence on Christ. In verse 30 Paul says “If I must boast, I will boast in the things of my weakness.” Again, I think that this is a brilliant challenge to us to not hide away our weaknesses, but to “boast” in them.
 
We should also be humble about our achievements. It is crucial for our humility that every gift we have, is all from God, and not through our own doing. Proverbs 11:2 says “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom”. Who doesn’t want to be wise!? Wisdom is one of the greatest gifts that God can give, as we see with the story of King Solomon, who then goes on to write much of the book of Proverbs. I saw this quote on Facebook a while back, from a member of the youth: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking about yourself less. It's about being Jesus focused rather than self-focused” The bit about being Jesus focussed is so key – it’s so easy to forget everything good comes from the Lord, not from ourselves.


Boldness
It’s not always something I’ve found easy. At the beginning of secondary school, I found it difficult to even mention that I was a Christian, let alone to be bold and step out in faith! In Acts 4, when Peter and John stand before the Council in Jerusalem, after healing the lame beggar in Acts 3. Peter speaks out, fuelled by the Holy Spirit, tells them that the only true and lasting salvation comes from God, through Jesus’ death on the cross. Acts 13 says “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” So Peter managed to speak out in a very difficult situation, and the people around realised that he had been with Jesus. So, if we step out in faith to our friends and others, then that in itself is going to testify to them the amazing power and faithfulness of God. Be encouraged to follow in Peter’s footsteps! (A quick tip for you, when talking to others about God: try to listen more than speak. Draw out their thoughts rather than fill their minds. Too much of a good thing will make them sick. If you do this, you won’t actually have to say much at all!)


School/College work
Something I feel quite strongly about! I’ve always been aware of just how important school or college work is. My parents have never been forceful about my grades, but they’ve always made sure that I remember that they are important. Here’s how I see school and college work as important, in a Christian context:
One day, I would love to have a wife and children. Now, as the ‘man of the house’, I will be responsible to God for my family. It will be my job to make sure that they are fed well, have clean clothes and a house that is safe to live in etc etc. Now, while God does provide, on a practical note I see it that if I work hard at college, get into Uni and get a good job, then I will have enough money to provide these things for my family. Without a reasonable income, it may be a struggle to provide these things. I must stress that this is my take on this topic, and I shall not say anymore to allow you to reflect on what I have said.

These are things that I’ve personally struggled with at times of being a young man of God. I hope that what I say here helps you in some way. Do remember that any problems, talk to your Life Group leader or a Youth Leader or even better – God!

central & pivotal: a dead man raised

The resurrection of Christ from the dead is the reason that Christianity is in existence today. The image presented in the gospels of Jesus’ disciples at his death isn’t one of confidence and boldness. In fact it’s quite the opposite. Peter denies he ever knew Jesus and the other disciples abandon him and his cause, returning as they do to their old way of life believing that they’d ‘got it wrong’ about Jesus. Introduce the event of the resurrection and a rather unexpected weekend to the story and we discover these very same followers of Jesus are utterly transformed. They are willing to forsake every worldly pleasure and comfort for the sake of declaring the gospel. They are prepared to lay their lives down for what they’ve seen and heard, believing that Jesus Christ is king over all the Earth.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a theme that starts as a faint mist on the horizon and eventually consumes the New Testament landscapes. Every preacher of the gospel in the NT is convinced that it is this that gives their message authority and it is what they appeal to as the reason for Christian confidence. Jesus mentions his death and resurrection many times in the gospels and each time he does so with greater clarity. In the book of Acts Luke describes the sermons of the early church and nearly always records his preacher’s appeals to the resurrection. Peter mentions it in his letters to the church as being the means of the Christian hope. John is convinced that in Christ is eternal life that will never end, the writer to the Hebrews likewise appeals to the resurrection and Jude describes Jesus as being the one who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, such is his understanding about the eternal life of Christ that unveiled itself in the event of the resurrection.

In this blog I shall aim to lay out Paul’s attitude toward the resurrection as revealed in Luke’s record of his preaching in Acts and also in his letters to the churches.

In the book of Acts we have many written summaries of Paul’s preaching and in almost all of his sermons and apologies for the gospel the resurrection is mentioned:

Beginning in Jerusalem following his conversion Paul embarks upon a life devoted to outworking the results of the resurrection. In Galatians 1:23 Paul remarks that following his conversion people commented that ‘he now preaches the faith he tried to destroy.’ The faith that centred around Jesus’ resurrection. In Antioch Paul preaching to a synagogue tells them that although Jesus was laid in a tomb ‘God raised him from the dead.’  Acts13:30. In Thessalonica Paul’s sermon is about the necessity of the Jesus’ death and resurrection (Acts17:2). In Athens he argues for the authority of Christ and cites the resurrection as his proof (17:31). Before the Roman governor Felix Paul explains that it is with regard ‘his views on the resurrection’ that he is under arrest (24:21) and in Acts 25 Festus lays Paul’s case before King Agrippa and explains that the dispute is over ‘a man named Jesus who was dead but whom Paul asserts to be alive.’ In fact before King Agrippa Paul speaks for himself about the resurrection (Acts 26:23) despite opposition from Festus who tells him that he is ‘out of his mind.’ Paul is doggedly committed to proclaiming the resurrection despite all and any opposition.

In the epistles (letters) Paul is committed to reiterating the truth of the resurrection and he goes to great lengths to ensure it is mentioned in every letter he writes. In Romans 4 Paul tells the church that the promises of God were “written to those who believe in the one who raised Jesus from the dead.” In Romans 6 Paul reminds the church that baptism is a celebration and identification with Christ’s resurrection. In Romans 8 the resurrection is used as the guarantee for power in this life to overcome the power of sin. He tells the church that the same Spirit who ‘raised Christ from dead, lives in you… and that he will also give life to your mortal bodies.’ (8:11). In Romans 10 we see it as part of an early statement of salvation when Paul tells the church that ‘if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’

In 1 Corinthians 6:14 Paul tells the church that the God who ‘raised the Lord by his power, will also raise us.’ In 2 Corinthians 5:15 Paul sums up the gospel by saying that Jesus died, one man for all, so that those who live ‘might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake was raised.’ In the opening verse of Galatians Paul lays claim to his apostleship as coming from Jesus Christ and ‘God the Father who raised him from the dead.’ In Ephesians, wanting to emphasise the security of believers in Christ, Paul declares that we have been raised up with him – he has been raised to life and so have we is his inference. A similar idea is found in Colossians 3:10 where again Paul makes the link between baptism and resurrection.

9 times Paul explicitly uses the word ‘resurrection’ in the epistles and 41 times the word ‘raised’ and its derivatives is used in connection with Christ. N T Wright comments that ‘so central was the resurrection to Paul’s preaching among the Gentiles that the Athenians even misheard Paul and imagined that he was preaching two new divinities, Jesus and ‘Anastasis’. The Greek word for resurrection was so frequently on his lips that they thought she was Jesus’ consort, a kind of Isis to his Osiris.’[1]

So why was it so important to Paul? Why did he mention it as often as he could and why did he build so much of his theology around it? To answer these questions I want to take an extended look at Paul’s treatment of resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Here Paul is writing to refute so false teaching that has crept into the church. The erroneous teaching that needs resolving is the belief that there is no resurrection from the dead and that we are hoping in Christ only for this life 1 Cor.15:12.

Firstly in answer to this teaching Paul first reminds them that he presented to them clearly the truth of Christ’s resurrection 1 Cor.15:4. His hope for the future resurrection lies in the certainty of Christ’s past resurrection. If there is no resurrection to come, he argues, then Christ has not been raised either since Paul holds that Christ’s resurrection lit the fuse for the rest of the world’s resurrection. Our resurrection is as certain as Christ’s resurrection since the two are joined together. If we are never to be raised in the future then Christ was never raised in the past and if Christ was never raised then we are still in our sins and the Christian gospel is no gospel at all 1 Cor.15:17. This is the starting point for why it is that Paul values Christ’s resurrection so supremely. It is because of Christ’s resurrection that we can have confidence that God has removed our sin from us. Romans 4:25 sums up this idea nicely where Paul writes that Jesus was ‘delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.’ Our right standing before God comes from God’s raising of Christ from the dead. In so doing he assured the world that Jesus’ payment for sin had been accepted. If there is no resurrection then there is no justification.

Secondly Paul says that if Christ has not been raised from the dead then we of all people are most to be pitied. Why? Why are we to be pitied for believing in the resurrection if indeed the resurrection has not happened? Some Christians have said that if at the end of their lives they discover that there is no God and that there is nothing beyond the grave they will not feel too sorry for themselves since the teachings of Christianity have led them to live a good life, a contented life. Paul, it seems, disagrees with that sentiment. He believes that Christians are to be pitied, mocked, laughed at and need to be rescued from their delusion. He says this with one main reason in his mind. Paul lived in a culture that was very much opposed to Christianity. He experienced hardships of many kinds because of his faith: shipwrecks, beatings, stoning and imprisonments. Paul chose the way of life he did not because of some misguided belief in a saviour or because he enjoyed pain but because of his conviction that Christ was indeed raised to life. It was Paul’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus that changed his life so dramatically. If Christ has not been raised then, Paul says, he would not have chosen a life of difficulty and hardship. Or as John Piper puts it ‘Paul made choices in his life because of the gospel that deliberately put his life in danger.’[2] The Christian life is meant to be uncomfortable and we are meant to experience much hardship before we enter glory. The reason we can be confident that our difficulty is not in vain is because of the resurrection of Christ. Remove the resurrection and we are to be pitied for living such a desperate and unattractive lifestyle.

Thirdly, and finally, Paul is adamant that Christ has been raised because Christ’s resurrection is the advance party of the new creation, or as Paul puts it here in 1 Cor.15:20 the ‘firstfruits’. New creation, restoration and recreation are central aspects of Paul’s theology. The hope of new life is inaugurated by the resurrection and is the reason we endure difficulty, count all as loss compared to Christ, can be confident of real change in this present life and be confident that death is a doorway to new life rather than the dead end of life. There is much to look forward to and there is power available to endure difficulty with joy all because we know that since Christ is raised we also shall be raised.

It is for these three reasons that Paul fights for the truth of Jesus’ resurrection to be upheld in the church. Paul is desperate that the church in Corinth and indeed everywhere understands the significance of Jesus’ resurrection.

By examining this text and by considering all of the passages mentioned in this extended blog we can see just how central Jesus’ resurrection is to Paul’s life and mission. It is of the upmost importance to him and we ought to ‘keep it in our closed hand’ to borrow Mark Driscoll’s expression. For Paul belief in the resurrection of Christ is as central a doctrine as they come, lose this and we lose Christianity.

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[1] NT Wright: The resurrection of the son of God p453

[2] Passion Conference 2005 main message