Bill Johnson – He Tore the Heavens

Bill Johnson talks from Isaiah 64 about the significance of God ‘rending the heavens and coming down’. It’s really good stuff – you’d be well advised to give it a listen!

iBethel.TV // Bethel Church // He Tore the Heavens : Nov 16 ‘08
(to watch this you’ll have to sign up to iBethel.tv – it’s free to register and just requires an email address and password)

If you’d prefer, you can directly download just the audio (via facebook) here

The whole thing is about an hour long, but there’s about 10mins of pre-amble at the start. Go listen!!!

P.S. – off to Soul Survivor this weekend so it might be a little while before the next update

Time with the Father

God knows a lot about you. In fact, he knows it all. Right down to your follicle arrangements.

We know a lot about God – or at least we like to think we do. We know his commands, we know his words, we know stories about him. We even know the things we need to do and say to show others that we know about him (a particular favourite of mine unfortunately)

But how much do we really know God? And how much do we really let God know us? Really? For while God does know everything about you, he’s also a gentleman (to borrow a phrase from JMM) and wants you to make the first move ‘”Behold, I stand at the door knock”. He’s there, he even knows what’s inside already but he’s still waiting for us to let him in.

God has iniated relationship with us, but we still need to come and meet him in the middle – to pursue him as he has pursued us. James tells us how we need to make the first move: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4.8)

What I’m getting at is this. We can read all the books, listen to all the sermons, even follow all the blogs we want but none of it can substitute time spent in the presence of God. These things are great and help to strengthen our faith and firm-up our foundations, but we’re only going to be at our most effective when we are living out of communion with the Father – praying, worshipping and reading the Bible with him. And this is where we’re the most happy – where we’re the most satisfied. Doing ‘Christianity’ does not fulfil the longing in our hearts; having an active relationship with the living God does.

So this is my challenge: spend time with God. Simple. It could mean sitting down to read the Bible, or jumping around the room to some worship music. Whatever. Just open-up some space where he can come and directly touch your life, and where you can get to know each other and you can share you life – your desires, your dreams, your struggles – with Him. I often find this easier when things are going “well” with God. Utter rubbish. In fact, if you’re not “doing well” then that is absolutely the best reason to be chasing more and more time with God. Honestly, it’s so much better for you than whallowing in self-pity – and I can vouch for that.

Why waste time being distant from God? He opened up the road to relationship through the punishment, disgrace and ultimate restoration of his own Son. Now it’s your move…

Psalm 63:1-9

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

¹ O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

³ Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.

⁷ Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.

⁸ My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

⁹ They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.

Website of the Week

A little later than planned we have the third installment of website of the week. The illustrious recipient this week is…

… Scripture Text

Scripturetext.com, like Bible Gateway, is a searchable online Bible available in multiple tranlsations and languages. The beauty of Scripture Text lies in the extras that surround a selected passage following the intial search. Handily organised in tabs above the text, you are able to access parallel passages, cross references, and commentaries – as well as being able to see the text in its original language (Hebrew or Greek). Not only that, there is a ‘Lexicon’ (dictionary) tab that goes through the passage word-by-word giving full definitions which will help you to get a fuller grasp of the meaning of the words employed by the original authors, and not just the one English word or phrase that was selected by the translator (much like The Amplified Bible).

Furthermore, alongside each passage you will be provided with a list of maps and photos from the areas pertaining to the text which will help you to appreciate the words in a more “real” sense. It’s much easier to associate with the places that are in question when you can see them and know where they are in relation to us now. And there are a number of handy general resources on the Bible as a whole that are also housed at this site so make sure you have a good click around.

So if you’re interested in taking your study of the Bible that little bit deeper this might be just the resource to help you do that.

Apologies

for the lack of input over the last few days – I’ve been unwell. Will look to catch up this week!

Testimonies

We want to hear from you!

“They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.”
Revelation 12:11

Testimony is so important. It literally means ‘to bear witness’ to something. So when we testify to something we are declaring that it really happened. And more often than not, the reason it’s necessary to declare it is because otherwise it would be in doubt. (Think about a court-room trial: a witness will testify to what they saw/know in order that truth be reached and a correct verdict be administered)

When it comes to testifying about our walk with God we are essentially doing the same thing: asserting God’s glory, goodness, and even very existence on account of what he has done or is doing in our lives. This has multiple benefits:

1. It gives God the glory he deserves for his work
2. It encourages faith – strengthening that of a believer, whilst creating it in a non-believer.
3. It helps us to overcome the enemy. By bearing witness to God’s goodness we negate the lies of the enemy and it is much easier to recognise God’s truth and so walk in his power.

The verse above says we defeat Satan by two things: Jesus’ sacrifice, and our testimony to it – including how it is impacting our lives right here, right now. We already have the ‘blood’, let’s throw the testimony in there too!

So what have you got to share?

What has God done in your life today, this week, this month, this year? What are you thankful for? What opportunities has he opened up for you? What have you learned? How has God shown his love for you?

What are your stories? We want to hear them. We want to create a culture of bearing witness to the glory of God – so much so that it becomes just a natural attitude; an involuntary reflex of praise.

So please share with us. You can leave a comment below, send me an email or facebook message, or better still use the Contribute page located on the bar at the top of the page ^ (or the link in the sidebar ->)

Anything that comes in I’ll put on here (unless you prefer if I didn’t) and we can share in each other’s blessings!

Top 5 Books: #3

Coming in at number three we have….

…Knowing God by J. I. Packer

Knowing God is a bit of a theological classic. It’s main objective is to help you understand a bit more about our Creator and his character in order to be able to live for and worship him with greater vigour – essentially, to help you get to know God! The book is based on the notion that the greatest thing that can happen in a person’s life is for them to be able to say that they have known God – all else is secondary in comparison (Phil. 1:21). This doesn’t just mean knowing about God, but actually knowing him for who he is.

Now no book about God can ever be a substitute for time spent with him – that’s where you’ll really get to know him – but having a greater intellectual grasp of who God is can definitely be a significant help. Knowing God is excellent at this. Part 1 is a goldmine filled with discussion about the results (a.k.a. benefits) of getting to know God, how we can go about it, and how we know if we’re on the right track. One point that particularly struck me was Packer’s discourse on prayer in which he argues that the number one way we can measure how well we know God is not to calculate how much we ourselves know/do but to evaluate how we pray and what goes on in our hearts. We need to be “seeking the Saviour”.

Part 2 focuses in on specific aspects of God’s character – for example: his wisdom, his goodness, his severity – and the book closes with a third part that brings all the exposition of the previous sections into one presentation of the true saving message of God – a.k.a. The Gospel (The chapter entitled ‘The Heart of the Gospel’ is a particular highlight.)

There’s no escape from the fact that this book is by no means an ‘easy-reader’ but underneath the scholastic feel of the text is a great wealth of wisdom, so it’s definitely worth investing some time and giving it a read. Go on – challenge yourself! It’s even wrapped in a Piper-esque pretty cover to entice you in…

Read it? Let me know what you thought!

Website of the Week

No bells and whistles on this week’s feature website as we head on over to a blogspot page, but what resides there is more than worth a good read. And the award goes to…

Students of Jesus

Students of Jesus: Taking the yoke of discipleship seriously is a blog written by a guy called Ray Hollenbach from Campbellsville in Kentucky. Twice a week he posts short articles on his view of the outworkings of the Christian faith. A big fan of Matthew in particular, Students of Jesus mixes Bible observations with real-life reflections in an attempt to exhort readers into becoming faithful and empowered disciples.

It’s nothing flashy and, thankfully, not very preachy, but it’s a blog that I like to check regularly and one that I find both thought-provoking and challenging. So why not go and have a look for yourself. It’s very accessible and you’ll be able to tell almost instantly if it’s for you or not.

takingtheyoke.blogspot.com

Mark Driscoll – Idolatry

In keeping with some of the stuff we’ve been looking at in Hebrews, here’s a video of a talk Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill, Seattle) did on the subject of idolatry.

Here’s an excerpt:

You can watch the whole thing here (it’s about an hour long)

Hebrews 2:5-18

Part 2 of our devotional series in Hebrews…

Being on good terms with the Author

I’m reading a book at the moment called Time to Pray? by R.T. Kendall and he talks about the importance of being in a good place with God when coming to read the Bible. The words of scripture were written under the influence of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is only under the same influence that we can understand them. So before we go any further take some time to come into God’s presence, asking for forgiveness where you need it.

The Text

We’re skipping a couple of verses and heading straight for Hebrews 2:5-18. Give it a read.

Pick the verse that jumped out at you most and then write that verse down. If you can, put it somehwere where you’ll see it throughout the day and try and have that verse memorised before you go to bed. Test yourself in the morning!

Comment/Application

Chpater 2 follows on from Chapter 1 in theme in that it is establishing the superiority and supremacy of Christ as being the way in which God accomplishes his ultimate victory – the restoration of man to Himself. Whereas in the past God’s people received messages from the law, prophets, and even angels, now they have received the better messenger – namely, Jesus.

The thing that struck me most about this passage is the gritty reality that mixes with the amazing statements about Jesus. In chapter 1 we are told how Jesus is superior to angels and in chapter 3 he is shown to be greater than Moses. Yet sandwiched in between is the recognition that he was also ‘made like his brothers’ and that it was through suffering that he is  ‘able to help those who are being tempted’ and so utlimately ‘bring many sons to glory’. Jesus roughed it with us. He came down to earth and lived among us so that we could be grafted into God’s family and called brothers (and sisters) of the Son of God. It was through his submission and humilty that we have been saved, because it was only by becoming like man in every way that he could act as sacrifice for our sins and so make us right with God (verse 17).

So what does that mean for us? Well if Jesus had to humble himself and sumbit to God’s will then so do we – not just because Jesus is our example, but because it’s the best way!

So what does that look like? It doesn’t necessarily mean being and doing something you don’t want to be/do. It simply means asking what God wants for you and your life and then agreeing to it – even if it isn’t what you thought you wanted. It’s about a shift of perspective: rather than having your choices that you then fit God into, you have God’s choices that you then work yourself around.

But be careful not to fall into the trap of false humilty. This is where you demean yourself or don’t speak about your gifts, dreams, talents because you think you’re being proud if you do. (In fact, you’re being proud if you don’t).

Have a little muse over these ’sound-bites’ on humilty (apologies but I can’t remember their source):

“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
“True humilty is agreeing with God about what he says about you”

Ultimately, when we align ourselves with God’s will over our will then it’s always going to work out better. Look at Jesus – he sumbitted to God’s will and was able to save the entire human race. Epic win.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of youir heart.” – Psalm 37:4

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9

Pray

Ask God to speak to you about his will for your life – it might be helpful to flick through your Bible and look for some of the promises that he makes over you (e.g. John 10:10). Ask him to show you where you need to submit yourself and your plans to him. Ask for the strength and the faith to do that.

Top 5 Books: #4

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

And coming in at number 4 in our chart we have an absolute classic from C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity.

If you haven’t read any C.S. Lewis before you are well and truly missing out. As far as I’m concerned the guy’s a genius. God blessed him with both great intellect and the ability to communicate his knowledge to the masses in an extremely accessible manner. As well as Mere Christianity he’s written The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce to name but a few (and Narnia of course!).

Mere Christianity is, as the name suggests, an unpacking of the fundamentals of Christianity in order to sure up your conviction or to help persuade of its truth. I really love the way Lewis approaches the argument in that he starts in a general manner by looking at the concept of right and wrong and the idea of there being a creator, before gradually honing these basic truths into a convincing arguement for Christianity being the only true expression of them. I particularly enjoyed his discussion on morality and also the way he approaches the subject of time and space.

On a personal level, I’ve found this book to be most useful in apologetics (defending your faith) due to the excellent allegories and pictures that Lewis uses to communicate Biblical truth. It’s a relatively short book as well so I would heartily recommend checking it out!