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Crestwood Church Blog
We all have a part to play
so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all
belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for
doing certain things well. Romans 12:4-6
In a successful team each member has a crucial role to play. If one is not pulling their weight or another is looking for all the limelight then the team will never reach its potential. There will be in fighting and jealousy and arguing from both sides. But if the team works together and each sees everyone else for what they are good at, then success is easier to come by.
Do you feel a part of the body of Christ?
Do you feel part of a team?
Well the church is like a team, except in a much higher league and for a greater trophy.
The reward of a successful team as a church, is families and individuals being brought closer to God for eternity.
Are we all called to do the same tasks, should we all be conformed to a certain style or model? Of course not Christ has made us unique with individual and specific callings and we can’t expect everyone to do every different thing.
On the other hand we have to remember, that we have a part to play, all of us can get involved with each aspect of the church.
We may be front line, we may be working behind the scenes, but we are all serving the same objective. Bringing glory to God.
As we have been on the streets with the door to door witness or working on the shops with the outreach to the teenagers. What is clear, is that we need the support of the church to hold us up in pray. Many of us may find this part of church activities hard, where as others find it is what they are called to do.
But each of us are called to work for the gospel. To spend time praying for the youth ministries, for the outreach is being part of the team. And we need prayer as much as a football team needs a goalkeeper. I believe God is going to do something special on this estate, even more than he has already done, but the church has got to unite together in prayer and action, working as a team.
If you feel challenged, come and join us on the estate, pray for us, get involved in some way and together lets build this community for God. Remembering above all, that it is Christ, who is our captain. He is an infallible leader.
Separated by the Rock
since that time, the place where David was camped has been called
the Rock of Escape 1 Sam 23:27
When we were younger the fear of been caught by the class bully, was always a real fear for many of the guys at schools and may even have been true of some of the girls. In the chase when you are near capture someone or something happens that changes the situation, it may be a teacher or a parent or something else. But at that moment, you are assured of safety.
In this chapter of 1 Samuel, David is being chased by a king and his personal army. Capture would have led to certain death.
Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the
other side of the mountain.1 Samuel 23:26 NKJV
For David the place of safety was in the middle of a wilderness, but it was here that he won the battle.
So many times the battles of our Christian life are fought and won in the desert, it is here when we are open prey to the enemy, but it is here also where God can become so real.
When life is all rosy and going in the way we expect it, God can become less important, but in the wilderness, often we have only God to cry out to.
The rock was more than a rock, more like a mountain and it was this rock that he was able to hide behind. The enemy was still there, but shielded from view, a few 100 metres was all that separated David from Saul, but it was what was in between that made the difference.
When we realise what is in between, we can have assurance and confidence of a bright tomorrow.
Our rock of escape is not a physical mountain, more than that, it is a tangible God who has rescued us from the valley experiences of this world. No wonder David could sing “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.” Don’t forget to sing about our Rock; what a mighty God we serve.
Labels: David, protection, Rock, victory
The Greatest Freedom
What if the Lord had not been on our side? Let all Israel repeat: What if the
Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have
swallowed us alive in their burning anger. The waters would have engulfed us;
a torrent would have overwhelmed us.
Yes, the raging waters of their fury would have overwhelmed our very lives.
Praise the Lord,
who did not let their teeth tear us apart! We escaped like a bird from a
hunter’s trap. The trap is broken, and we are free! Our help is from the
Lord...Psalm 124
And yet, the reality is, not knowing Christ is to be caught in a trap far greater than the hands of Palestinian extremists. It is to be caught and imprisoned with the great imprisioner, Satan. Where in our own strength there is no hope.
As believers we have little understanding of what the future holds for those who cling onto their own lives and fail to hand over the keys of it to Christ, and as a result we have only a small understanding of what we are saved from in the first place.
Christ has come and torn down the walls of separation and has rescued us as a bird out of a trap, without him we are swallowed up, we are beaten.
How we feel in this world, may seem hard to handle at times, but when we realise what Christ has done in setting us free we should rejoice and praise him with all that we have.
In the past when as a nation we have won victories in war over our enemies there is mass celebration, there will be celebrations in the Johnston house this week, there will celebration when people are released from prisons, there will be celebrations of freedoms of different kinds right across the globe. And yet at times the people of God fail to get excited about the victories that are already theirs in Christ.
We often hear, "but to get excited outwardly is just not a part of our character, we’re British," lets put aside our “Britishness” and be Children of God first and foremost and celebrate more enthusiastically when we join together what we are free from...sin, death.
And what that freedom has bought us...union with the Almighty God, for eternity.
Children and Heirs with Christ...Halleluiah for all that Christ has done.
Are we really living?
“If a man has not discovered something he will die for, he is not fit to live”
Martin Luther King, Equal rights Reformer
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot, Missionary to Ecuador
“Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity” Jesus Christ (John 12:25)
What do these three have in common, they all laid down their lives for the greater good of mankind and they will all spend eternity together.
They all cared little for their own life, this doesn’t mean they had a poor appreciation of the preciousness and sanctity of life, far from it, life to them on earth was a million opportunities to share the love of God.
When we read verses like this in the bible, we can become very defensive and shocked that someone would have the audacity to say such a thing, but then Christ could, because he lived it out to perfection and he had the authority as God to say something so outrageous.
Today many extremists will go to great length to destroy their lives for their agendas and causes, this is not your invitation to take your own life, but to give it over to someone else. It is like an all inclusive body transplant, you are the donor, God the Father is the recipient. But the rewards for the future ridiculously outweigh the giving in this world.
If we love our life as it is, why would we need Christ to come and sacrifice his life for ours, Our life without Christ is like looking into a scrap heap, no purpose all broken up and rusty. When we give him our life for his use we become a “new creation”, something sparkling and beautiful, and for a specific purpose and destiny.
Even as believers we can feel unworthy and not valued, we can feel useless and down, maybe it is because we have taken our eyes and our heart of our new life and started to enjoy the old one again.
The old one was never good enough before and will never be able to satisfy in the future, but when we are prepared to stand before God and say “all that I am is yours” we start to find fulfillment and excitement, which lasts far beyond the night.
Its your choice you only have one life on earth, make it the best by letting God mould you and take you to be the person that he predestined you to be.
Labels: Eternity, predestined, sanctity, satisfaction
