Crestwood Church

Unity of the Spirit

2008-08-10T21:32:00.000+01:00

“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.” Psalm 133

Unity is one of the most precious attributes that God wants his people to inherit. It is something that made Israel victorious and close to God and it is the prayer of the Lord Jesus that the church should be one. (John 17:21) When we are one we are stronger and love flows and the power of God falls.

In governments , sports, empires, at work, at home, when unity reigns, you achieve more, there is a common sense of purpose and the indifferences between us disappear, or become less noticeable.

Last week at Quinta was a great week where a large part of the church (53 in total) were able to come and share a holiday together. It rained, and it rained but it did not dampen out spirit, because unity is bigger than emotion, weather or circumstance.

The great thing about unity is that we can all still be ourselves, we all have different personalities and different ways of doing things, and unity works when this is in unison with each other.

The common factor of the church is the Lord Jesus, he is the glue that binds us, he is our example and our source of delight. His spirit within us is like the oil that is poured on the High Priest in this Psalm, he covers every part of the body ( the church) and he is the one who brings the refreshing. Everyday life often is exempt from unity, but when God’s people come together, unity is evident and it is this attribute that often speaks louder than any other form of evangelism.

Brothers and Sisters, let us be in the place where the refreshing oil of the Spirit of God can continue to bind us and strengthen us and keep us from looking through our own eyes at each other. The joy of unity is that it is here that God commands or pronounces the blessing. Put aside any divisions or disagreements and look to unity that comes from Christ through his Spirit. So that He may be satisfied and delight that his children abound in love and unity.

Why

2008-08-02T21:37:00.000+01:00

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people and particularly of all believers. 1 Timothy 4:9-10

Serving Christ, is no easy walk in the park. That may be one of the greatest under estimations in the 21st century, but today as much as we work for the kingdom and glorification of the Lord Jesus through our mortal lives , we know little of what many have faced since the church started in AD33.

Many of us like to keep fit, some of us think about it, a few actually do it, but many fall well short of the pain threshold in physical exercise that is needed to keep us in perfect condition. This weekend the “Olympics” start in China, many athletes will soon come face to face with those that they have been training to run, swim, jump, row against. Only one will come back with the prize, the Gold medal, in years past the victors laurel.

Paul writes about his life and is encouraging Timothy the younger church leader to keep going with the effort and exercise he is putting in for the kingdom. The word “struggle” in this verse is an athletic term, it means to reach or strain for a prize. In the 100m race it is normally won by the narrowest of margins, it can be down to the one who strains to get his head over the line and wins by that distance. You see it in their facial expressions, the look of agony and commitment to get that prize.

In this verse God is really saying two things, one are you straining, pushing yourself to achieve more for the gospel of Christ, do you work hard for God.

Paul’s reason is simple and yet massive, obvious and yet profound. For our hope is in the “LIVING GOD”. Wow, we do it to please and serve the Living God, the one true God, the Almighty, the Majestic, the Awesome, Indescribable God.

Now that changes everything, do you attend church for you, do you work with kids or youth for you, do you do whatever you do, for you or for the Living God who saves, who saved you. If someone rescued you from the sea, put themselves in danger for you, would you not be eternally grateful. God through Christ rescued you from the pit of hell and has put you in his safe keeping until he comes again.

Brothers and Sisters, please don’t get stuck into living for Jesus for yourself, or for the elders, but get stuck in, because of the One who has done it all for you. When you are at home thinking should I go tonight, say “yes” because my father, the living God would want me to.

God Willing!

2008-07-18T10:33:00.001+01:00

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:13-17

Is your life full of presumptions? When I looked at these verses, I came to the conclusion that my life is. We forget that our lives are in the hands of an Almighty God, “he gives and takes away” ( we sing it often enough). What these verses are telling us, is not that it is wrong to make plans, not wrong to believe that there will be a tomorrow, but to bring God into the centre of those plans, and more importantly let those plans be God’s plans for our lives, not just our own.

When we wake up the next morning, do we thank God for giving us another day, or do we just take it for granted that it is our right to be alive?

This verse was written to business men of the early church who were continuing their lives and businesses without a care and thought about God. Because they had managed to make a profit without God (or so it seemed) before they presumed they could continue with out him afterwards. If we believe that God has our best interests at heart for our salvation, why can’t we believe that God has our best interest at heart for every other aspect of our lives.

The new life we have in Christ is so much greater than before, do we not think that our working lives can not be more beneficial. It isn’t to say that our lives will become easy, but it will become more worth while and if we do what we do to honour God, there is no reason not to believe that he will bless us.

Our lives at best are very short, like a morning fog, (like the falling of a leaf, like a vapour that escapes from a kettle), for most of us, the fog has gone before we awake, and this is partly the significance of these verses. Don’t let life pass you by, and when it is to late, realise the mistake you’ve made. God writes very strongly, It is evil to boast, it’s a sin to live our way and not the way that you know from God. Don’t make presumptions ask God, years ago after every service the letters DV appeared, Latin for “God Willing” Is your life based on God’s will or your will. He knows the future, trust him.

Lifting our Cups

2008-07-18T10:01:00.001+01:00

What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me. Psalm 116:12-13

What a tremendous question, what can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? Is there anything that we can offer to someone who has given it all in the first place?

The answer comes in the next phrase,

“I will lift up the Cup of Salvation”.

In Old testament times a priest or a family head would regularly raise a cup with an exaltation of praise to God. In the early church times the cup that was lifted was a bitter cup, a cup that had little to offer but was full of praise and as they lifted the cup in praise , as a symbol to God he would meet their needs and be a symbol of salvation, that God fills the bitterness and restores us with his joy. He brings deliverance and fullness though being united with him.

Phil 1:19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

So how can we lift up our, cup of salvation today? The cup is you, give you lives to God, in all that you do,

Matt Redman's wrote, “ I will offer up my life in spirit and truth. Pouring out the oil of love as my worship to You in surrender I must give my every part Lord receive the sacrifice of a broken heart. Jesus, what can I give. What can I bring. To so faithful a friend. To so loving a king. Saviour, what can be said. What can be sung. As a praise of Your name. For the things You have done. Oh my words could not tell; not even in part of the debt of love that is owed, by this thankful heart.”

The big question is? How much are we prepared to offer up our lives, to admit that the best we have is not enough and the only way to bless God, is to give him our lives, so that he can beautify them. On Sunday’s we can offer to God as we worship, we can sing from our hearts, we can pray from within and we can declare with our mouths. One of the greatest testimony’s we have as believers is to tell others what the Lord has done, we can share our experiences of God on Sundays, during house groups and whenever the opportunity arises, The Psalm goes on to say

“I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.” v17

When we come together is this your attitude?

He's got it all sorted

2008-07-10T23:18:00.000+01:00

The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. The storm stopped and all was calm! Luke 8:24-25

Have you ever thought why it was that Jesus didn’t just tell the wind to be silent? Instead he told the waves to cease also. Maybe it seems a small detail and in many respects that’s the point. The cause of the storm was the wind, by commanding the storm to stop, would have brought the stormy sea to a halt, but not immediately . The wind may have stopped blowing but the seas would have continued raging until things settled.

When you toss a pebble into a mill pool, the ripples continue for sometime after the stone has entered the water.

The disciples were distressed and terrified, they were beyond what they could handle. This must have been some storm, on the whole these disciples were fishermen they were used to storms, but this one had beaten them and the Lord knew it. To stop the cause was one thing, but to stop the effect meant immediate peace and calm.

Praise God that we have a God of immense compassion who can solve the cause of our problems as well as the effects. If Noah had been left on the Arc and God had stopped the rain only , Noah would still be floating around on one gigantic puddle. Put the Lord made plans to remove the effect, the water from the earth.

I find this really exciting and uplifting. God really cares how we feel and when we reach our breaking point and often well before, our heavenly Father, is moving heaven and earth to not just stop the disaster but put our lives back together as quickly as he can.

This is most true of our greatest cause and effect; Sin . When we become a believer he hasn’t just taken the sin out of our lives and forgiven our sins, that in itself is awesome. But he is working in us to remove, the guilt and pain, heartache and anguish that sin has caused in our lives.

Sometimes we only see the big miracles in our lives, when often the greatest can be the small ones, because these are the ones that we can see in this lifetime, where the bigger one we will not see until we reach our home in glory.

The Greatest Treasure

2008-07-10T22:39:00.001+01:00

I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2: 3

The release last month of the Indiana Jones movie and last years National Treasure 2 have brought us back into the mode of treasure hunting, well at least those who like that kind of thing. I remember the big craze, in the back end of the 80’s and 90’s when people brought metal detectors to look for bits of ancient treasure they could dig up, most of them to no avail.

The original word in Greek is “Thesauros” where we get the term “Thesaurus” from. The word treasure here is a fountain or library of limitless wealth. All there is to know about wisdom and knowledge, is found in Christ. There is nothing outside of Christ that can be found and if it could, would not be worth knowing.

The verse tells us that all this treasure of truth is hidden in Christ, but it is not all unattainable.

Col 1:27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.

Because of the work of Salvation that we have embraced and welcomed, part of our inheritance, is that we have access to this great treasury. In fact because Christ lives in us, we have access to this great resource. The main problem that we face is not traps, rolling balls and problems that we have to solve like in a good treasure hunt film, but ourselves. We have to keep reminding ourselves of what we have in Christ. These treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in us, because Christ is in us.

The reason we get confused or forget is because we get caught up in our own little worlds, and forget to ask the one who knows all things. This whole plan of salvation is truly mysterious and wonderful, but it is ours, we are a part of it. Paul writes in this verse that he wants us to have confidence in who we are and what we are. Instead of seeking for wisdom and knowledge from all the sources that the world go to, ask the Lord to reveal these truths to us, piece by piece and treasure by treasure, then we will begin to understand what we truly are, and how awesome it is to be loved by an awesome God

Computer Programming the mind

2008-06-28T21:04:00.000+01:00

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

With the arrival of Microsoft windows, back in the early 90’s and the constant upgrades, though to “Vista” today. We have moved further away from computer programming. Gone are the days of DOS and other computer language that the average UK resident has little clue of, let alone how to use it. We don’t need to program any more, we just click a box with the mouse or right click to edit something, it has become so easy.

Sadly society has gone down that path as well.

These words from Paul in our modern world could be translated, “whatever is good for you, fits with you, gives you the most money, makes you feel better, puts you on a pedestal and gives you what you need, get it, at all cost. Don’t give in ‘til you get it, once you get it, spend it and ignore everything else.”

Paul’s words are not the programmed words of today, we are still stuck on a default setting of 2008, but I wonder what would happen, if we did re-program our thinking and the way we do things. The reality is, that no matter how different Paul's words and thinking is, it is still the right program to reload into our hearts and minds. If it were merely Paul’s words than yes! We may disagree, but these letters that were written down are the inspired word of God. They have absolute authority over everything else.

We have the greatest software program known to mankind, one that cannot and will not fail, one that will bring us to heaven and one that we give us a life worth living today. Its not found on a floppy disc, memory stick or hard drive, but found in the person of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. Use the program and find the benefits, it is one piece of software that will never need upgrading. It is also software that can be used by multiple users, and has no restrictions on its use. It comes with a fantastic guarantee.

Then the God of peace will be with you.

You cannot buy this in the shops ...

Remember who has absolute authority

2008-06-21T21:45:00.004+01:00

“You felt secure in your wickedness. ‘No one sees me,’ you said. But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’ So disaster will overtake you, and you won’t be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won’t be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared. Isaiah 47:10-12

In the last few days the Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe told his supporters that "only God" could remove him from office.

This could be taken in two ways. One is that he recognises the supreme power of the Almighty God who has infinitely more powerful than a little leader like himself, or secondly that this is a provocative comment to the west and the opposing party led by Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC party leader (Movement for Democratic Change).

As much as I don’t want to be political , I personally believe that this is a statement made to intimidate and rile his opponents . The bigger implication is that he has forgotten who has allowed him to rule for the past 27 years. As much as his comments were meant to belittle the changes that Zimbabwe needs, he is throwing himself into the hands of God himself. Almost daring God to remove him from his office of president.

We live in a fallen world, and we have no real confidence to believe that any other party would eventually be any different from the one that exists now under Mugabe. But our prayer must be that God would raise up a David in that land and stop the troubles and atrocities that are happening in a land which was once the “bread basket of Africa”.

We are reminded that David never once in his own strength sought to remove King Saul from his throne. He knew it was God’s authority and his alone to remove or allow anyone to reign. Our prayer should be that God would intervene and that God would bring about change in that needy land.

If Mugabe continues in the path he has chosen he could easily be like the Babylonians who these verses were originally intended for. If we abuse the power that God has given us, be it in a small way, or right through to being the president of a country, be warned that God will hold you accountable and judge you accordingly for it.

We are reminded not to put our God to the test, because of God so chose, there is no force in the universe that could prevent God from doing what is just and right.

Pray for this land and pray for its leader that he may turn from this foolish path and seek the living God. Pray also for the opposition that if God so choices and bring him into power will rule in a way that honours God and shows compassion to his people.

As much as Zimbabwe is under this dictator we mustn’t forget there is much about our own politics back in the UK which goes totally against the God of the Universe, pray that we may as a nation repent and turn back to God.

The Brilliance of Christ

2008-06-14T20:41:00.000+01:00

“ I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.” Daniel 10:5-6

Sometimes (if not always) it is easy to miss the beauty and spectacular characteristics of nature. It is easy to miss the good in each other, the inner and outer beauty, after all, even though fallen because of sin, we are still made in the image of God. We are after all God’s highest creation. But what about Christ Jesus, do we see him, or like the people with Daniel when he saw this vision, missed it completely.

You can come to church every week, and go away happy with friendships and content by having a good time, but do we see Jesus. Do we miss the point of our weekly ritual?

It is unlikely that we have a heavenly revelation like this one Daniel did and John did as he wrote the Revelation, but do we see him at all? What is our appreciation, what is our understanding of the Man, who is risen, who has ascended into heaven and now sits on the throne of heaven?

Daniel’s vision was from God and these are some of the things that he sees.

· A Man in linen clothing– A picture that Christ is our High Priest, he has entered heaven and intercedes on our behalf.

· A Man wearing a Belt of pure gold– Everything about Christ is perfect,

· His body looked like a precious stone– In the original Hebrew this stone would have been “beryl” Beryl is famous for its perfect, six-sided crystals. The Man who was God, holy, perfect, sublime, faultless, awesome.

· His face flashed like lightening- His countenance represents awe and fear, in unity

· His eyes flamed like torches– Eyes that brighten the darkest place and destroy the darkest evil.

· With feet and arms with polished bronze– His strength and justice is just and pure

· His voice roared like a vast multitude– He can be heard above the highest authority on earth. There is no power, no one who is higher or greater than Christ.

Christ Jesus is more than we can imagine, more awesome than we can sing, more mighty that we can declare, worship him, with all that you have and all that you are..

Beware

2008-06-04T22:48:00.002+01:00

“For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!” Mark 13:22-23

I have kept my views quiet to the wider church for a number of weeks so as not to offend, but there comes a point when God’s truth is more important. Grace is an essential word in the bible and so is love, but sometimes false teaching has to be condemned for what it is, love only works in truth and grace is extended to those who would embrace it.

I have now spent 3 weeks looking into the Lakewood, Florida so called revival. I have listened to the leaders in several locations across the globe and have come to the same stark decision. These men are not sent form God, they reject the truth of the Word and blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit. Reducing him to a second rate entity that requires an extra power from outside to top up the rest of us. The leader is a man obsessed with himself and according to him has his own angel called “Emma” has had an operation in heaven, has had direct revelation from both Abraham and Paul as well as his own spirit being able to appear in more than one place at once. Claiming on at least one occasion that he hadn't finished “messing“ with someone as they came forward for healing. The meetings are obsessed with trigger words like, “Fire, glory and the anointing” which send some into a frenzy.

He is asking Pastors and leaders as well as other believers in the church to come to Florida or centres across the world to come to these men so that that they might get a soaking in what they have. I could go on, but what’s the point, these people have so little regard for God’s Word and are leading many astray. The bible talks about an Apostasy or falling away or a great rebellion from God , this seems like a small version of this.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first 2 Thess 2:3

Apostasy is generally defined as the determined, wilful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer (Nelsons Bible Dictionary)

Don’t be deceived by signs and wonders, we have already been warned, test every spirit, test it against the Word of God if it fails that test it is false. Large crowds, so called miracles, vast times of worship do not always mean that God is working. The evidence of God is changed lives by the power of his Spirit, true repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Inspection time

2008-05-22T17:21:00.003+01:00

Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die. Psalm 48:12-14

We live in a world of inspections, inspections of schools, medical examinations, food hygiene, hair lice and tidy bedrooms to name a few. How often do we inspect the other areas of our lives. How about our own lives, when was the last inspection that you made, or someone else made on you. Would we pass the inspection or would there be areas that need extra work. Here Korah is exciting us through this psalm to rejoice in the city of Jerusalem, to marvel at all the things that God has done and is doing.

Take a look at the walls and towers, that make up Crestwood and marvel at what God is doing, as we inspect them more closely we see the mighty hand of God in it all. No wonder the Psalm starts,

“How great is the Lord and how deserving of praise.”

When we look at the children and the youth, when we look at the musicians and the people who have immersed themselves in the work of the church. When we see so much individual growth in new believers, all this shows the hand of God. One of the biggest encouragements is to see so many from Crestwood out on the Lakeside and Withymoor estate telling people about their faith and about the hope they can find in Jesus. God is doing a real work of grace among us, don’t let it pass you by. Keep inspecting and looking for Go d in all that goes on in and through the church. Look at the defences, the towers, the gates, strengthen that which need strengthening , build that which needs building and continue to establish the work of the God through the power of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. The greatest inspector is the God, he knows all about us, our weaknesses and our strengths and our concerns and hopes. Keep your eyes on the work in hand , but don’t loose sight of your own life, that we may all walk worthy of our awesome God.

Its all gone dark

2008-05-20T17:01:00.000+01:00

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Cor 4:6-7

After a few glorious weeks of sunshine, our local micro area of the world seems to have all gone dark and cloudy. Our shorts and short sleeved T-shirts are put on one side once more and give way to sweat shirts or another layer of something.

That maybe physically what its like, but what about spiritually. Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the person and work of the Holy Spirit. How he brings about fellowship with the Father and power to do ministry on his behalf.

Through the Holy Spirit we also have another great possibility. The very presence of God who illuminated this world at creation is still illuminating it today. The same one who shone out brightly from the face of Moses as he received the Law on top of Mount Sinai, the same one who shone out to the disciples at his transfiguration, the same one who shone out after his resurrection, is the same Lord Jesus who wants to shine out of us.

Its not they we are special in ourselves, it’s he that is in us, who makes us shine. A sweet wrapper is useless without the sweet, as is a torch without batteries and a bulb.

God through his Spirit wants to bring the best out of each of our lives, he wants to bring out this great treasure hidden within our lives. Without it, our lives can go dark, just as creation would have stayed dark if God had not intervened.

If Jesus were to appear today on earth, his face would shine so brightly that we would be blinded, his “glory” his physical greatness, would be too much for our sinful bodies. But because we are born again of his Spirit he is the treasure in our lives, he is the best in our lives and he wants to shine out of you, so that you through his power may reach others and radiate the light of God to others. Without his light, his glory we are like dull pots of clay, but with him energising us and shining brightly through us, we can impact our community.

Some people say when they have been with Christians who are close to God that they look like they have been with Jesus, but its more than just a glow or a sparkle, its how we conduct ourselves and how we treat others around us. Shining out Jesus, means we act like Jesus, our minds are like Jesus and our conversation is true. Lets get out of the dark and let the light shine from you.

Forgetting what we already have

2008-05-20T16:59:00.001+01:00

I need someone to mediate between God and me, as a person mediates between friends. Job 16:21

How many times have we said to our children or looked at society and said, “I just wish they would appreciate what they already have” The question should be returned to us and we should ask ourselves the very same question.

Job was a man who loved God, was afflicted with the most severe human experiences and situations and battled with the judgements he faced, because he believed them to be from God. He would through his limited understanding long and dream for a better tomorrow, desiring an audience with God, so that he could ask God to send someone to communicate with Job at his level, but he recognised that God was so awesome and powerful that how on earth could he even consider questioning God’s judgment. He later went onto say

“You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me.” Job 17:3.

God was on his side and God was not punishing him either, Satan was trying to drag him away from loving God, but Job had no concept of the spiritual battles waging in another world. All he could see was...Job...and a God who was unreachable.

We have a mediator, we have a friend, someone who understands our human side, one who daily is interceding and standing up for us, before a holy God. Every day, he presents our case in heaven, and his testimony is true.

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 1 Tim 2:5-6.

Today because Jesus has conquered sin through the cross, conquered death through the resurrection and conquered our separation through his ascension into heaven, we can have a man who can speak with God and as God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have no greater ally , no greater friend, no greater barrister than Jesus. The question is, do we appreciate him, do we understand what he is doing for us. When we ask “God, you must defend my innocence, or no one else will stand for me,” He would simple say, its in safe hands, its sorted, you have nothing to fear. Your request has been heard and answered. We have a lot to be appreciative of, don’t forget it.

Who is in charge?

2008-05-20T16:55:00.003+01:00

We have been preaching these past weeks from 1 John about the difference between the way the world thinks and the way a Christian thinks. Here is a perfect example about the way that man has stormed off on his own agenda without asking is it right morally and spiritually.

There is a new bill proposed in Parliament which will reach its second reading on the 12th May 08. The Bill is called the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

The main parts of the bill (if accepted) will allow the following:

· More and easier abortions

· More embryos to be destroyed

· Human and Animal mixed embryos to be created

· Saviour siblings (Babies created to order, for their blood, tissues and part

Organs.

· And a serious downgrading of the value of Fatherhood.

More information can be found on www.passionforlife.org.uk

I don’t even feel it is important to say why as believers this is fundamentally wrong, so all I will say is, who is God and who is creator. The second we start messing with the order and sanctity of life, we are on extremely dangerous ground as a nation and as individuals.

What can we do?

1. We can pray? And please do. For the supporters of the pro-life campaign in Parliament. And that this bill will be rejected and thrown out.

2. We can write to our local Member of Parliament.

3. We could join the national lobby of parliament on the 14th May 2008 at 12:30PM onwards.

There are many all party parliamentary groups who are united in this, including, Pro-life group, Right to life, Care, Life, Passion for Life, Lawyers Christian Fellowship, Christian Medical Fellowship and many others.

We are not called to fight against governments or political powers, but we are called to fight for justice and the needs of our fellow man. Pray for wisdom for our nation.

Andy Hodson

Hope in What?

2008-05-20T16:49:00.002+01:00

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone’ Psalm 33:21-23

This year the church of the UK celebrate a year entitled Hope, a year where churches join to tell the communities about the love of God.

Crestwood has a big vision for its community and the Lakeside community and we will be sharing the message of hope to its streets in the near future. But what is hope. Many of us hope to go on holiday, others hope to have a rise in salary, others hope that the sun will shine this summer, is this what is meant by hope.

Hope is a awesome word, it takes us out of the difficult world we live in and transports us forward into a better life. Hope is not a longing for better, it is based on facts and understanding in that which we are putting our hope in.

There is little today that we can put our hope in, there is no guarantees, in this life. House prices could go anywhere over the next few years and political change is almost certain but in what direction.

God asks us to look upon him as the one who we should depend and trust. One in whom we trust. Hope in God is not empty or blind or on a whim, it is based on his character and his promises.

The word hope in its original sense was not about could be’s and might happens, it was a firm, sure, God powered fact.

The bible says,

they that hope in the Lord SHALL renew their strength,

it’s a guarantee, it’s as certain as the sun rising in the morning and as certain as the grass is green.

So why is it we are not so good at trusting God, and having hope in him? Sometimes it can be out of ignorance, many believers around the world have no access to a bible or any form of it, in some ways they have a great excuse.

In this verse alone God inspires us to have hope in him, why because of who he is. I may agree to make a cake for the nurture group, but there are no guarantees that I will remember to make it. If after several weeks of remembering and bringing one, the groups hope of a cake is greatly increased. With God we start far beyond this point right from the beginning, he is faithful, we can trust in him, he is full of unfailing love, his name is holy (perfect and true).

As we learn to know God for ourselves and as a church our hope in him becomes stronger and absolute, because we become accustomed to the fact that he does not and will not fail us, the birds look to him, the cosmos looks to him, the whole universe, has hope in him do you?

Andy Hodson

The cross every day

2008-05-20T16:45:00.001+01:00

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin ’ Romans 6:5-7

It is nearly a month on from the Easter celebrations, what impact has it had on us, if any? Christ was crucified to take away our sin, ( a serious understatement of the full impact of the cross) but what has been our response? Christ has done his part, he has rescued us from the power of sin and put us in a position where we can now call him Lord and Saviour as well as “Abba”. (The implications of this are vast and unimaginable and are not our subject for today) What about our part.

There are two aspects to the Christian life. Justification and Sanctification, big words, but in their simplest understanding, justification is what we are in Christ, we have already been made right in the eyes of God, because of the cross of Christ, he chooses to see us as we will be in the future. Sanctification, is the practical outworking of that. How we are down here on earth, how we wrestle with sin in our human bodies.

The part of God (Justification, being made right) has been done, Christ has already been crucified, the other part (Sanctification, being made holy now) is a matter of the will, the mind and an acceptance to let Christ take over our lives. In other words, to let our sinful selves be crucified today.

We are more than happy to accept the work of God and the glories that this amazing act of love and grace brings us, but we are not so good at living up to the condition that we could be in, if we really loved God.

Why is this?

1– because it is hard– we are human

2- because we would rather please ourselves

3- because we don’t always trust God as much as we should

These are some of the honest answers we could give, but lets be positive and look at the way our lives could be if we allow our sinful lives to be crucified, and live in the mind and will of God and follow the Spirit's leading.

We will be-

1– Free from sin 2– Know the power of God more freely 3– Be honouring God

To name but a few things. This may sound hard for us to put aside the sinful nature and live wholly for God, but how hard was it for Jesus, to go to a cross and suffer for you and for me. Don’t let the impact of the cross, just be with you for a few weeks of the year, let the victory of the cross permeate your thoughts daily.

Andy Hodson

2008-03-31T20:54:00.001+01:00

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Joshua 4:21

One of the first things Joshua did when he set foot into the Promised Land was to build a memorial, made of 12 large stones.

I guess most of us have been to or least seen some of the monuments scattered all over Britain, the most famous one is “Stonehenge”. Many historians have their own view on what its purpose was, some say a Space Observatory, others a place of worship or a burial place, but whatever the truth the world has been fascinated by them ever since. Maybe it is the mystery that intrigues people or the sheer size and ingenuity of the structure.

The big difference with Joshua’s stones, apart from the scale and location was that the Israelites knew exactly what these stones were for. They were a reminder to the faithfulness and power of God in rescuing the Children of Israel from the Egyptians, by making a dry path through the Red Sea. Every time the Israelites went past these stones in the plains of Gilgal they were reminded of the magnificence and greatness of God. It was also a point of reference to the enemies of Israel; this people are under the protection of God,

beware.!

The children when they passed by, with their inquisitive minds, would ask, “what are these stones for?” and quickly they would be reminded of the awesome things that God did.
Later on in the history of Israel, Psalms were written, some of these psalms were written to record the history of Israel’s protection under God.

2000 years on, the standing stones have gone, you can walk through Gilgal and see not even a trace of stones. And yet the truths about God are passed on, from generation to generation.

The bible is the like a preserved standing stone, standing tall and strong for all time. It tells us of the victories not only of the Israelites, but over sin, death, hell and Satan. Every day it reminds us of the unlimited, unexplainable, unbeatable God that we serve and worship. The church itself stands as a testimony to the grace and mercy of God. That's why we want to keep planting churches.

Just consider, who the church is? its you, its me, and therefore you are a living testimony of the wonder of God. Stand tall, and when people ask, what are you there for, tell them about the Lord Jesus who died to save you.

Foolish, only in man’s eyes!

2008-03-26T16:11:00.000Z

Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 1 Cor 1:25

In the days when the Apostle Paul was writing this letter to the Corinthian Christians, the Greeks were proud of their highly educated and philosophical thinkers. Paul himself was a trained orator (he was before his conversion a leading Pharisee) and was able to hold his own among the learned. The world was stunned by the message of the early church, which preached about a man who died on a cross and has risen again and can change us forever.
The philosophers had their own answers to the worlds problems and how could it be possible for a man who died on a CROSS to change the world. The cross was for criminals, foreigners, scum, even the Romans thought long and hard about crucifying their own. For the Jews the cross meant you were cursed by God.
These Greeks were professional speakers, they used every method of communication known to man, but their wisdom was still empty compared to that of God.
But God has used the cross as foolish (as it might appear )to shame the world’s greatest thinkers. All the worlds best minds can never free mankind from sin. The scholars may have stood and through rhetoric and other clever ways convinced the masses that gathered to hear their own message, but in the end their clever words led to nothing.
God used ordinary people with little education to declare his message, they on the whole were not trained, they didn’t stand and woo the crowds with clever methods, they just preached, Jesus crucified.
It wasn’t the way they preached that led many to trust Christ it wasn’t the personalities of Peter, Paul or Philip. It was the simplicity and accuracy of the message that when it went out to the people it went out with authority and power because it was the message of God and not of man. Paul himself changed his style from a public system of speaking to a bold message of proclamation which instead of amazing people by his clever style, convinced people of truth.
Today we compared to the wisdom of the world seem like fools, but our message of the cross, leads to divine revelation and understanding. Don’t give up, keep proclaiming and shouting it out.

Giving what is not ours

2008-03-19T17:48:00.003Z

“O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 1 Chronicles 29:13-14

What is our response to the Easter Message? Christ came into our world and gave his life, freely for us. He suffered, he bled, he faced agony and ridicule. He faced the wrath of God for our sin and the shame and insult of an angry world.

There is an old hymn which says, “nothing in my hand, I cling, simply to the cross I cling.” The sentiment is so true, what can we bring to the cross this Easter, all that we are in Christ, is Christ. All that we possess is from our Father in heaven in the first place. Even our love for each other and for Christ himself is because he first loved us.
If there were no Easter, there would be no salvation. There would be nothing to give because we would have nothing of any value to give to God.

This Easter when you give, don’t measure it in relation to everyone else, but in relation to the sacrificial love of God through Jesus. Don’t look at everyone else or point the finger, but recognize that the only thing you can really give of value is your life in service to God.
You may have nothing in your hand, but you have life, a life where the Spirit of God dwells, that is of value, immense value.
This Easter give from your heart, sing praises with more passion and joy, serve with a willing and beautiful heart. Give your offering with cheerfulness and gladness. Love each other with a measure of how Christ loves and continues to love us. Put away pride, self-centredness and offense and wear humility, thankfulness and patience. Portrait kindness and mercy, forgiving others as Christ has forgiven you. If we give each other these things then we are giving God, what he has already given us.

But please never forget that whatever our token of love through our giving is, it was still his hands, that the nails were driven into. He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

Whose Power?

2008-03-09T17:18:00.001Z

And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

I was at an anniversary of a Christian colleague on Friday night and was challenged by many things that were said during the evening. One of the things that was said, was that when we are in Christian service (that includes all of us who confess to be a believer in the Lord Jesus) when we try something new or look at something in a fresh way, how quickly do we revert back to the way we have always done it in the past. This got me thinking about our attitudes towards God’s work.
We all have a certain default setting. On a computer when you buy it from the shop, it comes with standard operating and display settings. Many of us change these to suit our taste or preference, but at any time we can revert by the touch of a button to the original default settings.

In our Christian walk we often change back to the normal settings of our faith, how we have always shared our faith, or worshiped or preached or practically did something, because we get out of our own safe environment. Is it because we are too reliant on our own strength and not confident enough to trust the Holy Sprit to guide us in our service for him?

Paul naturally was a good speaker, he was a leader amongst the Pharisees, he knew how to win an argument in the synagogue, he knew how to be persuasive with his speeches. Once he met Christ on the Damascus Road, all that changed, his natural ability, however brilliant in the eyes of the world, were still second rate to what God was going to pour into him. I am not saying we shouldn’t use our natural talent, of course we should, but not in place of the abilities that the person of the Holy Spirit gives us. If Paul had preached in his own ability alone, he may have got a measure of success and seen a few responding to his message, but because he didn’t revert back to his own default setting, he with the guidance and power of the Spirit of God, changed the Gentile world, forever. Could Paul have achieved that on his own. With all the power he had at his disposal prior to his conversion, he still couldn’t prevent the gospel spreading in the way it did, so how much more with a harder task would Paul have found it, in his own strength alone.

Pray and ask God to fill you daily as you have your times of devotion and rely on him, first and he will use what you have to offer of yourself to achieve fruit for the kingdom