“I have given up on Christianity because it is too sexist…(pause)…although I have never seen women street preachers before….”
Thus my favourite statement said to me on the street so far (and that by a young guy) 🙂
Tag Archives: God
When I Stand at the Judgment Seat – Alexander Maclaren
When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ
And He shows me His plan for me;
The plan of my life as it might have been Had He had His way,
and I see How I blocked Him here and I checked Him there
And I would not yield my will,
Shall I see grief in my Savior’s eyes;
Grief though He loves me still’
Oh, He’d have me rich, and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While my memory runs like a hunted thing
Down the paths I can’t retrace.
Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break
With tears that I cannot shed.
I’ll cover my face with my empty hands
And bow my uncrowned head.
No. Lord of the years that are left to me I yield them to Thy hand.
Take me, make me, mold me
To the pattern Thou hast planned.
The Judgment seat “is meant for us professing Christians, real and imperfect Christians; and it tells us that there are degrees in that future blessedness proportioned to present faithfulness.”
God’s Vision for You
Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18
If God has given you a vision of something He wants to do through you, then He wants to encourage you to keep going. Don’t be distracted or discouraged by the voices around you. When God births something through His Spirit and gives us a vision of what He wants to do, then no matter what comes against us, we must hold onto that vision and keep pushing through by faith.
If you do not yet know God’s will for your life or if you feel that God wants to bring you into your calling, then I would like to share with you what I have learnt:
1. Get into God’s presence and seek His face until you know FOR SURE that this vision He is calling you to is from Him and is for you. Do not speak to other people or seek human opinion. Speak to God and seek Him only. Ask Him to confirm it to you through scripture and the Holy Spirit and then wait. He may not show you immediately, but if you are patient and truly seeking His will for your life, then He will show you at the right time.
“Indeed, let no one who waits on you be ashamed…Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; On you I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:3-5
(Important note: to “wait” on God is not passive – rather it is active, keep seeking Him.)
2. Once God reveals to you His vision for your life and confirms it through the Word, then ask Him for any specific instructions or guidance. It may be His will for you to hold on to the vision for a bit and wait till He tells you to move. We should never advance before God tells us to. Conversely we should never hold back when He tells us to move.
In 2 Samuel 5:17-25 the Lord not only gave King David instructions on how to defeat the Philistines, but also when to carry out His instructions, ie “when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will got out before you….” (verse 24) In battle strategy, when is just as important as how.
3. Only speak to other people about the vision God has given you when it is absolutely settled within your own heart. And even then only speak to the ones He directs you to speak about it with. When Jesus revealed Himself to Saul on the road to Damascus He immediately showed Saul the vision and calling He had for his life “…For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness….” (Acts 26:16). Paul did not speak to other men about it. He didn’t even speak to the apostles about it. Instead, Paul says “But when it pleased God….to reveal His son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galations 1:16). Paul instead went to Arabia for an extended period. He needed time alone with God to establish this vision within his heart. God also need to prepare Paul for his life’s work, by learning dependence on God, rather than man or on himself.
You need to settle the vision with God and within your own heart before you bring it out into the open. This is because, unfortunately, as soon as other people know what God has spoken to you, inevitably it becomes subject to human opinion, discussion and negativity. Even the well-meaning and godly can be used by our enemy to bring discouragement and doubt.
I have had the below image in my mind all morning and felt I should create it. Here are some potential obstacles that the enemy will put in the path of God’s vision for your life in order to prevent its occurrence :
(I hope you can see it, I’m still new to blogging!!)
Never forget that God chooses “the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God (chooses) the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He (chooses) the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) Therefore do not be surprised if the vision He gives you:
- seems impossible to you or others
- is contrary to your personality and nature
- seems to go against common sense
4. The final point is – to keep going. Keep your eye on God, not yourself or others. Keep praying. Like Paul, do not be “disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). No matter what the enemy throws at you, regardless of what doubts and fears you may have, or what other people say, if something has been birthed of God and by His Spirit, if we keep going on by faith, then nothing can stop it. If a door has been opened by God, then no man can shut it (Revelation 3:8). Let’s not shrink back, let’s move forward in faith – despite the outward circumstances, despite our weaknesses and inadequacies, and despite what others may think.
“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:9
Over my morning coffee…
I used to think that God has a special place in His heart for the poor and needy, the widow and the fatherless – and He does. But actually it is more than that. When God says to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the outcast to your home, to spend yourself on behalf of the poor (Isaiah 58) it is not just that He is being kind, it is because this is the very essence of WHO He is. This is God Himself, reaching down to us in our poverty, our need and our sin. When God came to earth as the man, Jesus, this was the ultimate act of sharing with the poor, serving the needy and clothing the naked. He could have stayed where He was, in the light and worship of glory, but He didn’t. He spent Himself on behalf of the poor, by coming to this dark, sin-sick, broken world. He not only identified with humanity by becoming clothed with human flesh, He went further. By His death on the cross He was numbered amongst the transgressors and although He never sinned, He took the punishment in the place of the transgressors of His divine law – you and me. This was the ultimate act of intercession. This was the ultimate act of giving.
Even a cursory reading of the Bible will show God’s heart towards the widows and fatherless, the oppressed and needy. Although we can never atone for the sin of humanity, that was His work alone, He does call us to share the burden of those who have been forsaken, trampled and broken. To allow ourselves to see suffering and need and not to walk on by. As Jackie Pullinger says “love looks like something”. Love can be sharing your food with the hungry, helping out a single mother, even inviting someone in for a coffee.
God is not interested in self-serving religion or religious activities that are devoid of His heart. In Isaiah 58 He condemns those who fast because “in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your labourers…Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (verses 3-7)
Of course it’s not easy. It’s not easy and it’s rather uncomfortable to allow yourself to see and identify with human need. It wars against our fleshly nature which is constantly crying out to us “Comfort! Convenience!”
It’s been hard for me. I am not going to pretend that I have found it easy. The hardest part for me has been the intrusion upon my own time. I am naturally a bit of a hermit at heart. I like my own time and space, and my own company. But because we have a food
pantry that is operated from our garage we do often have people turn up unexpectedly and at inconvenient times. In particular God has used one lady with serious mental health issues to crucify my flesh. It has been painful. From the start the Holy Spirit told me to never reject her, even in my heart. That has been hard and I admit, I have not always been able to do it.
But today again she came. I invited her in for a coffee. We spent a lovely time together and she ministered to me by singing songs the Holy Ghost had given her.
“I refuse to give up
I refuse to give in
I keep hanging on to the King of Kings
The Lord of Lords…”
As she was leaving my home she turned to me and said “Thank you for always making me feel welcome. Don’t’ ever lose that. It is so important to people who have been rejected.”
OH God, help us to hear the cry of your heart and to do it! To become people of action, rather than just of words! To do something, anything!
Love looks like something.
What Wondrous Love is this?
He didn’t wait until I was perfect
He didn’t do it because I was good
Or a Christian
No. He died for me while I was still a sinner
An enemy
A rebel
That’s what gets me the most
Some may die for family, country or friend
But not Him.
He died for His enemies
For the ones who hated Him, shook their fist at Him, spat on Him, crucified Him
For me.
“This is how God demonstrates His love toward us:
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Please be blessed by one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, sung to the Lamb.
The Night I Met Evie
Reflections of headlights flashed on the puddles as twilight set in.
I walked from the car-park looking for the others.
When I got to the corner where I was supposed to meet them, they weren’t there.
Where could they be?
I crossed the busy intersection to the other side, but they weren’t there either.
Hmmmm….
So down to the tunnel I went, the rain drops falling on my hair.
The entrance to the tunnel was busy but I made my way through.
Gosh, I didn’t realise how long this tunnel was. Past a busker winking at me, past the jostling crowds, out the other side.
I walked a little along the river, looked around, but, no, they weren’t there either.
Now I really don’t know what to do.
I stop to think. I turn slightly and that’s when I see Evie.
Although it’s not until later that I learn her name.
Sitting at the end of the bridge begging. Her head in her hands, behind the scrawled sign “Please help”.
She looks so young.
I go over and sit with her, behind her sign.
“Hi”
“Hi”
“What are you doing here?”
She is homeless, spent the last few nights on the street.
She tells me that everything has been stolen from her as she had slept, her purse, her jumper, even her sanitary pads.
She says that she has a permanent place to go into on Monday, but it’s Friday and she needs help to get through the next two days.
I sit with her. I tell her about Jesus. She says, “That’s funny, everyone keeps telling me about Him.”
Even as we speak someone walks past and drops a gospel tract into her begging container.
She points to a man begging in the middle of the bridge.
“He’s mad at me, I have to watch out for him, I’m in his patch and taking his business from him. He’s a druggy.”
We have dinner together and afterward I put her in touch with a women’s shelter, I say that I will pray for her and we part.
I walk back along the river, back through the tunnel.
Back to where I was originally meant to meet with the other street preachers.
And I see them. Right there. They have been there all along.
I had walked right by them and not seen them. Somehow.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Tuesday night I pray. I pray for Evie and other stuff. I wait on God.
He says to me, clear as anything, “Go to Evie.”
Huh?
“Go to Evie.”
But Lord, she moved into a place yesterday, she is fine now.
“Go to Evie.”
But Lord, she’s not there at the bridge anymore
“She will be there, go to Evie.”
Ok. If you give me an opportunity to go, I will go to her.
Thursday afternoon.
My parents drop in and say they will mind my son.
I drive into the city.
The whole way there I think that I must be crazy, what am I doing? I could be sitting child-free in a café somewhere…
But I go anyway.
The car parked, I get out, walk. Then, for some reason, I start to run. I run and run to the bridge. I come over the crest and look to see if she is there.
She is there. She is begging.
I run to her, out of breath.
“Evie! what are you doing here? You were meant to move in to a place on Monday!”
She looks at me and says “Why are you running?” as only a teenager can.
I laugh, embarrassed, because I don’t know why I’m running myself.
Then she says “The place didn’t work out”
We have lunch.
Turns out she had gotten to the bridge five minutes before I arrived.
Another time she met my husband and we went out to dinner.
She came to my home once.
She said she was bringing someone for me to meet.
(Please God don’t let it be a man.)
I go out to meet her in the drive-way and she’s carrying a baby girl.
18 month old Rose.
Rose had been removed, but was now returned to her mum, Evie.
Because, Evie tells me, a house has become available for her.
Her boyfriend is getting out of jail
and her mum is coming to live with them too.
They stay for a while. Rose is so sweet. Evie is too.
That’s the last time I see her.
She moved into the house with her daughter, boyfriend and mum.
It’s far from here.
But she texts me and tells me that they’re doing well.
…….God didn’t let me see the friends I was meant to meet that night
Instead He wanted me to meet Evie,
A young mum,
homeless
daughterless
penniless
hopeless
But He knew.
And He had His eye on little Rose the whole time.
Truly His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.
Only One Life, ‘Twill Soon Be Past
Poem by CT Studd
“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”
— extra stanza —
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”
Tonight’s Street Preaching
So tonight the anointing came down.
Most of the time when I preach with the microphone people have one of four reactions as they walk past:
1. they laugh
2. they roll their eyes
3. they scream out blasphemy or
3. they yell at me to shut the f*#k up
Ha, good times.
(Actually to add another element to the mix is the Black Magician that seemingly only comes out when I am there. In his black clothes, make up and top hat he stands across from where we preach and moves his hands and legs around constantly in snake-like movements, as if he is casting spells on us. If you go close to him you realize that he is mocking us and repeats everything we say. He does that for hours – he doesn’t stop).
So anyway tonight the second time I preached the anointing came down. When the anointing of the Spirit falls everything changes. My preaching changes, it becomes powerful and the words flow easily. Under the anointing I could preach for hours, I don’t want to stop. I feel Jesus there with me SO real. I feel He is pleased with me.
But the BIG difference is that the people’s reactions change. Instead of walking past ridiculing and mocking, they stop walking. I mean they literally stop dead. One man stopped tonight in the middle of climbing the steps up to the station. The police officers stopped dead as they were questioning a drunk and listened. Crowds of people just stop and stare and listen. It’s like they are rooted to the spot.
So I kept on preaching as long as I could. Then when I finished the Holy Spirit told me to go straight to that man who was still stopped mid-way on the steps.
So I did. He saw me coming over to him, but he still couldn’t move. We started talking and he said :
“I was walking past but I had to stop. You captured me.”
That’s the Holy Spirit – hallelujah to the Lamb!
He was under conviction for his sin but as he spoke it was obvious that he was utterly amazed at what was happening.
“I’ve never done this before,” he said his eyes wide in surprise at himself. God bless him.
Anyway I just wanted to share 3 points with you
1. that under the anointing ANYTHING is possible.
2. that God will always honour the preaching of His Word and
3. that if you are seeking God’s presence in greater measure – look no further than the streets of your nearest city.
“For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.” 1 Corinthians 1:21
There is something that’s arisen-
Emerging from the ground.
It breaks out
Through the
Post-modernist earth
But its roots go further down.
.
At first it’s only little,
As it starts its progress
Just a small inner circle-
Rolling towards the cliff edge
.
It stops
For a moment
Before
It falls
Then:
Down
the
slope
of
Relevance
It tumbles .
Down, Down
And further down
It rolls, it goes, its spins,
Away from the cliff
Where the Truth
Has always been .
And so it rolls
And as it goes
It kicks up all the dust
And as the dust and dirt
Stick
To it
The circle grows ever vast .
Voices herald the circle
As it picks up on its pace
And while it continues to hurtle
They cry:
“Look!
A new Christian way!” .
For the old grew rather narrow”
They say,
“The consequences
Unpleasant
And our churches
Too small-minded
For the world at present. .
And for us,
The Christians,
To claim
That Jesus
Is the only way
Is quite arrogant
Wouldn’t you say? .
And then
What if we are rejected,
Despised and maligned?
A common truth
To all
Surely we can find” .
And so the dust of Relativism
Is added to the ball
It grows ever stickier
As it continues on its fall .
The voices grow louder
As the ball gains more ground
And as the dust shifts-
Disturbed-
By the wind
Something else
Is found: .
“The Mysticism
Of our forefathers!
The voices shrill again
Add that
To the sphere”
And so
Pagan spirituality
Is regained- .
(Increasingly it is clear
That the expense
Is at the cross’s
Offense-
So
It is
Abandoned) .
Bigger and bigger
The ball grows
As it moves along
Its way
And more and more
The dust does variously
Accumulate .
…The dust of Tolerance
Is gathered
Political correctness too…
And all the while
The voices cry:
(As the winds blow through) .
“Pragmatism works!
Our structures
Will grow big
Who cares now
About Truth
When better stuff
Will stick?” .
And so it goes
And on it rolls
Down the way
That, to man, seems Best
And as a new way
Is Mapped out
The Old Book is left .
But For a moment
If we stop and turn away
From the ever-rolling ball,
If we look toward that cliff top
Where the Truth still stands tall: .
An old rugged cross
Remains
Defiantly erect.
For the sacrifice
Once offered there
For man
Is perfect .
And The Blood
That was shed,
At the foot
Of that cross,
Still cries out aloud.
But with it-
Look!-
There is gathered
A small, faithful crowd. .
They join in the cry
As they gather
Round the cross
“How long O Lord?
How long
Must we too
Suffer loss?” .
They look not down
But instead
Look up
And To heaven
Make their plea:
“Oh God, revive us!”
For they know
The answer lies
Only
With
He .
For our hope
Lies not
In some new way
Of mans invention,
but rather in
The Revival
Of the ancient paths-
As we seek
God’s intervention. . .
. .
Reputation…what reputation?
“ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5-8
Woe betide the person that truly follows his Lord even to the point of no reputation! Or so I had thought. Over the last few years I have become a spectator to the total destruction of my own reputation. While I did recognize that this was at the Lord Jesus’ initiation and that He was slowly leading me in a crucifixion of my flesh, it was still an excruciating experience to say the least. I did try to hold on to my extremely important reputation as best I could, but it just didn’t work. Following Jesus will do that to you.
Last night it was revealed to me that I have now officially become of no reputation.
To the world I am an intense, religious, street-preaching nutter.
To the churches that I have left (in obedience to His leading) I am a rebellious infidel.
And to most Christians I am an over-zealous, inexplicable, street-preaching freak.
LOL
Literally. When I realised this last night I laughed and laughed.
And then I cried a bit.
But then I laughed again.
Because suddenly I saw it – I WAS FREE!!
If I am already considered a crazy, too-spiritual, infidel, nutter then – I might as well keep going!
And I will.
I have nothing to lose.
Hooray!
I can wholeheartedly recommend the hilarious and humble link Pineapple Story, by Otto Koning, if you want to hear more about surrendering your reputation and other rights to Christ.
Grace and Truth 