A friend told me about a set of DVD’s that she acquired, which were published by ‘Good fight ministries’. In essence they are about the establishment of the Emerging church and it’s founders, leaders and Icons, one of them being Bono. As we chatted, my curiosity heightened and I became very excited about hearing what ‘Goodfight’ ministries had to say about these highly regarded individuals and prominent men of God.
It isn’t a good report. It’s about the ’emerging church’ as they call it, and how their message tends to ‘add’ to or ‘take from’ the gospel in order to make it more palatable for the masses. Its about how they use technology and hype and outstanding worship to present a watered down truth.
I literally felt the tickle of enticement as I realized how topical and fascinating this content would be.
BUT at the same time, I felt a small quite voice whispering to me …’There will always be ‘false prophets’ misguided teachers and sinful leaders among you. Do not get wrapped up in it! Get wrapped up in me! Talk about me!!’
Wow, if that’s not a nudge, then I don’t know what is!
But just to be sure, I went to the scriptures and found a very interesting and quite direct passage:
1 JOHN 2:27
But you have received the Holy Spirit and he lives within you so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true – it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
We are living in the information age! So much information is coming at us from all directions. From all religions and all belief systems. The young among us are no longer being brought up in a God-believing, God fearing country. Now, we are living with and mixing with people of all faiths. Although a vast majority of South Africans describe their religious affiliations as Christian, this is not a reflection of their commitment to and understanding of the ‘word of God’. We are continually bombarded by not only a ‘watered down’ gospel but a temptation to transform our belief to one that embraces all faiths and all lifestyle preferences.
Is this a message from God or from the ‘world’. Now, more than ever, we have to know what we believe and stand firm in that faith!
The bible tells us that when Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn from top to bottom. This was God saying ‘There is no longer a division between us and God.’ We don’t need leaders to get to him. He wants a personal and individual relationship with each one of us.
That is the TRUTH. Christianity is not like any other religion. Its not about rules or church attendance or what people see on the outside. It’s about what is in the heart. It is about having a personal, deeply intimate relationship with our creator – our father in heaven.
Romans 5:10 & 11 tells us;
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends with God.
This is God’s ultimate desire for all mankind.
For each and every one of us, no matter how insignificant we may feel.
About 10 years ago, John Scott, an amazing man of God, came to minister in our little Vineyard church. There must have been about 30 of us there that evening, all with expectant hearts. This man was gifted in the prophetic and we were all excited to hear what he had to say. I was however the most surprised of all when, on being introduced to him, he caught his breath, looked at me intently and said.”God told me when I was in London, that He would give me a very important word to speak into your life’.
I was completely blown away. A message especially for me, all the way from the UK!
At that time, John still had no idea what that ‘word’ from God would be – we were both about to experience the outstanding love of God. He called me out to the front, where we could have a more private conversation, and began to pray to for me. He was saying things that were so deep and so intimate and so liberating, that it could only have come from God. He said… ‘You have been searching for love all your life but the 3 prominent men that have featured in your life, have loved you conditionally. They took whatever you were willing to give them, but gave little in return. They did not give their love freely. God wants you to know that He does not love you like the other men in your life have loved. He loves you unconditionally. He loves you completely. You are precious to him and you are His favorite.’
At that moment, I completely broke down. I have never known a love like that. I never knew God loved like that! This was my greatest moment in understanding my faith. God is personal and intimate and His love is unconditional!
From that moment, I began a whole new relationship with God, even though I had been a Christian for about 23 years.
I have started to see and understand God’s love, as the love of a father – a perfect, all-loving, all- forgiving father! We are reassured of this love in Romans 8:14-17
For all who are led by the spirit of God, are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received Gods Spirit when he adopted you as his children. Now we call him ‘Abba Father’. For his spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share in his Glory, we are to share in his suffering.
That little word ‘suffering’ at the end of the paragraph could be scary and intimidating, but suffering need not be that at all. Although we are not promised a life that will be easy or filled with continuous blessings but we are promised that we will never go through it alone. God is ALWAYS with us. Sometimes, suffering is about making a tough decision or being that fish that is swimming against the flow.
For a long time, I have been thinking about what it means to be a ‘Christian’ in these times that we are living in. Part of my understanding is that we should be living lives that are an extension of the bible. We should be able to add our stories and testimonies to the book of acts. After all,The bible was written by imperfect people, about imperfect people. It is the spirit of God who speaks to us personally through the scriptures, through other peoples lives and stories and through our every day experiences.
There are a few scriptures below, which
John 1: 1-5 In the beginning the Word already existed. The word was with God and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.
John 1:14 So the word become human and made his home among us.
So, that means that the word of God, is actually God himself or more accurately, the Holy Spirit and when we enter into a relationship with the Lord, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in us – how amazing is that! We just have to spend time communicating with the spirit within us, and He will guide us in the way that we must go or the things that we must do or the type of life that we should lead.
‘Mercy Me’ have a song that says it so beautifully! I have included the lyrics below. And the song is even better, so try and give it a listen.
Word of God Speak – Mercy Me
I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say
[CHORUS]
Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak
I’m finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice