Hate!

Hate...

a 4 letter word that is such a destructive thing for anyone!

How many of you have hated someone before and hate someone right now??

You see that if you hate something you are using up your mind, emergy and feelings against that "thing" which might not know or even care of your feelings about it!!

Hate really eats you up inside.. take it from me I really do know this first hand.. See I hated someone really bad for about 15-20 years.. it really affected me when i was no where near that person as well.. it ate me up inside!! Really did not do me any good as I spread that hate to everyone I spoke to and now I realise what it was doing inside me.. This has changed now and really has made me see what damage it does!

Do you know Jesus never mentions of hating anyone at all in the Bible? Even those who tortured him to death!

Jesus tells us exactly the opposite thing to do... in Matthew 5:43-44 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"...

So lets put this into our lives right now!!

We see hate in all walks of live..

A verse in the Bible tells us so simply.. God is Love! 1 John 4:8

Look at Jesus teachings..He says this to us.. Romans 13: 8-10

The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

I know a bloke who was spat at, beaten, whipped and then had nails hammered into his hands and feet by the leaders of that country but he was innocent..

He even prayed for them and forgave them for what they were doing.. he didn’t get angry or seek revenge at all.. if it had of been me I would have been so full of hatred and anger I’d have flipped cause there is no way I could have gone through that and remained calm.. could you forgive that person if they did that to you??

Let me give you a situation and have a think about it...

If you were in a boat in the middle of a lake and the person you hate the most was drowning.. would you help??.. how many would honestly help that person??

Ok.. let me ask it this way then…

If you were drowning and the person you hated most was in a boat would you ask them for help??

So why would you ask them for help and not help them if they were in your shoes??

Jesus tells us to help our enemies and pray for them.. after all the hand of Gods love is for EVERYONE..

Look at the Scripture:

Romans 12:9 12:17 and 12:21 as well!!

Hate eats you inside out…

Your “enemies”, those you hate, do NOT care that you hate them.. they love it!! They feed of it.. it gives them a sense of power and control over you… they just grow and grow!!

If you do not let the hate sit inside you it will NOT control you at all..

We are made in Gods image.. so its not the person we hate.. its their actions. God loves everyone but he hates what some people do.. and when we accept Jesus and ask God for fogiveness He forgives us!!

Just going to leave you with three question for you all to seriously think about!!

Do you think that the person you hate really cares about it?

What would you do with the energy of hatred in your life if you changed it for doing good?

Also what people did to Jesus IS far worse than what someone has done to you.. did Jesus hate them???

May the Lord bless you all..

Philippeans 1 - Does it really matter?

Should we really be concerned about the way the message of Jesus is preached or who by?

Our natural instinct is to say yes of course for the main reason is we want to know that it is the Truth being preached and done in a way Jesus would approve of..

But I think we need to look at this from a Scriptural perspective...
Bear any sort of judgement in mind until you have read and prayed over Philippeans 1:15
"15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

I know that this piece of Scripture is a direct letter from Paul, whilst in prison, to the church at Philipi and we should also think of it in that context and we should also think about it in the broader way of the world as it is today. I am certainly not saying that we should warp Scripture to fit our minds.


So does Scripture tell us that we should not be concerned with groups such as the JW's, Catholics and Mormons etc..? this also goes for Christian Churches who both believe in Jesus but have some "doctrine issues".
On the simple view of it, you can only but say yes..

We worry too much about all the wrong things people say about Jesus and his mission of his life. We also focus too much on stopping those who preach the wrong things.. what we really should be looking at is walking through the open door they have put in that person and then showing them the Scriptures to correct their ways of thinking.

Also take the British Humanist Society to which we owe a huge thank you for. They spent so much money on advertising on buses around the country that there is "no God" and then again during the Census 2011 about saying "no to religion". Thank you BHA!
Whilst we are thanking them for their work in helping us we also must ask the question on why they are spending so much time and money disproving something does exist? It would be along the same lines as me spending millions on saying the Easter Bunny is not real. (Of course I am looking at this in a simplistic way)

This once again opened doors for so many Christians to speak openly about God and change the world one person at a time.

For example if you had a person saying God hates everyone, you can show them the Scripture where it clearly states that "God is love" and also then move onto planting the seed of Truth by telling that person that God gave His only begotten Son for THEM so they would have a way back to Heaven.
In this you have not just shown them proof but could have really shaken the foundations in them to why they haven't given themselves to Jesus yet. If no then you have planted the seeds there for them to think and deal with.. Just be patitent.

If the people Jesus spoke to were not able to change their hearts there and then we should not expect the same but we should always be aware of the power of the Holy Spirit and what it can do through you!!

Going back a little in mentioning that it is far easier to approach someone who has questions than it is someone who has heard nothing and is not seeking. Someone with questions is more likely to listen and think about it as it is filling the nagging hole inside them.
So take the time and do not over load them with answers and information. Let them digest it and ask questions on it.

We do see so many in the Christian community saying "oh dont like the them because they have a different way of preaching, its not the truth or the Scripture is taken out of context"

Jesus went around speaking Truths and that is what we should do and really pray for those who speak the message of Jesus for any other reason except for the Glory of God...

So to sum up the simple Sheeps message....

Let the words from your mouth and your actions be of the Truth in Scripture and do not worry about others way or message they are preaching but pray for them and be there if the holy Spirit requires you to be..

Peace be with you!

Church & Technology?!

Is your church embracing technology? Why should your church embrace technology?

In a world where technology is relied on so much and everyone is using some sort of technology to communicate why should the church be left behind?

How many of you have mobiles, laptops and iphones for example? Also would you be as efficient without them?

Scripture tells us that "every eye shall see" and that we should strive to spread the Word of God in every way possible. So why leave out the rest of technology?

By no means as I am saying that every church should spend thousands on getting things set up now and it is the vision of every church but there are some churches out there which really should progress in this field.

If one person comes to God through this medium is that not a huge victory? When a Mr Graham stood up with people around him and announced that one day he would preach to a full stadium who there would have taken him seriously and gone on to thought that he would change the lives of millions of people and millions of people have seen/heard him preach on the internet!

Is it all well and good saying "I have not the face for broadcasting" or things along that line but if someone had approached you years ago before you started in this ministry you are in now and said "this is where you will be and what you will be doing" would you have thought twice and laughed about it? Look where you are now!

Jesus told his disciple to "step out the boat in Faith" but do we REALLY do this on a daily basis?

Do we shoot for the stars when we have visions on growth within the church and Gods kingdom?

If someone comes to you with a vision of anything within your church first thing you must not do is laugh at them and jump on their message. God uses everyone to deliver His word regardless of any restrictions we see in this world!

I do feel that every church should have a website. It does not have to be something that is all singing and dancing and cost the earth to make. Simple, clean, precise is the best platform to start on and then when the Lord speaks to you the progress it then do so!

If you clutter your site with too much information or make it too large then the visitors will lose track of where they are. If you try to include too much information then they can lose interest in what they are reading or believe they have read enough and not need to visit the church. Make your website a "taster" of what your church is about.. You don’t see food shops giving you a full run down to the taste and texture of all the food and a life story of it all.

Just look at the recent Iphone app that the ....... made. Some of us, me included, don’t really see how confessional can be done over a phone app and believe that it is done only by speaking with God himself. There is however another way to looking at this! Will people who are not followers of Christ or some who are on the boundary use this and get closer? We need to embrace technology for all aspects of our church, church walk and our own personal walk with God.

If we are to close our eyes to methods of getting the message of Jesus to people then we are placing limits on the work of the Holy Spirit within us and the church..

Drifting slightly back to us and "I don’t have a face for this..." comments I face earlier. We are all made in the image of God and by saying we are not willing to do something because of our own image/confidence issues then are we not limiting the amount of work God can do with us?

You see that we do need to bring technology into the church as we are a 24/7 on the go society and with people going away and views who randomly stumble onto your site may become enthused and if you have sermon downloading and/or online videos they can watch you are stretching out the arms of the Lord to cover so many people!

Church is not all about us and the people just outside our door and whilst we know there are churches everywhere we still need to bring our message to everyone as our message may be what someone 100 or 1000 miles away may need to bring them to Christ. Does it really matter if that person who comes to Christ and is saved does not attend your church but watches avidly to your online sermons?

Remember church leaders.. It is not about YOU but growing Gods kingdom and his message..

I shall leave this thought with you...

Are you willing to step in Faith and progress Gods kingdom by embracing every technological opportunity there is??

Peace be with you all!

Why are weddings and baptisms declining?

In relation to the BBC article on changing wedding and baptism services to make them more “attractive”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12378718

Why do the church think immediately that is it the service to blame?

Why don’t we look further at the simple issue which is this: in this day and age less and less people actually care about marriage!

So how do we change this?

We cant change society by altering a few words here and there in our services! After all this is Gods word and a sacred service.. what really scares me about this article is that they are risking changing the marriage and baptism services and removing God and the importance of these!

As the laws of the land keep changing to suit non married couples and giving them the same rights as married couples they can see the whole process as “an expense” and not required.

I can see the article does make a valid point with the costing of weddings which may put people off. This is something the church does have to look at as a whole to also help those families who have the morals to get married and unable afford it for whatever reasons.

We are here to promote Gods word not to turn people away due to money. Jesus never turned away the poor so why should we?

Yes the churches have to cover the costs of performing the serves but are we really justifying a large profit for doing Gods work? Is it really true in Gods eyes?

What sort of radical ideas are they thinking of? Something like the sporting events with flashing lights and MC announcing the walk?

We have wacky weddings as it is so does the church really needs to go down this isle?

The other thing we have to look at is that if the church does change things in the wedding ceremony how will the church be viewed and will it be in a degraded sort of way?

We soften Gods word every day, is this step too far?

With baptisms again is it due to the way society is or the money side of things?

Why do churches baptise children at a very young age? Since they are unable to make up their own mind but I wont get into theological discussion today!

We also need to ask why is it that the people who do not go to church want to have their children baptised or even themselves?

Is it just “for show” or is there something there asking for out reaching?

Do we then look at performing the service for non Christians as a way of reaching to them and bringing the word of God into their lives.

There are so many questions to be asked on both of these matters

The report also touches on wether clergy should be able to re-marry and carry out these services and my answer to this is why should they be held back from serving God?

“Later in the week Synod members will consider whether or not it is appropriate for clergy who have re-married after being divorced from serving as bishops.

It is accepted that parish priests may be ordained even though they are divorced, but opposition has emerged in some dioceses to bishops being given the same latitude, added our correspondent”

God loves them and knows them, like us, are not perfect. Why do we hold anyone up and expect them to be perfect? Does Scripture not tell us that everyone is equal in the eyes of God?  Who are we to judge these people?

I think the church as a whole needs to concentrate on getting rid of this “sinners are condemned” view that has been bantered about. Also that you have to be holy than holy to get in.. Welcome ANYONE into the church as Jesus did not turn anyone away!

How can we show love, grace and mercy that we have been given to others if we keep preaching “condemnation”  and have a stuffy feel to things.

I am by no means saying compromise the word of God but make the services interesting and lively.. mix hymns and modern Christian music.. Reach out to everyone as the youngsters of today may not like hymns..

Also make facilities there for families.. How many churches actually have a crèche?

I hope and pray that the people making these decisions actually stop, pray and really look at what changes need to be made…

Do they change Gods word or change the image we portray?

From the eyes of a simple man.....

Hatred

Why Hatred is So Destructive!

Why do we hate people? Is it really worth it and how does it really affect us.

Simple answer is because people are different to us and we dont always agree with what they say or do.

So why do we hate certain people? Backgound? Gang? A Piece of Dirt?

Let us look at it through Gods eyes to start with.

Does God hate anyone? No. Scripture tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). He also backs this up with the fact that He ALLOWED his only son to DIE for us! (John 3:16) Probably one of the most famously known Scriptures.

No where in the Bible does it say "hate this person because of where they live, what they say, what they do or any other type of reason!" We should ALWAYS preach peace regardless as God is the one and only judge.

Look what Jesus gave as an aswer to a direct question to What must I do to gain eternal life, "Love thy neighbour as yourself", So would you really want someone to hate you?

God does love you EXACLTY the same as he loves the person next to you and "yuour worst enemy". He may not like what they do but he still loves the person.

So does that mean all the hate we have in us is silly? Of course as it does not do anything useful and can be very destructive to you and those around you without you realising!

God can forgive everyone for their sins so why can't we? Are we really being like Jesus with all this hate inside us? Not at all. So what must we do? We must accept that not everyone will do or say things we like but we know in our hearts that God will judge them on the day and it is up to them to justify it to God. I dont hold up much hope to them!

I know what hatred is like first hand and how it can eat away at you and really do some damage.

When I was 4 my dad was put into hospitaslised care due to a serious injury and my mum could not take care of him as he needed professional care 24/7. This was back in 1977

At the age of 10 this really started to hit me on exactly what it all meant to my life growing up wihtout my dad around every day. My mum found it very hard to cope and decided to move the family, withough dad, back to England. I know now it was NEVER an option to move dad as well due to his medical issues.

I reacted to this very badly as an 11-12 year old. I became very rebelious and evil. Looking back on it now, as a Christian, I am very ashamed of how I was. This was in 1986. A she was a mum with 2 kids alone in a country with no family to help her.

For the next 20 years I had so much hatred inside me towards my mother that I wished alot that she was dead, I said alot of things to her and others that were not at all nice.

It was not till I had a family of my own that i started to realise exactly how much all this hatred was eating me inside and making me into such a person that was not nice to be around.

When I became a Christian I really had to make a hard decision as Jesus tells us not to hate but to love and forgive.

It has taken 2-3 years for me to take the step to talk to my mum about everything I had inside me. Many tears were cried and alot of things came out in discussion which was hard to deal with but i know that facing and talking about the hatred has helped me to overcome it and now my mother and I have a good realtionship.

I am not saying everything is easy to over come but think about it this way!

If you hate someone because they belong to a different gang or what your "pad". Then really will hating them do any good?

The person you hate and the person next to you is EXACTLY like you as they have feelings, breathe and cry. There are people before you whao have hated and it has not done any good. It will happen in the future too.. but you CAN make a difference by realising that it is useless to hate.

Also if you hate someone if they want "your" block ask yourself why? That piece of dirt was there along time before you and will be there along time after you!

God showed me love and told me to show others love as well. I am not perfect but I have buried this huge amount of hatred and it feels so good.

If it was you and that person you hated alone and they needed your help to save their life.. would you? Really think about this!! ................... Now reverse the situation.. if you needed their help to save your life would you want them to help you??

Hate is a powerful tool used by Satan to turn people away from God and really will ruin your life. It can be stopepd by allowing God into your heart and listening to his words and feeling his love within you!

Lets look at Jesus a little here.. Those people who nailed him to the cross and then mocked him. Do you think he hated them? No... he forgave them!

I will leave you with the question i asked earlier...

If you and the person you hated the most were alone and you needed their help to save your life would you ask/want it ??

May the love of God fill your heart and overflow....

Breaking Societies Boxes!

Society puts us into “boxes” which apparently limits us, in our minds and minds of others, to what we can do say and our overall limits. My point I will try and explain today is that sometimes it restricts us in everyday life where it actually it should not happen.

For example.. Too old to work, to young to preach, old people are not in touch with today, youngsters know nothing, too fat to do anything, not good looking enough to represent us and many more!

As Christians today we must break this destructive view society has on everyone one of us! This should start within the church!! Repeat after me.. God made me and you in His image.. proof of this is in Scripture! ( Genesis 1:27 )

We ARE equal but with different abilities.

Do you think God will bless you more than someone else if you are good looking, rich, super fit, clever than someone who is poor, fat and ugly like me for example?? I am also guilty of this way of thinking as well a lot of the times. So I am preaching to myself on this! We all have an amazing blessing from God.

A “nugget” that we should share with everyone, even non-believers, and the good thing about this nugget is that the more you share it the bigger it gets within you!! (Pic of box will everyone within it)

This is how God sees us and how we should see everyone! Why don’t we work together? A phrase I heard through many management training sessions is T.E.A.M = Together Everyone Achieves More..

Just have a look at the people Jesus chose to have as his disciples! God collects a unique group of people together.. just look around here.. how much talent do we see we are blessed with and how much do we NOT know about ?? And why do we not know.. it is pure not willing to get to know someone and acknowledge the fact or just that person has not recognised it within them but you can see it?? Why can’t we change this issue…

God looks on the inside but man looks on the outside ( 1 Samuel 16:7 )

On our own we can achieve very little but with working with someone else the achievement possibility is a lot more and if we add God into that equation then the outcome can be beyond our imagination. You may have a way of communicating which a certain “box” of people will understand you but how do you deal with other boxes? This is where working together comes in! Let me give you a scenario.

If we are walking through town and someone asks us a question about God. You’re a very well educated and well spoken person and I well am not… you can give a very precise answer which is right and I can give a plain answer which is also right.. Yes the Holy Spirit will empower us when we require it but sometimes our “box” is not the same as someone else.

Another good reason to work together is that if you or I are alone and someone does not understand what we are telling them about God then they will more than likely become frustrated and be a lost soul.. Also it is the same as building a house.. you may be an excellent designer with all the technical knowledge but not be able to tell one end of a brick from another.

Now as for me I may be as thick as the planks I am using but I have the knowledge on how to put it all together physically so it is structurally sound. This nugget is not only about speaking differently.. we also think differently… So surrounding yourself with different people is a good thing.

Now what we have to ask ourselves is "Do we want to stay in societies box or do we want to step out and be in Gods box? If you haven't accepted Jesus yet then you are missing out on many wonderous things... Peace be with you.

Once a jolly Christian....

Just something I did for a laugh when UCB announced Australia day.. Heard Waltzing Matilda and my mind ran away with the idea....

Once a jolly Christian camped by the church he goes
under the shade of a large fig tree
and he sang as he watched and waited for the Lord to come
you'll become a Christian just like me

you'll become a chrsitian, you'll become a christian
you'll become a chrsitian just like me
and he sang and he watched and waited for the lord to come
you'll become a christian like me

Down came an athiest to question about the lord who comes
up jumped the christian and spoke with glee
and he sang as he praised and he glorfiied the lord who comes
you'll become a christian just like me

you'll become a chrsitian, you'll become a christian
you'll become a chrsitian like me
and he sang and he watched and waited for the lord to come
you'll become a christian like me

up walked the christian, singing and praising the lord to come
down came the gang lads one, two, three
what have you got in that book yoru holding in your hands
you'll come a christian just like me

you'll become a chrsitian, you'll become a christian
you'll become a chrsitian like me
and he sang and he watched and waited for the lord to come
you'll become a christian like me

Up jumped the christian and opened up the scriptures true
my lord, he gives me ever lasting life
the holy spirit can be seen when in the dark dark days
you'll become a christian just like me