Tuesday 2 December 2014

You only had ONE job!!!

"You only had one job"...

On twitter there is a profile called "you only had one job" and it is about all the silly mistakes that people make such as painting a sign on a road and making spelling errors, building stairs that go no where, signs with the wrong translation on them and loads more...

I was thinking how this may apply to our Christian lives...

What is our "one job" we are called to do?

I think that in Mark 16 and Matt 28 we see exactly what our "one job" is on this earth.
Mark 16:15.....He said to them "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation"

Jesus also said to the disciples in Matt 28:19
Then Jesus came to them and said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus saying this was the formal start of mission into the "Gentile" world..

So it got me thinking even deeper into how much of the NT would be left if you took out all the parts about "mission"... I would have it as a guess there would only be less than 20% if that!! We can see from this that our "one job" is so important to the Kingdom of God.. I am not talking about conversions, as some people say.. I am talking about a changing of hearts.. because that's what God wants.. A love for Him is not a forced one! Remember He is Our Father not our dictator!!...

Well how does mission impact on our life? Well even if our mission is to preach the gospel to our next door neighbour, the street, the place of work, the town, city, country or to another country then we must do it with the same passion regardless of the scale of calling!!

Scripture tells us that in Luke 15:8 onwards
Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it and when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents....
So you can see from that that EVERY single person is so important to God so never devalue what your mission is in life.. Bringing one person to have that change of heart towards God is so valuable!

It can be just one person, or a church of 3, 33, 333 or 33,333 it doesn't make a difference to God.. just go out and do it!! change that one heart.. Our motto at TAB this year has been "Changing the City one heart at a time" and that's how we have to look at mission every day.. Yes everyday...

Spreading the gospel is done in many ways such as speaking to someone, helping someone and also you dont even have to be aware that someone is watching you from a distance and that even may be a heart changing moment...

I want you all to have a look at this... (drops a rock into the bowl)...
What one thing did you notice? What was your focus drawn to? Splash? Ripples?
Let me put it this way... Rock = Jesus.. Splash = your words hitting the world ...the Ripples = the ongoing effect of that Word!

This all will work for God IF we always proclaim the Truth...

Mission is all about dropping a rock into a pond... we focus too much on the splash to see if we can get a big splash!! but most of the times its a small splash but the ripples go far and wide which we don't see either...

Sometimes it may only take a small rock or two to change someone's heart but other times It may take thousands, and not all by you. It may take rocks dropped by other people as well that you may not even know... So see how important your rock is in Gods bigger picture.

If you do not drop that rock at that time, at the time God has put that person there infront of you, then you are breaking the effects of the ripples created by you and others... you may even be the start of the ripples!!!

Take yourself back to before you accepted Jesus.... Try and think of all those people who "dropped rocks" into your life... Imagine if one of them didn't drop that rock maybe you would not be here today.... Maybe not even have accepted Jesus yet... Yes it could have been!

We do need to keep in our mind that we are not always harvesters but sometimes sowers and waterers so we may not see that person have a change of heart but God knows and we will see in Heaven.. We must always focus on dropping that "rock" as much as we can!! if its a small rock or a large rock.. keep dropping it...

If we go out with the focus and goal of thousands of hearts each and every time and get disappointed when we don't see it how much as we undervaluing that ONE person who we have affected?? God doesn't so why should we? As we read in Luke 15

So just because someone is called to go overseas, for example, doesn't mean their mission is any more or less important than yours.. we need to support each other for that one heart..

We are all aware of the game "simon says" and when we are told to put our hands on our heads we do it... but when Jesus says "go out and spread the gospel" we memorise the verse and do nothing about it!!!

It hit me suddenly when this all came to me that and everytime I have an opportunity to "drop a rock" I do not want God to be thinking.... "Well, you only had one job!"... What I want is God to be thinking this Paul moment..
Matthew 25:23 "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! "

So I leave you with just one question today.....

Are you wanting to have a "You only had one job" moment when you meet God or are you wanting a "Paul moment"?

The choice is yours....


Let us pray!

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Lent 2014 And Me!

Lent 2014 And Me!

Well since Jan 2014 my heart and mind was troubled with Lent and it felt like I really had to make a difference to my life this time. I have never really done anything for Lent before with any sort of conviction or kept to it.

For the few months before I could not shake the idea of "giving up food" for Lent... at times I had thoughts of giving up both food and liquids for sun up to sun down... but due to health issues and concerns from my wife due to health it was just decided to be just food.. Prayed about this and it felt even more right thing to do..

First thing I wanted to make sure of is that only those who needed to know knew about it. Why?
Matt 16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

This by no means told me that I should not tell anyone at all.. but not to go around seeking praise for this for me.. This is not about me at all.. and I was/am fully aware of this!!


People I had to tell were my wife and my littlen as they were around me 24/7 and it was apparent to them for everyday reasons for meals and so forth...


So that's the behind it stuff sorted out..


I can honestly say it was not an easy time for me some of the time... It took some getting used to and Sundays were a nightmare!! Being able to eat and my mind and body screaming not to was confusing! Thursdays were the next hardest day which is the longest day for me due to work and travel..


What did I get from the Lord on this?


Well my life is in exciting times at the moment on where it will be lead to and what God wants me to do...  I prayed almost everyday that I can remember (not sure if a quick Hi God, thanks and look after my family today) also counts.. if it does then it's everyday.. but sometimes prayer is just like that as its a personal conversation with my Father..


I had several affirmations of directional issues from God.. A gratitude for eating properly and being grateful for what I have, even at times it does not appear alot.. Thought of I am still getting food today when there are some out there who are not even getting this!


Strength in my believe in God even more from just simple little things He spoke to me on and "one liners".. Reading the Bible, praying with my wife and everyday life bought more and more to me.. 


I did have to tell other people that I was fasting during Lent which led to many interesting conversations with people of different religions and most with none at all.. I found a fellow person who I didn't realise what a Christian as well was fasting fully for sun up/sun down. Which was also encouraging at times I found things difficult. Speaking about it to everyone game me a chance to open up a little more about my Faith and plant seeds of thoughts in their minds.. I was not after any sort of "conversion" but just to be open and honest in why I am fasting, Jesus and the Bible in general.. The last day was probably one of the hardest and funniest.. We had a buffet and I was asked if I minded this.. Of course I said no because it really didn't! But I was told that I could have a doggie bag and take some for later on during the evening... I had it on my desk for most of my day and it was a huge temptation of the nice smells made me bang my head a few times and laugh about it all.. 


Temptation is easy when it's not infront of you is easy but when it's right in front of your eyes and you can just reach out and touch it, then it becomes a struggle. This is something we face every day and we need to realise this and not give in. Strength and encouraging one another is something we should practise on a daily basis.. Accountability for our actions with a brother or sister in Christ is a good practise to have.


I have been studying Swedish via online and apps since this was placed n my heart Oct 2013 and have been scraping whatever money I could get to save.. For what purpose I was not entirely sure... but towards the last week of Lent my wife and I sat down and we talked about several professional language learning packages. So I looked, asked questions and prayed on it. Found the one that I feel I was led to and opened my tin.. To my surprise I had enough to get it at the advertised price and they had an offer on as well.. So I thought I'd email them and explain why I was looking to purchase their software. I had an email back giving me a link to an offer to 50% off but only for this month! So I went and purchased it..  A blog on the Swedish side of my life will be written when the time comes.. 


This is just so much more I have rattling inside me on this but cant/unable to say, not for a negative reason but mostly because I can't find the words to get the message across in full.. 


So Lent for me has been a massive Spiritual improvement and the insight I had to Gods vision is mind blowing.. Whilst I do not see the full picture yet and may never will, I do see a stronger path to follow and must work towards it.. 


I do have to give alot of thanks to my wife who really stuck by me, gave me strength, focus and adjusted meal times on everyday so I had a cooked meal in the evenings.. A pure blessing from God!! 


Like I said at the top of this blog.. I do NOT want any praise on what I did for Lent.. The praise should always go to God.. 


Peace and blessings


Tuesday 4 February 2014

Missing/Ignoring Signs.....

Missing/Ignoring Signs is a huge thing within Christian life... If we love God then we should be asking and looking for His signs everyday to guide us to do what we should do which is to build His Kingdom.

Over the last few months, especially, it has filled me with fear to miss any that He has put before me and, I'm not sure if this is just me, but the fear of missing any of His signs, worse than that, and not following them if I do see them!! 
We pray all the time... Lord show me a sign, show me what you want me to do in this situation.. There is nothing wrong with that at all.. After all we seek to see Him and follow Him and do His works which is why we were put on this earth for. Sometimes we will ignore what He tells us and ask for more signs to "clarify" what we think He has shown us even if it is clear as day...

I was at school of preachers at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Wolverhampton last weekend and we were split into groups to read a selected passage of Scripture as a small group, see what the message is, discuss and find a basis for a sermon.. the small group I was in was given Mark 8:1-13 which is widely known as the feeding of the multitudes, but don't get me wrong it is a great passage and a real miracle but something struck me and has stayed with me over the last few days.. This is "Missing/Ignoring Signs"...

We were given 15 mins on our own to pray, read and make notes before discussing in our small group. I could not get past verses 11-13 and how it spoke volumes to me!

11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.

The Pharisees would have heard alot of "Jesus" and the teaching and miracles he was performing throughout his ministry so far which is why thy approached him and started asking questions.. I do believe that they were trying to "trip him up", discredit him or how ever you want to put it.

This passage spoke volumes to me on just one verse... Verse 12... First of all He "Sighed DEEPLY".. to sigh like this would have been a huge thing and really a disappointment to Jesus. Imagine the thoughts going through his head.. "here we go again... do they not see .. why cant they just believe... they were asking for signs when they pray in the temples and yet.. HELLO can you not see??...Don't you get it lads?? Come on... is this not a big enough neon sign?... and you could go on..

Then you get to the 2nd half of that passage... "There shall be no sign given unto this generation"... What .. no more signs?? Is this saying that if we miss or ignore the signs from God He will just leave us where we are in life and wait until we do what he says before he moves us onto other things to build His Kingdom?? Jesus just didn't argue or try to persuade them .. He got back in the boat and went off!!.. Are you standing there watching Jesus get back in the boat in your life? If I saw Jesus getting back in the boat after I had seen the signs and not taken them into my life I would be distraught and so upset.... 

I said it earlier in this... It fills me with fear.. yes fear.. 

Some of the signs God gives us do appear so wacky, so large and so unachievable but this is where "Belief, Trust, Faith and Love" come into the picture... It was mentioned on Saturday at the school of preachers that Following Jesus comes with a huge price... My thought on this was.. Yes it does totally and I found myself asking the question in my heart.. "Am I willing to pay that price"... Yes..

Over the last few months God has spoken to my wife and I and yes it is a huge thing and yes it does come with a "price". I wont go too deeply into this as we are in our season of preparation, but it did reaffirm things to me that we cant ignore what God is telling us to do and what we are to do in this life...

We were created by Him to spread the Message, the Gospel or however you wish to put it.. NOT for our own pleasure or to build up our own little nests of security. Our security is in God and God alone!

Are we being like the Pharisees when we constantly asking for signs from God on what to do? Are we being like them when we ignore it because it does not sit well with what WE feel is right? Are we asking for more signs to back it up as it seems to much of a risk? Do we really have Faith and Trust in God in our lives??

After all in Scripture Jesus says.... Go out into the world and proclaim the Good News....

Remember.... Gods Time .... NOT yours!!

I leave you with one question....

Are you holding back on following the sign that God has given you?

Peace and blessings to you all... 






Sunday 12 January 2014

Watering down Baptisms?

Well after seeing in the news recently about what the CofE (Church of England) have said they will be testing out really, to me, is quiet shocking... So I have taken the time to think it over and write my view on it... 

I see that the CofE is trialling a change of wording in baptisms.. and to quote some taken from a Church News site.. One person has said..

He added: "You do not have to have the whole of Christian doctrine in every part of the service."

Another has been quoted to say:
there was a need for balance. We indeed today face a challenge of not wanting to lose the true meaning of baptism while at the same time wanting to attract more people to church. Our churches attract many non-churchgoers who wish to have their children baptised."

If you look at both of these comments you can see that they are taking the meaning out of Baptism just to attract people into the church which is totally the wrong way to go.. .If people want to bring their children to church to be baptised they should do it with the meaning and actions that are SCRIPTUAL .. not just a worldy symbolic thing to make them feel all warm and tingly and tick a box…

Watering down (pun not intended) of the Scripture on baptism, or any Scripture, is not something to be taken lightly… After all it is the Word of God..

Christianity faces so much pressure to change so that its adapting to the worldy way of things which is looking more and more to be taking it away from Gods way of things.. Yes there can be found a balance as long as we always keep one thing in mind.. The Word of God is never wrong and we should be fitting it NOT it fitting us…


Does this all come as a surprise.. to me.. no not really.. we do see it all in revelation especially as the description of the seven churches… and later on where it says even church leaders will change into following worldy things…

I do feel that alot of the "changes" the church is making over the last few years is moving things away from God just to be accepted or to keep the flack from the church.. Scripture says we will come up against struggles by this world to pressure us to change away from God and that we should be steadfast!!

Personally if a church I attended strayed away from Scripture I'd say something about it to the Leadership Team/pastor/vicar etc... and find out the reason behind it.. asking them to provide Scripture references to support this and pray over it... if i felt it will still against God I would do what I can to oppose it (in a Christian way) and if the church still decided to stick on their way then I'd leave...

So how do you tackle such a large institution such as the CofE on a matter like this? I cant go up and speak to those who made this decision... Having a discussion over email/social media is difficult... So I will will just pray and put my voice out there by my blog and twitter... 

I have searched my heart on this for about a week and still feel that "watering down" Scripture is not a way God would want us to go... 

Praying for the CofE....

Saturday 4 January 2014

Christianity in Interviews, Covering Letters and CV's

This is something I have been finding tough since becoming a Christian and trying to write a true reflection of myself and skills in a CV and Covering Letter (CL).

I got turned down for several positions because my CV and CL were not as strong as other people who had applied for the same positions. This made me think a lot about what I was feeling about how I "sell myself on paper" but remain true to my belief in humbleness and true to God, as I thought! Trust me it rook a huge amount of pain and hurdles to get over what I thought and felt was so right.. but now I do see it clearer!

Well I did speak to a member of management who has got a lot of experience and would be able to be brutally honest with me on how I felt and my beliefs on all of this.

I do not think this person is a Christian but I got the clearest answer that I could ever want on this subject...

It was so simple!! So I really changed my outlook on this all and also slapped me in the face on my focus on this... I still can't believe it!

Basically...
Write everything down that you have done, honestly and humbly and as long as I am true in all that I have written whilst not painting a picture that I am better than others or I am creating an ego monster I can be true to God and my beliefs and still stand a better chance of showing my real qualities...

God has blessed me with the "gifts" and given me the knowledge to achieve so if I am NOT showing them to their FULL extent am I really shining Gods Light as best as I can from me?
After all we keep going on about "Gods doing this, Gods doing that" so why do we have such a  problem saying "Gods blessed me with the ability to do this".. As long as its in humility and right for God!

If I was asked the question which you get in most interviews...
"Why should I choose you over the other applicants?" 
It's a question I have not yet to be asked as my CV and CL revamp which has only been over the last 2 months of writing this blog...

How would I answer it now? I feel the answer I'd give is something like this:
Well I can only tell you how much of a benefit I can be for your business with all the knowledge and experience I have gained during my working life. I can reassure you that I would aim to increase the business sustainability/profit etc.
Just be sure not to run anyone else down (just look at politics) but be true and show what you can do..

This is a difficult issue to really come to terms with and has to be an individual basis and with God.

After a twitter discussion with 2 of my fellow brothers in Christ I felt compelled to write this. I am not saying its a definitive answer but it has helped me!!

It may not get you the job/promotion but what is right.. To be honest and right for God or to go the worldy route and get the job by developing an ego issue and run others down?

All I can say is take your time.. be honest and pray/fast over it all..