"Tell what you have been Taught."

A good friend of mine gave me a bible passage today. She felt that God had illuminated it to her for me. She was not sure why? She had no idea of what I have been going through lately. But man, I am thankful she shared it. having just spent 30 seconds reading it, it speaks and confirms much. I thank God for the Christian friends around me that speak into my life like this. It feeds me with much curiosity, peace and joy. Here is the bible bit: "So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but can not kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:26-28 (I wanted to omit verse 28 [not highlighted] but it is still truth and needs to be heard, as well s considered.) The scripture she gave me, having just re-read it, confirms two things I feel God is doing in me. Both of which are spurring me on to be more like 'the me' He has created, and less like 'the me' others want me to be. God is calling me to proclaim from the rooftops His goodness and all that He is teaching. Last night I was spending sometime reading Exodus, a book in the bible. I noticed that god taught Moses miracles and taught him the words He wanted to pass on to the nation of Israel. It was Moses' responsibility to convey what God had taught him, in order to encourage the nation towards God and God's plan. Moses, however, was not confident enough to do this. Therefore God gave Moses a mate, called Aaron, a priest, to lead alongside him and speak for him. Moses then shared with Aaron all that God had taught him and it was Aaron who replicated it before the nation of Israel. Moses was not able to tell a tonne of people, so he 'told of what God had taught' someone close to him. It was this phrase, 'We tell what He has taught' that resounds in my head, more and more. Just typing that brings so much peace to my insides. It is something of hunger and truth, something that stirs faith in Jesus. It lifts our eyes to Him for more. I want more. :) I was singing today, as I walked my friend's dog down Falmer Road. This is something that I do not do too often. But Falmer Road is a busy road, full of noise pollution, so I sang to God. Then a lyric was just repeating in what I was singing. It was something like 'Come rest in me, come & shine your light, shine your light on my darkness.' I need Him to reveal stuff that I do not see. That is for sure. Sometimes you just need a friend that sees the wasp on your back and chooses to brush it off. It seems like my hunger for intimacy with people and with God has been quashed recently and I have been crying out for Him to come & rule, in experience and in others. This quash that I felt, was not intentionally done, but went against all that God had been doing in me. It forced me to look at all I was doing and how I was doing it. It taught me some valuable lessons like patience. However, it is time to burn with zeal for Jesus again. To hunger for more, while taking into account where others are at, so not to freak them out or lead them where they are not yet ready for. I need two things to tell of what I am being taught, that seem at opposite ends of the spectrum at times... Empathy and Exhortation. And in order to bring the two together, I need wisdom. I am drawn to search the Proverbs (another book in the bible packed with wise words) in order to finish this blog that started with a message of mutual passion for 'fellowship' within testimony. Here we go... Proverbs 8:12 "I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion." Yeah.

Inspiring witness of Jesus.

I met a Christian friend of a friend the other day. One of my old YWAM (Youth With A Mission) friends told me a friend of hers was coming down to Brighton for a holiday & a bit of a pray. She asked if I would mind meeting up with her for a milkshake and a chat. So we did... I met her by the pier, didn't even know her name when we first met. I took her to a place in the North Laines called 'Lick' - a frozen yoghurt place! (Stinkin' good!) She shared her testimony with me. She was in a Psychiatric hospital after a lot of time on drugs and into dodgy stuff. She told me that a Rev. came into the hospital to offer communion to believers and her and a friend she had made took communion with him. Then a guy that was Schizophrenic would come and share Jesus with her at her bed side. He was the only person within the whole of Guildford that cared for her, the only person who loved her, prayed for her and cared for her. I was so challenged on how God can use any follower of His Son if they are willing to serve His Son. He used a Schizophrenic lover of Jesus to share His Son in a Psychiatric hospital! My God is Awesome! He accepts people where they are and offers them a leg up to a better life!

God - The Football Fan.

Some times God speaks to people in dreams. Many of my friends tell me of dreams that they have had and how God had been using those dreams to speak to them about something coming up in the future or about a certain situation that they were facing at that moment. I rarely get dreams, although admittedly I have had a couple recently. That doesn't mean that I always remember what happened in them though! However, God speaks to me in a different way when I sleep. Every now and then I wake up in the middle of the night or early morning with a single word in my head. This single word is usually a word that I do not know the meaning of, either because it is in a foreign language or it is a 'upper-class' or 'academic' word. I then write that word down and crawl back into my beautifully warm and cosy bed. When night mysteriously transforms into day I will go on a quest to find out the meaning of that word (not always as easy as it sounds!) It proves for quite an exciting start to the day. Of course occasionally I do not get to look up the word in the morning and spend the whole day with the literal 'Word of the Lord' resounding like a gong in my head, like someone had pressed the 'pronunciation button' on a dictionary. The last time I had this was about two days ago. I woke up with the term 'Bofana! Bofana!' in my head and a compounding excitement in my heart. All of the English linguistic scholars reading this will know that this is not English. In fact it is not even a European language. Where does it come from then!? South Africa! If you have ever been to a South Africa world cup football match you may have heard the phrase 'Bofana! Bofana!' shouted by an over excited lunatic of a football fan... No? I haven't been to a South African football match either. 'Bofana! Bofana!' means 'Go Boys! Go Boys!' Xhosa (pronounced kosa [The K has to make a clicking noise like when you hit a ping pong ball with the paddle!]). It can also be in the singular too, 'Go boy! Go boy!'. This exciting cry of 'Bofana! Bofana!' came at a time of drowning in a sea of summer madness with the need to be swimming quick & easy laps, facing various struggles & pressures in my personal walk with Jesus and with wanting to have more intimacy in the lives of those around me and with the Father. The cry of 'Bofana! Bofana!' was and is an exhortation, a plea for determination, persistence, consistency and a drawing near to the guy that walked all over the stormy sea of Galilee. Feel the endearing cry of the Father as He shouts from the sideline with excitement and longing 'Bofana! Bofana!'. "Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them round your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favour and good success in the sight of God and man." - Proverbs 3:3,4

Rooted in the 'Now' leaning towards the 'Next'.

Well for me... I have a big heart for justice, just not sure what to do with it. I certainly have a heart for the nations; to travel, to experience culture, language & food, experience, to equip, to teach, to disciple and to connect with people! To share Jesus with all that I do. This is my heart. I know that until November 2010, my job, my service, my call are here in Brighton, serving the church. My heart also needs to be here and not else where, until then. But as my contract draws towards an end, I will begin to seek what God has next for me. Sometimes all of this prescribed and organised vision gets clouded and I get ahead of myself. I start thinking about my future wife, family and season. However, if I am living for the 'now' the 'next' will naturally become the 'now'. There is always a natural transition from the 'now' into the 'next' that is how it happens. God made it like that. As people after God we should be people that are looking for his heart to be established where we are... in the present. The future will be orchestrated by Him as we consistently abide in Him. Misty Edwards - Finally I Surrender If you have not listened to it, you should. It's good. Rooted in the 'NOW' and leaning towards the 'NEXT'.

Victory to Jesus.

I wonder how the early church looked at 'conversion'? Would they have seen person's coming to know the Lord as another tally mark on the chalkboard, a personal or corporate achievement or 'victory'? When I think back to Peter's confession of Christ in the bible (Matthew 16) it seems that Jesus is absolutely delighted with Peter's declaration and revelation from the Father in heaven. Could it be that this 'victory' is actually found within the context of a relationship with God and that a relationship with God is found in the victory of Christ's expiation or atonement of our muck ups? The fact of the matter is this. We wold not be in a relationship with the Father/Spirit if it were not for Jesus' sacrifice. Yet we know that this is not a stagnant victory in our lives, but one of action and change. Dare I say, one of victory? The truth is we all look at our lives and see how we miss the ideal/best. But there is good news! Within relationship with the Spirit we can become more like the person we want to be. Personally, I have found that more often than not the person I want to be looks a heck of a lot like Jesus. You know, maybe Jesus does rejoice at the liberation and victory in our lives. However, I believe that this rejoicing & pleasure is completely rooted in His delight in the Father's best. He knows that every time we, even slightly, incline our hearts towards the ways of God, we are becoming more like what we were originally created to be, not out of any egotistical self-achievement. This slant on what may be called 'victory for God' can only be viewed from within an organic, living & submissive relationship with the Spirit of God (that is literal, God's Spirit!). Then, what was once seen as a revival of death to eternal life becomes the beginning of change and transformation, something that no man or woman is able to boast in. When we submit our lives to God we are essentially saying "God, I need help to be better, will you make me better. Make me more like you" Even this transition into a more 'godly', 'kingdom' or moral way of living is the outworking of His gracious Spirit in our lives in conjunction with our free will to choose Him. It is His work in our lives. In fact, one hip-hop artist, Precise, calls it 'His Story, my shoes.' The truth is the gospel stands on it's own two feet & we, being changed and given betterness (holiness) by Jesus, respond with our lives. We essentially change our ways out of adoration and thanks for the crucified Christ. Man, has no place to take credit for any part in bringing others to know 'the man who saves the world' i.e. Jesus, because without Jesus we would not have a message to share. We of course play some role, placing our free will into the cause of sharing Jesus and becoming more like Him. However my motive is not to highlight myself, but to exaggerate the powerful message of salvation & transformation through Jesus. Just as our response to the message of redemption and eternal love was WORSHIP (submission, adoration & devotion) in our initial commitment to the Lord, so should it be in our constant transformation and when we have the privilege of partnering in another person's salvation. Our response in this time of victory should be one of WORSHIP, ADORATION, RE-COMMITTING, PRAISE, LOVE, HOPE AND HUMILITY.

A Touch From Within.

Well... me. I am doing pretty good to be honest. I am wanting more intimacy with the Father, more and more, which is awesome because I have been praying for a genuine desire for Him (Thank you Holy Spirit for you working in me). However, I need more persistence in order to actually press in and hear the voice of the Father and then courage to heed His voice. Just want to feel His decisive & intimate direction on things really. All this communication with others is amazing (friends from YWAM around the world & friends here too) But there is nothing like a friend that meets your needs from within. I want to cultivate this prayerful atmosphere somehow. First I need to live it, in order to draw others into it. Sacrifice... Perhaps this it?

Justly treating the unjust oppressor.

You know that there is a really cool thing about God's anger at injustice and that is that it comes out of His heart for the one hurt. Only when we get a glimpse of God's heart for injustice/justice we quite often try to FIGHT on behalf of the afflicted, setting out to afflict the oppressor (whether intentionally or unintentionally). In doing so, we become partial & biased. We are hypocrites eh? It is a good thing that God is impartial. You and I have a similar journey to walk at the moment. I am trying to suss out what God has lined up for me, when my heart is fascinated and angered by injustice. However, in order to act in a righteous manner I need God's loving & compassionate heart for Justice. Help us Spirit of Jesus... Please.