Spreading the Word – MCF 2017 review

Through the continued love of Jesus and ‘Making Christ First’ we look forward with anticipation to 2018 in the knowledge and faith that God will do wonderful things

Source: Moments With The Book

God has done some amazing things at MCF during the course of 2017 and it is fantastic to see how He uses what would seem to be a small group of people, (compared to other fellowships/churches) to do great things. Our Pastor, lovingly refers to us as a motley crew and Praise God that He has brought together a diverse range of people with different personalities and gifting’s to do His work and to bring His Kingdom here on earth. We thank God for all of the people in our Fellowship and we thank God for the honour of the Ministries that He has laid on our hearts. Through the continued love of Jesus and ‘Making Christ First’ we look forward with anticipation to 2018 in the knowledge and faith that God will do wonderful things. We thank God and give Him all the glory for everything He has done in 2017 and we look forward to 2018 in anticipation of the next stage of our journey.

As 2017 draws to a close we thought it would be a real blessing to share some popular blog articles that members of our congregation and some guests have posted throughout the year.  We have been publishing a new article each Sunday for just under two and a half years and God has blessed the blog to receive over 245,000 views from all over the World. Matthew 24:14 ‘And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’.

The blog articles below are not listed in any order of popularity. If you click on the article title you will be directed to the relevant article. Why not also take the time to listen to some of the fantastic worship songs which you will find at the end of each article. You will also find other Words of God, Teachings and Testimonies in our blog archive at the right-hand side of the main blog page and if you would prefer to listen to our 2017 online sermons then take a look at our new MCF website (link) or go directly to the message online (link).  Be blessed.

Expect a miracle
A work in progress
Demonstrating the Lord’s Grace and Wisdom
Who determines the circumstances of our lives
The abundance of God’s Grace and Mercy
Seek first the Kingdom of God at all times
Choices, Choices, Choices !!
There is power in the name of Jesus
Do we miss the chance to love?
The joy of Salvation
Whoever has ears.....
How do I know I'm a Christian?
Who am I
Cast your cares on the Lord
Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you
God always shows up
What is your ‘Come to Jesus story’
Please forgive me
Courage
From Darkness to Light

As a fellowship, we pray that God's Word speaks into the hearts and minds of those who read and receive it and that lives are changed forever as a result. We give all Glory to God and pray that people Make Christ First in their lives. Amen.

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed New Year from everyone at MCF Life Church. Matthew 6:33 ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’.

Author: Gary O'Neill (MCF Blog Editor)

May God bless and enrich your life

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From Darkness to Light

When all hope seems lost, when things seems impossible, when life is just too difficult, then turn it all over to Jesus. There is nothing that He cannot resolve

Source: 1onONE with Damon Davis

I grew up in a Christian family, attending my local Sunday School with my sister and brother. However unfortunately, I do not remember too much of my childhood, but I knew in my heart that God was around me. My school days were not a happy time for me due to the dreaded bullies and nasty words which stuck with me for a very long time. When I think about those times now, I realise that I kept a lot of it to myself, not telling my parents as I did not want to burden them with my troubles. I now realise however that this was my downfall; not talking; keeping my mouth shut, and at 29 I had a complete breakdown. As you can imagine this was a particularly challenging time. I refused to leave the safety of my home, my safe place, not wanting to look at people, saying to myself 'If people cannot see me then they won't say anything bad.' Thankfully, after quite a few sessions with three different counsellors I managed to undo some very big knots, and I learned and developed a few techniques to help me.

Through all of this turmoil I had a sense of Jesus being with me, knowing that I had to deal with my anxiety in a way He wanted me to. I knew Jesus would not leave me, but sometimes I felt very alone to the point where I became lost in my despair. I reached for an end to it and taking a knife from its holder was what I thought was the answer. This is the point where I heard my mother’s voice in my head saying; 'suicide is a chicken’s way out', which momentarily stopped me, and I thought of the people I would be leaving behind. In that very moment I thought to myself that I should keep going but realised that I needed a hand. This I got from my family and a true family friend who got me out of my safe place and into the world I did not like. Eventually I got back to a way of thinking I could manage and settled into a job and life.

Source: Free Christian Wallpapers, HD Christian Backgrounds 

Recently when I lost my father and our family dog, whom I went through a lot of tough times with, I hit my limit again, but not to the extreme of last time. This was for two reasons:

Reason one -  I found that Jesus has put things in me, on my life's path that I took up and stored away for just these occasions, saying to me that I was not alone and that I would never be alone again, He was always here with me; Hebrews 13:5 ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'.

Reason two - Jesus put me in the hands of my boyfriend Phil, who has taken me on a journey that has, and is, opening my eyes to the things I have missed out on due to me allowing my demons at the forefront of my life. Ephesians 1:18 ‘I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people’.

I have learnt from going to MCF Life Church with Phil and his Sister Juliet to leave the past where it belongs; in the past, and to look forward, to forgive my tormentors, which took me a long time to do, however recently I have achieved this again by talking with Phil and working it out. Today is a new start for me and my family, we have just moved from Worcestershire into Warwickshire and we are now turning to a fresh new page in our life book. 

When all hope seems lost, when things seems impossible, when life is just too difficult, then turn it all over to Jesus. There is nothing that He cannot resolve. Jeremiah 32:27 ‘I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?’ Praise God. If you are in a dark place at the moment, then do not despair, even though it might not seem like it now, there is a solution, there is an answer and there is hope. If you do not know Jesus then call on Him, He will hear your prayers. If you know someone who knows Jesus, then ask them to pray with you. My testimony show that Jesus turned my life around and He can do the same for you too.  Be blessed.

Hebrews 13:6 ‘So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’

Author: Vicki Long

May God bless and enrich your life

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Search Me, O God

People crave ‘ministries', have pride in ‘their ministries’ hold on to them as personal territories and perhaps even fight over them! They can be regarded as rewards, prizes, position, recognition and entitlement without due regard to the mind of God on the matter and the way in which He holds us to account

Source: Calvary Baptist Church- Kinston

I suppose that this blog has sprung up from reading Jeremiah again and being astounded at the job he was given, the age at which God called him, where the job took him and what demands were made on his life over a long period of time. Just like Jeremiah; Gideon, Moses, Paul and Daniel are a few other characters in scripture who were not looking for a ‘ministry’. In fact, Jeremiah, Moses and Elijah – three of the biblical prophets went on record as being thoroughly ‘fed up’ with the task that the Lord had given them. For example, in Exodus 4:13 Moses asks: ‘please send someone else’ and in Exodus 5:22-23 ‘things have not got better only worse’, Elijah in 1 Kings 14:19 says; ‘I’m the only one left and they are trying to kill me too’ and in Jeremiah 15:10 ‘O that I had never been born’! These are by no means the only places where scripture points to suffering accompanying those who obey a calling from the Lord. (Read Hebrews 11:36–38 for yourselves).

In John 15:18-19, Jesus, our best authority on everything, said ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you’. In Luke 6:26 Jesus also says that the opposite can be true; ‘Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets’. These biblical examples are a context not often associated with the idea of ‘ministry’ today. People crave ‘ministries’, have pride in ‘their ministries’ hold on to them as personal territories and perhaps even fight over them! They can be regarded as rewards, prizes, position, recognition and entitlement without due regard to the mind of God on the matter and the way in which He holds us to account. Scripture on the other hand provides significant warnings about the consequences of misleading the innocent, Matthew 18:6-7 ‘If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me - to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!’ and in James 3:1 remarks that teachers will be held more responsible; ‘Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly’.

The Old Testament recounts a number of stories of prophets who either disobey or apparently make mistakes and pay severely. Jeremiah 29:31-32 includes a number of warnings for false prophets and false shepherds like Shemaiah; ‘This is what the LORD says… Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, this is what the LORD says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the LORD, because he has preached rebellion against me.’?Also, Hananiah in Jeremiah 28:15-17; ‘Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.  Therefore, this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD. In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died’.

Source: Daily Bible Readings - WordPress.com

We must be careful not to grab something and make it ‘our ministry’ rather than something that the Lord has simply asked us to do. If its ‘my ministry’ and we pursue our own path we may easily be seduced into seeking only those things that are seen to be successful in human terms. Success in man’s terms tends to be associated with things like popularity, influence, money, numbers, reputation and following. People are apt to forget that Jesus - the greatest man that ever lived - was forsaken by many later in His ministry when He told them the truth (John 6:66). Our temptation can be to encourage people by giving them good news, but the danger is that we give this out of our own hearts ‘in the name of the Lord’. Jeremiah and other bible authors in their turn remind their generation; ‘the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true’ (Jeremiah 28:8-9).

Success in God’s terms has often involved exclusion, injury, hunger, shipwreck, prison and martyrdom. Jesus warned His followers in Luke 9:23 ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me’. At one-point Jeremiah was so burdened by his ill treatment that he determined to say no more: ‘So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot’ (Jeremiah 20:8-9). Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe was warned not to seek favour for himself when all of the world was in chaos. God said in Jeremiah 45:5 ‘Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the LORD, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life’. In other words, like today, the world as they knew it was being shaken and God rebuked Baruch for trying to seek a more comfortable place and position for himself – He said; ‘be content that in this chaos I will preserve your life wherever you go’.

So, what are we to make of this? In the West, our Christianity can easily follow the changing culture of the world. We seem to readily assimilate worldly values into our faith and churches. Those that are ‘successful’ - often seen, easily heard, assertive in making their giftings known, and competitive - are frequently regarded as being in the ascendance and attract imitators and followers. In contrast, in scripture the ‘man of God’ was often found in the jail, stocks, or cemetery! Paul said that people regarded him as being rather contemptible in appearance and flawed in speech. His sometimes sad second letter to Timothy finds him cold and in prison knowing that he was near the end of his race. The true gifts and callings of God are often associated with trials and tests of different kinds.

We must be careful not to be over-eager to speak over and into people’s lives as ‘thus says the Lord’ (read Jeremiah 23) without checking out that we are actually carrying a message from Him. There is every chance that the Lord will hold us accountable for words that spring from our own hearts. I guess that good ways to check include: ‘Do I really love this person with the love of Jesus?’; ‘Does the message tie up with scripture?’; ‘Am I willing to pay a price for being the Lord’s messenger?’ and ‘Is this word like a burning fire shut up in my bones?’

Let’s be aware always that we serve an awesome and Holy God and that his gifts (which Paul urges us to seek earnestly) and callings are not a route to recognition but rather to serve as warnings for this generation and the building up of the church.

Author: Chris Pearson

May God bless and enrich your life

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Jesus - The true gift of Christmas

MCF Life Church - Christmas Message 2017

It is a sad reflection of how society has made celebrating Christmas, anything other that what it really is. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the greatest gift you could ever receive and it's absolutely free to every one of us.

Source: Freedomborn's Christmas Blessings

As Christmas draws ever closer it reminds me of when I was a child and how excited I would get at the thought of Santa leaving me presents to open on Christmas morning. As with most children once 4am came along my siblings and I were up and out of bed, tearing through our stockings which were hanging on the end of our beds. I always used to wonder how Santa did that without me hearing him? The other thing I could never work out was why every year he would put a piece of coal at the bottom of my stocking and what on earth he expected me to do with it! I didn't mind the shiny sixpence though! (Just under 3p for those born after decimalisation). Then at 4.01am we would try to sneak past our parents room to get to the Christmas tree and all the presents without waking them up, something that we never managed to do however quiet we were. It wasn't until we had our own children, that we realised that our parents had only just gone to bed and hadn't actually managed to go to sleep, before we emerged trying to stealthily shoot past their bedroom door. It certainly explained why they would quickly fall asleep while we were watching the re-run of either 'Mary Poppins' or 'Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang', shortly after eating our Christmas dinner. These days it is films such as 'Home Alone' 1, 2 and 3 instead.

It now gives me as much excitement and pleasure to watch our grandchildren going through exactly the same anticipation and excitement (minus the piece of coal and shiny sixpence of course), at this time of year, as I did when I was a child. I also have the immense privilege of being able to contrast all the glitter and commercialism that bombards the youth of today, by telling my grandchildren the truth about Christmas and why it's so special. Each year my wife and I take part in 'Journey to the stable' which is the nativity story brought to life at the beginning of December at 'Southfields Farm' in Coleshill where local schools bring classrooms of children to see the story acted out by real people and real animals. This is an absolute joy as I get to see the look of amazement and wonder on the faces of the children when they not only see the people and animals but a real baby in the arms of Mary. (We've been blessed over the last few years with a child being born just before Christmas and the mom agreeing to play Mary in the stable with her child). We've heard a lot of the children when they see the baby say in amazement, ‘Look it's a real baby'!

Source: Google Plus

What do you look forward to at this time of year? So many people get caught up with wondering what to buy people for Christmas and hate the thought of pushing through the crowds at the shops as it all becomes so stressful and completely unenjoyable that they can't wait for Christmas to be over. It is a sad reflection of how society has made celebrating Christmas, anything other that what it really is. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the greatest gift you could ever receive and it's absolutely free to every one of us. Jesus has already paid the price for you to receive this gift which is Eternal Life, and along with it, to know His peace in your hearts, even through the greatest trials and tribulations in your life. So why not let the stress that society would put on you go, and accept and celebrate Jesus this Christmas. The clue is in the Name...CHRISTmas.

This is the truth of Christmas: 

Isaiah 9:6 ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ 

Luke 2:21 ‘On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived’

Have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

Author: Kevin Hunt 

May God bless and enrich your life      
   
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God’s plans are always better than our own

If you are seeking direction, particularly regarding a work situation, be assured that it's not that you're not capable, it is that God has something else in mind for you. His plans are always so much better than our own!!

Source: Biblia.com

I remember a situation
where I was asked if I would consider applying for a position which was about to be re-advertised for a one to one helper with a child with very specific learning difficulties. I was also told that, to date, no-one who had previously applied was suitable for the position. The person added that because I had worked in lots of different capacities and environments that I had an excellent skill-set and my multi-discipline experience would be invaluable. I explained that I was really happy in my current job and had no desire to swap roles and to work with just one child. During the next few days both the person who had contacted me and one of her colleagues, badgered, coerced and pleaded with me to apply. Eventually I gave in and agreed to apply. I went to the interview and all seemed to go well. The Deputy Head (the person who encouraged me to apply), his colleague and a trustee were conducting the interview and at the end of I was told by the Deputy Head that he would let me know the outcome by two o’clock that day as they had one further person to interview. However, three o'clock came and went and by four o'clock I realised that it was highly likely that I hadn't got the job. At 4.30pm the phone rang and surprisingly it wasn't the Deputy Head’s voice that I heard but the voice of the person who asked me to go for the interview in the first place. After the pleasantry greeting of ‘hello’ there was such a long awkward pause that I put her out of her misery and said; ‘it’s okay I know I haven't got the job, don't feel awkward’. She was so grateful I'd let her off the hook and went onto explain that the parents of the child had taken legal action against the education department, for a place for their child and that this was being covered heavily by the press. Someone else had applied on the very last day who had years of experience dealing with this particular type of need, so they had no choice but to give her the position.

Source: Sweet Blessings

The next morning, I had lots of photo-copying to do before school began and practically every teacher that passed by told me very loudly that they were really upset for me and how I must be really upset and angry as I was more than capable of doing the job. My reply to everyone was the same; 'if it had been in God’s will I would have got the job, but He obviously had different plans for me'. I was located near enough to the Deputy Head Teacher’s office for him to hear all the conversations in my office. His door was open and eventually he beckoned me into his office. He looked really embarrassed and asked if I would like to have any feedback from the interview. I replied that I was more than capable of doing the job and that I had no problem that they had chosen someone else. I didn't want to waste his time, or mine by expounding on my interview and told him that I needed to get back to my job, and turning swiftly I exited his office.

The interesting part is that just as this child was about to start school I was off work with pleurisy (in 30 years of working history I had hardly taken a day off work prior to this), and I was absent for three weeks. I am so thankful that God knew what was going to happen because if I had been successfully in getting the job, I would have been devastated at being off sick and unable to fulfil my commitment at this really important bonding time. I was perfectly capable of doing the job, but God had other plans for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me; Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’.

So, if you are seeking direction, particularly regarding a work situation, be assured that it's not that you're not capable, it is that God has something else in mind for you. His plans are always so much better than our own!! Matthew 6:33 ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’

May God bless you.

Author: Lyn Hunt

May God bless and enrich your life

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Don’t let your past define your future

We all make mistakes and go through dark times in our lives, but I pray that we don't let our past define our future. It is God who is at work in us.

Source: PInterest

I used to work as an Operations Manager for a telecommunications company, which at times was very stressful, however it was during my time working there that I fully understood God's amazing grace; 2 Corinthians 12:9 ‘But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’, and the true meaning of Psalm 23. I had a team of people working for me, covering a number of different disciplines and I was responsible for business customers all over the UK outside of the M25. As time went on certain people within the team had ambitions to progress into more senior positions and sought any form of advancement they could to achieve this. Advancement in itself is not a problem as it is natural for people to want to progress within a workplace. However as time went on it became clear that a number of people became very competitive, which started to effect working relationships in ways that were becoming detrimental to the team. In such situations it is very easy for people to allow themselves to be manipulated by Satan, especially those whose desire is to climb the corporate ladder, even at the expense of others. This was the case with at least two of my team as I found out to my detriment; 1 Peter 5:8 ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’. 

One of the two people came to me one day to complain about one of the Engineers saying that he was becoming aggressive and that he and other Engineers were fed up with his attitude. I decided to address this by speaking to the Engineer (the one being complained about), shortly afterwards in an appraisal meeting, to find out his thoughts and to see if he agreed with the comments being made about him. During the meeting he became very angry and stormed out of the office and even made an official complaint about me which was then investigated at some length by my Manager and the company Human Resources Department. The Investigation should have been concluded within four to eight weeks but in this instance it took sixteen weeks and during this time he became more and more difficult to manage.

Source: Flickr

After the investigation was over I discovered that the person who originally instigated the complaint had denied approaching me. My team Supervisor then tried to use the situation to try to make sure I was sacked so he could take my job (he even spoke to my Manager behind my back, suggesting this) and at the same time the person who had originally instigated the complaint was positioning himself for the team Supervisors job. The situation became so stressful that I made up my mind to resign as I had no one I could go to within the company for advice and I was at my wits end. Even though through all of this I had been seeking God's help and strength, I felt completely abandoned and so in a prayer meeting at Church I asked the Elders to pray for me as I had decided to leave the company and I wanted to know where God wanted me to go next. God spoke through the Elders and told me ‘I had to stand firm’, which was not something I wanted to hear. I received confirmation of this Word the next morning when God spoke to me through His Word from Isaiah 7:9 'If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all’. This completely floored me when it dawned on me that I couldn't run away. So I surrendered to God's will and went back to work, trusting Him for a righteous outcome. Not long after this incident God miraculously turned the whole situation on its head. All the accusations that had been made about me were proved to be false and the people who had jumped on the proverbial band wagon to advance their careers had to eat humble pie. I was completely exonerated on all counts. Shortly after this the Engineer who had brought the false accusations against me left the company, also leaving a great deal of animosity between us. When I looked back and reflected on the whole situation I realised that I was not without blame in the way that I had originally handled the situation.

I never saw the Engineer again but I always felt bad about the way it had ended. About six months later. Mine and all of the other Installation Managers jobs were made redundant, and I was led by God to run a charity shop and care centre with my wife. It was whilst we were there that I asked God to bring me into contact with this Engineer again as I wanted to apologise for some of my actions and attitudes towards him when he left the company and to let him know that I had no animosity towards him and that I had forgiven him for his actions. This would have to be a miracle as he lived many miles away and there was no way I could contact him. Then one day he was sent on a job just a few miles from where our shop was and he decided to come and see me, as he walked into the charity shop I immediately greeted him and was able to reconcile with him. We both forgave each other and parted at peace with one another, I've not seen or heard from him from that day to this, but at the very moment we forgave each other a great weight was lifted from me. God's grace is even more amazing when you realise that this engineer was not a Christian.

We all make mistakes and go through dark times in our lives, but I pray that we don't let our past define our future. It is God who is at work in us. Ephesians 3:20-21‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen’.

Psalm 23:3 tells us; 'He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake’.

God bless you.

Author:Kevin Hunt

May God bless and enrich your life

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Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer

When we pray God answers, but He doesn't just give answers and move on, He watches over us, He guides us, and He gets us through the more difficult roads we have to travel

Source: Behappy.me

Sometimes when we pray God doesn't give us the answer straight away, but if we pray earnestly and without ceasing and trust God for the answer, whatever it might end up being, then we will be led in the way we should be going, and the Lord will bless us. I am not a typically intelligent person, school was hard for me, I would watch my older brother put in minimal effort and still get good grades, but I couldn't do that. Even when I worked extremely hard I would often fall short, so the decision to go to university was a tough one for me. 

I took a year out after college working and praying about my next step. I had applied to three universities and got rejected by two, however I received a conditional offer from the third. The conditional offer required me to get higher grades in my A level than I had previously achieved, so I re-took an exam, but as usual it didn't amount to much and I came away with no better results. My parents and I continued to pray, that if it was meant to be, I would get a place anyway and if not (which seemed the most obvious path) I would get the inevitable rejection. I had to wait for that year’s pupils to receive their A level results to find out if I would be offered a place. On results day, as I prepared to call and check in to find out, my mom called me to advise that a letter had arrived that morning from the university. She opened it for me and to my delight I had got in, I couldn't believe it. 

Source: Agents of Light

During the first few months at university doubts crept in and I remember thinking; what if I wasn't doing the right course? However, no sooner had I asked the question than I got my first assignment grade back, which was a really high mark. It felt like God was letting me know I was on the right path and it was going to be okay. I had prayed that if I got into university, that God would see me through it and He did, I graduated with a 2:1 honors degree. My usual style was to just pass or fail everything, it was always touch and go with my grades, but this was a very firm middle of the road 2:1 result and I owe it all completely to the Lord. When we pray God answers, but He doesn't just give answers and move on, He watches over us, He guides us, and He gets us through the more difficult roads we have to travel. Matthew 21:22 ‘If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer’.

There are some other things we must take into consideration. Sometimes when we pray, we won't always get the answer we are hoping for. Often, this can be really tough, but when we pray for something we have to keep an open mind and know that God will never do anything to hurt us, He only has our best interests at heart. In fact, it is worth remembering that God sees the future, He sees it all and He may be leading us down a path we may not want to travel, however it is the path that will keep us safe. This may be something we can't see ourselves as we can only comprehend the here and now and can't see the bigger picture. A few years ago, I found out that I wouldn't be able to have children and for about a year I struggled with this and grieved a great deal for the loss of something I felt, as a woman, was my right. During this difficult and extremely painful time, as I prayed, I felt a peace wash over me. Maybe having a child would have caused me difficulty or harm? I can't see that far into the future, but God can. Or maybe it just wasn't the right time? Even though medically I was told I can't have children, that wouldn't stop the Lord, so if it was meant to be, in time it would happen. My faith allowed me to know that whatever the future, God holds it and that is all that I could ever hope for. Philippians 4:6 ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’.

Sometimes when we pray, God doesn't seem to offer an answer. Sometimes He wants us to make our own choices, to take a leap of faith and trust that no matter what, He is there with us and will see us through. Recently I faced a very difficult situation where I had to make a decision I just couldn't make. I prayed, my parents prayed, but no answer came. I knew that I had two choices and either one would lead me down a difficult and painful road and all I wanted was for God to tell me which one to choose, because I wanted to be walking in His will. Still no answer came, and it was so painful. As time went on I swung back and forth in my decision, but eventually chose a path and as I committed to that I found the Lord’s peace again. I knew it wouldn't be easy and I didn't know if it was the right path to be taking, but I did know that God would be in it with me every step of the way non-the-less. All I have to do is keep reaching out and trusting that He is always by my side.

Whatever you may be praying for remember to keep an open mind and willingness to accept an answer that may sometimes be difficult. Be prepared to sometimes not hear at all, but in all circumstances, trust that God knows and believe that He will be with you through it all, every step of the way. Romans 12:12 ‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

Author:Rebekah Cronk

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Serving the Lord requires obedience and faithfulness

God wants to bring you to the place where you don't have to be begged, badgered or browbeaten to serve, where one instruction from Him means that you will be obedient without question

Source: PInterest

Have you ever seen a dog that has completed obedience classes? The dog is a pleasure to its master, because it has learnt to respond to his word. Sometimes only a simple look is needed to let the dog know what the master is expecting. In Psalm 32:8 God says; 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you'. God wants to bring you to the place where you don't have to be begged, badgered or browbeaten to serve, where one instruction from Him means that you will be obedient without question. As a servant we can't change our master's order, in fact, it is a great deal easier to do what God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the consequences of not doing it.  God doesn't want ‘foot dragging compliance’, He wants willing obedience, and when He gets it He blesses it; Isaiah 1:19 ‘If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land’. God's best is reserved for those who say 'yes'.  Ask yourself ‘how will I know when I arrive at that place?’ Well, you will know when you are able to truly say (from your heart), ‘I desire to do Your will O my God’. Psalm 40:8 ‘I desire to do Your will, my God; Your law is within my heart’.

If by doing God’s will you are upset over giving up your 'rights' and 'privileges' to serve others, just take a moment to consider what Christ gave up to serve us. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death; Philippians 2:8 ‘And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!’ When we are tempted to remind others of the sacrifices we have made in our lives and continue to make; hear Christ's words; Luke 17:10‘..when you have done everything you were told to do, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’.

Source: PInterest

As a Chaplain in a large hospital, I am very mindful that every time I visit the hospital that it is only the will of God that will be done. I go in obedience to God, and only through Him do I pray for people. I often come away thinking of what I have achieved, however it's not for me to go and achieve anything, but that God should get all the Glory. I am a hospital Chaplain, not to serve myself, but to serve others in obedience to God and as His commands, speaking the Word in and out of season. In His dealings with people, the bible tells us in John 13:1 that Christ 'Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end' and when He came to His dealings with God, in John 5:30 He could say; 'For I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me'. Can God count on you (or me) to be obedient and to seek His will?  Will those who God puts in our path see God in us because we are obedient and seek His will first and not our own? When we make a commitment do we keep to it or do we quit on a whim, or do we break our word because we get a better offer?

In John 13:3-5 Jesus Himself provided an example of service and obedience when He began to wash the disciples feet; ‘Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him'. In this single act of obedience Jesus settled three big issues; He knew who sent Him, He knew who sustained Him and He knew who was going to reward Him. Jesus demonstrated that service and obedience can never become slavery to one who loves. When we serve the Lord, let us do so with a willing heart in obedience and faithfulness. For we are no longer a slave to fear/sin, as we are accepted, loved, and a child of God. Amen.

Author: Herbert Jean

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Hell, or Hades?

There will be a day when heaven will be real to a few and hell will be real to many more. Then, we will all be judged and know the glory of heaven or the agony of hell.

Source: What Christians Want To Know

Hell - Who wants to think about that?  Hell can be ignored as though it does not exist, but it does.  It is absolute and eternal, but why is it so important to be aware of and know about hell?  Well, Jesus thought it was so important that He referred to the topic of hell, or the subject of hell, more than any other subject or topic after ‘salvation’. Jesus referred to saving lost souls more than anything else and second to that, was the consequences of sin and separation in hell.  Hell is a real, physical place. It is not a state of mind, as some would say.  I have heard some say they do not believe in hell however the fact is, it does not matter if they believe it or not, hell is real – opinions do not matter!

My first introduction to the subject of hell happened in college.  As a reading requirement for ‘World literature’, I read Dante’s Inferno, in which Dante believed that he walked through the nine levels of hell with Satan. As he walked through hell, he kept hearing loud screaming of agony and torture and in one of the levels of Hell, he stood with Satan, looking down on people running in an eternal circle, screaming with unbelievable pain. It was so hot and the people were being stung by bees and hornets.  As they pulled off the bees and hornets from their bodies, there were other bees and hornets to take their place.  They threw the bees and hornets to the floor and they were eaten up by the maggots on the floor. I read this to my room-mate and I remember saying to him; ‘What if hell really is that bad?’, and he said something that I have never forgotten – ‘What if it is worse?’

Source:  SlideShare

So, what is hell?  One reference defines it as ‘the eternal hell-fire and damnation promised to the unrighteous sinner’.  That seems to be a good definition as hell-fire and eternal damnation provide us with a number of Bible references for consideration:

Isaiah 47:14 – ‘Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by’.

Revelation 21:6-8 – ‘He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all of this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.  But, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death’.

Matthew 13:40-42 – ‘As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’.
         
Luke 16:22-24 – ‘The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire’.

Matthew 5:29-30 – ‘If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell’.

Luke 12:4-5 – ‘I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him’.

The Problem:  The subject of hell is almost a taboo subject that is not to be thought about or discussed. For the most part, it is not talked about or preached about by preachers on the pulpit.  Why not?  Jesus talked about it.  Most Sunday school teachers never broach the subject of hell.  Why not? Jesus talked about it. However, it hasn’t always been that way. The old-time preachers preached about hell and the consequences of unrighteousness, and it had a positive effect. People had a healthy fear of hell, so they tried to avoid sin. These days, most people do what they want, and when they want to do it, with no fear of the consequences of sin/hell. The heathen, and even most ‘Christians’ are consumed with self and pursue the world fearlessly without a sense of the consequences of sin/hell. There will be a day when heaven will be real to a few and hell will be real to many more. Then, we will all be judged and know the glory of heaven or the agony of hell.

If it were possible to get a five-second peek of the reality of hell, a person would undoubtedly do anything to avoid an eternity of hell-fire and damnation. The good news is that it isn’t too late.  God is always calling you to be with Him. Hell is not what God called you to, He called you to be with Him. You need to be 100% sure of your salvation. Remember, God loves you even though you are a sinner. Come to him; just as you are.

Author: David Leatherman

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You’ll never walk alone

‘….I never once felt alone! I have the living spirit of Jesus in me and there was no way He was ever going to leave me on my own’

Source: Google+

Recently, through my work, God has sent me all over the World and I’ve been asking the question; why? I know that God does not do anything by chance, He has a plan and purpose for my life (and for your life too) but sometimes it can take us a little time for us to understand His purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’. In fact, sometimes, we may never understand, He may never reveal to us why He puts us in certain situations, however without a doubt, we can be certain that He has a purpose. God may be using us to plant some seeds for others to reap the harvest in the future and we will not know until one day when we are in heaven we might get a tap on the shoulder from a complete stranger, who might say ‘do you remember when……’, and relay an event that we vaguely remember and thought nothing of at the time. God is at work through us all the time and that is such an amazing thought. In addition, and an even more amazing thought is that He is always with us; Joshua 1:9 ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go’.

To many, travelling the World may seem to be very glamorous and exciting however the reality of my situation is that I have such busy schedules and I am required to move around from place to place regularly. All I really get to see are the insides of airports, taxis, hotel rooms and the venues where my events are being hosted. The absolute worst part is being away from my family for a week or two weeks at a time. I am very close to my Wife and we have been married for nearly 32 years and prior to this year we have never really spent anytime apart. Although both of my kids are grown up and have left home we still see them regularly and I really miss them as well. I also can’t forget my cheeky dog, Prince, who is also a big part of our family. I suppose what I am trying to say is that when you travel half way across the World it is very easy to feel isolated and alone. As I write this article I am currently part way through a trip to China and Hong Kong and I would like to share a short testimony which shows that having God with us wherever we go, as described above in Joshua 1:9 means that no matter how far away from home we may be or how isolated we may feel, that we are never alone.

Source: Etsy

I was travelling from Coventry to Heathrow Airport by coach to catch an eleven-hour flight to Shanghai and then a three-hour connecting flight to a place called Chongqing in South West China.  Halfway through the coach journey I received an email on my mobile phone which was in Chinese. I had no idea what it said and as the Wi-Fi on the coach was very poor I had to wait until I got to the airport to translate it. I copied the email into Google translate and to my horror it stated that my connecting flight to Chongqing had been cancelled. I tried to get some assistance at the airport however as the connecting flight was with a Chinese airline, the only advice was get to Shanghai and sort it out there!  ‘Brilliant’ I thought. Having been to China a few months earlier I was aware that Chinese flights are notorious for being late and there is a real language barrier at airports. I sat myself down said a quick prayer and eventually got on the plane to Shanghai.

After going through customs and retrieving my luggage at Shanghai Airport I then started looking for the information desk for the Chinese Airline. I landed at terminal two and for local flights across China I was told by someone who spoke very broken English to go to terminal one. Fifteen minutes later I arrived at terminal one and after being told to go to four different desks I eventually was told that the next available flight (with this airline) was in the late evening which would mean a wait of eight hours (remember I had just got off an eleven-hour flight and spent the last hour trying to find the right person to talk to). I insisted that I could not wait that long and that I wanted to be transferred to another airline. Anyway, after being directed back to terminal two, plus a further four information desks later, and leaving some very confused Chinese people behind, I finally managed to get a boarding pass for a different Chinese airline for a flight that was going to Chongqing and amazingly it would arrive only fifteen minutes later than my originally scheduled flight that had been cancelled. Throughout this whole situation where I was in a foreign land and very tired I managed to keep calm and I never once felt alone! I have the living spirit of Jesus in me and there was no way He was ever going to leave me on my own. Isaiah 41:10 ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’. Praise God.

During my trip I also woke up one morning with a very painful sore throat. I felt a niggling pain in my throat the evening before but during the night the pain was severe, and it woke me up. I immediately felt God tell me to gently put my hand on the sore part of my throat and to pray for healing.  The moment I did this I felt the pain subside significantly and I managed get a few further hours’ sleep. When I woke up there was still some discomfort but nothing that stopped me having my breakfast and attending a local church service in Hong Kong. Psalm 30:2 ‘LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me’.

So back to the original question of why God has been sending me all over the World recently? Well, I believe it is because He wants me to depend on Him more in order to help deepen my relationship with Him. In the testimonies above I have learned to hold onto to Jesus, to ask for His help and to really trust that He will deliver. I’m aware that I do not need to be far away from home to depend on Jesus, however in my case maybe it was necessary to send me around the world in order to really get my attention to make me realise this. I just thank God that He loves me so much that He wants a deeper relationship with me.

Romans 8:38-39 ‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’

Author: Gary O’Neill

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