April 2010

Dear Friends

Living Free – the victory of the cross

As a young Christian I was introduced to the Navigators Bible memory verse programme. As I remember it there were 60 verses to memorise in the first box, and I set out with enthusiasm to learn them all! I have to confess that I didn’t learn the whole box, but some of the ones that I did memorise have stayed with me over all these years, and I often return to them now. Two of them are these:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

They are verses that sum up so well all that Jesus achieved for us on the cross and by His resurrection, and they are verses that are full of life and hope and promise. Every time I think of them my spirit soars within me, and I marvel again at God’s amazing love and grace for me.

I have also spent many a long hour wrestling with Paul’s words to the Corinthians that ‘the old has gone and the new has come.’ If this is so then why does the ‘old’ still seem to rear its ugly head in my life so often? It’s a dilemma that Paul wrestles with so eloquently in Romans 7&8, coming to the wonderful conclusion that ‘there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ It’s an inner conflict that every Christian knows all too well, and we have to find a way of living with it as we ‘work out our salvation’. It seems to me that there are essentially two approaches that we can take: we can either leave the ‘old’ behind, as we place our focus on pursuing the ‘new’; or we can seek to enter into the ‘new’ by focussing on and trying to unpick the ‘old’ bit by bit. The difference between the two approaches is very subtle but, I think, very significant, and in different seasons of my life I have tried both.

When I focus on living in the new nature that Christ won for me on the cross, my eyes are fixed on Him and on what He has done for me. As I relentlessly pursue my relationship with Him and seek to draw closer to Him, He shines the light of His holiness into my life and shows me the things that need to change. By the gentle and gracious working of the Holy Spirit He transforms me more and more into the likeness of Jesus. From time to time there are significant issues that need to be dealt with, and I believe that on at least two occasions God has delivered me from demons. I didn’t go looking for them and I would never have known that they were there until God in His wisdom, and at the right time, drew attention to them and they had to leave.

By contrast when I place my focus on seeking to get rid of the old nature I quickly realise that this is an endless pursuit, because on the day that I die one thing is sure – my old nature will still be imperfect! No matter how hard I go after it I will never ‘fix up’ my old nature, and in fact there is no point trying to do so – even though I wrestle with it, the truth is that it’s old and it’s gone, utterly trounced on the cross. (Someone has said that it is like trying to resurrect a corpse that is meant to be dead!) This focus on the ‘old’ also leads me to dwell too much on what the enemy has done, and on my sin that has given him ‘access’. Yes I have sinned and spoilt my life in so many ways in the past but, as Paul says, “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ my Lord!” Rom 7:25

So may I wish you a most happy and blessed Easter – rejoice in what He has done and the freedom He has won for us! Rejoice! He is risen and so are we!

A date for your diary!

6:19 Trust Day Conference

19th June 2010

at Great Walstead School, Lindfield

A day to: Seek God’s Face, Encourage the Church, and pray for Revival

We hope that the day will fulfil a number of aims: firstly, to bring together as many as possible of those of you who support the vision behind 6:19 – you all know me but most of you have not met each other!; secondly, to share the vision of renewal and revival that is at the heart of 6:19, and give an opportunity for you to invite others to come and find out what we are all about; and, thirdly, an opportunity to meet with God in worship and call out to Him for revival in our land.

The conference – for which there will be no charge - will be held in the beautiful setting of Great Walstead School which is just outside the village of Lindfield in West Sussex.

We would be delighted if you were able to come and wanted to give you the date as early as possible. Further details and booking forms will be made available in due course.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”

You are probably familiar with these words from Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth. It’s a reminder that in the church God has given different gifts to different people, but that ultimately the work is His; therefore, there is no place for competition between members of the church, but only faithful obedience to the God who calls and equips us.

When I reflect on my own journey of faith there are two things that I can see have hindered me, and on so many occasions have held me back from stepping out for God. Firstly, I spent a long time being envious of the gifts that God had given other people, rather than being thankful for, and moving in, the gift that He had given me! How often do we look at other Christians and think, “I wish I could be like them?” Secondly, I have always had a tendency to take responsibility for ‘making it grow’ rather than simply being obedient and planting the seed, and allowing God to do the growing. How many times have we held back from sharing our faith by the fear of what people will think of us? How many times have we held back from praying for someone for healing because of the fear of what we will say if/when nothing happens? I’ve been thinking along these lines recently for two reasons:

Living by faith means living by trusting in a God who is faithful

I’m just coming to the end of a study of the book of Hebrews that, in its later chapters, celebrates the people of God who have lived by faith. The writer, Tom Wright, points out that we live by faith when we choose to believe that certain things about God are true and we decide to live our lives accordingly. If, therefore, God has promised that He will honour those who honour Him, and if it is true that it is His love for me that is all I need to depend on, to give me my sense of self-worth and security, then it does not matter what others may think of me when I tell them about Jesus! In the same way if I believe that God is a God who heals, and that I have been given power and authority to heal in His name, then I should have no hesitation in offering to do so. My part is to share the love of Jesus, and out of that love to pray with sensitivity, gentleness and authority for those who are sick. Not everyone I pray for will be healed – but what happens when I pray is not my responsibility. We must plant or water, or whatever He has called us to do, and leave Him to do the rest.

More news from Burkina Faso

You will remember from the last newsletter that I had the privilege of preaching at an open-air service at the church in Bobo where we spent the second week of our trip. You will remember that on the evening itself only one person stood to give their life to Jesus – hardly a stampede after I had preached my socks off! But the following week three others came to the pastor’s house to give their lives to Jesus, and I have since heard that in the weeks before Christmas three more have done the same. The pastor, Moise, assures me that there will be more.

It has taught me once again a lesson about simply being obedient to what God has called me to do, and not to take responsibility for what happens next. To paraphrase Paul’s sentence – “I planted, Moise and his church family have watered, but God has been making it grow.”

2010 – a year of stepping out in obedience

So my goal for this year is to ruthlessly pursue the God who is faithful in all things; to choose to believe the truth that He has revealed about Himself; and to live my life accordingly. I hope and pray that for you it too will be a year of going deeper in your relationship with Him.