May | 30 Faith – The Old Battle Ground & The Muzzling of The Lion

Dream Word – ROAR

Amos 1:2
"The Lord roars from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers." NKJV

Faith – The Old Battle Ground & The Muzzling of The Lion

Today in 2008, Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was introduced by former President of the U.S.A., Bill Clinton, to the waiting press and gathered multi-faith communities in New York, where he announced his new ‘Tony Blair Faith Foundation.’ In Cliff Richard style, he declared that extremists from all religions should not sing all the good tunes and so went on to say that, ‘Faith is the New Battleground.’

In 2008, Blair’s New Faith Foundation advisory board, consisted of the dynamic duo of Evangelicalism in the form of Rick Warren and Nicky Gumble, who together in turn, extolled both the man and the initiative with superlative garlands such as ‘staggering, unique, necessary and prepared.’ Lining the way and also extolling this new interfaith initiative, alongside these notable Evangelicals of the early 21st century, were equally notable Anglicans, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Hindus, acclaimed academics all. Indeed, former Prime-Minister Blair, became one of the New Teachers of a Yale University course in ‘Faith and Globalization,’ and in addition to this, Blair’s new Faith Foundation through the academic guidance of Cambridge university, also supported ‘The Coexist Foundation’ in the setting up a world-class centre for education about Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abraham house, in central London became a place where members of the three Abrahamic faiths, ‘met on equal terms, to encounter their traditions, explore their roots, discover what they shared and tackle their differences.’

There is no question that we should do all we can to work together with other people of like humanitarian mind to alleviate the sufferings of the poor, even working together in the wholesale genocide of the Mosquito. Amen and let it be so, yes let it be done. However, under the blanket of such a screaming and vast humanitarian necessity, we would be blind and moronic not to understand that faith is not in fact the new battleground but is in fact the old one, indeed, the only one! For the message of the Gospel is both totally inclusive to all men who hear and believe it and absolutely exclusive to all who do not. The message of Jesus to all men then, be they Gentiles, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Hindu, Buddhist or otherwise is this: “Continue to be dammed or, believe in Jesus and be saved.” Do you see the implications of this?

So, whilst thanking God for every shard of goodness found in anyone and anything, yes, whilst wanting to encourage that and amplify the same, wherever it is found, and to do so for the benefit of all people, never the less, this ‘One Way, Only Way’ Christian message shall be classed as nothing else but an extremist one, for this message can do nothing else but condemn all other faith’s core belief systems, as being deceptive and dastardly destructive to the ultimate and eternal good of humanity.

Remember, that though we proclaimers of this message of ‘The Way’ do not deliver God’s Gospel down the barrel of an ArmaLite, nor pack it in a bomb vest of destruction, yes, even though we do not fly this message on the wings of a rocket, nor preach it from the sides of a trundling tank, never the less, the very proclamation of this message will be seen as disrespectful, destructive and extremist, and such extremism will be bundled with the murders and the terrorists, and treated just the same.

I wonder if today in 2008, the foundation for a world faith religion was further strengthened and that in reality, the old faith battle had actually just been stepped up a gear?

So called love, tolerance and respect that stifles and kills the peaceful proclamation of the Gospel, is simply a muzzling of the Lion that roars the withering truth from the terrified tops of Carmel, across the pastures and the shepherds of all religions that presently surround Jerusalem.

Listen: - "Come, I'll show you the judgment of the great Whore who sits enthroned over many waters, the Whore with whom the kings of the earth have gone whoring, show you the judgment on earth dwellers drunk on her whorish lust." In the Spirit he carried me out in the desert. I saw a woman mounted on a Scarlet Beast. Stuffed with blasphemies, the Beast had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, festooned with gold and gems and pearls. She held a gold chalice in her hand, brimming with defiling obscenities, her foul fornications. A riddle-name was branded on her forehead: Great Babylon, Mother Of Whores And Abominations Of The Earth. I could see that the woman was drunk, drunk on the blood of God's holy people, drunk on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.( Revelation 17:1-6 - from THE MESSAGE)

Pray:- Lord, clothe us with peace, discernment, grace, clarity, certainty, strength, truth and courage, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com
Check out our NEW VIDEO

May | 26 | The Problem of Promethius and The Preparation For Death

Dream Word – FIRE

Ecclesiastes 7:2
Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. NKJV

The Problem of Promethius and The Preparation For Death

Pastors who imitate the preaching and the moral action of the prophets without also imitating the prophets’ deep praying and worship so evident in the Psalms are an embarrassment to the faith and an encumbrance to the church. (Eugene Peterson – Working The Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity)

I neither want to be an embarrassment nor an encumbrance, but I am afraid, that my natural tendency is to be so, for I have seen what Promethean fire and its resultant adrenalin-led activity can do in raising the dancing blue flames of man-made hope, both seen flickering and realised in books like “Your best life now”. Yes, I’ve seen what those flames of soulish prophetic doing can achieve, what they can get done and boy do we need to get things done! For when I look around, oh friends, when I look around, there is so much to be done, and frankly so much that we can do now and yet, yes and yet, there is oh so very little time to do it in.

You know, the needs are so great and our ability to meet those needs are now so possible, that I just want to get on down and go buy that excavator, yeah! Stoke that fire and lay hold of that yellow hot, JCB, earth-moving machine and flip that mountain on its back; build that tunnel, ford that stream, make a way through that mighty river, ‘cause I’ve got, “high in the sky, apple pie.... hopes” that we can move that rubber tree plant! Yes sirree, move it wherever we so well please. We can do it! Let’s shake that thing, yes, let’s shape this thing called our destinies, this thing called our possibilities, yes, let’s get up, let’s get down, let’s get with it and let’s just do it baby, cause we are preparing people for life! Preparing people for change, preparing people to better themselves, to better society and to better the nations of the world! Hallelujah and chaaaaaaaaarge! Have you not heard “We can do it!”

Peterson (in the book I mentioned previously) points out how the present generation of church (I believe the Laodicean Church) has bought into the Promethean myth in such a way that “We have let ourselves be co-opted in the struggle against limits, committed to raising the standard of living: bigger machines, cheaper chicken...uncritically using the means offered by the world...so uncritically applauded and so readily at hand.......we have joined in the struggle to make life better for everyone with any available means.....the problem is that Prometheus does not pray, there is too much to do and there is little time to do it.”

Do remember that in the legend, Promethius redeemed humanity from the tyranny of mortality, by causing mortals to cease foreseeing their personal doom, by placing in them blind hopes and lastly, by stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humanity, for their pleasure, for their profit and for their continual and technological advancement.

Peterson is right in his statement about proclaiming prophets and their lack of prayer, for if there are two things that characterises both the present pastorate and the postmodern community of the saints, it is first, a distinct lack of prayer and secondly, a lack of preparation for a good death. In less than a century, over 6 billion people will die on this planet. Surely this is something we should prepare for and in the so doing, that preparation for death should turn our so short lives into journeys that are baptised in the warm and wet, ever running river of prayer? This is not miserable thinking but it is Biblical thinking! There is so much to do and so little time to do it in that we really must pray and that much, much more. Yet the doing, yes, all the blind man made doing, has squeezed out all our praying.

Tell me, do you have a Promethean fire in your own personal boiler tonight? After all, just where are you getting your central heating from? What is raising the power of your personal steam, your church’s steam, your mission’s steam? Have you numbered your days? Have you and do you consider your mortality and is your life, lived in its ever lengthening shadow? If you find the thought of that last question maybe to be defeatist, or even repugnant, then I can virtually guarantee pastor, brother, sister, friend and mate, that you’ve got some strange Promethean fire in your boiler, and I tell you, it needs putting out! For if you don’t put it out, it sure as hell will burn you out! Mark my words here. Mark my words.

Yes the two best things and most Biblical things you can do is pray and prepare for your ultimate demise. Think about that tonight.

Listen: - And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Leviticus 10:1-2 KJV.

Pray:- Lord teach me to pray. Lord teach me to number my days. For Lord, I love this strange Promethean power. I just love it Lord! You know that I do not wish to be a Luddite Lord, but I do ask You to put the false fire out and then my Lord, send the Holy fire from Your throne, in Jesus name I ask it, amen.

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com
Check out our NEW VIDEO

May | 26 | Sissies or Soldiers?

Key Word:- COURAGE

Title:- Sissies or Soldiers?

Psalm 58:6-8 TLB
O God, break off their fangs. Tear out the teeth of these young lions, Lord. Let them disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands. Let them be as snails that dissolve into slime and as those who die at birth, who never see the sun..

In America I am sure that my Southern friends will forgive me this morning for referring to the birth today of a most famous daughter of America in 1819, Mrs Julia Ward Howe.

Anti-slavery activist, suffragette, and Unitarian, I might not agree with all of her theology or her politics but the poem she penned on visiting the Union Army of the Potomac is inspiring. To the tune of ‘John Browns Body’, the ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’ became the marching song of the Union army and an inspiration to countless millions. Though the first three stanzas are marvelous, the last two stanzas surpass them all when they say:

He has sounded forth the trumpet

that shall never call retreat
He is sifting out the hearts of men

before His judgment-seat
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him!

be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies

Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom

that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy,

let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

I have been witness in my lifetime to some of the greatest new worship songs I have ever heard. They move me from earth to heaven in prostrate adoration and so they should, for He is worthy. However friends, amongst all this glorious worship, the church militant seems to have laid down its weapons, seems to have retired from the field before the final battle, seems to have failed to finish off the enemy, cut the head from Goliath and stamp the serpent thoroughly under its feet. Friends, look you. In all our ‘New Worship Experience,’ where are the war songs of the mighty men of God the All-mighty? Where are the fierce ‘Lion Like Men’ of the greater David? Where are the great hearts of this day? Who will break the enemy ranks and draw water from the well of Bethlehem for King Jesus today? Are all we have in our ranks today, simply sissies with a dream? History maker fakers? Surely not? What about you? Are you a song singer or a real history maker? Faker of maker? What are you today?

Stop singing like a Sissie man! Enough of this hold me, stroke me, feel me, touch my hair and tell me that you love me rubbish! For God’s sake! for His kingdoms sake! Grow up man, get up, and go up to some mountain and take it for Jesus, take it with Jesus, take it because of Jesus. Stop the singing ans start the soldiering, maybe then you’ll have something to sing about. In the meantime I wonder if God is simply saying, “Just shut up!”

“Rise up O Men of God, have done with lesser things give heart and soul and mind to God to serve the King of Kings!”

Listen:- For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. Psalm 18:39-40

Pray:- Teach my hands to make war, make my arms strong to bend the bow of bronze, grant me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand to uphold me. By Your gentleness, make me great. Enlarge my path beneath my feet that I might not slip up in the pursuance of my enemies, until each one is overtaken and thoroughly destroyed by both Thee and me! Amen.

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com
Check out our NEW VIDEO

May | 26 | Set The Juice----Loose! Serve it Like Sushi

Dream Word – STREET-CRED

Mark 12:37b
And the common people heard Him gladly. NKJV

Set The Juice----Loose! Serve it Like Sushi

I remember performing some poetry for a about forty very rough, 'rough sleeping' homeless folks in the city of Brighton. It was surprisingly well received. Afterward, a very well spoken, silver-faced, Einstein-like figure came over to me and said, “I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your poetry and especially your delivery. You know of course, that you are following in the footsteps of the great Englishman, Chaucer, who also communicated so well in the vernacular of his day.” I was really pleased with this. Sure he was raving tooting bonkers, but I was really pleased with his comments. So, when I arrived home I immediately shared my grand comparison with the proud bubble burster of my home, my wife, who simply said, “Hmmm, yes, Chaucer. He was crude as well.” Typical. What does she know anyways?

Unfortunately we have upwardly diminished the power of the Bible in making it palace worthy rather than pavement worthy, making it a book for the studious instead of a book for the sidewalk. The common people heard Jesus gladly and I can guarantee you, He wasn’t received in the majestic language of the King James Version. The common people. They heard Him. They received Him. Gladly! I am not talking about dumbing down here either, but rather about tooling up with the words of the day.

We need to regain some street credibility in the delivery of the Scriptures. Before that happens however, we need to let loose the so long now muzzled, powerful jaws of the lion and allow it to roar once more. I wonder if the hidden and diluted Word of God which we are peddling from our pulpits now, which over the years we have also so tightly dressed up like a gay and mincing, little white and pink padded poodle-ette, is quite frankly too embarrassed to be taken out doors? It's embarrasing, for our misuse of it in this way, and that is what the diluting of the Word of God is, a gross misuse, has robbed it of its awesome power and thoroughly embarrassed it. God help us please! For this Word in its undiluted form is the very life giving juice dripped from the leaves of the squeezed out tree of life! So, yes indeed, we need to let the juice loose even if it does cause so many letters to be written by ‘disgusted of Tunbridge Wells!’ I say again, Let the juice loose!

However, before we can let thus juice loose once more, I wonder if we need to let loose most of the Christians who read the juicy book and especially those frightened little folk we have sent to seminary dentistry, where they have had their teeth removed and the rough and ready garments of the prophet replaced by a smart and casual respectability. Lord God! (and that’s a calling prayer) I hate respectability. With a vengeance! You see, I reckon that nice speaking polite little Christians have done more damage to the Kingdom of God than the devil could ever do.

I have two things to leave with you tonight.

First an equation and frankly, maybe it’s just me, but I do find that in my life, that the more righteous I experientially and practically become, the less outwardly, pretentiously respectable I both appear and act. How’s your life adding then up in terms of middle class, middle England respectability tonight? Are you above all things, nice?

Secondly, that when a clawed and sharp beaked, sharp eyed hawk even gently glides past the settled nests of the starling colonies, the little birds attack it. Prophet. Jesus street preacher. Watch out for the darling, little starlings for they are not as sweet as you might think and I tell you, they do not want their nice little nest much ruffled, especially if their religion gets in a state. If you are not nice, they will peck you to death.

Even so then and never the less, do remember to drink the Bible in its undiluted form, yes remember to simply let the juice loose and always preacher, I mean always serve it like sushi. Raw!

Pray:- Deliver us O God, from all the darling, darting starlings and all the ‘Disgusted’s of Tunbridge Wells’, yes deliver us from all the pale pulpit pansies planted in graveyard flower pots and placed neatly in old varnished pulpits, who hate to be disturbed and loathe to disturb others. Don’t give us gold fillings O Lord! No, You can keep all that useless rubbish Lord, but rather, please grow us a new set of sharp canines and grant us that deep and guttural, testosterone filled roar of the prophets of old. Lord set the juice loose and give us some “street cred” once again, in Jesus name we ask it, amen!

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com
Check out our NEW VIDEO

May-05-Coaching Columbus

Key Word:- HONOUR

Title:- Coaching Columbus

1 Peter 3:5,6
For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord,

So she says “Hey! We should have taken a left back there!” He doesn’t reply but inside he’s thinking “Christopher Columbus didn’t need directions and neither do I!” Such are the thoughts of everyman in the driving seat when any woman, wife or otherwise, attempts to give him some dimensional direction. Call it chauvinism, call it childishness, call it instability, call it even God’s design; yes, call it lack of security, or call it what you want but accept this fact and make peace with it, “Men are just like that!” I mean, what can women tell them about finding directions?

Unfortunately, this male attitude does not translate well when the opposite sex also tries to give any ‘non-dimensional’ direction to them. Men will rarely sit peaceably under the authority and teaching of a woman. On the odd occasion, they might listen to and follow a Royal Queen, a Boudicca, a Deborah, an Elizabeth or maybe even a Margaret! However, it’s rare friends, it's so very rare. Women have to be seen to have wisdom, age, respect, maybe even a kind of motherhood but preferably a grandparent-hood about them, before men will even countenance some good advice from their lips. You will forgive my lack of political correctness here I hope, because my New years resolution was to ‘Stop putting square pegs into round holes’ and just face some plain old facts, even if they are contrary to popular politically correct opinion! My statements reflect nothing on the abilities of women but on everything to do with being a man. Yes, don’t get me wrong, for every wise husband learns that he should listen to his wife. After all, she’s usually correct!

May I suggest the failure of women to communicate and instruct men is not so much in the content of what is said but in the delivery. Not so much in the rightness but in the approach. The male ego is a fragile commodity remember, and needs treating with honor and respect. If you don’t, then women, you will not be received. End of story.

The benefits of honorable communication from women to men are however, far reaching, even reaching into the future. Ask any mother and they will tell you that there comes a point when their loving son will not listen to a word they say! Never the less, ask any man, and they shall tell you that when sensibility eventually came upon them, they remembered and cherished every word spoken from the loving lips of mothers and grandmothers. Yes, every passionate plea and every overheard heard prayer became to them a means of re-instruction, a treasure of remembered love that repeated itself in their more mature days. Such honorable instruction as this ,will be respectfully received, recovered, and regurgitated. Men are just like that and you dear sisters would do well to take note.

Listen: - when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 2 Tim 1:4-5

Pray: - Thank you Lord Jesus, for the great and honorable and courageous women in the Kingdom of God. What would we do without them Lord? Make them wise tward men. Now O Lord, help the men of the Kingdom glory in their manhood, in Jesus anme we pray, amen.

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com
Check out our NEW VIDEO

May-03-Simple Yet Sumptuous!

Key Word:- SATISFY

Title:- Simple Yet Sumptuous!

Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Everyone knows that when Henry Ford first mass-produced his Model T Ford, you could have it any color you wanted provided it was black! Today of course, Mr. 'Monotone' Ford would not have been able to compete in this vast market place of color choice.

Whenever I go down to the local supermarket it is not long before I become overwhelmed with the array of choice that is set before me. For me to be found perplexed in the aisle of most any shop nowadays is not unusual, as on average, each store has some 50,000 separate items to choose from! From the vast array of competing service providers and all their sumptuous socks in sizzling and saucy colours that the marketting mantra of the century is indeed found to be , ‘Competition afforded by choice.’

Churches both large and small have spotted this seeming need to provide ‘choice’ to seekers of spiritual truth and have unwittingly engaged themselves in that self same competition afforded by the lust for choice! So, on most weekends you will find churches offering services on Saturday and Sunday, Monday morning, various afternoons and most evenings, contemporary and traditional, long and short, dressed up, dressed down, smells bells and hope on a rope. I’m not knocking it; after all it is getting in the punters! After all, people expect choice and are coming to worship and to participate in the style of their choice on the day of their choice at the time of their choice. Indeed, it’s so needful now in Christendom to present such ‘spiritual’ choice, such ‘spiritual’ options that today, this ‘service choice’ has been re-presented to us as the ‘Christian Norm,’ even the cutting edge of postmodern evangelism! After all, look at all the choice in the availability of the multitude of protestant denominations, and hey, didn’t Paul say that he would become all things to all men if by any means he could win some, and by the way haven’t we got four different gospels with one message, you know four different flavors with a different emphasis for at least four different sets of audiences? Good grief isn’t it obvious, God is into choice!

Laying aside the honorable and dutiful question of which day of the week to gather as a body to adore God together and to minister to one another; laying aside the exceptionally cheap ‘mile wide and inch deep’ quality of such a present day presentation of spiritual ‘choice’; laying aside the market place competition set by postmodern day consumer Christianity; laying aside the subsequent ‘Wal-Marting’ of Christendom, we still come to another massive problem for the sheep of His pasture and that is, that although the postmodern spiritual punter may easily quench his natural curiosity, may easily sign up for his shopping reward card and get the nice little spiritual discount his truly unrepentant soul requires, the real sheep are left rotting on the hills and wasting away for lack of good nutrition. Such choosing, such foul presentation of choice, such pandering to the flesh, for that is what it is, has left in it’s wake an emaciated Christianity that now teeters and totters pathetically through the land. The spiritual punters have touched and tasted and are some are even satisfied with the tasteless drivel, as after all, it would appear that being a Christian is not as demanding as they thought it might be. However, the people of His pasture, are left both hungry and even starving.

Sheep you see, don’t want choice; they just want feeding the food that is fitted for their needs! True sheep just want to eat! Crispy or grilled, they just don’t care! They don’t want fries, and they don’t want coke with it and no, they apparently don’t want honey mustard either! Good grief they just want a burger in a bun! They just want food from a shepherd who is sprinkled with the anointing from on high and glows with the manifest presence of the Saviour. I tell you what: sheep will travel a thousand miles for such simple and sumptuous fare and you know what, they may even do it on a Sunday mate. Imagine that!

Listen:- “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16

Pray:- Grant me O good Shepherd, a simplicity of life, a focus on the fundamentals and thenO my God, come quench my thirsty soul and feed me with the food allotted to me. Amen!

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com
Check out our NEW VIDEO

May-03- Building On A Math’s Lesson For Moles With Memory Problems

Dream Word – SURE

2 Peter 1:10
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; NKJV.

Building On A Math’s Lesson For Moles With Memory Problems

We Protestants against spiritual abuse, against doctrinal deviousness, yes, we reformers of a previous and terrible travesty of pure religion, now hang our certain and hopeful hats on five giant pegs, those being,

1 Sola Scriptura (“by Scripture alone”)
2 Sola Fide (“by Faith alone”)
3 Sola Gratia (“by Grace alone”)
4 Solus Christus (“Christ alone”)
5 Soli Deo Gloria (“Glory to God alone”)

How wonderful.

It is therefore a real shame that the outworking of these five central pillars of Protestantism, of Biblical Christianity, have on the whole led to an ever emergent and “lazy ass” Christian. We have become far too much at ease with the once wonderfully simple marriage of faith and grace, which seem nowadays to have given up producing vigorous, respectful, thankful and sacrificial offspring and have somehow been left with a nasty nest of twittering cuckoos, all over-fat children, who in their subsequent and sedentary post-modern growth, display little relation to the revelation of Scripture, which that marriage of faith and grace once so wonderfully proclaimed, and so subsequently, they have no heart or inclination, no stomach and no staying power, to either know what they should look like, desire to become nor be determined to die for. This must be rectified. We Protestants have gone soft.

Our text for tonight, is built on a ‘Therefore.’ So, looking at the previous verses in the opening of 2nd Peter, we see they speak of a multiplication of a Divine grace and peace, which in turn results in a super abundance of faithful and fruity action! 2 Peter 1: 5-9, is in fact a math’s lesson for blind moles with memory problems and is rooted in the superabundance of the promises of God and therefore prefixed with a very demanding and all encompassing action phrase, translated as, ‘Giving all diligence!’ Phew, I am tired already! Yup, this maths lesson for moles with memory problems demands ACTION. Indeed, the word diligence here, is from which we derive our English word, SPEED. Peter says in effect, “Give all eagerness, all earnestness, all business, all forwardness, haste ,despatch, diligence, yes, give all SPEED, to add my previously stated seven ‘active ingredients’ to your Christian life. Why? Well because if you do not, you will turn into a smelly blind mole which burrows in pig swill and bathes in dog vomit.” Simple!


So, now in our text for tonight, Peter goes on to say, “Be EVEN MORE diligent.” Peter uses the verb SPOUDAZO here, so in other words he says, “Hey, move faster still folks, for when it comes to being SURE of your calling and election, I want you to PUT YOUR SPEEDOS ON!” Oh, yes indeed! We might paraphrase Peter then by saying, “Oi! If your knowledge and testimony, if your service and story of present salvation and future happiness is as real as you say it is; if it is truly through God’s grace, by faith alone in Christ alone, resting in the Scriptures alone and all for the glory of God alone, then show me the active goods! No, more than that, forget assuring me so much of your salvation, rather, ASSURE YOURSELF! Yes, make your calling and election forcefully firm to your own heart. Make it steadfast, make it sure and certain to yourself! Do this all the time. Yes, let your action reveal your faith, first of all to yourself .”

Friends, the outcome of such a speedy and consistent effort which is rooted in those five Scriptural pillars, is that you shall run so confidently, that you shall never run and ruin yourselves in the bumbling and blind blundering of ignorant little moles. Now that’s magnificent!

Listen: - But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. James 2:20-24 NKJV

Pray:- Lord, deliver me from the bondage of works but help me always to righty and continually, make both my calling and election sure. In Jesus name I ask it, amen.

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com
Check out our NEW VIDEO

Apr-27-The Clang of Symbols

Dream Word – LOOK

Revelation 17:3-6
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marvelled with great amazement. NKJV

The Clang of Symbols

No, today’s title is not a spelling mistake! Rather, let it be known that symbols communicate. Yes, symbols make a sound, they inculcate a message, they congregate peoples, they educate the masses, they articulate core values, they rally the disorderly, and once they are most fully embraced, symbols define directions and ultimately rule over those people they fly over. Why do you think that after WWII and the defeat of the Nazis, every effort was made to completely remove any symbolic representation of the black jack boot which was placed over most of old Europe then? Because it had residual and unifying power. Indeed, it is still an illegal and punishable act for the swastika to be displayed in present day Germany or Austria. Yes symbols are powerful. I think we can say these three things then concerning symbols:

First that the creation of symbols have declarative power.

Second that the emplacement of symbols have immense practical power.

Thirdly that the application of symbols give rule.

As I write this Whisper, Schiller’s ‘Ode To Joy,’ it’s sentiment of unity and brotherly love so marvellously illuminated by Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, has now become the official anthem of the European union. The blue skied background twelve golden starred banner has become its official flag, and the Euro, its official currency. Latin is being moved to become its official language of ‘unification, ’ its symbolic motto and tag line being ‘In Varietate Concordia – ‘United in Diversity.’ The Revived Roman Empire is now festooned with symbols of declarative power. The systems that now form under these flapping symbols arm the union with practical power and move the whole to a ruling stance. Yes Europa, robed in priestly colours, sits now ever stronger, astride her scarlet beast. These symbols speak loudly to those with uncorked ears. Are you listening?

Undoubtedly you have symbols in your life, which of those then, at least to some extent, maybe dictate, direct and rule over you? The British Pound and the American Dollar despite their maybe current frailty, still rule over many of you tonight. Pierre Cardin and Givenchy still rule over many more maybe. Mercedes and Jaguar, PhD’s and 6 Golden Rings together with a multitude of other symbols, which might include even the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack, rule over many millions more.

Examine the ruling symbols of your life. If they are contrary to the symbols of God, then I tell you, you need to get yourself out from under them and raise some new and Godly symbols of your own. Yes, symbols are powerful. I think we can say these three things then concerning symbols: First that the creation of symbols have declarative power. Second that the emplacement of symbols have immense practical power. Thirdly, that the application of symbols give rule. What symbols rule in your life tonight?

Listen: - I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets." (Hosea 12:10 NKJV)

Pray:- Lord, brand me with the symbols of Your love, yes, come fly them over my life and also place Your white streaked bark before my almond peering eyes and anoint them with the symbols of the stripped poplar of your unstoppable blessing, in Jesus name I ask it, amen.

Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Apr-26- God The Grave Digger

Dream Word – JUDGEMENT


Nahum 1:14
The Lord has given a command concerning you: "Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, For you are vile." NKJV.

God The Grave Digger

The prophet Jonah had previously been mightily, if not reluctantly, used by God to preach repentance and grace to that great city of Ninevah. The Ninevite’s response to Jonah’s reluctant proclamations then had been to repent and to accept God’s goodness and thus, God’s falling feet of judgement pounding their way toward them, had then happily been turned away. Now however, the prophet Nahum in effect says that, “Now Ninevah shall fall!” God is returning to Ninevah once more and this time, He has a shovel in His hand and the word on His very angry lips is “I’m gonna bury you!” What on earth had happened here?

Do remember that a peoples past repentance does not guarantee a present grace. Repentance must be continually lived in for mercy to ever flow. There is a lesson here for individuals and for nations, for the lions of the earth and their blood-lines, can always be finally done away with. For good! For when God brings His shovel and digs for the much warned yet unrepentant a pit, then the earth He heaps upon them shall cover them forever and the wind will blow away every remnant of their once proud existence. For example, I remember when all my maps of the world at school were mostly covered with pink, indicating the breadth, depth and spread of the once great British Empire. Selah.

There are two marked contrasts about God presented to us in this book of Nahum and the fact that God is the God of the whole earth and that all nations are therefore accountable to both Him and His laws is the basis of this reactive contrast.

First if we as nations obey God and seek to follow Him and honour Him then this attitude and action will assure for the obedient nation concerned, both peace and prosperity; on the other hand, disobedience to His purpose and disregard of His rule and laws, will bring catastrophe to that nation and on its heals a most terrible judgement. Do you see the reactive contrast? To the nation seeking to obey Him, God is a rock and a refuge, a God of goodness carrying a basket of goodies. However, to the nation that disobeys Him and in the so doing “does the dirty” on those seeking to follow Him, then He a jealous avenger, clothed from top to tail in the black suit of the undertaker, striding angrily across the mountains of doom, carrying a shovel across His judgemental shoulders. This is a terrible but simple picture and calls forth the choice of both individual and national obedience or disobedience, of life or death, even from every generation that sees it!

I look at our falling nations of the West, least not this isle of mine, and believe we are in the time of the prophet Nahum, but Oh my God! I long for the time of Jonah the prophet to come again once more and even now I still sniff the air in prayerful hope, to try and smell the vomit of the whale upon our darkened streets once more and see a stomach acid stained white prophet rise from the puked up mess and preach repentance to us once again. Though all our fishing grounds are empty, maybe God has a few of His own great fish still hidden in His deeps? Maybe these will carry some reluctant prophets to come to these beleaguered shores once more and preach righteousness, sin, coming judgement and repentance in Jesus to us again. I hope so. I pray so. Maybe some of you should do so.

Listen:- Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:6-10 NKJV

Pray:- Lord help us all by sending Jonah's to our shores once more. Amen!


Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

April-17-Mi-nute Men or Minute Men!

Key Word:- FIGHT

Title:- Mi-nute Men or Minute Men!

Isaiah 40:9
"O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

Some people have said it was Longfellow’s poem that made Paul Revere and his ride an important event in American History.

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
The contents of the poem, the facts of the ride, the man himself, and even the supposed cry of “The British are Coming,” have all been subjects of historical dispute. Even so, these facts remain true:

• People were aware of the times.
• People were watching and waiting.
• People were ready at a minutes notice to bear arms and fight for what they thought was right!

Friends, where are the watchers and the minute men of the church today? Where are the prophets and the proclaimers, the true disciples and disdainers of all that glitters and is not gold. Where are the spiritual fighters and the holy men of old?

Our enemies are not primarily flesh and blood but our warfare is mostly and primarily spiritual. So, where are the spiritual fighting men of this our day, where are the warrior women? When looking back at our time to put a stamp of victory on the pages of His story, who will call these days and years famous? Who will seek to remember them, or maybe rather seek not to remember them for fear of shame and embarrassement as the stamp of victory has had to be replaced with the smudge of defeat.

The Words of another American, William P Merril, maybe should be sung at the multitude of leadership, family and marriage conferences that teach men how to be ‘nice’ and to ‘get along’, maybe this should be the old new song that shakes the salt cellar of the church so much, that the damp and lumpy masculine mess which it now is, begins to come apart a little?

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to her task;
Rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God

Listen: - Another popular lyric poem from long ago reads like this: - “Then the horses hooves pounded, The galloping, galloping of his steeds.’Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the LORD, ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the mighty.’” Judges 5:22,23

Pray: - Lord, awaken me, heal me, help me, arm me, that I may be mentioned in eternal dispatches and known on the field of battle. O my God do not let my carelessness become my curse. In me, I ask it O Lord, in me I say, “Rise up O Lord, O Lord our God may Your enemies all be scattered!” Lord, come shake my damp old saltcellar, shake it Lord, shake it hard over the pages of my history!

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Apr-12-Of Preaching & Pulpit Monkeys

Dream Word – FOOD

1 Corinthians 1:21-24
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. KJV

Of Preaching & Pulpit Monkeys

I am what was once referred to as a ‘Literate.’ That is, I am an ordained person not bearing a University degree. I would like a degree, a couple maybe but ah no matter, I must confess, I do love being a “literate”. T’is enough.

I regard myself as someone rooted in literacy, in all kinds of words and in The Word in particular and I am daft enough to believe, that even in this Post modern age, even in what some have referred to as a visualized Post Evangelical age, that the proclamation of the Word of God still stands tallest as the primary means of communicating the gospel. I believe in the verbal proclamation of the gospel, one voice to another’s ears; one soul speaking through the connected eyes of another, from his heart to their heart. I believe this is God’s chosen way of communicating the Gospel and though it might be foolishness, it works. The only reason it has not seemingly been working and the main reason we have replaced it most thoroughly with anaemic video clips, cosseted in the pale blanket of wet worship, is that we have hired ourselves a multitude of pulpit monkeys, who, void of any anointing, never the less bear a reputable degree, manage well and communicate inoffensively better. For sure, such monkeys are cute to have around at first, performing great tricks even, but in the end, who wants to listen to a pulpit monkey chattering on about nothing. The soul turns sour and dies under the pathetic ministry of such chattering monkeys. Yes, I wish with all my heart that we had men in our pulpits instead of monkeys, for what we have is just not enough.

In his book, ‘Lectures to My Students’, when talking about ‘God’s Acres,’ those open air arenas of proclamation and the great men of the past who made them their pulpits, Spurgeon makes mention of the Scots divine, Holy George Wishart. It is Wishart’s disciple, John Knox, who tells us that being denied access to most churches, that Wishart preached the length and breadth of Scotland in the open air. Indeed, on one occasion he went to the plague city of Dundee, choosing his platform of proclamation to be the entrance of the east gate, where taking Psalm 107:20 as his text, he preached to the infected outside the city gate and the black death free within. Spurgeon says “Seldom has a preacher had such an audience and seldom an audience had such a preacher......Old time stood at the preachers side with a scythe, saying with a hoarse voice, ‘work while it is today for at night I will mow thee down.’ There, too, stood grim death hard by the pulpit, with his sharp arrows saying, ‘Do thou shoot God’s arrows and I will shoot mine.’ This is indeed,” says Spurgeon, “a notable instance of preaching out of doors.” You’d better believe it!

Wishart escaped an assassination attempt at Dundee, but his old enemy Cardinal Beaton had him handed over to him by the Earl of Bothwell. Wishart was tried as an heretic, convicted and burned at the stake outside the walls of Edinburgh castle. On the morning of his execution the Captain of the castle invited Wishart to breakfast and gave him both food and gunpowder bags to put under his clothing. At the burning, his executioner knelt and begged for Wishart’s forgiveness, which he most readily gave. The fire did indeed eventually explode the gunpowder bags but they didn’t kill him straight away. From his window, Cardinal Beaton watched Wishart’s dying agonies.

Yes, you can buy yourself a pulpit monkey anytime you like. Ah, but men who carry the gunpowder of the Holy Spirit, underneath their anointed and holy garments, men that pack power in their words, and shoot arrows from their mouth, men who stand with time and death by their sides, men who truly believe and practice the foolishness of preaching, my God, men like that are worth their weight in gold! However, they cannot be bought. Think about that.

Some of you tonight are called to set your pulpits in the open air once more. Make sure your a literate in the Word, make sure your packed with the gunpowder of the Holy Spirit.

Some of you tonight need to stop monkeying around and repent. Yes, some of you, for goodness sake, need to start being men in your pulpits and not a monkeys.

Some of you Church goers tonight need to check your larders and I tell you, if all you have accumulated over the years are bunches of bright yellow bananas, then some of you need to simply stop going to the local zoo, because I tell you, that’s what your local church has turned into.

Listen: - He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Psalms 107:20 NKJV

Pray:- Oh God that we would have some mighty men to worry us once more! Take us back to Your word, put Your bow in our mouth and Your fire in our hearts. Pack us O God with the explosive and resurrection power of Jesus Christ the King. Please God give us words and voices once more, instead of this endless chatter of the pulpit monkeys, in Jesus name we ask it, amen and amen.



From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Mar-31-Stones of Fire

Dream Word – ROCK

Ezekiel 28:14ct
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. NKJV.

Stones of Fire

The Old Celtic legend says, that this particular saint had power over wild beasts, and in particular, had power over a ‘Chrysalids’ type of gigantic cow, which was of use to him as a kind of ancient U Haul and milk truck all in one. This particular cow had been put under the care and oversight of a wild wolf, who one day came and prostrated himself before the saint, repentant and forlorn, as a passing King had killed his charge for food. The King, having placed pieces of the cow in a cooking pot, despite the fierceness of the fires set under it could not get the water to boil! Thus the king, discerning both the power of God and their culpability in killing the saint’s large cow, eventually also came, and like the wolf, prostrated himself before the saint, as he and his entourage sought both his forgiveness and his protection from God’s wrath. These two things, St. Brynach provided, and to prove the efficiacy of his word, Brynach raised the giant cow from the dead, restoring him to the care of the wild wolf. For such devoutness, magnanimity and power, the king gave St. Brynach land for a monastery and church and also freedom from taxation to boot, and frankly, who wouldn’t! Interestingly, it was this same land, to which an angel of the Lord had directed Brynach to proceed to, as he was praying on the mount of his visitation, which is now named, Carn Ingli, or the Mount of Angels. This marvellous and still mystical region in the West of Wales, from which the magical blue rocks of the Neolithic masterpiece we have come to know as Stonehenge, were once hewn and quarried, was apparently first footed and owned by the angels and became to all spiritual peoples, a listening post, a meeting place, indeed, a place of practical business between the material and spiritual realms. Wales is a strange place!

In noting God’s delight in all things material, I have noted from the Scripture, God’s particular fascination and delight with untouched stone, stone shaped only by those four distinct tools at His command and in His hand. That is, time and water, wind and weather. The Celts might have said that ‘These four tools make shapes among the rocks and amidst the standing stones, and in forming an interface between the spiritual and material realms, they scoop out conduits of power, make places of interaction and interface, and allow heaven to touch the earth.’

In the same way dear friends, God takes the passing of time, the wind of adversity, the water of His sanctification and the weather of our journey, to rightly shape His living stones, His present saints, the church of His Own Dear Son, to change them into a listening post, even a proclaiming place of power, where heaven can touch the earth once more. Surely, when the living stones of Christ and the priests of the Most High God, gather in the standing circle of His love, surely then, from within that sacred place and out of that true and magical Royal Blue Kingdom, anything is possible and anything can happen? From there, maybe even wolves could begin to care for giant cows again and the Kings of the earth could come to us, for protection and for provision.

Stonehenge is being excavated once more, that it’s secrets may be found, whilst the church in these ancient lands and of these ancient lands, continues in its horrific decline into uncared for laughability. It is time that the spiritual and the material once again meet together in the church of the living God.

Listen: - But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:40 NKJV.

Pray:- So set a fire underneath Your standing stones O God, the heat of which would crack open our clam like mouths to speak forth the sweetest of praise to the greatest of names on the earth, under the earth and in the earth and in that great name of heaven we so confidently and rightly pray to you and shout out tonight. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus!

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Mar-28-Cow Zombies

Dream Word – PROD

1 Samuel 6:3-9
So they said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you." Then they said, "What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden tumours and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart? Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us — it happened to us by chance." NKJV.

Cow Zombies

So God desired to kill the sons of Eli. Thus Hophni and Phineas were killed when the Ark of God, that box of the presence of the Lord amongst His people was also lost to the Philistines in battle.

Like just another Trophy of just another locally conquered God, the Ark was then placed by the Philistines in the presence of their own god, Dagon. After all, surely two gods = double the power. What follows however, is nothing short of disastrous for the Philistines in that they were plagued with testicular tumours and overrun with rats and all their associated infestations and infections. To top it all, their idol of Dagon was found on several occasions to be laid prostrate and broken before the Ark of the Lord. This didn’t do too much for the reputation of their own local god in that “...neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.” 1 Samuel 5:5. Yes, the Dagon shrine at Ashdod was forever rubbished by the presence of the real and only God.

The five Lords of the Philistines seemed to be passing the problems associated with the presence of the Ark of God, from one of their ruling provinces to the next. That is, until a vocal group of NIMBY’s (Not in My Back Yarders) kicked up such a fuss, that the problem needed to be properly addressed at last. Thus through divination, the priests of the Philistines came up with the solution laid out in our text for tonight and so, they loaded up the cart and watched the outcome from afar.

God now did what Dagon could never do: He guided the cows, who unaccustomed to the yoke newly placed upon them, never the less, under God’s guidance, drew the load equally and securely, kept their attention on the right road, overcame their strong and natural desire to go to their calves, and brought them in a straight line, without missing one turn in the road, straight away to the priestly city of Beth Shemesh.

Let me emphasize that these cows went contrary to their own inclinations in that they had not forgotten their offspring and were not therefore moved ahead in some disassociated Zombie Cow like state, no, they were still lowing for their young ones, calling them, even pining for them. It would appear then that these cows knew their true master, knew their great owner, and were following His commands, even to their death, above and despite their own natural cow like inclinations. The following and watching Philistines, in observing these continually lowing kine, saw the majesty and the power of God over nature. It was enough to cause them to acknowledge that the judgement of God, had indeed been upon them.

We all, in our home nations of this day, seem to neither know nor even consider that the judgement of God may be upon us. Unlike the pining cattle of our text, we are in fact “Zombie like Cows” trotting not so merrily but like a drug and voodoo’d zombie, we lumber in Frankenstein like steadiness, in stupor to the slaughterhouse, being covered in tumours of STD’s (did you know a 2003 federal study revealed that 25% of American teenage girls carry a sexually transmitted disease!) and piling up our young men like so much dead meat on various battlefields around the watching world. I cannot help but believe that this is but the beginning of our sorrows, for zombie like cows, lost in a self indulgent, cud chewing, mindless mooing stupor, rarely listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ presented to them for God has hardened their heart and settled them in their Christ rejecting state.

The whole truth of the Bible, presents a disturbing picture of a Holy and a good God, coming into contact with a dirty and a bad mankind. Our only hope is to pray God’s mercy over our Zombie Cattled Nations, which are moving headlong to the slaughterhouse. You see truly the answer to our problems is not better programs to pander to the masses, not hipper presentations to hype them into the Kingdom, not the coolest of music to con them into more consumerist tendencies, but rather to pray to God that He would unharden their hearts and unblock their ears before they are slaughtered before His presence. It's not a merry message, but it is one that needs proclaiming.

Listen: - The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; NKJV

Pray:- What passing-bells are there for these who die as cattle? Lift O Lord, the zombie like stupor that has fallen like death cauls around all the newborn of these wayward generations. Lord, grant to your church the right kind of cattle prod to issue a most timely wake up call to one and all, in Jesus name we pray, amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com

Mar-21-The Manufacture of Spiritually Retarded, Crippled Clowns

Dream Word – MOVE

Jeremiah 3:15
And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. NKJV.

The Manufacture of Spiritually Retarded, Crippled Clowns

The servants of Christ wash the feet of travelling men, journeying across this dirty world ever closer to both the heart and the city of Jesus.

The servants of Christ, might retool these same journeymen, re-arm them, re-orient them, re-educate them maybe, reinforce them in the faith most certainly but shall surely return them to their journey, until the next and necessary pit stop, when they shall have the privilege to deal with a bigger, leaner, ever onward, ever upward ‘looker,’ than they previously had to service. For their journey, through both challenge and change, has brought to them increased personal strength and increased personal maturity and they have moved on, manned up, grown in both grace and truth! Grown in their appetite as journeyman, grown in that, their sight of the heavenly city is clearer, the smell of the green, green grass of their eternal home is that much more acute; their ears are more full of the sound of singing angels; their skin is more sensitive to the feeling and the flowing of the wind of the Spirit; their arms stronger and lifted up; their feet full of peace, more certain, more sure and more directed in the way; their armour dented but bright; their sword bloodied yet sharper; the loins of their mind now being more lifted and focused; the belt of truth, tight and secure around the chiselled core of their being! Yes indeed, the servants of Christ, that is the pastors and leaders of the church of the living God, shall happily and with great thankfulness, wash the feet of such travelling men, such lookers unto Jesus.

Now, this picture of growing and journeying strength, of maturing in grace and truth, I believe is a Biblical expectancy. However and unfortunately, this picture is in fact, to our Laodicean lot anyways, an unwanted and unsought for fantasy and ashamedly, for I speak as a shepherd, as a foot washer for the journeying man, the shepherds are mostly to blame for this most sorry state of affairs. In my journeying around the Christendom and in my ministry to the same, I am tired of seeing many gigantic, staff led churches, doing everything for their congregations to justify their often too well paid existence, by enabling thousands of kindergarten kiddies to simply continue to languish on the breast and in the so doing they have created vast churches of sucklers and suckers, baby Christian clowns. It’s just pitiful.

All teachers must ensure that at some point, and the sooner the better by the way, that their pupils overtake them. Yes, all teachers must pull back the bow for eventual release. However, when teachers have students who never move on, and in North America especially, these stunted students attend churches in their tens of thousands, then two strange things will happen to the church. Watch this now, for first, the teachers themselves will turn into smiling imbeciles, toting suitcases full of well worn platitudes and the odd blunt instrument, and secondly, their students will turn into spiritual cripples, retarded Christians, who of necessity, have to have their backside wiped for them and be personally spoon fed with poorly, pre-chewed rubbish.

Such sad shepherding is not releasing strong disciples into their journey, but rather, is producing imbecilic imitations of Christ, who ride around the children’s race track, pulling into the same old pit stop for the same old problems, which will be dealt with by same old people in the same old inept, low octane, low expectation way. There is you see, no expectation or plan no daring demand, no challenging necessity for people to grow in grace and truth.

I do not envy the shepherd, who has sold himself into such dismal drudgery and I pity the sheep that still suck on these strange, fat staff titties that such churches alluringly dangle before them, for neither the smiling and imbecilic teachers nor such crippled disciples, will stand in the fires which are to surely come upon us.

It is out of such great concern that I speak so harshly tonight. Cool or not so cool, senior or otherwise, I pity the pastor that has to stand before Jesus and account for every empty, energy absent, wimp of a word which he has spoken. It will not bode well for such makers of retards.

Yes, if you are not changing and growing, then you are spiritually retarded. If you are not being re-armed, re-orientated, renewed, refreshed, re-educated and re-enforced in your faith to then be released into and served on, your destined journey, then you are being short changed, slowly killed, and are going nowhere. Indeed, you are purposefully being kept in your wheelchair and paying through the nose for that privilege. You are a spiritual retard and you have been fed and bred for it from what other imbeciles have termed 'the finest pulpits in the land.'

I must confess, that at the moment, I can find no hope in my heart for such lost shepherds, locked into such a good looking and grossly debilitating system. However, I do believe there is some hope for those lost sheep who are sick of mommies milk and wanting at last, to take care of their own rear end. Yes there is hope for those sheep if they want it. The beginning of the answer is simple. Find some hard looking men and some greener pastures. Find some scarred and sun burnt shepherds moulded by the heart of Hosea and the sporting the look of Amos the iron man about them, and if they and the greener grass are over the hill and far away, then move there! Time is running out. For the sake of your poor retarded spirit, find a good restaurant that serves whole food, that makes you eat your greens, that measures your B.M.I. and coaches and cajoles you into becoming a muscular man, a man of the Word and the Spirit, a man that can survive in the field, form families and feed himself and them, teaching them to do the same. Find such a church and go to it.

The servants of Christ wash the feet of travelling men, journeying across this dirty world ever closer to both the heart and the city of Jesus.

Listen: - Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation — as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:14-18a

Pray:- In my life Lord, be glorified today. In Your church Lord, be glorified today. In this world Lord, be glorified today. Ruin this retarded Laodicean church Lord, by raising up men like You, full of grace and truth, full of the Word and the Holy Spirit, wholesome, healthy, hard and happy. Then Lord, make me one of them, in Your great name I pray. Amen.

From April 24th 2011
Broadcasting on London's
Premier Christian Radio
Each Sunday Night at 5:45pm.
www.66weeks.com