Before The Throne Of God Above

Let these words minister to you, find a recording, and lift your hands to a Holy, awesome God...

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest,
whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I am,
The King of glory and of grace!
One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God

©1997 PDI Worship
Words and Music by Charitie Lees Bancroft and Vikki Cook

Zimbabwe (10)

"More than 3,000 people have died from the worst outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe's history, which has infected more than 60,000 people.

The epidemic has been fuelled by the country's economic meltdown, which has led to the collapse of the country's water, health and sanitation systems."

See full story here...

... and still so much of the world sits back and does nothing!

God's Infinitude

The infinite nature of God is something almost impossible for us as finite creatures to comprehend! We sometimes think of space as being infinite, but even this (having a creator) has limits and boundaries! God, as Ephesians 1 finishes by telling us, fills everything everywhere with His presence. We are finite beings, as all created things are. We have limits and bounds to our nature and our presence. God, however, is the uncreated one. His nature and his presence have no limit, have no bounds, have no constraints.

Sin & rebellion aginst God, horrible parts of man, have limits and bounds... they're finite as they're part of a people with a finite nature, and not part of God's infinite nature. God's grace & God's love however are part of the infinite nature of an infinite God! The love & grace of God know no limits, know no boundaries... God's grace truly is sufficient for me!!!

"Abounding sin is the terror of the world, but abounding grace is the hope of mankind. However sin may abound it still has its limits, for it is the product of finite minds and hearts; but God's 'much more' introduces us to infinitude. Against our deep creature-sickness stands God's infinite ability to cure.... His love is measureless. It is more: it is boundless. It has no bounds because it is not a thing but a facet of the essential nature of God. His love is something He is, and because He is infinite that love can enfold the whole created world in itself and have room for ten thousand worlds beside"

(A W Tozer - The Knowledge Of The Holy)

New Year, Same Awesome God!!!

At the start of 2008 I had no idea what the year ahead would look like... where God would take me, what opportunities He would throw my way, what blessings He had in store. I didn't know where I'd be after graduating, whether I'd graduate etc. At the end of 2008 I was able to look back and see how gracious, how generous and how faithful God had been.

Five years after being rejected by Cambridge I was able to think back to this summer and my graduation, and God's amazing provision in bringing me here and sustaining me through my studies. From not knowing where I'd be at the start of the year... I'm now in the middle of an exciting year of theological and leadership training... preparing me to serve and lead in the future, and in the present. I've met amazing people, been to amazing places and seen amazing things! God's blessed me in numerous ways, and being continual faithfully in everything!

Looking to this new year ahead, I'm not sure where I'll be work wise after the summer, I'm relying on God to open doors... but I know that it is the same God I worship & serve this year that was so faithful and abundant in grace & provision last year, and the year before that, and the year before that...!

This year, despite the doom & gloom that fills the newspapers I can be confident of God's faithfulness, God's provision and God's grace. My hope isn't in the materialism of the world or imperfect political ideals... my hope is in a God that knows no boundaries, no limits, no end to His goodness & love. What an exciting year ahead!

Happy New Year!

Zimbabwe (9) - Time To Go

"Zimbabwe is mine" declared Mugabe. No it isn't... You are in a position of great privilege, a position where you're expected to serve the people of the nation and not destroy them as you have been doing. The nation of Zimbabwe is not yours... it belongs to God. The people of that nation are God's creation, and His love & passion for them is the very opposite to your greed and evil.

When the world's leaders seemed satisfied with a power-sharing deal with Mugabe and the opposition... what sort of message did it send to the world... that you can intimidate and manipulate elections and then still remain in power. What is happening in this nation is appalling! What the world is doing about it is also far from adequate!

As famine and cholera tear through that nation, and Mugabe's greed and selfish grip on power bring despair to many struggling to stay alive... it seems unbelievable that nations such as South Africa can still press for power-sharing deals. Will we look back at this in the years to come with regret we didn't act sooner to prevent an even greater atrocity? Or will we take decisive action now? Christians it's time to pray, politicians it's time to stop talking & act (surely this is what the UN was set up for), and humanity it's time to give, support & love! Write/e-mail/pester your MP to make sure this can't be ignored!

In all the gloom and misery that surrounds that situation... there is hope for that nation, because of the reality of God coming down to earth as Jesus, because of His obedience to death, death on a cross, because of the way He conquered the grave and sits now with all glory and authority! There is hope for Zimbabwe! That hope is being expressed by churches across that nation, lets be praying for them as they work to bring hope to the people!"

Click here for more posts on Zimbabwe!

God Came Down...

Jesus... altogether worthy, altogether lovely, altogether holy, altogether God!

Jesus... seated high in authority, knowing all the joy, all the honour, all the praise that comes with being God.

Jesus... stepped down from heaven, and came to earth. Coming from light into darkness to be light, to remove darkness. Jesus, humbling himself, coming from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave... and on the cross knowing the reality of being in the depths of hell... He Came Down!

Jesus fully human, and yet fully God... knowing the pain and emotions that humanity knows, and yet remaining perfect, remaining sinless... so that He could take our shame, our penalty.

Jesus, the image of the invisible God... the transcendent one... becoming imminent, the word becoming flesh. God coming down... the lion and the lamb... mighty, majestic, king & humble slain servant. Jesus, able at any moment to stop it all... and yet not doing so, but remaining on the cross to win our freedom, to stop the power of sin and death for US!

God came down... He stepped out of the most perfect place to come into the world! God came down... fully man and fully God... so scandalous, so radical, so shocking... and yet, the truth of it has and will continue to turn the world upside down!

We Will Remember Them...

Whatever your politics, whatever your views on the wars of past & present... today as Remembrance Sunday, and Tuesday as Remembrance Day are times we look back as a nation and think of the many who laid down their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms we celebrate today, the many who were separated from loved ones, and the many evacuated from homes and families. We will remember them...

"For your tomorrow we gave our today"

Archive Photos (4) - Rose Window, Notre Dame

Mission 193: Completion

Mission 193, a mission to send pairs/groups to every nation in the world to take Bibles, pray and declare God's prophetic word has now been completed! Pairs/groups have gone to almost every nation, with the remaining few nations being visited very soon! I used my fieldwork in Chile to visit that country and take part in a mission there!

Prayer is a powerful thing, declaring and depositing the Word of God is a powerful thing... what has been sown into the nations through these two years is significant... and there is now much more to do by preaching the gospel, planting Churches, and advancing the Kingdom of God by bringing God's justice and righteousness in on earth! Let's go...

More 193 posts...

"Stop Weeping! Look..."

Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.

Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Revelation 5:1-5

Stop weeping! Look... Jesus has won the victory!

The Bride - Restoration & Worldwide Evangelisation

I love the Church, and I long to see the Church built God’s way. That means we need to see radical change in many structures, many doctrines and many teachings… in many Churches! It means we need humility to change man-made traditions and to be grace-filled to serve other local Churches in moving forward into God’s purposes. I’ve written many things in the past about the church as the bride of Christ, and a passion for restoration!

I had a fantastic conversation with a friend the other day in which we were talking about the mission of the Church to take the gospel to all nations, and the huge task that is still ahead of us. The chart below shows many ‘unreached’ areas, and many of the ‘reached’ areas still have huge huge populations of unsaved people.

I long to see the gospel taken to all nations, and long to see many people come into the Kingdom! The task ahead of us can seem big, and it is, but I don’t think it needs to be daunting. When the Church functions as God intended it to then it can see such significant things! I truly believe the Church is the hope of the world… because there’s nothing else that can be used as effectively to communicate the message of Jesus Christ, and advance his Kingdom… the Church is God’s No. 1 plan. If that’s the case, then seeing the Church restored has got to be a major priority… building the Church God’s way is something we must address as the people of God now! A church built mans way, with man-made traditions and structures put ahead of Godly and Biblical teachings & structures will be a hindrance to that great mission… to see the Kingdom advanced, the gospel go to all nations and Jesus return for His radiant bride.

Money, Money, Money (2)

Some more great articles by Gavin White and Mark Lawrence on the current financial situation!

Money, Money, Money

Roger Aubrey has written a fantastic article on finance, the credit crunch and Kingdom principles... read it here