Encounters with Jesus #4

As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died…”
… So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. (Matt 9:18-22 NLT)

Here we see faith as a last resort. But faith is faith no matter when it occurs or what provokes it, and faith is always transformational.

We do not know the timeframe between Jesus’ two visits to the area but this much is clear, on the first occasion the residents were very self-confident and self-reliant (while we don’t like to, I’m sure we can readily see ourselves in them… even now). However, the whole area seems to have changed; we don’t know how or when but the spiritual climate had become desperate for God – a mini Revival was breaking out, if you like. In fact it had started before Jesus arrived but he was the spark to finally ignite it.

So much was happening that Matthew seems in such a rush to tell about it all that he manages to omit so much detail. Luke’s account of this encounter paints a much more vivid picture of this woman for us; she was a woman at the end of her rope on every level.

When we encounter her chances are she had woken up that morning with suicidal thoughts, just as she did every morning for the past 12 years. Not that she would have gone through with them for fear of God but such thoughts plagued her constantly since her life had been consumed by her illness. This is not an overly dramatic description – her life had been consumed! Her bleeding instantly made her ‘unclean’ according to Jewish law and this was how people now viewed her, but worse than this she began to view herself in this manner too. Day by day it consumed her self-confidence; she was loosing more than blood each day, her sense of worth was draining from her too.

She had been a woman of means, whether this was through business acumen or inheritance we don’t know, but what we do know is that it had all gone; consumed on doctors bills and failed treatments. Ultimately her bleeding had consumed her wealth, her resources. It also consumed her relationships. When we encounter her she is alone in the midst of the crowd. The chapter opened with a cripple surrounded by friends desperate to see him walk again. This woman had no-one. We don’t know how old she is or whether this all began in her youth, perhaps it resulted in her being overlooked for marriage and now she was too old to be a bride. This illness had consumed her future, her dreams. She was left with nothing, not even hope.

Such devastation can sometimes destroy us, but it can also be the unlikely ‘compost’ in which faith can grow and flourish. Her faith, born out of desperation had created determination. She had been ill on Jesus’ last visit and so the only real fact she had was that Jesus was not able to heal in her neighbourhood. Despite this a faith to the contrary now burned within her. As she approached Jesus she encouraged her faith, speaking faith over her faith, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

She may not have viewed her faith as great, indeed she may have been in awe at the demonstrations of faith we have already read about in this chapter, but her’s was by far the most spectacular; it had triumphed over her bleeding before Jesus had even healed her! Her faith burned with such… well, faith that as soon as she had touched Jesus he said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." (Luke 8:46 NIV). Jesus had not prayed over her as he had done in previous encounters; her faith had drawn a healing out of Jesus. Jesus was excited by her faith that all he could do was encourage her.

No matter what your situation is today, it will not destroy you. Allow it to fuel your faith, let your faith burn so vibrantly that it consumes your situation. At that moment you will hear Jesus’ words echoing over your life: “…be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.”

-Andrew Carey

Encounters with Jesus #3

This is turning out to be one incredible sequence of events, and no sooner had the previous encounter concluded than the next comes rushing in! While this next encounter involves a healing miracle the focus here is not on the miracle but on the faith of a father and how it invaded his life on the most emotionally draining of days – the funeral of his daughter.

As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”
So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him...
When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! (Matt 9:18-19, 23-25 NLT)

I know it’s hard but take your eyes off the spectacular healing, amazing as it is, but let’s look at the girl’s father.

You see, this father’s act of faith took place before we actually meet him here.
Days before his daughter, his treasure, had become ill. Even though he was busy, as usual, in the synagogue his thoughts were of his daughter laid up in home. He seemed to know that something was up. He couldn’t explain how but he did, not that he wanted to accept this for a moment but it plagued his mind as he tried to listen to the positive words of friends who insisted that it would pass. He was used to having his ‘little treasure’ rush at him showering him with hugs as he entered the house, but now her smile was fading and no arms were flung around his neck. Instead his beloved daughter lay there listless and pale. His wife sat there with her, she had been there all day and an unspoken concern was deep in her eyes; a mother knows more clearly than any when something is serious.

Each day in the synagogue anguish and frustration filled him. People asked him to prayer to the God of Israel on their behalf but right now he could not have felt any further from God. Had he displeased God? Could this have anything to do with the last time that local boy, Jesus, came by claiming to be the Messiah? When you feel helpless like this crazy thoughts, thoughts you would normally never remember, take on a gravity as you desperately try to make sense of everything. But sometimes things just don’t make sense, and it is too much to bear.

Then, that morning, he woke up to a sense of absence. Everyone was there but there was a deep sense of emptiness that threatened to break his heart, or at least it would if he had any energy left to feel such emotion. He went over to his ‘little treasure' but she did not stir. His kiss was received by her lifeless cheek. How could such peace occupy a lifeless face? He cried. Tears rolling silently down his cheeks. He wasn’t sure why because he didn’t feel anything, he couldn’t feel anything; all he felt was utter exhaustion, but the tears continued to flow. Why had God abandoned his family? This was too big a question and the weight of not knowing crushed him. Then the wailing began. His family had woken up now and their grief was now filling the air.

What do you do when have lost such a treasure?
He was a leader of the synagogue, a religious man, he know the rituals, the customs that take place at these times. He knew what to do; he knew his responsibility. Somehow these responsibilities offered him release, a detachment from the pain; it held back the tears. As the mourners gathered, sharing in the grief of the family he heard a name that pierced his heart just as deep as his daughter’s cold cheek: Jesus. Had he heard correctly? Was this man back? In the light of his loss all his reasoned objections to the validity of the claims made by the carpenter’s son dried up like his tears; what if he was the…

Deep inside a battle overwhelmed his heart. No-one else saw this, all they could see was a man honouring the tragic loss of a daughter – he was an inspiration to them as he performed his duty. Inside, though, something new was beginning to burn – an unreasoned hope in the claims of Jesus. Silently he slipped away, he abandoned his family; if this did not work out then his family would be even more deeply wounded than they are now. They needed him by their side but right now he needed a Messiah, he needed Jesus to be who he claimed to be, and despite past reservations he knew he was.

He couldn’t say how long he had walked for. As much as loss had consumed him before now hope engulfed him. All his life he had passionately trusted Yahweh, the God of his fathers, and he now found himself approaching Jesus filled with the same trust that he had always placed in Yahweh; he was consumed by faith. The crowd was easy enough to find, a crowd always is, but whether he had to barge his way through or whether they simply parted for him, seeing his tears, he couldn’t say; it was all a blur. Then there he was, Jesus, but to him he did not seem to be the same man he rejected last time. The father’s eyes, burning full of tears, met those of Jesus; eyes which burned with compassion and authority – eternal, unstoppable. These were eyes that death would listen to, but the last thing he expected to see in Jesus’ eyes was recognition; not a recognition of old acquaintances but a recognition and understanding of what he was going through. Words were not needed but they rushed out any way.
“My daughter has just died,” the father said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.”

The faith of this man is overwhelming!
In a day of pain and grief, he filled the emptiness of feeling abandoned by God with trust in Jesus. This was not just a ‘reassuring faith’ it was an ‘active faith’. He knew what was expected on him by his grieving family but he had his eyes fixed on Christ.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3:1-3 NLT)
But we cannot afford to view this as extraordinary faith – this needs to be reality our daily faith!
Be encouraged – this is possible. Before that day the town lacked faith to such a degree it hindered Jesus’ ministry. Out of this came the incredible faith that we have read about today. Your faith is not fixed – it can grow dramatically and instantly, just fix your eyes on Jesus!

-Andrew Carey

Encounters with Jesus #2b

Matthew’s encounter with Jesus is too important for us to leave just yet; we have something more to learn from him.

Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (Matt 9:10-12 NLT)

Matthew’s response to Jesus had an immediate impact. Despite nothing having happened in his life since deciding to follow Jesus (nothing miraculous I mean like a healing or something), everything had changed. Something had been fixed in his ‘sorted’ life. What is more he knew there were many others in his ‘little black book’ of contacts who needed to experience the same release.
He didn’t wait around either. Matthew knew people who needed to know Jesus, and he knew where Jesus was. This was the first co-ordinated evangelistic drive the area had seen but Matthew did not target to influential, those who people were likely to listen to and respect; instead his guest list sent shockwaves through the town since he had invited the ‘who’s who’ of the Galilean underworld!

Undoubtedly this banquet did not have the congenial atmosphere of an Alpha supper. I’m sure you’ve seen Mafia get togethers in movies and so you can imagine the tension there must have been around Matthew’s table. And then in walks Jesus, a carpenter’s son who now captivated them; once they were in charge but now things were about to change – about to be fixed.

Why should Jesus mix with people who could harm his reputation? Because they needed help.

Matthew knew exactly what these people needed, it wasn’t a miraculous healing, it wasn’t a helping hand, it was an encounter with Jesus. He knew that these people who thought they were in charge needed to meet with the man who was in charge. The power that they each jealously protected entrapped them rather than liberating them but now they had encountered the Liberator. They were free of themselves and the sin and rebellion and selfishness that consumed their lives.

Similarly this provides us with an important but overlooked principal; give people what they need.

What would Jesus do? He never gave a hungry man a coat, or the lonely money, and he never preached at the jobless. Instead Jesus demonstrated the Gospel by meeting people’s needs; he healed the sick, fed the hungry, valued the dispossessed and visited the lonely. It is in these moments when we hear the voice of the Gospel ringing out with deafening clarity, not when we angrily berate the confused at the top of our voice.

"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'
"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'” (Matt 25:41-45 MSG)

Something massive was happening in town that much is clear. Where Jesus had once been ignored he was now being pursued passionately, desperately and wholeheartedly. On his last visit he said that a prophet has no honour in his home town, something we too can fall foul of in our response to Christ’s call; our true response to Christ is shown in our response to others.

-Andrew Carey

Encounters with Jesus #2a

If that first encounter with Jesus wasn’t enough for you, something even more incredible is about to happen:
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” (Matt 9:9-12 NLT)

Has this shaken you up a little?
It should do – I have been struggling to take it in, but it is essential.

What was Matthew doing?! He had either not heard that Jesus had arrived in town or, for the time being, had thought earning a living was more important meeting this ‘saviour’ who was a carpenter’s son (or perhaps he had seen the sudden influx of people into town as opportunity to make some money – tax collectors were not honourable civil servants they are today). Whatever the reason when Jesus turned up he found Matthew working.

Salvation is never something cute or ‘heart warming’ (although it is always worth singing about), it is a point of conflict; death attacked by life, grace slaughtering sin, our way or God’s way – “Follow me and be my disciple.”

That morning Matthew wasn’t sick requiring the Healer’s touch, he wasn’t poor needing provisions from the Miracle worker. He was OK just like us, and yet [just like us] he was in more need than anyone else that day because he was not pursuing Jesus. Jesus could see how much trouble Matthew [like us] was in, he had no-one to take him to Jesus, and so Christ pursued him. And now, in this town full of repentance and faith, in the middle of a busy working day Matthew found Jesus stood before him; his ears rang with Jesus’ words as his eyes stared straight into those of Christ. Matthew’s life was about to come together.

We live as though we own life, but we don’t; God gives us breathe, and He takes it away. We have a saying that expresses the idea that we live on ‘borrowed time’ and this is true, from the moment we cry our first breathe as a child our time is not our own – it does not belong to us. When Jesus calls each of us to follow him it is not an imposition, even though it may remove our income or position of honour. Often we make ourselves believe that we live by faith trusting in God as our Provider even though we will not do anything to jeopardise our earning potential even though. But to deny Christ is to deny Christ.

Matthew was no pushover. He was a tax collector, he had the influence and sense of threat that perhaps the Mafia have in our day (think Don Corleone from ‘The Godfather’). He was used to making people crack with just a look; they would sell their children to meet his [threatening] demands. But here, in this [salvation] conflict with Jesus, eye to eye, all he could see was truth and life. He cracked, he sold himself to Christ – at last, for the first time in his life, he was free to live!

Not every response we make to Christ’s call requires us to abandon our jobs or families, sometimes Jesus instructed people to return home and bear witness in their daily lives. Others he told to start an honest life, to raise a family, to live honourably, but they all realised that they had to live for Christ – he created them and he gave them life [to live freely for him]: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col 3:23-24 NIV)

How do we respond?
I know that I am still locked in that look with Christ, but a response is required.

-Andrew Carey

Encounters with Jesus #1

The other week I was reading Matt 9 and I was really taken back by this astonishing list of people who demonstrated their faith in Jesus. Indeed it often seemed that Jesus [the man of faith] was even impressed by them at times!
All of this has left me reeling so much so that I’d like us to spend some time in the company of these guys over the next 7 blogs.

But it all begins here: Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples crossed the sea to Jesus' hometown. They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic… "Get up. Take your bed and go home." (Matt 9:1-2, 5 MSG)

This is all that Matthew chooses to record about this incident which ‘impressed’ Jesus so much. It is a frustratingly thin on detail.
Jesus had visited his home town once before which is recorded in Mark 6. Back then we where told that Jesus was “amazed at their lack of faith.” Back then he was unable to do any miracles because of this but this time was different; it seems that miracles would occur whether he intended them to happen or not (which we will see later)! We may never know what had happened in the intervening time but one thing we do know – it was dramatic! Jesus was once dismayed by the lack of belief in his home town but now he was impressed, and almost as soon as he steps foot on the shore!

Doesn’t this give you hope?
If you are like me you will have had times in your life when you lacked faith and Jesus walked on by. You could have experienced the miraculous but instead nothing changed. You’ve beaten yourself up over it but now Jesus is coming back; he hasn’t abandoned you, but will you greet him with faith?

These guys were desperate for Christ.
Perhaps they had been in the crowd last time Jesus visited. History told them that miracles didn’t happen in this town, but this did not stop them. They rushed at Jesus with a faith that flew in the face of history. They put down their lack of faith and picked up their paraplegic friend; their past failure now caused their hearts to burn with faith. Despite having no assurance that Jesus was going to see them let alone heal the guy, they put legs on their faith and ran to the shore with a different attitude from before – if Jesus was here a miracle was going to happen! This was not based on evidence or history, it was based on a desperate and repentant faith. This impressed Jesus deeply.

Today, rather than reliving past failures you and I can take up our faith and run to Jesus – even we can impress Christ!

-Andrew Carey

Humorously sad.

My Pastor was preaching last Sunday morning about the need to remain spiritually healthy, to avoid ‘poisoning’ our [spiritual] diet. One thing he mentioned was avoiding the tendency to isolate yourself from God and others (i.e. ‘backsliding’). On discussing this he briefly touched on a classic verse from Hebrews 10, but until now I had never noticed how tragically funny the verse is (by this I mean that it is technically humorous but too painfully true to laugh at): “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,” (Heb 10:25a NIV)

What made me laugh and cry?
It was the idea that people can be in the habit of getting out of the habit of spending time with God and his people! How [deeply] tragic.
What is worse is that I know that I can list people I have known who fall into this category, and the list is painfully long. The inference Paul is making here is that it is not that these people struggle to settle into habits full-stop and so are likely to ‘drift off’. He is suggesting that they are incredibly habitual people; it is just that their habit is getting out of the habit. In reality this is spiritual self-harm.

Thankfully, Paul does not leave this verse entrenched in tragic irony, too painful to cope with, he finishes it with something amazing: “…but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb 10:25b NIV) We are each to take responsibility for encouraging each other. We are to defend each other as if our life depends upon it.
Did you encourage anyone last week?
If not, look for ways to do so; others may be relying upon it as much as you are!
If you have, look for more ways to be encouraging – be inventive and generous in your encouragement, and let it be full of grace. Let this be our habit, especially as we see signs of Christ returning and calling us home.

-Andrew Carey

Stop the presses!

The next Fusion prayer event is just 10 days away, so [if you belong to Bethel Community Church] make sure you put your name up on the timetable - feel free to do more than one slot, or even the whole night like before! When you make a sacrifice God pours out His glory!
On top of this the new Fusion Devotional (a 28 day devotional themed around The Lord's Prayer) will also be available in the next few days! If you wish to secure yourself a copy at the ‘prayer event price’ of £3.00 then contact me.

Come alive.

We take life for granted.
We have the alarming tendency to live recklessly because we make the bold assumption that there is always tomorrow. Our recklessness may take many forms, a rushed discussion, thinking that watching ‘that’ TV show won’t harm us, or driving around too fast because we leave home too late; whatever form it takes it reveals that we do not treasure what we have. Living life to the full does not meaning emptying it of value; run fast, laugh loud, hold hands, turn up early, give gifts, relax fully, knit creatively, study productively, rejoice everyday.

We can also fall into the tendency of taking our spiritual life for granted; we live as though our salvation is a contract rather than a relationship. Complacency is a killer, this is the message we get when we read what is said about the church in Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7).

Remember you are alive!
I read these words last week and it reminded me just how exciting our life is (even the mundane day-to-day parts): “…because I am alive… you're about to come alive.” This is what happened the moment Christ entered your life – you became alive! We are no longer waiting, we have life in us – overflowing and abundant!
“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” (John 10:10 MSG)

A famous philosopher once said, ‘I think therefore I am.’ When Christ rescues us [from our miserably terminal sin drenched mundane life] he brings us to life, and all of a sudden we see: ‘I live therefore I know who I am’ – I am in Christ and he is in me!

"I will not leave you orphaned. I'm coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you're going to see me because I am alive and you're about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I'm in my Father, and you're in me, and I'm in you.” (John 14:18-20 MSG)

Let’s never take this for granted but enjoy falling in love with our redeemer every morning – when we breath let’s realise that we are alive, and if we are alive [truly alive] we are in Christ, and if we are in him we have something to sing about, a hope to share.

-Andrew Carey

Have you got a light, mate?

It is raining this morning, wet and dark – or at least when I caught the bus into work it was.
As I stood there waiting patiently for the X15 I noticed something – light shines further and more intensely when the weather is miserable! When the clouds shield us from the sun, rain has soaked every surface, and car headlights shine even brighter it seems – bouncing of every wet surface which have now become ultra reflective!

We are familiar (and no doubt quite secure) with the verse where Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12 NIV). This makes us feel safe because it takes the responsibility off us, but later on Jesus says something else, “You are the light of the world.” (Matt 5:14 NIV). This is a little more unnerving.
When the sky is clear people can see the radiance of God clearly, it is as though we all bask in the light of Christ. But then there are overcast days, like today, when the clouds are full of rain and they relentlessly soak us, we become the only light that shines [Christ in us]. On murky days God has commissioned and resourced us to shine, to shine with the light of Christ[-like living], and we will find our light reflecting off wet surfaces into the most unexpected corners.

“You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16 MSG)

Let your life, no matter how little and overlooked you may feel, be like sunshine on a rainy day to those around you; those you know and even those you don’t.

- Andrew Carey

Amazed?

When did we stop being amazed?
This is a question that has hung over me since reading Matt 9 in the prayer meeting this week. In this chapter we read of some amazing healings and callings, all of which occurred because people’s faith transcended from being just words into actions. In the middle of all this we read:
“When the crowds saw it, they were struck with fear and awe; and they recognized God and praised and thanked Him, Who had given such power and authority to men.” (Matt 9: 8 AMP)

In The Message it says that the people were ‘amazed’.

Amazed!

When was the last time you were amazed by God? I mean so amazed you were filled with ‘fear and awe’.

‘Amazed’ has the word ‘maze’ at the centre of it. A maze is a confusing and tangled network of paths that leave your head spinning, but ultimately they lead to the centre – the goal. When we are amazed at God a similar thing happens; our thoughts do not know which way to turn, every direction makes no more sense than the last one, and the suddenly there we are, in the centre, in God’s presence and it all becomes clear – but it still feels like too much to take in.
Being amazed is exciting, thrilling and terrifying; it means that something we can’t explain – and may never truly be able to explain – has just occurred.

I remember being truly amazed with God on a few occasions; things I had seen that shook me up positively.
In a prayer meeting at the beginning of the year our Pastor reminded us of all the healings that God had done among us the year before – it averaged at 2 or so a month. This was amazing! But then he reminded us that nothing had happened since November, it was as though we had got caught up with all the preparations for Christmas that our expectations had faded – for a moment we had forgotten our amazement and we hadn’t grieved about its absence!

Lord, you do not need to amaze me – you are amazing! Help me recognise you – in holy fear and awe – and in obedience follow you. Help me work my faith out in actions more than words that you would be recognised in Newport. Amaze us – amaze our rationally cynical minds, amaze our hardened hearts. Amen.

“The crowd was awestruck, amazed and pleased that God had authorized Jesus to work among them this way.” (Matt 9:8 MSG)

- Andrew Carey

No trespassing.

Growing up I used to live not far from an amazing forest. It claimed to have once been home to a dragon, but more than this I think it was a young boy’s natural sense of adventure and fertile imagination which made it so exciting. You could easily spend all day in the wood finding new places, or discovering rope swings left by others; it was an unending wonderland.
But there were places you couldn’t go; not all of the forest was open to the public. You could be running through the trees one second and the next you were confronted by an unending rusty wire fence barring your progress, covered with signs reading “private - no trespassing!” I’m sure that you are familiar with such signs.

I only recollected this because yesterday as I was thinking about the Lord’s Prayer and I mad this strange connection: “…Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” (Matt 6:12-13)

It was appearance of this word ‘trespass’ that fascinated me.

Here we are asking forgiveness for our wrong doing as well as being prepared to give other for their wrong doing. But instead of saying ‘wrong doings’ it uses the word ‘trespass’. The wording suggests that there are areas of life, or deeds and thoughts into which we should not wander – we don’t belong there. When we fail God or hurt others we are trespassing into territory that is not our home.

We do not belong to sin – we belong to Christ!
When we stray from the path set before us, when we fail to walk the way Jesus would, we are trespassing, walking in territory where we do not belong.
“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Rom 8:9 NIV)
“And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” (Rom 1:6 NIV)
“If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Rom 14:8 NIV)

Remaining on the path, in our territory, is not limiting [to those in Christ] it is liberating!Our natural sense of adventure and love of live will keep us close to Jesus.

- Andrew Carey

The [hi]story of Good News.

In Our Daily Bread the other day Dave Branon shared this story:

A knock came at the door of the home of a man who had a young family. When the father answered the door, he was greeted by someone he had never met—a friendly man from a nearby church who had stopped by to say hello.
His pleasant demeanour and kind words impressed the dad, and the two agreed to meet again. When they did, the visitor introduced the man to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both he and his wife trusted Jesus as Saviour.
That changed everything. The couple began attending church, and all six of their children became believers in Christ. Eventually the dad became a Sunday school teacher and a deacon.
One of this couple’s daughters grew up to attend the same Christian college I attended. That student’s name was Sue, and from the first time I saw this cute girl from Grand Rapids, I was smitten. The man who had answered the door eventually became my father-in-law. That door-to-door ambassador changed not just one man, but an entire family—and the results continue to reverberate.

Paul encouraged us, "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col. 4:6 NIV).

Whose life, whose future, will you impact?

Attractive.

From my desk in work I can look out of a wonderfully large window. The down side of this is that I don’t have a view! All I can see is four floors of windows on the opposite side of the courtyard – not terribly inspiring. However, if I look up I see something intriguing, something that has a dangerous edge to its appearance – a lightning conductor. It looks like a huge hypodermic needle strapped to the corner of the building and reaching up to the sky.

This architectural appendage has only one purpose; it is not to be beautiful, or threatening, or to publicise – it is there only to attract lightning. That is its sole function. Indeed it has been designed to be as attractive to lightning as possible so that should a storm occur where a bolt of lightning is looking for somewhere to land, it will choose this small metal needle rather than the building to which it is attached.

As Christian’s, I guess that we are not too dissimilar from this lightning rod; our purpose is to deliberately attract Christ, and to become attractive to the Holy Spirit.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Jam 4:8 NAS

Our desire, our sole purpose should be to live attractively to Christ! It should motivate our every action and decision.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:12-14 NIV

But it doesn’t stop there either!
The lightning conductor does not simply absorb the power of the lightning (otherwise it would be destroyed – the power would be too much for it to bear), it channels it down into the earth. Likewise, we too should not aim to selfishly absorb everything we receive from God; we need to reveal it, show it, share it. People can only understand God through us until they experience His presence for themselves. Therefore allow God to flow through you, compelling others into His saving arms.

- Andrew Carey

Reflections on snow.

I doubt it failed to come to your attention that yesterday it snowed. There is something about snow which I find so compelling and exciting; perhaps it is because within minutes everything that was once looked so familiar will appear new, or perhaps it is the prospect of disruption to a normal day. But any way, as I was in work I kept catching sight of the now falling outside the window and this made me think… not about snow, but God’s grace.

Surprisingly pure snow is transparent, not white at all. As it falls towards the earth it filters the air picking up all of its miniscule impurities. The irony is the imperfections in it that makes snow white. I wonder if this is why the air smells so good after it has snowed?
God’s grace is like this, as his forgiveness falls through our life it picks up all the impurities (some we see, some we can’t) and it leaves us pure, redeemed, cleansed, clothed in white.

“But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.” (1 John 3:2-3 MSG)
“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” (Rev 3:5 NIV)

Each snowflake is unique. We all know this but when you think about this fact as you watch all of the snow falling doesn’t it just thrill you?
When God pours out His grace into our lives it is not from some stockpiled store, it is tailor-made for you! The grace He pours out into your life is unlike the grace He gives anyone else; His grace meets our needs perfectly – He knows what we need.

“For your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matt 6:8 NIV)
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:19 NIV)

It doesn’t matter what the landscape is, whether it is industrial or mudded field or woodland, once snow has fallen all the rough edges and imperfections are gone; all you can see is a smooth free flowing white landscape. Even the most treacherous landscapes become innocent and beautiful.
No matter what state our lives are in God’s grace perfects us, He doesn’t disguise things He transforms them.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21 NIV) “And when God is personally present… [there is] nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” (2 Cor 3:17-18 MSG)
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…” (Eph 5:1 NIV)

Snow protects. Even though it may be cold it insulates the earth under it protecting the tender plant life it has covered. Like a mother tenderly protecting her young, the snow covers all these young shoots so that in the spring we see such a beautiful display of flowers.
God’s grace also protects us; it allows us to grow even when the harshness of the storm around us threatens to damage us. Under God’s grace we flourish.

“But because Jesus lives forever… he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Heb 7:24-25 NIV)
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree… planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green…” (Ps 92:12-14 NIV)

I love looking out over a snow covered landscape. When everything is wrapped up in its chilly duvet it is all united; the snow means that you can no longer distinguish the difference between road and field, hedge or ditch – it all becomes one.
Because of God’s grace all those in Christ can become one despite our vast differences – unified in forgiveness, bonded in grace.

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you… Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Col 3:13,15 NIV)


But snow melts, our God’s grace and mercy towards us never does!

I love snow days!

- Andrew Carey

Come awake.

WARNING: potential morbidity warning – 5 (moderate)

One thing that I have heard many people say is important aspect to maintaining romance in your relationship and that is to have an ‘our song’; one that you share, that means something to you both, that every time you hear it thoughts of them flood your heart.

Up until recently Ruth and I have not had an ‘our song’ (indeed she may still claim not to have one – who knows!). We discovered ‘our song’ one day when we were driving to Bath to see friends. It was an exciting moment, and I always think of that moment every time I hear the song – the look between us, the laughter, the sun pouring into the car allowing the beauty of the scenery around us to reflect in Ruth’s eyes as we shared that moment, a moment which could no longer be held in the confines of time. It was beautiful.

The CD we were listening to was David Crowder Band’s A Collision and our song, ‘Come Awake’, is about death. Well, no not really; it’s about more than death – it’s about life! This song poignantly reminds us of the moment Christ spoke life into us (spiritually this is the moment we accepted Jesus as Lord and saviour, physically as we are called into eternity one day). It is a song established firmly in hope, rejoicing in the power of our saviour over every circumstance. It is the Gospel; it is what binds us together in faith and hope; it is what brings us to life and allows us to shine God’s presence! This is our song.

The song itself concludes like this:

…You are not the only one
Who feels like the only one
Night soon will be lifted friend
Just be quiet and wait for the voice that will say

Come awake
From sleep, arise
You were dead
You’ve come alive
Wake up wake up
Open your eyes
Climb from your grave
Into the light
Bring us back to life

Rise, rise, rise, rise….
Shine, shine, Oh shine
We will shine
We will rise
We will shine, shine, shine

Should anyone attend our funeral – some time in the far flung future – this song will be playing. If we have our way [and I hope we do] their will be lights, pyrotechnics, and dancers. Christ will be there, salvation will be present, hope will set people free! Now, that will be a funeral to sing about! Great is our God and we will shine for Him here and now.

-Andrew Carey

Devotion and passion.

The other day I read a devotional which appeared in Our Daily Bread. It spoke to me so much I thought I would include it here.

Why does spiritual passion fade so easily? When we first experience God’s love, we spend hours thinking about Him, studying His Word, and telling others how much He means to us. Then it happens. Our busy schedules slowly dampen our passion. Our longing for Jesus and our study of His character become an occasional glance. Surely the object of our affection hasn’t changed!

The church at Ephesus wrestled with maintaining its spiritual passion (Rev 2:1-7 MSG). Jesus, through John, wanted to help them restore and maintain their love and zeal for Him. Although He commended this church for their work, Jesus saw that they had abandoned their first love—Him.

The Ephesians had lost their spiritual passion for Jesus. It had become a cold and mechanical orthodoxy. I wonder if they had allowed the stealthy culprit of religion and busyness to enter their hearts. Whatever it was, something had stolen the affection they had once reserved for the Lord.
Have you allowed something to steal your passion? If so, it can be restored and maintained when you consistently remember His amazing love demonstrated at Calvary. Repent of your sinful, unloving attitudes, and out of love for Jesus repeat your "first works".

Devotion to Jesus is the key to spiritual passion.

Ablaze in beauty!

The next Fusion prayer event is less than a month away now. Every time it draws I get a little bit excited because I know that we are simply (very simply) creating space in Newport in which people can encounter God; where He can heal, inspire, encourage, instruct and delight. If this were all that would be thrilling enough, but I know that when this happens in people’s lives it overflows, and when it overflows things change.

The prayer event in March will be themed around the Lord’s Prayer, encouraging you to consider it not simply as a recital but a revolution. This is a prayer that spills over into our lives changes everything it touches, renewing them! People will encounter God again and new things will happen in Newport.

“Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.” (Matt 6:9-13 MSG)

PS For all of you too excited to wait here is a glimpse of the new Fusion poster which borrows it’s design from the cover of the new Fusion Devotional which will be available at the event – now you’re excited, right?!

Sun gets in my eyes.

My wife doesn’t believe me when I tell her the sun can catch me ‘funny’ sometimes and it makes me sneeze. I can’t explain it really but it does; I somehow catch sight of the sun out of the corner of my eye and [for some unknown reason] it makes me sneeze. In fact it happened again just now as I walked towards Tesco. Something [physically] happens to me when I look at the sun!

While this is a bit annoying [especially when combined with hic-ups – unrelated, but also afflicting me right now] but I want to be changed when I catch sign of the Son – Jesus Christ!

“So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.” (Col 3:1-2 MSG)

I want people to be able to see and hear that I have been with/looking at Jesus.
When I start sneezing because of the sun Ruth tells me to stop [not that I can], but when people see Jesus in me (my faith visible in my face) they will stop me just to see him more. I would love for people to recognise more than just me in me; I want them to find Jesus (and therefore salvation).

Is this too much to dream?
No, it is just a matter of where we choose to look. I want to keep my eyes on Him.

- Andrew Carey

Stillness in the storm.

In house group last night we were looking at Psalm 46. It is the Psalm that features the following verse:
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth." (Ps 46:10 NIV)

As we discussed this I began to notice that the author of this Psalm was not preaching at us from some lofty height of spiritual isolation; it is clear from the preceding nine verses that he is in the thick of it. Who knows what the situation that he faced was – it could have been that his city was under siege or that he felt under siege, or that he could be facing a battle in which his life was in the balance – but whatever I was it is clear that he did not feel at ease and he felt alone; fear separating him from the closeness of God’s presence.

Does this sound familiar to you?
Does this sound like your days?

I can associate with this and it was refreshing to realise that the words of this Psalm do not judge me, they encourage me. Here, even though he is surrounded by chaos and his mind kept awake with the concerns of reality, he declares the sovereignty of God over his life; he reminds himself that it is God that can melt the things that cause our hearts to melt [in fear]. As he does this God takes him [securely] by the hand saying, “Be still and know that I am God…”

Today we can do the same, and in the stillness of God’s peace we encounter His [releasing and strengthening] majesty again.

- Andrew Carey

Amazing grace.

Life rushes around us at a hectic pace; there is so little time for us to consider what is happening let alone react well to it. And then you read something. It stops you in your tracks because it has dripped you and pulled everything into perspective. Suddenly you are conscious of your breathing, all that rushing is now in your peripheral vision and all you can see is God’s mercy, standing there before you.

This was my experience when I read Isaiah 53:1-10 in The Message. Let it sink in deep, rejoicing will flow.

“Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true.

Still, it's what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.”

- Andrew Carey