This weekend!

FUSION is approaching fast again :o)

It all starts at 8pm on Friday and people will be praying and and for Newport continuously for the next 24hrs! Awesome. If God cannot change us when we spend this much time with Him, what can!!!

The new FUSION DEVOTIONAL (titled: Out of the Ordinary) will be available for the first time at the event for the reduced price of £2.50. So pick up your copy :o)

Inadvertent evangelism.

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity…” (Eph 5:15-16 NLT)

Should you ever find yourself passing my father in the street, and you happen to make eye contact with him, chances are he will smile and give you a cheerful, “Hello.” He can’t really help himself.
One weekend, not so long ago, he was strolling through town in an attempt to meet up with my mother. As he ambled along his eyes happen to meet those of a passing gentleman and my father smiled and offered his usual greeting. Naturally the man smiled back in response.
Now, another characteristic that my father has is a bad memory and so later on when he passed same man the stranger decided to return the greeting. This only proved to confuse my father. Having forgotten the earlier encounter with the same gentleman he was suddenly concerned that this man may actually know him, and my father had no idea who he was. This was very embarrassing.
Since my mum was proving quite troublesome to locate my father was engaged in a serious amount of wandering around and needless to say his path crossed the same gentleman once more. This time dad felt obliged to stop him so that he could admit to not remembering who the man was (since my dad assumed that this man’s earlier greeting suggested that he knew who my father was). So my dad stopped him and explained this to the stranger. As a result the stranger suddenly began thinking too, just in case they did know each other after all and he had forgotten too. They started listing off all the places where they may have met. One suggestion my father suggested was a Horsham Churches Together meeting, and the other guy said that he did not go to church…
In the end they realised that they did not know each other at all, however the stranger left thinking about a man that knew God and had experienced his saving grace. Who knows what effect this may have on him.

“So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get.” (Eph 5:15-16 MSG)

A friend in church once told me of an occasion when an insurance salesman paid him a visit. He was interested in taking out a policy and so it wasn’t intrusive. The salesman launched into his sales patter which my friend tried to interrupt saying that he understood bits of it already since someone he knew in church had recently taken out the same policy. The salesman carried on regardless eventually closing the deal with my friend.
After all the paper work had been signed the salesman asked my friend is he would mind him asking another question.
“Not at all.” My friend responded.
“It is just that earlier you said you went to church.” Said the salesman.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Could you tell me more about this? You see, my father died recently but before he passed away he started going to church and he seemed to have such peace as a result.”
My friend then went on to share the gospel with this salesman.

Sometimes an inadvertent action or word is all that is needed to share something of the gospel. There are times that we have to be prepared to share the gospel, like my friend, but there are other times we could have an unexpected impact on someone’s life. God uses us differently at different times; sometimes he may use us to ‘close a deal’ and at other times it may be as an inadvertent example of salvation. In fact sometimes God will net even let you in on what is happening, just in case we spoil it. All we can do is ensure that people see Christ in us, no matter what we are doing; buying, selling, studying, relaxing… everything.

-Andrew Carey

How do you smell?

Are you the sort of person who wears perfume or aftershave?
Do people smell you coming in a good or bad way?
As Christians there is another aroma that should surrounds us; not easily detected but always responded to.

“In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse.
“This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No— but at least we don't take God's Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap.” (2 Cor 2:14-17 MSG)

I work in an open plan office and so I have to walk through a room full of desks before I reach mine. Aside from the odd personal photograph they all look the same, but there is no mistaking it when I pass the desk of one particular woman; the fragrance cannot be ignored. I have no idea whether the smell emanates from her or the desk but, depending on my mood, it is either intensely pleasing or annoying.
This past week however she has not been in the office (on leave or something, I guess) but the aroma has remained; it is as though she was still there! [How much perfume does she use!!!!]

The NIV says that we are the “aroma of Christ” but is our aroma as powerful as the perfume the lady in my office wears? Have we watered it down, or only put it on once a week?
Our fragrance – well not ours, but Christ in us – should linger beautifully. Up until the end of last year I used to work with a lady… well, she was one of the two members of staff that I ‘managed’. Anyway, we used to discuss stuff now and again and although it did not directly relate to my faith this would come out naturally in conversation. Last night, after six months of not working with her, she phoned me up at home and asked if I could go with her down to the intensive care unit to pray for her brother! This is not something normal; she was not interested in me, she was interested only in what God could do!!! This only happens because the aroma of Christ had lingered in her life for the past six months, and now in desperate need of life, she breathed it in.

We are here to smell, but the fragrance we leave is up to us; we cannot afford to water down the aroma of Christ in our ordinary lives.

-Andrew Carey

Lost lunch.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"… (John 6:5-9 NIV)

This young lad was determined and prepared. He wanted to encounter Jesus; even at this young age he knew that there was more to life and hearing about Jesus he suspected that somehow this man held the answer. He gave up a day’s wage to find out.
Wanting nothing to hinder him, he woke up early and prepared himself a packed lunch; even if he got hungry he would still be able to follow Jesus, he would not let Jesus get away from him. The day went on and on, he had been slowly moving through the crowd closer and closer to Jesus. People had left and others had joined until 5000 people remained, more people that he had ever seen before in life, but then all of a sudden there he was – Jesus! The boy’s heart was beating, pounding away in his chest, and then he heard a question. His rumbling stomach became a distant whisper in comparison to the question uttered by Jesus which now resounded in his ears: “How shall we feed these people?”
Full of naivety he offered his lunch. He knew that this was only enough for him and perhaps one other, there was no way it would feed 5000, but he offered it nonetheless. In offering his lunch the boy was not expecting a miracle, in fact he was expecting to lose his lunch. All he wanted to do was please Jesus, even if it meant that he would go hungry; he was willing to give up the very resource that would keep him going because he heard Jesus ask for it.

… Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. (John 6:10-13 NIV)

This boy gave expecting to lose everything; he did not expect to eat his fill and then have leftovers! What about you, how do you give? Do you give expecting something in return? Do you put money into the offering each Sunday expecting God to bless you in someway as a result? What would you do if God promised to give you nothing in return for your offering? Would you still give it? Would you give it gladly? Would you give it generously?
Consider the cross in your response.

-Andrew Carey

Laodicia - a tale of two springs.

Isn’t God good! [Of course He is – I know that!]
He always speaks to us in terms that we understand; things that are important for us to understand will never go over our heads. That is certainly the case in Revelations when he asked John to write down the following letter to the church in Laodicea:

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea…:
“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!... I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” (Rev 3:14-16, 19-22 NLT)

Laodicea was famous for its springs, of which it had two; on one side of the city there was a cold spring that attracted many who found its waters refreshing, and on the other side there was a hot spring which was famous for its healing qualities. One wasn’t any better than the other; they both had a purpose.
The springs attracted people from near and far in need of healing or refreshing, and where crowds are money is sure to follow. Commerce flourished in the city and people made their fortune. This naturally impacted the church as Christian business men invested more in the church. Not that this is bad (it is imperative that we invest in God’s Kingdom, otherwise we are wasting our resources), but little by little they were becoming self-reliant, and as they relied less and less on God to equip them they became less effective.

It was these springs that God used to describe the problem that the church in Laodicea faced. God asked them to imagine how useless their springs would be if they were lukewarm rather than hot/healing or cold/refreshing. Who benefits from a lukewarm spring? No-one!
God was saying that they may have hot and cold springs but their spiritual spring was lukewarm. It was ineffective; the church was not refreshing or healing anyone, it was contributing nothing to the city or God’s Kingdom. God longed for his precious church in Laodicea to make an impact, but to do so they were going to have to invest [time] in God; listening and responding to Him.

We also need to be a people that make a difference in people’s lives; either refreshing or healing, making them smile or showing them compassion. If we are just room-temperature we are simple unnoticeable – our faith having no impact at all – and that is disastrous for all concerned (including us)!

Invest in God today, spend time listening to Him and become hot or cold, whatever is needed where you are.

-Andrew Carey

My poor front room.

Our ‘front room’ (named such since it is at the front of our house) is a strange little room. It was once a dining room in which we never dined, but for a while now it has been a study; the place where we make our greeting cards, work on the computer and hide our DVD collection (not through embarrassment but convenience). For some reason, however, our front room descends in to a state of chaos with the greatest of ease. All we need to do is not keep an eye on it for a week and it becomes an insurmountable mess full of unopened post, bank statements, ironing and unfinished cards etc! When this occurs we start to avoid going in there because it’s depressing, but this only makes things worse!
However, when we can stand it no more we get in there and sort it out; everything is filed away, sorted through or thrown away. And then it is clear and we can use it again; it feels great. It is sad that a tidy room can bring us such joy but it does, because at last we can use it again for what it was intended for – to make beautiful cards for people’s birthdays and edit photos for weddings, portraits and even the Fusion Devotional.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Heb 12:2 NIV)

Our lives can be very similar at times. Without any effort at all they can become full of distractions rather than Christ; this is a disaster! We want Christ to reign in our lives but so many things push him to one side. Not that we choose for this to happen; I never want my front room to become messy and uninhabitable but when I do not pay attention to the stuff I am putting in there – stuff that doesn’t belong there – or spend no time in keeping it in order, it quickly becomes a burden. Our lives should be full of joy, but a joy-filled living is not absent of responsibility; it requires us to vigilant of want comes in and what resides in our heart. Keeping our eyes fixed upon Christ is not a joy-less effort, it is what gives us pleasure now and forever more! With our life fixed upon Christ our life does not get full of life-sapping distractions, instead it becomes full of joy, pleasure, freedom, productiveness, fun and adventure.

“Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” (Col 3:16-17 MSG)

Let’s not get cluttered.

-Andrew Carey

Coming soon.

Sorry I haven't been blogging here this week, I have had a few problems getting the new Fusion Devotional sorted. It is all looking good now (as you can see), if you would like to secure yourself a copy at the pre-release price of £2.50 then contact me today. Fusion Devotional 3 is called 'Out of the Ordinary' and is themed around Rom 12:1-2 (MSG):

“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.”

I will be back blogging next week :o)

-Andrew Carey

Faith is messy.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Heb 12:2 NIV)

Have you ever tried to written something? You know, like a story.
You write a first draft getting the shape of the story onto the page. You then add to it as you come up with the second draft. Then you spend time with it; reading and re-reading it. You think about think about what you were trying to achieve when you wrote it, and then you change things around; some parts are scrapped [sometimes because they are rubbish but most of the time because they just don’t fit in and a distraction to the narrative], others are rewritten and still others are restructured. At last a final draft, but what a lot of time and effort it has taken – perhaps more than when you wrote the first draft.
Writing is messy; you are always restructuring, deleting some parts and adding to others. Sometimes what you end with seems like it is a million miles away from what you began with, but the essence behind it remains; its purpose is the same.

Life is not too dissimilar to this. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Christ is the ‘author and perfecter’ of our faith. Every day he is writing more and more in our lives; some things he will removes and some things he turns around or adds to. An author like Christ will never leave anything half-written, incomplete or full of mistakes; he will keep working on you always. However, our lives are not like pages of a book, static and unresponsive to the authors hand; we respond to every touch of Christ, sometimes [when we are full of ourselves] we reject his corrections and at others we celebrate with delight new passages that he adds.

“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21 NKJV)

How will you respond to the author today? Will you accept his perfecting?

-Andrew Carey

Heaven is a wonderful place…

When I was in Sunday School I remember us singing a catchy little song that went something like this [feel free to sing along]:
Heaven is a wonderful place,
Full of glory & grace.
I’m gonna see my saviour’s face;
Heaven is a wonderful place!

Heaven is indeed something to look forward to, but it is not a way off yonder. By definition Heaven is where God resides; where He is, is where Heaven is. Heaven is where God’s authority reigns.
In Christ we have been set free from our slavery to sin and as a result God, through His Holy Spirit, dwells in us. This is almost impossible to comprehend [fully] and yet this is what is happening in your life; God is in you. If God dwells with and in and around you then Heaven is not way off; it is right here with us.

Interestingly this is not some new notion; it is what the people like Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Elijah et al would have considered a reality of existence. Heaven is not way off, it as much here as the mug of coffee in front of me.

If we are His, Heaven is around us – infusing our very existence. We see His face each morning as we meditate on His word. This closeness to Heaven is not our little secret; people need to see God’s glory and grace [in us]. If they are not seeing evidence of God’s glory and grace in us what are they seeing?

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col 4:6 NIV) Or as another translation puts it: “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (NLT)

-Andrew Carey

Riches to rags!… Or, There and back again.

People are always interested in ‘rags to riches’ stories; we are jealous of the luck involved in lottery winners and inspired by the hard work and determination of characters like Richard Branson. However, the heart of the Gospel is the complete opposite; it is a ‘riches to rags’ story.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil 2:5-8 NIV)
“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” (1 Pet 2:24 NLT)

Have you ever read a more extreme story? The Glories of Heaven surrendered for the pain of Hell… all for us! This ‘riches to rags’ story is our rescue, our salvation.
But the Gospel is not about ‘wealth’ (money or anything else) it is about relinquishing [unhealthy] ownership; realising that we need our hands free to hold tightly onto God.

As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?"
Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, honour your father and mother."
He said, "Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!"
Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, "There's one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me."
The man's face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go. (Mark 10:17-22 MSG)

The reason that we are drawn to ‘rags to riches’ stories rather than ‘riches to rags’ is because the latter tend to revolve around disasters or squandering or laziness. But our story, the Gospel, is different; this story of ‘riches to rags’ is not about any of these, it is a story of hope. The story does not end in ‘rags’, it conquers the disaster of sin and reclaims the riches [of Heaven]. This is how the earlier verses from Philippians 2 conclude:
“…Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11 NIV)

Hallelujah!

-Andrew Carey

Sweating prayers.

Do you remember those adverts for Cadbury’s Crème Egg – How do you eat yours?

Well, when it comes to praying, how do you pray your prayers?

Do you find your prayers flooding out as you wash the dishes, each one surrendered into God’s hands with every dish that you put on the draining board? Or do you pray silently when you are alone in the bathroom so that you can actually hear your own thoughts without being interrupted? Or do your pour out your prayers loudly to yourself as you stand in the middle of a field watching your dog dart back and forth between imaginary points of interest? Or do you only find it possible to pray as you write down poetry; on the page you find your voice to God? Or do you find yourself praying as you play an instrument; uttering a song that is for no-one other than your Heavenly Father?

Is there a right way or inappropriate way of praying?
Nope.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Eph 6:18 NIV)

Praying is not restricted to prayer meetings, or your quite time in the morning. There are good praying habits that we teach our children, such as closing their eyes and putting their hands together, which we too employ; these shut out all distractions, but they are not essential to praying. You can pray with your eyes open, you can pray while you drive, you can pray as you jog.
In the above verse we are encouraged to pray with “all kinds of prayers”. What does this mean? It means there are no rules that restrict you communicating with your Heavenly Father; it is so liberatingly open ended! As we meditate on this we begin to realise that prayer leaves us through every pore of our life; tears, words, hugs, music, clapping, even sweating!

Prayer is as invaluable or useless as you make it, but only you know the best line communication between you and God; how you can pour out your heart and listen to His guidance.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:16-18 NIV)

-Andrew Carey

Can you keep a secret?

I’m no good at keeping something secret. In fact, if you have a secret it’s best not to tell me; not that I will blab the secret to all and sundry, I won’t mention it to a soul, it’s just that people can read it on my face.
It is very annoying. For example, often I will see an opportunity to surprise my wife and all of a sudden she’ll ask me, “What are you up to?” Nothing; I not up to anything! I haven’t done a thing!!! All I have done is think about it and yet she can see these thoughts as though they were written all over my face! It’s unbelievable – and a little annoying.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Rom 1:16 NIV)

Are you any better than me at keeping a secret?
Well, here’s a massive one: This hope you have [in Christ], the gospel in you – no matter how little you know – is enough to transform Newport. To revive where you live.

How do you keep this secret?
Do you clam up when the discussion turns to issues that are influenced by your faith? Do you, in an incredibly British way, avoid conversations on politics or religion? When you see friends who are loosing hope because they have no-one to hope in, do you introduce them to the One who has given you hope? Do you keep Jesus’ influence in your life a secret by the way you conduct yourself at work or school? Do people look at you, knowing that you trust in Christ, and see nothing transformational?

How can you keep this secret?

“It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone.” (Rom 1:16 MSG) When you find yourself in conversations where you know that you need to introduce Christ, do you feel yourself becoming uncomfortable and your temperature rising? This isn’t embarrassment (although that is what the enemy would try to convince you it is, he’ll also say you don’t know enough and will only damage the gospel – but that is a massive stinking LIE!), it is the Holy Spirit [living in you] dying to fuel you with the words needed because he is most proud to proclaim the message of hope you have, which secures your eternal destiny and can heal those who hear it. All you need to do is open your mouth and listen! Listen to the Spirit’s voice [in your heart], listen to what the people you are talking to are saying [and respect them]. Once you do this the secret will be out and transformational!

-Andrew Carey

Great Reversal.

On my mobile phone I discovered a game that I had not played since I was a kid: Reversee!
Have you ever played it?
It is simple. You have two coloured counters, generally black and white. The aim is to fill a checker board with counters of your colour. This is achieved by placing your own counters on the board when it is your go or by ‘reversing’ the colour of your opponent’s counters. This is done by hemming in a line of your opponent’s counters with two of yours; all of these can then be reversed.
It was a great game. Occasionally it would end up in a disagreement/argument/fight :o) but it was always fun.

Recollecting this as my mobile beat me once again, and I looked forward to the day when we had androids so that I could have a good brawl with them if they were insistent in beating me at this game, I remembered something awesome that Jesus said – about another great reversal:
"Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first." (Matt 20:16 MSG)

The great reversal is that we do not get what we deserve. The way in which we were living (wilfully rejecting God) only has one outcome, but Christ redeemed us; he reversed our destiny by taking the consequences of our sin upon himself and gave us a heaven bound hope! We don’t deserve access to God, but He loved us so much that He drew us into His family.

As I thought about this I realised that I will end up in Heaven [because of Christ] rubbing shoulders with the great men and women of faith; people who sacrificed everything, even their lives on occasion, for God – for a greater, more rewarding cause. What is more amazing is that I will have the same privileges as them! Would they complain? Would the martyrs complain being as they gave so much in comparison to me, only to be rewarded the same?
I don’t think so because our focus will be on Christ in all his radiantly holy beauty.

God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.
He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?'
They said, “Because no one hired us.”
He told them to go to work in his vineyard.
When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, “Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.”
Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, “These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.”
He replied to the one speaking for the rest, “Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?” (Matt 20:1-15 MSG)

Even though this is the case, don’t sit back. Give yourself fully over to God. Don’t burn out, burn bright; joyfully serve God in the supermarket, school and office as much in church. Become energised in your service because of the Great Reversal.

-Andrew Carey

Prayer to be reckoned with – What? Mine?!.

Here’s a good saying to remember:
Much prayer, much power; little prayer, little power; no prayer, no power!

Notice that it doesn’t say “much passionate spirit-filled faith-fuelled intercessory prayer, much power…”, even though this may be what you think it means; all it says is “much prayer…” Now, you may love praying or you may really struggle with it [because you are a new Christian and you have never really spent any time communicating with God before] but it doesn’t matter because the saying does not rely on the ‘quality’ of your prayers (if there is such a thing!), just on the fact that you do pray.

As I was thinking about this the following verses came to mind:
“Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” (Jam 5:13-18 MSG)

There is something important to notice here; James does not say a ‘prayer of faith’ was to be reckoned with, instead he say that any prayer by anyone [redeemed by Christ and following him] is powerful. Another translation puts it like this: “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” (Jam 5:16 AMP)

It is not the perceived quality of your prayer that counts, or indeed your faith in receiving what you need, it is the earnestness of your prayer that counts; whether you really mean it. This is why strange things happen in prayer. I have heard stories of children praying cute little childish prayers for people they love not to be sick any more… and, all of a sudden, they are healed! How?! Because it was heartfelt; it may not have been eloquent or indeed a massive Spirit-filled moment but it was heartfelt.

Similarly there was a story in Acts where Peter had been arrested on account of the gospel…
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (Acts 12:5 NIV)
Naturally this hit them hard because they loved Peter and they knew he loved and served God and the church with all his energy. The least they could do was stay up all night praying (beside they couldn’t sleep worrying about what might happen). What I find interesting is how the night’s events conclude:
Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"
"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. (Acts 12:13-16 NIV)
Even though they had been praying they did not think that their prayers would be immediately answered. As they prayed they weren’t filled with faith enough to open the door to welcome Peter in; instead they left him [comedicly] on the door because nothing had stirred them to believe that God was going to do something miraculous because of their prayers. It was just an ‘ordinary’ prayer meeting, indeed they were tired confused and wound up, but God wove His extra-ordinary power into their prayers and performed [unbeknown to them] an amazing miracle in releasing Peter!

You may pray without realising that God is doing, or going to do, something miraculous because of it. You may feel weak in your praying but pray; how you feel will not make your prayers powerless, only not praying will do this. Pray with everything in your heart; let it out – you may need to dance, paint, write or even speak but just release your heartfelt prayers.

-Andrew Carey

We want to be together.

I can no longer remember what it was advertising (answers on a postcard please) but I used to love this ad on TV which featured two wonderfully goofy people. The guy put his arm around his wife and said, “We want to be together.” It was his voice that used to make me laugh. Marvellous.

Anyway, you are undoubtedly as familiar as I am with the notion that we [our bodies, our lives, our hearts] are God’s temple, His dwelling place. When I think about this it obviously draws me into realising how important it is to live clean lives, so that our lives give God as much pleasure as we get from a warm welcome when we enter a home, a good comfy chair, cup of tea and pleasant company.

Now, all of this is true but we are not God’s dwelling on our own, it is only when we are together:
“You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” (Eph 2:19-21 NLT)

It is only when we are together that we are a fit and pleasing dwelling for God. If you are curious what it means to be ‘together’ as God’s people simply grab a Bible and look for the phrase “…each other” and this will give you some idea as to how God can reside [pleasurably] in our togetherness – and how the world will see the greatness of our God!

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Col 3:13-14 NLT)

-Andrew Carey