God at Work in Paris

The crypt of Èglise Réformée du Marais

The crypt of a church close to the Bastille is perhaps the most unlikely place to find God at work through his people in a most powerful and life-changing way. 

Èglise Réformée du Marais is just such a place where last week I heard the testimonies of those who lives have been set free by the Lord Jesus Christ. Here I learned more about the authority Jesus gives his disciples to set the captives free, rediscovering the ministry of the whole church; this through a holistic liberation theology beginning with an understanding that we are created in the image of God and recognising the authority that Jesus gives to his disciples.  

Èglise Réformée du Marais has become a secure place where dominion is exercised over the ‘principalities and powers’ so that through repentance as a first step the realities of the Kingdom of God are made tangible in the lives of broken people made whole. 

Since we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1 & 2) and in Christ become temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), the ministry here made so much more sense of our being body & mind, soul and spirit; how rights and authorities given or exercised over us by evil powers can cripple us from being all that God intended.  It was a privilege to go to the church in France and learn something so significant and to witness God at work bringing transformation to many lives.  They is much more of this story to be told and one day I hope we’ll be able to read about it in English.

Audio

Fire or the Fire of God?

I had a sense of forboding at the end of the week at New Wine.  Simon Guillebaud spoke to the title ’Back to Basics’ from texts in the New Testament book of Romans and shared his experiences, following in his grandparents steps, serving the people of Burundi.  Simon encounterd the fire of God’s Spirit healing the sick and turning the hearts of the people to a saving knowledge of Jesus, only to be massacred days later or burned to death.  These encounters heighten the sense of urgency with which disciples of Jesus need to share the Gospel message.

The unsettling events of the last few days have been characterised in the press by images of fire engulfing buildings.  They are startling images that fit well with the imagery in Hebrews 12.  There we also find that God is like a consuming fire; but how startled are we by this image of the holiness of God? 

²⁵ Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! ²⁶ When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” ²⁷This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

 ²⁸ Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. ²⁹ For our God is a devouring fire.

When I read this I am reminded again of the consistency and faithfulness of God.  Here we can be assured that when we place ourselves in the hands of God, no matter how shakey the earth may be, as citizens of the Kingdom of God we can face each day with confidence knowing that our hope is certain.

Go

Summer services with all the church family together can be fun, noisy, quiet and worshipful!  What a great opportunity to hear wise words from little children and to have a little more time to engage in conversation over a cup of coffee (yes, it was cafertiere coffee).  The creative use of  images on the screens reminded us of our awesome God and the majesty of his creation (thank you Tony).

Today’s message was encapsulated in one word from Yahweh God to Moses, Pharoah and the Israelites, and from Jesus to his disciples, and to us: “Go”.  As the Israelites left Egypt they went laden with lots of stuff but unlike them Jesus tells us to “take nothing”! 

What is it about “Go” and “take nothing” that we don’t understand?  When we begin to grasp the Kingdom of God in our lives we’ll begin to understand that all heaven and earth’s resources are at the King’s disposal; then we’ll stop striving with all we perceive as our own strength and our own resources and see our father God delight to do the work of demonstrating his Kingdom through us.

Bacon quiche

There was a feeling of welcome and home in Hemingford Garden Room this lunch time.  A steady trickle of people enjoying good coffee and excellent food.  I settled down to my regular, a large cappuccino, while I waited for lunch to be prepared.  One customer visiting for the first time remarked about the excellent presentation as his lunch was served.  His expectation was that if something was worth doing it was worth doing well, and that was his experience.  There was also young couple who found there way in from the Post Office and had the delightful surprise of disocvering the coffee shop.

There is a real sense in which people gathering here receive more than coffee and food, but also a welcome and a blessing of peace which comes when we do this in the Name of Jesus.  If you’ve discovered this treasure share it with someone else.

Transform our minds

Why is it that when we read Jesus’ commission we want to do other things instead?  Do you think that if Jesus had not meant us to do what he seems to ask that when he prayed to his Father in heaven (John 17:20f) he might have prayed something else?  If we are to teach new disciples to do everything Jesus commanded us to do then I guess we had better start doing those things first!

Luke 10 gives us a simple four step strategy; 1) to be people of peace who bless others, 2) to receive the hospitality of others, 3) to heal the sick and minister to felt needs, and then 4) to tell them the Kingdom of God has come.  Each step opens the door to the next and brings the Kingdom of God near.

Why is it that we seem to have church growth in our minds before we remember Jesus said he’d build his church and so we neeed to do what he tells us to do?  The great thing is that Jesus brings about what he asks us to do through us and delights when we do it.  Could that first step be any simpler?  Be people of peace and bless others in Jesus’ name.  Let’s do it and look forward to stp two!

Sharing across the world

This morning a mission partner Tim Lee shared with us at St James’ Church how when he was visiting Jigsaw Mnistries (www.jigsawkidsministries.org) in a shanty town of Manila earlier in the year a fire had broken out destroying the ‘homes’ of thousands of people around the Jigsaw home.  Jigsaw set up a safe place for children and provided food. 

As we learnt of the story back then, prayed and gave funds, their resources were running out.  At that point Tim received a call to say that God’s people here had responded to the situation there.  At the 11th hour there was money in the bank to provide food, an answer to their prayers that God would provide.  Tim was able to go to the local ATM and then buy supplies of food.  This was received with joy and many tears that God would provide from within his family across the world to meet their basic needs.

How often does the little we may do, in response to an overwhelming situation miles away, in the hands of our God be so timely and provide in such a faith building way and affectthe lives oof many in ways we can not imagine?

There is something about the economy of the Kingdom of God that transcends the economies of the kingdoms of this world.