Hell Continued..

I’m still on my journey thinking about hell and found an article by Tim Keller that’s well worth a read here.

Here’s where I’m up to…

1. Hell is a very real place. You cannot get away from this fact largely due to Jesus’ teaching. I must begin to believe in hell again. I’m not saying that I stopped believing, but I mean believe at a heart level.  I can’t get away from the fact that if I really believed in hell and the fact that billions are headed there it would change what I do, what I say, how I think, where I go. The problem has been I think that the truth is so awful and the conscious reality that many are headed to hell is so painful that it’s easier to simply not allow it too close to the surface of conscious thought. This has to change. Somehow I need to allow the reality of hell to be clear in my mind without becoming numb or overwhelmed. The only way I can see this happening is by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. I don’t talk about it enough. If the most loving person in the universe speaks on hell more than anyone else in the New Testament then to think we’re more loving than him but NOT talking about it is naive at worst and the height of pride at best.

3. The reason I don’t talk about it is the typical images of hell do not provide warning for people today because they seem too fantastic to be true. Fire, darkness, demons with pitch-forks – it’s all become a big  joke. In reality hell is a terrifying place that Jesus does not want anyone to go to. Tim Keller makes the point brilliantly when he says that Jesus words ‘away from me’ epitomise hell – utter separation from the manifest presence of God. In some way we must seek to communicate this reality in a way that people today can comprehend. The quote from CS Lewis in this article is superb

“Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others . . . but you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself, going on forever like a machine. It is not a question of God ’sending us’ to hell. In each of us there is something growing, which will BE Hell unless it is nipped in the bud.”

4. I must do this at the same time as magnifying the saving grace and love of God found in Jesus. Jesus somehow managed to do both. It seems that the church today does either/or but few places I’ve seen communicate both well. I want to warn of hell at the same time as seeing the sick healed and broken restored and the lonely drawn in. That’s the challenge – one I’m looking to take up….

Why the waves?

Salvation, healing, deliverance – week-in, week-out. That’s our aim (among others of course) but by my reading of the gospels and acts these things should be happening. Yet they do seem to come in waves and I’m not sure why. This Sunday a classic example. In the morning a lady came soundly through to faith – ‘I couldn’t stop myself putting my hand up even though I’d told myself I didn’t want to be noticed’ I saw her in the afternoon and she could still feel the power of the holy spirit in her hands and arms and was calling the person shed referred to as the universal spirit ‘God’ for the first time. Brilliant! Then in the evening loads of deliverance. I prayed for at least 5 people and I’m sure there were others. One girl who had been gripped by self loathing and feelings of inadequacy laughed with joy as the spiritual stranglehold was broken and the spirit of joy came and filled that space. It was the same the week before. A guy in the morning was weeping during the worship and had to leave the meeting to compose himself. He came back in to hear the message and was soundly converted – my friend PJ prayed with him and said that he’s never met someone so ready to get saved. Thank you Jesus! And in the evening, the power of God was there to set people free with strongholds being broken left right and centre.

Yet here’s the mystery – no physical healings (that we know of) on either Sunday. The one thing we’ve begun to expect every week is now missing. It’s like the wave of salvation and deliverance has come in and the wave of healing has gone out. Or has it? And if that’s right how do we get all the waves in at the same time? Im going to ponder this over the next couple of posts…

Nothing to say but I’ve found someone who has

Nothing much to say today except I found a great blog by the lead guy at Lifechurch.tv. You can get to it here – it’s got some superb leadership tips from Craig who’s seen Lifechurch grow from 40 in 1996 to 18,000 in 2008. It’s not all about the numbers (as people with small churches like ours generally say ;-0 ) but they see a tremendous number of people give their lives to Christ so it can’t be all bad!

No salvations

Ok – bit sad today as no-one gave their life to Christ on Sunday. Jesus said that He would make us fishers of men and so I’m hanging on to that promise until we see it happen. I’m still not very good at giving a strong appeal so I need to learn, leave more time for it and keep going at it. Of course it’s the Holy Spirit who leads people through to salvation but I’m not helping much right now! I’m determined though that we must press in until we see at least one salvation per week – after all they had many every day in Acts and that can’t be the best the church is ever going to do!

On a brighter note, the presence of God was just awesome both morning and evening and it feels like this is happening more and more regularly. I love it when people just lose themselves worshipping Jesus and I’m so glad this is becoming a hallmark each week. It’s starting to look like the church should look!

The blind will see

Ok this is awesome. Just heard a story from another church in bedford where they prayed for and placed mud on the eyes of a 34 year old woman who had 6% vision and diseased retinas. She can now see well enough to read and the latest photograph of her retinas show they are perfectly healthy. Thank you Jesus – the blind will see.

Update – the woman’s condition was retina cone dystrophy. As far as I can find out it’s a hereditary condition that is incurable and it was diagnosed at Moorfields which is the largest specialist eye hospital in the world. Now that we’ve seen this happen we’re only a step away from the totally blind seeing – and then we’ll see it out on the streets. All heaven breaking loose it only a few steps away!

I’ve been praying into this passage in Isaiah 35 where it prophecies streams in the desert – surely a symbol of a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the darkest and driest places. Come Lord Jesus!

Is. 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

7 the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Why women marry men who look like their dad

This is amusing – apparently a recent study shows that women often marry men who look like their dad! It’s the same for men apparently! So, if you’re looking for a spouse, you now know what you’re looking for! I do feel a little sorry for my father-in-law or maybe he should feel sorry for me???? Check it out here

Update: This reads a bit wrong – men do not marry women who look like their dad. Well at least not all of them…!

Tim Keller on the Reasons for God

If you subscribe to Mark Driscoll’s blog you’ll have seen this already but if not check out Tim Keller speaking at Google authors on The Reasons for God – it’s outstanding.