I am a leper, does your God really love me?

A few days ago, I received 'Send', the Gospel for Asia news magazine. 
You can read amazing and true stories of how God heals, saves, forgives and sets people free from all kinds of bondage. Also, when those people meet Jesus through pastors or  friends, they do not keep it secret, they spread 
the Good News. get together to read the Bible and tell everybody else!
I was also shocked to read that there are still so many lepers there: 133, 717. I quote: 'They live with a curse they believe cannot be cured. Their society casts them out, calling them unlovable and of no worth. But Gospel for Asia-supported workers are taking the love of Jesus to these people.' Can we imagine the NHS refusing to treat people with a particular disease! Read more, click here
Everytime I read Send, I want to praise the Lord and thank Him for his blessings on our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you feel disheartened and lost, why don't you read the magazine on line. 
I  thank the Lord for all the blessings he provides generously and freely everyday. 

Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

Bible verse of the week

¹⁸ “Forget the former things;
   do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness 

   and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19

Failure Is Not an Option

Failure Is Not an Option

What's my life about?

Last Tuesday, it was our final session of the Start course. 

We had a great time running it and the participants said they enjoyed it too. 

Now what? This is the question that one of our participants asked.

Could it be a bible study? It would take place in September.. or an  Alpha course ? We will pray about this.

 Also if you have any ideas, let us know. Have a blessed evening. N.A

Discovering Norfolk...

 Just behind the caravane, a pheasant would come out of the field of wheat and walk round the campsite

 View of the campsite in Ingoldithorpe  

  St Michael's church, Ingoldisthorpe

Our first outing, the harbour at Wells-next-the-Sea

You can see it's low tide. As usual, lots of children and parents were fishing for crabs and were doing a good job.

That's all for tonight as it's getting late. Have a blessed week-end. Yours in Christ. N.

A wonderful surprise!

Last week holiday started with a wonderful surprise. Thursday night, I got a message from Nelly telling me that for mother's day (the French mother's day) she would bring her mum, Yvonne, my French blogging friend, to me so we could at last meet. I was over the moon. Yvonne did not know anything about it!

However as on Friday night we were setting off to Norfolk, I had to make sure they would meet us there and not in Staffs! So we eventually met at dad's and then after the service, we went to the campsite and had a bbq, courtesy of the 'boss'. I met Yvonne on a French Christian website called Top Chrétien two years ago. I have been looking forward to meeting her in person. As soon as we saw each other, we gave each other a big hug and we were quite emotional. Although I'd never met her before, Yvonne and I have been following each other’s blogs over the past two years. In her blog (or I should say her website), she speaks about the love of the Lord for us and how important it is to build a relationship with Jesus.

We are determined to meet again very soon. Have you met up with any of your blogger friends yet ? I had the following verses in mind! ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 Blessings. N.

A humorous e-mail!

Tonight  just before I left my classroom, I checked my e-mails and to my surprise I found this one. I share it with you and hope that you will have a smile or maybe a laugh! Blessings

Discover Mark Lowry!

Blessings

Treasures in heaven?

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money

 and be content with what you have,

 because God has said,

   “Never will I leave you; 

   never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

In 1 Timothy, Paul tells us that money is root of all evils. This statement is verified every day when we hear or read about crimes being committed in order to obtain more money. 

If one is grumbling on one's condition and always thinking  that if one had more money, one's life would be more enjoyable, it implies that one is forgetting God's blessings in our life. 

Does it mean that we must stop working, be lazy ?

 Certainly not, we must remember that our Lord provides,

 let us put our trust in Him.

Jesus himself gives this warning:

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, 

where moths and vermin destroy, 

and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ 

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

where moths and vermin do not destroy, 

and where thieves do not break in and steal.

 (Matthew 6:19-20)

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, 

or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. 

You cannot serve God and mammon" 

(Matthew 6:19-24).

I found out that the meaning of mammon,  (more correctly spelled "mamon" from the original language) was a transliteration of a common Aramaic word. It was derived from the Hebrew word that meant "to be established" or "to be certain" ('ãman)¹; and thus originally meant "to entrust"².  In time, the meaning of the word changed from the positive idea of "that which is entrusted"  to the negative idea of "that in which a man puts his trust".

 Depending on who you talk to, the conversation may very quickly turn on money, 

whether people deplore the lack of it

 or on the contrary boast about what they have bought with it. 

Sometimes money can hijack your relationship with a loved one.

 If you are not on your guard, it can rote everything

Do you think that having a good job, a title, a good spouse satisfies you? 

Maybe your aim in life it to become famous,

 you treasure all the certificates that bear your name, 

the articles in the local or national press.

The reason why we always need money is that nothing 

we buy with it gives us lasting pleasure.

 ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 

²² But when the young man heard this statement, 

he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property. 

In Matthew 13:44  Jesus tells us that 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, 

which a man found and hid again;

 and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

 

A prayer, Lord, thank you for your Love, thank you for Jesus, our saviour and redeemer. 

Help us to get rid of our material cravings.

 We seek you Jesus, our treasure, Light of the World, our true friend. In Jesus-Christ, Amen

 

Awesome resurrection!

One thing in life is that the unusual becomes the usual. Flying for instance, we take it as normal. Twenty years ago, most of us did not have a computer. Also, now we all have a mobile phone or the latest android in our pocket. We can get accustomed to things. Monday evening, your young child is shouting 'boo' to you unexpectedly which causes you jump out of your skin. If he/she keeps on doing it all week, by Friday, you won't even react. The unfamiliar becomes familiar. Think about a new car and all the little gadgets, we love them for a while and they surprise us, three months later, we take them for granted. 
We've lived with Jesus for a while, has He become familiar too?
We start with an empty tomb and the disciples are scratching their heads, they are puzzled. By the time Jesus was buried, he had been battered out of recognition, beaten, whipped, bruised, spat upon, a spear stuck into his side. He was a mess and he was dead.The disciples were shattered.
What was unusual was that the strips of linen left there, the only thing that was of value.
We read in John 20 : 6 - 7 Simon Peter arrived after him and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there. 7He also saw the cloth that had been on Jesus' head. It wasn't lying with the strips of linen but was rolled up separately.   Another unusual thing was to admit that they had not understood what happened (v.9) 9They didn't know yet what Scripture meant when it said that Jesus had to come back to life. They are being very honest. Jesus has told them that he would die and resurrect three times, i.e. 18 month before, in the town Caesarea Philippi  Mark 8:27-30, their ears got blocked, they didn't hear it. John is honest. If it was made up, they would have been sitting waiting in front of the tomb!  Something else very unusual to note. Jesus appears to women. This was a patriarchal society where the women were not deemed as reliable witnesses in court. Jesus loves to break the rules. Some suggest that he revived in the tomb but as I mentioned it before, it is out of question, since he had been crucified.  Jesus is not recognised until he says Mary. Why? Raising up from the dead, he has been transformed. Go back to 1 Cor 15: 53-54  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.  This transformation is for us in eternity.The New Life is for us today. What has happened at Easter? Death has been defeated, new life is born.
Do we stand by our convictions? Do we draw it to others despite what they say. Jesus brings life! We must be careful not to get too familiar whereby we lose a sense of awe and wonder! Let us share it with others! Let's ask them: do you know what Jesus did ? He rose from the dead ! Isn't it awesome! with the same freshness as more than 2000 years ago.
These are my notes from this morning Easter service, courtesy from Rev S. A. 
My friends, have a blessed Easter. In Jesus' name. Amen. N.

A Maundy Thursday Meditation: the last supper

The bible is full of diners from Adam and Eve feasting on the forbidden fruit ending up with blaming each other. During the last supper, Judas deceitfulness is exposed. Every meal can turn into a critical situation. This is the place where people dominate, gossip, exacerbate others. It would take a novelist or a psychologist to.... Cats and dogs don't have a meal and the same goes for the sheep and goats grazing. Learning to share a meal sitting down round at a table is an important social skill. A meal is an essential part of a growing adult. It is a great day for the family when a child is able to sit at a table. Clearing the table and washing up are part of the process. There is a moral significance in meals. Jesus practised what he preached when he was eating with outcasts. An occasion to reflect..

Lenten Meditation 2

Last night, we reflected upon Jesus'arrest. Even though Jesus was totally innocent, 'reasons' were found to incriminate him.
Mainly two reasons: leading a rebellion and speaking blasphemy. We know that the increasing support of the Jews for Jesus, especially when he entered Jerusalem scared the Jewish authority. The charge of blasphemy is not completely false as Jesus was telling the truth: He is God. For centuries, these reasons have been the used by dictators and still are. The circumstances are similar too. The Gestapo and the KGB arrested anybody they suspected to be against their regime.  In countries where dictatorship or fake democratic governments reign, innocents are still hounded and murdered.

In Matthew 26, we read : Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹ With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
   ⁵² “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³ Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴ But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
 ⁵⁵ In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶ But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

   ⁶⁴ “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

 ⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! 

Lenten Meditation

Jesus' agony in the garden of Gethsemane

Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." Luke 22:42

We reflected on the courage shown by Jesus and his total obedience to his Father: not my will but yours

And to strengthen Him an angel appeared to Him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

~ Luke 22:43-44 ~

Jesus said to them:

Why are you sleeping? Rise up and pray that you do not enter into temptation.

Watch and pray, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And Jesus went the second time to pray, saying the same words he had said before: My Father, if this cannot pass away, unless I drink it, your will be done. And Jesus came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to Jesus. Jesus left the third time to pray. And he prayed as he had the first two times, and when he returned to the disciples, they were asleep. Jesus said to the disciples: So far as I am concerned you can continue to sleep for now. Take your rest, for the time for you to be of comfort and assistance has passed. But as far as you are concerned, Look, the hour has come and the Son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up and let’s be going. Look, the one who is going to betray me is here.

After he prayed, Jesus found the disciples asleep. He must have felt extremely upset and betrayed. When he needed his friends the most, they weren't there for him. How do we feel when it happens to us? Betrayal hurts so much whether we are children or adults.

The importance of preaching

The following are my notes while we were in Doxey. In a first part, Peter Ensor talked about the importance of preaching. 
Peter's sermon (Acts 2:14-41) is the very first Christian sermon and we can learn a lot from it. There is a quotation from Martyn Lloyd Jones (1899-1981) that comes to my mind: The work of preaching is the highest and greatest and most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called. Upon learning of Hugh Price Hughes' desire to enter the ministry, his father, a physician  said, "I should rather my son be a Methodist preacher than the Lord Chancellor of England."  John Mott, was a well known missionary statesman. When President Coolidge asked him to serve as an ambassador to Japan, Mott replied, "Mr. President, since God called me to be an ambassador of His, my ears have been deaf to all other calls."

This first Christian sermon resulted in 3000 people being saved. Within 300 years, the Church has captured the soul of the Roman empire so much that the emperor Constantine    converted. In the Middle Ages, all Europe was christianised through the Dominican and the Franciscan friars. Everybody was regarded as a member of the Church. Calvin ruled the turbulent town of Geneva from his pulpit. Everybody would come to listen to him and he

would mould the thinking of people in charge of Geneva. George Westley and George Whitefield (1714-1770) were used by God to bring people into a living faith.   Later on Charles Spurgeon held congregations of 7000 people in London.
After this introduction, we split up in groups to look for the various 'X-factors' in Peter's first sermon leading to the conversion of 3000 people. This was a very interesting part of the day as we met new brothers and sisters in Christ.   
Blessings.    

The beauty of the bible

Tomorrow, we are going to spend a day in Doxey Church. The title of the conference ' The beauty of the bible' I find exciting and unlike some other invitation fliers, I haven't lost this one! Will tell you more about it. Blessings to all of you.

A fitness course for Christians. March 27: Breathing

Praying – our hearts beating with God’s; in and for all

Reading Acts 12:1-17

Gospel Matthew 7:7-14

At the end of today's Gospel, Jesus encourages us to enter the narrow gate. Though at times it may be hard to keep on the narrow path, we do not do it on our own, we walk it with Jesus. Our journey can be tough and hard. In Acts 12, things were getting tough as there's been some persecution.Not a very nice context. Steven was stoned, James was beheaded all executed by the local state. The guards are beheaded for dereliction of duty. Today persecution continues. More died for their faith in the twentieth and current centuries than in previous centuries. (1) Herod who was an eccentric put Peter in the slammer, a very secure place, no cost spared, sixteen soldiers to guard him; meanwhile, the church (v.5) was praying. They were concerned, worried and behind locked doors. And God answered their prayers. He sends an angel, the chains fall off, the gate opens. (There is no messing with angels) Peter does not realise he is free until he is out breathing fresh air, then he knocks on their door. While the others are committed to prayers, Rhoda hears the knock and tells them Peter is there. Somehow they do not believe her. So what happened? They got faith and were praying but their eyes won't open.They weren't ready for God to do the unexpected. Jesus has already told them: ask.., seek.., and knock.. (Luke 11:9). Sometimes, God has initiated the answers to prayers even before we have prayed. That brings us into a relationship with Him. God reveals himself and we relate to him. We are not to twist God's arm like a nagging child who goes on until he gets what he wants. Matthew 6:7. God wants us to trust him, to acknowledge that he is Lord. Reading his Word provides our nourishment, we feed on his Word. We are praying in the Spirit to the Father in the name of Jesus. It is a spiritual activity and we need the expectancy. Prayers flow from the word of God.

Note: Just as we cannot live without breathing, we cannot live without prayers. Without this live-giving force, we would shrivel and die spiritually.

Rev. S.A.
(1) Justin D. Long emphasized the startling fact that more people have died for their faith in the Twentieth Century than in all of the previous centuries combined. “During this century, we have documented cases in excess of 26 million martyrs. From AD 33 to 1900, we have documented 14 million martyrs.”

Jesus, You are everything

All I know is
Every day is filled with hope
You are everything that I believe for
And I can’t help but breathe you in
Breathe again
Feeling all this life within
Every single beat of my heart
You are
You are
Jesus, You are
You are everything
by Matthew West


I've just found this powerful song and I hope you will enjoy listening to it as much as I do. Blessings.

Mr and Mrs Blue Tits

Thanks to a lovely weather, spring is bursting out everywhere. Imogen realised that one of the trees in the High Street was in full blossom and declared: how did I miss that? And in our garden, for the great pleasure of the boss, Mr and Mrs Blue Tit visited an empty bird house and after a thorough exploration decided it was fit to move in!

Photo, courtesy of Rev. S. A.

Watchman Nee

The other day while reading Authentic Christianity I came across the name of Watchman Nee. I never heard of him before so I googled it and here is what I found about him. 

Nee Shu-tsu, whose English name was Henry Nee, was born of second-generation Christian parents in Foochow, China in 1903. His paternal grandfather,Nga U-cheng, born in 1840, became the first Chinese pastor among the Congregationalists in northern Fukien province. Nee Shu-tsu had been consecrated to the Lord before his birth. Desiring a son, his mother had prayed to the Lord, "If I have a boy, I will present him to You." The Lord answered her prayer, and soon afterward Nee Shu-tsu was born. 

 Yet Nee Shu-tsu, acquainted with the gospel since childhood, had the deep realization that if he received Jesus as his Lord for salvation he must also serve Him. In 1920, after a considerable struggle, seventeen-year-old Nee Shu-tsu, still a high school student, was dynamically saved. At the moment of his salvation, all his previous planning became void and his future career was entirely abandoned. He testified, "From the evening I was saved, I began to have a new life, for the life of the eternal God had entered into me". Later, after being raised up by the Lord to carry out His commission, he adopted the new English name Watchman and the new Chinese name To-sheng, which means "watchman's rattle," for he considered himself a watchman raised up to sound a warning call in the dark night. Nee's method of church planting was to begin with a small group of people meeting in a house. From then on, they would hold both home meetings and meetings in the building. They would invariably train indigenous leadership for these groups. Nee also received a bachelor's degree during this period from Trinity college in Foochow. Later on he married Chaing Pin-Hwai, a family friend who had graduated in literature from the famous Yin King University. Her knowledge of literature would assist Nee in his writing and translation work. In 1947, Nee was restored to leadership in the Little Flock church in Shanghai, and again was active in church-planting and training of Christian workers. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison for 20 years until his death in 1972. After Watchman Nee's death, when his niece came to collect his few possessions, she was given a scrap of paper that a guard had found by his bed. What was written on that scrap may serve as Watchman Nee's testament: Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ. His words remain an abundant source of spiritual revelation and supply to Christians throughout the world. 

• The Spiritual Man
• Spiritual Authority
• Mystery of Creation
• Gospel Dialogue
• The King and The Kingdom of Heaven
• Interpreting Matthew
• Come, Lord Jesus
• The Better Covenant
• Aids to Revelation
• The Overcoming Life
• The Normal Christian Life
• The Breaking of The Outer Man and The Release of The Spirit
• The Song of Songs
• Authority and Submission
• Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things

What an amazing life serving the Lord! If you have you read any of his books do let me know! It's getting late and I am exhausted so I will say to you good night and God bless. Yours in Christ. N.

Sources : http://www.watchmannee.org and wikipedia.

Bringing the gospel to others at work...

Is it feasible? risky? Would you lose your job? Some time ago, I heard a minister saying that it was like being undercover. However I reckon the more you practice, the better you become! Easy said than done, you could answer! Have you tried?
God has put each one of us where we are for a purpose. If you are in a particular job, it is because God has put you there to reach others who work there.
I am now in the middle of chapter 4 of Authentic Christianity by Richard Taylor, an amazing book that I recommend!
Maybe you hate your job...maybe you feel that the people you are working with would be totally unreceptive to the Gospel...
I must say that those thoughts have come across my mind and brought frustration. Perseverance is a must, prayers are essential. Help from the Holy Spirit is vital. Blessings