Stars and Sand: Roger Aubrey

The Friends Who Went Through the Fire

I have always been fascinated by the story of Shadrak, Meshak and Abednego in the book of Daniel. When I was a little boy I was gripped by the adventure angle of the story: brave men of God surviving the fiery furnace. In later years it has been the fact that these men refused to bow to the pressure of a despot, and of their faith and confidence in God, especially the powerful statement that he was able to deliver them, but even if he didn't they still would refuse to bow and worship another god.

Last Sunday at All Nations Church I had the privilege of sharing another aspect of the story: the covenant friendship of these three men and what it practically meant for them as they prepared to go into the fire, not knowing if they would come out alive. In this message I give several insights into their relationship as covenant friends and how the Lord would have us live in the same way today.

The Friends Who Went Through the Fire 

Speaking Truth to Power

My previous two articles this week have elicited a considerable number of responses and reactions. Thanks to all who took the time to read them, and to those who felt they wanted to respond. They evidently provoked thought and debate among you, as I discovered when I visited Facebook! It’s good to have healthy, constructive discussion about issues.

I want to deal with one aspect of the matter that was raised, especially after my piece about David and Saul: as Christians can and should we ever criticise our leaders, political or otherwise? Is there a time and place when we don’t behave as David did after the death of Saul? It’s an important question. My simple answer is yes, there are times and places to do that very thing.

I believe in the importance of speaking truth to power, but that speaking should be done with the interests of God. A proper reading of the Word of God demonstrates this vividly; many of the Old Testament prophets, such as Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea, railed passionately against the rulers of their day, even prophesying the death and destruction of some of these men. Perhaps the most striking example of this was Elijah in his dealings with Ahab and Jezebel (I deal with this at length in my book The Elijah People). When we come into the New Testament we discover John the Baptist castigating King Herod regarding his illegal marriage; and even Jesus himself called Herod ‘that old fox.’ Even though in all these examples we find withering denunciations of improper, autocratic and despotic rulers, we always find that the representative of God speaks truth to power, with the interests of God. That is the point. I do not advocate a pacifist acquiescence to those in government, or even those in church leadership, but I still maintain that the point I made regarding David and Saul has merit, even for today. 

I am concerned with the inner being of believers, of matters of the heart. I believe that we have the right and responsibility to speak as God’s representatives to the powers of government, business, church, entertainment and media. God is not excluded from his world; he has something to say. My concern is that what we say is purely in God’s interests, and not our own particular political view or take on the events of history. (It’s been interesting to see some of the comments made in the media this week about the 70s and 80s, were made by those who were not even alive during that time). We as Christians are bigger and better than that: we are the sons of God, and the creation is awaiting our maturity.

 This week I have even been described as a Thatcherite: I am not. Neither am I a Blairite, a Brownite, or a Churchillian! I was born in 1952 from left wing political stock on my father’s side (he came from the Welsh valleys), when Churchill was Prime Minister. Like the Queen I have lived through the Premiership of eleven people; they have been a true mixture. I have experienced the benefits of their successes and suffered through their blunders. They all got things right and they all got things wrong. Both Conservative and Labour Prime Ministers took this country to war in my lifetime; both parties made policy decisions that affected hundreds and thousands of us for the best and the worst. In my working life I have been a Trade Union representative and worked in the private sector. My standard of living has changed many times because of the good and bad decisions made by Labour and Conservatives. I have little or no respect for some who have held the office of PM; I admire others. At various times over the years I have spoken in support of the PM, at others I have challenged them through my correspondence. If we were to be completely impartial, then there could just as easily have been street parties following the death of certain Labour Prime MInisters, who, in the eyes of many, almost destroyed this nation.

My aim in this week’s articles has been to appeal to my fellow believers: to be radical and to live with courage of your convictions, and to conduct yourself in that radical conviction with dignity and not with spiteful, sarcastic, cynical invective. That is all I ask.

A Matter of Honour

The behaviour and attitude of certain Christians this week has been deplorable and quite ungodly. Their responses to the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have demonstrated a clear lack in their understanding of God and the principles of his Kingdom. Their hatred of Baroness Thatcher has overflowed in cruel, salacious, crude and vitriolic attacks on her as a person. I have seen Facebook and Twitter posts by so-called men and women of God that have made me wince, cringe and drop my jaw in horror that my fellow believers could say such things. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Perhaps they should take a leaf out of King David’s book. For most of his early public life, David was hounded by his own father-in-law, King Saul, who, once he realised he could not manipulate David, made David his enemy. Twice he tried to personally murder David; having failed to do so he conducted a long campaign to seek and destroy a man who had done him no harm. He even killed those who sheltered David. Twice David had the opportunity to kill Saul: once when Saul went into a cave to go to the toilet, without realising David and his men were hiding there. Saul did his business and left without David’s killing him. In fact David did sneak up behind Saul and cut off a piece of his robe, only to be convicted by the Holy Spirit of doing even that! The second time David’s opportunity came he found Saul fast asleep. Again, David refused to kill his enemy, the man who had treated him like a common criminal.

Eventually, Saul died and the news was brought to David. You’d think that David would celebrate and throw a party, just like some of my Christian brothers are advocating now regarding Margaret Thatcher. But David was a spiritual man, and he responded accordingly.  He refused to speak ill of his enemy; on the contrary, he killed the man who claimed to have killed Saul. In his song of lament for Saul and Jonathan (note that: he lamented the death of his enemy), David spoke of Saul:

 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! (2Samuel 1:23-25)

 David refused to speak ill of his enemy, the man who had abused him, tormented him, and who’d tried to kill him. Even though that man was now dead, David retained his dignity and chose the way of the Kingdom, the way of the Cross (‘Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing’). He even ensured that Saul’s body was buried with respect.

If you take time to read the Bible you will find that David never spoke ill of Saul the rest of his life. He always honoured Saul for what he was: the Lord’s anointed (the Lord’s Messiah). David wasn’t naïve: he knew what Saul was like, but David understood something about honour, something that certain Christian brothers and sisters need to grasp in these days. Let me say this: to you who behave with such hatred, I’m not asking you to love the lady, but give thought to your conduct. You dishonour not only the person of the late Prime Minister, you demean yourselves and worst of all you dishonour God. Please bear that in mind when you make your foolish comments.

The Courage of Conviction

Yesterday saw the passing away of Margaret Thatcher, the former British Prime Minister, aged 87. The news of her death sparked a widespread and wide-ranging outpouring: of grief, appreciation, measured assessment, objectivity, spiteful celebration, vituperation, adulation and suppressed anger. This article is not an assessment of her policies; however, something in all that took place yesterday was a provocation and a reminder of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

As in life, Baroness Thatcher in death elicited love and loathing, probably in equal measure. For those who could rise above their stark prejudices, both from right and especially from the extreme left, and offer some kind of objective thoughts, three words kept ringing throughout the media storm: belief; truth; conviction. The reason why Thatcher elicited such reactions and responses, not only yesterday, but throughout her long political career, was that she was no populist politician. While she was prepared to make concessions on policies, she always resolutely refused to compromise her political beliefs for the sake of expediency or popularity. She was a conviction politician; she firmly believed that what she stood for was right and true. As such she was a formidable and respected foe to her opponents and a terror to those of her own party who failed to hold to their convictions, even if they clashed with hers. She could not abide compromise or a lack of conviction in others, no matter their political hue. Nobody in current British politics since she left power, certainly no PM, has been prepared to stand up for their convictions like she did. It’s the age of the men in grey suits. Conviction demands courage: Margaret Thatcher had it in spades.

 We could say that this situation is mirrored to some degree in western Christianity. What is needed today is a conviction Christianity: one that stands for something, that believes in something, that refuses to waver in the face of opposition, that stands against the tide of compromise from within and attack from without. We need a Christianity that proudly and humbly declares its adherence to eternal, objective truth as found in the Word of God, that doesn’t cave in to the spirit of the age and to the religious men in grey suits who all too swiftly abandon their principles and once-held cherished beliefs because they want to be popular or sell their books, or be famous, or are afraid of offending their members and thus emptying their church buildings of people who will take their money elsewhere. 

 As I travel and meet Christians of many nations I am encouraged because I discover that there is a generation - mostly but not exclusively young men and women - who are conviction Christians. The future belongs to them, their time is now. Even though I am in natural years older than many, I am of the same generation: the generation of Jesus Christ, the ultimate man of conviction.

Faith and Timing

The Door

Principles are not negotiable

Pope Benedict XVI made history this week by becoming the first pontiff for several hundred years to resign the office rather than die in situ. The conclave of the College of Cardinals will now set about electing the new pope. Putting aside any personal views on the process and the office for a moment, here is an article I originally posted back in 2005 when Benedict was elected pope. The new pope will face many of the same issues.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is now pope Benedict XVI. His election has satisfied the conservatives and saddened the liberals within Roman Catholicism. Mind you, these are relative terms when you talk about Rome; they prefer to use the term orthodox to describe the new pope. That is probably a better term.

The pope's critics within the Church claim that he, like his predecessor, is too dogmatic in sticking to the traditional teachings of the Church concerning issues such as the ordination of women, homosexuality and birth control methods. They hoped that somehow the new pope would be someone who would move with the times and make accommodations for these issues. But they forget that the pope will remain true to what he sees as the fundamentals of Roman Catholicism. While I may not agree very much with Roman Catholic theology, doctrine and practice, I do admire the fact that they stick to what they believe. 'If you want to be a Roman Catholic', they say, 'this is what you must believe and practise.' If you do not want to believe and do these things, then do not call yourself a Roman Catholic. The same principle holds true in the golf club: 'this is a golf club and we play golf; and we play according to the rules of the Royal & Ancient. If you want to play golf, you play this way.'

The pope will hold to his principles; and these principles are not negotiable. I admire him for that, even if I do not agree that his theology is correct (although I agree concerning the ordination of women and homosexuality). Too many church leaders are led along by the spirit of the age, accommodating their beliefs and theologies to the shifting sands of popular culture and opinion. Christianity cannot do that: it offers a culture contrary to the world. It is prepared to offer salvation to the lost, but on God's terms.

 Ratzinger was right when he said, 'We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism that has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires.' The gospel we offer to the world is not one that accommodates itself to the prevailing views of the day; it is one that cuts right across every worldly philosophy with the radical and eternal message that God loves this world, but he will only accept us on his terms. He is not only a God of love; he is a God of light.

Dean Inge said, 'The church that is married to the spirit of this age will be a widow in the next.' We must stand for objective truth no matter what the pressure is to conform, compromise or yield. That is not being bloody minded; it is simply being true, and remaining faithful to eternal truth.

(Taken from Stars and Sand, Roger Aubrey, Grosvenor House Publishing. All rights reserved)

God's Giants: TL Osborn

Last week, another of God's giants, TL Osborn, went to heaven aged 89. Osborn was one of the great healing evangelists of the last sixty years and was the author of the classic 'Healing the Sick'. In this video Osborn speaks on 'What I Believe'.

 

Blair Wingo: Allow me to re-introduce the Christ

 

...And relax

Quiet spot, comfy chair, shoes off close eyes and play... Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.

 

A little gem on prayer

This gem on prayer comes from James O Fraser, a missionary with the China Inland Mission in the early 20th century. (Thanks to James Aubrey for uncovering it):

Praying without faith is like trying to cut with a blunt knife-much labour expended to little purpose. For the work accomplished by labour in prayer depends on our faith: "According to your faith [not labour] be it unto you."

I have been impressed lately with the thought that people fail in praying the prayer of faith because they do not believe that God has already answered, but only that He will some time or other answer their petitions. This is not the faith that makes prayer effective. True faith glories in the present tense, and does not trouble itself about the future. God’s promises are in the present tense and are quite secure enough to set our hearts at rest. Their full outworking is often in the future, but God’s word is as good as His bond and we need have no anxiety. Sometimes He gives at once what we ask, but more often He just gives His promise (Mark 11:24). Perhaps He is more glorified in this latter case, for it means that our faith is tried and strengthened. 

God's Giants: Bryn Jones

Bryn Jones, together with men like Arthur Wallis (another of God's giants), was one of the pioneers of God's eternal restoration purpose in the second half of the twentieth century. He left a legacy and a revelation of the Kingdom of God that has been taken up afresh across the globe by a new generation of restorers. This video of Bryn preaching comes from the Wales Bible Week of 1990: Bryn's subject - The Cross.

  

Redefining marriage is impossible

This week has seen a sea change in British politics and the continued decline of the moral and spiritual health of the nation. On Tuesday the Conservative-led Coalition successfully negotiated the latest stage in its same sex marriage Bill through the House of Commons. The irony of the proceedings was the fact that more Conservative MPs voted against the Bill than for it. PM David Cameron had to rely on the votes of the Opposition parties to get his majority. He now leads a party in disarray, divided at its core. He stands discredited, presiding over a party riven with schism and division. And we all know what happens to a house divided against itself.

The issues for opponents of the Bill have been varied; in fact, it’s been fascinating to hear atheists, homosexuals, liberals and Muslims, as well as Christians, vociferous in their campaign to halt this foolish legislation. Admittedly, their reasons for doing so are also varied, but it does demonstrate that the issue of same sex marriage is not universally agreed on, even among non Christians. That should tell us something. Polls reveal that the country is more divided on the question than certain parts of the media would have us believe.

For Christians, the fundamental issue is not about marriage per se; it’s about God and the authority of his Word, the Bible. In his Word God once and for all, ‘in the beginning’, defined marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman. He has never changed that definition, and never will. Marriage is symbolic of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church: he is the bridegroom/husband, the Church is his bride/wife. This eternal motif is fundamentally important in understanding the purpose of the Church, and of the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. This excludes all other definitions of marriage, including polygamy and same sex. No secular government or power has the authority to redefine what God has eternally defined, for in defining marriage in the way he has God has also defined something of himself to us. And he never changes. In attempting to redefine marriage, the UK government is actually trying to redefne the nature of the unchanging God. That is extreme folly.

Furthermore, marriage cannot be redefined by the Church. The Church is defined by God as the bride of Christ, the wife of the Lamb. It too has no authority to discard that definition by removing one of the foundations of its own identity that marriage between a man and a woman conveys. When the Church makes marriage less than God has made it, then the Church ceases to be the Church. Therefore, any so called church that accepts same sex marriage is no longer the Church of Jesus Christ; it is apostate. When I see so-called Christian leaders pontificate on how each of us should be able to express ourselves in the way we see fit and condone same sex marriage I am grieved - and angry. They not only contradict the clear, consistent message of the Scriptures, they slander the nature of the God they claim to represent and practically deny the authority of the Word of God. Let me make it clear: homosexual marriage is not marriage in the eyes of God. And that is important to stress; even if the UK government eventually passes legislation to legalise and enforce such 'marriages', God will not recognise them, neither will his Church. Call it what you will; pass your laws; but God still says no. And so does his Church. Religious leaders who support and advocate this legislation will pay a terrible price when they stand before God to justify themselves.

The question before the Church, therefore, is: how eternally authoritative is God’s Word? It teaches categorically, consistently and permanently, that marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman. It teaches that homosexuality is sin, in both Old and New Testaments. It doesn’t recognise same sex marriage as marriage. It celebrates and honours marriage on God’s terms, even the marriages of those who don’t believe in God. God is for marriage; he thought of it, and he officiated at the very first one! If we really believe the Bible is the God-breathed Word of the living God, then we will conclude that marriage as God defines it is the only true expression of the relationship. No government dare tinker with it or play God. Who do they think they are? 

God's Giants: Keith Green

Even though he died some thirty years ago, the music and message of Keith Green is even more relevant today than when he lived. In an age where vast amounts of 'Christian music' cater for the self indulgent, self centred, with lyrics that could easily refer to a boyfriend than a Lord and Master, Green's lyrics pierce like a knife. They are the words of a musical prophet. Here are two of his greatest songs: Asleep in the Light, and To Obey is Better than Sacrifice. They contain powerful and incisive messages: 'Bless me Lord, Bless me Lord, that's all I ever hear', 'I don't need your money, I want your life', 'Jesus rose again from the dead, but you can't even get out of bed', 'I want more than Sundays and Wednesday nights'.

 

 

God's Giants: Billy Graham

At a time when the western church needs spiritual giants, it focuses on pygmies. When it needs substance it is satisfied with soundbites. Those Christians who even bother to read a book are too often entertained by the contents rather than stretched and challenged to be true radical disciples of Jesus Christ. Recently, I have found myself 'digging the old wells', not of nostalgia but of the heritage and world changing messages of men and women of God who are now either old or gone to be with the Lord. They still speak. In weeks to come I intend to post some material from these giants. Today I begin with one of the twentieth century's most influential figures: Billy Graham. This video is not one of his preaching at a Crusade, it's something slightly different.

Speaking at TED in 1998, Billy Graham marvels at technology's power to improve lives and change the world -- but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Christ. A legendary talk from TED's archives.

 

The Songs of Zion

Last week I had one of those moments. In my daily reading I came across Psalm Two, and was especially moved by verse six: 'I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.' Way down in my heart and memory a song from the 80s surfaced; it was a song that we used to sing a lot and meant so much to me. I had a longing to hear it again; but as far as I knew, it was on an old tape that had long gone the way of old cassettes.

Later that day somebody sent me a message that meant I had to visit Facebook. As I scrolled down I saw a friend had posted a link to this site: Vintage Worship Tapes. I clicked on the link to discover that somebody has set up a site with many of the old songs that were published by Harvestime - the songs of the Dales and Wales Bible Weeks, and even songs from Church House Bradford from the 70s. 

I began to scroll through the tapes and discovered the song that the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance that morning, downloaded it, and played it. I was thrilled by what I heard: thousands of believers singing about and to The King of Zion - Jesus. I decided to download some more songs and as I listened to each one I was stirred again - not in nostalgia - but by the raw sound of thousands of men and women worshipping Jesus. It was an unsophisticated sound with very little post-production or studio effects. Singers didn't always hit the notes, the band and people were sometimes out of time with each other; and yes, some of the songs were very 80s! But there was something about it that captured me: these people were singing the songs of their pilgrimage; they sang to Jesus, their songs expressed their corporate life and purpose, their passion for Jesus and his Kingdom broke through the sometimes poor quality of the recording. 

These times of praise and worship changed lives: I know, because I was present in some of these meetings, and encountered the living Lord in ways that transformed me forever. I don't wish to be critical of many of today's so-called worship songs and music; but I would encourage anybody serious about worship that is worthy of Jesus to visit the site and listen to these songs. Some of them are dated and not all are great; but many of them deserve not only a hearing but a restoration to our lips and worship today. It's time to sing the songs of Zion and covenant again. It's time for our worship to recapture its place within the purpose of God.

Here's the song I was looking for:

Download 04 - I have set My King on My holy hill

The world will end - but not today!

The world will end - but not today! It's been quite an apocalyptic week, with the news reports full of people getting ready for the end of the world, which was due today. It's all down to various interpretations of the Mayan calendar, which predicts a shift in time today. It's amazing how many people have taken this seriously, with many people spending immense amounts of money (which means others have made immense amounts of money!) on survival pods and stockpiles of rations. It's like Y2K all over again.

Christians are not immune to this craziness. I was raised with the belief in a secret rapture: that Jesus would return secretly and whisk a declining and weak church away before a Great Tribulation and the rule of the Antichrist. Then I began to read the Bible properly and learned from good Bible teachers that yes the world will end one day, and Jesus will return, not for a battered bride waiting to be delivered, but for a glorious bride, which has made herself ready for her Bridegroom. Jesus will return to wind up human history when all things spoken by the prophets have been restored (Acts 3:19-21).

So today I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the day after. I'm especially looking forward to my Christmas dinner on Tuesday! And I'm looking forward to the end of the world - and the age to come!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Just walk away

(From A Tale of Three Kings, by Gene Edwards)

I find it curious that those who feel qualified to split God's kingdom do not feel capable of going somewhere else - to another land - to raise up a completely new kingdom. No, they must steal from another leader. I have never seen the exception. They always need at least a few prepackaged followers.

Beginning alone and empty handed frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them. Their every word, if truly understood, tells of their insecurity. 

There are many lands unspoiled and unpossessed. There are many people in other places waiting to follow a true king, a true man of God. Why don't 'would-be kings and prophets' simply walk away quietly and alone, then find another people in another place, and there raise up the kingdom they envision?

Real hope never dies

Thanks to all of you who have bought my new ebook from Kindle or the iBookstore, and for the positive feedback, that it's strengthening your hope and faith. It will be available for Nook in a matter of days; and it will be in paperback in a few weeks. You might be interested to know that all my other books are now on offer in ebooks too. We've managed to reduce the price for you on all of them; just want you blessed! Here's an extract from The Little Book of Hope: 

For the Christian, hope never dies. You can lose hope, abandon hope, misplace hope, and leave hope; but your hope cannot die. Your hope is ultimately in the living God, in the living Lord Jesus Christ. He is alive and will never die again. Remember: hope is not some-thing; hope is Some-one! Your hope is a Person – Jesus Christ. He is the same yesterday and today and forever. When Jesus died, his followers believed their hopes had died with him. He was their hope, but now he was dead. Instead of being people filled with hope they were overwhelmed by fear, worry, anger, depression, confusion, devastation, grief and regret. Their hope had gone. The person they had pinned their hopes on was dead and buried.

It might sound harsh to say this, but all these emotions were completely unnecessary. Before his death, Jesus had consistently told his disciples: ‘in three days I’ll rise from the dead’ (Mark 8:31; 10:33-35). However, his disciples chose instead to believe their situation. Jesus was dead and buried. They gave up on his word of hope – ‘I’LL BE BACK IN THREE DAYS!’ They didn’t hold on to the promise of hope, consequently they lost hope and ended up in desperate situations. Those three days when Jesus was dead could and should have been so different for the disciples. They should have been days of excitement, anticipation, imagination, determination, planning, joy, peace, and faith. They should have been days of hope, because just three days in the future Jesus would be back with them! They should have woken up that third day early knowing they were going to see Jesus alive and well!

It’s not surprising, therefore, that when Jesus met his disciples for the first time after his resurrection he had no sympathy for them. That night the resurrected Jesus, the one they did not believe was alive, walked through the wall and appeared before them - alive! The one they did not believe in turned up in the room. And he was not happy with them. Jesus did not sit down with his friends as if nothing had happened; immediately he challenged them. In fact he rebuked them. Jesus spoke to his disciples in the strongest terms about their lack of faith in him. Faith was going to be so important for these men that he could not let them off the hook. He did not care for their sensitivities or dignity; he stood on their toes - and it hurt:

Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. (Mark 16:14)

Previously, whenever I read this passage, I was taken aback by Jesus' attitude to the disciples. Now I realise why he had to speak to them like this. Mark 16:10 says that they were hidden away, mourning and weeping not only over Jesus, but also over their own situation. Yet, as we have seen, he had constantly told them that three days after he died he would rise again and that they would see him again. Jesus spoke plainly about it. If they had believed him then they would not have been in this state. They would have been filled with anticipation and excitement, because this was the third day.

Even when Mary Magdalene came running from the tomb to tell them that Jesus was alive, that she had seen him and spoken to him, they did not believe her. In fact Luke 24:11 says they thought she was speaking complete nonsense. Their unbelief was not even challenged by the two disciples who had been with Jesus at Emmaus; they didn't believe them either (Mark 16:13). All this despite the fact that Jesus had spelled out for them clearly, simply and emphatically: ‘Three days after they kill me I will rise again from the dead.’ Why did Jesus speak like this to the disciples? Because where they were headed in life every one of them would have to be a man of faith. They would be men who would do the works of Jesus and also do the greater works (John 14:12); they had to become men of faith. So do we. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. Romans 1:17 stresses that the righteous live by faith. Faith pleases God; only faith gets the job done. Therefore, if only because it pleases God, I will be a man of faith. And the purpose of hope is for us to live by faith. Remember: hope is the coat peg of faith. 

(From The Little Book of Hope, Roger Aubrey, Lulu Publishers 2012. All rights reserved)

Good riddance to religion

The results of the UK 2011 census are published today. Apparently, the cities of Brighton and Norwich show the highest percentage of people with 'no religion' at 40%, and the national average has risen to 25%. That is excellent news.

'What?!' I hear you cry, as you splutter into your coffee. A rise in people with 'no religion' is excellent news? Yes. How can I say such a thing? Because religion is one of the greatest hindrances to real Christianity. Religion and Christianity are not the same: religion masquerades as Christianity and portrays itself as representing God and Jesus Christ. Its paraphernalia, systems and philosophies are not even pale imitations or accurate replicas of the real thing. Religion is a sham; it deludes people into thinking that they are right with God. Worse: it presents a Jesus Christ who doesn't exist and who is therefore irrelevant. It perpetuates the lie that the Church is a building where one goes to perform rites and services, with a special class of people called clergy who do the business of God for us. 

That's why I'm thrilled that there is an increase in people in the UK who have turned their backs on such a ridiculous thing. It clears the decks for true Christianity to shine, for the real Church to stand up and be counted, for real Christians to be listened to by the media, for a clear prophetic voice to be heard again in the nation, for Jesus to be seen and known for who he really is! Church: we have work to do.

Little Book of Hope now on iBooks and iTunes

The Little Book of Hope is now available at the iBookstore for iPad, iPod and iPhone users, and on iTunes for Mac and PC users. The price is little too: only £1.99! 

Here's a link for The Little Book of Hope.

Give others hope

I've just heard that the Little Book of Hope will appear in the iBookstore and on Nook in a few days; and that it will be available in paperback in a few weeks, possibly before Christmas. It's already available for Kindle and I'm blessed with the responses to it so far. It seems to be helping! Here's a little extract for you: a vital aspect of living in hope is learning to give hope to others:

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)

The Bible teaches a lot about sowing and reaping, as this verse demonstrates (see also Galatians 6:7). This is especially true in the area of how we treat others concerning their own hopes and dreams. One of the ways in which we can see our own hopes realised is to give hope to other people; if you sow hope to them you will reap increased hope to yourself. Let me encourage you to be a dispenser of hope. Even if your own situation has not changed, rejoice with those who rejoice. Encourage others; don’t wait for your situation to change before you pray for others and encourage them. You might be waiting for your house to sell for several months and you hear that your friend’s house sale has been completed within a few weeks. How do you respond? You are the first to call your friend to rejoice with him. You buy him a generous gift for his new home. You don’t sulk or refuse to enter his new home until yours has sold. You will wait a long time for your own house to sell if that’s your attitude!

Your friend might be in the same position as you: you are both unemployed. As a giver of hope you keep encouraging him that the Lord will provide all that he needs and the job is on the way for him. The fact that you are also unemployed is irrelevant. You can encourage and give people hope whatever situation you are in. You might have a certain illness that has not yet been healed. Your friend is diagnosed with the same condition: you go to see him straight away, not to sympathise and drag him down, or just to compare medical notes, but to pray for his healing. And he is immediately healed when you pray to Jesus for him! You rejoice because your friend has been healed. Christians are deliverers of hope!

When you bless others you are blessed. I know people who have been healed when they pray for the healing of another. And don’t pray for somebody only on the condition you will also get healed! Give hope to others just because you want to give hope to others. I guarantee you will be blessed, because Jesus said: ‘It is more blessed to give than receive’ (Acts 20:35).

 

Good news from Minsk

Praise The Lord! Here's an update from the brothers in Minsk about the threats from the authorities to steal their church building:

Dear friends,

we overflow with thanksgiving to the Lord for what He has done tonight in our midst!

This miracle has taken place during the corporate prayer of the whole New Life church family tonight in Minsk (evening of December 4, 2012).

A Supreme Economic Court officer called our administrator and told him that "...the court's executive production been stopped and no one is going to confiscate the church property".

Right after this call our church lawyer rushed to the Economic Court of Minsk at around 09.30 PM (!) Minsk time and that court officer lady was there waiting to give him 2 page-document stating that the "...government officials gave up on their decision to confiscate the church and the confiscation case has been closed and filed away at the Court's Archives".

We have these papers in our possession now.

!!!

PTL!!!

But this does not mean yet that the Court's decision has been cancelled completely: the very decision that allowed the authorities back in 2009 to transfer the ownership rights of the church property.

But this does mean that nobody is going to carry out this decision and to confiscate our church property!

The Lord God intervened on our behalf!

Thank you so much for your support and decision to be on our side! We sensed we were not alone! Jesus is Lord!

You can follow our further news at our church' website: www.newlife.by/eng_index.php

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Pray and act for the church in Minsk, Belarus

Many of you will have heard of Slava Goncharenko (pictured, left with his fellow leader and translator Sergei Vaschevic), the leader of New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus. Just a few weeks ago Slava attended our annual Worldwatch conference at All Nations and spoke of the current condition in his country and the wonderful way in which Jesus is moving powerfully through the Holy Spirit. Belarus is ruled by the Soviet-styled dictator Alexander Lukashenko and the church there has suffered intense persecution for many years under him. (Here's a current article on Lukashenko from this week's Guardian newspaper).

Just a few days ago we received communication from Slava that the city authorities in Minsk are demanding that the church vacates their building (which they own and have paid for) and hand it over to the authorities. This is part of a long running campaign of intimidation and threats against the church, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Here is the communication from Slava and Sergei, along with a request that we pray and act on their behalf:

Dear Caring and Praying Friends,

Today, on November 27, we at New Life church received court summons from the Supreme Economic Court, in which our church is to vacate its building, then make an extra set of keys for representatives of the Moscow District Household Management Department of the Minsk City no later than December 5th 2012. Transfer of the church building and its keys to the representatives of the Minsk City Household Management Department is to be carried out on December 5th at 11.00am. We are not going to give up our church nor our right to worship the Lord there!

Please forward and share this news with your friends, your Congressman, your Senator (s), newsmakers, media outlets, reporters and send protest letters to the Belarusian Embassy in your nation.

You can follow recent developments and news at: www.newlife.by/eng_index.php

In Christ, sergei for all of us there

Two Kinds of Hope

Here's an extract from The Little Book of Hope, now available on Kindle, priced at £1.94/$3.08 (US)

Against all hope, Abraham in hope had faith in God and so became the father of many nations. (Romans 4:18)

 There are two kinds of hope. The first is natural hope. This is a hope that wishes for the best, a hope that looks for and longs for a positive, favourable outcome. It’s good that we want the best for ourselves and that we have such a hope. It encourages a positive attitude. However, this kind of hope is always tinged with varying degrees of uncertainty and doubt, with the distinct possibility that what we hope for might not happen. We hope we get the job or that our team will win, but there is the possibility that we will be unsuccessful or that our team loses. When our hopes are not fulfilled we can become disappointed and possibly even disillusioned. The Bible recognises the effect of such dashed hopes when it says: hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12). Natural hope often depends on others to make it a reality: whether the person interviewing us likes us and chooses us for the job, or whether our team plays well enough to win. Natural hope is subject to circumstances beyond our control and perhaps our influence, so we hope for the best or wish each other good luck. We carry lucky charms; we keep our fingers crossed; we touch wood; we become superstitious. I remember a member of our football team who always put his kit on in a specific order and had to be last out of the changing room. It was the way in which he put his hope to work. If he didn’t get everything right he was convinced he’d play badly and that we were bound to lose. Natural hope is the realm of perhaps, maybe, and possibly. That is not the kind of hope I am talking about here.

The second kind of hope is Bible hope: the supernatural hope that God gives. It’s the hope Abraham had when all his natural hope was gone: against all natural hope he hoped in God with the supernatural hope that God gave him. Even after all natural possibility of his and Sarah’s ability to have a son had gone, Abraham still had hope, the hope that God gives. The hope the Bible talks about, therefore, is completely different from natural hope. Bible hope is an absolute certainty; it is the confident, unwavering expectation of good, that what we expect to happen will surely happen. Bible hope is like this because it is hope in God; he is the object of our hope. Hope in God is linked to faith in God:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

 Hope is the coat peg for your faith; you hang your faith in God on your hope in God. That’s why you can’t have faith without hope. Hope undergirds your faith; it’s the backbone of your faith. Hope in God is to do with the future, both the imminent future and the distant future; hope is for the next ten minutes, for tomorrow and for next year. Hope in God tells you that you have a future and a future that is good, because hope’s focus, hope’s source, is God. He’s the God of hope:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

 How are we able to have hope in God? Because God is the God of our future, not only of our past and present. He is the God of all our times and circumstances – past, present and future – and he is a good God who has good plans for us:

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

(From The Little Book of Hope, Roger Aubrey, Lulu Publishers, 2012. All rights reserved)

Little Book of Hope on Kindle now!

The Little Book of Hope is now available for your Kindle device and for your Kindle app on your computer, iPad or smartphone. The price is little too: just £1.94 or $3.08 (US). Treat yourself to a little piece of hope!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Little Book of Hope on Kindle tomorrow!

The Little Book of Hope will be published on Kindle tomorrow - November 28th. I'm thrilled to be able to offer this little book at a little price too: only £1.94 or $3.08. 

If you have the free Kindle app on your smartphone or computer, you can also download the book at the same price.

In a few weeks I hope to be able to announce that the Little Book of Hope will be available at the iBookstore and on Nook. Again, it will be priced as cheap as I can make it.

The Little Book of Hope is also being processed for publication as a 50-page paperback - yes it really is the Little Book of Hope! I will keep you updated on dates and prices.

The Little Book of Hope: update

Hope. Just a little word. One syllable. Hope. Only four letters: h-o-p-e. Hope. It takes a second to write and even less time to say. Hope might be only a tiny word but it plays a major role in our lives. Many times, every day, we put our hope in something or someone. We constantly speak about hope: ‘I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.’ ‘I hope I get an interview for the job.’ ‘I hope the doctor gives me the all clear.’ ‘I hope I pass the exam.’ ‘I hope we win the game tonight.’ ‘I hope the train is on time.’ Hope gets us out of bed in the morning. Hope keeps us going day after day, year after year. Hope is one of the most powerful words in the English language. This little book will help you learn how to live in hope every moment of every day. Once you choose to live in hope, everything is possible.

(The Little Book of Hope will be available as an ebook very soon)

Coming soon...

Reflections on an Anglican week

The Church of England has had quite a week. It formally welcomed its new leader, Justin Welby, as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Its ruling body, the synod, stunned most observers by rejecting again the introduction of women bishops. I have had an interesting time observing all this as I have come to write this piece, because I am no fan of the CofE, or the whole Anglican Communion for that matter. I have major issues with it biblically and theologically, and struggle even to identify it as representative of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is not to say there are not Christians within it, of course there are, but as an organisation it is so far removed from a biblical model of the Church as to be unregonisable as Church.

I am aware that these comments will offend many Anglicans and non Anglicans; there is nothing I can do about that. But the column inches and news reports in which all sorts of people within and without the CofE have been pontificating and commenting on the events of this week have ranged from the nonsensical to the irrelevant, stopping off at the laughable and heretical. To listen to some of the bishops and priests you’d think they never read a Bible in their lives. What it has demonstrated is the diminished value such people place on the Word of God.

The spiritual leader of the CofE, and thus the locus of unity for all Anglicans worldwide, is, to all intents and purposes, appointed by the Government. I know there is a process within the CofE, but in reality no Archbishop will enter office without the endorsement of the Prime Minister and the approval of Her Majesty the Queen, who is the supreme governor of the CofE. With great respect to the PM and Her Majesty, that is nonsense and cannot be justified from the Word of God. The office of bishop itself, as practised by the CofE, is unbiblical. The New Testament knows nothing of such an office; so the question of whether a woman can occupy it is a non question. The whole matter of clergy and laity, bishops and priests, clerical garb and a claimed apostolic succession cannot be justified from the Word of God. I am not a non-conformist curmudgeon: I have studied in depth Anglican theology and its claims concerning its ministry structures. I am not convinced by them. Furthermore, it would be interesting to examine the doctrinal positions of the bishops concerning the Word of God, the uniqueness and deity of Jesus Christ, salvation and the Trinity. These things are fundamental to the essence of Christianity. 

The outgoing Archbishop, Rowan Williams, was not a happy man when he gave his farewell address to the synod yesterday. He said something that, for me, encapsulates the issue of where the Church of Jesus Christ stands in relation to the world. Commenting on the CofE and the synod’s decision to reject women bishops, he said: ‘We are willfully blind to the trends and priorities of wider society...we’ve lost a measure of credibility in our society’. Is the Church’s role to be credible to society? Should the beliefs and practices of the Church mirror the trends and mores of society? Does the Church need to be ‘in touch’ with the world, or should it exist as the polar opposite? The values of the world and the values of the Church should be diametrically opposed to each other. If the Church is not the prophetic voice of God to the world, to society, then what on earth is it for?

I am conscious that this article may not win me friends. Please don’t think I have it in for Anglicanism. We non-Anglican Christians cannot sit smugly if we have practices and traditions that contradict the Word of God. I reject the whole reality of the office of bishop: but what about those of us who call ourselves Reverends, Senior Pastors, Worship Pastors and vicars? Why do we use descriptions like Baptist, Presbyterian, Evangelical, Charismatic, Calvinist, Lutheran, when really we are just Christians? Why subdue and subjugate people because of their gender, social standing or race? Why yield to the pressures of society and put people into functions that are not open to them? (the Bible does teach headship, not only for men and women but for the whole Body of Christ).

The issue of the role women in the Church is an important one; but let’s not get all politically correct about it. I notice a trend among certain churches to abandon biblical practices concerning women, which will rebound on those churches. Neither let us dig our heels in to hold on to unbiblical practices (where women can’t even open their mouths in church gatherings). The church should never be reactive, but prophetic and true. Its first relevance is not to the world and society, but to God.