The Centrality of Prayer

     The centrality of prayer is something that should be on the hearts of every Chris tian, for it is our means of communicating with God the Father which, if it remains neglected, results in our dis tancing ourselves from Him. It seems that the vast majority of churches of all denominations share the mutual concern of reducing numbers. In my own denomination for example, many of the churches house older congrega tions which, if they continue to fail to attract and keep younger members, will eventually result in further closures. The bottom line in many instances will mean closure within twenty-five years, a very short period in relation to the life of churches.

But, this need not be the case.  The answer is in the hands of Ministers, leaders and congregations, members and adherents alike, and that answer is prayer.  Even as I write I suspect that some people will smile knowingly and think, if not say out loud, that it's all very well to say that but what about action! There is a saying that When we work, we work; but when we pray, God works! If you pray for His vision for your church, believing beyond doubt that God hears and answers your prayers, then you will know what you need to do to attract people to church once again.

Of course times have changed from the heady days of Revival! The rapidly dwindling congregations shout out that fact. But do you look for excuses rather than answers, looking at the condition of our society and blaming that for the empty seats?  Was society far better  during pre-revival days than now? Surely, one of the greatest reasons for Revival is the need for it, and if the condition of today's Society does not cry out in need then I cannot imagine when it will. In many respects it can be said that large numbers of society are spiritually dead and undoubtedly in the direst need of Revival. What is Revival about, but breathing new life into something which is dead? 

We claim that God is all powerful and yet, by our weaknesses, we limit Him to what we can see and understand in terms of human logic. We ask Him for all manner of things and yet fail to step boldly into His presence. We offer excuses for seemingly unanswered prayer when the real reason is the weakness of our own faith.

If we pray to God hoping that He will answer our prayer rather than believing that He will, then what can we expect? Prayer must hold a central posi tion in our walk with God, petitioning Him with all that will serve to glorify Him and waiting upon His response to instruct us in His way. We should all heed Paul's advice in I Thessalonians 5:17 to Pray without ceasing, but always ensuring that we pray in the firm conviction of our faith.

Do YOU Have the 'Nero' Syndrome?

It is said that Roman Emperor Nero 'fiddled whilst Rome burned'. His rule stretched from 54AD to 68AD, and he was the fifth and last of the Roman Emperors. During the course of his rule he achieved much, focusing much of his attention on increasing trade and the cultural development of the capital of the empire, although his reign was one that was littered with acts of the most extravagant cruelty and barbarism. His persecution of the early Christians was terrible, often using them as human torches. Despite his various achievements and the extent of his cruelty, including the murder of his own mother and step-brother, generally speaking he is remembered as the Emperor who fiddled whilst Rome burned in the great fire of 64AD.

The indication is that he simply stood by, comfortably ensconced in his own luxury, buttressed by his great wealth, and showing a lack of concern for the people at large.

Every Christian is commissioned by Jesus Christ to seek out the lost and take the Gospel message to them, sharing the Good News of Jesus and the promise of Salvation through Repentance. ^{Jesus said,} Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19 [NIV translation]).

I believe that it is the duty of every Christian to be concerned with the lost souls in the world who have yet to hear the Good News that Jesus came to earth to bring to mankind. As we draw closer to the season of Advent so our thoughts turn once again to the simplicity of the whole Advent story, and the humble circumstances in which God Himself came down to be amongst His people to reconcile them to Himself. As children we are taught about Jesus as the Shepherd of the sheep, and perhaps one of the most telling image we have is that of the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep safely in the fold whilst he goes to search for the one that is lost. Here then is our example of what we should be doing as committed Christians in today's world.

Christianity is far more than attending church on a Sunday or of being seen as a good person; it's a way of life. When we meet with people they should be aware that there is something different about the manner in which we live our lives, with our concern for the welfare of others being a prominent feature. Taking that concern to the maximum degree means that it should encompass not only the general well-being of others but essentially the spiritual well-being also. Of prime importance for every Christian should be a burden for those souls that remain lost because they have not been witnessed to about the gift of salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Across the Third World in particular there are millions of souls hungry for the Gospel and yet insufficient Christians prepared to do anything about it. Where the Gospel has been preached there is a thirst for the Word of God, yet the great majority of Bibles are printed in English, a language that is spoken by less than ten percent of the World's people, leaving approximately two-thirds of the global population without even a portion of the bible printed in their own language.

How easy it is to dismiss the need for the work of Mission. It is argued by many that in this Age of Global Communication the amount of Christian material to be found on air or on the Internet is suffice for all, yet that argument can only be applied at best to those who have access to such material, once again leaving the majority behind. In the end, there is nothing like face-to-face witness, whether it is literally on a one-to-one basis, small groups or Revival Rallies. Firstly the need is for the lost to hear the Word, but then the hearing needs to be followed up by teaching and by sharing the reading of Holy Scripture.

Understandably, there will be many who point out that they cannot leave their work and uproot their families in order to 'go out into the Mission field', yet there are many ways of helping the work by supporting those who can go financially. Whether donating to organisations such as the Bible Society for the purpose of increasing the availability of the Word in both language and quantity or donating to Mission-based organisations such as 'Gospel for Asia', 'Heaven's Family' or 'India Village Ministries', all of which do a great job in answering their particular calling. to give financial support to such organisations is a privilege, and through it we are helping to save many souls from being consigned to the fires of Hell. The argument by some people against such giving is that they cannot possibly afford it, yet in the Western World in particular, that argument does not hold water for even those who are on pension or are unemployed are wealthy when measured against the per capita income of the greater majority of folk in the world. Even giving ten per cent of your disposable income, however it is obtained, still leaves you with the remaining ninety percent for yourself. before I am accused of pushing 'tithing' let me state categorically that I am not. Tithing is not a condition in the New Testament. However, I believe that to set aside some specific proportion of your wealth as a minimum for supporting the Lord's work is a very good policy to adhere to.

At present there are too many who suffer with the 'Nero' syndrome, and stand by whilst hundreds of souls are lost on a daily basis simply because they could not be reached in time. Many of them are children, lost because there was nobody available to reach them in time. It may be considered that the cost of providing Mission workers in the field is too high to be able to make sufficient difference, yet most local missionaries in the Third World are able to survive and carry on their important work for just a few pounds or few dollars a day. An organisation such as Gospel for Asia, for example, supports an indigenous evangelist in the Mission field for as little as between £1000 and £1500 per year (approx. US$1500 to US$2500). That means that for approximately £20 per week you could be personally responsible for sending out an evangelist to share the message of the Gospel in the Mission field. OK, so you argue that you could never afford that amount! If that truly is the case, and I'm sure that for many it may well be, then why not get together as a group of four people to donate £5 per week. After all, that's about the cost of a packet of cigarettes or a couple of drinks or a week's newspapers. If you still think that it's far too much just imagine if someone close to you gave you £5 for your birthday or for Christmas when you know that they could afford £20!

The subject of lost souls should be one that really burdens you; one that will not let you rest until you are doing all you can to help them to realise their Salvation. This is something to start with today, and not to put off until tomorrow, for tomorrow will be too late for far too many.

Cast Your Vote : Stand Up and be Counted!

Everyday Christians are finding it increasingly difficult to openly express their faith.

The National Secular Society has encouraged 100,000 people to sign a certificate to “de-baptise” themselves as part of their campaign to allow people to revoke their baptisms.

Premier Christian Media are asking....are there 100,000 people who are prepared to publicly stand up and declare that they are Christians?

Premier’s “I am a Christian” campaign is asking you to take this opportunity to publicly affirm your faith and declare that Jesus is relevant to your everyday life.

Make your declaration today and join together with thousands of other Christians around the world. Click here to sign up.

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Only the foolish or the ignorant person would dare to suggest that the UK is a Christian country these days. Of course there are hundreds of thousands of people who claim to be Christian, yet many of them are not even prepared to display the basics of their belief by attending a church, using an ever-increasing variety of reasons/excuses for this. The BBC are perhaps more openly Anti-Christian than much of the remaining Media, but then when one considers that they are the bed-fellow of the government then it's not a bit surprising. Throughout the Media there tends to be a definite anti-Christian slant, and the problem is increasing to the point that Christians are fast in danger of becoming the Persecuted Church in the UK.

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New laws are enacted which make it more and more difficult to practise your Christian faith without being questioned for doing so, and these laws marginalise those who dare to oppose them, ridiculing them for their belief. In short, not only the Media but also the Government tend to show bias against Christians and Christianity.

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Is this surprising? No, of course not! After all, if, as many believe, we are at the beginning of the end times, then everything that is currently happening is pretty well as predicted in Holy Scripture. We have wars in many parts of the world,and the numbers are increasing rather than diminishing. We have violence and anarchy on our own streets, and it's getting worse rather than better. Respect for the Police is at an all-time low, and is not helped by the thuggery of some officers such as that seen in recent times at demonstrations such as the Countryside Alliance March and the recent G20 Summit.

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We live in a country where many live increasingly Godless lives, where materialism rules, where greed is an everyday factor, where it is considered wise to help oneself and yet foolish to consider the feelings of others as you do so. The current economic troubles are, I firmly believe, an example of God's wrath being poured out onto the world.

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The attitudes that prevail have grown because there is a surfeit of wealth in many nations, and the populace have been misled into believing that it is that, and that alone, that will bring them happiness.

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Every true Christian needs to be prepared to stand up and be counted! The opportunity to register yourself online on the Premier Christian Media census is an important one, for if an overwhelming number of people sign up then it will tell us that there is at least some hope for our nation and our world. However, if people are too apathetic to be bothered then it will send the opposite message altogether. A lack of support for this project would be taken as a passive support for the aims of the National Secular Society.

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Jesus stated quite clearly that if you are not for Him then you are against Him. So, where do you stand? Are you FOR HIM or are you AGAINST HIM? Make no mistake about it, there is no middle ground. You must be either one or the other.

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Let us show the world that we are not ashamed to own our Lord! Let us aim, not for 100,000 signatures, but for

ONE MILLION!

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Walking With Jesus

This morning an old friend from my days in Zimbabwe was brought to the forefront of my mind, and along with him came so many memories from those now distant days. Distant, yes, but not forgotten by any means. The faces of friends from those days are in my head now as I write my blog this morning, and along with the faces come a multitude of memories, fresh from their wrappers, so to speak. This particular friend is a guy named (Rev) Chris Goppert, and Chris works through TEAM Ministries in Zimbabwe. It was always good to be around him and to share in his walk with the Lord, for it was always a faith-improving experience. The years have sped by since I left in 1984, and in fact I guess that it was about 1980 that I last saw Chris, and so much has happened since then. We are both Grandfathers for a start! Anyway, I have emailed him this morning and hope to enjoy fresh contact with him and have the opportunity for us to each update the other.


Thinking about Chris reminds me of so many friends from my days in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe between arriving in August 1972 and leaving in March 1984. Although my Christian walk began in the UK in 1969 when I handed my life over to the Lord, it was in Rhodesia that it developed in a real and meaningful way, for it was there that, in 1972, I enrolled in the membership of my first church since becoming a Christian. I belonged to the Fife Avenue Baptist Church, a church which had a congregation of all age groups, and which was a lively experience. The folk there were a really friendly bunch and very committed Christians. The Youth Pastor was a young guy by the name of Kevin McGuiness, and he was a good friend to me in those days. One morning Kevin and I met in my office, each eager to share a vision that we had been given during the night, yet the contents of which were unknown to each other. I remember that the air was electric! Who should speak first?


In the end Kevin insisted that, as I had called him before he'd had a chance to call me, I should go first. I shared the vision that I'd been given with him, explaining that I felt that the Lord was calling for a new church to be planted, a daughter to the one that we belonged to, and that He was calling me to be involved in the planting of that church. WOW! If the air was electric before I spoke it was explosive afterwards! Kevin then shared with me that the Lord had shown him in a vision that a daughter church should be planted in the Hillside area of the city and my name was one of the names that Kevin had been given to be actively involved in the planting. Isn't it wonderful the way that God works! here for both of us was not only a call to do something specific, but also the confirmation that the call was from God.


Soon afterwards, the main church having commissioned us, we went out with a couple of other young people and knocked on the doors of the neighbourhood. The whole thing was strongly underpinned with prayer, not only our own prayer but those of the church as a whole. I remember the trepidation with which I knocked on my first door, wondering what sort of reception I would be given, and the joy with which I left that house after being welcomed so warmly, and such interest being shown in what we were doing. It was the same for all of us, and it was not too long before Hillside Baptist Church was formed, and our meetings begun on a Sunday morning in the local school. The church grew from strength to strength, mostly with young people attending. I was one of the older members, being about 34 at the time! I don't now whether it's still going strong, but I hope that it is.


It was in 1975 when I first felt that I was being called to serve in full-time Ministry, although it was not until 1998 that the call was finally fulfilled. Not that I was idle along the way! Prior to entering Theological College in Aberystwyth, West Wales, I had spent about ten years with a very full diary ministering to churches in Mid-Wales and on the Welsh/English border, preaching at a total of 31 different churches through the course of each year, and leading the worship at least twice on a Sunday and often three times, even occasionally four times, although the latter was to help cover for my own Pastor who was unwell for a period. Yes, it was often tiring, but always the Lord sustained me to proceed with His work. Looking back, the only regrets that I might have would be that I couldn't do more, yet as I placed myself firmly in God's hands each day I could always accept that I did as He wanted me to. That didn't always stop me being impatient though!