Keith + Kristyn Getty / Stuart Townend - By Faith

By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign

We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth

By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name.

Faith Mission Summer Camp Harby - Prayer Letter

Dear all, This time next week, the back field of the Faith Mission Centre Harby will either be a peaceful and quiet group of sleeping tents or a cacophany of giggling, sweet packets and shining torches held by excited (and hopefully not home-sick) 9-11year olds! Then a week of 12-14s and finally the 15+s. One things for certain, it'll be the start of another 3 weeks of camp! (25/7/10 - 13/8/10) Faith Mission Camp Harby, Leicestershire.

I'm sending this message to those I know of who are leading/attending camp this year, a few old-FM'ers and Christians I know on the blogosphere too, we'd love to share prayer requests with you all. I know many of you are doing other camps, mission trips, work etc. this year, but didn't want to exclude you! Really looking forward to seeing many of you over the next few weeks, and in the near future for others who aren't Harbying this year.

There's a leaders meeting the night before each week of camp, but I thought it would be great to start praying now and get you praying too. As you'll know, although it's a fantastic and gospel-filled time, it's also draining and challenging, and none of it is possible without our Amazing God. Our loving heavenly Father who so longs to see his people come back to him, that he sent his only Son, Jesus, as the way back to him. That through Christ's death we would have life. What a privilege and joy it is to have been shown that matchless, undeserved grace and mercy! And the privilege and joy it is to be able to share that with others, that they may know him too. And that we're not alone, but God leaves his Spirit to help us.

Let's be praying that God would be preparing the hearts of all of us. All the campers, parents, leaders and speakers. How amazing it would be to see the kingdom of God grow at camp this year, and beyond! Praise God for all the provision he gives, of all the good and perfect gifts; from facilities to food, bibles to beds, trained first aiders to tuck shop (where those not on duty can have a rest!).

Pray also for Dan and others who'll be doing the talks, that God would use them to speak what he wants to say to us and the campers, faithfully and engagingly to/by his word, the Bible. Also that campers ears and hearts would be attentive and retentive to God's word. Pray for us as leaders as we take morning and evening discussions/bible-studies that we'd have strength and wisdom serving the kids, and God would use us to bring them to Jesus, sowing seeds, gathering the harvest or encouraging them in their faith. Pray that their families may know him too. Many of them go back to difficult and sometimes unloving situations.

Let's be praying all these things in Jesus' name with confidence, relying and trusting in him alone, remembering what he's done and what he's promised he will do. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" - Hebrews 12:2

Do pass this on. God bless you all, have a great summer wherever you are.
Sunil :)

Identity.

"Our essential identity as Christians is formed by Christ and the gospel, not by our own personalities, backgrounds or achievements. Through the death and resurrection of his Son, God has cleansed us from the guilt of sin and liberated us from its consequences and its control. He has set us in a right and faithful relation to himself, together with all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Drawing us into an exclusive relationship with himself in this way, he has made us his holy people, destined to serve him and please him for ever. Sanctification is about being possessed by God and expressing that distinctive and exclusive relationship by the way we live.

Although God calls upon us to express the fact that we have been sanctified by the way we live, our standing with him does not depend on the degree to which we live up to his expectations. It depends on his grace alone. Those who are bowed down by the pressure of temptation and an awareness of failure need to be reminded of the definitive, sanctifying work of God in Christ, by which he has established us as his holy people. On this basis, they should be urged to press on in hope and grasp again by faith the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice. Approaching the exalted Lord with boldness, we may always receive mercy and find ‘grace to help in time of need’ (Heb. 4:16)."

David Peterson - Possessed by God: A New Testament Theology of Sanctification and Holiness (IVP, 1995)[pp. 47–48]

Dearly We're Bought

Come raise your thankful voice,
Ye souls redeemed with blood;
Leave earth and all its toys
and mix no more with mud.

Dearly we’re bought, highly esteemed
Redeemed with Jesus’ blood, redeemed
Dearly we’re bought, highly esteemed
Redeemed with Jesus’ blood, redeemed

With heart, and soul and mind,
Exalt redeeming love;
Leave worldly cares behind,
And set your minds above.

Lift up your ravished eyes,
And view the glory given;
All lower things despised,
Ye citizens of heaven.

Be to this world as dead,
Alive to that to come;
Our life in Christ is hid,
Who soon shall call us home.

The Power of the Cross.

Oh to see the dawn of the darkest day
Christ on the road to calvary
Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten then
Nailed to a cross of wood

THIS THE POWER OF THE CROSS
CHRIST BECAME SIN FOR US
TOOK THE BLAME, BORE THE WRATH
WE STAND FORGIVEN AT THE CROSS

Oh to see the pain written on Your face
Bearing the awesome weight of sin
Ev’ry bitter thought, ev’ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow

Now the daylight flees, now the ground beneath
Quakes as its maker bows his head
Curtain torn in two, dead are raised to life
‘FINISHED!’ the vict’ry cry.

Oh to see MY name written in the wound
For through Your suff'ring I am free
Death is crushed to death, life is mine to live
Won through Your selfless love!

This the pow’r of the cross
Son of God slain for us
What a life, what a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Trip Lee - To Live Is Christ

In Christ Alone.

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

(Stuart Townend, Keith Getty)

I must go till He comes.

In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room:

“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till He stops me & when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear.”

Sovereign Grace Music - I Come By The Blood

You are the perfect and righteous God
Whose presence bears no sin
You bid me come to Your holy place
How can I enter in
When Your presence bears no sin?
Through Him, who poured out His life for me
The atoning Lamb of God
Through Him, and His work alone
I boldly come

I come by the blood, I come by the cross
Where Your mercy flows
From hands pierced for me
For I dare not stand on my righteousness
My every hope rests on what Christ has done
And I come by the blood

You are the high and exalted King
The One the angels fear
So far above me in every way
Lord, how can I draw near
To the One the angels fear?
Through Him who laid down His life for me
And ascended to Your side
Through Him, through Jesus alone
I boldly come

Treasuring Him / John Piper Sermon Jam

More available here, also as free mp3 downloads for your ears - http://www.1031sermonjams.com/

Good old Spurgeon

"Remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee – it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee – it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that is the instrument – it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not to thy hope, but to Christ, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Christ, the author and finisher of thy faith; and if thou doest that, ten thousand devils cannot throw thee down… There is one thing which we all of us too much becloud in our preaching, though I believe we do it very unintentionally – namely, the great truth that it is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not our doings, it is not our feelings upon which we must rest, but upon Christ, and on Christ alone. We are apt to think that we are not in a right state, that we do not feel enough, instead of remembering that our business is not with self, but Christ. Let me beseech thee, look only to Christ; never expect deliverance from self, from ministers, or from any means of any kind apart from Christ; keep thine eye simply on Him; let his death, His agonies, His groans, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look for Him; when thou liest down at night look for Him."

The Forgotten Spurgeon, Iain Murray, p42