"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." : C.S.Lewis - Mere Christianity
"Before we say 'Your Kingdom Come', we have to say 'my kingdom go!'"
Peter Lewis, Cornerstone Church Nottingham
Saturday, 9 October 2010
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
We Rest On Thee
We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
We go not forth alone against the foe;
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.
Yes, in Thy Name, O Captain of salvation!
In Thy dear Name, all other names above;
Jesus our Righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of glory and our King of love.
We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day Thy grace to know:
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
“We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.”
We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days.
We go not forth alone against the foe;
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.
Yes, in Thy Name, O Captain of salvation!
In Thy dear Name, all other names above;
Jesus our Righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of glory and our King of love.
We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day Thy grace to know:
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
“We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.”
We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
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.
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.
Monday, 19 July 2010
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 :)
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 :)
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Saturday, 10 July 2010
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]
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]
Friday, 2 July 2010
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Ascribe Greatness (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)
Ascribe greatness to our God the Rock
His work is perfect and all His ways are just
Ascribe greatness to our God the Rock
His work is perfect and all His ways are just
A God of faithfulness and without injustice
Good and upright is He
A God of faithfulness and without injustice
Good and upright is He.
His work is perfect and all His ways are just
Ascribe greatness to our God the Rock
His work is perfect and all His ways are just
A God of faithfulness and without injustice
Good and upright is He
A God of faithfulness and without injustice
Good and upright is He.
Friday, 25 June 2010
Sunday, 13 June 2010
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.
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.
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