Southlands Christian Church serving Horley, Salfords, Redhill and Reigate: Preacher's notes

The Lost Art of Waiting for God
By Nick Davis on 17^th February 2012
^“ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable…
…He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. ^” — (Isaiah 40:28-31)

How willing are you to wait for the Lord? I am not talking firstly about having quiet times, but waiting patiently for His word; moving at His call; and trusting in Him for deliverance.

1. Waiting for God in times of trouble and danger

Most of us take matters into our own hands, like the King of Israel who said to Elisha, “This trouble is from the Lord - why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” - (2 Kings 6:33). Samaria was being besieged, people were eating their own children from hunger. Or the infamous account of fearful King Saul, facing the Philistine army and making illegal sacrifices because the prophet Samuel was late?

It always seems to happen to kings! Why? Because when we are our own kings, we are responsible for our own safety. Jesus is our cleft in the Rock. He is the Conqueror Who makes us more than conquerors!

How does this apply to you? You don’t need to react when attacked, misunderstood, slandered, overlooked. You don’t need to panic with the rest of the world. You don’t seek refuge in debt. You don’t make your boss or elder your refuge.

2. Waiting for God’s blessing

Psalm 37:34-37 says, “Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.”

He will exalt you. If He does not, then either you will be happy to remain in obscurity or you will exalt yourself without God. That is the only choice. But when you choose the road of self-exaltation, you always need to pull others down to pull yourself up. That is the root behind the spirit of gossip and slander and deceitful speech in a church too. Wait for God! Trust in God! He sees all, knows all!
- The curse of the LAW is at stake here - we consider our efforts, and feel we deserve better, like the older brother to the prodigal son, when he said, “All these years I have slaved for you” (Luke 15:29).
- HUMANISM is at stake here…“Who holds the remote control to your life?” Your boss? Your pastor? Have you read the account of David? - Saul tried to slaughter him but could not!
- The PROCESSES of God are at stake here. Our intervention always results in premature blessing that becomes the curse. Whole church systems can be based on rewarding gifts! To which my friend RT Kendall would reply, “There is no reward for using God-given gifts; only for love”. Remember Abram, lost in Mesopotamia; Moses, forgotten in Midian; Joseph, a slave in Egypt; Paul, in the obscurity of Tarsus. Oh how we need to enjoy obscurity, because we are fellowshipping with the Unseen!
- SIN is at stake here. Mean-spiritedness is sin. 8 of the 15 sins of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19 are to do with the sin of brotherly jealousy… hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy. Jealousy is always about feeling overtaken.
- JOY is at stake here. There is no joy in drivenness; in watching over your shoulder; in carrying the heavy yoke of your own destiny…and in all the anxieties that result. Nor is there any joy in knowing in your heart - once you get there (to the "top") - that it was your cleverness, your maneuvering, your flattery, your cunning, THAT GOT YOU THERE.
- And finally, VINDICATION is at stake here. To vindicate yourself means to prove yourself right, blameless, justified. When you try to vindicate yourself, you always distort the truth, you will lose our revelation of the Cross, you lose fellowship with the Spirit, you lose your peace, and you will lose your witness in the world. The self-vindicating spirit will always turn your attention towards yourself, and how others perceive you. The gospel should be turning us the other way around! God will eventually vindicate ALL His faithful saints! All will be revealed - wait for Him!
“You died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God”. Let us die well. Let us be patient in suffering and happy in obscurity. Neither panic nor selfish ambition ever lead to life in the end.

Even now, across the worldwide church, the Spirit is bringing a new and unknown wave. May we be found in the number of the saints who wait on God, who cleave to Jesus, for better or for worse.

Nick

^ Beginning of article
An Ode to Frank
By Nick Davis on 09^th February 2012
Can you identify with Frank Abagnale Jr., aka Leonardo di Caprio - the main character in the movie “Catch Me if You Can”? He was the son who so desperately wanted to impress and bless his dad Frank Sr. that he posed as an airline pilot, a doctor, an attorney and prosecutor before being caught.

I can. I have often felt like a phony. Without grace. In my darker moments, I certainly don't quite feel like an engineer or a project manager or a preacher or a theologian or a husband or a father. And I still do a lot to impress the Snr. and his other children.

Frank Jr. wore a confidence he did not have. He bought a Pan American pilot's uniform and flew the world. He bought a white coat and posed as a doctor, offering help to the sick. He wrote the bar exam in Louisiana (which he actually passed) and became an attorney for a while.

And all the while his chief skill was in writing fake cheques. He paid for things with money he did not have, through facades he had altered - the façade of his face, the façade of his clothes and now the façades of these cheques. We too can wear looks and words and advice for others that is just as fraudulent...it does not come from the depths of inner reality in places given by grace and God's timing alone. It comes from wounds we are trying to run from, and books and heroes and TV and stuff we are running towards - learning as quickly as we can, to progress as quickly as we can, with the cry of “Catch me if you can!”.

And so, we too end up on the run. We end up deceiving by our outer selves and that deception becomes our inner reality. We too end up with a plagued conscience, fearing the dreaded day when we are “Found Out”.

We too have a Carl Hanratty, aka Tom Hanks, chasing us. It is not the FBI. It is not even firstly our conscience, but the Spirit of God. He does not want us to fly the world with a fake smile, a forged ID card and smooth talk. He does not want us to prescribe medicine and perform surgery on others with just a white coat, as it were. He does not want us as a fake lawyer, bringing fake help to all the other oppressed peoples.

And so, what happens when Frank is caught by Carl? He is found out; he is sentenced…but then he is released to work with Carl in the FBI's bank fraud department. To this day, Frank Abagnale Jr. makes a good living out of helping Carl.

And so too we must be found out. And then realize - like the woman caught in adultery - that our Savior does not want to throw us in jail, but bring us near to him as children and fellow helpers, whose consciences have been healed at the deepest level through the deepest grace.

Free at last, thank God Almighty, peace at last.

N

^“ He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’S love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children. ^” — (Psalms 103:10-17)

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My Prayer
By Nick Davis on 01^st February 2012
Father, I am helpless against my enemies unless you help me. The world, the flesh and the devil are very powerful together against the fortress of my mind. My walls are chalk unless you are the wall of fire around me…

The city of my mind is without defences unless you are the surrounding hills. I stop now and ask, Where does my help come from? It comes from the hills of heaven, from the God of all mercy. Your hills are close, they surround me. Your mighty right arm is near. Your powerful word is with me. Your conquering grace is available. Your unbreakable promises encircle me. The name of Jesus is my high tower. The Holy Spirit is present everywhere, all the time.

So I look to your hills today, where my help comes from. I shall not look where earthly men look - they look to themselves; they look to their strengths and wealth and power. They look to men for deliverance. I will not try to pull myself up by all these rotten bootstraps. I will not put men before God, mortal men who are here today and gone tomorrow. God is God and besides him there is no other. I remember also the voice of Isaiah, rebuking the Israelites for their stupidity in making a fire from one end of the log, and carving an idol from the other. Idols are a vain hope for deliverance. Idols will multiply my pains and terrors in the end. And where will wealth get me when death is staring me in the face? Worldly treasures just corrupt me when I make it my god. Why would I aim to die rich when I can die holy? Father, help me to see how pathetic earthly treasures are compared to the surpassing glorious treasure of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord!

Lord, in cold blood I am rejecting the fake for the real. I am not rejecting it just because it is wrong, but so I can turn fully to you. I am doing it in cold blood because my feelings are not always trustworthy. Restore my appetite for your word and your company. Teach me your ways and show me your face! My power is in eating your word and seeing your face. You have said two things - that your commands will keep me from the path of error, and your face will make me just like you. When I eat your word and look to your face I will never turn back to the pigsty again. Show me your smile. Grow my concentration span to listen earnestly to your Word, and to focus on your beauty. Show me this beauty in daily life, in others and in nature - because you have hidden your wonders in your created world. Feed me with heavenly manna, give me drink from the Rock that is higher than I. In this place, I can resist all my enemies' attacks.

Lord Jesus, draw near to this shadow of a saint, surround me and fill me with the substance of God.

Forgive me what I have forgotten to do - where I have so frequently and habitually forgotten to pray; to seek you in the morning; to follow hard after you; to cry out to you from under temptation; to stand in faith; to guard my joy from the thief of worry. Father, seal me with these words again today: “Child of God”. I know I am sealed in heaven, but restore to me a confidence here on earth. As you so readily forgive me my sins and omissions, forgive me also where I have forgotten to forgive others who have sinned against me: today, I forgive those who sin against me: those who have harmed me; those who have not done me good. Bring things to my mind that need to go to the Cross.

Now, Father, your word says I have not because I ask not. I ask today, in the mighty name of Jesus, that you would show me and lead me and strengthen me in your everlasting way for me. Show me what to pursue, with all my heart. Lead me in the right way, the everlasting way. If it is waiting and working in today, then grant me the grace and strength and patience to do this. Your word says do whatever you find your hand to do. I will do it. Purify me of all double-mindedness - I have lived for too long with this hole in my bucket. Purify me - that I might be a vessel for noble purposes. Purify me - that I might receive your reward. Purify me - that I might see the Lord.

In Jesus' Name
Amen

^ Beginning of article
Wild Child, Mild Child
By Nick Davis on 24^th January 2012
^“ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God —…

…children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ^” — (John 1:11-14)

Do you grasp the hugeness of these verses? If you have RECEIVED JESUS, if you have believed on Him for salvation, you are really and truly a CHILD OF GOD.

We hear so much, see so much, take in so much these days that even the massive things become passé. X Factor has to become bigger and more bedazzling. Adverts must get more and more catchy. The secondary stimuli must exceed the primary effects – each experience needs to be more and more sensational. Each Sunday for poor pastors needs to match the upward trend in touchy-feely excitement (how can they compete with multi-billion pound entertainment moguls??).

And all the while the eternal Word of God waits in the wings; the Lord of all creation stands meekly at the door of our hearts and knocks. With Him is life, and life to the full. But it is better to start our days with the intravenous needle of news headlines and eggs on toast, than with a quiet moment at his rough wooden table.

t is at that table – a place where we train our minds to be quiet and our hearts to receive – where the truth that you are a child of God is confirmed. The devil and his worldly rulers in the heavenly places plot and scheme to drag or seduce you away from that table long enough that you feel you have no right nor desire to go back there. And away from the table, his first attack is on the goodness of God (“did God really say...?”). When we begin to doubt the goodness of God, Satan launches his second attack – on your status as a son or daughter. He provoked Jesus with these words: “IF you are the Son of God...”. As then, so now: we see the bad stuff that happens to us and others and feel two things in our subconscious to begin with – maybe God is not good or potent, and maybe I am not really a favored one.

Have you forgotten about being a child of the living God? Have you failed to remember His goodness? Has it slipped your mind that God trains his sons for holiness, so that they might share in the glory and inheritance of Jesus forever? And have you not heard that He strengthens His children through trials and tribulations? Have you forgotten about Heaven, and the door being Jesus? Have you forgotten to pray, to ask God, to think on the Author of all living things?

Pagans never think on God. They love all His graces and benefits, His created things and al the pleasures they bring. They take and grab and eat and indulge – without a word of acknowledgement. They don’t even know that their hearts beat by his grace and their lungs expand by his goodness.

Be different. Be like the one leper – healed by Jesus Christ – who returned to kneel and thank Him. 9 healed lepers went on their way, happy but forgetful. Are you really going to be a Christian who has forgotten Jesus? Surely not? You will not become godly without God. You will become troubled, sulky, vulnerable, worldly, bitter, jealous, doubtful, double-minded. Wash yourself of double-mindedness. Today. Decide in your mind who it is you worship. Don’t worship created things., Don’t subject yourself to the rulers and powers of this world. Don’t behave like a stranger, when you are a beloved son. You are not called to be an victim of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune! You are a child. A child of destiny. A child born by the water and the blood. A child not born by sex but by the power of the Holy Spirit. And child called by name. A child known. A child loved. A child with a great inheritance. A child with access to all the glories of the Kingdom of God your Father.

Access Him. Come to the table. Open the door. Wait a bit. Create a few moments in your day and your week where you think on Him, thank Him and ponder goodness. Put your burdens on him. Let him break the heavy yokes. Ask to discern His voice again. Come back – He will receive you with infinitely more passion than even the prodigal son’s earthly father.

Love
Nick

^ Beginning of article
Worship is the 5th Dimension, the Neglected Dimension, the Power Dimension
By Nick Davis on 11^th January 2012
From an early age, I understood something of living in a 4-dimensional world. My dad was brilliant at round-table quizzes, and sharing all manner of facts relating to the world we are living in.
He was a surveyor in the British Army back in the 1950s, so one of his many specializations was estimating distances. I remember on our many caravanning holidays, the favorite question from the driver’s seat was something like, “How far to the top of that mountain pass?”. Answers were given and my mum would pencil them down. He was invariably the winner – judging distance, elevation, dead ground, time and speed…

And there’s the rub. Everything a human can possibly do is contained within 4 dimensions. If you are scientific, you can speak of x, y, z and t. If you are more normal, then you can speak of width, length, height and time…

What else is there? We live in what clever people have called a time-space world… “a single continuum in which the position of any particle can be identified by specifying all four dimensions”…!

I’ll say. So every molecule, speck of dust, bird, cloud, person, hot dog, city, planet and galaxy is in this time-space web.

But not the Gospel.

Jesus Christ came from another Dimension, the Heaven-Dimension. He is of another Kingdom, the Kingdom of Power and Love. He invades this time-space world, but is not of it. He can create and re-create, heal and multiply through power this world knows nothing of.

He is not contained in and restricted by the laws governing our time-space continuum…

What of the law of gravity? He walked on water. What about laws of energy? He fasted forty days and nights. How did He cope with the law of entropy - that everything decays? Well, He opened blind eyes and got cripples dancing again. What of the laws of nature? He caused storms to stop and waves to subside. And laws of reproduction? He was born of a virgin. Newton’s 3rd law says, “for every force or action there is an equal and opposite force or reaction” - but Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice and was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And when it came to the law of relative density, He simply passed through walls and walked on water. Laws of Economy terrorize most of us daily, but Jesus just sent a disciple to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth, and He multiplied bread and fish. And finally, what of the Law of Universal Mortality? Well, His tomb is empty and He has ascended into Heaven! And He still raises the dead to life daily.

Wow! Whoa! Life beyond the 4 dimensions!

Actually, God is limitless in dimensions, constrained only in not being able to conceive or act in wickedness. This does not limit his limitlessness; it merely shows how limitless His goodness is! As CS Lewis said, omnipotence is “the power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not that which is intrinsically impossible”. Asking questions like, “Can God make a rock so big that He cannot lift it?”, is like asking, “What colour is the letter 8?” - junk questions!

So, how now should we live, with this REAL 5th dimension opened up to us in Christ?

Why should it be that Christians and churches full of Christians should only live in the 4 dimensions, just like their pagan neighbours?
- We “go to church”
- We live morally in a moral world
- We buy and sell, give and receive
- We sing songs, or not
- We say grace before meals
- We eat, laugh, talk, argue, work, make money, make love, make babies, make homes, make friends, make plans, make way
Just like everyone else? Surely not? Christ died and rose again so we could be born again to a new world, a new power, a new destiny, a new mission, a new motive, a new mandate, a new life.

The Holy Spirit is here in Horley as “the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance”. I know the fullness is coming in Paradise, but what a Deposit we have received! The temple curtain is torn; Christ is with us; His miracle working power is given; his ear is open; His arm is as powerful as ever; His armies are marching; He is still working; He is still walking amongst the lamp stands; His gifts are still being given; He is ever busy with His unfinished work and His church remains the fullness of Him Who fills everything in every way!

Are you also ashamed of how 4 dimensional you have been as a believer, so often? I am. We get numbed and dumbed down by the hypnosis of earthly, repetitive activities, even good and noble activities. The yearning for the 5th dimension gets silenced by busyness, by men’s approval and earthly rewards - just like an infant pacified by an old dummy in place of real food.

Why, oh why, are we able to cope for so long without intimacy with the Spirit? Is it because our mini-traditions create some momentum and an appearance of godliness? What of the hunger, what of the cries, what of the intimacy of worship, the expectation, the childlike faith, the power and the glory of the Kingdom coming through violent men and women??

Oh Jesus, take us into Your many-dimensioned, manifoldly-wise Being, through the 5th dimension, which is WORSHIP. The 5th dimension is “worshipping in the beauty of holiness”…

This we can do, if we are born again. This is not impossible. This is our irresistible aroma to God. Heart worship, faith-worship, hungering-worship, and meaningful-worship.

No lip-service. No brute-beast — load-carrying — homogenized — over-easy — predictable — controllable — a little yawny — tedious — price-conscious — 2%-skim-milk — diplomatic — excusemesir — ibegyourpardon — meeting-centred — hypocritical — heavy-yoked — Eeyore — disempowered religion.

Or any shade thereof.

Only God can do what God can do. Aiden Tozer was right — only God can save, heal and deliver; only God can plant a church, empower a sermon, a life, a ministry. But He only does it through people who expect Him to! Through people living in and hungering for the 5th dimension…God, come upon us as a lampstand and lift our eyes to the hills, to the invisible realm of power and love!

Love
Nick

^“ When the music fades all is stripped away and I simply come;
Longing just to bring something that's of worth, that will bless your heart
I'll bring you more than a song for a song in itself is not what you have required;
You search much deeper within through the way things appear, You're looking into my heart
I'm coming back to the heart of worship and it's all about You it's all about you Jesus
I'm sorry lord for the thing I made it when it's all about You it's all about you Jesus ^” — (Matt Redman)

^“ We have all been inoculated with Christianity, and are never likely to take it seriously now! You put some of the virus of some dreadful illness into a man’s arm, and there is a little itchiness, a little scratchiness, a slight discomfort - disagreeable, no doubt, but not the fever of the real disease, the turning and the tossing, and the ebbing strength. And we have all been inoculated with Christianity, more or less. We are on Christ’s side, we wish Him well, we hope that He will win, and we are even prepared to do something for Him, provided, of course, that He is reasonable, and does not make too much of an upset among our cozy comforts and our customary ways. But there is not the passion of zeal, and the burning enthusiasm, and the eagerness of self-sacrifice, of the real faith that changes character and wins the world. ^”
— AJ Gossip, “From the Edge of the Crowd”

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The Awesome comfort of god
By Nick Davis on 2^nd January 2012

^“ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble…

…with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. ^” — (2 Corinthians 1:3–7)

^“ Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. ^” — (Isaiah 49:13)

^“ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ^” — (Psalms 23:4)

When a good father comforts his child, he uses his words, his face, his lap and his arms. How much more does our heavenly Father do this, and do it daily for those who will receive it!

A. The Comfort of The Father’s Words

God's word is trustworthy. Even if you are not hearing God this week you can bank on his written word.

The Word says the Father is good (Psalm 145:9). He cannot think or speak or act maliciously. He is holy, righteous and humble. There is “no shadow of turning in Him” (James 1:17).

The Word says the Father made you with a good purpose – for His pleasure. He knit you together (Psalm 139:13) – in other words He chose your IQ, looks, complexion, gender, strengths, weaknesses, parents, home, opportunities.

The Word says the Father prepared every single day for you (Psalm 139:16). This does not just refer to your length of days, but a detailed supervision of events, blessings and tribulations.

The Word says the Father is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Ps 46:1). I have heard many believers grumble, but so few say, I sought the Lord. We need to practise seeking him in good times too!

The Word says the Father never puts us in unbearable situations, and always provides “a way out” (1 Cor 10:13). It might feel impossible, but put faith in His Word above your feelings. Keep with him.

The Word says that Jesus invites us to come to him for rest and deliverance from burdens (Matt 11:28).

The Word says the Father even delivers us from the guilt and penalty of our own stupidity. When Israel wanted to weep for their disobedience, then Nehemiah said, “the joy of the Lord is your strength”! (Neh 8:10). The blood of Jesus is not just for sinners to be saved. There is a fountain filled with blood…for us saints!

The Word says the Father restores the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25). I don't know how he does it. I don't ride on it into sin. But my sins have humbled me and my humility has released grace and empathy.

The Word says the Father delivers us from judgment as we forgive others. He promises us this… “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt 6:14-15).

The Word tells us of the Father’s immense patience with us. He gently leads us. Israel gives us just a tiny glimpse of his patience. “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The Word says the Father has wisdom for every challenge, crisis and life difficulty (Proverbs 2:6). He invites us to ask for wisdom without doubting (James 1:5-6).

The Word teaches us that the Father is never short of provision. He owns everything. “The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps 50:10). He is the great I AM – so He still has plenty of manna and quail. He still has water from the rock; ravens to feed his Elijahs; fish with gold coins in their mouths; oil and flour that don't stop. He is the Creator; He is the Landlord; He stores up the wealth of the wicked for the righteous. But we must chew His word to find peace for provisions.

Finally, the Word tells us that the Father can deliver you from persecution and death. Just honor him! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were saved by the Fourth Man in the fire (Daniel 3:26). The Fourth Man is here, He is with you!

And all the above is true for your children. Too many believers are paralyzed by a fear for their children.

What a comfort His unchanging Words are! They shall never return empty!!

B. The comfort of the Father’s Face

And what is His face if not the shining Spirit of Jesus, who is the radiance of the Father’s glory? The secret fellowship we can enjoy with Jesus is for today.

We ought to build a friendship with the Spirit. He is called the comforter in John 14! The Father’s Face was the secret behind Peter and Paul’s peace in their prison cells; behind Martin Luther finding strength before the Council of Wurms; behind Archbishop Thomas Cranmer shoving his hand into the flames. So too Jesus has shone His face on me in many crucial moments.

It was truly better for us that Jesus left! I did not used to think so. I wished I had been born 2000 years earlier. Joseph of Arimathea was literally covered in the blood of Jesus, as he took his body down from the Cross! But now Jesus lives! Even in you, by the Spirit! And Jesus still says, “Blessed are those who believe even though they have not seen” (John 20:29).
“Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3) Is yours? He is the Face of the Father. And his face shines as much as it did when John fell down before Him at Patmos.

Make time for him, for His face to shine on you. Believe! Write things down. Have expectation. When we see him, when his Spirit is lively to us, we can say, what can man do to me? The things of the world grow strangely dim.

C. The comfort of the Father’s Lap

Scripture says the Father wants to “dandle us on his knees” (Isaiah 66:12), but is this only about enjoying personal intimacy?

His lap is also his Body. Widows and orphans are loved in the body; penitent sinners are welcomed back; sinners are birthed like babies into his family…His lap is where we encourage one another; where gifts strengthen and build up. So His lap is the comfort of the saints. It is shared courage in common suffering and testimony. “They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony” (Rev 12:11). Church is where the weak are made strong and the hurting are healed. Are you part of God's lap for others? What a blessing to be so! Those who comfort others will themselves be comforted. With the measure we use it will be measured to us (Matthew 7:2).

Modern individualism has cost us community. A price too high to pay. In running for our own rights and careers and possibilities of fame and fortune, we have isolated ourselves. We are aloof and proud. We have become unteachable. But we were never created to be alone. God gave woman to a man, and He has given the church for his saints.

D. The comfort of the Father’s Everlasting Arms

What are His mighty arms if not His mighty works?! This is His testimony in you and through your faith. His works started with Creation! Consider the birds and lilies, and know that He still wants to do awesome works on your behalf! He is involved! He acts! He never forgets! He is the mighty deliverer!

Some of us right now are like the city of Gibeah (1 Samuel 11), under siege and our enemies are demanding our right eye. The King is coming! Don’t give yourself over to the enemy’s demands! Cry out to God - you might only escape with your life, bur he will preserve it, even every hair of your head!

May the God of all comfort release such awesome comfort to you this week, and always, that you might comfort many others in distress. Your hardships are so that you would know the comfort of God, and bring others to it!

God be glorified in Southlands
Nick

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How then shall we Live, oh 2012?
By Nick Davis on 20^th December 2011

^“ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’…
…This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” ^”
— (Matthew 22:35–40)

We can thank God that we no longer have to observe the law and all the thousands of commandments. From the time we believed on Christ, we can observe Him! See how He lived by faith! See how He loved the many! See how He forgave His enemies! See how He overlooked his friends’ childishness! See how He trusted, how He prayed, how He depended on the Father, how He was filled with the Spirit. Consider how meek He was, how focused He was, how persevering He was… In all things “CONSIDER CHRIST”!

As we look to Jesus, we fulfil the law of love BY ACCIDENT. As we are filled with the same Spirit of Jesus, we go WAY BEYOND THE LAW by accident. The love and power of God will never lead you into rage, wrath, lust, cheating, stealing or faithlessness! This is not an easy walk – denying the flesh – but my how simple it is. Even the day where all our words and works will be judged will be simple really – these things will all be put through the fire of His love, and that which is of love will not be burned up!

Jesus magnified his command to love, when he preached this in the Sermon on the Mountain: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:21–22). Jesus was and is so adamant about Christianity=Love that he followed this statement up with one declaring that there is no permissible worship without reconciliation: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23–24). To those self–deceived who claimed miracles and supernatural lives, but did not know the love of God, Jesus exclaimed, “Get away from me, I never knew you” (Matt 7:23). He will reward the fruit of love, not the gifts which are not used to amplify such love.

John the apostle knew that this highest command of love must flow from brother to brother and sister to sister, when he said, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20).

So, then, it would not be a lowly thing into 2012 for us as Southlands' brothers and sisters (practising amongst each other what we claim to do in the world about us), to:
1. PRACTISE LOVING ONE ANOTHER DEEPLY… “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22); “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8)
2. PRACTISE FORGIVENESS – THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY! “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14); “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13)
3. LABOR IN AND FOR THE LORD. What other meaningful labor is there?? Let’s break down the dividing wall – not just between us and others, but between the secular and sacred, the world of church and kingdom; calling and career! You are in Him – and so in HIS BODY – 24 hours a day! If there are certain hours you are not a member of his body, whose member are you in such a time? Our meetings as saints are in one sense merely a powerful declaration of being united with Christ, forever! You are not as alone as you think you are on a Monday morning. As we grow in unity with Christ and each other, so we carry one another more and more in our hearts, more and more often. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24)
What an amazing adventure 2012 could be for you if you were to give yourself firstly to Christ, and then to what inflames His passion. Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results”. Be sane and aim for GOLD.

Love
Nick

^ Beginning of article
The Unfailing Power of Sowing: from Cisterns to Chariots
By Nick Davis on 14^th December 2011
We sow to the East and reap from the West; we lay down something, and somewhere, blessing flows back…if not to us in our lifetime, then to others in our spiritual family tree (and to us in Eternity). This is an unbreakable spiritual truth. God cannot be mocked. Think on this then:

I was blown away by the fact that it was the kindness of an Ethiopian eunuch that saved the prophet Jeremiah’s life after he had been thrown down a cistern to die, around 587 BC…

^“ So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern-the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate – Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take three men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies. ^” — (Jer 38:6-10)

And then, around 32 AD, Philip is sent by the Spirit of God to the desert in Gaza, to another Ethiopian eunuch…

^“ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. ^”
— (Acts 8:26-38)

A eunuch from Ethiopia had rescued one of God’s true servants in Jerusalem from slaughter under King Zedekiah. Now, 619 years later, one of God’s true servants from Jerusalem was sent to an Ethiopian eunuch to show him salvation in the slaughter of King Jesus. Wow!

Could one bold act of kindness in Jerusalem have led to the gospel coming to Africa 619 years later? God’s word shall NEVER return void. Though we do not see the harvest; though our great-grand children might well be the beneficiaries, God shall not be mocked…sowing always leads to reaping.

May goodness and kindness from us Southlanders raise up harvests in unknown places and distant times, not just in the here and now.

Nick

^ Beginning of article
Don't Waste Time on Self–Defeating Prayer
By Nick Davis on 7^th December 2011

^“ I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ^” — (John 15:1, 8)
I have long known as a believer in Christ that I shall be known by my fruit. It is the fruit of the Spirit, of abiding in the Spirit. It is fruit produced by the Farmer Who tends me, Who prunes me, Who nourishes me. But it is also not earthly fruit. It is not the fruit of right circumstance … Matthew 5:47 “And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”. Scriptures like this have often plagued me in my Christian walk. And you?

The question is, amidst all our life activities and fears and desires for the future, HOW is this fruit produced? Has God chosen the rich to be rich in faith? Are you loving when surrounded only by lovers? Are you faithful when everything falls into your lap? Are you patient when you are gaining all your inheritance now? No, God produces His fruit in us – emblems of His divine nature – through trials. “Suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, character” (Romans 5:3). Sometimes I wish scripture were not so blunt.

So, the next time you pray to God for relief and release from all the nasties in your life, consider this:
- How can you learn to grow patience unless through delays?
- How can you be found as gentle unless through hard men?
- How can you grow joy in Jesus unless through times where lesser joys are stripped away?
- How can you learn to abide in heavenly peace unless through war and times of strife?
- How can you become loving with God-love unless you are hated and have enemies? How will you ever know the type and depth of the love you possess unless you face hostility?
- How can you be kind as Christ is kind, unless you are exposed to unkindness?
- How can you kindle goodness in your heart, unless you dwell amongst badness?
- How can you be faithful, unless you face fickleness and difficulties that invite you to walk by faith, not by sight?
- How can you control yourself by the Spirit's power unless you face trials and temptations? Unless you see and take the way out God has promised always to provide?
So often we cry out to God for deliverance, when we should be asking Him for wisdom. This is what James tells us – when facing many and diverse trials and temptations, ask God for wisdom in those trials (Jas 1:5). And know that you are blessed when you face them, because “the testing of your faith develops perseverance, and perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”! (James 1:3-4)

Jesus, forgive us for persistently asking You to remove all the nasty things, and for always trying to avoid them, when these things are your very pruning shears – the things You are using to develop the fruit of the Spirit in us. And it is only this fruit that will grant to us eternal rewards forever and ever. Amen.

Nick

^“ Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ^” — (Hebrews 12:10–11)

^ Beginning of article
A Fight Worth Winning
By Nick Davis on 29^th November 2011

^“ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes…

…For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ^”
— (Ephesians 6:10–13)

^“ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. ^” — (1 Corinthians 9:23–27)

Aristotle once said, “We make war so that we may live in peace”. What true words for the Christian believer right now!

These days, so many have bought into a modern gospel, a new and teflon–coated cross. “We can have peace and prosperity, and a little sin too!” We can be chums with God and quite worldly, it turns out. Of course, this is a lie. The world is ruled by Satan, and his plan is rob, kill and destroy. Jesus on the other hand has come that we may have life and life to the full. But the way to that life is through the old Cross, the old rugged Cross. It remains an instrument of death. Our mortal enemies – the world, the flesh and the devil – must be reckoned DEAD, and we too dead to them.

^“ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ^” — (Galatians 6:14)

There is too much justification in the church today – we have fallen for the soft modern Age of Excuse. Billions are abdicating responsibility – in life, in marriage, in friendship, in society...and certainly before God. But all things will come up for accounting. Our lives, our words, our deeds – all will be rewarded or not. BUT…our judgment will be for REWARDS!! So now – here and today – we must reckon ourselves dead to stuff that we know is not Jesus. This is the power of Grace! Empowering the Christ–life in us, as we earnestly seek Him. As we do this – as we reckon ourselves dead to deadening things – so LIFE springs forth! You know this is TRUE – make a quality decision to forgive, or bless, or give, or speak kindly…and then DO IT…and see if the blessings don't flow immediately on the inside! Goodness always trumps evil!! It is just like good wine rushing out of the mouth of an uncorked bottle!

But of course – here is the War. Right here. The devil will never stop trying to drag you back into the bushes. He will never stop prowling, tempting, seducing, condemning. A seduced man seduces others. A fool speaks foolish things. An apple tree will produce apples in season. A thorn tree will produce thorns. Now we must attend to the roots, and bring the Axe to bear on unclean things. Now, today, we must do the reckoning, we must stop the excuses, we must put on the armor and take up the sword. We must take our stand in this day of evil – for good, for Christ and his kingdom. See if Christ will not honor the man who honors him with his life, his body!

This is a race, this is a fight. And the crown will last forever. The blessings are so great – in this life and the age to come – that all Paul can write is this:

^“ No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has conceived what god has prepared for those who love Him. ^”
— (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Nick

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11)

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17)

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations — ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ — just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:26–29)

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:5-6)

“Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:12–13)

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:21–22)

“You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28–30)

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3)

^ Beginning of article
A river with no water, fridge with no food, a golf bag with no balls, a car with no fuel, a gun with no bullets, a wallet with no money…a lamp with no oil
By Nick Davis on 22^nd November 2011

^“ At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom…

…The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. ^”
— (Matthew 25:1–13)

All 10 virgins were exactly the same – daughters of the kingdom. As long as there was no need for them to light their lamps – as long as it was daytime – they looked identical. They had the same wedding dresses and the same type of lamps, all of them. Only the night will tell whether we have oil or not. Only the night shows wisdom from folly.

We need to find oil now. We need to practice our friendship with the Spirit this moment. We need to practice righteousness now, as the Word commands us. We need to put aside the deeds of darkness now – deeds of darkness only make us dark. We need to hear His Word now – His Word is always a lamp and a light. Today, we need to lose our tolerance for the little sins that steal our oil. Today, we need to see and understand what kind of behavior is fitting for the Bride of the Son of God (on the brink of His return). Today, we need to rise from our spiritual slumber and repent of a lack of desire to enquire of God or receive meat not just milk. Today, we need to perceive and meditate on what will pass into heaven, and what cannot. Right now, we need to know that the Holy Spirit will never bless or abide in unholiness. This very moment, we need to put aside gossip and slander and tearing at others. Without delay, we need to practice and put on love, trust, peace, service, kindness, goodness, generous lives. These are the reasons why such amazing grace has come.

Now, as never before, is the right time to cut off a right hand and pluck out a wayward eye. These truths are as unpopular now as they were when Jesus preached them (cf. Matt 5:29–30).

The things of the eternal kingdom will never grow without practice.

My great fear is that we the middle class have more faith in our culture, in the trappings, in the visible realm, even in the systems of church, than in the invisible world of God. When the visible is removed, is ripped away, will we stand? When we are no longer confronted with just forgiving an inconsiderate brother, but now have to forgive a hostile persecutor, will will find such forgiveness? Have we been practising it? Or will we rather choose to die with bitterness in our souls? Will we rather choose to rush the gates of heaven with soiled garments?

Little troubles come to test our faith, to show our lack of oil. God is LOVING US when He does this! NOW is the time to find oil! NOW is the time to stand before Christ and seek His face. NOW is the time to embrace the truth that darkness is coming – the signs are EVERYWHERE – and not run to false light. Now is the time to find and enjoy the Light of Christ.

God is on His throne. Jesus is coming back. He is wanting us to be ready, waiting, alert, with lamps full of oil.

Finally, don't ask “HOW?” when you must first ask “WHO?”. Why bluff God or others? The WHO is most worthy. When the WHO is in place, things become plain, resisting sin becomes obligatory, and the HOW Becomes startlingly obvious. Many pastors waste their lives and finest years trying to persuade members to do the HOW when all the while the people have just lost sight of the WHO. This is probably because we pastors lose the WHO too, and preach the HOW. How boring and uncompelling is a life, is a church, built around the HOW, anyway.

The Bridegroom coming is the Apocalypse – the last moments which will be calamitous for the world, but also for Christians who run out of oil. The WHOLE POINT of this short note is to say this: it is pointless for us to wait for the night time to go and buy oil. There is a plentiful supply now, for those of us willing to look, and to look ahead.

Nick

^“ They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace. Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the LORD. ^” — (Jeremiah 8:11–12)

^“ Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ^” — (Matthew 24:4–13)

^ Beginning of article
Storms help us to lose confidence in earthly things
By Nick Davis on 15^th November 2011

^“ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him…

…A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don't you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ^”
— (Mark 4:36-39)

Before you go to sea, you enjoy life on land. You are in control, and the ground beneath your feet is sure. But then Jesus calls you into a boat. Hope summons you, and asks you leave the Known Life behind. That is Christianity. That is learning to walk by the Spirit. That is the Adventure…and the Terror!

That which is Sure and Dependable disappears from view.

The final Shoreline is heaven, and the hope of Glory does put us to sea (the same call caused Abraham to live in tents and Moses to leave the treasures of Egypt behind). But there is a closer Goal that causes you and I to leave the Known behind – we call it “LIFE BY THE SPIRIT”. As with Jesus’ disciples then, so now we are looking forward to “the other side”. More power, more purity, more unity, more influence, more of the gospel in our lives and in the world.

The weather is fair; the boat is seaworthy; the ocean is behaving itself.

We enjoy the comfortable ride. We feel a holy uniqueness. A great sense of significance settles upon us – as it should – as we set out into the Unknown. We might even feel an inner pride, that we are the true pioneers, unlike those who have settled for living on land.

But then…the wind and the waves come up. These are troubles and difficulties. Did I sign up for this??? At first, we trust in the boat. What is the boat, if not our natural skills and talents, and our fellow human friends? To some, it is family. To others, their job. To many in the church, it is the Church herself.

We take a glance over the stern to see if we can head back. We all do! But – no land in view! So, we trim the sails, tighten the rigging and peer over the prow in the hope that New Land might just be a short swim away.

But no such luck. Because luck has nothing to do with it. God has not taken us on a Grand Journey as much as He has taken us aside to deal with unbelief. As with Christ and Philip, God could transport us to the Next Stop in the blink of an eye. This time–space universe holds no bounds for the God Who created It. But He has higher plans, very personal plans for you and I – to make us like His Son.

So – as with Moses in Midian, David in Gath, Elijah in the cave and Jonah under the vine – God has You in a storm-tossed boat.

Now, the next decision is vital. God has initiated it already, by hiding Himself in Christ Jesus. As then, so now – Jesus is Here in the boat. He seems unconcerned, uncaring, uncommunicative. But these are mere appearances.

He is waiting for you to make the next move. The same Lord bluffed the Syrophonicean woman, ignored the cries of the deaf man, pretended to walk further on the Road to Emmaus. That same Jesus sleeps – or seems to sleep – while you and I weep, cry, panic, thrash about, moan and groan.

The Question is, will you and I at last turn to Jesus, and cast our Final Hope upon Him? Our trust in dry land is gone. The glories of the Other Side are forgotten. The Friendly Seas (circumstances) have betrayed us. Our Sailing Skills are all but exhausted.

And still the storm does not abate. You sense nothing of the favor of Christ. There seem to be no Divine Transactions. The Skies rage, but Heaven is silent.

And then, from deep within our gut, the cry comes forth. “Master, careth Thou not that we perish?!”.

Your Master careth much! He shall not fail His Word, to bring you to the Other Side! All He is doing with us in our battered boats is stripping away our confidence in the earth, the sea, the sky and mankind's clever inventions. He is stripping away our fear of storms too. The Father wants you and I to know and look to the Awesome Son. To be with Him, in Him (experientially) and to know His power and authority over EVERYTHING. And in trusting, for us to become more like Him.

And as for you, maybe you would say today, “I failed the moment, and I leapt overboard. I have forsaken my calling”. But I say to you, is not Christ also the great Whale that swallowed and kept Jonah safe beneath the Sea? No–one remembers you right now, but the God Who saved you will never forget nor forsake you – you are in His Son!

In the midst of the tempest, the disciples knew nothing of the Other Side. In the belly of the Whale, Jonah knew nothing of where they were going. But both knew the faithfulness, power and deliverance of God and His Christ in the end.

So, may you find His grace in the storm, which is sufficient for you and I.

God bless
Nick

^ Beginning of article
Unbearable – why are we so often hardpressed?
By Nick Davis on 08^th November 2011

^“ Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you…

…But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ^”
— (1 Peter 4:12–13)

Where is the heaven God promised? Where is the peace? Where is the joy? Where are trust, honor and a persevering friend? It is not to be found in the world, and if it is, it is very fleeting. It comes in our hearts. The Kingdom comes on the inside, if we want to know His peace and joy in spite of what is happening around us. Even a healthy church cannot be a substitute for Jesus being invited into your heart, and abiding there. He hates sin – so what? Is that really such a bad thing? Has sin ever made for a great bedfellow in the longer run?

Happy believers have found the inner fellowship. Happy believers are not meant to provoke us or make us copycats, rather they show us there is a way to live with God, here on earth. There is a way to have drinks and meals with Jesus through the worst of days. When we sit with Him, and only Him, He makes sense of our sufferings, our delays, our struggles, ourselves. He shows us a future. He gives us encouragement. He says it will all be worth it. Above all, He shows us himself. He brings all our excuses to an end, and gives us life that is truly life. Anything less than this makes us a secular society.

Too many Christians live like the world – as victims of circumstances, up and down and spinning around. Jesus can anchor us. Jesus also suffered and was tempted in every way, and yet was without sin. Give time to Him. Do you know that the Bible says, “ALL things work together for good for those who love Him…”?? Jesus can tell you this. He can show you what enemies can produce in you – good things. He can show you how traffic jams and unhappy parents, lost opportunities and broken friendships can form in your heart and mind, if you come to Him and ask Him. He can turn you to loving those you are jealous of, scared of, threatened by. He can heal your Wound. You can sit, you can stand, you can walk again…and maybe even run.

And the picture above?? It is simply this – grapes are crushed to produce wine. We must be squeezed for the wine of God to flow. It’s as simple as that. And now, if we avoid the winepress of God? We rot on the branch. We shrivel and shrink.

Be found under His loving feet. It is the greatest place to be, for the long run. Pray to Him while He may be found – and then accept what He serves you. What is the point of moaning, fighting, hiding, spinning?

You can become a great vintage!

Nick

^ Beginning of article
Prayer signals – “a more lively sense of unseen things”
By Nick Davis on 01^st November 2011

^“ Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” ^” — (Luke 11:1)

“Prayer-secret fervent believing prayer-lies at the root of all personal godliness......Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.”
EM Bounds - pastor, author, Civil War chaplain

“The potency of prayer has subdued the strength of fire; it had bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, healed diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. Prayer is an all-efficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings.”
John Chrysostom - church father, exile for Christ

“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”
John Bunyon - author, prisoner for Christ

“I never prayed sincerely and earnestly for anything that it did not come - no matter at how distant a day, somehow, in some shape, probably the last I would have devised, it came.”
Adoniram Judson – missionary to Burma

“The principal cause of my leanness and unfruitfulness is owing to an unaccountable backwardness to pray. I can write or read or converse or hear with a ready heart; but prayer is more spiritual and inward than any of these, and the more spiritual any duty is the more my carnal heart is apt to run from it. Prayer and patience and faith are never disappointed. I have long since learned that if ever I was to be a minister faith and prayer must make me one. When I can find my heart in frame and liberty for prayer, everything else is comparatively easy.”
Richard Newton – children’s minister, author

“We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.”
R. A. Torrey - evangelist, teacher, writer

“It is far better to begin with God - to see his face first, to get my soul near him before it is near another....If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”
Robert Murray McCheyne – prayer warrior, preacher, poet

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer.”
John Wesley – revivalist, hymn writer

“If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.”
Martin Luther – preacher, teacher, reformer

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”
Charles Spurgeon – messenger of God

“Prayer is nothing else but a sense of the presence of God - there is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God”
Brother Lawrence – monk and gospel worker, who was known for “carrying the Presence in all his tasks”

“Let me burn out for God. But prayer is the great thing. Oh that I may be a man of prayer.”
Henry Martyn – missionary to India and Persia

“I suspect I have been allotting habitually too little time to religious exercises as private devotion, religious mediation, Scripture reading, etc. Hence I am lean and cold and hard. God would perhaps prosper me more in spiritual things if I were to be more diligent in using the means of grace. I had better allot more time, say two hours or an hour and a half, to religious exercises daily, and try whether by so doing I cannot preserve a frame of spirit more habitually devotional, a more lively sense of unseen things, a warmer love to God, and a greater degree of hunger and thirst after righteousness, a heart less prone to be soiled with worldly cares, designs, passions, and apprehension and a real undissembled longing for heaven, its pleasures and its purity.”
William Wilberforce – Christian politician and crusader for the emancipation of slaves

“Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still. Prayer breaks all bars, dissolves all chains, opens all prisons, and widens all straits by which God's saints have been held.”
EM Bounds - pastor, author, Civil War chaplain

Come and join us every Sunday at 10am, to pray together for 20 minutes...

Blessings
Nick

^ Beginning of article
Idols – destroying the forge and the forger
By Nick Davis on 25^th October 2011

^“ The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. ^” — (Isaiah 44:12)
I fully believe we as Southlands Church will be a place that destroys idols, as well as the idol-forges and forgers.

An idol is GOD-SUBSTITUTE. It does three things:
- it demands allegiance
- it promises reward
- it threatens punishment for disloyalty
There are many idols forged, each one serving as a God-substitute. The three main ones could be money, carnal pleasure and dominion:

For those who serve Mammon, the idol of money and accrual of things:
- the allegiance is to self-interest, in participating in Mammon’s values, revealed in the commercial systems of the world, in buying and selling, in driving hard bargains and hoarding
- the promise is of wealth, comfort and stability
- the threat is of poverty and loss of things, and therein the status that Mammon has assigned to those who have things
For those who serve Eros, the god of carnal pleasure (and sister to Mammon):
- the allegiance is to personal gratification, usually on an increasing basis
- the promise is of fleshly satisfaction, and the ever present possibility of ecstasy
- the threat is of pain and loss of pleasure acquired through carnal means
For those who serve Beelzebub, the god of power and dominion:
- the allegiance is to the corridors and mechanisms of power and domination
- the promise is of rulership and gaining competitive advantage, of seeing your competitors (everyone) put down
- the threat is servitude, coming second, being beneath others
To each of these, God sneers. Our God is no substitute for wealth — He owns the whole earth. Jehovah is no second-rate pleasure giver — there are pleasures at his right hand forevermore! Our Lord is no competing power-monger — He is omnipotent and the source of all power!!

So why do believers forsake the fountain of living water, and keep shrinking back to the broken cisterns of idols? Why do we tolerate the forge and the forgeries? Is it because we have lost sight of Jesus, and with it our first love? Is it because we somehow doubt his ability to provide, to pleasure and to promote?

When we forget Jesus, we also end up chasing after things, pursuing lesser pleasures, and quarreling with each other for the power of personal rightness.

Stop doubting! “Only believe!”. In becoming a church that destroys the forge and the forgers, let's repent of such forgeries ourselves. This world needs churches that truly are places of purity and worship, in the pleasures of God. We are, after all, “the gateway to heaven”, not hell. Jesus died to set us free from the captors of Mammon, Eros, Beelzebub and the devil himself. He set us free to know Him, to be heirs with his Son, to enjoy and worship God forever.

Ha!!

Nick

^ Beginning of article
All our eggs in the gospel basket?
By Nick Davis on 18^th October 2011

^“ I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. …

… So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. ^”
— (Psalms 81:10–16)

Are all your eggs in the gospel basket? Do you really have faith that God exists and He rewards those who seek him, who put him first? Do you really believe he can meet all your needs in Christ? Do you think He lacks wisdom in some things? Do you feel He is not potent, that there are somehow certain enemies and challenges too big even for Jesus? Does He LIVE IN YOU, OVER YOU, ON BEHALF OF YOU? Or not? Here what is important is not what is true in heaven, but what you believe here on earth. Promises without faith remain useless to men.

Jesus died for your sins. Jesus rose that you may have life. Jesus prays that you may have faith, and be successful. What, then, are your worries? What are your sins? They are all moments where you forget God, where he becomes distant and theoretical to you. They are blots on the landscape, potholes in the highway of holiness. You can avoid them better by looking to Jesus more intently.

Money is a great barometer of Christ's reality to us. There was a man who was too scared to give money away. His pastor told him, you give and make offerings - and if God doesn't come through for you, I will buy your groceries next month. The man found courage in this, and started to give and make offerings. He came to the pastor a month later rejoicing, saying “God is alive! God blessed me!”. At which the pastor said, “Why did you have more faith in my words and promise than in God's?! Believe in God - His promises never fail!”.

Of course, we need to learn to live within our means. Giving is not a thing of superstition. Grace tithing is not like playing a one-arm bandit, waiting for the jackpot. We give because He is worthy and his mission is worthy, His church is worthy, His people are worthy. We sow to the east and reap from the west. We can sow material things and reap a spiritual inheritance. What do you really want? If you want money and possessions, you will probably get them, but be pierced with many griefs and worries and distractions. Oh for an undistracted people! Oh for us to be spiritual givers, remembering all the while that these things are the little that God observes. He wants us to be faithful and take charge of cities! This is what scripture says.

Trust him, even for your daily bread. Trust him to deliver you from your enemies, from the traps and snares of commerce and the shrewdness of others. Trust him for wisdom and ideas, for breakthroughs and rest, for friends and patience with enemies. Trust him for life and length of days, trust him for seasons and sunshine, trust him in suffering and even in your death. He will escort you safely across that final Jordan, to paradise beyond.

God is real, His promises are true and steadfast, His word shall never return empty. Strength and peace to all who put their trust in Him.

As for us, we are placing all our eggs in your basket, oh Lord. Even so, help us. Amen.

Nick

^ Beginning of article
Getting our posture right
By Nick Davis on 11^th October 2011

^“ I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death…

… For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. ^”
(Philippians 1:20-26) … this was Paul's posture.

Polycarp's Posture — (Polycarp was a church father and martyr)

As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a voice came to him from heaven: “Be strong, Polycarp and play the man!” No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice. When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The Proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostatize, saying, “Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, “Down with the Atheists! Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served him,” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. Ready to be an acceptable burnt-offering to God, he looked up to heaven, and said, “O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you, I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as you, the true God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled. I praise you for all these things, I bless you and glorify you, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. To you, with him, through the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and forever. Amen.”

How is your posture? It is really NOT about doing great things for Christ, but leaning into a great Christ. When we are filled with our own ambitions, like Peter we end up betraying ourselves and our futures. But God can get us, or get us back, into the intimacy Paul and Polycarp knew. They were not great achievers as much as they were men who knew the great thing Christ had achieved for them. They made room for Jesus in their hearts. They accepted the Word of God. They allowed other things to die as the life of Christ grew in them. They stayed honest. They fought off despair, lust, greed, fear. They fought the same fight you and I fight, with weapons of honest prayer, worship and confessions.

Let's get back into a clinch with Jesus. Let's throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Let's get back into a good posture, and see what comes up then.

Bless you
Nick

^ Beginning of article
If God be so mighty a Master of Love, why all the mood management?
By Nick Davis on 4^th October 2011
I have been part of missional churches since January 1985, with a brief interlude in the Assemblies of God. I have led home groups, led worship (it wasn't pretty), deaconed in 4 churches, pastored, preached and hosted meetings, in school buildings, office blocks, warehouses, army barracks, tents, village huts, designer facilities, sports auditoriums and … in the open air! I have seen many responding to the gospel, many lives changed, and many unchanged.

But something hit me so deep and fresh again recently - God is keen on His church, keen enough to be involved. Very involved. And when He does stop to listen to us, He listens to faith alone. He doesn't need whistles and bells. Just words.

^“ It's only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away. ^” BeeGees. Woohoo.

Faith starts with believing He exists, and moves to believing He rewards those who seek Him, who communicate with Him. In one way, faith is a childlike state of heart, that asks for things naively. Faith expects. Faith anticipates. Faith awaits.

Faith also requires desire, and an appetite for God. Faith is not for “stuff”. That is very low level faith. Jesus said something like, “Don't even bother praying too much about what you need” … Only praying for me and my stuff is like the kid who only wants money, not company, from his dad. Or it's like the pastor who is desperate for God in his meetings, but not in his motives. Or the musician who wants to understand how to unlock the anointing, while enjoying secret sins in the locked vault of his heart.

I have written before on the curse of pastors and apostles treating people and churches like a harem, never carrying them in our hearts but only in our diaries. But it is equally true that each meeting can be a false lover, when it is more about the meeting than Who we are meeting with.

We may not fight over the communion grub, like the carnal Corinthians. But maybe we are more aware of the Mood than the people, or the Lord.

What makes for a “good meeting” anyway?

I remember feeling particularly crestfallen when one of our church bands was pulled off stage at a Christian conference, after they had only led one song. I felt pained for them and all their hard work. A friend saw my annoyance, and gently said, “Nick, God doesn't look on our worship as we do - He looks at the heart”. What an obvious reminder! Yet what a scary thing it must be for our meetings to be “cooking” when we are not. Or for the anointing to be flowing when the River is not.

What do I mean? Standing recently in a church meeting, in a simple room, with two people leading the singing, with fathers holding babies and toddlers crying, God's presence was rich. And this was my thought -

If god needs the right mood, music and moment to pitch up,
then that is a god I choose not to serve.

My God has rich pleasure in giving us the Kingdom. My God responds to faith alone. My God does not need His people to sing a song 10 times until they have twisted His arm enough. My God seeks out a people of faith, of trust, of like appetite.

My God is an awesome God. My God is big enough to break through, to reach down, to meet me any time, anywhere. My God is the … Initiator!

My God brought in a Reformation and Revivals without music, and with His Word alone. My God poured out His Spirit in an un-electrified upper room on the day of Pentecost.

Does this mean I hate music? Quite the contrary. But between iPods, internet connections and the intensity of multiple media, our minds and meetings become a priestly Paddington station. We have learned to hate silence, or unaccompanied worship.

Dallas Willard was once asked what he would focus on, in helping new believers become grounded in the faith. He said, "Solitude and study are the most important for the new believer. But solitude is top of my list. I would probably also teach them how to experience Beauty. Beauty is an important spiritual discipline. It's a great gift of God". What a basis for future worship in the young saint!

So …

Now we have run foul of beautifying the Peripheral, and neglecting the Central. How do we think we could get it right to manipulate God, and still expect the spirit that manifests to be from God, not from the Manipulator? Why would God be impressed with smoke and mirrors, when He lives in the Real Thing? Are we called, like Moses, to build a copy of the real tabernacle, or are we called to come into the real thing, morning by morning and Sunday by Sunday?

When we make meetings the measure of our spirituality, do we not seriously run the risk of activating The Law of Diminishing Returns, which says, “A bigger secondary investment is needed to surpass the primary experience”? In his autobiography, Eric Clapton says this of his former supermodel Italian lover, “The energy between us was very strong, and had a quality that exists only when you meet someone for the first time”. When our ministries and meetings burn on the fuel-energy of first-time lovers, we need more and more to enjoy less and less.

Let's celebrate the right things. Let's take the performance anxiety away. Let's take the pressure off the church bands - if there is no worship in the bedroom, there is no worship on a Sunday. Period. Thanks, Mr Redman.

Let the preachers preach what they have seen and heard in the throneroom. Let the musicians be both humble and skilful. Let the people come to worship and make a wholehearted response to the Word being preached. Let sinners come to be saved. Let the disturbed come to be comforted and the comfortable come to be disturbed. And then we have revival.

I believe in the gifts of the Spirit. But not as spectator sport. I believe in music, but I do not want to see the many Davids only playing to chase Saul's demons away from the congregations for a few more days (or hours). I enjoy nice facilities, as long as golden coverings don't diminish the Gold within. As long as there is poverty of spirit and thus, richness of faith.

^“ In the primitive church, the chalices were of wood and the preachers of gold. Now the church has chalices of gold and preachers of wood. ^” Girolimo Savanarola, 15th century

Our Purpose is worship and enjoyment. Not mood management. Not overseeing the law of Diminishing Returns. God is Enough. God finds pleasure in pouring out His Spirit. Faith moves His hand, and unity of the saints commands His blessing to this Day.

God bless Southlands with such a heart, now and always, amen.

Nick

^ Beginning of article
Modern day circumcision rituals still abound (Acts 15:1 revisited)
By Nick Davis on 27^th September 2011
Holiness apart from the law is the end result of a righteousness apart from the law, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If circumcision was the first step toward submission to the Mosaic law, then there are nowadays several more subtle first steps towards a similar submission. As with the Mosaic law, these legalistic hooks inhibit the power of the cross, the processes of sanctification and the proclamation of the scandalous gospel:
- validating faith by works before faith in Christ (works is the ultimate fruit of salvation outworked, but never before "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved";
- validating Christ's salvation by demanding His Lordship (Lordship salvation, destroyer of spiritual infancies);
- leaving saints fearful of losing their salvation (this is NOT the fear of God);
- an emphasis on repentance above an emphasis on faith in Christ. Believing was and is the only precondition for salvation, and repentance is a byproduct of believing. In other words, God initiates faith (opens blind eyes … “but why was I stirred to seek God in the first place? Because God has put the desire there!” (Calvin)): “those who believe”; “all who believe”; “believe in Me”. Even “repent and be baptized” was Peter's word to men ALREADY cut to the heart. Requiring humanly generated repentance ahead of divinely inspired faith is demanding compulsive behavior and imposing morality. Emphasizing and requiring repentance as human leaders produces Self-awareness at the expense of Christ awareness. Preachers have this great responsibility: not to police their people but to preach the Word and breathe the faith-fullness of God over a people who respond in the grace of faith;
- requiring obedience to church systems before releasing free gospel favor to the saint (some churches release more love towards sinners than semi-sanctified saints);
- insisting that baptism is essential to salvation;
- preaching saints towards introspection as habit. For example, a first emphasis on Christian responsibility and ought to's. There can be no transformed lives without transformational (gospel) preaching;
- linking salvation to ministry directly (relationship is the consequence of the Cross, and ministry flows from this relationship. “Ministry” does not flow automatically from salvation, inasmuch as an infant does not play quarterback at Superbowl);
- promoting the heresy that we are saved by our own faith, instead of the Finished Work of Christ, in whom we place our little faith cry;
- generally blurring the lines in immature believers' minds between salvation and reward (loss of reward does not = loss of salvation);
- preaching in a Bible fundamental way that looks for New Testament laws, principles, metaphors and aphorisms from scripture, rather than preaching Christ throughout scripture (which leaves the law-writing to the Spirit of God, on tablets of human hearts).
Against and far Above these errors, the Word proclaims: all who call upon Me will be saved … this very night you will be with Me in paradise … whoeverso desires, let him take the water of life freely …

Preachers and saints must once and for all decide whether the Tetelestai is Just That. The work is finished and perfect! God's wrath has been fully satisfied. A real Birthing is irreversible and also free of charge for the baby birthed. God is my Father because Jesus became sin for me.

Nick

^ Beginning of article
We won't be pathetic
By Nick Davis on 20^th September 2011
Armies, warriors and horses - all intimidating, yet useless in the long run. So why has God left us in such a dangerous world, with such useless deliverers? He is not playing games with us - He does it so we will learn to cry out to Him, trust in Him, look to Him for deliverance! …
^“ No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. ^” Psalms 33:16-19
- The Red Army was the pride of Russia, but now the USSR is a chapter in the history books. The mighty Goliath is now ashes. If you dig long enough, you might just find a Roman Centurion's belt buckle in the ground somewhere. And every week outstanding soldiers are being killed by IEDs in Afghanistan.
- My daughter loves animals, and especially horses. At her first show-jumping competition, she was given a great big beast. He was all muscle, an outstanding example of equine strength. But yet, what use is a horse in the day of disaster? “There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey's head sold for eighty shekels of silver” (2 Kings 6:25).
On the brink of seeing Babylonian systems crumble and fail, now is a fine time to “come out of her” and grow our child-like faith in the Almighty arm of God - the Arm that is never too short to save. God is never intimated, never alarmed, never in a quandary. God scoffs at the mightiest army and ignores the most perilous threat. He is the Awesome God, enthroned on High, from whom all power and authority flows.

And Jesus, our Man in Glory, has entered the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Almighty! Because God hears Him and answers all His prayers, our prayers in His name are powerful and effective.
- May we as saints develop healthy gossip vines of the goodness and grace of God in our everyday lives, as we seek His intervention - and expect it. And why shouldn't we?!
- May we as witnesses in the world not share in the same fears and terrified conversations as our worldly neighbours and friends. How will that help the cause of Christ?!
- May we as members of the same church encourage one another daily, while it is called today, and all the more as we see the Day approaching. Will we really say on our deathbeds, “I wish I had saved more money on my texting bill”?!
In these three things, we will find the extra oil that makes a virgin wise, not foolish.

Finally, what of those who pastor and preach? What is the watchword at this hour? I believe we should rather err on the side of risk than right doctrine; of laying hold of the promises rather than laying down church protocols; and of trusting Jesus through the storms rather than teaching others how to sail well. In so doing, we shall inspire others to faith, and do them much good. For we must not be so foolish as to think that we church-folk are immune from being tempted to trust in lesser deliverers - in the size of the church-army, in the potency of her warrior-ministers; or in the great strength of the gift-horses. All these are useless without simple faith that puts its trust first and last in the promises and power of Creator God.

Even so, even within our fears and frailties, come Lord Jesus.

Nick

^ Beginning of article
When revival amongst the fisherfolk?
By Nick Davis on 13^th September 2011
God has raised up apostles in the last 2 decades, reminding His church of the purpose of missional worship as a culmination of personal devotion. They revealed again the ancient truth of our temporary purpose while we wait to die and to be gathered into our eternal home. As a result, people and churches have risen up.
Where to from here? As Martin Luther was the spark to the 16th century Reformation, so too we now need to offer our lives, hearts and minds as wood to the fire. Are we living in Reformation? Or even Revival? I believe we are BETWEEN THE TIMES.

As God brings us towards Revival in Southlands and in England, what do we need to avoid, living "between the times"?

Let's Avoid....
1. Conformation. In Luther's day, his fans insisted on loyalty to the letter of his writings. This created group think, alienated new thinkers and ministries, and resulted in the Reformation only exploding after Luther's death.
2. Information. Truth that is regurgitated, un-prayed, not lived in, pragmatic or outdated rather than Christ-centred, tends towards a knowledge society, not an explosive church. “Our experience is, the longer and harder you preach, the younger and more secular crowd you draw, provided you keep it all about Jesus” (Mark Driscoll).
3. Deformation. In between the times, many throw off the status quo (understandably) and cry, “To the trenches!”. In the name of wanting fire, the hearth is buckled or thrown away. We should remember RT Kendall's words, that we only have true Revival (the only logical goal of Reformation), when Word and Spirit come together. A time when “Those who come to hear will see, and those who come to see will hear”.
4. Transformation. Humanistic effort to re-adjust wineskins and working conditions will not be an effective surrogate for anointed preaching of the firey doctrines of God. Only inner transformation outworks in external Reformation. The reformational well is a homiletical one - where preachers set churches alight. We do not need reasonable men, but reformational men. However, reformation is not firstly a “wineskin” debate, but a living encounter, that causes someone stand up and whisper, “I can do no other, God help me”.
What is required for Reformation to be full blown?

God is serious about Reformation and Revival. It is primarily how He has built His church, since Acts 2:2. I believe the most important ways we can co-operate with God as He does what only He can do, are:
1. Not clinging to the past. The greatest honoring of ageing apostles would be to move way beyond the initial seed-truth, to go deeper, higher, further. Our language must not scold experimentation, risk or divergent thinking. These are our future! “We must hold our models lightly and cling to Jesus firmly”. Ed Stetzer
2. Bold anointed preaching that maintains the unity of the Spirit and the momentum of the Church. Disintegration of momentum happens when vision fades, when leadership becomes cautionary and preservative, rather than pioneering and progressive. We are pilgrims, after all. But a prophetic people are driven by the Wind of the Spirit! “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad” (CS Lewis)
3. Facilitating true unity - defining it accurately, biblically. There are today sincere but misguided definitions of and strivings for church unity. Time has proved DM Lloyd Jones right, that there can be no true unity without common living doctrine. Unity for unity’s sake is nothing more than secular diplomacy. Meeting together does not make a “team”. I can love a man who denies the Divine inspiration of scripture, but I cannot build with him - the roots are too divergent, the motives too alien. In the name of preserving our “unity”, we put vinegar and brown paper on our fractures, short-change courage and neglect the words of Paul in 1 Cor 11:19, “No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval”.
4. Declaring a crisis of theological under-investment. For some movements, has rapid expansion cost depth at the well? Are we now looking for more fuel efficiency rather than digging for more oil from the Word of God? Changes to wineskins must come about by more wine flowing, not by those wanting to start new wineskin outlets. The river cuts its own banks. We are not facing an enemy like the Popish system in Luther’s day. No, our enemy is within. Group think emerges from lack of personal thinking. Old methods triumph in the absence of fresh revelation. People are stirred by Christ-centred gifts, not by change alone. So, we need the gifts to be shining as jewels in the Crown. Gift-recognition exercises are not needed when the gifts are glorious, great and growing churches everywhere. Some of our finest gifts, revival gifts, are too busy now. “We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power” (RA Torrey).
5. Facilitating deliverance from any trace of unconsecrated service. Deliverance from what I would call “graceless grinding”, or professionalism. We are the Bridegroom’s attendants! We hold the keys of the Kingdom, the words of life, the legacy of Christ Himself! If this does not captivate us anymore, let us repent or perish! “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, is of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important” (CS Lewis). What are the signs of loss of grace, if not joylessness, grumbling and a passé approach to ministry? Well should we heed the words of DL Moodie, who once said “If a man desires to be used in the Lord’s work, he must first consecrate and then concentrate”.
6. Prioritizing of personal discipleship, in the spirit of Matthew 28:18-20. Discipleship is an outward expression of Christian love. You can be a doctor without love, but not a preacher without love. Discipleship must rank above a desire for more nations, because nations are people. My true excitement between the times, is in the hidden reformational potential in the lives of hungry men and women in our ranks. “Make disciples” is elevated above “go” in Matt 28:19, by virtue of disciples being the goal and going being only the means. I think for some, the focus must move from an effort to see things change for “the/our church now”, to seeing the tomorrow’s men and women released and running. It is time to facilitate the future by being engrossed in discipling a small number of men and women, rather than a large and grand schemes of mission. That was, after all, Christ’s second most important achievement, after the Cross - preparing eleven others to continue His unfinished work. “I have not lost one of those you gave me” (John 18:9). “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col 1:28)
So, what are we waiting for? What is the next big thing? I have no doubt it needs be colossal Revival, and then more Great Awakenings in the world. But even as giftings are released and churches are planted, we can do all this without intimacy with the Spirit (just look at the Manhattan skyline). Wider fields only need deeper wells. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing - Christ is our worship, not causes, continents, congregations or the current state of affairs.

^“ The chief dangers that confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God and heaven without hell ^”. William Booth

Love and peace
…Nick

^ Beginning of article
Correct bearings - Southlands in times of change
By Nick Davis on 6^th September 2011
We sailed at twilight -
There remained a lot to do to her,
But as the other crew awoke
The numbers swelled around the half-trimmed mast
And the tangled fishing nets

To get out to sea we had to pass the Heads,
Where churning, surging waters funnelled
And ripped through rock-hemmed cliffs

But staying in the lagoon wasn’t an option -
At first it had seemed safe and protected from
Winds and other Dangers.
But there they now stood, lining the Shore
And raining down fire-head arrows
On that overcrowded lagoon;
On the half-built ships in the dry dock;
On dozens of ships at anchor on the shore line;
And on hundreds of small boats with their
One- and two- man crews

And on the Heads, they lined up to
Fire down on us

Our concern of getting the mast rigged
Was equalled by what we saw over the stern -
There were some in boats whom our ship
Had been towing - in the lagoon,
Where speed and personal safety appeared
Less significant,
This arrangement had been tolerated…
But now we felt the Drag -
And moreover we soon realized the Boaters
Would be in real danger

“Cast off or let us pull you aboard!”
The captain shouted through the loudhailer.
Our hearts sank as a few untied their ropes
And turned back eastwards

We pulled the others in, with much happiness.
In total, they numbered more than our
Original crew. We watched as their boats
Were smashed against the broken-toothed rocks

Everyone knew their place and,
Keeping the ship tightly trimmed,
We plunged into the Gap…

On the other side we heard the
Shouts of dismay of the hillside archers -
We were through - and no casualties!

But our captain was quick to remind
Of the work to be done…
To stay on our guard and start letting out
The nets.
New waters, with plenty of fish

^ Beginning of article

Southlands Christian Church serving Horley, Salfords, Redhill and Reigate

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The Lost Art of Waiting for God

1. Waiting for God in times of trouble and danger

2. Waiting for God’s blessing

An Ode to Frank

My Prayer

Wild Child, Mild Child

Worship is the 5th Dimension, the Neglected Dimension, the Power Dimension

The Awesome comfort of god

A. The Comfort of The Father’s Words

B. The comfort of the Father’s Face

C. The comfort of the Father’s Lap

D. The comfort of the Father’s Everlasting Arms

How then shall we Live, oh 2012?

The Unfailing Power of Sowing: from Cisterns to Chariots

Don't Waste Time on Self–Defeating Prayer

A Fight Worth Winning

A river with no water, fridge with no food, a golf bag with no balls, a car with no fuel, a gun with no bullets, a wallet with no money…a lamp with no oil

Storms help us to lose confidence in earthly things

Unbearable – why are we so often hardpressed?

Prayer signals – “a more lively sense of unseen things”

Idols – destroying the forge and the forger

All our eggs in the gospel basket?

Getting our posture right

Polycarp's Posture — (Polycarp was a church father and martyr)

If God be so mighty a Master of Love, why all the mood management?

Modern day circumcision rituals still abound (Acts 15:1 revisited)

We won't be pathetic

When revival amongst the fisherfolk?

Let's Avoid....

What is required for Reformation to be full blown?

Correct bearings - Southlands in times of change

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