Is Jesus relevant today?

(Listen to the audio version)

Lots of people today say the church, God and Jesus are out of touch and irrelevant. True enough, parts of the church engage in some activities that are irrelevant to daily life. But can we ever say Jesus is irrelevant? If more of his followers were like him, would the world be so quick to dismiss them?

If Jesus is irrelevant, then why is the Bible the all-time best selling book year after year?

If Jesus is irrelevant, why did massive crowds follow him around the Middle East?

Wherever Jesus went, crowds gathered to listen to him because his words were so relevant.

He spoke about:

• Children and fathers
• Money and debt
• Fishing
• Living and Dying
• Marriage and Divorce
• Childbirth
• Farming and the weather
• Governments and corruption
• Crime and punishment
• Telling the truth and lying
• Sex and adultery
• Food and wine
• Tax and fairness
• Work and rest
• Jewelry and investments
• Love and hate
• Climate change - Earthquakes, famines and wars
• Friends, Neighbours, Home and Away...

It sounds like an average night on TV or the contents of today's newspapers!! Even more importantly, Jesus taught that God wants an intimate relationship with each of us. With me. With you.

In Jesus, God stoops down into our world, to heal, to restore, to comfort and to forgive. Whatever your situation today, I believe Jesus is longing to enter in and touch your heart, your body and you circumstances.

Will you take a moment today to be quiet with him and listen to him and receive from him?

I believe he wants to tell you something personally very relevant to you.

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Personal Development – Developing a Daily Rhythm for spiritual and emotional health.

If we don’t plan our days, we will become swamped with the chaos of others. I believe it is possible to find daily strength, peace and restoration by developing a personal daily rhythm that includes things that energise us and bring us peace.

Here are 9 questions I am asking myself this week. The answers to these questions will help us develop our days to include things that refresh and recharge us. After answering the questions, sketch out a daily rule of life, a plan for each day with things you will do to recharge and what time of day you will do them.

1. What are the times of day when you feel most energized?

2. When do you feel most tired?

3. How much sleep do you need?

4. What are the physical habits that energize you?

5. What are the physical habits that drain you?

6. How do you find soul rest?

7. What are the spiritual disciplines where you feel most restored by God?

8. Which relationships most refresh you?

9. Which relationships most drain you?

From the answers to these questions we can plan ingredients we want in each day, as a priority, to maintain stability, health and inner peace.

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Resistance is NOT futile!

One of my favourite TV shows is Star Trek Voyager, particularly the later episodes where the crew of Voyager meet with the dreaded Borg. The Borg were a collective with billions of zombie-like drones directed telepathically by the Borg queen. Their power comes from assimilating many species across space and adding each species' knowledge to it own.

Whenever the Borg are about to assimilate a group of people, and turn them into mindless automatons, they would announce their intention. "We are Borg. You will be assimilated." Then would come the intimidating phrase. "Resistance is futile!"

Usually it was. But occasionally the Borg met a species that successfully resisted assimilation. So actually, resistance was not futile.

Often Satan comes at us to drag us down, to assimilate us into his ways. He knows our weaknesses and cravings. He attacks us at our weakest point and watches us fall again and again for the same tricks. I suspect he smiles and thinks, 'Resistance is futile'.

But God disagrees. Not only is resistance not futile, it is very necessary! God's word tells us to resist the devil. And when we do, he has to flee!

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
James 4:7

The Voyager Spaceship also had 'long-range sensors' to detect the approach of the enemy. The crew had to be vigilant to keep themselves safe from attack.

Likewise, we are called to be vigilant and resist the enemy's attacks.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."
1 Peter 5:8-9

We have an enemy but we are part of a far more powerful federation - the Kingdom of Jesus. Satan may attack our health, our finances or our walk with God. He comes only to kill, steal and destroy. Whatever your weakness, God is your shield. Never surrender. Resist! Because resistance is not futile - it's absolutely necessary.

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He's coming!

After Christmas I was praying to God for his word for the year. Every year, I believe God has a word for the coming year that will be like the hallmark of that year.

We can't just keep doing what we used to do. If we just keep doing what we've been doing, we'll just keep getting what we've been getting. God is the God of new beginnings.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."
Isaiah 43:18, 19

As I prayed about this year, 2010, I got a very short phrase from God - 'He's coming!'.

I don't think this is about the second coming of Jesus but about a change in the spiritual realms.

It was as though I was in the crowd in Jericho when Jesus passed through. As though I was sat by the road, with blind Bartimaeus, and heard a stirring in the crowd. What is it? At some point, someone must have told Bartimaeus, 'He's coming!' because when he knew it was Jesus he cried out for mercy and got his sight back.

Sometimes in the past we prayed and wondered where God was. But now, this year, I'm telling you, He's coming! Get ready for miracles. He's coming! Get ready for healings. He's coming! Get ready for breakthrough. He's coming!

Jesus is coming right into your situation.

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From surviving to thriving!

On January 1st 2009, Hazel declared, "In 2009 a bungalow will be mine!" I replied, "Amen! I agree!" Right now, as I write, I am sitting in our bungalow. I want you to know that things can change dramatically in a year. You can go from surviving to thriving! God can overcome every obstacle in your path.

I just want to share a few observations on how we achieved this breakthrough - because it has not been straightforward by any means. We lost our buyer 3 times and the house we were buying twice. Many other delays happened, meaning from that declaration to moving in, took most of a year. We moved in on December 9th.

Here are 4 steps to your breakthrough.

1. Love God more than anything else.
The words Hazel and I said were not magic words - but they did activate a few spiritual laws. Hazel has wanted to move to a bungalow for many years. It has been a desire of her heart. She has been patient but also diligent in seeking God. We must focus first on God, not make a god of the thing we desire.

"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Psalms 37:4

2. Rise up and make a statement.
"You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways." Job 22:28
God created the world through his word. He said, "Let there be light" and it was so. We are created in his image, so every breakthrough begins with a declaration. Jesus also said of the one who acts in faith, '.. he will have whatever he says.' Mark 11:23

3. Find agreement
When Hazel made her statement that day, I spoke out my sincere agreement. The word 'Amen' means 'so be it'. Jesus said, ".. if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."
Matthew 18:19

4. Never give up
I can safely say that 2009 has been one of the hardest years of my life. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. Deals were broken at the 11th hour. We have an enemy who wants us to fail. And we must understand this - he will try to kill every blessing of God at birth, just as he did when Jesus came.

Between your dream and its fulfillment you will be tested. When we give up, the devil wins.

There are always more challenges, so you better learn to be a fighter in the spirit.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,"
2 Corinthians 10:4

I wish you many mighty and significant breakthroughs in 2010. I believe those who are reading this will go from surviving to thriving in 2010!

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Ready, willing and able.

To listen to some people talk you'd think that God may heal the odd headache but he's not able to heal things like cancer or blindness. Yet listen in to a different group of Christians and you would think that God is able to heal those things but he's sometimes not willing. Still others may say God is willing and able but he's not ready. If people would only look at the Bible, they would see these ideas are simply not true.

Firstly, let's consider if God is ready. According to Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven". So are we in the season when God is ready to heal?

Jesus declared to his followers, "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will ... lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:17, 18,

God said to Jeremiah, "..I am ready to perform My word." Jeremiah 1:12. God has repeatedly declared his intention to heal in his word. It is clear then that God is ready to perform his word.

Secondly, is God willing to heal? If you read through the gospels you will not find any account of Jesus refusing to heal anyone. One particular man asked Jesus the very question we are looking at - is God willing to heal? The man was covered with leprosy.

"..a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him."
Luke 5:12-13

The God who revealed himself as 'Jehovah rapha' is obviously willing to heal. He is ready. He is willing. But is he able?

Simply by virtue of being God surely he must be able. Isaiah declared, "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear." Isaiah 59:1, (NIV). In other words, if there is a problem, it is not at God's end. Sometimes, particularly if we are very sick or have suffered a long illness, it is difficult to imagine being free. It can be difficult to imagine God overcoming the mountain of illness that seems so big and overwhelming. When Paul wrote to his friends in what is now Turkey he had a revelation - that God was far bigger than our problems and we could never comprehend what God could do or how he could do it.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,"
Ephesians 3:20

God is able! Able not only to do what we are asking for but, 'exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think'. That is more than we can imagine. So imagine the most amazing thing that could ever happen to you. Well God can do far more than that! He is able!

He is ready. He is willing. He is able. Sickness is going. Healing is coming. Now!

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Dare to pray

When I mention healing in Christian circles I often feel like I'm swimming against the current. So many Christians and many leaders are fearful of praying for healing.

"So what if it doesn't work?" This is the vexing question that paralyzes well-intentioned Christians the world over. What if I pray and nothing happens?

"He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap."
Ecclesiastes 11:4

'What if it doesn't work?' is a question rooted in fear. You may as well ask, 'What if I walked past a tall building and someone pushed a piano out of the window and it fell on me?' It is very unlikely. One thing I can virtually guarantee is that something will happen when you pray for healing. The Bible says that 'nothing' is impossible with God. If 'nothing' is impossible, then 'something' has to happen!

We could ask, 'What if I preach the gospel and no one gets saved?' Or 'What if we share communion and nothing happens?' If God has commanded us to do certain things don't you think we should do them and leave the outcome to him?

Jesus gives his followers power to heal the sick.

"And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease."
Matthew 10:1

He didn't even say we should pray but that we should heal the sick.

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."
Matthew 10:8

Just as you don't criticise a child's faltering steps when he is learning to walk, neither does God chastise us when we try to walk in faith. He is there to teach us and encourage us. So let's step out in faith this week and see what God will do.

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