EPHESIANS 3 RELOADED

This is real stuff you know. It is so real to me that I was willing to take prison for it, even take a bullet for it if I have to. It is my mission to make God’s mysteries known, plain and simple, accessible to everyone. In case you hadn’t figured it out yet – God has a plan! In the past it was hidden like a treasure in the deepest sea, but now it is now being shown to you, clear as crystal.

The plan is this: Everyone gets the chance to be one of God’s children. Everyone gets an equal share in the inheritance –the good stuff usually reserved for the posh or the privileged. If we were God’s body, then every part would be connected together, legs, arms and all, because we are connected to Jesus by the heart.

I tell you what, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world, because I get to spread this good news everywhere! I absolutely love telling you about the endless possibilities that exist for you, now you have Jesus in your life. It feels like I have been let in on an awesome secret, and I can finally let it out!

God wants to show you off to the world, together with all his other children. Some people will call you “church”, others will simply call you “family”. But everyone will see how special God is, because of how special he has made you. Even the angels, demons and the things you can’t even see with your eyes, will not believe their eyes, when they see how loving and wise God has been with you.

So come on, don’t worry, step right up and come on in – God has a warm welcome for you, right now. You can be close to God anytime you want, that’s exactly why Jesus died for you!

Excuse me, but I am about to go nuts again. It just gets better and better. I can’t even stand up anymore when I really think about it. I simply have to fall to my knees and pray. But I don’t pray for myself, I always pray for you. I pray you will be super strong on the inside, when you realise how strong and powerful God is. I pray Jesus will feel completely at home in your life – with every room in your heart clean and ready to be occupied by God.

But most of all I pray you will get it into your head and your heart, just how loved you are. I pray you will understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Let yourself sink into that love, lose yourself completely in something that you will never fully understand, but will spend eternity enjoying and experiencing forever. Lots of people in this world want to be powerful, but I know you just want to be loved. And this love will help you see how much power that there truly is. It is a power, just waiting to be used for the good of everyone; by the person who has figured out that God thinks they are amazing.

I think it is time to take a moment again to say just how brilliant God is. He is amazing, and his power in our lives will take us in new directions, give us new ideas and help us succeed in new ways of living that we could never have asked for or even dared to dream about in and beyond our wildest imagination. God rocks!

EPHESIANS 2 RELOADED

Let’s think for a minute about the ways things used to be. In the past you were totally switched off to God and you were controlled by anything and everything around you. You always went with the crowd. You never went against the flow because you were so scared inside.If you are honest, you were pretty selfish and thought only about yourself. It didn’t matter about anyone else and because of your wrong thoughts, actions and choices you made a right mess of your life.

This mess should have meant that God would look at you and be mad. He should have been disappointed and you should have been ashamed. But it wasn’t like that at all. Even though you were broken inside, it was God’s amazing love that fixed you right up. We deserved the worse, but God has given us the best instead. It is as if we were dead and God has given us the kiss of life.But it doesn’t end there! God loved us just the way we are.

But he didn’t leave us that way.

He pulled us out of our mess, cleaned us up and his love made us feel so high that we could never ever stoop down low again. He did this because he wanted to show the whole world how kind he really was. The real point is this. God has done all this – not you. You didn’t earn this one bit, so you shouldn’t ever be prideful, but you can always be thankful. We simply need to be grateful that God has made us such a masterpiece. Your life is like a work of art, and all the good things you will do will help paint an amazing picture for the world to see how great our God really is.

Some people think they are better than others. Some people think that if they try harder God will love them more. But the truth is that we are all the same. We all messed up and we all need God’s love to bring us close to God. Do you really think you are good enough to do it on your own? No matter how good or how bad we try– it all comes back to God’s efforts, not ours. The wonder of it all is that it doesn’t matter if you are short, tall, fat, thin, black or white – all of us have a chance to know God as a Father. We can all be close to God.

If you have ever felt excluded, insignificant or insecure then now is the time to realise that you have been included in something amazing. You are not alone anymore. You are like a piece in a puzzle. You are like a brick in a house. And this is a house that God lives in, a house where you can experience true family life, and a place you can feel at home.

EPHESIANS 1 RELOADED

My name is Paul and God thought it would be a good idea for me to write to everyone who calls themselves a Christian and remind them about how great it is to know that God loves us like a Father. In a world that sometimes feels so unsafe, this can help you and I to be at peace.

I don’t know if you realise this, but we have a Father in heaven who has given us so many good things, it is a bit like being given a blank cheque and told to write in any amount we need, any time we need it.

What kind of good things has God given us? Well, first of all he has created you and given you life. You are alive! God designed you and me from the very beginning of time, even before he sat down to decide what the world would be like. Before any trees, rivers or mountains, God thought about you. And he loved you then like he loves you now.

And God didn’t stop there. When God made you, he didn’t just want you to be his friend. He wanted you to be his Child. What would it be like to get a completely fresh start, to be able to start again, like the whole world was made new? This is the kind of forgiveness God offers us when we trust in what Jesus has done.

Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, God has made a way for you to be his special child, perfect in his eyes – totally forgiven and totally free. You are all his number one kid!

God’s generosity is something we don’t deserve at all, but he gives it to us anyway. It is God’s cleverness, not our own, which helps point us in the right direction. All you have to do is trust Him.

God has had a master plan right from the start and he really wants to share it with you. He doesn’t want his plan to be a mystery to you any longer. If you want to know what your life is all about, where you came from and where you are going, then concentrate on Jesus.

Everything you need to know about life can be found in him. Everything that happened in history and everything that will happen in the future will all focus on Jesus. Jesus will transform everything for the better.

There are good plans that God has for this world and there are good plans he has for you. You are not a mistake. You are not an accident. You are not some helpless, worthless, insignificant dot floating through life. You are chosen by God. You were chosen for a purpose. You were born to be part of something bigger than yourself.

When you prayed and asked God to come into your life, it was for so much more than just so you could get into heaven when you die and feel a bit happier while you live. God chose you as his child, so he could work with you to help you change your world for the better.

How do you know if you are a child of God? It is about not the way you look, or who your family are, or where you live or even how many good things you have done. The proof that you belong to him is when God gives you his Holy Spirit as a guide in life. The Holy Spirit is like a gift that will bring peace instead of fear and joy instead of sadness. All you have to do is ask for it.

The more I think about what God has done for you, the more excited I become. I have been praying for you loads and asking that God would help you know God better for yourself. I have been praying that you would realise the truth about what God has created you to be. I pray you will understand just how much power God has given you to be able to do everything that you need to do in life.

If you are worrying that God may not be powerful enough to change your situation, then remember that Jesus was actually dead, and God was strong enough to bring him back to life. And not only did Jesus come back to life, but he is no longer the underdog, he is the president of the universe. Now Jesus is in charge of everything and nothing can ever challenge his title as ruler of the world. So remember – this mighty strength that God has, can also make you strong too. His power is big and God doesn’t keep it to himself. My prayer is that you will begin to believe how great this power really is for your life today.

Everyone in the church can share in God’s power because Jesus really is in control of what is going on in the world, even if it doesn’t always seem that way. We simply need to trust God that everything is going to be ok.

LOOKING IN THE LIONS DEN

What do Lions, Fires, Prisons and Broken Dreams have in common?

These were just some of the challenges Daniel faced from the day he was captured and thrust into a completely new environment with the Babylonians. But lions and fires and bears (hoorah) weren't all he had to deal with. More dangerous than hungry cats in a pit, this amazing teenager Daniel managed to face and overcome four of the biggest challenges you or I are ever likely to face:

• THe CHALLENGE of CHANGE: How do you deal with the transitions in your life?
• The CHALLENGE of CULTURE: How do you respond to the world you live in?
• The CHALLENGE of COMPROMISE: Where are you willing to take your stand and where are you willing to fall?
• The CHALLENGE of CONFLICT: How do cope with the pressure of clashing agendas?

Four big challenges. Four big questions. At some point we will all face up to some of these tests that could leave us feeling hotter than one of Nebuchadnesser's firemen. Why not take some time to look into the lions mouth and see if you can hold your nerve as you consider which of these challenges you are facing right now? Read Daniel Chapter 1 and consider each of the above challenges in the context of his young life. As you identify them in Daniels life, see where they fit into your own.

The World's Strongest Mullet

"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in." Ephesians 3:16

God wants you to be strong on the inside more than he wants you to appear strong on the outside. For over three decades the World’s Strongest Man has tested the limits of human strength, power, and endurance. The best strongmen on the planet take on the most demanding challenges like the Atlas Stones, the Fingal Fingers, and the Keg Toss. Yet even the mightiest brute force of one of the top competitors was no match for the Biblical powerhouse Samson.

Tonight I told the story of Samson's life ( found in Judges 13 - 16) to my three children as we sat in dim light on our king size bed, tucked up and enthralled at every twist and turn in his amazing life. I love that not all Biblical characters are heroes. I love that not all of our examples are perfect. For my children, it is such a great way to learn, by looking at others mistakes - and Samson made plenty!

Samson was a man of brute strength but not inner strength. Strong on the outside. Weak on the inside. His muscles were toned but his character was flabby. It reminded me of the prayer Paul prays for his people, one that focusses on them being filled with interior not just exterior power. In a media centred, image driven, consumer orientated world and in a media centred, image driven, consumer orientated church, we can so often miss the point that Samsons life makes to us. It is a point driven home by Paul's prayers and Jesus' teachings. The point is this: What you can't see is more important than what you can see.

There is a moment at the end of Samsons life where he is chained between two columns about to be executed by his enemies. No eyes. No strength. No hair. No escape. In the midst of this scene he reaches a point of repentance and he prays "Lord God, remember me. God, please give me strength one more time so I can pay these Philistines back for putting out my two eyes!"

Samson realised in huis dying moments that he was destined to be a brute force for God's Kingdom. Through his life he was given to God, but he had made some bad choices along the way including lying, deceitfulness and choosing terrible partners (sounds like an episode of Eastenders!) But get this:

ONLY WHEN HE COULDN'T SEE WITH HIS EYES DID SAMSON BEGIN TO SEE WITH HIS HEART.

It can be all too easy to rely on our natural strength, talent and ability at times. We want to seem strong to others. We want to test the limits of what "we" can do. We trust what we see. Why don't you close your eyes right now. Take away what you can see in the natural. See the world through the eyes of your heart. Take a moment to look into the spirit. Open the door of your heart and begin to find your inner strength in HIM today...

The Never Ending Story Part 1

I always find it funny that as soon as the countdown at New Year is over we tend to quickly forget the Christmas festivities that felt so immediate and all consuming only days before. Memories of the turkey and trimmings will soon fade (sorry wifey) but for me this year I am struck by the potential for the common tradition of the carol service to stick in my memory a bit longer than usual.

After all every carol service is simply the retelling of a story. It tries to recapture a moment in distant history, a moment that certainly has changed our past and a moment that might just have an effect on our future. It is this "never ending story" – the NATIVITY - which we need to keep in mind well beyond the January sales.

A couple of years ago amidst the Christmas movie blockbusters at the cinema like the Lord of The Rings, King Kong and Harry Potter a small humble film was released called THE NATIVITY STORY. Here is what the advertisers said about the film:


“From humble beginnings, great things can come. The Nativity Story tells the extraordinary tale of two common people, Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, a difficult journey, and the history-defining birth of Jesus. The Nativity Story is the very human, very dramatic, and uniquely inspiring journey of faith”



There were no special effects, flashy images, catchy slogans or superstar celebrities in this film. Yet sometimes it is the simplest of stories that have the most impact. Maybe we need to take a fresh look at this simple story that may just be relevant to us all year round.

The story line is a classic that grabs our attention. It’s about Ordinary People who go an extraordinary Journey. It’s about Rumours of hope and the chance of a brighter future. In any good film or play it is the characters we can most identify with that help us connect with the bigger picture. I wonder if you or I could really relate to any of the players in the nativity story? In my next post we will see if any of them can become more than just plastic figures in a scene full of hay and donkeys.

The Never Ending Story Part 2

First there were the shepherds. These boys remind me of those hooded youths you sometimes see on the street corners of your local estate. They were just hanging around and chilling with each other. People thought they were stuck in a rut, settled for second best and had no real ambitions to go further in life. Then they entered the story. They found themselves chosen and included in a bigger plan. They were given a sense of purpose and felt significant – maybe for the first time.


Then there were the wise men. They always remind me of those wise guys from Dragons Den. Everyone thought they were at the top of their game – a real success. Perhaps these guru’s thought they had it all figured out and didn’t really need anything from anyone. Then they entered the story. They found something they could all agree was worth investing in. In fact they were willing to risk it all and give up what they thought was their own wisdom to find the stuff that you can’t get by human invention – faith, hope and love.

And let’s not forget Joseph. I am not sure if you have ever seen that tattooed guy out of Prison Break but I have always seen Joseph a little bit like Michael Schofield from that show. You see he was an innocent man who found himself in a situation he didn’t plan for, it wasn’t his fault and Joseph could easily have felt imprisoned by his circumstances. But then he entered the story. Joseph found that he could overcome the prison of his own mind and didn’t play his “get out of jail card” when he found out his fiancée was pregnant. He learned to trust that his way of escape would not be found in trying to run away from responsibility but instead to allow destiny to mark his life like the most beautiful of tattoos on his skin.

Finally we see Mary. You might not see it at first but I am pretty sure she was a lot like Leona Lewis. You see she was from a neighbourhood that was considered the wrong side of the tracks. She looked down upon herself because of her age and lack of experience. She would always shyly ask herself who am I? What do I have to offer the world? What makes me special? Then she entered the story. And she found herself picked out from the crowd, chosen from millions of hopefuls. She was put through to the next round, no matter how good she felt she could be. She was given the chance to let her talent shine. And it turned out it would shine so brightly it would light up the whole world.

So what do we learn from these people? Well, you or I may have never seen an angel. You may have never followed a star across a desert. You may have never stayed overnight in a stable. But I bet like me at times you have felt like you were stuck, going nowhere fast. I bet like me, you have looked at the world of success and wondered if there was anything more. I bet, like me at times you have felt judged, labelled and a little bit insignificant. And I bet you have wondered and dreamed, like me, if there is still a chance of hope, a chance to be somebody and a chance to feel like you’re being alive could mean something to the world.

You see, that is what this nativity story is all about. When you think about the characters in the story they say something about the director of the whole show. It says something about the kind of people this director thinks are true stars. People like you and me. What if this story has even the slightest chance of being a documentary and not just a fantasy? Then perhaps we could remember this tale and its characters well beyond the month of December and maybe, just maybe, we could begin to find ourselves becoming part of this never ending story too.