time to get healthy!

Hi guys,

It was so great to see the blessing of God on the house this Sunday. The progression from ‘certain’ to ‘awesome’ is evident for all, who choose, to see. The numerical growth shows that the rumour is being proven true as people talk in a positive manner about Bethel and the ‘cultural revolution’ that we are experiencing.

Throughout this growth spurt we have to ensure that we remain humble and committed to serving Jesus and building His church. Mark 2 tells of the paralytic who was brought to Jesus by his friends. It reveals what happens when JESUS IS IN THE HOUSE! In the passage there are 3 contributing factors that encourage us here at Bethel; 3 headlines that demonstrate that we are heading in the right direction:

1. The man was brought by his friends – People are obviously recognising that Jesus is in the house, thus talking and inviting friends. Let us continue to do this. I am persuaded to invite people to meet Jesus this coming Sunday; I believe that Salvation will visit the house this Sunday. Please bring people. The well known T. D. Jakes has a policy (that we will be adopting) of ‘no more empty seats’. Too often we are selective in our evangelism; we think that our neighbour or friend would say ‘no’ to coming to church. How do we know what God is working in their hearts at this present time? ASK THEM! The passage doesn’t tell how the friends got them to the house where Jesus was, it just says they brought the man!
2. The roof of limitation was lifted – These ‘friends’ lived by our adopted phrase of ‘there is no such word as CAN’T’. There was no way they could get to Jesus so they removed the limiting factors. I recognise for the people that have recently joined this awesome church community we have no history of things Bethel. For those more established, the thought of a new day can be quite intimidating. 95% of people have embraced the new culture and settled quickly in this new day. For some, it is a little more difficult. Can I encourage you that in order for the man to encounter the Jesus his friends talked of, it was the friends that had to lift the limitations, not the man. Be encouraged, walk with us and remove the limiting restrictions. People in this city need to be brought to the place where they can encounter Jesus. Please don’t prevent being used of God by refusing to push through to new horizons. It is a new day & God is still on the throne!
3. People criticised but it didn’t stop the miracle – This is awesome. Some people refused to acknowledge the wonder of Jesus. They refused to praise, even though they saw the work of Christ right before there eyes. We are not naive. We know that a minority might murmur. We also know that it won’t stop the miraculous work of Jesus. Church, RISE UP! Warrior, RISE UP! Princess, RISE UP! ‘The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks & acts, by which he fills everything with his presence’ [Eph 1:23 The Message]

Times are so exciting! God is so good! Bring somebody on Sunday for a phenomenal time in the House of God. It’s an awesome place! This Sunday we are looking at our 5^th cultural pillar – Health. Be ready for a great time!

The importance of ‘THEN’

I like to read.

Anything!

The back of the Mars bar that I shouldn’t be eating, the small print of the contractual agreement of the credit card application that I am not even going to fill in and even the information that you recieve about dietary requirements of the latest banned health craze.

I like to read!

However, it’s amazing when reading the Bible, I miss words out. My eyes register the word and yet my mind chooses that it isn’t that important. You know the words I mean: the small, insignifianct words.

and.

the.

is.

then.

If I am going to learn then I am to develop the ability to dig deep into the small, insignificant words. If God decided that the words on the page were important enough to be there, then they must carry an important message.

Psalm 144 is a great psalm. One of huge importance to us as the leadership of this community named Bethel, one of essential importance to us as we embark on building a church that effects the generations to come.

The psalm talks about our ’sons’ being like well nurtured plants; our ‘daughters’ being like pillars that adorn a palace.

We are believing that our numerical strength will be strong enough that our city has to respond to the influence we carry, Psalm 144 carries this as it states that ‘our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields’.

It talks of ‘no more cry of distress in our streets’. We want that in our city!

Yet Psalm 144 remains impotant if we dismiss the ’small, insignificant’ words.

‘Then’ (v12) shows us what is required if we will see great things realised. Psalm 144:1-11 need to take place ‘then’ we will see the reality of our dreams.

‘Small, insignificant’ words or ‘linch pin, gateway’ words. These provide the revelation and insight required to bring scripture alive in the 21st century. The Bible isn’t merely stories of ancient greats or therioes that have now been left being by church for the latest leadership journal.

Scripure is absolutely the way forward!

And the key to learning is to ensure the importance of ‘then’