Women's Breakfast

It was early on Saturday morning when I arrived at Highway to start setting up for our Women's Breakfast. This morning would be different as the women from Every Nation would be joining us.  I didn't know what to expect but I was looking forward to our time together.

The quietness before everyone arrived was peaceful, I certainly needed some headspace.  I then ran through my presentation one last time praying that all would work when it should!

One by one the setting up team arrived, some looking bleary eyed from a busy week, some full of excitement for the morning ahead.  As the doors opened at 9.00 am, the women started to arrive, 58 of us altogether!  We munched our way through a delicious breakfast in between lots of laughter and chat.  I guess you wouldn't expect anything else!

We moved through to the Small hall where we came before God in worship led by Francesca and Adeline.  There is something about hearing a group of women singing together, beautiful. 

The morning was filled with many different parts.  Sally with her gift of holding everything together and making us all feel so welcome, Jill A with her testimony reminding us that we do everything out of love, Jill F with her song, hauntingly beautiful, you are so gifted Jill!  Josie shared with us her thoughts around the story of Rahab.  Rahab, the prostitute earned unique praise for her faith, and a place in the lineage of Christ. Certainly the faith this one woman revealed demonstrates the potential we all have; yet she also reminds us to not judge--how many of us would expect a great act of faith from a prostitute? How many of us would not only have walked by her house, but crossed to the other-side of the street so as not to be contaminated. Yet, God blessed this woman by putting her in the lineage of Christ. God's blessings come in surprising packages.

Thank you everyone who helped and participated in some way.

If you couldn't make this one, I hope I've tempted you to look out for the dates for the next one!

Joy!

On Sunday during my talk on Joy I played a recording by Brian Doerksen of the hymn ‘It is well with my soul’ written by Horatio G Spafford. A number of people have asked me for the details – well the recording is to be found on Brian Doerksen’s live album called ‘You Shine’.

The story behind the song is both powerful and moving. The hymn was written after two major traumas in Spafford’s life. The first was the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy businessman). Shortly after, while crossing the Atlantic, all four of Spafford’s daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford’s wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired these words. They speak to the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief befall them on earth.

Blessings Simon

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul
It is well, with my soul
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

 
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live
If Jordan above me shall roll
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

 
But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait
The sky, not the grave, is our goal
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

 
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Fruitful Living

I love the poem from Gordon Bailey that asks the question  ‘Can a man change?’

     Can a tadpole turn into a dog?
     Can a tiger change into a frog?
     Can a hippo grow into a flower?
     By exercising his will power?

     Can man, by super self restraint,
     Change himself into a saint?
     Can he cease being decadent?
     By making a god of good intent?

     Can mankind change, as he intends?
     Well, not until he yields, he bends!
     If he won’t bend – the stubborn ox –
     He’ll never even change his socks!

As we started our series on the fruit of the Spirit last week a member of the congregation had a picture that God was laying upon the church a carpet of holiness, a holiness that effects the nitty gritty of our lives. How encouraging! Real holiness is truly beautiful because it means we are becoming more and more like Jesus. May I encourage you as we enter this season to let God see and reach down below the surface of our lives and let him get right to the heart of the issue. That way we will see an overflow and abundance of His: - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control in our lives. Let us drop any sense of pretence and let God shine his light into our lives and may we adopt the prayer of Evan Roberts in the Welsh revival (1904-1905) ‘Lord bend the church and save the world.’ ‘Bend us Lord!’

Simon

Dreaming of Gold in 2012

Our verse for the2012 is: - ‘Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.’ Luke 5v4b.      For we believe:-

2012 is a Season of Extraordinary Opportunity  

We are entering into a season of extra ordinary opportunity.  I have been looking forward to 2012 for the last 6 years!  Although 2012 is synonymous with the Olympics I have a real sense that it goes far beyond that (after all it is only 5 weeks or so of sporting activity). I believe the Olympics coming to this part of London is all part of God’s plan for our City and nation.  In our prayer times we have had a sense of God saying: -

 ‘Behold I put before you an open door that no one can shut’ Revelation 3v8

 ‘This is the year of the favour of the Lord’ Luke 4v19

I also have had a picture of being a surfer who sees before him the wave of a lifetime.  He could either let the wave pass him by or he could initially move towards the wave and then at the appropriate time start to move in the direction it is travelling and get up on the board to ride it.  For if he catches the wave it will take him further than he has ever been before.  That is what I feel God has been saying to us about the Olympics and 2012 – if we ride this wave of extraordinary opportunity we will go further than we have ever been before.

So 2012 is a real Kairos time ("an appointed time in the purpose of God"). This is a season when God is saying to us – ‘Put down your nets for a large catch of fish.’   Like Peter, James and John in Luke 5v1-11, the key thing is to seize the moment and to work hard to pull in as many fish as possible.  The key thing is to seize our moment - Steve Hill said during the Pensacola revival ‘The opportunity of a lifetime needs to be seized in the lifetime of the opportunity.’  

2012 is a Season of Bold Obedience

It has to be said that Peter did not respond to Jesus’ command with overwhelming enthusiasm.  They had been washing and mending the nets and exhausted after a fruitless night’s fishing.

‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything

We too might need to overcome any sense of fatigue, failure, and cynicism; after all we have probably heard many the heralding of many false dawns.  I can just picture Peter as he looked at the conviction and certainty in the face of Jesus changing his tune and saying

‘But because you say so, I will let down my nets’

He was going to intentionally do what Jesus said just as the servants at the wedding in Cana had been instructed by Mary to - ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ John 2v5.  Jesus really knows what he is doing. He knows that when we come to the end of ourselves we come to the beginning of God.  

What is more Jesus knows where the fish are, so are we prepared to trust what Jesus sees? We have to move to the right place for a catch.  Jesus had asked Peter previously to put out a little into the shallow waters. There he had preached to the crowds.  Now he asks Peter to go out into the deep with him.  The Father is asking us to move out of the shallows of our normal experience, our comfort zones and go for the deeper waters.  It is there in that place of Spirit inspired risk taking, that the large catches of fish are to be found. To see what we have never seen before sometimes we have to do something we have never done before.  Are we prepared to take those sorts of risks? ‘Faith is doing something that will only succeed if God is in it – it is not what we think we will be able to do anyway.’ David Stroud.  Let this be a year that every day individually and as a congregation we confidently do whatever Jesus tells us.  Moving from the shallows and going deeper in our relationships at home, and when appropriate demonstrate or communicate something of God’s love.

2012 is a Season of Partnership

With the great catch of fish it was ‘all hands on deck’ in Peter’s boat.  The fishermen were dependent on teamwork; it was not just one individual trying to haul in the great quantity of fish. This season is a time for interdependence rather than independence.  Working together as Life groups, ministry teams and as a congregation to ensure we go out into the deep waters and as put our nets down and make the most of the opportunity before us.

Even so it was too much for the one boat

So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Luke 5v7

The quantity of fish is so great that one boat is not sufficient but the boats have to work together in partnership to land the catch.  It is thrilling that over the last few years to see how the Stratford congregations have been working together as one church.  There is no sense of competition but rather there is cooperation that we might together see Jesus’ Kingdom come in our part of the City. It is wonderful that we have over 15 congregations committed to playing a part in our Olympic Ultimate Gold festival, for which we are also partnering with Through Faith Mission.  What is more throughout 2012 the church in Newham are in partnership with YWAM Megacities teams.  Megacities are called to cities over one million people and bring international teams to come and work alongside the local church to move the city toward transformation!  For this year’s bumper harvest God is bringing in even more workers to bring it in! 

We are in for an exciting and challenging year one which will need us to be anointed by the Holy Spirit.  The good news that is one of the very reasons for the Coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus quotes in Luke 4v18-19

The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

Simon Clinton

Pastor