Border Country

Walking along the border of Malawi and Mozambique is a unique experience considering that we started the pastors training looking at the New covenant ministry of Jesus and that we need to be on his side of the battle when the lines are drawn.

We truly need to be ministers of the New Covenant and understand what this means.

Prayer hill

A short walk to the local prayer hill, a place to get away from the busy village life and hussle. Walking away from the village and mission centre means that the view of Mulanje mountain is broadened... Is this not the purpose of prayer to broaden our hearts before the Lord?

Fresh Soil: You reap what you sow!

Freshly turned soil was a sight all around when arriving in Malawi at such a time of year the many fields have been prepared for the soon to come rains. The weather has turned for the change of the seasons... From the dry season to the rainy. Many fields weeded and turned , some covered in mulch from last year's crop. So much work has been done, early mornings before the heat of the day, hours of labouring, we passed by those having seen rain clouds on the horizon and a cooling of the weather are out with the little ones preparing as much ground as possible. 

Are we ready for the rain? To sow the seeds and have them sown in us also, the scripture tells us that we reap what we sow, so lets sow well and prepare the ground of our hearts.  A time of planting and a harvest awaits.

Vista Living

Living in such a place that has such a dramatic view surrounding ones' daily living should remind us of the bigger and grander story in which our lives are unfolding. We must remember to look up beyond the mountain to a God who is faithful.

On the Way

Well I am on the way to Malawi, I am considering the cost of mission and following the call of God in our lives. It is real.

Spirit led and heart clear...Trust is a big word that leads us into Living Faith. The roads that start with familiarity extend into pathways of hope and expectation.

Directional Living

 

In preparing to go to Malawi to the One Way Mission centre this week I am reminded that there is a deep challenge to keep true to the call of God in our lives, living out the purposes of god with 'directional living'.

Jesus said 'I am the Way the Truth and the Life.'

Jesus must be the destination of mission and ministry, our direction must be toward Him, in Him and for Him.

 



Immune to Mission!

Today I had to go and get some vaccination's for a trip to Malawi, I had the thought of whether I am immune to mission?

Is my daily life so embedded in today's world and societal living that the call to Christian mission and gospel telling (however much has been done over the years) might reach a point in my own self consciousness where I think "I have done enough!" An immunity to mission in the heart is tantamount to taking our eyes off the call; a taking ones hands off the plough... seemingly freed from the responsibility to fight the good fight. Neither previous involvement, experience or age gives us immunity to the call of mission.

We instead need to be re-activated to the message of the gospel, rather than becoming desensitised to the truth.

Jesus Power, Super Power (John 4:46-5:47)

When I have travelled around Africa, I used to hear a song called 'Jesus Power, Super Power' it was sung with real enthusiasm and claimed the power of Jesus over evil and whatever the singers would throw in for good measure, it was a lot of good fun but also with it a side of truth with warning.

Last week at church I spoke on the authority of Jesus with regards to healing, looking at John's gospel chapters 4 and 5, I was struck by the tremendous authority which the Bible tells us is residing with Jesus, not only to heal the sick, but also to give life. On one hand He challenges our fickleness to desire signs rather than Himself; to read the bible but not seek His presence ...but never in the confrontation of our human frailties does He dispense with words of faith that bring life to hopeless situations.

This is not meant to be an in depth study of this passage but a desire to get to the heart of it, the integral truth's which must arrest our hearts to awake us from a spiritual malaise.

The most revealing point is that Jesus shall call all of humanity from the grave to a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, life from the dead only to be faced with the Judgement of God...sobering stuff indeed.  Would we not rather He ask us now 'Do you want to be made well?'

Jesus is willing to be involved in our lives to restore us in our relationship with God, friends and others. The man who had sat at the pool awaiting a spiritual awakening, waiting in hope of a restoration that was never coming is an example which we should take heed of. He was reliant on a special moment to come to find God, this is a dangerous place to be as the years can go by. Life being lost to just a memory, losing hope as life passes you by, friends disappearing and pragmatism taking hold  to the point of a self realisation that 'I am never going to change!' This is not true and certainly not spiritual to be awaiting that special moment, when the wind is right! It is a certain route to despair.

If we are to learn anything from these chapters of John's gospel we should learn to look to Jesus for our help today, He has all the power to restore us no matter how we have been broken, or by whom. He is the one who will look in on our situations to bring us out of a life awaiting an awakening; to call our hearts to arise with His presence and words of challenge and integrity.  He is true to His own power to change us and our own need to have a willingness to follow his word. 'Get up...take up your bed and walk.'

'Jesus Power' is truly 'Super Power' but it is His alone and ours to follow with obedience.