Sunday 7 February 2010

New blogsite

The pastor@mscc blog has transferred to the msscentre.org site.

Please re-subscribe at:

www.msccentre.org/pastorsblog

Thanks & God bless!

Robin

Fireseeds: germinating fresh fire

The concept of fireseeds - a conference organised by one of the largest Christian student movements - is that each one of us can be a seed of fire in our community, in our neighbourhood, in our family, school, college, university or workplace. A seed of fire that, just like the spark that it symbolises, can kindle flames of the Spirit in all who are prepared to be tinder for the Master.

This weekend at MSCC we started a new series on the 12 Keys to Personal Revival - to being on fire for Jesus, to being fired up with the passion of the gospel, to having the fire of the Spirit burning within - a fire that will spread form person to person, from community to community, from small campfires to vast forest blazes...

Do you want to be part of that sort of movement? I know I do! If you do, here's the prayer from the conference - why not pray with me that the world may be changed one fireseed at time?

Jesus, you are the original Fireseed.

Thank you for relinquishing the glory of heaven to become human and to die for me.

Thank you that in you I can know forgiveness for all my sins, and a brand new and fulfilling life with God and others.

Jesus I need you.

I want to be your fireseed in the world, to live for your Glory and to be a life giver to those around me.

I surrender my life to you now.

Fill me with your Holy Spirit life.

I commit myself to you, to be whoever you would have me be.

To do whatever you would have me do.

To go wherever you would have me go.

Set me ablaze by your Holy Spirit.

Kindle in me great love for you and for others.

Ignite through my life spiritual fires that would spread right throughout my community, city and country to the very ends of the earth.

For your name and for your Glory alone Jesus I ask these things.

Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, why not let me know that you have joined me on this exciting adventure of faith? Comment below...

Thursday 7 January 2010

Thawing out the nation

Some extra thoughts for you this time...

So I've been thinking about the country covered in snow and ice and yesterday blogged about how that humbles us as human beings making us realise that we are not the all powerful folk we sometimes like to think we are. Whether it be a tsunami, a hurricane or 40cm of snow and temperatures of -18C it is surely plain that "nature" can throw at us some difficult and dangerous circumstances. This is always an opportunity for us to acknowledge that God is God and we are not - that He is all-powerful (the Almighty) and we aren't.

But more than that, this big freeze across the UK is, I believe, symbolic of what God wants to happen to the nation. Not a freezing over of people's hearts towards Him, but a thawing out of lives that need to respond to His call. The way that the snow and ice today will be melted is by the liberal distribution of salt and generous amounts of strong sunlight. Matt 5:13-16 calls us as Christians to be salt and light to our nation. We can be the catalyst for the thawing of many hearts, minds and people's very lives as we seek God and do what He calls us to do today, tomorrow, this week, this month and this year. Here's to a fully thawed out land!


Wednesday 6 January 2010

New Year, more snow & great expectations

Here we are, standing at the start of another new year, another new opportunity to put the past behind us and to move on into all that God has for us. Oh, and we have snow! And that, actually, is a perfect illustration for us. Take a look out of the window when the snow is still fresh on the ground and notice how everyone's gardens, cars, paths - everything - looks the same. Everything is covered over by a lovely white coating. Well, Jesus has made it possible for you and me to have a "lovely white coating", so to speak, of pure, white robes of righteousness (right standing with God) so that all God sees when He looks at us is Jesus. That means each of us have the same opportunities to be all we can be in Jesus.

This year you can be the best that you can be in God - His favour is towards those He loves and His love means He wants the very best for you. No matter what situation you face this year, no matter what circumstances throw at you and no matter what difficulties may arise God wants the best for you and will see you through it. Whatever He starts He will see through to completion (Philippians 1:6) so start the year with what God has in mind for you and you will see it fulfilled.

And we also find that the snow humbles each of us so that we have to declare that as humans we are not always capable of everything on our own. Prov 22:4 says that if we are humble before God - recognising Him as God and that we need Him in our lives - then He will grant us true prosperity and honour and life. Seek Him at the start of 2010 and the year will be filled with His best for you and yours.

Happy New Year!




Saturday 12 December 2009

Christmas comes but once a year...

Its a cliche, but true! Christmas does come but once a year...

Although in the church we celebrate Jesus coming into the world each week for most people its only at this time of year that they stop to give at least a half-thought to who Jesus was/is. We know and celebrate that Jesus came, was born as a baby, lived a perfect life that pleased God, went to a cruel death and rose again to a new life making it possible for us to know the Father. We know that and many of us know Jesus personally.

Its so good to know Him and to have the adventurous full life He calls us to.

But do we keep it to ourselves or do we share it?

Do you pass on the good news of the Christmas message?

Why not this Christmas?

Tell your family, speak to your friends, invite your neighbours.

Let's celebrate together this Christmas!

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Brain Training for Reigning(TM)

We're well into September now and it brings many of us back to the school term, to work routines and to trying to re-engage brains after the summer break.

At MSCC we've decided we need to give our spirits - the real us on the inside - a bit of a boost by engaging in a little "brain training for reigning"!

As Christians we have been given the right to be children of God (John 1:12) and God is now our Father and we are His heirs and joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:14-17). This is awesome (10) stuff! You and I, if we are born again believers, are children of the living God. We are His "sons". That's not sexist, it's a technical term that goes back to the ancient times in which it was written and means that you and I have the full rights of inheritance. Not just that, we are able to act as the Father's heirs now and have His full authority to act in His name: truly amazing (10)!

Romans 5 verse 17 says we are able to "reign in life" through Jesus. We are a "royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" according to Peter. So if we are meant to reign in this life through Jesus as the heirs of God, as a royal nation of priests then we need to train ourselves up to take on that role.

All royalty receives training from the moment they are born. Training to think, act, walk and speak like princes, princesses, kings and queens. We need to do the same - to train oursleves and to plaec ourselves in positions where we are tutored in the way to think, act, walk and speak as the royal sons and daughters of the King of kings.

Where to start?
Start by taking a look at yourslef in the mirror...
  • What do you see?
  • Who is that person looking back at you?
  • Do you see yourself as God sees you or are you suffering from an optical illusion?
  • Do you see yourself as weak, defeated and unable to rise to the challenges of life?
  • Or do you see that you are a child of the living God, an heir with Jesus of all that God has, and empowered by His Spirit?
Next time you look in the mirror, linger for a moment and smile at yourself: that feels good!
Now tell yourself: "I am a child of the living God" - that feels even better!
It is true, so why not see it, believe it, say it and live it!

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Spiritual Heritage

Over the summer we have been hearing about the Pentecostal heritage that we have at MSCC from Jean-Jacques. He brought to us some amazing (8) accounts of how God had worked in the lives of ordinary men and women in the past and seen miracles, healings, people turning to Jesus and lives transformed. And this not from dry history books but from a man who has met and known such greats as Donald Gee and Fred Squire. It was a truly inspirational time.

But we don't want to stay looking backward. We want to look back to inspire us to look forward. We have a great heritage and a wonderful inheritance through Jesus. We are "heirs of God" (Romans 8:16-17) and should live with all the authority, responsibility and excitement that comes with that.

This week, remember your spiritual inheritance as the heir of the King. Look for His Kingdom rule and reign in your life and in the life of those lives you touch.