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!

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!

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.

Six principles for taking the Land (pt3)

We've been talking a lot about being the Joshua generation that have entered in and can now take possession of the Promised Land. Over the last month we have looked at these principles from Joshua 5:13 onwards.

After speaking about (1) recognising the problem, (2) positioning yourself for fresh revelation, (3) praising God for who He is, and (4) receiving the prescription for action we move onto the next stage in this process of possessing which is:

5. Putting the prescription into practice

Sometimes God's prescription to us for dealing with obstacles or problems in our lives don't seem to make sense to human eyes. Just take a look at Noah and that ark, Moses and his stick, Naaman the leper, the blind man and the pool of Siloam or Ananias and Paul. They all were given strange prescriptions - and it was no different for Joshua. And did Joshua question or argue with God. No. We read that he simply accepted the word of the Lord and put it into practice.

That should be our response. When God reveals to us His prescription to overcome the obstacle we should be willing to:

• be obedient: say "yes sir!" and do as He says!
• be persistent: keep following the prescription
• apply your faith: take action believing God will do as He promises
  

6. Possess the Land

Someone has once said:

"If you want something you have never had, then you have to do something you've never done."

The Israelites didn't just receive the Promised Land, they had to take possession of it. Similarly, the heroes of faith noted in Hebres 11 didn't just receive what was promised, they gained it. Taking possession of what God has for you and me means that we need to do something. It is us that take possession, that gain the promise, not simply receive passively from God all that He has promised in Jesus by the power of His Spirit.

To gain the Land we need to be courageous. It has been said that "cowardice turns pilgrims into wanderers." This was certainly true for the Moses generation.

But courage, on the other hand, turns pilgrims into possessors. Courage and faith turned the Joshua generation into a nation that took possession of the Promised Land.

Let's be a Joshua generation that take hold of all the promises that God has for us in our lives and together as the people of God today.

What an inspiration!

Yesterday it was so good to have the folk from Caminul Felix Romania (www.caminulfelix.com) at MSCC. The 6 young people sang and spoke of how this amazing (8) work had changed their lives for the better. Merca (one of the house parents) spoke of how he and his wife have dedicated the last 17 years to caring for a family of 12+ and how the concept of "a family for life" can have such a wonderful impact.

God gives each of us dreams - seeds inside, desires of our heart, ideas for ways in which we can serve Him and the people around us. Be inspired by Caminul Felix. Support what they are doing financially if you can. Plan to join one of the trips we will be organising to go out and help them. Or maybe start on that God-given dream project you have: God promises that if He begins a good work He will see it through to completion. So go for whatever God has put inside you to do and go for it with all of your heart!

Six principles for taking the Land (pt2)

The principles we are looking at this month are found in Joshua 5:13 onwards:

1. Recognise the problem
2. Position yourself for fresh revelation
3. Praise and worship
4. Receive the prescription
5. Praxis: put the prescription into practice
6. Take possession

Last week we looked at 1 and 2. This week we take the next two...

3. Praise and worship: Joshua's response to the fresh revelation was to fall facedown and worship. When was the last time you received a fresh revelation of God that caused you to automatically worship Him? The disciples in the boat were stunned when they saw Jesus walking on the water and were even more amazed when Peter joined Him! But when Jesus entered the boat they turned the revelation into immediate worship. We should do the same because (i) God simply deserves it; (ii) as we worship we align ourselves with His power and resources (as Joshua did); and (iii) we acknowledge and accept His command over us.

4. Receive your prescription for action: "See!" is the first instruction the LORD brings. "See, the situation is different from My persepective", says God. He is going to move on to more detailed prescription, to more detailed instructions of actions Joshua and the Israelites must take. But first, God wants Joshua to see from His perspective. To see with prophetic vision. To see himself as God sees him. To see the outcome as God sees it. To look with the eyes fo faith into the word of God and believe it to be so.

Some one has once said, "If you do not see what you cannot yet see then you will not see it." How do you see your situation today? If you see yourself, your God and your situation with the eyes of faith you can begin to take possession of the Promised Land.

Remember: as you align yourself with God's authority and power, submit to His command and see from His perspective you will be well positioned to take the next step!

Six principles for taking the Land (pt1)

This last Sunday we began to explore the six principles for taking the Land and overcoming the obstacles in the way. These principles can be find in Joshua 5:13 onwards and are:

1. Recognise the problem
2. Position yourself for fresh revelation
3. Praise and worship
4. Receive the prescription
5. Praxis: put the prescription into practice
6. Take possession

1. Recognise the problem: see the problem, look at the obstacle and be honest that it is a tough task that lies ahead. But only that, no more. Don't worry about it. Don't spend a long time trying to figure out from past experience what you are going to do this time. Don't let it take up all your brain-power! Recognise it's a problem but then...

2. Position yourself for fresh revelation! Joshua was staring at the city of Jericho "shut-up tight" and then, as if broken from deep thought, he made the best move of all: he lifted up his eyes. When we are faced with a great obstacle before us the best thing to do is lift up our eyes, see that God is already there with us (Joshua saw the angel of the LORD between him and the problem) and prepare ourselves for fresh revelation on how to deal with the situation.

Remember: our God is the infinite God with an infinite number of solutions to your unique needs!

Holidays!

We are back from our two weeks away in France. We stayed in a lovely place known as Les Pas Opton, part of Spring Harvest Holidays (www.springharvestholidays.com). So I am ready to be back into the thick of things, preparing for the new September term and the start to an exciting few months for us at MSCC!

But not everyone has had the chance to holiday so soon and a bunch of the young people are away on a YWAM mission to Latvia (www.ywamlatvia.com) - looking forward to hearing all about it!

So, if you are still to go on holiday this year: have a great one! Rest well, be refreshed and renewed, be built up in every way and don't forget that the word "holiday" comes from the two words "holy day" - we need to be replenished in our spirits as well! Take a good book and have a read. Or better still, take some time to get into the Good Book more!

Come back to MSCC refreshed and ready - God has so much for us as we enter into the land He has promised!

A Joshua Generation

What makes us a Joshua generation is not our age or the style of clothes we wear or even the music we like. What makes us a Joshua generation is our mindset - our thinking.

Just like Caleb, we believe that "we can certainly do it" and we enter into the Promised Land with high expectations. We enter in partnering with God to see His Kingdom come more in our lives and the lives of those people we touch day-to-day.

The five key beliefs of a Joshua generation:

1. We can live in the Promised Land / see the Kingdom in our lives because God has promised it
2. We can succeed in the great project God has for us because His favour is upon us
3. We can be strong and very courageous because our God will never leave us or forsake us
4. We can conquer all the enemy’s territory by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit
5. We can be all God calls us to be as we serve Him day-by-day

Will you join us crossing over? Will you join us on this great project God has for us? We certainly can do it, if we do it together in partnership with our God!

Just getting started....

So, three weeks in and we're just getting started!

Great weekend a week or so ago with Marc Dupont: prophetic encounter, healing ministry, clear teaching.... more to come

God has called us to be a Joshua Generation. We have crossed over the Jordan - the River of Impossibilities - and now we enter the Promised Land.... more to com