Windows On The Soul

As we studied Jesus' reply to Nicodemus, his description of the movement of the Holy Spirit being like the invisible wind ( John 3:8 ) reminded me of the sail-board riders on Lilydale Lake. As one who likes to keep his feet firmly on terra firma , I really admire people who can stand on a wind-surfer, manipulating the sail to catch the slightest breath of wind, to send them scooting across the surface of the water. This in turn reminded me of some of Jesus' very last words before His ascension ( Acts 1: 8 ) " When the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be witnesses to me... ". But surely the disciples had been sent "witnessing" before? But this promise is additional - this is a promise of the ability to witness with confidence and power. Like the sail-board rider, it requires practice to stand up, to set the sail of our life and mind to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit, and let ourselves be driven by that invisible power source.

One of the greatest inhibitors to personal and church growth is the FUD factor (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt). After the horror of Christ’s crucifixion, the incredulity then ecstasy of His resurrection and His times of sharing with His disciples, Jesus ascended to heaven. What did the disciples feel then? I’m sure they must have felt very “flat” after their mountain-top experiences, and probably uncertainty and doubts crept in - “ What do we do now?” , “ Why has He left us like this?” . In many ways, these phases in the birth of The Church mirror the phases in the birth and growth of our children. The teenage years are times of much questioning, of moving out from under the sheltering presence of parents, to discover one’s directions and goals in the ‘real’ world - these are the “Why?” years. Then the young adult blossoms, the world is at their feet and they are prepared to take on anything, with courage and determination. Just as parents must hold back in order to release thei...

Sometimes God’s answers to our prayer for direction in our life can at first be unrecognised or even harsh. But we must remember that in God’s time, “ All things work together for good... ”. The following member’s submission is unnamed for privacy. “Quite some years ago, I was struggling with God’s direction for my life, especially at work. One morning I was feeling particularly stressed about going to work and prayed about it before leaving. Within an hour, as I arrived at work, the boss met me waving a cheque and generally sounding off about this customer’s cheque bouncing. He challenged me about why I had “not been looking after this customer”. I explained that I had been going out of my way to keep this customer happy, but that I was not a credit manager.  Even so, I was sacked on the spot (this was before ‘unfair dismissal laws’). Some 6 months later, my ex-employer came to my home. He said that he had recently become a Christian and felt that he had t...

Acceptable offerings - by faith Heb.11:4 Access to grace - by faith Rom.5:2 , Eph.3:12 Assurance - by faith Heb.10:22 Bold witness - by faith 1 Tim.3:13 Christ indwells - by faith Eph.3:17 Healed - by faith Acts 14:9 , Jas.5:15 Hearing - by faith Rom.10:17 Inherit God's promises - by faith Heb.6:12 Justified - by faith Rom.3:28 , 5:1 , Gal.2:16 Live - by faith Hab.2:4 , Rom.1:17 , Gal.2:20 , Heb.10:38 Made whole - by faith Mt.9:22 , Mk.5:34 , Lk.8:48 , 18:42 , 17:19 Overcome the world - by faith 1 Jhn.5:4 Patience in persecution - by faith 2 Thes.1:4 Pleasing God - by faith Heb.11:6 Prophesy - by faith Rom.12:6 Purifying hearts - by faith Acts 15:9 Receive the Spirit - by faith Gal.3:14 Righteousness - by faith Rom.3:22 , 4:5 , 9:30 , 10:6 , Phil.3:9 Sanctified - by faith Acts 26:18 Saved - by faith Lk.7:50 , Eph.2:8 , 1 Pet.1:9 Shielded from Satan - by faith Eph.6:16 , 1 Th...

"Scripture Union is sad to announce the death of a staff worker in Rwanda.  Simon-Pierre Mugabo was a 34 year old schools evangelist who joined the staff in 1990. SU (Victoria) do not have the details of the circumstances of his death, or of the situation of his wife Marie and their one year old son." "SU has also been informed of the death of Israel Havugimana with his aged father and two children. Israel is a former SU staff worker, but was working with Africa Evangelistic Enterprise at the time of his death." "Please pray for the tragic political situation in Rwanda, and for other Christian workers in the area" Scripture Union "Outreach", Winter 1994 ---===X===--- Mt.16:24 "If any man wants to follow me, he must deny himself..." Ps.143:10 "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God..." Lk.14:26 "...does not love me more than family, he cannot be my disciple" Mt.26:42 "...if this cup ...