Whatever He Says

Hey, when God is making something clear, it is exciting how his Word pops, like kernels of popcorn blasting from hard nuggets to delicious edible morsels.  I read one of my favourite Bible chapters this morning:  the book of Colossians, chapter 3 , and some of the verses, when I read them in the light of what I shared in my last blog post,  The Heavy Weight of Words,  had deeper significance than ever. Think about the agency of the Enemy of God to divide, and his propensity for the use of words to do so, perverting the gift that sets us apart from all the other wonderfully created beings on this planet. See how some of the verses from the passage in Colossians emphasize that fact in describing his influence, to which humans are all too receptive. Look at the contrast with the character of God, with which Paul the apostle, admonishes us to "clothe" ourselves. Colossians 3:8-12 New International Version (NIV) 8  But now you must also rid yourselves  of...

 I was reading  Life of the Beloved  by Henri J.M. Nouwen  recently, and in a chapter titled "Living as the Beloved," he wrote these lines, which I thought about for days afterwards, and am still pondering: "The forces of darkness are the forces that split, divide and set in opposition. The forces of light unite. Literally, the word 'diabolic' means dividing. The demon divides; the Spirit unites." I was telling a friend about this over lunch one day this week, someone who is also a lover of words. We sat in the front window of a cafe, overlooking the main street of a town decorated for Christmas, and I pulled out my e-reader to look up the gospel of John, chapter 17, verses 20-23  , the prayer of Jesus, which suddenly hit me as the antithesis of "diabolic" in the way it focuses on "being one." Yesterday, curious to learn more, I looked up the word "diabolic" for myself and found this, under the heading "etymology of de...

By Belinda Based on a sermon on unity, preached by Pastor Paul Mallard , at Wood Green Evangelical Church in Worcester on Sunday, May 16th 2010. The model of the doctrine of the Trinity is in these verses: John 17:11 (New International Version) 11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. John 17:21-23 (New International Version) 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Unity "That they may be one as I am in you and you in me." Three and One. Both extremes at ...

By Belinda "If I never heard another sermon, this one would suffice to meditate on for the rest of my life." That is what I wrote in my little red moleskin journal last Sunday morning at Wood Green Evangelical Church in Worcester. As soon as Pastor Paul Mallard  started preaching, I started writing. I am so glad that God had me in that place, at that time, so that I could both be blessed by the message he shared, and could pass it on here. I will share it in two or more parts. The sermon was on Jesus's prayer, recorded in John 17 . I encourage you to grab a Bible and follow along. The prayer is broken down as follows: Verses 1-5 For himself prior to the cross Verses 6-19 For his disciples; 11 frightened men Verses 20-26 Jesus literally prays for US! At this point (when Jesus prayed the prayer,) to all intents and purposes, the Church was over. But that is not what Jesus knew (verse 20.) Verses 20-23 are a prayer for unity: 20"My prayer is not for t...