Prophesy to the Dry Bones…………
"There is work to be done My children but it is not
your work, you are only to be the means whereby I can work, using your
bodies, your eyes and ears, your hands and your voices.
But beware your voices and prophesy only according to My Word.”
That is how I believe God is calling His children into
service today so what is His Word
for us? I hear “Say
unto the cities of Judah. ’Behold your God ’ “.
Does this mean that I should rush out to Israel to proclaim the
Gospel? I think not,
rather I should be exhorting you, the church here in Wales to look at yourself
and let what you should already know from your Christian teaching take root
again and grow within you. You
have the Holy Spirit within. Why
do you quench Him? When will
you acknowledge that God is within each one of us with all the power needed to
transform the world? Friends
look around you and see that God is already amongst us and not only with the
bishops and clergy. We
may be trapped by our attitudes to the hierarchical, highly organised church but
God has given us permission via Bishop Saunders, and indirectly our
Archbishop Rowan to look afresh at our church and cry out for the
Renewal which must come to us all, from the top to the bottom, from the right to
the left, so that we might be one.
It is interesting that Brian Favell’s
articles on the ministry gifts have reached Leadership this time.
True Leaders do not “lord it over us” but come as servants and help
each of us to see our role and our value in the Kingdom of God.
But we need to look carefully at all scriptural references to leadership,
pasturing and teaching. Who
does the Church belong to, who body is it?
When are we going to let the Head, Jesus the only true Leader, Shepherd
and Teacher, take control? We
have been given these ministry gifts and those who receive the gifts must be
received in love by the rest of us.
Brian has graciously pointed out not only the strengths of those
possessing the gifts, but also their weaknesses and the dangers of taking on a
position: a position held
only by the grace of God and through which God can work.
His is the Authority, the Power and the Glory, not ours and that takes us
into a place of awe……..
How can God work through you and me?
Only by the surrender of ourselves to God, for us to become the “Living
Sacrifices” described by Saint Paul. (Romans 12:1-2).
I am normally reluctant to write Saint in front of a
name because I believe that we are all equal in the sight of God.
He loves us equally as His children and has no favourites.
But saintliness or holiness is what He wants for us all, we have to work
at this by allowing the Holy Spirit to change us and respond to His commands
which come from a knowledge of Scripture and a maturing of the Love of God in
us. Think of one another as saints and help one another on
the journey so that God can be seen as leading the Church forward and standing
up against the forces of darkness in the world.
I am writing this during the season of Passion-tide.
It was last Sunday as I listened to the readings in the Communion Service
that I realised we had to cooperate with God in Renewing, even Resurrecting the
Church. Ezekiel saw the
dry bones come back to life when he prophesied according to the Lord’s
command, this story recorded in Ezekiel 37, is often used by preachers of
Renewal as it is so relevant to the churches of our land.
The New Testament reading (Romans 8:6-11) tells us that we must live in the
Spirit, indeed if we do not have the Spirit of Christ then we do not belong to
Him. This is the same Spirit
that raised Jesus from the dead, if He dwells in us then there is no limit to
what God can do through our submission.
Alone we can do nothing but He has given the Church all the power she
needs…….. let us not prevent Him from doing what He wants in His Church and
through the Church let Him Love the world.
The Gospel
(John 11:1-45)
is the wonderful story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, God’s plan for
His Glory to be seen by the Jews and for them to recognise and believe in Christ
Jesus. I love the fact
that it is the normally active Martha who goes first to meet Jesus, both sisters
are certain that Lazarus would not have died if Christ had been there, he
himself was grieving because it was so necessary for him to stay away.
Is it like that in our churches today?
Like Mary and Martha some have faith, they truly believe in Jesus but is
it going to be necessary for the churches to die before He comes to resurrect
the true Church?
This issue continues to look at our church we have
much to consider, we have much need of prayer, not so much petition or even
intercession unless the Lord leads us that way but into the silent prayer of
resting in the presence of God.
Here God will transform us and speak to us, here we will experience His
love for the Church and the world, here we will share in His pain as He shows us
the world for which Christ died.
This is where we are strengthened and equipped. But the Church in Wales is considering
our future and I’m glad that we have an interview
with Chris Webb the Renewal Officer.
The Council for Mission and Ministry has undertaken a mammoth task and
deserves our support.
I would like to have been at the Llangasty
meeting though but Chris seems willing to consider us a part of the team
if we respond to the challenge.
In particular I like this “We're
fostering an ambitious vision - but, we believe, a realistic one - for a
considerable culture change in our churches that brings spiritual experience and
formation to the forefront of everything we do.”
Praise
God that the Church in Wales is willing to change……to be Renewed.
Niall and Gerry Griffin
sent me an article as soon as they saw our last issue, because God was also
speaking to them on unity, so we move forward together.
Peter Lawrence gives us some wonderful encouragement to increase
our faith and set us on Fire, and Pam Worsey gives us a new poem which
points to God’s desire for us to come into His presence so that He can speak.
Enjoy this issue.
Mary Newsom