WELCOME TO OUR EXCITING CHRISTMAS PARTY!
For more information please see our website: www.ardinglychapel.co.uk
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Thursday, 1 October 2009
Friday, 18 September 2009
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Monday, 29 June 2009
The Power to Empowerment by John Maxwell
The ability to empower others is one of the keys to personal and professional success. John Craig said, "No matter how much work you can do, no matter how engaging your personality may be, you will not advance far in business if you cannot work through others." When you become an empowerer, you certainly work with and through people, but you also do much more. Simply defined, empowering is giving your influence to others for the purpose of personal and organizational growth [emphasis mine]. It's seeing others' potential, then sharing yourself--your influence, position, power, and opportunities--with others with the purpose of investing in the lives of others so that they can function at their best. The act of empowering others changes lives, and one of the greatest things about it is that it's a win-win for you and the people you empower. If you empower others by giving them your authority, it has the same effect as sharing information. YOu haven't lost anything. You've increased the ability of others without decreasing yourself.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Easter Breakfast Service
Dear Readers,
we had a great Easter Breakfast Service - good food, a lot of fun, cool puppets, and a clear message on the meaning of Easter - it's all about Jesus and God's love through Him to all of humanity. He became a human being, lived the most exemplary life, yet died as a thief for the purpose of giving Himself as a sacrifice for all of humanity. His death on the Cross was an atoning sacrifice in order for God to forgive our sins and reconcile us back to Him. It's like someone going to prison for you although you committed the crime. All of us fall short of God's standards and have sinned, yet that's not the end of it all - no, Jesus paid the price for our redemption and salvation. This great love has changed my life as nothing else in this world.
we had a great Easter Breakfast Service - good food, a lot of fun, cool puppets, and a clear message on the meaning of Easter - it's all about Jesus and God's love through Him to all of humanity. He became a human being, lived the most exemplary life, yet died as a thief for the purpose of giving Himself as a sacrifice for all of humanity. His death on the Cross was an atoning sacrifice in order for God to forgive our sins and reconcile us back to Him. It's like someone going to prison for you although you committed the crime. All of us fall short of God's standards and have sinned, yet that's not the end of it all - no, Jesus paid the price for our redemption and salvation. This great love has changed my life as nothing else in this world.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Concert with John Perry and Eddie McManus!
The concert with John Perry and Eddie McManus was a blast - it was great! We had to temporarily rename the Chapel as 'Rock n' Roll Chapel'...! Yes, it was fun. The wide range of songs - from Beatles to Evlis, from Elton John to John Perry's - was enriching. We hope to stage a 50s and 60s party in the Autumn - so keep following our annoucements here or by our leaflets through your door...
Oh yes, we also raised over 130 pounds this month towards the Playground Extension project! Cool stuff, thanks for coming and helping - God bless!
Oh yes, we also raised over 130 pounds this month towards the Playground Extension project! Cool stuff, thanks for coming and helping - God bless!
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Concert with Noel Richards
We had a fantastic evening with Noel Richards, his wife Tricia, and their friend Pastor Wanye Drain (USA). Not only did we hear good music and inspiring songs, God's presence was among us and the people I spoke to were richly blessed - just what they needed!
We greatly respect Noel, Tricia and Wayne for coming even to such a small gathering like ours. Noel played massive concerts like at the Wembley and the Olympia Stadium in Berlin, travels the world, and has been releasing CDs for over 25 years - and yet they can come to a small gathering in Ardingly. My wife said, 'They are really godly people'; she was ever so impressed with them. A big thank-you to you three, you made our evening encouraging and refreshing! Come again... soon!
Shalom,
Gordon
We greatly respect Noel, Tricia and Wayne for coming even to such a small gathering like ours. Noel played massive concerts like at the Wembley and the Olympia Stadium in Berlin, travels the world, and has been releasing CDs for over 25 years - and yet they can come to a small gathering in Ardingly. My wife said, 'They are really godly people'; she was ever so impressed with them. A big thank-you to you three, you made our evening encouraging and refreshing! Come again... soon!
Shalom,
Gordon
Friday, 30 January 2009
The Faithfulness of God
'Faithfulness' - does it mean much these days? Dog-owners certainly understand faithfulness, for dogs are faithful and loyal (most of them, at least). Hence the saying, 'The more I get to know people, the more I appreciate my dog.'
But what about people's faithfulness? The great increase of marriage and family breakdowns has certainly placed a black mark on the word and virtue of faithfulness. Many people are disappointed, let down, and some even unwilling to trust others because of their lack of faithfulness. This has caused serious breakdowns in society, for trust is its very foundation. But when people cannot be trusted because they are not faithful, then everyone will suffer.
What I propose here is that if we understand God's faithfulness and experience it in our lives, we'll be able to treat others in that manner and hence be a part of those people who seek to reestablish trust with others through faithfulness and with it build a better society.
The Faithfulness of God
We shall look at three aspects here: first, that faithfulness is a divine attribute - God is faithful - and how this will reflect on us who experience it; second, we shall take a brief look at God's faithfulness to His people throughout the centuries and who people reflected on that; thirdly, perhaps most relevant to many, we shall elaborate on God's faithfulness in difficulties - where is God when the going gets tough?
(1) Faithfulness is a divine attribute (1 Corinthians 1:4-9; Revelation 19:11)
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth that God has blessed them with many gifts and abilities; yet these are for the edification of the church, and they serve to prepare God's people for the Return of Jesus Christ to the earth when He will judge the living and the dead. In order for believers to be ready, Paul stresses a major divine attribute - faithfulness. Jesus will help believers to be established for the Day of Judgement, when all human beings must give an account on how they lived their lives; as believers we are called to be 'blameless,' that is pure, upright, and righteous (v 8). In order for that to take place, Paul states that 'God is faithful' (v 9), and because of His faithfulness we are called into the fellowship with His Son, Jesus. It is this very fellowship - and only this fellowship - that we will enable us to live a life of purity and holiness and hence be blameless on Judgement Day.
Jesus Himself is called 'Faithful and True' (Revelation 19:11); John elsewhere quoted Jesus' words that He is the truth (John 14:6) - He is truthful and hence faithful. In fellowship with a faithful person - especially when that Person is faithfulness in perfection - it will affect our own capacity for faithfulness, and 'rub off' on us to be faithful towards others.
(2) God's faithfulness towards His people (Deuteronomy 7:6-15; Isaiah 49:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Philippians 1:6; 1 John 1:9)
Moses explained to Israel that God loves them and therefore chose them. God delivered them from slavery, and this He did because He is faithful - or, in Moses words, 'the faithful God' (Deuteronomy 7:9). A similar thought is found in Isaiah 49:7 - The Lord is faithful and therefore will help the despised ones.
Similar to the above comments on 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks about God's faithfulness to the church at Thessalonica (5:23-24). The emphasis again is for God's people to be blameless on Judgement Day, and that will be possible through God's faithfulness; He will faithfully take care of those who want to live holy and became blameless - He will work in us to accomplish this end. Note that it is the God of peace who do His good work in us! The same thought is found in Philippians 1:6, where Paul proclaims that He who started a good work in believers will finish it; the faithfulness of God is implied, of course.
John, in his first letter, speaks of God's faithfulness in relation to our sins - He is faithful and just to forgive those who confess their sins (1 John 1:9). No matter what we might have done, Jesus' sacrifice is able to atone for our sins and failures towards God. He doesn't want to judge and condemn people; no, He wants to forgive and heal them! God is like the good Dad who, when the son burned down the neighbour's storehouse, he took responsibility for it and restored everything. You might be in a position where you feel that you've let God down; but I have good news for you - He will forgive you through Jesus whenever you come to Him and confess and repent. You don't have to feel guilty for the rest of your life - God forgives and forgets, and will, in future, help you not to sin... at least, willfully.
(3) God is faithful in difficulties (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19; Psalm 62:8)
This is a crucial issue for many people - where is God when things go bad? Well, firstly we must make clear that people who don't care about God but then turn on Him when things go bad, have really not understood much. Why would your neighbour suddenly help you if you have been treating him badly and cheated on him? Well, the good news is, God is willing to forget all that when people turn to Him with a sincere heart. The Bible talks of God's protection for those who love and follow Him, although He does, of course, in some way care for all of humanity. Yet because He doesn't force Himself on anyone and most people choose to reject God, people are left to fight through life by themselves, and that human power is often far too weak to withstand the troubles of life. But whenever people turn to God and ask for His protection, He will surly help!
Having said that, there are times when even for believers God's protection seems weak. But there are clear biblical answers for that: tough times will produce tough people. By that I don't mean hardened, but mature: people who can face troubles in a good and positive way, and then be abl to help others. No one will listen to your advice until they know you know what you're talking about. Someone said, 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!' Paul gives us some clarifty on the issue:
Finally, the Psalmist gives us some great advice as to how to handle such times:
If you learn to take hard times with maturity, you'll be fine and grow in your character! Remember this: 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going.' Keep the words of the Bible close to your heart - it is the God of peace who will see you through, the faithful God!
Shalom,
Gordon
But what about people's faithfulness? The great increase of marriage and family breakdowns has certainly placed a black mark on the word and virtue of faithfulness. Many people are disappointed, let down, and some even unwilling to trust others because of their lack of faithfulness. This has caused serious breakdowns in society, for trust is its very foundation. But when people cannot be trusted because they are not faithful, then everyone will suffer.
What I propose here is that if we understand God's faithfulness and experience it in our lives, we'll be able to treat others in that manner and hence be a part of those people who seek to reestablish trust with others through faithfulness and with it build a better society.
The Faithfulness of God
We shall look at three aspects here: first, that faithfulness is a divine attribute - God is faithful - and how this will reflect on us who experience it; second, we shall take a brief look at God's faithfulness to His people throughout the centuries and who people reflected on that; thirdly, perhaps most relevant to many, we shall elaborate on God's faithfulness in difficulties - where is God when the going gets tough?
(1) Faithfulness is a divine attribute (1 Corinthians 1:4-9; Revelation 19:11)
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth that God has blessed them with many gifts and abilities; yet these are for the edification of the church, and they serve to prepare God's people for the Return of Jesus Christ to the earth when He will judge the living and the dead. In order for believers to be ready, Paul stresses a major divine attribute - faithfulness. Jesus will help believers to be established for the Day of Judgement, when all human beings must give an account on how they lived their lives; as believers we are called to be 'blameless,' that is pure, upright, and righteous (v 8). In order for that to take place, Paul states that 'God is faithful' (v 9), and because of His faithfulness we are called into the fellowship with His Son, Jesus. It is this very fellowship - and only this fellowship - that we will enable us to live a life of purity and holiness and hence be blameless on Judgement Day.
Jesus Himself is called 'Faithful and True' (Revelation 19:11); John elsewhere quoted Jesus' words that He is the truth (John 14:6) - He is truthful and hence faithful. In fellowship with a faithful person - especially when that Person is faithfulness in perfection - it will affect our own capacity for faithfulness, and 'rub off' on us to be faithful towards others.
(2) God's faithfulness towards His people (Deuteronomy 7:6-15; Isaiah 49:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Philippians 1:6; 1 John 1:9)
Moses explained to Israel that God loves them and therefore chose them. God delivered them from slavery, and this He did because He is faithful - or, in Moses words, 'the faithful God' (Deuteronomy 7:9). A similar thought is found in Isaiah 49:7 - The Lord is faithful and therefore will help the despised ones.
Similar to the above comments on 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks about God's faithfulness to the church at Thessalonica (5:23-24). The emphasis again is for God's people to be blameless on Judgement Day, and that will be possible through God's faithfulness; He will faithfully take care of those who want to live holy and became blameless - He will work in us to accomplish this end. Note that it is the God of peace who do His good work in us! The same thought is found in Philippians 1:6, where Paul proclaims that He who started a good work in believers will finish it; the faithfulness of God is implied, of course.
John, in his first letter, speaks of God's faithfulness in relation to our sins - He is faithful and just to forgive those who confess their sins (1 John 1:9). No matter what we might have done, Jesus' sacrifice is able to atone for our sins and failures towards God. He doesn't want to judge and condemn people; no, He wants to forgive and heal them! God is like the good Dad who, when the son burned down the neighbour's storehouse, he took responsibility for it and restored everything. You might be in a position where you feel that you've let God down; but I have good news for you - He will forgive you through Jesus whenever you come to Him and confess and repent. You don't have to feel guilty for the rest of your life - God forgives and forgets, and will, in future, help you not to sin... at least, willfully.
(3) God is faithful in difficulties (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19; Psalm 62:8)
This is a crucial issue for many people - where is God when things go bad? Well, firstly we must make clear that people who don't care about God but then turn on Him when things go bad, have really not understood much. Why would your neighbour suddenly help you if you have been treating him badly and cheated on him? Well, the good news is, God is willing to forget all that when people turn to Him with a sincere heart. The Bible talks of God's protection for those who love and follow Him, although He does, of course, in some way care for all of humanity. Yet because He doesn't force Himself on anyone and most people choose to reject God, people are left to fight through life by themselves, and that human power is often far too weak to withstand the troubles of life. But whenever people turn to God and ask for His protection, He will surly help!
Having said that, there are times when even for believers God's protection seems weak. But there are clear biblical answers for that: tough times will produce tough people. By that I don't mean hardened, but mature: people who can face troubles in a good and positive way, and then be abl to help others. No one will listen to your advice until they know you know what you're talking about. Someone said, 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!' Paul gives us some clarifty on the issue:
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.There are troubles ahead; let's face it, things go wrong at times, even for the innocent (or sometimes especially for the innocent...). Tell Jesus about it - He suffered a criminal's death although He didn't do anything wrong! Peter talks about this (1 Peter 4:12-19), and concludes that God is a faithful Creator and will see us through it! It is because of God's faithfulness that we'll come out on the other side and be better and more mature people if we handle tough times in a right way. Some start to blame God and accuse Him of all kinds of nonsense, but those who understand that we live in a sinful world, know that 'bad things happen to good people'; but they also know that God has a way out for us to escape troubles!
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)
Finally, the Psalmist gives us some great advice as to how to handle such times:
Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8 (NASB)We must trust God at all times - good times or bad times. This gives us a stable foundation in life. We might not always understand all the things that are going on around us - or in us, at times - but we can trust God to be in charge still! At the same time, faith is not mechanical but relational: the psalmist wants us to pour out our hearts before God. It's so important that we pray and share what's going on inside of us, for keeping it all in our hearts can have bad effects. We need to share our troubles with God - pouring out our hearts, at times with tears, will greatly help us deal with tough situations. But we can't just melt down in tears, we need to trust God in all circumstances, at all times, as the Psalm instructs us. With a good balance between the two we'll be fine!
If you learn to take hard times with maturity, you'll be fine and grow in your character! Remember this: 'when the going gets tough, the tough get going.' Keep the words of the Bible close to your heart - it is the God of peace who will see you through, the faithful God!
Shalom,
Gordon
Saturday, 24 January 2009
The Goodness of God
In a world where so much injustice prevails, where so many suffer in various ways, and where any despair in hopelessness, is it at all appropriate to speak of the goodness of God? Well, yes it is, for understanding the goodness of God will make a lot, if not all, the difference that we need to not only cope with the 'bad stuff' in life and on earth, but also to cause change towards something better - and most of us agree that things must improve.
Our verse of the month is an example of a situation that was seemingly bad, yet in which God showed both His goodness and faithfulness to His people. They were captives in a foreign land, yet God blessed them, took care of them, and His people prospered. Many Jews would soon become prominent people in society and important contributors to its development and well-being. Whenever we face difficulties we need, as His people, to trust God that He will work out His good plans for us.
The Goodness of God
What Scripture teaches without a shadow of doubt is that God is good. He is inherently good; it is His very nature. He does not choose to be good, He simply is good. Let's look at three points to illustrate this fact.
(1) God's Goodness in Creation (Genesis 1:1-31; Romans 1:20)
God created good things - H whenever He saw what He had made, His 'comment' - or evaluation - was, 'it is good.' In fact, at the very end when He look at all that He had made, he said, 'it is very good'! God created good things because He is good; what He does flows from Who He is - good. God delighted in His Creation and was ever so pleased to entrust it to human beings. It's a bit like Christmas: good parents like to not only give good gifts to their kids, but they also delight in doing so and want their children to enjoy them.
What is also important to note in the biblical Creation account is that God created with design and purpose - and He did that because He is good. Of course, there are many in our 'modern world' who want to deny Creation (by God or by Intelligent Design), yet where has this led us? We became monkeys and the world meaningless. Personally, I cannot believe that this wonderful nature and all life originated from nothing, a bang, without a first cause, and that life is simply materialistic. I cannot believe that all of this has come to past by coincidence. What I can, however, easily believe is that there is an ultimate Being who is able to created, One who is 'the first mover,' One who is beyond this world and human ability, and hence able to do what the Bible ascribes to God - that's easy to believe if one has understood the God of the Bible (we'll talk more about Creation next month, especially since it's Darwin's 200th Birthday..)
What the Bible makes clear is that Creation reflects God, that He created beautifully because it is His beautiful nature to do so. In doing so, the Apostle Paul tells us that Creation reveals God's invisible attribute, His eternal power, and His divine nature (Romans 1:20). What is reflects the One who made it. Let me illustrate: few if any of us have ever seen the founder and producers of Vauxhall or VW, yet we know they exist from the product the make - cars... there is a Creator and He is good, as reflected in nature.
(2) God's Goodness in Israel's History (Genesis 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 1:25; 6:24; 26:11; Psalm 73:1; 84:11)
Throughout the history of God's people, He shown Himself to be good. In fact, the very calling of Israel through Abram is based on the fact that God has good plans for His people - that is, He blesses them and wants them to be a blessing. Goodness is something to be shared - just like good food tastes better with good friends, so does divine blessing.
We further read that God gave Israel a 'good land.' He gave them good commandments because observing them is good and will cause blessing to His people. It is good to live by God's commandments, for they are holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12, 14). God's goodness to His people was so overwhelming that the Psalmist proclaimed, 'Surely God is good to Israel!' (Psalm 73:1). Further, it is evident - and exciting! - that God will not withhold any good thing from those whose hearts are pure, that is, those who are upright and honest (Psalm 84:11). God wants to bless, God wants to shows His endless goodness, yet who will accept and receive? It is up to you, as God will never force things up you - it is your choice to receive!
(3) God's Goodness in Jesus Christ (Luke 4:16-21; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 9:8)
Finally, God shows His endless love in giving His Son, Jesus. He died a criminal's death eventhough He was innocent. He did this in order to redeem humanity - in down-to-earth English: get us back to God and sort out our lives. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
Shalom,
Gordon
Our verse of the month is an example of a situation that was seemingly bad, yet in which God showed both His goodness and faithfulness to His people. They were captives in a foreign land, yet God blessed them, took care of them, and His people prospered. Many Jews would soon become prominent people in society and important contributors to its development and well-being. Whenever we face difficulties we need, as His people, to trust God that He will work out His good plans for us.
The Goodness of God
What Scripture teaches without a shadow of doubt is that God is good. He is inherently good; it is His very nature. He does not choose to be good, He simply is good. Let's look at three points to illustrate this fact.
(1) God's Goodness in Creation (Genesis 1:1-31; Romans 1:20)
God created good things - H whenever He saw what He had made, His 'comment' - or evaluation - was, 'it is good.' In fact, at the very end when He look at all that He had made, he said, 'it is very good'! God created good things because He is good; what He does flows from Who He is - good. God delighted in His Creation and was ever so pleased to entrust it to human beings. It's a bit like Christmas: good parents like to not only give good gifts to their kids, but they also delight in doing so and want their children to enjoy them.
What is also important to note in the biblical Creation account is that God created with design and purpose - and He did that because He is good. Of course, there are many in our 'modern world' who want to deny Creation (by God or by Intelligent Design), yet where has this led us? We became monkeys and the world meaningless. Personally, I cannot believe that this wonderful nature and all life originated from nothing, a bang, without a first cause, and that life is simply materialistic. I cannot believe that all of this has come to past by coincidence. What I can, however, easily believe is that there is an ultimate Being who is able to created, One who is 'the first mover,' One who is beyond this world and human ability, and hence able to do what the Bible ascribes to God - that's easy to believe if one has understood the God of the Bible (we'll talk more about Creation next month, especially since it's Darwin's 200th Birthday..)
What the Bible makes clear is that Creation reflects God, that He created beautifully because it is His beautiful nature to do so. In doing so, the Apostle Paul tells us that Creation reveals God's invisible attribute, His eternal power, and His divine nature (Romans 1:20). What is reflects the One who made it. Let me illustrate: few if any of us have ever seen the founder and producers of Vauxhall or VW, yet we know they exist from the product the make - cars... there is a Creator and He is good, as reflected in nature.
(2) God's Goodness in Israel's History (Genesis 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 1:25; 6:24; 26:11; Psalm 73:1; 84:11)
Throughout the history of God's people, He shown Himself to be good. In fact, the very calling of Israel through Abram is based on the fact that God has good plans for His people - that is, He blesses them and wants them to be a blessing. Goodness is something to be shared - just like good food tastes better with good friends, so does divine blessing.
We further read that God gave Israel a 'good land.' He gave them good commandments because observing them is good and will cause blessing to His people. It is good to live by God's commandments, for they are holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12, 14). God's goodness to His people was so overwhelming that the Psalmist proclaimed, 'Surely God is good to Israel!' (Psalm 73:1). Further, it is evident - and exciting! - that God will not withhold any good thing from those whose hearts are pure, that is, those who are upright and honest (Psalm 84:11). God wants to bless, God wants to shows His endless goodness, yet who will accept and receive? It is up to you, as God will never force things up you - it is your choice to receive!
(3) God's Goodness in Jesus Christ (Luke 4:16-21; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 9:8)
Finally, God shows His endless love in giving His Son, Jesus. He died a criminal's death eventhough He was innocent. He did this in order to redeem humanity - in down-to-earth English: get us back to God and sort out our lives. The Apostle Paul put it this way:
He [God] who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)This is a remarkable exclamation! Through Jesus God has given us all things - all things, hence, He does not withhold goodness from humanity once they turn to God by putting their faith and trust in Jesus. Elsewhere Paul wrote that '...God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abudance for every good deed' (2 Corinthians 9:8). God is a rich Provider, so that (1) we will have enough and can enjoy life and (2) that we will be able to give to others and be an instrument of God's blessing to those in need. God wants His goodness to shine through His people - so let's do it!
Shalom,
Gordon
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Is God in Recession?
Good Plans?
In a world that faces terrible crises of different natures, can we speak of good plans by a God that presumably is still in charge? Yes we can! Scripture assures us that God is good and that He therefore has good plans for humanity despite the latter messing up things big time. A long time ago a Hebrew prophet spoke the following words on God's behalf.
Is God in Recession?
The question proposed is, Is Almighty God, the Creator, the only self-sufficient Being, negatively affected by the current global financial crisis as many people are? Has God become limited in His ability to bless people and provide for them because money is more scarce than a year ago?
While hundreds of people are losing their jobs in Britain (and elsewhere) and many have their homes repossessed, some may start to wonder, Where is God in all this? While we can affirm that God is not in recession, He certainly is in the recession, that is, God is ever-present to care for people who trust Him despite external difficulties and the realities of life. He's a supernatural God who can provide despite recession and crises in our world.
The closest biblical parallel to a modern financial crisis is a time of famine. While people in East Africa are faced with a real famine - or one may think back to the potato famine in Ireland which took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people - Western Europeans today are not very familiar with the reality of a famine. Those who lived through WWII would tell us that there were food rations for several years in Britain after 1945. Yet today many are affected by a lack of money, and in a society where many live on credit, this is devastating. We should ask, What does the Bible have to say about these issues?
First of all, Scripture is clear that we should not be indebted to anyone (Romans 13:8). It is clear to everyone that a major reason for Britain's crisis is that credit was given out too easily and people lived far above their means. Again, Scripture instructs us to live modestly, that is, not beyond our means, to be content with what we have, and not to fall into the snare of seeking riches and wealth without limits - the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6). The Word of God (the Bible) always instructs us to live wisely, so it is certainly evident that to live within one's means is wise, especially in, but better yet before, a time of recession.
Shalom,
Gordon & Family
In a world that faces terrible crises of different natures, can we speak of good plans by a God that presumably is still in charge? Yes we can! Scripture assures us that God is good and that He therefore has good plans for humanity despite the latter messing up things big time. A long time ago a Hebrew prophet spoke the following words on God's behalf.
For I know what I have planned for you,' says the LORD. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.'The circumstances around this statement are very interesting, for it was a time of great difficulty. God's people had lost their place in their land due to sin and their unwillingness to repent and turn to God; hence, they were deported after Jerusalem had been conquered and the Temple destroyed in 586 BCE - it was a tremendous tragedy in Israel's history, yet within it God still upheld His promises and brought them back from captivity to restoration. No matter how we fail, God always has His god plans in mind and seeks to fulfill them for us. Because God is good, His plans are good! So, let's ask the question then, Is God in Recession?
Jeremiah 29:11 (NET)
Is God in Recession?
The question proposed is, Is Almighty God, the Creator, the only self-sufficient Being, negatively affected by the current global financial crisis as many people are? Has God become limited in His ability to bless people and provide for them because money is more scarce than a year ago?
While hundreds of people are losing their jobs in Britain (and elsewhere) and many have their homes repossessed, some may start to wonder, Where is God in all this? While we can affirm that God is not in recession, He certainly is in the recession, that is, God is ever-present to care for people who trust Him despite external difficulties and the realities of life. He's a supernatural God who can provide despite recession and crises in our world.
The closest biblical parallel to a modern financial crisis is a time of famine. While people in East Africa are faced with a real famine - or one may think back to the potato famine in Ireland which took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people - Western Europeans today are not very familiar with the reality of a famine. Those who lived through WWII would tell us that there were food rations for several years in Britain after 1945. Yet today many are affected by a lack of money, and in a society where many live on credit, this is devastating. We should ask, What does the Bible have to say about these issues?
First of all, Scripture is clear that we should not be indebted to anyone (Romans 13:8). It is clear to everyone that a major reason for Britain's crisis is that credit was given out too easily and people lived far above their means. Again, Scripture instructs us to live modestly, that is, not beyond our means, to be content with what we have, and not to fall into the snare of seeking riches and wealth without limits - the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6). The Word of God (the Bible) always instructs us to live wisely, so it is certainly evident that to live within one's means is wise, especially in, but better yet before, a time of recession.
- The Famine in Joseph's Time (Genesis 41:1-31)
Joseph lived in Egypt, in fact, he was sold as a slave by his jealous brothers. One night the Pharaoh had a dream which neither he or his magicians could understand or interpret. He saw seven fat cows coming up from the Nile, followed by seven gaunt cows who ate them up. For Joseph the issue was clear: the seven fat cows represented seven good years of harvest, while the gaunt cows represented seven years of severe famine; a famine was coming, and in order to avoid certain death, the people had to store up in the good times for the bad times. This seems to be common sense, yet who could foresee a famine - or, in modern times, a recession? What this life-saving event tells us is that God has foresight and provision even in times of famine!
- A Famine in Roman Times (Acts 11:27-30)
In the Book of Acts we read of a famine during the reign of Claudius (mid-50s CE). Here we see how the believers, before the famine struck the Roman Empire, gathered means to care for the poor. God cares for people through others. It speaks of sharing our means within the church.
- The Reassuring Words of Jesus about God's Provision (Matthew 6:19-34)
Lastly, let us remember the powerful words of Jesus Himself when He spoke of God's provision for those who trust God and seek to understand and do His will. Since God cares for His Creation, He will certainly care for His children. Only bad, selfish fathers would spend all their money on their hobbies and none on the children. In Jesus Christ, God has given everything to humanity, His most precious, and with Jesus Christ He is giving us all things (Romans 8:32) - there is nothing God would withhold from us that is within His will!Dear Reader, rest assured that God understands your situation, but better yet, has a good and practical solution to your problems. Ardingly Congregational Church will gladly assist you in her best possible ways if you need help or want to talk about God - or anything for that matter. While we are limited, God isn't, and He can do the things that are impossible with humans. God bless you as you trust Him for His generous provision!
Shalom,
Gordon & Family
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