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“Won’t you revive us again?” (Psalm 85:6) Some of my earliest memories of hearing preaching as a young Christian was in relation to revival. I heard stories of the Lewis Revival of 1949. I heard of miraculous moving’s of God through men and women like David Wilkerson and Kathryn Khulman. God was on the move. As I listened to these stories, something of the glory of God, “something other”, broke in upon us and permeated the atmosphere. The beauty of His character was emblazoned on my heart. On two occasions in recent weeks, I have experienced again these echoes of revival atmosphere. The first happened in a morning church service at Teen Challenge. A retired Elim minister was speaking to us from the verse “Show me your glory” Exodus 33:18 (ESV). He recounted times in his life when, in particular need, God revealed Himself to him and His glory, the kindness and beauty of His character broke upon him.. As he spoke, the atmosphere in the room changed. What had started as a ‘normal’ meeting became charged with the glory of God. I felt the love of God, His care, His compassion, His bigness, His power. A spark of revival fire kindled upon us. The second memorable moment occurred when I was in church in the north of Scotland one Sunday morning. The preacher started by talking about being ‘chosen’. He told a story of how, as a child, he was always chosen last to be part of a football team. One day though, he was chosen first and couldn’t have been happier. He had been chosen first!!! He went on to encourage the company to seek to be chosen by God. “Choose me” he exclaimed. “Choose me!” He then spoke about revival. Once again, that divine spark was ignited, and I felt that ‘something other’ come into the atmosphere. We can each experience a revived life through living obediently to God daily. We can be available to God to be transmitters of His presence. However, national revival doesn’t need to be a thing of the past. We can open ourselves to be channels of God’s Spirit and pray for that “something other” to move in the churches in our land again. Don’t you long for a fresh moving of revival? I do! "O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work... In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known.” (Habakkuk 3:2) There’s a sound upon the waters, There’s a murmur in the air, For a wave of coming glory moves my soul; There’s the sign of a revival All ye saints, prepare for war; For the hosts of God are marching to the goal. J Flanagan Pauline Anderson
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I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. (Psalm 77:11-12) The book of Deuteronomy is filled with Moses’ farewell speeches to the children of Israel. He has led them for over 40 years and they are about to cross over the Jordan under new leadership. Much of what he says was the result of their recent failures, and the lessons they must take to heart and carry with them in the days ahead in Canaan. He will not be there to lead, support, chastise and encourage them. His speeches remind the people of the importance of following God’s commands and the consequences if they don’t. But he also exhorts them to ‘remember’. Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live… Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb. (Deuteronomy 4:9,10,12) There are times in our walk with God when we face immense trials and difficulties too numerous and varied to mention. We can feel a sense of sadness, regret, anxiety or fear and the devil is very quick invade our thoughts and emotions, using these to mercilessly torment us. So how can we ‘fight’ this? One way is to “remember the deeds of the Lord”.
Let these encourage you to keep looking up and moving forward. Let them spur you on to never give up. Remember. Remember. Remember. “Remember the goodness of God in the frost of adversity.” C H Spurgeon Pauline Anderson
But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear Him. (Psalm 103:17) Like me, many of you probably have ‘to-do’ lists. They help us keep on track with things that are important for us to complete. Kind David once wrote a to-do list. You might expect it to be a tick list for preparations for battle, or writing new Psalms but, in fact, it was an ‘Integrity List’. In it, he sets out the things that will help him to keep strong moral principles; ways of living that will keep him close to God. David’s ‘Integrity List’ is found in Psalm 101. Here are some of the things he pledges to do: “I will be careful to live a blameless life.” “I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” “I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.” “I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them”. “I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.” “I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbours.” “I will not endure conceit and pride.” “I will search for faithful people to be my companions.” “Only those who are above reproach will be allowed to serve me.” “I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house.” (Psalm 101:2-7) David was wisely choosing to live his life in accordance with God’s will. You may not have a to-do list written down but, as Christians, there should be certain principles which are written in our hearts; principles that we follow when faced with tough circumstances in everyday life. Billy Graham once said, “Make it your goal to become more like Christ by refusing to let sin have its way, and pursuing instead that which is pure and good in the sight of God.” If an ‘Integrity to-do list’ helps you to accomplished that, then start writing! Pauline Anderson "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." (Matthew 24:42-44) "Son of man, I have made you a watchman" (Ezekiel 33:7) Normally we think of the role of a watchman as being one of prayer. This of course is correct, but we are also called to 'keep watch' as ordered by Jesus shortly before HIs death. Lets take a look at some necessary characteristics of a watchman. 1. A watchman stays awake -It is the duty of the watchman to stay awake and be alert during his watch. There are many nights when there is nothing notable to report. It’s easy to stay awake when there is action but not so easy in the quiet times. A watchman must never become complacent. In spiritual life there are times of action when we see God moving in miraculous ways. However, sometimes you feel that the spiritual journey is routine. You can become weary. You may even become spiritually drowsy. But beware! Falling asleep can lead to danger. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8) 2. A watchman does not heed distractions - No matter how difficult a life the watchman has, he must remain faithful to his job. He must not allow anything to distract him from his duty of watching. The Devil will throw distractions which come in many different shapes and forms . In the wilderness when the Devil tried to distract Jesus from His mission by placing temptations before Him, Jesus replied from the Word of God. As a watchman, you will find God will speak to you through His Word. When facing a distraction or temptation, turn to His word ; it carries the power to get you through. “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3) 3. A watchman shouts when there is danger- No man is an island. We have responsibilities for others as well as ourselves. Even if our warnings are not heeded, we must still be faithful to call out what we see. “The enemy comes disguised, but a spiritual watchman is alert and blows the trumpet and gives a sound so that family members can be quickly warned and not destroyed. Or he may be given spiritual eyes to see something that is happening in the life of the church. The watchman suddenly realises that something has come in and there is turmoil and dissension and conflict. A watchman doesn’t just see and observe or hear. A watchman blows the trumpet. The watchman sounds the note: the enemy is approaching! or the enemy has slipped in!” https://www.harvestprayer.com/the-role-of-a-spiritual-watchman If you have responsibilities over other souls, shout out and warn them when danger lurks! Let’s all be encouraged today to be reliable watchmen. And let us not forget that: ‘God is a watchman to whose eyes sleep never comes. You are always safe.’ (Charles Spurgeon) Pauline Ann Anderson This week’s Thought is by Peter Hodson. On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.) (John 7:37-39) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (John 16:7) I love the subject of apologetics. However, to me the most compelling evidence of the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ to the Father, is the undeniable fact that the Holy Spirit has come in power. The Spirit who convicts us of sin; the Spirit who reveals Jesus to us; the Spirit who unctions us in prayer and in true worship; the Spirit who comforts us and brings to mind His word in time of need. It is sad that so many Christians have been hindered in receiving their full and rightful inheritance, often through lack of knowledge or giving in to the lie that Pentecost was for a bygone age and, consequently, live Christian life in a half-light and often in defeat. Do we fully realise the astounding truth that Jesus is indeed alive? He has been raised from the dead and ascended to his Father - and so has poured out His Holy Spirit on all who believe! The Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together in bringing us such a complete and wonderful salvation! Praise God that we can now live in His joy and in victory over sin! We can often get bombarded with doubts, fears and discouragements. They come at us constantly from a hostile world that has been blinded by the arch enemy of Christ, the devil. He is a liar and the father of lies and yet he can plague our minds so subtly and will try to get our eyes away from Jesus Christ, who is the Truth. Let’s resolve to give our lives more wholeheartedly to the One who has bought us with such a price; to more constantly avail ourselves of His wonderful Gift; to live more constantly in the awareness of His presence and in obedience to His promptings. God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honour in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. (Acts 2:32)
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God. (Acts 2:38-39) And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor 13:13) In the book of Revelation the most frequently read chapters, 2 and 3, are where Christ dictates letters for seven Christian churches in the region of Asia. The first letter is addressed to the church in Ephesus, whom Christ describes as:
Reading such commendable qualities can cause some confusion when we read the next verses: “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.” (Revelation 2:4-5) On the surface, the penalty seems somewhat harsh, even extreme, but only until we realise the deeper significance. Let’s look at what that is. In Matthew 22, we read of two occasions where the Pharisees and Saducees tried to trap Jesus by setting before Him questions that would certainly lead to either his arrest by the Romans or condemnation from the Jews. Having foiled both these attempts, the Pharisees approached Him again, and said: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” (Matthew 22:36) Jesus answered simply: “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important.‘Love your neighbour as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus reveals the most important priority is about relationship: our relationship with God far surpasses any other priority in life, even what we do for Him. “Correct theology, action, and even suffering are just an empty shell of Christian life if dynamic love is absent.” (NLT Study Bible Footnotes Revelation 2:4) “If dynamic love is absent”… The Ephesians were ‘doing’ the right things but had allowed their inner relationship with Christ to become tarnished. This letter serves as a warning for us today. Like the Ephesian church, our churches can have have many commendable qualities… but do we love Christ ? “The most important thing we can do in life is love God and love others.” Watchman Nee Pauline Anderson Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:2) I vividly remember once attending a church meeting where I became concerned about the level of apathy in the people around me. Prior to turning to prayer, a man had been speaking about how God had saved him and miraculously turned his life life around. God had been glorified; His goodness and His power were on display. There was much to be thankful for as the people turned to prayer, but instead, the sense of life and power that had been present, dissipated. Where was the shout of thanksgiving to the God who demonstrated His power to break the bondage to sin and bring physical and mental healing? As the hymn says, ‘Our God is an awesome God’. So why the lethargy? Why the lack of spiritual zeal? Why lack of desire for spiritual things? What is most real and living to us depends very much on where we are living. Although, on the outside we are resident in this world, our spirits inhabit a difference realm. "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” (Hebrews 13:14) “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2) It takes discipline to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. The Devil would have your mind kept on ‘things of the earth’ so that the appetite for ‘things above’ diminishes. He is very aware of the importance of what occupies our time and attention, what we “fix our eyes on”. Social media and technology are good examples. The unfortunate truth is that social media has become a huge distraction for many Christians from their relationship with Jesus. They spend time on social media more than on the Word of God. To ‘binge on Netflix’ has become a common term used in society (and even among Christians). Then we have Amazon Prime, iplayer, Apple TV. Entertainment is being pushed at us from every angle and, if we overindulge, it saps the desire for spiritual food out of you. According to J Warner Wallace, social media is “Stealing our passion and stealing our priorities”. It robs you of the hunger to spend time in the Word. Your spiritual appetite diminishes in the same way your natural hunger for good food dissipates when you feast on junk food. J Wallace Warner also gives good advice when he says: "Ultimately, as Christians, we need to be mindful of how we use social media and how it impacts our relationship with Jesus. By being intentional about the content we consume and share, and by using social media as a tool for sharing our faith with others, we can navigate this new digital landscape in a way that honors God and strengthens our relationship with Him.” And finally… “God grant that if we must have two eyes, that they may be both clear ones; one the eye of faith wholly fixed on Christ, the other the eye of obedience equally and wholly fixed on the same objective.” C H Spurgeon Pauline Anderson A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. (Psalm 68:5) When we meet someone for the first time, our knowledge of them often falls into one of two categories: either we have heard about this person from others and feel we know a bit / a lot about them, or they are a complete stranger who we have never heard of, and we know nothing about them. Whatever we know about them, some people have something attractive about them that makes us want to know more. This is certainly the case with Christ. When we accept Him as our Saviour, whether we knew a little, lots or nothing about Him previously, we find a deep desire to get to know Him more. One way we can do this is by reading the Bible and finding out what moved His heart with love? We discover many issues that were dear to His heart. At the beginning of His earthly ministry, we find Jesus standing up to preach in the synagogue in Nazareth. He identifies Himself as the one mentioned in Isaiah 61:1-2: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn. His heart yearned to help the poor, the broken-hearted, captives, prisoners, mourners in a way that was quite different from other rabbis and religious leaders of His time. In our title verse we see that being a father to the fatherless and defending widows is what God longs to be and Tim Keller tells us “This is one of the main things he does in the world. He identifies with the powerless, he takes up their cause.” But perhaps one of the places where Jesus most eloquently puts his priorities on show is in his discourse in Matthew 25:32-46, shortly before his death. Here we read of the final judgement when, “All the nations will be gathered before Him” (v 32) We read the criteria for inheriting the kingdom.
No, this isn’t a ‘salvation by works’ gospel, it’s the ‘fruits of salvation’. Love is not just a warm feeling, a romantic emotion, it’s the practical outworking of the beating of the heart of the Saviour as you become His hands, His feet, His body, and His heart to the downtrodden of humanity. Can you feel it? Can you sense the loving and longing in God’s heart for ‘social justice’? We don’t have to look far to find those who need the love of God demonstrated to them in practical ways. He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) God grant that many today will hear the call of God to rise up from a life of ease, pleasure and indulgence and join God in His work of service to those in need. Pauline Anderson “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”-and he was called a friend of God.” (James 2:23) I wonder what kind of relationship with God you aspire to? Do you see yourself as a follower of Jesus, or perhaps a disciple? In the Old Testament, we read of two people who were called a friend of God. What a beautiful statement. Abraham, as we read in the tile verse, was one of the two who were described as friends. Moses was the second one. “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:11) Shortly before his death, Jesus referred to his disciples as ‘friends’: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13-15) Have you ever pondered what the characteristics are of people who become a friend of God? Why Abraham? Why Moses? Why the disciples? Scripture can shine a light on that for us. One such scripture is Psalm 25:14 NLT: "The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. “ For those who are unbelievers, fear is linked to judgement for sin and an eternity in hell. However, for believers, ‘fear’ holds a different connotation. Hebrews 12:28-29 explains: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. Reverence and awe open up the way for friendship with God. Another characteristic that opens the door to friendship with God is obedience to His will and desire for our lives. This means turning away from sin in whatever shape or form it manifests in our lives. James 4:4 reminds us: “Don’t you realise that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” As a friend of Jesus, we begin to understand who God is, that He is holy, powerful, omniscient, generous and always righteous. We develop a reverential fear of Him. We want to obey Him. As our knowledge of God grows it can actually be as though God grows before our spiritual eyes. He becomes bigger… much, much bigger! In reality, God hasn’t got bigger, we are just more able to see Him as He really is. What wonderful blessings He bestows upon His friends. “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 15:26) Reverence, awe and obedience are just three of the characteristics that you will aspire to if you want to have the privilege of being a friend of God. “We, too, will have fellowship with the sublime if we know how to be perfectly obedient to the Word of the Lord.” C H Spurgeon Pauline Anderson Wait on the Lord Be of good courage And He shall strengthen your heart Wait I say on the Lord! (Psalms 27:14) We live in an age where so many things are obtainable immediately. We order online and receive the item the next day. We have cars instead of horse and cart air travel instead of ships that relied only on sails. We are conditioned to expect so much so quickly. The theme of waiting is referred to in the Bible at least 116 times. A very necessary part of our Christian walk involves waiting on God and fully trusting Him especially when things may look bleak. Let’s look at some examples of people in that we raed of in the Bible who didn’t wait and others who did: The following people didn’t wait on the Lord – and they didn’t receive the blessing. Aaron: Exodus 32:1 He did not wait obediently for Moses to descend Mount Horeb with dire consequences for the whole community. King Saul: 1 Samuel 13:8-14 If Saul had waited just one more hour Samuel would have arrived to offer the sacrifice. It was sinful for Saul to offer the sacrifice and he well knew it. Through his disobedience Saul lost his enduring dynasty. Last day scoffers: 2 Peter 3:3-4 They will say “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” As with Christ’s first advent so His second coming has been clearly promised in scripture. The scoffers count themselves out of the wonderful joy we have in the anticipation of Christ’s return. The Bible narratives show that waiting is not without a struggle and in some cases matters were taken into people’s own hands. However each of them was ultimately able to see God’s faithfulness to His promises. Here are some examples of those who waited and were rewarded: Abraham and Sarah: They waited 25 years for their promised son and heir and it was through this line that Christ would eventually come. Joseph: He waited 13 years in prison for God’s promise to him to begin to be fulfilled. And fulfilled it was!!! Moses: He waited 40 years in the ‘back side of the desert’ until God spoke to him from the burning bush then another 40 years to take Israel to their promised land. David: He waited 15 years from being anointed to becoming king. Through many hard trials and difficulties God’s promise to him was fulfilled. I waited patiently for the Lord he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit out of the mud and mire he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our God. (Psalm 40) If you are in a season of waiting for God for His promise of deliverance through difficult circumstances take courage from the countless lives who faithfully waited for His time. Wait and you will not be disappointed. But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31) Peter Hodson. |
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Struthers Memorial Church is a registered Scottish Charity No. SC 006960 | Struthers Memorial Church is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland Company No SC335480 | Registered Office: 33 West Stewart Street, Greenock, PA15 1SH. |