International Women’s Day

What is all this hype about International Women’s Day about?

Today as I was scrolling through facebook I was bombarded with a large number of facebook posts ranting about how women are wonderful but they didn’t stop at that. They continued to state that we are much better than men and that it’s time to kick back. The problem with today’s feminism is that it is not just content with equity but it’s now about undermining men and their God given purpose. It is in many ways fuelled by hatred and bitterness. This is often manifested in many obscure, unhelpful and downright revolting ways which does not actually help those women who are actually oppressed.

I used to live in Mexico and on Women’s day it was really a time to send messages to friends and family telling them what a fantastic mother, grandma, friend and person they were. It was a time to send meaningful bible verses, gifts and applaud those people (of which there were many) who had been through traumatic experiences of rape, violence, rejection and had very low self-worth. However, it was just that, to applaud those women and let them know how great they were and come together to challenge the awful tragedies occurring around them in a loving and heartfelt way. However, this once beautiful and meaningful day has now been hijacked (here in the UK) by the “so-called’ SJW who feel that after applauding these women they should somehow also attempt at derailing and bringing down the entire male population. It is also an opportunity to tell women that they can do whatever they want including bringing down men and no one should question them or disagree with them and if you do you are a disgrace to their cause.  Don’t get me wrong this is by no means everyone nevertheless there is a large percentage of especially young and tending towards liberal university educated women who feel that this is obviously very important (but by no means all).

However, let’s look at the dictionary definition of ‘oppressor’. It comes from the noun stemming from the old French opression (12c.), from Latin oppressionem which means “a pressing down; violence, oppression,” noun of action from past participle stem of opprimere.  Synonyms: tyrant, bully, intimidator, dictator.

I find this exceedingly interesting because throughout my life yes although I have experienced maltreatment at the hands of individual men (you cannot and shouldn’t put everyone in the same box) I have also been targeted far more often and been intimidated by other women. I understand that there are many women out there who have had absolutely awful experiences at the hands of men and my aim is not in any way to question that or invalidate their experiences but rather to point out that women are not without blame too.

Let’s take my experience at school where I did experience intimidation and mostly not from guys. I cannot name all the times I experienced intimidation from women. This does not count for all the times women told me I had to be something else other than what I am, that somehow being feminine was not OK in today’s world, that I couldn’t wear dresses because I was supporting the patriarchy, that I should never be OK with a man opening a door for me, that I should exploit myself sexually because everyone else is doing it and only then will I feel truly liberated and many other reasons.

The truth is all oppression is bad whether done by males and females and I 100% agree that we should take a stand against it but on this international women’s day where are the women who are taking a stand against child marriage, against FGM, against human trafficking? Instead they are shying away from these problems because they are difficult, they are dangerous and they are messy. And many women are turning a blind eye and saying “this is not my problem”, “we shouldn’t get involved in their cultural practices” and yes I have even heard “it would be racist to stand against this”.  You see it’s easier for them to point the finger at men sometimes than to tackle real problems.

The truth is we are not going to stop oppression by oppressing others, by trying to intimidate men and take away their value. We are not going to stop oppression by allowing unforgiveness and bitterness to rule in our hearts, we are not going to stop oppression if we don’t speak life.

At some point in my life I had to make a choice to forgive a number of people who had hurt me. It was hard. It was however liberating to my soul and spirit. I released those people into God’s hand and I have already seen Him do wonders there. I know nevertheless that if I had allowed that bitterness and hatred to continue that I would be a very different person to what I am today and that would be wholly and completely unattractive. It doesn’t invalidate what those people did to me but rather it frees me up to follow God’s purpose for my life.

So on this day I want to praise both the men and women in our lives, those women  and men of strong and powerful faith who were raised by fearless and courageous fathers and mothers. I pray that our sons as much as our daughters feel valued and understand who they were made to be.  I also pray that we would start to discover our God given purpose as women and only then can we support and encourage those men who are feeling invalidated in their own God given purpose as a man. This is true empowerment.

I declare that this generation of sons and daughters would work together like never before, that father you would ride us of all bitterness and hatred so that we can find our purpose in you. I declare for your healing over every women and man who has suffered and felt inferior, undervalued and oppressed and that you would raise up a fearless generation who do YOUR will on this earth!  Amen

Eternity

Most of the time when we think of eternity we think of the future. In the dictionary two main definitions come up: “infinite or unending time” and “endless life after death”. While they are both true indeed there is a tendency to put them in a box.

Our God is eternal it says so in the bible.

“But You, O LORD, abide forever, And Your name to all generations.” (Psalm 102:12)                                                                                  and

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

Here we can see that the past, the present and the future are all mentioned. If we are in God and abide in him then we are living in eternity. In the bible it also says that we were always in God’s mind: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5).

The ‘I knew you’ refers not only to mere acquaintance, but choice as a consequence of knowledge. This means that God already knew those parts of us that are our characteristics, our funny and weird ways, our desires and our gifts. We were already there in God’s heart and therefore we existed before we were born.

Sometimes people say they feel like they existed somewhere but they are not sure where. Many people also believe in reincarnation but that’s not the truth. The truth is we did exist inside God and He often took us in his hands and whispered His plans and desires for us. We are eternal and we will go on existing after we die. I do know that we were not angels, nor did we have a body but I do know that God is our Father and we once played inside him together with joy and delight. However, He wanted us to chose Him with our free will and to go back home to Heaven one day which is why He sent us here. But we are so much more than just a speck of light and that’s why he sewed us together in our mother’s womb carefully not missing out a single detail.

But I think isn’t it exciting to know that while the dinosaurs existed, and when he created Adam and Eve we were inside God. And isn’t it incredible to know that when we leave this earth we have an eternal home. We existed in God and God is outside time so I guess that kind of makes us time travellers! How awesome is that! I am also sure that in Heaven we will be able to look back and see all of the wonderful things He has done for us.

That changes my perspective on how I see things. However big a problem and however much I feel stressed, alone or burdened I know that it’s all just a speck in God’s bigger eternal plan . However, despite it being so small compared to the rest of eternity I know that I still matter to Him and that He will never leave me alone.

 

 

 

Freedom or Feelings

What is hate speech?  

Hate speech is speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.

This on first glance may look like a very obvious and straight forward definition and a great idea. I mean who wouldn’t want to challenge hateful speech. However, when we look at it in greater detail it’s not as simple as we first thought. From 2008 the EU made a decision to combat racism and xenophobia. All western European countries now have hate-speech laws. The European concept of freedom of expression thus prohibits certain content viewpoints, whereas, with certain exceptions, other countries are generally concerned solely with direct provocation which usually has the consequences of explicit acts of lawlessness towards another person. Not so long ago in the past European states and the U.S. had a common view that human rights should be the priority rather than restraining freedom of expression.

However, many people do possess good intentions in their battle against ‘Islamophobia’ and ‘homophobia’ etc… the roots of ‘anti hate speech laws’ are anything but well meaning. The introductions of laws that prohibit free speech were welcomed with open arms and actively promoted by the Soviet Union and various other countries during the previous century. They used these laws to their full advantage to block any opposing viewpoints. Currently we can see this happening in places like North Korea (which is barely ever criticized by many university students along with Fidel Castro which I will explain about later).

Nevertheless it’s not a new concept, only confined to the walls of the 20^th century. In fact if we look a little further back in history we can see that even in the expansive Roman Empire there were a great many emperors who sought to reduce free speech to nothing more than a memory in people’s minds. The quest for freedom and revelation is also closely followed by the quest for power and control over people’s minds as the ultimatum.

However, my goal is not to produce a 10,000 word essay on the history and the ins and outs of communism, facism, hate speech and free speech but rather to give you my insights as to what this means for Christians today. As you can see ‘hate speech’ is extremely loosely designed but this is not without a purpose. If the elite, lobby groups and central government can close down opposing views then it gives them the reign on entering even the most private parts of our daily lives. God on the other hand gives us the freedom to choose Him or not. He is the ultimate advocate for free speech. When we curse him or throw insults at our neighbours He doesn’t smite us down and give us a sentence. He gives us chance after chance. In fact He gives us our whole lives as an opportunity to choose him. He waits patiently seeing something beautiful in each of us regardless of our faults.

“But what about those people who offend, threaten or insult different minority groups?” you say. “Shouldn’t they be punished?”. The problem is stopping judging them doesn’t stop at just that and this view seeks to in fact judge the ‘other’. It is an order instead of an opinion because instead of living out your life and not judging people you are imposing this on others. This is a very hypercritical stance. While I certainly don’t think people should go around insulting one another and inciting hatred (I am talking about speech and not physical violence which should never be condoned) these people unfortunately should have the right as you do to express an opinion. However, in the majority of times ‘hate speech’ is used to defend a stance where one person is offended by something the other person has said. We as human beings do not have the right not be offended because we choose offense with our will and if we choose offense then perhaps half of the problem is with us and we have things we need to loosen from our souls.

The Oxford Dictionary has chosen “post-truth” as its word of the year for 2016. “Post-truth” is defined as a culture where “objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”. This illustrates to us that people and especially young people today are much more likely to base their opinion on how they are feeling in that moment than on the relevance of the statement or its truth. However, we can see that this has drastic consequences for free speech and it’s becoming more and more common here in the UK to shut down opposing viewpoints. As Christians our speech should always be full of light and love but it should be based on God’s truths. Unfortunately the truth can and will offend people. It is true that a statement you hear in the morning may not offend you but at the end of a long, stressful and demanding day that same statement might make you extremely irate.  We need to be careful that we always listen to people’s opinions and respect the individual’s right to free speech but we ourselves should never be afraid to speak the truth in love.

Finally, the reality is one person’s words may be another person’s door to freedom or they may be an offensive stream of drivel. We cannot go around loosely defining words due to our current feelings. Feelings are deceptive. I know many people who have been in toxic and abusive relationships who were trapped there because of their ‘feelings’. Feelings can also be wonderful too and a great way to connect with God. However, we should always make sure our faith is defined by the Truth.

We are living in a world where the darkness will manifest in greater ways but there is much hope. In the bible it promises “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:5 (NIV). This means that whatever happens the light will always be greater and thus we should always speak out of hope and not fear. As the body of Christ it’s time to take up our mantle and follow him speaking in love and truth to a confused and suffering world.

 

Ankhi Das (2016) found at www.indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/best-antidote-to-fake-news-and-hate-speech-is-more-speech-4452346/

Jacob Mchangama (2011) found at www.hoover.org/research/sordid-origin-hate-speech-laws

No More Grey

I recently saw an article titled “Breaking News the church of satan has finally been opened in America” dated beginning of 2016. The article says that they hope “that it will motivate other satanists to come out from the shadows…”. I thought it was curious to say the least so I read a little further into it. They have, and with much careful consideration I will add, painted a very rosy picture and to anyone lacking discernment they may very well be persuaded to join.

In the article it states that, “We worship the Complete Self and we exalt in forbidden knowledge and the paths to power,”. This is a stark contrast to what the Jesus said we should do “deny yourselves and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 NIV). I found that it was thought provoking to have been opened in 2016 right at the time when we are experiencing a spiritual shift in the atmosphere it makes sense that the devil would cough up something counterfeit. It also made me wonder today as I was looking around and seeing how much subtle darkness there is around us.

It was world book day today and a very large percentage of children decided to dress up as Harry Potter characters. You might say this is harmless fun just like Halloween but I beg to differ. I do think that witchcraft and in general anything supernatural is becoming more mainstream after being hidden away for years and perhaps this is no coincidence. (I am not talking just about religion here). As a mother my initial reaction would be to hide my son away, to try and protect him from the darkness and to shut my doors and close my windows. I don’t believe that this will do anything but allow the darkness to breed. You see darkness can only spread if it’s allowed to and if it has no light to stop it then it will continue knocking down everything in its path and cloaking it with a suffocating blanket of false comfort and belonging. If we are hidden inside our houses eventually the darkness will find a way in and even if it doesn’t you have not spread the light any further than your door frame and that is a very small flame indeed.

Nevertheless, while it is indeed important to protect our children the bible actually tells us that God is our ultimate protector and the bible instructs us “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Psalm 22:6 NIV). This actually doesn’t mean shutting them away but rather pointing out the dangers, explaining the truth to them and showing them their purpose in all of this. Yes we need to be careful and there are sometimes people who you know are not best to have around your children. However, my son does know about angels, he knows that God is bigger than the power of any witch but he also knows God loves them and wants a relationship with them. I’ve heard him telling his friends casually about heaven and sometimes he prays with all his heart about things that completely amaze me. He is only 5 and I hope and pray his faith continues to grow.

This brings me back to the article I saw. I believe it’s significant because in the future if we do not declare and pray we will see a great many people and among them children joining this ‘church of satan’. Just like Harry Potter has become very hip and cool among kids it may even become popular to make real spells in the future. Evil will not be made to look bad. The devil is not that stupid.

However, I have seen it prophesied that another generation will rise up from the dusty dry ground and speak life like never before, they will  do miracles unheard of and they will walk in great power and authority bringing light and truth wherever you go. They will literally blind the darkness.

Our children are part of this next generation. In their generation unlike ours there will be no middle ground, no grey areas. There will either be black or white. Make sure your son or daughter knows the truth. They are never too young for the truth. It’s time for us to wake up as a generation of purpose driven parents to guide the next generation so they in turn can guide those that follow.

Now it’s not the end of the world it’s only the start of something bigger, there will be spiritual forces battling one another and we may even see them with our natural eyes but God is ultimately going to have the last word. A new era has been birthed on God’s timeline so arise ye who were created for this time of “The Kingdom Age”.

 

Source: Issac Jipsy (2016) found at www.linkedin.com/pulse/breaking-news-church-satan-has-finally-been-opened-america-jipsy

Photo: fashion central.com

3…2…1….Blast off!

I was shown a short vision of a rocket as I was praying. The rocket went up into space and off into the unknown. I was shown what it meant.

The atmosphere has five different layers that are determined by the changes in temperature that happen with increasing altitude.

• Exosphere: 700 to 10,000 km (440 to 6,200 miles)
• Thermosphere: 80 to 700 km (50 to 440 miles)
• Mesosphere: 50 to 80 km (31 to 50 miles)
• Stratosphere: 12 to 50 km (7 to 31 miles)
• Troposphere: 0 to 12 km (0 to 7 miles)

Troposphere

It contains 75% of the atmosphere’s mass.  Temperature and pressure drops as you go higher up the troposphere. Water vapour cannot go any higher because it changes into ice and is trapped in that layer. The troposphere is an invisible barrier and it protects us from many . In the troposphere you don’t need a spacesuit on. You might need some warm clothes as you go higher but you can survive with minimal clothing and equipment. However, in order to go into space you need to break through the troposphere.

Statosphere

At this extreme altitude and low air pressure, if your body were exposed it would cause  your blood to “boil”. It is called “ebullism” which causes gas bubbles to form in bodily fluids; and blood literally boils! The stratosphere also forms a protective layer shielding life on Earth from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.   This is where you need a special suit and a helmet.

Mesosphere

Directly above the stratosphere, extending up to 80 km above the Earth’s surface, the mesosphere is a cold layer where the temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude. Not only would you need a special suit here but you would also need even warmer layers below the suit to protect you from freezing.

Thermosphere

The thermosphere extends up to outer space. The temperature is hot and may be as high as thousands of degrees as the few molecules that are present in the thermosphere receive extraordinary large amounts of energy from the Sun. However, the thermosphere would actually feel very cold to us because of the probability that these few molecules will hit our skin and transfer enough energy to cause appreciable heat is extremely low. However, because of this the spacesuit would have to not only be there to protect our bodies from space but it would also have to be able to protect itself but these powerful molecules too.

Exosphere

The exosphere is the final layer. This is a layer without end.  Once you arrive in the exosphere you could say in one sense your journey has ended but in reality a whole new journey would have only just begun.

In order for a rocket to take off it must produce an enormous amount of thrust to help it leave the Earths atmosphere. The journey will be dangerous and the rocket must withstand great pressure and many changes in temperature and dangerous atmospheric conditions.

God is saying to us that He first and foremost wants to be that thrust, that force that takes us out of the comfort zone because with each atmospheric layer peeled off your eyes are opened to a new perspective and you can see things you never dreamed of before.

Secondly, He also wants us to put on appropriate clothing for the different conditions that we will encounter on our journey. He doesn’t want to just take us to the top of the troposphere but rather to the ends of the galaxy  or ‘to infinity and beyond’ (in the words of Buzz Lightyear). He wants to take us on a journey. That journey will be hard, it will mean that we must be fearless and we must withstand great pressure and great changes . It also means we may have to leave some people behind in the troposphere. We may even feel the pull from below discouraging us as we go upwards but if we have his armour on then we will go further than we ever dreamed.

I believe that in tune with this vision God will also do great things involving space travel. In the next twenty years it will become more common for people to visit space. Many people will come to know God through this incredible experience as they see the wonders he has made for us. On the subject of space there will even be a new energy we can use discovered from outer space (see Kat Kerr).

So put your spacesuit on and get ready for an incredible, awesome and unbelievable ride.

Picture from www.more-sky.com/group/wallpaper-heaven/

Sources:

Kalee Thompson (2015) found at: http://www.popsci.com/balloons-new-way-get-space  (accessed 2017)

Alan & Hui Meng Found at: http://www.vtaide.com/png/atmosphere.htm (accessed 2017)

Tom Benson (2014) found at: http://www.spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/TRCRocket/rocket_principles.html (accessed 2017)

 

 

 

Faith Leads Nations

The slave trade as we remember it began in the 15^th century although people had been trading other people throughout the ages. Olaudah Equiano (a friend of William Wilberforce), who was a former slave explained, “…how he and his sister were captured by fellow Africans who then sold them on to eventually be exchanged with the ship owners and taken to work in Europe.”.

Merchants in England under a spirit of greed and deception despatched more than 10,000 voyages to Africa for slaves. The money from the slave trade built the rich fine mansions, established banks, funded other institutes and ports benefited too. The bankers, factory owners, slave owners and plantation owners all grew richer at the expense of the slaves. The profits also helped finance the industrial revolution and by the end of the 18^th century approximately four million pounds had come into Britain from its West Indie plantations.

It was at this point that a man came onto the scene.  His name, William Wilberforce*. William Wilberforce was seemingly alone in his fight against slavery especially at the start. However he did have scores of the host of heaven with him and he knew nevertheless that however corrupt the politicians were and however difficult they made his life, he had a mandate and that was to fight for the lives of ALL human beings. They ridiculed him, after all on the outside Britain had prospered from the slave trade (well they the rich had). The ordinary people however were not so easily persuaded. Poverty was still rocket high and the poor died in their youth and in appalling conditions. William Wilberforce knew the truth that if you distance yourself from corruption and lies and you fight for true justice you will reap the benefits not only as an individual but also as a nation.

However, they laughed and scorned him, to them they were completely right. It was the richest part of Britain’s trade and after all to them ‘Africans were thought to be sub-human, uncivilised, and inferior’. James Houston who worked for a firm of 18^th century slave merchants wrote “what a glorious and advantageous trade this is…it is on the hinge of which all the trade of this globe moves”.  His words may seem terrible and offensive now but in the wake of society he was only echoing what was indeed happening in his eyes.  The elite and politicians were angry and disillusioned because they believed that they were being robbed of their livelihoods and many benefits, although many did receive compensation from the government in return for the freedom of their slaves.

In 1834 the slave trade ended. However, it is not surprising that in this same year the poor law amendment act was passed which took away many rights of the poor and pushed them into further poverty. This I believe was a distraction from the true benefits that Britain would later reap as a result of leaving the slave trade. There was fierce hostility and organised opposition from many and the amended act was eventually amended once again.

An assessment would highlight that the profits of slavery were more modest than the great bonanza that was once thought to have taken place, and that the contribution of slavery and the slave trade to national income was very marginal at best. Britain didn’t suddenly sink into the Mariana trench and disappear into the depths of the ocean. She didn’t suddenly find herself sucked into a storm and crashing mercilessly upon the rocks. It did indeed take a leap of faith to end the slave trade but when many millions of lives were set free abroad and at home something happened in the heavenlies and a great spiritual shift took place. God honoured those faithful abolitionists who gave their lives heart and soul for the cause.

During the Victorian era although Britain experienced a great many problems and there were a great many atrocities done in the name of ‘the empire’ many ordinary people did indeed climb out of poverty. Many great philanthropists were born, many inventors were successful and healthcare and education all improved vastly. The faith of the people grew and God was once again honoured in many homes and lives throughout the British Isles.

Slavery was abolished and I believe that because as a nation we took a stand against it we prospered and gained many benefits that in turn we could use the bless the rest of the world and that is what happened in many ways. Many listened to the words of these brave abolitionists who even risked their lives for their fight against slavery. Faith was very much a large part of society and even though yes there was still much poverty and evil where there was true faith there was true prosperity and blessing (Birmingham is one great example of this).

I feel that as a nation we need to take a stand once again. We need to become a forerunner on some of these giant global issues that are destroying lives whether it be physically, emotionally or spiritually. Is England ready to take the helm and launch into the open sea? I believe that yes we are and we will see wonders as a result. But we must be prepared to take up our cross and follow him first and foremost.

*William Wilberforce meaning: Resolute protector with wilful force (I just thought the name meaning was so interesting that I would share it with you)

 

Sources:

The Illustrated Rise and Fall of the British Empire by Lawrence James (Little, Brown, 1999)

The Oxford History of the British Empire: The Eighteenth Century edited by PJ Marshall (OUP, 1998)

Atlas of British Overseas Expansion edited by AN Porter (Routledge, 1994)

Kenneth Morgan (2014) Found at: www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/trade_empire_01.shtml

abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_45.html  (Accessed February 2017)

What is a Heavenian?

                                                       What is a Heavenian?

The term is so new in fact it’s not even in a dictionary yet! It’s very simple: A Heavenian is someone who lives out heaven culture.

                                                         What is Heaven culture?

Heaven culture is living out the culture of Heaven here on earth. Let’s take a look at the age old prayer named ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ which was first prayed by Jesus when he walked on the earth. He prayed “Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be thy name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

So Heaven is a place where God’s will and only God’s will is done, it’s a holy place. Perhaps in your head you see clouds with little angels with harps, of God sitting on a throne with a long white beard while people just spend all of eternity bowed down before him. While I am certain that we will spend time bowing down before Him our worship won’t just consist of bowing and singing praises. Here are some different aspects of heaven culture:

• In Heaven people don’t pray. They declare. They declare over those who live with them and over those coming after them. You in the same way have the power to declare over your children, over your future generations, over those not born.
• In Heaven people use their gifts all the time. The church spends too long and hard trying to work out what people’s spiritual gifts might be. They try and overcomplicate things and miss the mark. The world has no problem using their gifts. Why do you think people flock around great singers, great sports players and great actors? It’s because they have something, something planted in them before the beginning of time and they’re using it. Heaven is waiting for us to use our gifts*.
• In Heaven people walk in divine health. One of the main reasons for this is that their soul is in health “… I pray that in all respectsyou may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers” 3 John 1:2 (KJV). This means that they have loosened any unholy and unhelpful soul ties. It also means that they are careful about what they put into their soul and only fill it with positive and heavenly things, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”  Luke 6:45 (KJV).
• In Heaven everyone loves one another. It’s impossible not too. They are so thankful and blessed to be there and there is not an ounce of hatred or resentment. However, this doesn’t mean that people are all the same but rather they love each other and celebrate their differences and are all bound together in their love for God.

God bless you all!

 

*You might say, “I don’t know my gift”. What is that thing that you love? What is that that thing that you would do all day if you could. That’s your gift.” You might have more than one and God will hold us accountable if we don’t use our gifts. We need to use them because he has given them to us and they are irrevocable, regardless of salvation. However, what happens if someone who is saved and has the Holy Spirit living in them starts to use their gifts? Let’s take a look at the past. Florence Nightingale had a gift. She used it to change the world. Jesus himself had the gift of carpentry. King David loved to sing and William Wilberforce stopped the slave trade. Let’s all use our gifts freely and compassionately doing what we were made to do but for Him.

Kingdom Age Church

The church of the Kingdom Age won’t look much like church today. Here are some ways that it will be different.

• It will be messy. I often think of my son and how dirty and messy he gets when playing outside or with paints yet at the same time I remember his look of pure joy when he’s realised he can get as messy as he wants and he enjoys himself even more. Church will be a little bit like that. It’s going to be a place where people are going to be able to ‘be’ who God created them to be.
• It will be filled with messy people or people who are labelled as ‘bad people’. For this reason there will be a big split in the church because many people with a religious mind-set won’t be able to accept this. This comes from the same spirit that the Pharisees were under. It is a spirit that says ‘I am better than you. Salvation is for me but not for them. They’re not the right kind of person’. I am afraid we cannot pick and choose. Yes we do need to repent but true repentance is never not messy.
• Church may not be in a church. John Wesley was a great preacher from the 18^th He preached in the fields, on the highlands and was persecuted greatly for his faith. He reached thousands of messy people. He wasn’t accepted by the church.
• It will be creative and fun. I don’t know about you but I don’t always think of the word ‘fun’ when I think of ‘church’. Heaven is really fun so guess what something is going to change.
• Jesus will be there in the midst of this new church. For many churches who decide to continue with blind religion Jesus may never appear there but for those who are following the Father’s heart He will be very much in the midst. God’s presence will be tangible and He will touch all who enter in.

“Jesus at the center of it all
Jesus at the center of it all
From beginning to the end
It will always be, it’s always been You
Jesus, Jesus”

Darlene Zschech “Jesus be the center”

Dinosaurs didn’t exist and other excuses to argue

Christians will make a lot of excuses as to why people don’t really like church. In case you hadn’t noticed a lot of people don’t really like church…

If you have pondering this issue then here are some reasons why:

Yes there are many things that are right and wrong but I am afraid arguing about whether dinosaurs existed or not is not going to give you a back stage pass to the throne room or to the marriage feast of the lamb for that matter. Dinosaurs did exist by the way (there are some pretty big fossils to prove it) I am not going to argue with you on this one though. You can find out for yourself. 😉

The rest of the world is waiting for the church to bring truth and I am sure most of them will be pretty happy that you can have a pet dinosaur in heaven although the truth I am talking about is Jesus and showing Jesus by living heaven culture on earth.

The world doesn’t like church very much because well let’s face it Christians don’t really seem to get along very well. I mean you’d think that if you were going to argue you’d pick something a little more substantial than the following:

1. Arguing over what is the most suitable length for the pastor’s beard or anyone’s beard in that church.
2. Whether women should be allowed beards in church (I’m just joking on this one at least I hope so.).
3. Fighting over which picture of Jesus to put in the foyer (I think by this point we may really have missed the point.).
4. Whether the Lord’s Supper had cranberry/grape juice or buck fast Abbey wine (Of course it should be grape juice. It’s right there in Hezekiah 4:11.).
5. An argument over whether to have gluten-free communion bread or not (No more gluteny!).
6. Should the church should allow people to wear black t-shirts, since black is the color of the devil (Are you sure he’s not red? That’s what I’ve heard.).
7. A fight over whether or not to sing “Happy Birthday” each week (I have been in this church and I must say it is amusing when more than one person has a birthday in the same week.).

This doesn’t even cover other stuff like whether the 7 days of creation were literal or not or which year the rapture will happen and whether Jesus was born in December or September.

Anyway jokes aside I think it’s important to get back to basics, to get back to our first love, to get back into that throne room and sit on father God’s knee to listen to His truths, to dance with Jesus and to sing with the Holy Spirit. We need to realise that He is coming for a bride without blemish and that means a bride that is whole.

I believe that yes there will always be people who use the title ‘christian’ but I am going to use Kat Kerr’s word ‘heavenian’ (I’ll be discussing this in my next post) to describe the kind of people a church should be filled with.

Instead of arguing with people who will never see eye to eye with you find people that do. Leave the rest to God. If something isn’t right he will show them or He might show you.  I am not talking about big issues but rather silly little things that don’t define your faith or relationship with God, little things that can be ignored or looked over.

Yes there has been and will be a significant shift and split in the church in the next few years and this will strengthen those who are already on the same wavelength until the Holy Spirit gives a stronger bond like never before.

The darkness is getting darker but we must not be afraid because the light will become lighter until there is an explosion that no man and no demon can put out. This will be the church, walking in Truth (first and foremost), in unity, in love and in joy.

There are two words I want to share with you in Hebrew

1) “FIRGUN” (פירגון)

It means to have a generous, unselfish spirit and a joy in the accomplishment of someone else. It means to make someone feel good without having an alternative motive.

This is the way that Heavenians must be and act with one another. There is also another word.

2) ‘NESHAMA’ (נשמה)

It has a similar meaning to “sweetie” but it means “soul.” People say “neshama sheli” which means “my soul.” It means you are so important that you are part of my soul.

I know that if we can apply these words to the way we treat one another one day it will be again as it was in the early church.

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had” Acts 4:32

Be encouraged, think differently and live fully and the world will want to share in this Heaven culture.

Heaven Culture

Did you know in heaven they have roller coasters?

Yes you heard me. Its time to get out of our box, our comfortable little box full of all the comfortable and cosy little things we are used to. I am not talking about a literal box but rather the box that  is the limited space that we think in. I rather like the quote from a prophetess who says “it’s time to take your natural mind out and replace it with your spiritual mind”. This is important because before we are to understand the supernatural and the spiritual things of this realm and the next we need to say “goodbye” or “adios” to our fixed ideas and open our eyes to the fact that the most real and exciting things cannot be placed inside a box.

In heaven there is a roller coaster called The Rush. It is higher than any roller coaster we can imagine on earth. In fact it goes miles up and the capsules leap off the roller coaster before landing back on it and whizzing down and then up to the next loop. I know I want to live my life like that here. I don’t want to wait until I die.

In heaven people see music. Well I know that there is a condition called Lexical-gustatory synesthesia which is where certain colours, emotions and more commonly sounds cause these people to experience taste and smell. In heaven be prepared to have your senses crossed over, mixed up and being entirely topsy turvy as we know it. In this busy world sometimes I close my eyes and try and imagine what this would be like.

In heaven everything is full of light including the food. I can’t imagine weight gain is an issue here or greed for that matter. God is our light, in fact it was one of the first things he created.  One day soon people are going to use light to paint and do many other things here on the earth. I just can’t wait.

But why wait. Let’s all start by taking out our natural minds and taking a leap into the unknown. I bet you never knew that heaven was a lot more fun than a few angels sitting on a cloud and perhaps very soon people will dare to live the unknown here on earth bringing to life the very words Jesus spoke, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.

Join me in this prayer and let’s live in expectation.