Day 4 - 28 Day Challenge

Silence is not an option.

God moving always provokes a reaction and it sometimes comes from the most unexpected places. For the religious leaders of the time healing a man crippled for 40 years was not on the agenda. They wanted the status quo and their pious rules to make themselves look God not a kingdom mission.

They wanted to silence this new movement that was bursting on to the scene with 1000's of people starting to follow Jesus each day. I love Peter and Johns answer in verse 20.

"As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”

Once you have met with Jesus silence is not an option you have just got to tell others. His salvation is just to radical a life intervention to go quietly into the night.

One thing I have noticed already in the first few chapters of Acts is that the phrase "They were filled with the Holy Spirit." appears often. You just can not live this life without the Holy Spirit. Its not just a one off happening where somewhere in the past someone prayed for us and we spoke in another language its a day by day experience of continually being filled with the Spirit.

The disciples were together in a room in Acts 2 and they were filled with the Spirit. In Acts 4 v 31 they were in another room (maybe the same room) the same thing happened to at least some of the same people.

Don't look back to some past experience be filled with the Holy Spirit today and every day.

My Prayer

God I am open today to you in my life. I can not and will not stay silent about your greatness and what you have done in my life. Fill my life today with your Spirit so there is no room for anything else.

Second Reformation

Rick Warren pastor of Saddleback Church gave an interview to the Washington Post a few days ago where he called for a second reformation in the church. Here is an extract:

Rick Warren, a megachurch pastor and philanthropist who is courted by political leaders worldwide, says he thinks Christianity needs a "second Reformation" that would steer the church away from divisive politics and be "about deeds, not creeds." Read on.

What we believe is important because what we really believe motivates our actions but sometimes it seems so easy to get lost in the theory of our Christian life rather than living this Christian life.

Day 3 - 28 Day Challenge

Here we find a wonderful story of how through Peter and John, God stepped into the life of a man who had been crippled all his life. His whole life had existed on the generosity of religious people on their way to church.

He was set for another day of begging pennies from church goers. Only today would be different. He would meet two guys that were as poor as him. (Peter says he had no money, not surprising as he had left the family business to follow Jesus) They could not meet his immediate financial need but through faith, Acts 3 v 16 Jesus was to change his life forever.

I love the way that the message puts v 22, When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed them. You just can not stop a preacher as soon as he has an audience nothing can stop him from speaking.

Seriously, There guys were on a mission to see people come into relationship with Jesus. To see God's Kingdom come on the earth. This is summed up in v 21.

"For the time being he must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God, through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be."

That is our mission with the help of the Holy Spirit to see everything restored to order just the way God said it would be.

My Prayer

God help me not to miss opportunities to demonstrate your power bringing hope into hopeless situations and not to pass up an opportunity to tell someone else about you.

Ultimate Event 2007

Check out some of our photos from the Ultimate Event in 2007. Don't miss this year on 10th May . Check out Ultimate Events.