Thy Kingdom Come - Day 4
Pastor Andrew Owen
Dear eNews friends and church members,
Day 4
Thy Kingdom Come
Far from perfect!
One of our greatest values around our church is our understanding of Grace!It’s not what we can do to save ourselves and so come to God, but what He has done to save us.Paul reminds us He did this when we were very far from God - busy going our own way.Paul was so taken with this concept that he seemed to dig deep to find the best adjectives to describe it and the love behind it.We read of lavish, abundant, extravagant - and so it is.Yet, when Jesus began to teach about the Kingdom coming he told those around Him to repent and believe.We have taken repentance to only mean a repentance of our personal sins, of which no doubt there are many.Yet in Jesus' day, He did not only mean a repenting from personal sins but personal ideas - and social ideas that were driving community and so the world.We may be quicker to repent of sins we have committed than ideas we hold.Yet the Kingdom of God turns all the world 's ideas on its head.Many ideas have gripped us that have nothing at all to do with the Kingdom of God.Consumer Christianity is one. Getting all we can from preachers around the world, sowing money to make sure we get a personal blessing, yet no thought of serving, relating or praying with others. It’s all about me. Turning on (the tv service or podcast), is now more important than turning out, to be with real imperfect people, people who are at least imperfect as me.So Jesus said repent!Getting even is often another. We so often hold grudges, push our political agendas, manipulate things towards our own ends, negotiate for our preferred options. This outlook is fragmenting our country at the moment.We all watched PM Theresa May emotionally announce her resignation recently, and I don’t know what struck you with her departing speech, but for me one thing stuck out, she ended by saying 'I do so with no ill will'.Whatever your politics or views of her efforts, this statement to me is remarkable. Politics is tough, a US senator once said to me, ‘if you want a friend in Washington buy a dog!!'. Yet she was able (or so it sounds) to release all those who have not helped her impossible task.Are we releasing? Do we have prisons of hurt or unforgiving attitudes? Do we have ideas in our heads that drive out the Kingdom of God from our hearts?Listen to Professor and author Tom Wright comment in this 5min podcast, then take time to pray.[embed]https://soundcloud.com/thykingdomcomeglobal/cofe-podcasts-waa-mix-1-day-4/s-nHhv5[/embed] In particular,‘God are there ideas holding me that are opposed to Your Kingdom coming?'If so, please let me be aware of them and give me the courage to repent from them.May Your kingdom come in me.
Hope to see you tonight at 1st Sunday/Destiny United.It will be remarkable - go on invite someone to come with you.God bless,Andrew[yotuwp type="videos" id="tOhKGjYB4cU" ]Day 4 #SorryRay and Vi Donovan reflect on how God called them to forgive the man who murdered their son
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