As we enter into this New Year it is very easy to start formulating plans to help bring about God’s kingdom. However we will never be able to succeed at this because the Kingdom of God – His role and reign – is not something we can create.
Instead it is that which we are called to demonstrate in our lives and in the life of the church and community, even though we cannot bring it about in our own strength. Yet nor do we have to.
“The LORD will bless His people with peace.”
Psalm 29:11
Restoring broken relationships.
Many years ago my wife and I bought a Tiffany print for £50, (a large outlay for students!). The picture was full of vibrant colours, as you looked out onto a landscape through a medieval window, and I would often find myself drawn to the picture. Many years later I went online to look at how much another print would cost. In looking at a picture of the one I already owned I came to realise that, over the years, I had not noticed how much it had faded – or that the colours now bore little similarity to the original. I now knew the difference and could not restore my picture. Eventually I took it down, and then threw it out. Many of us feel that our lives lack lustre and write ourselves off – yet we have a Father who can restore even the most damaged of lives.
A very brief overview of the Bible.
The Bible consists of sixty-six books that were written over a 1,600-year period. These books – Genesis to Revelation – speak of man’s beginnings, God’s gracious dealings with man, and the final culmination of all things through the return of Jesus Christ. God’s word gives us a blueprint to live by, and answers such questions as, “who am I, why am I here, and what is my purpose in life”?
Genesis, the first book of the Bible, tells us that God created a world of order and not disorder. We are amazingly, and wonderfully made, and did not come about by accident.
Many non-Christians and sadly some Christians, don’t understand what is meant when the word ‘church’ is referred to. We have all heard statements like the following: ‘I used to go to church as a child’ or ‘My parents go to the Parish Church’, or ‘We had a lovely church wedding’ or ‘My grandparents were church-goers’ etc. This reflects a misunderstanding of the meaning of ‘Church’. This short booklet will address the true meaning of Church, and correct common misunderstandings. Let’s begin with what the church is NOT.
A material building.
In James 5:15 we read that the elders of the church/Christian community can pray over a person and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord, and that “the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” Although this promise is very clear there are many that have suffered and died, despite having been anointed with oil. So what is going on? Is the lack of results due to lack of faith, or maybe failure because the correct procedures were not followed?