Bible warns about dangers of Pot Noodle!

We have some friends whose daughter has been unwell for most of this year. Recently she began to get better following a major operation. To her great delight the doctors have told her that she needs to build herself up by eating lots of fatty foods - including McDonalds meals and Pot Noodle!

Not many people realise that the earliest record of Pot Noodle is found hidden in the pages of the Old Testament. It gives a clear warning about the perils of Pot Noodle. Far be it from me to take a verse out of context, but what else could 2 Kings 4:40 refer to - when the company of prophets attempted to eat a 'stew' and cried out to Elisha saying 'O man of God, there is death in the pot!'

TV celebrity not ashamed of the gospel

Former girl-band 'Eternal' star Kelle Bryan took centre stage at Queens Road Church, Wimbledon last Sunday night. Throughout the evening, which was hosted by the irrepresible Steve Legg, Kelle told her dramatic story. Having become a millionnairess in her teens she reached a stage where she realised there was still an emptiness inside. A friend invited to her church and when the minister made an appeal at the end of the service she went forward. From that day onwards her life changed but it been far from easy. She movingly told how she had developed lupus - an incurable disease - which had brought her hectic schedule to an abrupt end. Amazingly God healed her and she is now as active as ever.

Kelle has featured on several recent TV shows including Celebrity Love Island. As a Christian she thought long and hard before agreeing to do it and sought the advice and prayers of her church leaders. During the show she boldly declared her faith. Sadly she received a lot of criticism from other Christinas for taking part in the programme. But we need believers to stand up and be counted in all walks of life - Kelle's profession happens to be showbusiness and she is not ashamed to own the name of Jesus before thousands. In contrast, how many Christians never mention their faith in the office for fear of being ridiculed?! Jesus said 'if anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels' (Luke 9:26).

Kelle Bryan (and others like her) set us a great example - let's stop knocking them. It's harder to be a Christian when you are in the public eye than anywhere else!

Only one Special One!

It was only the third headline on the 7.00am Radio Four news bulletin. It should have been the top story of course - and for thousands of women 'of a certain age' it was the only story that day! Jose Mourinho had quit as manager of Chelsea FC. You could almost hear the collective choking on cornflakes as the news broke that morning. The special one was no longer special. Did he jump or was he pushed?! How could it all end so suddenly? Jose the Moody will be missed by many. He entertained us, he amused us, he baffled us and he displayed his emotions. There will never be another football manager quite like him. But there is only one Special One and He won't be toppled by a Russian billionnaire or bad results on the field of play and His reign will never end. Amen!

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...

The first 'run' on a bank for a hundred years happened this month. Hundreds of anxious Northern Rock account holders queued for hours to withdraw their money.

Jesus' words - spoken roughly 2000 years ago - have a remarkable resonance and relevance for all of us: 'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also'. (Matthew 6:19-21)

I will follow You and only You!

This video clip was recorded at the Greenbelt Festival at the end of August 2007 and features the band Metallic Soap playing the chorus of 'I will follow'.

The very first thing Jesus said to his disciples was 'Come' - 'Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men' (Matthew 4:19) - a reference to their future work of preaching the Good News.

Are you a follower of Christ or the crowd? The disciples had to make a deliberate and costly decision to change their lifestyles in order to follow Jesus. The same is true today. If we are going to follow Jesus it will affect our lifestyles - our willingness to follow Jesus will be demonstrated in the major decisions we make. To what extent is Jesus Lord of your life? The answer will be seen in how generous you are with your money, how faithful you are in prayer and reading the bible, how willing you are for the Holy Spirit to change you, how much time you are prepared to give in serving in His Kingdom.

The last thing he said to his disciples was 'Go' - '...go and make disciples of all nations...' (Matthew 28:19). This will be another mark of your discipleship - how ready you are to share your faith with others and help them to follow Jesus too.

It all began with Queen Victoria's bicycle clips...

I grew up in Windsor and went to an Anglican church for the first 18 years of my life. As a result I believed in the existence of God but at that stage did not know what it was to have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Apart from the sudden death of my father when I was 11, life was pretty normal. As a teenager, I loved sport and all kinds of music and frequently went to parties with a bunch of friends. I had done reasonably well at school and gained a place on an Art & Design Foundation Course.

It was during the summer of 1977 that a couple of friends of mine were hanging around in the grounds of Windsor Castle. They were trying to sell a pair of bicycle clips to foreign tourists claiming that they had once belonged to Queen Victoria! A local man stopped to chat to them (but didn't buy the clips) - he thought they were interesting characters. Two weeks later he bumped into one of them again in W H Smith and invited him and his girlfriend to tea. Over the next few weeks a group of us got to know Nigel. It turned out that he was a Christian. Up to that point I thought I was a Christian, but there was something different about him. His faith seemed much more real.

We held some 'bible studies' at my friend's house that August - not that the bible came into it much - we just speculated about religious ideas. But by the end of the month I realised that something was changing inside. Over a period of two weeks I felt as though I had begun to live on a different level. For the first time God was not some vague Being out there somewhere but a Person I could relate to. I had been turned down for a college grant which meant I wouldn't be able to take up my place at Art School. Nigel suggested I pray about it - a concept that was completely alien to me. Nevertheless I did pray and within days we received a letter from the education authority to say that our appeal had been successful and the grant had now been awarded. Not surprisingly my belief in prayer rapidly grew and I saw more prayers answered.

This was the beginning of a growing friendship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said: 'You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants...instead I have called you friends...' (John 15:14,15). Do you know Jesus as your friend? Can you say you have a personal relationship with God?

He started playing a dead sheep on the Metro!

Paris never disappoints. This summer's holiday was no exception. My wife and I love the culture, architecture, restaurants, museums, streets but most of all the people. Any city is a great place to 'people-watch' but Paris in August offers some eccentric sights. Our apartment in the Latin Quartier was near Rue Mouffetard - a colourful, lively market street which we visited most days to eat, drink or just wander. Outside an English style pub on one corner we passed a woman pulling a dog on wheels. It was one of those moments when you have to look twice. The small dog's front legs were trotting along followed by his back legs which were strapped to a set of wheels. Comprehension remained in suspension(!) until a few weeks later when we had dinner with some friends. Amazingly they had also seen the dog on wheels on a previous visit to Paris. They explained that these particular dogs have weak back legs - hence the wheels!

Wherever you go buskers and street performers ply their trade - we saw a jazz band on Ile St-Louis, an 18 piece string orchestra in the Place des Vosges and a middle aged man playing a dead sheep on the Metro. I made the mistake of getting into a sparsely populated carriage and sitting down before realising that a busker was lurking by the next set of doors. He began by playing a wooden flute but obviously felt the passengers had failed to appreciate his talents, so he bent down and pulled another instrument out of his holdall. To my consternation it looked like a dead sheep and he started playing it! It turned out to be a Middle Eastern version of the bagpipes with a slightly less excruciating din. I sunk into my seat willing my destination to arrive, but before I could get off he cheekily asked us for money! If I wanted to expose my ears to a sonic assault by bagpipes I could have gone to Scotland.

But I'm not complaining. Eccentrics make the world a far more interesting place. If there weren't any eccentrics life would be seriously boring. And God has made them all and he loves them all - even buskers on the Metro.

10 Year Celebration - July 2007

These are photos from an event that took place back in July. We thought we were going to have a meal with the leadership team but ended up going to a surprise party instead! How the whole church managed to keep it a secret is beyond me! Thanks for a great night of songs, drama, food and fun.

I fell onto the sofa and knocked off two people!

The Work of the Holy Spirit at Queens Road Church, Wimbledon – the last 25 years!
(These notes are based on a talk given by Malcolm Kyte on Sunday June 11th 2000.)

The charismatic movement of the late 60s and early 70s touched all the main denominations – there was an emphasis on the gift of tongues and the re-emergence of other spiritual gifts.

I arrived at the church as a student in 1978 just as the worship was undergoing a major transformation – no longer led by the minister (a 'hymn-prayer sandwich'). Open worship developed – prayer, bible readings, prophecy and other spiritual gifts were contributed by the congregation. Worship bands replaced the organist (reflecting the importance of moving from the one-man ministry to shared ministry)and new songs were surfacing.

Some church leaders radically re-defined ‘church’. New 'streams' appeared – originally labelled the 'house church movement' - but more often referred to as ‘new churches’ today. These were led by 'apostles' such as Bryn Jones, Barney Coombs, Arthur Wallis, Terry Virgo, Gerald Coates, and Roger Forster. These men and others headed up networks of charismatic churches. Bible Weeks became a feature of British church life – e.g. the Downs Bible Week started in about 1979 and drew together several hundred people - today the same bible week (now at Stoneleigh) gathers over 20,000.

In the 1980’s John Wimber made a number of visits from the States and made an immediate impact. Major conferences influenced Anglicans (Wimber was a friend of David Watson) as well as denominational churches and the new churches. There was an emphasis on themes such as healing, worship and prayer. John Mumford planted the first UK Vineyard church in Raynes Park – that church is now meeting in Putney.

In 1984 Queens Road Church became part of ‘Coastlands’(now New Frontiers). Terry Virgo worked with some churches in Sussex and a handful of churches in London, of which we were one. Today, there are over 250 churches across New Frontiers the world working with Newfrontiers – including our own.

So throughout the 70s and 80s we have been fully involved in the move of the Spirit resulting in an increase in spiritual gifts, numerous healings and people delivered from demonic oppression.

In the early 1990s we planted two churches – one in Colliers Wood and one in Kingston. As we planted the second church there came a fresh move of the Spirit, which had a major effect on churches around the world. It was dubbed the 'Toronto Blessing' because it centred on a church in Toronto. We first heard reports about this church in March 1994.

On May 8th 1994 one young woman had a special experience of God's presence during the evening service. About 100 people stayed to worship, pray and listen to God until late in the evening. The following Wednesday I was at a house group meeting. One of our members had returned from Brighton where he had experienced this move of God the previous Sunday. I asked him to share and then pray for us. The Holy Spirit touched us powerfully – some fell across the room and one woman was healed of fibroids. I fell over the arm of a sofa and knocked two people onto the floor in the process!

The following Sunday, the senior pastor, his wife and two others were visiting Toronto. We decided to have another ‘after-meeting’ following the evening service. We quietly waited on God. I was standing at the front, leading the meeting. Soon I began to sway backwards and forwards and realised that I was about to fall over - one of the elders caught me. I thought, ‘no problem – I’ll just lie here for a few moments and then get up.’ However, I couldn’t get up for an hour and twenty minutes such was the weight of God's glory! Across the room the Spirit was moving – people fell down and others laughed or cried.

May 22nd was Pentecost Sunday. Norman and Margaret (the pastor and his wife)shared about their time in Toronto, then prayed for people to receive the Holy Spirit. The church looked like a battlefield as bodies were strewn everywhere – it was holy chaos!

Let me emphasise something here though – I had seen all these things before -people falling down, shaking, laughing, crying and even bouncing when the power of the Spirit came upon them. The only difference was the intensity - I had never seen all those things happen at the same time to so many people.

May 1994 was the beginning of a roller coaster ride. People flocked here from all over the world – hundreds came every week to receive prayer and take this back to their own churches. It was very transferable – I even remember praying for someone over the phone who was touched by God’s power. In some meetings God's power was so tangible you only had to lift your hand up to pray and people would fall down. Some were so powerfully affected they appeared to be drunk – reminiscent of Acts 2:15 where Peter said to the crowd ‘these men are not drunk as you suppose…’ and then quoted Joel and preached the gospel. Others were so overwhelmed that they had to be helped out of the building – even carried out – sometimes we used wheelchairs to get rid of people when it got very late. Meetings continued like this throughout 1994 and into 1995.

In January 1995 I made a second visit to the Philippines where I saw exactly the same phenomena among people who had never heard of the 'Toronto Blessing' (or Toronto for that matter!)

As the 1990s ended, we saw less tangible evidence of the Spirit. Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to the wind – sometimes He blows through the church like a hurricane and sometimes like a gentle breeze. But we continue to see evidence of the Spirit's work right up to this day – e.g. in numerous changed lives through Alpha courses.

God is always doing fresh things. This isn’t a time to look back and wish that God would repeat what He’s done before – He is full of creative energy and always does new things. Eph. 5:18 says ‘do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit.’ That phrase is written in the present continuous tense – it means ‘go on being filled with the Holy Spirit.’

Let’s seek God for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, for what we need for today. Jesus said ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.’

The day my wife tried to kill me…

I’ve always wanted to start a sermon with a statement like the Sun newspaper’s famous headline ‘Freddie Starr ate my hamster!’ Well the title of this blog is ‘The day my wife tried to kill me…' (only joking!)

For my 40th birthday my wonderful wife gave me a one hour flying lesson in a microlight! Have you ever seen a microlight?! Yep - it’s a hang glider with a lawnmower engine strapped to the back!

A few days later the whole family drove to an aerodrome in Redhill where we met Rosemary - my pilot and instructor. She explained what would happen during the flight. She was also very proud of their record – no fatalities yet ...this year. That is when I realised that my wife was trying to kill me! Up until that point it hadn’t really worried me that the date was Friday 13th August.

We walked over to a shed which housed an oversized Airfix model and told me this was the microlight. After showing me the plane's features (which didn't take long), we wheeled it to the road, holding on tightly in case the wind blew it over. Then we both climbed in - Rosemary was in the seat behind me - and put on headphones. A man in blue overalls flipped the propellor at the back and it eventually fired up. I remember thinking that my wife looked unusually cheerful as I waved goodbye to my family!

We taxied to the runway and took off, climbing to about 1200 feet before heading out towards Sevenoaks following a railway line. I felt okay until I noticed an enormous Jumbo Jet coming the other way at the same height – on its final descent to Gatwick! It occurred to me that this wasn’t exactly the best area to have your first flying lesson – like learning to drive on the middle lane of the M25 during rush hour.

After a while Rosemary asked me if I would like to do another manoeuvre or if I’d like to try a ‘stall’. Now if you stall a car that means the engine stops – which isn’t very helpful but not usually life-threatening. But stalling a plane didn’t sound very sensible. ‘A stall??!’ I exclaimed. Rosemary mistook my amazement for enthusiam and responded ‘Okay then we’ll try a stall’ WHAAT!!!?!

They engine virtually cut out and the microlight started falling (towards the M23) before it cut in again and the plane recovered. I think it was at that point I began to feel airsick. Obviously we did get down in one piece but it took two hours to recover from the air-sickness.

For that one hour my life was totally in the hands of another person. Fortunately someone who was an experienced pilot.

When life ‘stalls’ (when you suddenly lose your job, fail an exam you expected to pass, fall seriously ill, have a close friend or relative die etc.) – you are going to be far better off with someone at the controls who knows what they are doing! Put Jesus in control of your life – give your life over to him. Proverbs 16:18 ‘Pride comes before a fall’ or ‘Pride goes before destruction’ Proverbs 11:2 ‘when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.’

Don’t be too proud to give your life to Christ. He is not just there to get you through a time of crisis when life has stalled. He wants to be Lord of your life today.

Making a good impression...

Haggai 2:20-23

The date was about 520BC and the Israelites had returned from seventy years in exile in Babylon. Jerusalem was in ruins and the first groups to arrive home begin the long and arduous task of rebuilding the city wall and the Temple. After making a good start on the Temple the work ground to a halt and people busied themselves with their own DIY projects in their homes. God uses the prophet Haggai to stir up the people to concentrate on finishing the Temple. But Haggai's friend Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, also had an important role in the story.

In this short passage, Zerubbabel is described as a signet ring on the finger of the Lord. What a wonderful picture this is of his willingness to be used by God.

Signet rings indicate authority
Signet rings originally had a function. In the days before signatures on documents, people had signet rings, which bore their unique sign. The ring would have been worn at all times and used to make an impression in wax to authorise letters and decrees.

The fact that Zerubbabel is called the Lord’s signet ring shows that God intended to invest authority in him. As Christians we too can be like signet rings on the finger of the Lord. In his name we can exercise authority and power as we pray.

Signet rings are put under pressure
Pressure had to be applied to the signet rings in order to leave a clear impression in the wax. When God uses us he brings pressure to bear in our lives. Non-Christians notice how believers react under pressure too.

Signet rings leave an impression
What sort of impression do you leave on other people when you are at work, out shopping, driving your car or with your neighbours. Is it a royal impression? Is God’s imprint left on everything you do?

Let’s aim to be like Zerubbabel – a signet ring on the finger of the Lord.

Tourists pay to view building site!

The extraordinary Sagrada Familia dominates the Barcelona skyline. Work began on the temple dedicated to the Holy Family in 1882 and the celebrated architect, Antoni Gaudi, was put in charge of the construction. Amazingly, the building is still not finished and tourists can visit the incomplete structure and marvel at the intricate detail of the stonework and the 'out-of-this-world' shapes and patterns. It is estimated that it will finally be complete around the year 2030. Where else in the world can visitors take a tour of a building site? Indeed where else would visitors want to tour a building site?! Despite being unfinished this building must rate as one of the modern wonders of the world.

The New Testament uses the picture of a building to describe the Church. Like the Sagrada Familia the Church is a work in progress - an organic structure, ever changing and growing. It is taking shape before the eyes of the world - visitors are always welcome. It is one of the wonders of the world - made up of people of all ages, backgrounds and nations. It will not be complete until Jesus returns. 'In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.' (Ephesians 2:21)

If a Parisian falls into a river...

If a Parisian falls into a river does it mean he's going insane?

This is the view of the Left Bank from one of the islands in the middle of the Seine. In the early morning sunshine the City of Light truly is magical. When I took my walk to Ile St-Louis the streets were quiet - I passed a few joggers and the ubiquitous flourescent-jacketed street cleaners. You cannot help being impressed by the cleanliness of the city - every morning the drains are opened up and water gushes down the gutters. Cleaners are meticulous in their work and they seem to take pride in their work. Over the next 16 hours or so thousands of careless tourists will toss away sweet wrappers, drop ice-creams and leave leaflets and mar the effortless beauty of the princess of all cities. And at exactly the same time the following day the whole process will start all over again! Cleaning the streets is a pretty thankless task; it goes on unnoticed; it doesn't win prizes or earn loads of euros - but I'm very grateful that it happens.

It is just as important to ask Jesus to cleanse us from all our sin on a daily basis - accumulated sin spoils the wonderful creation that God made - you and me. Thank Jesus that he made it possible for us to be washed clean through his sacrifice on the Cross. We should never take it for granted. '...if we admit our sins - make a clean breast of them - he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.' (1 John 1:9 The Message)