Now is the Acceptable Time. Isaiah 61:1-7

What an incredible God we serve and he certainly knows how to get our attention, doesn’t he? Sometimes, I don’t know about you, but I have been so busy that my quiet time with God hasn’t been the quality time it should be and it was at a time such as this, when I had had a couple of funerals back to back, that God got my attention through a dream. I dreamt I was ministering in a place called Churton Park! Believe me this was a place I had never even heard of! I can remember waking up thinking what funny things and places we dream about. Imagine my surprise when several weeks later, I opened my clergy email and perusing what was happening around the country, I saw a position advertised in the Wellington Diocese; Churton Park!

Well, then I began to feel a bit uncomfortable! I just wanted to dismiss it, but somehow it began to gnaw away in my mind and like any person with internet tools at their disposal, I eventually googled Churton Park Anglican Church! When I read about how CPAC came about, and how it has always had a real desire and passion to see lives being changed for the better through a loving relationship with God, and embracing all that God has for you, I was excited. The final confirmation that I should do something about it came from Isaiah 43:18-19. “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” or in another translation “But forget all that; it is nothing compared to what I am about to do; for I am about to do something new. See! I have already begun. Do you not see it?” Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?

Much further down the track, I was standing at the graveside, in the Urupa, my grandson’s family cemetery just up the coast from Opotiki, after having buried my great granddaughter, Mahine. I had a conversation with God where I said, “Lord, in the nine short weeks of her life, this little child has healed a family; don’t just let me drift into retirement. I want to be full on for you, so if it means shaking me up or shifting me on, maybe to Churton Park, then do so!” Dangerous words!! Well, as you are all now aware, God took me at my word and certainly shook me up and shifted me on to be with you!

But isn’t God’s timing amazing! Doesn’t it just blow you away! Well, that’s how I’ve found it to be in my life, though, I must confess, His timing for certain things has not always been as welcome as it should have been. Why? Simply because of my humanness; because I thought I had my life mapped out the way I wanted it, and it suited me just fine! However, the longer I have journeyed with our Lord, I realize, more and more, the importance of obedience and that when He speaks into our lives whether it be through His word, through others, in a dream, or in that still small voice, the time to respond in obedience is right now! We don’t have to worry about the details, because God takes care of all of those, and, I have to say, much better than we could!

Your council may have discussed this with you, but after I had accepted their offer of this position, I received a phone call from Elmar. He was concerned because they realized I had never seen the church house. Was that a problem? “Not unless you want to fly me down and back in a day,” was my response. I assured him that I hadn’t lost a moment’s sleep over the matter because God’s call was not for the house it was to minister to His people. “After all,” I said with confidence, “It has been my experience, when God calls me to something, He knows my every need!” Imagine my surprise, and just quietly my delight, when Elmar rings back a couple of weeks later to inform me that the council had made the decision to do a complete upgrade of the church house. I praise God that He truly did know more than my every need!

More importantly, God knows your every need too and the needs of CPAC. Because of your real desire and passion to see lives being changed for the better through a loving relationship with God and embracing all that God has for you; because of your patience in waiting on the Lord, and because of your council’s willingness to seek God’s will, God has given you the promise of his favour, through this reading from Isaiah which He had placed on the hearts of your leaders. However, in accepting His promise comes responsibility.

Turn with me, if you will, to chapter 61 of Isaiah. Jesus first used this part of this chapter to announce his ministry. ( Read Isaiah 61:1-7)

Beautiful words, powerful words, but words that also carry a huge responsibility! In one translation it says we are to “proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. The question is; are we up for it CPAC?

When God announces that now is the acceptable time, what we do next is critical. How often have we been unprepared when God calls us to move out for him? How often do we respond, myself included, “But I’m not ready Lord. I have things to do first. I’m too busy!” What was Jesus’ response to a question like that? Look up Matthew 8: 21. Someone read it out. That’s right! His immediate response was, “Follow me!” Why does he say that? Because God’s timing is always perfect. He knows you and he knows me, not just casually but intimately! He is fully aware of your circumstances and he is fully aware of my circumstances. He knows all that he has built into our lives until now and he extends his invitation knowing that his resources are more than adequate for any assignment he gives us.

You know one thing that really troubled me about applying for this position was the fact that I would be leaving behind my 87 year old mum, bedridden with dementia, my 90 year old Dad and a young mum in my parish who had been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in February 2010. How could I leave these people who needed me? I surely learned about God’s timing! The Lord took my mum home to himself on the 19^th of September and beautiful Tracy on December 6^th. My 90 year old Dad won a cruise on the refurbished Pacific Pearl on the P&O line which I enjoyed with him three weeks before I left Auckland! By gathering so many people around Dad to visit and support him, and, with my Dad’s blessing, God has released me to be here with you!

Yes, I do believe this is the year of God’s favour for CPAC; that means for you and for me. So just what does God require of each of us? Scripture tells us that God is concerned with our hearts and when our hearts are in love with Jesus, the presence of God’s Spirit ensures the success of the mission God calls us to. If our hearts grow luke-warm towards God however, our disobedience or our reluctance to respond when God speaks could effect the lives of others, for when God speaks it is always out of the context of eternity.

No, we don’t need to know all the implications of what he is asking. We just have to know that when it is a word from God, (and always test it with scripture) we need to respond!! Now is the acceptable time. Now is the time for us to receive a crown of beauty instead of ashes, now is the time to receive the oil of gladness instead of mourning and now is the time to put on the garment of praise instead of mourning. The question is; will you do that?

My challenge to you this morning is this: If you think your heart is not where it should be I invite you to get out of your seat and come to the front for I believe God wants to take you from where you are to where he wants you to be.

What is on your heart is between you and God, though I encourage you to find someone you trust to share this with later. Right now the prayer team and I will pray for you, for now, right now is the acceptable time! Please don’t leave this morning until you have replaced the ashes of your life with a crown of beauty; your sadness and mourning with the oil of gladness and put on the garment of praise instead of the clothes of despair. Now is the acceptable time. Are you willing to do that for yourself? And, more importantly, are you willing to do it for Christ’s body, the church? Now is the acceptable time!

I’m going to ask the music team to play some music as you make your way to the front. Don’t worry about others. This is between you and God. Don’t push it aside if you feel God prompting you, because his greatest desire is to bring you into that place of complete wholeness. Just come! God will truly bless you for it!

God’s Perfect Timing 13 March 2011

I’ve always found Lent is an uncomfortable time for me. Lent speaks to me the way no other season in the church does because it calls us all to account, to be transformed!

Just before I left Auckland, I was invited to dinner with a group of friends and afterwards we watched a re-run of the movie, “Driving Miss Daisy.” For those of you who have seen this film, you will know that it tells more than a story of the relationship between a black chauffeur and an elderly, rich Jewish widow. It is the story about the challenge to be transformed in mind and heart. Lent is a season when the church calls us to reflect on our lives and to ask God how our lives need to be transformed into a stronger relationship with Him. The popular and familiar passage from John’s Gospel 3:1-17 challenges us, like Nicodemus, to be transformed to Christ.

For Nicodemus, the transformation is his understanding of the significance and truth of Jesus’ message. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” For us, our transformation begins when we ask God for his forgiveness for the wrong we have done in our lives and ask his Son, Jesus Christ to come into our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s called being “born again,” not physically, but spiritually.

Miss Daisy had to be converted, to be transformed. Her attitude toward the loss of independence needed to be changed. This did not happen overnight; rather the process she experienced was absolutely necessary for her to eventually be able to say to her chauffeur, “Hoke, you are my best friend.”

As our Lenten journey continues, let us look into our hearts, as Miss Daisy was forced to do, and ask the difficult questions; “What needs to be transformed in my life? Do I know God in my head or have I invited him through Jesus, into my heart? Does he have lordship over my life or do I only allow him into certain parts of my life? ”

I pray that we will have the courage to answer these questions truthfully for when we are able to do that then we will be able to go forward courageously to seek new beginnings in attitude, personal conduct and, most importantly, in faith. May we as Christians be transformed to Christ, the One who died to set us free and who, one day will bring us eternal life.

Yours in Christ,

Jinny.

PRAYER THAT BUILDS THE KINGDOM

6^th March 2011 The day of Jinny Kean’s induction as Vicar

Scriptures: Isaiah 61: 1-4 Acts 2:42

Intro: a little girls prayer for a little blue bike with a little blue bell. Provided by an old drinking friend who found the exact bike at the dump and gave it for Rachel

Today is the 3^rd talk on marks of a healthy church; so far we have thought about the importance of fellowship, being a friendly welcoming inclusive and forgiving church; then Worship, the praise that pleases God and maintaining a free worshipping church which welcomes and enters in by faith and celebrates the presence of God. Today I want us to think about perhaps the most vital mark of a healthy church PRAYER… prayer that leads and under girds everything we do.

I want us to consider: 1.Why pray; 2.How Jesus prayed and 3.How the Apostles prayed; 4.Examples of breakthrough in prayer today and 5.Becoming a house of prayer

(1) WHY IS PRAYER SUCH A BIG DEAL?

1. Without prayer we cannot even come to God for a start. When you came to faith in Christ someone prayed for you and you had to pray the sinners prayer to come to Him. that’s how we introduce people to Jesus.

2. Without prayer you cannot maintain any sort of Christian life

3. The whole story of the Bible is about how people learnt to relate to Almighty God through prayer

4. Jesus prayed and instructed his disciples to pray

(2) JESUS EXAMPLE OF PRAYER

In Luke’s Gospel of the life of Jesus he gives shows us Jesus praying at 7 key times of his life:

1. At the start of his ministry when he was baptised and the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit came upon him Luke 3.21

2. At daybreak after the healing evening at Peter’s house when he said ‘ I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also for I was sent for this purpose Lk 4:42

3. All night before choosing his 12 apostles from amongst his disciples Lk 5:12

4. Before revealing who he was to Peter and the disciples Lk 9.18

5. On the mountain with Peter James and John when he was transfigured gloriously and appeared with Moses and Elijah to prepare for his death and resurrection and ascension in glory Lk 9:26

6. At the Mount of Olives when he prayed in agony as he accepted his crucifixtion Lk 22:41

7. On the cross 2 times He prayed, ”Father forgive them…” and “ Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Lk 23:34 and 46

(3) THE APOSTLES EXAMPLE OF PRAYER

In the Acts of the Apostles their life in Christ was under girded with prayer and acts of the Holy Spirit.

1. In Acts 1.14 The 120 disciples constantly devoted themselves to prayer for 10 days as Jesus had told them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come: then the Spirit came in great power upon them on the Day of Pentecost.

2. In Acts 2.42 after the revival of Pentecost the 3000 disciples devoted themselves to the apostles preaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers

3. In Acts 4:31 the place was shaken after they prayed in unity for more boldness after they had got into trouble for preaching and healing. They were again filled with boldness and carried on.

4. When the apostles were being overwhelmed with caring for thousands of disciples in Acts 6 they had 6 deacons chosen and prayed for them so they could devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.

5. When revival broke out in Samaria with Philip one of the deacons the apostles Peter and John went and prayed for the new disciples to receive the power of the Holy Spirit Acts 8:15

6. In Acts 9:17 when Paul was converted he was praying and Ananias was sent to lay hands on him to receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit

7. Peter was called to visit Tabitha who had died and after praying he raised her to life again Acts 9.40

8. In Acts 10 the prayers of Peter before lunch and the prayers of Cornelius a Roman army officer through visions brought them together and so the first gentiles became believers in Jesus, received the Spirit and were baptised. This was a big breakthrough and Peter had to explain it to the other leaders in Acts 11.

9. When Peter was imprisoned and expected to be executed as James had been ‘ the church prayed fervently to God for him’ and there was another miraculous escape from prison. Acts 12:5

10. In Acts 13.3 during prayer and fasting Barnabas and Paul were chosen and sent out on their first missionary journey.

11. After those amazingly fruitful missionary journeys on his way to Rome to his martyrdom his ship was wrecked at Malta so Paul visited the leading man there whose father lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul cured him by praying and laying his hands on him which lead to a mini healing revival on that island.

(4) EXAMPLES OF BREAKTHROUGH IN PRAYER I HAVE WITNESSED:

1. In New Plymouth 2 weeks ago I met a lady who told me how her husband who had a heart condition collapsed while playing a cricket match and taken to hospital. She was told he wouldn’t last the night. A Catholic praying friend came and prayed fervently then announced he would be OK. He lived another 14 yrs seeing his grandchildren and twice visiting family in England.

2. When we became Christians in ChCh all we knew was praise and worship so one Friday evening when we visited Pastor Peter Morrow’s intercession prayer group and heard the woman growning in prayer I introduced a praise chorus and Peter gently stopped me by saying, ’Not just now brother” That intercession group under girded the growth of that church to be the largest n their city and to inspire a network of New Life Centres around the country.

3. When we went to Opunake we started a prayer meeting in our home on Friday evenings and when the Holy Spirit came on people the word spread and people from all around for prayer and we had a mini revival with people coming to faith and starting prayer meetings in farm houses round the district.

4. In Palmerston North a revival broke out amongst Massey students centred on a prayer meeting at Charles Waldergrave’s home. When I was there once a student came asking for prayer. Charles prayed for him then left him in an alcove to continue to soak in God’s presence while. We did the same at an all night prayer meeting we used to have at St Johns in Latimer Sq in ChCh. We went off for supper and left Allan on his knees. When we returned and asked if he wanted some coffee he looked up with a heavenward expression and said, “Who wants coffee!”

5. When we attended Lifepoint in Wgtn during the 1980s we had our Sun service at Wgtn College. Once a month the church borrowed a church in Buckle St and held a Prayer Breakthrough. Many fasted on Mon and Tues and we packed out the church on Tues evenings for worship and intercessory prayer. It was often the best meeting of the month and that church grew and supported mission work training pastors throughout Asia.

6. At St Barnabas, Khandallah at the Vestry mtg one evening we came to an impass when we were building the early childhood centre Boxhill Kids. The banks wouldn’t lend us the 250K we needed. I rather foolishly suggested we stop right there and pray for God to help us! (not the usual practise) but 3 of us prayed. .Next day we received an email from Raewyn, the Co-ordinator tilled ‘PRAYER WORKS’ She said that that day 30K had arrived unexpected from the Educ Ministry and within a week Monty and I had visited John Morrison the Dio Solicitor and the money was assured.

CONCLUSION: Prayer must be mixed with faith and include the 3 Ps that make a spirit-filled church: POWER; PRESENCE and PURPOSE then the breakthroughs come.

(5) BECOMING A ‘HOUSE OF PRAYER’

All over the world there is a movement to establish ‘Houses of Prayer’ which are dedicated people and places and times set aside in faith for prayer and God’s presence.

For instance in at Bethel Church in Redding Northern Cal. There is the Alabaster house of prayer. A New Zealander is on staff there and when he was returning from a mission in Mexico at the airport gate an officer noticed his place of work on his US entrance card and told him his aunt with 4th stage cancer ha gone to that house of prayer. As she entered the building the cancer left her and she was healed. Jesus said “My house is to be a house of prayer for all nations” (see Math 21:13, Is. 56:7)

They are believing for their place to be ‘a cancer free zone‘. I’m believing for CPAC to be ‘a pain free zone’ so that anyone who comes here when we are meeting will be relieved of their pains.

CPAC has a tradition of answered prayer so let’s press into that and commit ourselves to be a house of prayer for all nations. I’m confident with Jinny as a woman of prayer and faith leading us we are in for a year of favour from God when we will see many coming to have their prayers answered and their needs met.

Finish by standing and proclaiming over ourselves and our church Isaiah 61: 1 -3:

The Year of the LORD’S Favour

The Spirit of the LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the blind,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendour.

WORSHIP: The praise that pleases God

20.2.2011 Scriptures: Ephesians 5: 15- 20; Psalms 95 and 150. Psalm 69 30- 32

Intro: This is the 2^nd of 3 talks on ‘The marks of a healthy church‘. 2 weeks ago I spoke about fellowship and the important roll we each have to welcome one another and all who the Lord brings to us at CPAC and in our daily lives. To forgive those who let us down and to share with one another especially with those of the household of faith and with those in need. Acts 2: 42 is our model, The 3000 believers after the day of Pentecost experience ‘devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers.’

Today we are going to think about another very important mark of a healthy church WORSHIP: the praise that pleases God.

Open with story of my visit to Massey Uni Friday night student prayer service. How inspiring the Spirit-filled singing was and how I was moved to sing a spiritual song which unbeknown to me fitted in with what they were learning about.

(A) Why should we praise God?

1. We are commanded to praise God Psalm 150:1 says ‘Praise ye the Lord’ Once we have become a follower of Jesus our supreme duty and joy is to worship the Lord. In the psalms which is the Bibles song book constantly the writer calls himself to praise the Lord both alone and with other worshippers in the synagogue and in the Teple in Jerusalem. Psalm 122 says, “I was glad when they said to me ‘ Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

2. The Westminister Confession, a renowned patern of Christian learning has the question, ‘What is the supreme duty of man? And the patern answer is, The supreme duty of man is to praise and enjoy God forever.’

3. Entering in to the worship of Almighty God is good for us. Good worship refreshes us and restores us to be the best we can be. ..to be like Jesus who Luke 10 tells us ‘rejoiced in the spirit’ and told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. “ The Father seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.”

4. Psalm 69: 30- 32 says, ’”I will praise the name of God with a song I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than sacrificing an ox.”

(B) How can we worship God?

1. The ideal answer is we are to worship God with all our being everywhere all our lives. Certainly we are drawn into worship when all is going well and we see a beautiful sea or sky or forest or garden, mountain, lake or river. Our paradise land of the long white cloud calls us to acknowledge our creator and worship Him.

2. But more focused worship takes place when we come together as believers in Christ to acknowledge the Lord and to thank Him and sing to Him with songs of praise.

3. Sometimes people say they can’t worship in song because they are not emotional. But the psalms call us to worship not just when we feel like it. David and the other writers call themsleves into worship by saying, “I will praise the Lord because he is worthy” and ‘Praise the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” (Ps 103) So we praise God with all our being spirit and soul and heart and mind and will.

4. Our bodies are important also in worship and we must be free to worship by sitting or kneeling or lying on the floor or standing; by clapping or raising or hands. The Bible says ,‘W here the Spirit is there is freedom’, freedom to make a joyful noise to the Lord and freedom to dance before the Lord. Romans 12 says ‘present your bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord.’ It takes faith to reach out to God with our bodies by raising our hands etc but God blesses you as you honour His presence by faith. David said, “My heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.’

( C) The dynamics of worship: What happens when we praise God?

1. We draw near to God through thanksgiving and praise. Ps 100 pictures us entering His gates with thanksgiving. Thanking God for our creation and His blessings to us is always a great way to begin to enter into the city of God’s presence. Then we come into his closer presence with praise. We thank God for what He has done but we praise and worship God for who he is and the wonder of his nature and person.

2. The Lord is enthroned on the praises of His people ( Ps 22:3) The experience of entering the throne room of heaven like John in Revelations 4 is much to be desired.

3. When we worship in the Spirit the hosts of heaven( the angels) join in to assist us. The sense of angels around us and behind us helping us to worship as they worship the Father and Jesus is something we should believe for and encourage.

4. When we worship in Spirit and in truth we are not only caught up into heaven we can from there call down heaven’s unlimited resources to meet the needs of earth. “on earth as in heaven” Jesus taught us to pray.

5. In worship we apprehend the manifest presence of God and sense the smile of God. People experience physical sensations; we are restored to who we are as spiritual beings in physical bodies.(Mal 4:2) We are filled with the Spirit.(Eph 5:18)

6. People can be healed in worship…. Pains go; depressions lift and prayers are answered.

7. The heavenly hosts work for us to win spiritual battles and set people free.

8. We stand on the mountain with Jesus as he is transfigured and we are transformed from glory to glory as we see his glory.(see 2 Cor 3: 16- 18; Heb 12: 2- 3)

9. We experience an open heaven like Jacobs ladder and Jesus baptism(Gen 28; John 1:51; Luke 3:21-22)

(D) Our job at church is to be an embassy of Heaven for all who come in.

1. 1 Cor 14;25 says that when we as a church move in the spirit and worship then unbelievers will bow down before God and worshiphim, declaring, “God is really among you.” This happened to some friends of mine who came to a worship service in Christchurch. They were highly trained musical people and when they heard the harmonious singing in the Spirit they said, “Did you know you were singing in 40 part harmony?” Wow!

2. Praise and worship release the resources of heaven for the needs of earth.

3. We apprehend the holiness of God and are changed.

4. The very atmosphere around is changed around us. Eg The House of prayer in India and in the Wales retreat centre. Some people object to lavish praise to Jesus… see Luke 19: 37- 40. We must uphold WORSHIP as a key value of CPAC.

Response: Ps 150 ‘Praise the Lord!…. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!’

We sing Hillsong song with chorus inspired by Psalm 150.