I read a really helpful article on the Gospel Coalition website today outlining a strategy for pursuing sexual purity. Within an increasingly sexualized culture, this is important stuff – important for those wishing to protect themselves, guard their relationships and most importantly, glorify God.

I’ve attempted to summarise the article. To read the entire article go to http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/03/12/f-l-e-e-a-strategy-for-pursuing-sexual-purity/

As Christians, we are to “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18). How are we doing? How are we dealing with it? Here’s a strategy: F.L.E.E.

F – Fill yourself with Christ. He is the bread of life and he satisfies (John 6:35). Believe this and fill yourself with his Word (Matt 8:4) and your life with his people (Col 3:16).

L – Lock out the lies. Don’t run to the sexual lies, run from them. Sexual immorality may look good, but it destroys (Prov 7:13-23).

E – Exchange lies for truth. Seductive lies are all around us and we often exchange the truth about God for these lies. God reverses the exchange. For a Christian, our new self is created after God’s likeness (Eph 4:22-24). When tempted, get out your Bible, read about God’s truth and blast away the lies.

E – Expose yourself to the light. Don’t keep any sexual sin in the darkness. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen. Confess it to God. Walk in his light. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7). Stay in the light. And also, chat about it with a Christian friend or two who you trust well – confess it to them. Let them pray for you (James 5:16).

FLEE sexual immorality.

A long time has passed since my last blog, and a lot of life has passed too! Baby boy number 3 arrived on January 11th – Eli James Hawthorne. He is amazing. I’m well and truly following in my own Dad’s footsteps – he is one of three boys himself and he helped produced three boys. My two brothers have all girls so it’s looking like the family name is going to be carried on through my boys!!

Nobody ever told me (not in much detail anyway) just how testing life could be, as a busy, working man with a family including three young, energetic, lively boys. At times it is chaotic. At times it does seem like life is starting to rip apart at the seams. At times I do just want to run or hide or sleep or whatever…just to get a break! But, and it’s a significant but, we are blessed. I am blessed with an amazing, godly wife and mother to our kids. And we are blessed with the beauty of our boys presence in our lives.

Another crazy week began a day or two ago and right now, as I write, I have another busy day looming. In all of life’s madness, in all of life’s struggles, in all of life’s pursuits, one things stands out above the rest. The beauty of knowing Jesus and being part of Gods Kingdom, an ambassador for the King, is unparalleled. I’m being reminded of this and I’m so thankful. This is the real treasure in life. This treasure causes us to surrender our own lives for the sake of the Kingdom. This treasure changes our lives. This treasure becomes our priority. This treasure is to be shared. It is this treasure that I want my boys to discover in their own lives above anything else. The treasure that is the Kingdom of God should grip us deep within our hearts and then send us out into this world to show everyone the glowing beauty of what is revealed through knowing Jesus.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” ~Matthew 13:44

Recently, my heart is being drawn back to the reality of the Gospel. The Gospel is not just a message to be declared to the unsaved. Every Christian needs to be reminded of the Gospel every day, because we drift away from it. Every day.

We need to discover and relate to Jesus, as we find him in the Bible. We need to live in light of this, not in a whole lot of the ‘false’ religious stuff that’s out there.

Here’s a great prayer I read this morning.

Jesus, show me who you really are. I pray for the true you. I want the real you. I ask for you. Spirit of God, free me in every way to know Jesus as he really is. Open my eyes to see him. Deliver me from everything false about Jesus and bring me what is true. Deliver me from the spirit of falsehood and everything religious.

~John Eldredge in Beautiful Outlaw

Christians today often seem consumed with ‘big’. Big church, big numbers of people, big youth groups, big band, big sound. These big things seem to occupy much of our time and efforts.

In recent months I’m rediscovering God in the small things.

Lately my life has been most blessed by times when things haven’t been so big. Time spent with 3 young lads chatting through life and faith. A car journey spentwith 4 young lads where we actually get to interact and laugh authentically. A few hours spent one-to-one with a young teen who has experienced heartache in his young life.  Coffee and advice from a friend who I trust to speak Godly wisdom over my life. Privilege and blessing…

Yes, large gatherings are good and are a blessing too. But not at the expense of real, authentic relationship-building that happens in the small. I want to invest more in the small. I think all Christians should. The small interactions in our lives are often deeper, more open and more fulfilling. If all Christians were to pay attention to the small, then undoubtedly the ‘body’, the larger gathering of believers would be healthier and we all would be blessed as a result.

Pay attention to the small in your life.

Last Sunday evening we shared some thoughts with our young people about the future. We re-focused our vision on what we believe God wants to do in and through us at Woodlands. Let me briefly share our thoughts as we set about ‘dreaming awake’…

We believe that church should be a place where (young) people are SUBMERGED under the done work of Christ. We believe that it’s so important that our focus and energy must be directed towards presenting Jesus and the life he has already purchased for us. Not primarily a list of ‘to do’s’ for Jesus, but a focus on what he has already done for us.

We dream that as we marinate in this week in and week out, there will develop an environment where young people worship freely, where they love unconditionally and where they serve spontaneously.

From within this environment and with our vision now fixed outward into the world, our dream then becomes this: that we will EMERGE to connect with the lost and connect the lost to Christ. Missionaries into our culture, with the confidence of the done work of Jesus firmly behind, within and in front of us.

I love how my 3 year old, Caleb, tells big dramatic stories…dreams of adventure, danger and rescue that seem to swirl around inside his vibrant little head.  Many children do the same. Yet sadly, too often and all too quickly, the dreams fade and disappear…often accompanied by the words, ‘welcome to the real world, kid’.  Sad, isn’t it? Very sad.

For me, and hopefully for us at Woodlands, it’s time to dream again.

‘In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die, where you invest your love, there you invest your life…’ (Mumford & Sons) Great and appropriate lyrics indeed.

“When the Holy Spirit is poured out in a day of power the result is bound to affect whole communities and even nations.  Conviction of sin, an anxiety to possess the Word of God, and dependence upon those truths which glorify God in man’s salvation, are inevitable consequences.” -Ian Murray

Church history shows us that the Holy Spirit has always been present at times of revival.  Last night we engaged in some stirring discussion regarding this.  What is revival anyway? Stephen Olford emphatically states that revival is that “strange and sovereign work of God in which He visits His own people, restoring, reanimating and releasing them into the fullness of His blessing.”  This can be both personal in nature (the Holy Spirit renewing the hearts/minds of individuals) and corporate (the Holy Spirit bringing renewal to a church or movement).

Think about your own life. Can you recall a time of either personal or corporate revival?  Tell those stories.  Sit down with someone or a group of people and tell those stories.  Tell of what happened.  Speak of what you experienced. Recall how the Holy Spirit moved.  Reflect upon the results of those times.  Read about past times of revival.  Many book have been written on such times.  The internet is full of those old stories.

But do the church of today a favour.  Do our world a favour.

Don’t look in on these past times of renewal like a kid who looks at the pieced together bones of a T-Rex in a museum – eyes full of intrigue and sheer wonder, but a heart and mind that’s pretty sure those prehistoric days will never return.  Let’s be encouraged by stories of past revival but let us never settle there…

In today’s culture, there is a growing number of people who could be called the radically unchurched – those with no clear personal understanding of the gospel message or contact with a church that is Bible-teaching and Christ-honouring.

These people are all around us.

We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  And it must begin with us, within God’s people.

Are we positioning ourselves before God in such a way that this is likely to happen?   Do we fervently desire this?

Time alone with God, daily revisiting the cross of Christ, continual openness to the Holy Spirit’s power, consistent gathering together for worship, fervency of prayer, eyes looking outwards, courage and expectant hearts, unflinching confidence in God’s promises…

“God, create in me a stronger desire to experience you in my life.  Raise up a new generation of world changers who will do extraordinary things for your kingdom.  In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.” -Winfield Bevins

OK.  I turned on my computer this morning to do some work and stumbled across a youth ministry website that provides the names of literally thousands of youth groups.  The following is just  a small sample of those under the letter ‘A’.  Hilarious.

A.C.T.S Anointed Christians Terrorising Satan

A.L.I.E.N. Adolescents Living In Eternal Newness

A.N.T.S. Arise N Triumph Soldier(of Christ)

A.R.M.O.R. APOSTOLICS RADICALLY MAKING OTHER REPENT

A.R.M.Y OF THE L.I.G.H.T. Armed Ready Ministering Youth / Living In Gods Holy Truth

A.R.M.Y. of God Always Recruiting More Youth

A.T.L.Youth Ministries Adolescence Transparent to the Lost

A.T.O.M.I.C youth All Together On Missions In Christ

A.T.T.I.C. Associated Teens Together In Christ

A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Assembly of Wesleyan Eternal Sons Of Methodist Evangelicals (talk about trying to make it fit!)

A.W.E.S.O.M.E. youth Anoited.Warriors.Enjoying.Shareing.Overcoming.Ministerying. Eternity (and again…their spelling, not mine!)

A2J Youth Group Addicted 2 Jesus: coz u cant OD on JC…IT’S A NATURAL HIGH! (what an inspiring strapline!)

ASYLUM C_4_C Crazy for Christ

I reckon Radiant Youth sounds incredibly good now…

Would anyone be keen to hear some of the B’s – Z’s??!

I’m not long back from New Horizon where I was part of team Engage who had the responsibility of ministering to a group of over 100 young people each day aged 13-14.

We had a ball.  We laughed, danced, played, cried and worshiped together for 5 days straight.  Our theme for the week was Jesus: Encounters.  We looked at people in the Bible who encountered Jesus…never to be the same again.  The women caught in adultery, the rich young ruler, the woman who anointed Jesus with her tears, blind Bartimaeus…

All encountered Jesus and amazing things happened as Jesus spoke and acted out Truth and Grace.

We all encountered Jesus during the week.  I believe we encountered him again in a fresh way.  His Spirit was at work in us as a team and in the young people.  One thing I keep thinking about is this – only Jesus can rescue, heal, forgive and provide our deepest needs.  When a life genuinely encounters Him one thing is for sure: transformation will happen.

We shot a video that told the ‘cardboard testimonies’ of the young people involved.  It blew me away. These young people are living in all parts and corners of our wee country and so I truly believe that what we were involved in last week will have national significance as these young people carry the transforming message of Jesus back to their villages, towns, cities, schools, clubs…so take heart!

Here are some of their short stories of before and after encountering Jesus.  Please read on:

Dead…Born again

Self-conscious…beautiful in God’s eyes

Lost…Found

I was first…I am now second

Shy and scared…Confident and brave

Alone…With Jesus

I followed the crowd…I follow the cross

I was drowning in sin…He has rescued me

Unsettled…Now at peace

My soul was captive…And now it’s free

Puzzled…Solved

Dead in sin…Alive in Him

Trouble…At peace

Wrecked…Restored fully

Self-centred…God-centred

No purpose in life…Life to live for Jesus

Broken…Renewed

Empty…Full

I was Lord…Jesus is Lord

Going nowhere…Going somewhere

Low self-worth…A daughter of the King

Sinner…Saved sinner

Rejected…Accepted

Lonely…Friend for life

Broken…Complete

Dark…Light

Thank you Jesus.

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM SAMI CULLEN WHO IS COORDINATING THE SUMMER SCHEME AT SUNNYLANDS YOUTH CENTRE. THIS MESSAGE IS FROM TUES 20TH JULY:

Sunnylands Summer Scheme has well and truly started! Our first day was yesterday and we started with 34 young people aged 7-13 attending. Today we had 46 young people through our doors! So far the atmosphere has been good, the young people have had a chance to play basketball, play unihoc, try gardening, make finger puppets and have a first trip to Carnfunnock, just to name a few….It has been encouraging to see young people build friendships and open up to each other. I am grateful for a team of Staff Volunteers who are committed to making Summer Scheme 2011 the best it can be. Thinking about you guys at New Horizon. Enjoy it, be blessed and enjoy the banter!

Over and out.

Sami

An update from the New Horizon team will follow soon!

Stuart

Well…here are 3 of the lads who are down in Dublin (think Neil, the fourth member of the quartet is on the phone!)  We have officially begun our Masters in Applied Theology at the Irish Bible Institute.  The module this week is ‘Enabling Leadership’.  This has been great so far…challenging, exciting, a bit tiring (not used to all this study again)…and lots and lots of reading and thinking!!!

I’m very sure that a lot of this is going to affect how I think, what I feel and also what I do…so hopefully it’s going to be of great benefit, not only to me but to all that we do at Woodlands as well!

I will try to blog some of what I learn in the coming weeks…

Until then…HELLO TO CHEAP CINEMA TICKETS AGAIN