Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection by Dennis Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 10/Sep/2023]

In last Sunday’s YOURS, Chris ended her article, Revival Power, by asking, “What about you and me?” Just before that, she wrote, “Our Father God wants to create a people who desire the presence of Jesus, leading to a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.”

Two Sundays ago we sang “Show Your Power”. Did we mean that – from the heart? When Jesus comes in power, it can only be through his Holy Spirit. And his presence is unmistakable! He takes over. He can’t be controlled! Do we want him to come in that kind of power?

A few of us in our fellowship have been praying for Revival – a move of God that will transform us and our community. Maybe there are more than a few of us? Our upstairs Prayer Room is now in use every Wednesday morning from 10:00 to 12:00. We’d love to have you join us, especially if you too are crying out, “Revive Us!”

Jesus asked, “When I return, will I find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8)?” He was talking about PERSISTENT faithfulness, the kind demonstrated in the parable he just told about the demanding widow who just wouldn’t give up!

If you find yourself becoming desperate for MORE, come out of the woodwork. Let’s become a PEOPLE of persistent faith. “There must be more than this; Spirit of God, we wait for You. Fill us anew we pray.”

God Bless
Dennis

Resources:

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during September 2023]

Today, if only you would hear his voice, Psalm 95 v7b [NIVUK]

This one of those occurrences when we might wonder whether those responsible for the chapter and verse divisions in our Bibles might not have been concentrating fully. The phrase has no obvious linguistic continuity with the first part of the verse; it would seem to have been more logical to incorporate it into the following verse. Indeed, the way in which the verse is set out in many versions adds to this point of view.

Who is to blame for this apparent anomaly? To find the culprit we have to go back quite a long way, but maybe not as far as one might expect. According to online research,^[1] the origin of recognisable chapter numbering stems from the work of several clerics in the 13th century; the scheme promoted by Archbishop Stephen Langton (Archbishop of Canterbury, 1207-1228) eventually became the basis for our current chapter divisions.

The ancient Hebrew scripts did have some system of text referencing but not in the form that we recognise today. The familiar verse numbering dates from an initiative by Robert Estienne, a French printer who first introduced the modern verse number system in around 1555, firstly in a Greek New Testament and then in a French-language Bible.

There are some versions of the Bible where the verse numbers have been relegated to the margins, leaving the reader to determine for themselves where each verse ends. Going further, some have discarded the formal verse sequence in favour of a more contemporary literary style. Here is one twentieth century paraphrase:

Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks: “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising, as on the day of the Wilderness Test, when your ancestors turned and put me to the test. For forty years they watched me at work among them, as over and over they tried my patience.”
Psalm 95 v 7-10 [The Message]

We believe that the Bible is the word of God, recorded in its original form under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But very few of us are able to understand it in its original form so we have to rely on the interpretations provided by those who have the necessary expertise. We have to believe that those interpretations were also undertaken under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, otherwise our modern Bibles would lose their credibility.

We have access to many Bibles that differ in language, emphasis and style but the overall similarity of their content demonstrates that the Holy Spirit was indeed influential in their preparation. Given that level of authority, we should not lightly dismiss the instructions that we find in the Bible.

Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work. Psalm 95 v7-9 [BSB]^[2]

Can you hear his voice? You have to be listening.
Are you putting God to the test? Beware the consequences.^[3]

Resources:
[1] Wikipedia, Sep’23
[2] BSB: Berean Standard Bible via BibleHub.com
[3] Psalm 95 v11

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection by Chris Ginter was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 03/Sep/2023]

Recently I have been reading about revivals on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, from 1949 to 1952. I’m intrigued as to how it started and the outcome of the same as it progressed. It seems to me that so many of the moves of God were birthed in prayer, combined with a desire from men and women to see God move in power in their community.

People in Lewis at the time could see how their society was degenerating into loutish behaviour combined with drunkenness and disregard for the things of God. As people in the community and local churches prayed, folk were reporting how God touched the hearts of many people, some were repenting as they experienced the presence of Holy Spirit in their lives and it showed in their changed behaviour and the new radiance on their faces.

Our Father God wants to create a people who desire the presence of Jesus leading to a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

So how does that affect us here and now? Could we ask Jesus to come in power in the hearts of our family, friends and neighbours? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they reported, I feel a lightness in my spirit, my burdens are lifted and I can see a way out of this heaviness I’ve been feeling for ages.

Let’s keep praying for Jesus to move in power. He’s done it many times before in Scotland, Wales, America – what about Horley, what about you and me?

I’m going for it, are you???
Every blessing

Chris Ginter

Resources:

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2023]

“oh, I do like to be beside the seaside.” ^[1]

In many parts of the northern hemisphere the summer is drawing to its close. The warm days may linger for a while as the climate adjusts itself but the evenings are drawing in and the return to a normal daily routine is becoming imminent. Soon many of us will once again be subject to the discipline of the academic calendar or the rigours of earning a living – pity those of us for whom they are one and the same thing!

For those who were able to take their holidays at the seaside there are certain sounds which are associated with their time there; the slapping of rigging against aluminium masts as a background to fish and chips on the seafront (surpassed only by fish and chips beside the Danube in Austria), the cacophony of gulls as they launch raids on unguarded plates or even the discordant sounds that accompany hordes of humanity basking like walruses somewhere on the Costa Packet.

Now it is time to tie up the yacht, tie down the awnings and let rosy memories of summer holidays evoke dreams for next year; dreams that will no doubt be dampened when we get the bill for those memories.

In the early chapters of Genesis we read of a garden where everything was very good, then in the book of Revelation we see heaven portrayed as a city. For those of us who prefer gardens to cities that sounds somewhat disappointing; imagine then the feelings of ship chandlers, restaurant owners and travel agents alike when we read

… and there was no longer any sea. Revelation 21 v1 [NIVUK]

In the early phases of creation, God created the seas and defined their limits. He pronounced the seas as ‘good’ – why then would they be excluded from the new heaven?

Many commentators argue that, in this particular reference, the sea is being used as a stereotype to portray turbulence, toil and trouble. Indeed, we see many times in the lives of the early disciples that for them the sea could mean toil and trouble. Similarly, the apostle Paul endured turbulent storms and shipwrecks during his life of service to Christ. Should we be surprised if we too face such challenges?

On the other hand, there are also accounts in the Gospels and Acts of how the sea proved beneficial. It provided livelihoods, facilitated travel and provided the background to many sermons and miracles. Further more, seas in various forms are an integral part of the vision of the future as reported by John in the book of Revelation.

Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Does your life resemble the thunderous breakers on a rocky shore, lots of energy spent for a minimum of achievement? Jesus still has control of the wind and the waves, and they know it!

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky and sea; ^[2]

Resources:
[1] JH Glover-Kind, 1907
[2] Reginald Heber, 1826

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection by Martin Shorey was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 27/Aug/2023]

The other day I went for a health check – not that there is anything wrong (at least I hope not), but its just a way for me to keep an eye on my health, ensuring that I’m maintaining a good physical condition, and spotting early any potential problems. Why? Because I want to function well for as long as I possibly can.

This reminds me of some verses from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, a city in Ancient Greece known for the Isthmian Games, an early rival to the Olympics …

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step.
1 Corinthians 9:25-26 [NLT]

Paul would have seen the athletes preparing for these games, being disciplined, pushing themselves harder and harder, because they had a prize they wanted to win. Paul encourages the church in Corinth to have a similar mindset as these athletes – are they willing to give up the so called freedom they have as pagans, in order to gain the prize of eternal life offered to them through Jesus? Sacrifices in this life are more than worth it for what they will ultimately gain.

How about you? If you were to have a spiritual health check how would you fare? Do you need to be more disciplined? Do you need to give up some things that just aren’t good for you, as tempting as they might be? Why? Because God has a purpose for your life, a race for you to run, and a prize for you to gain.

So how well are you running your race – are you in training, becoming disciplined, and taking each step with purpose?

Resources:

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2023]

In a recent edition of the HBC buletin, Helen Ruffhead wrote of her experience of switching from a manual car to one with an automatic transmission.^[1] She wrote of her feelings when first presented with new features, the impulse to give up and seek an alternative way to avoid dealing with them and yet the knowledge that she must persevere with the unfamiliar.

For me, automatics have been a prerequisite for over thirty years. However, we do still have one manual car in the household. It is not used very much so it was not a great surprise when I was told that “it won’t go into gear”. The driver had become accustomed to an automatic and had forgotten all about the clutch.

As our circumstances of life change so old habits have to be relearnt. There may be new features to experiment with, new locations to be explored or new relationships to be developed. For some of us the prospect of change is exciting, for others the possibility can be severely disturbing.

In some ways these experiences are a bit like acquiring a new Bible. A new Bible will lack turned-down corners, well-thumbed pages or a cracked spine that falls open at our favourite passages. On the other hand, it might have new features such as red or blue letters, maps or a concordance. We might like to ignore them in our quest for the familiar or we might be so distracted that we lose sight of the core text.

Have the words of scripture become too familiar to you? You have read the book and you know how the story ends. You have your favourite passages and the rest is just of passing interest. Perhaps the solution is to try a different version of the Bible.

Are you tempted to think that, just as the Authorised Version was good enough for Saint Paul, so it must be good enough for you? Or do you think that more modern versions lack the AV’s classical style and the credibility that comes with the passage of time? Are you open to changing gear spiritually?

When reading a different version much of it will seem familiar but yet also a bit strange. Living languages evolve, words change their meaning or implication. Perhaps a different version – older or newer – will offer a different emphasis or shed a new light on familiar passages.

These verses written by a 19th century English vicar may use old-fashioned language but their truth still holds true.

LORD, Thy Word abideth and our footsteps guideth,
Who its truth believeth light and joy receiveth.

O that we, discerning its most holy learning,
Lord, may love and fear Thee, evermore be near Thee!
  HW Baker, 1861

Resources:
[1] HBC ‘Yours’, 13/Aug/2023, (link)

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.