God Descends To Reascend

"In the Christian story God descends to reascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; down further still, if embryologist are right, to recapitulate in the womb ancient and pre-human phases of life; down to the very roots and seabed of the Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him. One has the picture of a strong man stooping lower and lower to get himself underneath some great complicated burden. He must stoop in order to lift, he must almost disappear under the load before he incredibly straightens his back and marches off with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders. Or one may think of a diver, first reducing himself to nakedness, then glancing in mid-air, then going with a splash,vanished, rushing down through green and warm water into black and cold water, down through increasing pressure into the death-like region of ooze and slime and old decay; then up again, back to colour and light, his lungs almost bursting, till suddenly he breaks surface again,holding in his hand the dripping, precious thing that he went down to recover. He and it are both coloured now that they have come up into the light: down below, where it lay colourless in the dark, he lost his colour too."

from Miracles by C.S. Lewis

City Church

The City Church is not found in one building or one congregation. It is one people walking in Kingdom purpose within a geographic area--within a city. Jesus tells us in John 3:3 "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God". God's Kingdom in the earth is not a physical place. Rather, it is a lifestyle maintained by believers, who seek to live in a manner pleasing to God. Like the Kingdom of God, The City Church is not something to physically behold. It is a strategic plan for uniting the saints of a City--each and every city--in one accord, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, class or denomination. Instead of asking, what about us as believers makes us different (i.e.,denomational traditions or customs), a City Church mentality asks what about us as believers is the same? Further, how can we embrace our shared destiny in Christ to advance the Kingdom of God? A City Church mentality is not so interested in growing their own local congregation as they are growing the City Church at large. For The City Church is one Church made up of many congregations !!

Prayer and Preaching

" The preaching man is to be the praying man. Prayer is the preacher's mightiest weapon. An almighty force in itself, it gives life and force to all. The real sermon is made in the closet. The man-God's man-is made in the closet. His life and his profoundest convictions were born in his secret communion with God.The burdened and tearful agony of his spirit, his weightiest and sweetest messages were got when alone with God. Prayer makes the man;prayer makes the preacher;prayer makes the pastor."

E. M. Bounds

Power Through Prayer

Our Greatest Need

"O, but we have need to be redeemed from ourselves rather than from the devil and the world;learn to put out yourselves, and to put in Christ for yourselves"

Samuel Rutherford

Grace

" Grace withereth without adversity. The devil is but God's master fencer, to teach us to handle our weapons"

The Loveliness of Christ
Samuel Rutherford

Over-Hope

"I hope to over-hope and over-believe my troubles"

Selections from Samuel Rutherford's Letters

Mighty in Spirit to Move Mountains

"... not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts" Zechariah 4:6

The word might in the Hebrew means power, force,valor, substance or wealth, often times relating to the force of an army. This word might deals more with mans strength or power, this why the Prophet Zechariah concludes this verse by saying "...but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts".

Jesus entered His ministry in the power of the Spirit (Lk 4:1,18), and the Church was empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:8;2:4). Only if the Spirit continues to govern and empower man will we accomplish God's will for us.

As we read further in verse 7 we find one example as why we need the power of the Spirit. "What are you , O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain;and He will bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it"

Each of us face difficulties that seem as large as a mountain and the only way we can overcome is by the power of the Spirit working through us. Thus we can shout "Shout Grace, grace..." for it is His power working thorough us that keeps us from being overwhelmed and dismayed.

Prayer is the key to our accessibility to the power of the Spirit. You simply cannot be mighty in Spirit without prayer.

E.M. Bounds says in his book Power through Prayer " What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use-men of prayer,men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not anoint plans, but men-men of prayer"