|
Talk - Season 1 - Filmed in 2003 India is a land of great extremes – the growing wealth and massive poverty, the millions of idols and on-fire Christians. I always remember seeing a large bill-board advertising the latest big budget Bollywood Movie, everyone looked amazing – and just below the advertisement were many people sleeping rough because of extreme poverty. The Christians in this nation were helping the poor, looking after orphans, feeding the hungry, and giving free education. I was really inspired by those Pastors and Missionaries who were living by faith and seeing the Kingdom of God extended. It was really exciting to be with the locals and see what they were doing for the Lord. It was one of the most exciting coach trips I have ever taken. It seemed to take forever, and the road was falling away into the rivers. At one point we realised that we had very little water left and wondered if we would have to spend the night on the bus feeling very thirsty. We had planned to visit Berlin, but we missed the train by literally a few minutes. In the TV episode viewers will find out how we discovered that God wanted us to stay in Frankfurt, even though nothing major ever happened for us there. So we spent the night sleeping in the railway station and almost got locked out of there as well! It got totally cold and for the first time I really thought how hard it must be to sleep on the streets in Europe – especially when the temperature drops to below zero. It was wonderful seeing all the amazing sites associated with the Roman Empire, and we began to do the evangelism that was planned. We really believed that this time God would give us a specific divine appointment and that happened one night, when we meet a man whose heart was open to the Lord. I love being in the centre of God’s will and falling into a divine appointment! Initially I was shocked, because that had never happened to me before, especially as most people were so kind to us around the country. But that very night we both began to feel real compassion for the people and we prayed that God would bless them. No. One day the Lord opened a door for us to go on mission to one country and when we returned we went to another. This continued until several years later we had travelled all over the world! We really love working with them and finding that God has a massive family all over the world. Our faith in Christ gives us so much to talk about and it is exciting to see what the Lord is doing in so many nations. When I was a teenager I got on fire with God after listening to an audio-tape of Duncan Campbell. He was used in a massive revival around the 1950’s in the Hebrides Islands in the North of Britain. So naturally, I read the accounts of the revivals that he was involved with. Also my dad, Michael, has always had an overwhelming passion for seeing Jesus Christ glorified in a great revival and that has certainly rubbed off on me. I do believe that Britain, Europe, America and the world will see a great revival. I think that the revival that is coming in the future will be greater than we could ever imagined, but be warned, there are always many who will oppose it when the Holy Spirit comes in power. When I was at Bible College I wanted to make a site, which felt young. A little while later, I was on mission in Papua New Guinea and I considered seriously the possibility of starting the site. When I got back to England, I had some free time and later that year, in 2002, ByFaith went online. I wanted to create the website that I always wanted to visit. A site where interactive meant more than just a link full of writing – a place online where you could listen to music, play games, watch internet flash movies etc, and find the answers to the spiritual questions that trouble us all. Later Mathew began to write for the website and he has been able to provide in-depth Bible teaching, which takes hours and hours to prepare. It is much bigger than I could have ever imagined. I think of it as another one of God’s websites, - I don’t have an amazing plan for it. I just gave it to Him and look at what it has become: for example, I never imagined preparing an interactive discipleship course, but in 2003, it began to go online. Now people all over the world are using this basic course. Sometimes it feels strange speaking of oneself as being a ‘disciple’, because I usually think of the twelve disciples of Jesus. But in truth, every Christian should be a disciple of the Lord. It is possible to be a good Christian, to live right and believe everything and yet never really surrender yourself to the call that God has for your life. For me, a disciple is someone who has surrendered to the will of God and is obedient to Him. They go where He wants, they do what He wants – in essence they don’t live for their own dreams, but they live for the will of God, whatever that may be. When we are obedient to God, I believe He will give us the desires of our hearts, even though there may be many tests and it may take a long time! When I was around sixteen, Mathew and I started going to a different church from our parents. Several years later someone prophesied that we were like ‘Joshua and Caleb’. We used to always go to church together, and unexpectedly to us, God called us both to the same Bible College at the same time! When I left Bible College, I didn’t expect to be doing mission work together in the future. But God arranged things so that ByFaith just fell together. We really didn’t plan any of this! That’s a really big question and could take up hundreds of pages! Well, obviously He speaks through the Bible and preaching. At times He speaks through a book or even through the TV or Internet. I believe in letting the peace of God rule in my heart and at times God uses other Christians to speak to me. I remember in the past God putting a thought in my heart about travelling to a country and later everything falling into place. Sometimes, God opens and closes doors to various opportunities and God has confirmed His will before by providing the finances to do a mission. When I spend time in prayer, especially being quiet before the Lord, I do feel His voice within my heart. Maybe I would be directed to a Scripture, or a thought would come into my mind like, ‘Do not fear, this problem in My responsibility’. It can take years to really discern God’s voice (from all the others), but it is worth the effort. I feel amazed that God, who created the heavens and the earth, actually wants to speak to each one of us individually! God wants to speak to you! Will you listen to Him? First we need to understand that God wants to speak to each one of us individually. Jesus did say, ‘My sheep hear My voice.’ It takes time to accept that God actually wants to speak to you and some struggle with this thought. When you accept that He has promised in the Scriptures that you will hear His voice, you must spend time with Him. It is impossible to communicate with someone if you are never around them! Get around God! Get into prayer. Read the Bible. Ask God to speak to you. He will, if you persist. God won’t be rushed and when He speaks, write it down. If you treat His words with contempt, maybe He won’t say anything more. I always take encouragement from the words of Jesus, especially these passages from Matthew 6:33-34. ‘But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is the evil of it.’ I would encourage everyone to surrender their lives to the call of discipleship, to seek the Lord’s will for their lives and to trust in His faithfulness. He is good, and He has a good plan for everyone – we just have to decide if we will be obedient to His call. Don’t wake up in ten years time, regretting a life of disobedience; go ahead today and possess your possessions. Seek the Lord while He may be found. |
 |