The word organic is related to that which has life. Recently I have stretched and challenged my aged brain by reading Stephen Meyer’s fascinating book, “The Signature in the Cell”, which is all about the mind-blowing facts of the incredibly complex codes in our DNA and about the very origin of life. Meyer is convinced, from all the evidence he so thoroughly and scientifically investigates, that we are obliged to conclude that the only reasonable explanation for the initiation of life is that an intelligent creative divine mind was at work.

In simple terms, life is divinely created. Much has been written in recent years about organic church as opposed to institutional church. But what is organic church? Just as life is a divine creation, so is true organic church. The New Testament church was not the product of man’s ingenuity. No human mind conceived it. It came into being as an act of divine creation at Pentecost. By the outpoured Holy Spirit those first believers were welded into a family of Jesus, a truly organic church.  The apostles had no command from Jesus to plant churches. Jesus had told them, “I will build my church.” Their responsibility was to proclaim Christ and as they fulfilled that calling the Lord Himself created and built families of believers. Within a few short years these cells of life spread through the known world. They belonged to no centralised organisation. They owned no buildings. They had no ruling hierarchy.

They were vitalised and sustained by the Holy Spirit. It follows that organic churches are planted, not by any deliberate intention  of man, but by a creative act of God. For ten years or so I experienced life in such a church. No one turned up to plant it. It just came about by Father drawing together a number of believers who desired to meet together to deepen their relationship with Jesus. I have pointed out elsewhere that in all the scriptures concerning the building of the Church believers are in the passive. They are built by the Lord into His Body, His temple. They do not build it and you cannot build when you are in the hands of the builder!

(Taken from The Pilgrimpath by Jack Gray)

We recently received a lovely email from Ray and Terry Salas telling us a little about their new journey with Jesus. They live in Miami, Florida. However, we have tried to reply to them several times on the email address they sent us but it simply bounces back. That is disappointing.

Ray and Terry, if you read this or somebody out there knows them please get in touch again as we would love to be able to respond to you.

We trust Him to make the right connections and hope to hear from you soon.

For those of you who may have recently moved away from organized church please do not be in any hurry to start something. Wait for Him to shape within you His desires and purpose for the way forward. His way is the highest and best!

We mentioned in our last post that David had some things to share regarding their time in Kenya. We have found this very encouraging and we trust that it will spur you on in your walk with Jesus.

You may be interested in a recent visit a brother in the Lord and I made to a remote region of Kenya.

The story begins about 15 months ago when I was contacted by Jim (not his real name),  who had read Stan Firth’s book Custom and Command.  He was very taken with the book as it helped him to hear clearly what God was saying to him in regard

to the church life he was involved with.  After emailing each other for over a year he invited us to come and live among them for a brief visit.  What followed was a wonderful experience for us.

Jim was being groomed as a worship leader in a local structured denomination, but his heart had been telling him that there must be a better way.  As it was, he had a lot of involvement with many of his neighbours on a daily basis, helping them with their crops and other farming related issues. He was very well respected for his farming skills but more for his character.  He always reached out to befriend others and to love them in the name of Jesus.  When there was violence after the elections a few years ago, he and his wife took in three orphaned girls and is housing, feeding, clothing and educating them in addition to his own three children.  He has no steady income except that which is generated from the couple of acres of rented land on which he grows corn and has a few cattle and some hens.  At the moment he feeds 10 mouths plus those who visit for fellowship every day.

When the Lord spoke to him about church being a relational issue he started to see that church for him was already on his doorstep.    In the last couple of years he has been seeking the Lord and, together with a number of other locals, has started to live in a special way.  None of them have material goods more than are needed to stay alive.  Very often they do not know where the next meal will come from.  All of them have lived through trials and difficulties where they have despaired of what the future holds.  In spite of this what you meet are joy-filled faces and people who are aware of the Lord and other peoples’ needs more than their own.

Religion, in the sense of religious observance,  is not evident but living faith and fellowship fills every moment.

Being there we felt wealthy in terms of this world’s goods but extremely poor compared to the riches of care and love in which these people live. The Lord is so real to them in every aspect of life and He speaks to them in the most normal of ways.  They really do understand what it is to have His word in their hearts and on their lips.

They help each other with the daily chores, they share meals, come together and stay overnight if  the walk home is too dark and dangerous.  Sleeping on the floor is quite normal! I mean on the hard floor!  Jesus is the reason for their lives.

I observed that there were 3 equal piles of corn-cobs in his store after the harvest.  He explained that one third was for their own food till next year, another was to sell and pay for school fees,  the third was to meet the needs of others!

We were privileged to meet others around the area who also live in a similar way, some in greater freedom than others.  They told us of many more who are starting to live like this.  The thing that amazed them about our visit was that white men could feel so one in heart with them and not want to take control of them or manipulate them!  One of them joked with me that now he was sure that the gospel would be preached in all the world if the white man can understand this relational way of living!

Pray for these precious people whom the Lord is taking care of.  What He is doing is very special and it is happening without the sound of a hammer!

David Rice

Sept 2010

David and Nina

Our dear friends David and Nina Rice live in Ashford, County Wicklow and we have had the pleasure of knowing them for over twenty five years. Whenever we visit them and other  friends  we are deeply touched and encouraged at how Jesus is honoured in simple ways with no fanfare! We hope you are encouraged as you read their responses to our questions.

1. Tell us a little about your experience of Church life in Ireland and how this unfolds locally.

We are very blessed to have shared living fellowship with a sizeable group of believers for many years, in some cases since the early 70′s.  During that time the Lord has taken us from being a group focused on doing ‘house church’ correctly through a process of laying down all the structures and official leadership  roles to live as we now do, enjoying a relational lifestyle where the Lord and His working in and through each life is a priority.  It is easiest described as just like a family.

Day to day folks share life together.  That takes many forms:-  meals are shared; one on one conversations that share life and support; day to day tasks are shared; advice is  requested and received;  as the Lord leads each one seeks to be available to share, to pray, to care, to support. None of this is orchestrated except by the Holy Spirit and most of it quite private.  On occasions the Lord calls a larger group to gather to wait on Him or to pray for a specific  reason.

2. You have recently been to Kenya on a visit. Can you share with us a little of your time with the folk there?

We have appreciated David’s sharing about their time in Kenya and will post this separately next time.

3. What do you see as the main ingredients to experiencing Church life with His family?

In a family everyone is very clear who is a brother or sister.  They all come from the same parenthood.  It is not a group you can join like a club, you must be born into it.  As we all respond to Father’s love and caring correction and direction we feel secure in our relationships with His children.  Just like in any family everyone knows who is good at some task or not so good at others so we come to recognize the God-given gifts He has put among us and the areas of weakness  where encouragement or support is required to make it through. The fact that one has a strength does not make them more or less a sibling than the weakest.  Relationships are  strong because of Him.

As we live like this we develop a secure, positive and loving attitude to all of the Lord’s family, even those we do not know well.  We recognize the kinship in Him.  We recognize less and less the man-made boundaries that separate and we develop inclusive hearts to all of His children.

The first and most important thing is knowing His wonderful love deep in our hearts.  This enables us to be secure in the face of misunderstanding or criticism. It enables us to let our guard down so that we do not mind what others see in us;  be it our weaknesses or failings.  When we walk humbly like this it is natural to enjoy His fellowship and be open to enjoy Him in others and to appreciate the freshness of Jesus in them. We develop a confidence in Him and not in our own abilities.

Like any love relationship growing together takes time and devotion. When we are born again into His family the first thing we feel is His love but it takes time and experience of His dealing with us to become confident in that love.  As trust and confidence grows He  makes us free from the desire to hide that is a consequence of the shame our sin and sense of failure bring.  Healthy church life in His family can make that process so much easier.

The other thing that comes to mind is the truth that Jesus said He would build His Church.  Only He knows how to accomplish this though it is wonderful that we may be fully
involved and committed to that process as we walk humbly in harmony with Him.  I believe He desires to share His delight in His Bride with us as grow up in Him.  Lord grant it that your children may come to walk in harmony with you until ‘your will is truly done on Earth as it is in Heaven’.  Amen.

David & Nina Rice

A new book by Stan Firth called “The Remarkable Replacement Army” An allegory from the past – pointing to a vibrant Christian lifestyle for the future.

At the beginning of this book, a thought-provoking prophecy emerges – a prophecy that should encourage sincere followers of Jesus Christ, in these days when so much that is negative seems to be happening in Christian circles. The prophecy is linked to a true story, which tells how a popular King, many years ago, followed-up the progressive defeat of his national Army, in a surprisingly effective way. The prophecy declares that a positive future lies ahead for Christian people who are willing to adopt a somewhat different lifestyle to the one to which they have been accustomed. The most extensive part of the book consists of biblical encouragements and challenges for those who accept the prophecy. There is a wealth of New-Testament-based guidance for Christian living in the changing conditions of the 21st Century.

This book is now available from Lulu.com by clicking on this link – The Remarkable Replacement Army

On a personal note we have known Stan and Mavis for more than twelve years now and this book is an expression of their responsive walk with the Lord. This story has come out of a real conviction that the Lord has a very real purpose for His people and is a follow on from his companion book called, “Custom & Command” (also available at Lulu).

We highly commend this book to you for encouragement and help in these very challenging days.

Why is friendship so vital in marriage?

Friendship

I think there are two key reasons why friendship between husband and wife are important.

Firstly, promoting friendship within marriage is for the sake of our children. Young people are longing for role models today. They may not always appear to be but it is a fact! Our children need to see mom and dad loving each other and encouraging each other and being totally secure in the knowledge that they are ‘best friends.’ May this desire for friendship and fellowship grow in the hearts of those couples who feel they have grown apart and stale in their relationship.

Another reason for friendship in marriage is because it is a micro-picture of the union between Christ and His Church. The Bride and her Bridegroom joined together in the most amazing secret mystery ever! This is the reason why marriage has been so maligned, distorted and attacked by the enemy. Let us do all we can to guard this relationship and nurture it as fully as we know how.

Marriage and Friendship

Intimacy

It was our wedding anniversary recently and we were reflecting on marriage and friendship.

I remember listening to a dear friend who married us 33 years ago, affectionately called Uncle Tom. He reminded us of the scripture ‘the two shall be as one’ and how true that has been as Jenny and I have shared our lives together over the last three decades through life’s challenges and blessings.

There are many aspects to any relationship that are appreciated but one in particular which we hold dear is our friendship. Without that bond of affection and heart joining between us we would be in a very different place today. We ‘like’ being together!

An important statement that forms the basis for our friendship is found in Ecclesiastes, “… A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (NLT)

This has helped us understand the nature of friendship in marriage and our experience together. That ‘threesome’ fellowship allows for intimacy to be experienced between us and is the basis of our union.

He is the foundation of marriage

That experience between Jenny and I has not always been problem-less but it has enabled us to share our lives safely with each other. We treasure that fellowship and continue to grow and experience Jesus’ amazing love as the foundation of our marriage. Allowing each other to be who we are gives the security that is needed to share honestly and openly. Being unafraid to share weakness and fear with each other as well as strengths is vital if we are to grow in that friendship.

Statements in Acts

If you read the statements in Acts relating to the ‘activity of the Holy Spirit‘ in an earlier post, you will notice how completely dependent the early believers were upon the person of the Spirit! Paul refers to it as, ‘the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.’

There are periods of unfolding revelation throughout The Book, as God reveals Himself to people as Father or Papa, Jesus the man and Spirit.

The revelation of God the Father throughout the OT is an awesome picture of majesty and power leading the people of God by fire and cloud with references of prophetic insight into the One who was yet to come, Jesus, who would be called Immanuel, God with us.

During Jesus’ time on earth He talks with the disciples about the One who is to come, ‘who will lead you into all truth.’ And, after his resurrection the Spirit becomes the person of the triune God at work within the Church.

These early believers were intoxicated  with the Holy Spirit and as a result experienced genuine intimacy with Him. It seems to me that this dependence upon His Presence was at the ‘heart’ of the early Christian Church and will be the key for us as well.

John Wesley died on 2 March 1791, in his eighty-seventh year. As he lay dying, his friends gathered around him, Wesley grasped their hands and said repeatedly, “Farewell, farewell.” At the end, he said “The best of all is, God is with us,” lifted his arms and raised his feeble voice again, repeating the words, “The best of all is, God is with us.”

Observations

I have observed over the years what it means to walk in a fresh and experiential relationship with the person of the Spirit. He frees us from who we were in order to show us who He wants us to become. The fresh fruit of his Spirit is evident in those lives that have chosen to walk this way in humble dependence.

If those early believers lived so fully in the sweet awareness of God’s Presence so that everything else seemed secondary, we can as well. It is the ‘heart’ of the early Church we are to desire.

As we look again at the early church there are signs of joy and freshness, devotion and purity, glory and awe flowing out of the people of His Presence.’ This fresh realization will dawn within our hearts that Jesus’ promise of  ‘Another ‘ to come alongside is being fulfilled in his Body – “But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

May we be encouraged to trust the living God to restore His Church in His way!

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”
— C.S. Lewis
“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
— C.S. Lewis