Christian Testimony presented by Rev. E. Anderson

December 3, 2007 at 9:55 pm (Christian Testimony)

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Mrs. Audrey Parry 

SPIRITUAL TENACITY 

It was whilst I was senior minister in the church in Denton, Manchester, in the 1960’s that a woman came along to our church. She had been to one of our special New Year Conventions and liked the fellowship enormously. She had two young children but she tenaciously came to our Sunday morning services on the bus regularly.

Audrey had a great desire for the Lord and was keen to serve Him in the best way she could. An older Christian couple that lived locally made a wonderful impact upon her life and nurtured her in every way possible causing her to spiritually grow and become committed to service for Him. She was impressed by the fact that they held children’s meetings in their home and felt it was a good ministry.

In early life, as a child, in Manchester she had been to a woman’s home who had done a similar thing.  It was birthed into her that her home in Hadfield, Glossop could be used to reach the boys and girls for Christ and so a successful outreach work was launched. 

Eventually Audrey was on the look-out for a building that could be obtained for planting a Christian congregation. There was a vacant one situated on Station Street owned by the Derbyshire County Council. Her older friends had tried to obtain it but the Council was not prepared to release or sell the property.

She brought the matter to the church at Denton and I to see if we could be more successful. I took on the responsibility of approaching the responsible authority and found that they were willing to respond to our request to purchase the said building. After negotiating with them, they sold it to us for 1,500 pounds. It was a leasehold property that was available for 99 years.  Some hard work was required in cleaning up the inside and outside and in 1967 the place was opened and sanctified as an Assemblies of God building known as Carmel Church.

The first minister was Rev. Fred Durrant, and along with his wife, laboured well in the area to give it a good start. It is now forty years since that took place and it is good to report that things are really going well in that little place in Derbyshire.

The church is now overseen by Rev. Robert and Joy Grahamslaw and along with other Christians are seeking to impact their community.  It was a special thrill and delight to go back to Hadfield on October 7th, 2007 because of a real special event. The people had been really busy in putting a new image on the premises and also extending it for greater usefulness.

What an amazing transformation has taken place in this connection which is a credit to all concerned and augurs well for the future! They have an excellent worship team and workers amongst the children and so things are set for great progress. It was a special joy to meet Audrey again after so many years and see her still keen for God.

The thought came home to me in that memorable service that we were there that day because the Lord had placed in the heart of this woman to commence an outreach ministry and to present to the church at Denton the fact of this unoccupied building. She was, of course, thrilled that day because of what her eyes were seeing. The truth of the promise came strongly to my spirit: ‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart’ – Psalm 37: 4.

What had seemed impossible had been brought to pass because a woman had been concerned and took the trouble to inform and bother her minister. Who knows what the Lord wants to originate in you! What dream does He will to birth and bring to pass in the course of your life-time?  He has not changed and He wills to unfold things to you and turn visions and hopes into glorious realities.       

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In Hindsight subscribed by Rev. David Hind

December 3, 2007 at 9:49 pm (In Hindsight)

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THE REMEMBER THING

By Rev. David Hind 

David is now the minister of trinity church Leicester and his articles have been greatly appreciated. 

When was the last time you simply lost yourself in Jesus? Maybe, for a moment, His grace and love and the hope for your future overwhelmed you. Perhaps you knelt down or jumped around the room, or quietly stood and met with Jesus. 

There have been times when I have stopped and realized that Jesus is the centre of my life. In these moments I can’t imagine what I would do without Him. He is beyond explanation and I need Him more than my breath. 

The following is a story from The Signature of Jesus by Brennan Manning: 

One summer in Iowa City, Iowa, I directed a five day retreat for a little group of Christians. The small number allowed for an unusual degree of dialogue, sharing and communion. 

One mid-thirtyish woman in the group was conspicuous by her silence. She was a slender, attractive nun, who neither responded, nor communicated with any of us. On the afternoon of the fourth day I invited each person to share what God had been doing in his or her life of the past few days.

After a couple of minutes silence, the nun, who I shall call Christine, reached for her journal and said, ‘Something happened to me yesterday, and I wrote it down. You were speaking of the compassion of Jesus. At the end of your talk you prayed that we might experience what you had just shared. You asked us to close our eyes. Almost the moment I did, something happened. In faith I was transported into a large ballroom filled with people. I was sitting by myself on a wooden chair, when a man approached me and took my hand and led me onto the floor. He held my arms and led me in the dance. The tempo of the music increased and we whirled faster and faster. The man’s eyes never left my face. His radiant smile covered me with warmth, delight, and a sense of acceptance. Everyone else stopped dancing. They were staring at us. The beat of the music increased as we pirouetted around the room in reckless rhythm. I glanced at my hands, and then I knew. Brilliant wounds of a battle long ago, almost like a signature carved in flesh. The music tapered to a slow, lilting melody, and Jesus rocked me back and forth. As the dance ended, He pulled me close to Him.

‘Do you know what He whispered?’ 

At this moment everyone in the chapel strained forward. Tears rolled down Christine’s cheeks. A full minute of silence ensued.

Her face was beaming and when she spoke, she said, ‘Jesus whispered to me, ‘Christine, I’m wild about you.’ “ 

       ·          In the busyness of life, take time to be with Him. 

       ·          In the pressure of schedules, don’t miss Him. 

       ·          In the desire for efficiency, don’t forget him. 

       ·          In the familiarity of faith, don’t take Him for granted.

 We need many things in life and above all of these we need Jesus. To touch Him and sense His presence sweeping over us is incomparable. 

He is wild about you!

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Word for the Week by Rev. Anderson

December 3, 2007 at 4:14 am (Word for the Week)

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Rev. E. Anderson

REST 

Very early in the Bible this word occurs and is related to an important event and experience that is of an abiding and instructive nature. After God had performed the great work of creation it affirms that He was pleased with His perfect and complete masterpiece and so rested. The next day was one of utter inactivity, where He simply did nothing, not that He was tired and worn out Himself, because He never wearies or tires – Isaiah 40: 28.

He may ceaselessly expend His energies and resources on an infinite scale but is never exhausted. But there He took time out and off to teach His finite creatures a vital lesson for their good. God simply stayed from work in order to show man the value of rest – the need in principle to work and act from a state of rest.

God is never in a condition of anxiety, fretfulness or frustration. He is always in a relieved spirit of being and performs from the position of strength. 

It was a directive given at the onset to man and further advanced and endorsed to Israel His special people – Exodus 20. They were to get this idea operative and learn the value of the Sabbath of rest in a powerful way. Even the land had to rest in the seventh year and from it a greater production ensued. So it was a wise and sensible directive from God. 

The idea of divine rest is set forth in that well-known Psalm 23 where it is affirmed that Jehovah the Shepherd causes His people to enter into a state of rest - ‘He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me by still waters’ – v2. This conveys the portrait that His sheep are to know a restful condition at all times because their great Shepherd watches over, cares and manages their whole life and future. They have no need to be anxious because all is taken care of. 

The invitation of Christ, the Good Shepherd, is to “Come unto Me and you find rest” - Matthew 11: 29, and in so doing people would find rest for their souls. It was and is to discover that true, real relief, rest and resourcefulness, at every level for life and living, is to be known only in and through Him. In accepting His leadership and life-style an individual enters into an experience of relief, resource and rest. Being lovingly yoked to Him brings these distinct advantages. 

There is the great discovery that there is a rest from the labour of sin and evil which creates an exhausted state of being. Such produces a guilty conscience and a fretful condition of condemnation and judgment. Sin has a way of bringing about the undoing of the mind and being. Because Christ has died for sin it is possible to rely and rest in His work of forgiveness and so be renewed to a beautiful accord with God and from this healthy position live and act in strength.

Christians are called upon to work from the divine Sabbath that is found in Christ our Rest. From this healthy and wholesome position the life one can enjoy and experience continual peace, balance, calm and confidence. As there is a constant co-relation and communion with Him then there will be the abiding influence of His presence, promises and power working daily and effectually so there will never be any need to be alarmed, frustrated and overwhelmed.

The rest of God is now yours. Make certain that it is at the core of your being and dictating life in everyway. 

‘Oh God! Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our souls are restless till they rest in Thee’ - Augustine 

PRAYER: ‘Thank you Father that you have made this provision for me in and through Christ. I cease from my own labours and works and live through grace and in-workings in me being and am at perfect rest’

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Extracts from Life afforded by Rev. E. Anderson

December 3, 2007 at 4:06 am (Extracts from Life)

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Rev. & Mrs. E. Anderson

EXTRACTS FROM LIFE 

When you have lived a considerable number of years in relationship with God one gathers a tremendous amount in testimony to God’s grace and goodness in life. One discovers that He does some amazing things with ordinary people and through the course of this page I would share some of the wonderful and interesting experiences He has wrought. And all is to His honour and glory.

THE GREAT TURNING POINT

Shortly after I was born in 1932, both my parents became Christians and so I was raised up in a God-fearing family. It consisted of three older brothers and a sister and a younger brother and sister.

My parents had all on to attend to our needs in our schooldays and entrance into adult life but they did their part well. Although they were very committed Christians they never coerced their offspring to become such. Of course, they set a fine example and encouraged their children in the best and wisest ways possible to know and follow Christ.

When my elder brothers and sister reached their teenage years and left school they decided to do their own thing. Instead of following down the track set by their elders, they chose to turn from church attendance and leave the things of God alone. In no way did they sneer and reject out-rightly the Lord but they felt the attractions of the world more inviting. Observing their procedure and sensing the pull myself on coming to those early, teenage years, I was determined to follow suit. At that time I was a keen sports-person , especially loving my football and cricket. It meant everything to me and so I was ready to cut my strings with Christianity.

But God had other ideas. In course of eighteen months He moved dramatically and dynamically in my home in a remarkable way. The turning point came with an amazing intervention of God.

One night my father summoned the family into his bedroom because of the physical condition of my mother. She looked dreadful and appeared to be at death’s door. As we looked her we questioned whether we would have a mum in the morning. For me, that was disturbing because she meant a great deal to me. We were saddened to see her in such a helpless condition and certainly we did not know much about prayer and the power of Jesus Christ at that time.

However, to our astonishment, an incredible presence came into that room and ministered to her in a remarkable manner. She received an immediate healing touch from the Lord and instead of being laid up as dead she was around the next morning beautifully and bountifully caring for her household. Great divine conviction came upon us all at that time which we could not altogether understand. She seemed to ooze the presence of God from that moment.

That incident became the immense switch around within the family in the ensuing months.My older brother and sister turned to Christ and I also. I was impacted by Christ and He not only forgave my sin, He made me His son and servant and gave me a life worth living. Instead of cutting out a course for myself He had something better in mind and has brought it all about. He was to challenge in a powerful manner my life and lifestyle and raise me to a level of trust and commitment to him and His cause.

The lasting effect of the Lord coming to my mother that night was that this happened in her forties but the Lord gave an additional forty years to her life! All my family went on to love and serve the Lord for decades. So idoes it last? Of course it does!                 

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