BBC X-Stream Blog

X-alt July 2011: Heroes of the Faith - Rahab

2011-07-11T11:52:00.000+01:00

As Hebrews 11 tells us, Rahab was a prostitute. Is this really what we've been building up to? How can a prostitute be a hero? Why is she even included in our list of heroes?

Her story is found in Joshua 2 and 6, and her faith is shown in the second part of verse 11. Because she had come to know that God rules the heavens above and the earth below, she realised that if she was to have a future she shouldn't stand in God's way. Because of this belief, she put her life on the line. That's faith in action! The book of James tells us that it was this faith being lived out that made her right with God.

As well as having great faith, she is included because she isn't one of God's people and because she was a prostitute. Basically, the message is that anyone can be used by God - despite their flaws. In fact, this is pretty much the summary of this whole series - you don't have to be perfect - God uses people despite their flaws! What is it that makes them heroes? Is it their great holiness or that their lives are sorted out? Apparently not! It's because God has done something great through them.

We should be encouraged that this means that God can use us despite our failings. If he can use someone involved in prostitution, then he can probably use us too! We can never be too bad for God.

That doesn't mean we should carry on sinning. Rahab's faith made her right with God. Sin stops people from being right with God. In James, Rahab's example is of faith in action, but faith that isn't lived is worthless. All this suggests that Rahab put prostitution behind her. Whilst God can use us when we sin, this will stop us being right with him, so we need God to help us work at being holy and pure.

To finish we read the rest of Hebrews 11. Verses 39-40 point us back to Jesus and the promises that are found in him- something better than what these heroes received. Forgiveness of sins, freedom to live, eternal life are all ours! Jesus will live within us by the Holy Spirit, and in that there is hope and purpose for us! The tales of adventure didn't end with those mentioned in Hebrews 11 - they continue with us! We need to know that no matter what anyone says, God can work in us and use us in amazing ways!

X-alt June 2011: Heroes of the Faith - The People

2011-06-15T15:31:00.000+01:00

Up until now we've been looking at some impressive individuals who did great things for God. But Hebrews 11 goes on to big up the people and to commend them for their faith.

Both stories that are mentioned - crossing the Red Sea and the walls of Jericho falling down - are about overcoming obstacles. If our God can deal with these, then he can deal with anything! Whatever the obstacles in our lives - whether physical, emotional, or spiritual - he can overcome them!

But we also need to remember that when they faced these things the people were together. When we face obstacles in our lives we should remember that we are part of a community. As Phil was saying last Sunday morning, we should bear one another's burdens and cast them onto Jesus.

We have a role to play in the obstacles that one another face. That's why it is so important to use spiritual gifts to encourage one another and pray together. We also need to be careful that we don't celebrate the wrong things - we should seek to spur one another on to great things, not to drag one another down into the gutter!

Together we can have faith that will see some amazing things happen! We're in this together!

X-alt May 2011: Heroes of the Faith - Moses

2011-05-09T17:08:00.001+01:00

The next hero mentioned in Hebrews 11 is Moses. You may have heard about him from films like this...

The problem is that the Hollywood image of Moses isn't what the Bible paints! Moses is not an action hero. He is basically a murderer who has been forgotten about, is getting on a bit, who can't speak clearly, and who makes excuses. If you played "Testament Trumps" like we did, the real Moses would be a card you only used if you had to! (Testament Trumps are available here for those of you who would like some).

Moses was an unlikely hero - he didn't have a whole lot to offer!

We read Exodus 3:1-14. The core of the teaching for this session was nicked from Louie Giglio's talk at Soul Survivor a few years back. If you want to borrow the DVD and hear the full thing then just ask!

Even though Moses had been forgotten about, God knew his name. Even when we feel insignificant and unimportant we need to remember he knows our name - we are not insignificant to him! Moses responds by saying "here I am" which is a pretty good response to make to God when you feel he is saying something to you!

God recaps the situation in Egypt with his people in slavery and says He's going to do something about it. He's going to take his people to a land that has everything they need - even though it was occupied by the "ites" who were basically the worst people on the planet. And then He drops a bombshell and says, "So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!"

When Moses points out that this is a bit beyond him, God simply says, "I will be with you". If you're not sure that you have what it takes to follow God then you need to know that God will be with you. Through faith in Christ He is with us by the power of the Holy Spirit. When God asks you to do something the wrong response is to ask "who am I?" Instead ask "are you going?", because if God is going there's nothing to worry about!

Until then God was generally known as the Most High God. He was far above and distant. Moses asks His name, and He reveals it to be "I Am". Or to give it the full version "I Am who I Am". This may seem weird, but it is God's name, and it says in verse 15 that this will be the name by which God will always be known.

It is amazing that we can be on first name terms with God! But if God is "I Am" then Moses is "I am not" - we share that name with him. Hello, "I am not", pleased to meet you!

I am not God. I am not in charge. I am not in control. I am not the owner of anything. I am not the centre of things. I am not the saviour or restorer or rebuilder or all wise or the solution or the deliver.

God can say: I Am God. I Am in charge. I Am in control. I am the owner of everything. I am the centre of all things. I Am the saviour. I Am the redeemer. I Am the restorer. I Am the rebuilder. I Am all wise. I Am the solution. I Am the deliverer.

Too often we get this mixed up and get our name wrong - when we think we are in control, or that we own something, or when we think it should all be about us, etc.

When we know we can't, we need to know that God can. We can control and manage things, rather than depending on God. But when we do get to a point of depending on him we can say this:

"I am not, but I know I Am.

I know, and hang out with, and talk to, and am on first name terms with I Am. What is there in your life that is greater than that?

Jesus revealed himself as I Am, and his promise is that by his Spirit he comes and lives inside of us.

I am not, but I know I Am and He lives in me! We need to remember that and live it too!

X-alt April 2011: Heroes of the Faith - Moses' Parents

2011-04-19T14:11:00.000+01:00

Hebrews 11 doesn't have all that much to say about Moses' parents, but they are still included as heroes of the faith!

When they hid Moses in the reeds of the Nile this was a desperate act (see Exodus 2)! What if the basket had developed a leak, or if there had been a rise in river level that washed him away, and what about these...

Even though they were desperate they had faith - they saw something about that baby that made them know that God had plans and purpose for him and they knew he would survive. Did they know that he would lead a nation and still be famous thousands of years after? Probably not! But their action was a faith filled response to God's leading - not knowing what would happen, but trusting God to come through for them.

It has been said that the safest place to be is in the centre of God's will. There is some truth in that, because being separated from God is a horrible place to be. It is also true though, that being in God's will is the most dangerous place to be! If we want to be at the centre of God's will we should expect it to be dangerous and scary at times! But we can be full of hope that even in the hardest times, God is with us and will eventually lead us to a place without pain or suffering, where we will dwell in his presence and know nothing but joy!

To get to that place we need to be desperate. We need to realise that there's nothing we can do to earn it. Our sin separates us from God, and what we deserve is for this separation to last for eternity.

At Easter we remember the story of Jesus dying on the cross. He is the supreme example of what it means to be at the centre of God's will and how dangerous that can be. Before he was arrested, we see a desperate man under so much stress that he sweated blood, asking his Father if there might be another way. But there was no other way, and Jesus was more concerned with doing his Father's will than playing it safe.

Jesus went to the Cross and died in our place, paying the penalty we deserve, so that we might live. This is the basis of our hope. We need to be desperate enough to throw ourselves on God's mercy to be saved - there is no other way, and we can't do it ourselves. Part of that involves letting Jesus be in control rather than us - then we will follow him into all sorts of adventures where we won't know what the outcome will be!

What we can see from Moses' parents, and from Jesus, is that when we follow God into desperate situations he will come through for us in spectacular ways!

Are you desperate for God? Will you follow him, no matter what desperate measures are required to do so? What is your hope for the future that will sustain you through the desperate times?

X-alt March 2011: Heroes of the Faith - Joseph

2011-03-21T16:10:00.000Z

We watched a clip from Toy Story 2 and considered the responses to the challenge of crossing the busy road. Apart from Buzz, they're all put off by it! Our response can be similar when confronted with obstacles. We can give up or let fear get the better of us. This is true in all sorts of ways - particularly with the promises God has made and the dreams he has given us. Joseph's story has something to say about all this.

I retold the story of Joseph was told using some images from the Brick Testament. You can find it, with all the additional pictures, here.

Joseph's life was a rollercoaster journey - full of ups and downs. Just as things are going well, it all falls apart. Where we might have given up, he keeps on going. I suggested the following lessons to bear in mind which can help us to persevere...

1. The importance of vision - even though he might not have been wise about how he shared his dreams with his family, he obviously knew God had special plans for him.

2. He didn't give up - even when things became ridiculously tough!

3. He was able to get to a point of seeing God at work in his circumstances - Genesis 50:20.

4. He knew that there was more to come - he had hope.

Hebrews 11:22 shines a bit of light on this last point. Even when he was getting ready to die, he knew that there was more to come. He knew that God's plans didn't end there, and he knew God's people would return to Israel. When that happened he wanted his bones to be taken and buried there.

We need to listen to God and what he has to say about our future - whether through dreams or other ways.

We need to keep going even when it is really tough - don't give up!

We need to understand that God can use all things for the good of us and others - even when we don't know where he is.

And we need to cling to the hope that there is more to this life than our current experience. In Jesus we have a hope for an eternal future with God, where we'll never have to wonder where God is because we'll be able to see him, and where there won't be hard times or evil.

To persevere through the hard times, we need to keep hold of all of these things.

The following video was used to consider our lives as a rollercoaster journey, and to give it all to God...

Rollercoaster

Sermonspice.com

See Details Buy Now

X-alt February 2011: Heroes of the Faith - Jacob

2011-02-14T16:48:00.000Z

Jacob was characterised by trickery and deceit - basically it was all about being in control.

Then God turns up and wrestles with him, and he's never the same again - read it here. His limp is a reminder of that, but so is the new name that God gives him: he is to be called "Israel". That is "God contends" or "God fights". No longer does he have to take things into his own hands, but he will know that God will fight on his behalf.

Hebrews 11 tells us that he blessed Joseph's sons and leaned on his walking stick and worshipped God. At the end of his life he passes on the promise that had been given to Abraham and passed onto him via Isaac. And he worships. One way of seeing worship is what happens when we know who we are, and in contrast also know who God is! Expressing that difference is worship! Passing the promise on, and worshipping show that he had accepted his new identity. And it was that faith which meant he could be included as a hero in the Hebrews 11 hall of fame!

We often have issues of control in our lives. We like to be in control in all sorts of ways - some serious, some not. Sometimes God wrestles with us about these things. When we find faith a struggle, when we have big questions to ask, when we know things are just not right - then we are wrestling. In those situations we need to let God use them to show us who we are and who he is. It's not easy, and it's not comfortable, and we'll never be the same!

The starting point in all this is to know that when we are in control of our lives rather than God, that is sin. When we sin, we step out of God's best for us and deserve death. But God came into the world as Jesus, died in our place on the cross, and rose again defeating sin and death. At the cross, God fought for you and won!

There's nothing we can do to earn the salvation that comes through this - it is God's gift to us which we can only surrender to and receive with his help. Whilst we can't earn it, we can still respond to his love and grace by saying sorry, changing the direction of our lives, and living for him (all with his help).

Having a God who fights on our behalf doesn't take away our responsibility. We are still responsible for how we live. But we know we have the Almighty Warrior God on our side who will help us, and lead us, and fight for us. We need to let him be in control, rather than trying to control things ourselves! That's not easy, and at times will be hard to get our heads around what he wants us to do, but it will be worth it!

Soul Survivor 2011 Promo Video!

2011-01-12T15:04:00.001Z

Get your forms and deposits to me by 27th January for the first discount!

X-alt January 2011 - Heroes of the Faith - Isaac

2011-01-12T14:59:00.001Z

Isaac - Powerful Heroes

I shared about the adverts I used to see in comics as a kid that had Charles Atlas promising he could make me strong!

Charles Atlas was willing to share his secrets (for a price) but what about Isaac? You can read this part of his story here. He had it all - success, power, wealth, and a beautiful wife. In fact he became so powerful that people envied him and eventually asked him to move elsewhere because they were threatened by him!

Throughout the passage we can see the secret of Isaac's success - God was with him and blessed him. It wasn't Isaac - it was God who brought the success!

So is this a recipe for wealth, success, power, etc.? If we are obedient to God, does that automatically mean these things for us too?

Returning to Hebrews 11, which we are basing our series on, we read that, "It was by faith that Isaac blessed the future of Jacob and Esau". You can read that story by reading from Genesis 25 and 27.

As far as Isaac was concerned he blessed the wrong person! He didn't know God's broader purposes and plans. But he did pass on the promise that had been given to Abraham and then to him, and so he is commended for his faith!

For all his success, things didn't work out for Isaac as he expected them to. This is a reminder to us that there's not a straightforward formula for God blessing us with the things that people like to be blessed with. God treats us according to his larger purposes and plans - and that may involve him doing things we don't expect or like.

But we can be sure that there is power available to us as God's people. Christ's power can live in us and we receive this when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

This power enables us to be saved, to proclaim the good news to others, to perform miracles, to be freed from sin, to be protected from evil, to pray, to be changed and made holy, to keep going, to have inner strength, to be alive in Christ, and to have hope. And that's by no means an exhaustive list!

If you want to know God’s power at work in your life, you need to put your faith in him – to trust him – and to understand that Jesus’ death on a cross and coming back to life has made it possible for you know him.

Then we all need to be filled with his Holy Spirit again and again - so we can experience God's power at work within us and through us! All glory, honour and power are his!

X-alt December 2010 - Heroes of the Faith

2010-12-13T15:51:00.002Z

Obedient Heroes - Abraham and Sarah

At X-alt last night we took a look at the lives of Abraham and Sarah and the incredible obedience they showed - even when it took 25 years for them to see any part of the promise being fulfilled!

Really, we just told the story, so there's not much else to say here! Here are the passages we read if you want to look them up yourselves:

Abraham and Sarah are a great example of what God requires of us. They trusted him and obeyed - even when they didn't know what he was doing. As God promised, Abraham did become a father of kings. In fact, one of his descendents was Jesus - the King of kings! Who knows what great things our obedience to God will lead to in the future!

I also showed this video...

Remember to nurture your plants as a symbol of how you have committed to nurture your faith and obedience. It is faithfulness in the small things that leads onto the bigger stuff!

Caring for your Flame Dancers!

2010-12-12T21:52:00.000Z

If you've been at X-alt this evening you will hopefully have got your pot, compost, and seeds home in one piece!

The idea is to nurture them until you achieve something like this...

They are Coleus Flame Dancers.

The first thing you need to do is water them well - get the compost nice and wet but not so much that the pot stands in water.

You can leave it in the bag which will help keep some of the moisture and warmth in.

Place it on a windowsill, but make sure that it doesn't get too cold. It might be an idea to bring it into the room when you close the curtains.

Keep it moist.

You may see seedlings in 14-28 days, but it might take a bit longer.

When they become large enough to handle they need to be transplanted to 15cm (6") pots and kept in a light, airy location.

Any questions - ask someone who knows something about plants - maybe John Ingrey - but certainly not Nicky or Bongo!

Happy nurturing - remember to nurture your faith at the same time!

A proper X-alt blog will follow in the next couple of days!

X-alt November 2010 - Heroes of the Faith - Noah

2010-11-15T12:01:00.003Z

We all know the story of Noah don't we? But sometimes we have a bit of a cutesy picture of it! Animals, boats, rainbows! We tend not to focus on the terrible bits - the fact that every living thing (apart from those on the ark or which lived under water) was wiped out!

Noah is described as a "righteous" man and 'an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith'. Righteousness is about being and doing right, it's about acting in a fair and right way, it's about being pure and holy, and not being evil. Surely, only God can manage to be righteous?

In contrast, the world is full of people who are evil and vicious and corrupt. It's because he is righteous that he is able to judge fairly - and that's what he does when he floods the earth - however harsh that might seem. Any who don't live up to God's perfect standard deserve to be wiped out (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23).

Noah was considered righteous and was saved along with his family and a boat full of animals! The theme of Noah and God's judgement is picked up in the New Testament in 2 Peter 2, and it speaks of the judgement that is to come. We read 2 Peter 2:5 and also verses 9-10. We should be encouraged that this tells us that the Lord is able to save 'those who serve him when troubles come'. In the following chapter we read of the challenges believers will face, and then in light of that we are to 'live holy lives and serve God' as we await his return.

This is scary stuff - especially when the standard is a life of holiness and service! Even Noah messed up when he got completely blotto!

But Noah was 'an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith'. That inheritance isn't earned, but is generously given undeservedly, because he trusted God. For us to be righteous is to be made right with God. We need to have faith because we can't do that ourselves. The only perfectly righteous person was Jesus. When we put our faith in him we are made righteous in him. When we are in him, God looks at us and sees Jesus' perfect righteousness. We don't deserve it, but we can inherit it!

God's judgement is scary, but we can take encouragement from the fact that God knows how to save us, and he has done it through Jesus who paid the penalty we deserve for our unrighteousness by dying on the cross. He did this because he loves us. His death means life for us - we simply need to trust in him!

To put your trust in him see the steps-to-peace.

X-alt October 2010 - Heroes of the Faith: Enoch

2010-10-11T10:37:00.000+01:00

It doesn't take long to read Enoch's story - as you can see here!

Hebrews 11 which we're basing the Heroes of the Faith series on also fills in some details.

At last night's X-alt the response to what stands out about Enoch's story was what I suspected it might be! The fact he was taken to heaven without dying is rather eye-catching! The problem with this is that we end up missing the rest of the story...

It is actually quite amazing that he lived for 365 years - and walked with God for that time. Hebrews 11 expands on what that means and tells us that he was a man who truly pleased God, and that to please God requires faith because without faith no-one can please him.

I mentioned the thing I've heard where people have said the role of the church is to help people to die well - as if all that is important is the end of life and what happens next - whether we go to heaven or hell. I hope you will all die well - knowing that Jesus is your Lord and that he has saved you, and that you have hope for ewternity with him. But just to focus on this is to make the same error as with Enoch's story. We shouldn't focus on the end and miss the present! I hope that you will die well when the time comes, but that you will also live well - finding meaning and purpose in following Jesus and that you'll live lives full of him and all that he has to offer. I hope you will live faith filled lives that are pleasing to God, and that you'll walk with him for the whole of your lives - even when things are hard and painful, and you feel like giving up.

Book of Eli - SPOILERS!

We watched a clip from the film the Book of Eli - his dying prayer following 30 years of carrying the last copy of the Bible across America on a mission God has told him to do. The film isn't for the faint hearted and shows his violent struggle to get it to a place where the Bible can be copied and printed. Having finally completed his mission he prayes the following prayer as he dies...

"Dear Lord, thank you for giving me the strength and the conviction to complete the task you entrusted to me. Thank you for guiding me straight and true through the many obstacles in my path. And for keeping me resolute when all around seemed lost. Thank you for your protection and for your many signs along the way. Thank you for any good that I may have done. I'm so sorry about the bad. Thank you for finally allowing me to rest. I'm so very tired. But I go now to my rest, at peace, knowing that I have done right with my time on this earth. I fought the good fight. I finished the race. I kept the faith."

This character was someone who when he reached the end of his life, was able to look back knowing he had done what he was supposed to do. The whole of our lives matter to God - this life and the next!

I finished by reading from Romans 12:1-2. Here's how it reads in The Message...

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

X-alt September 2010 - Heroes of the Faith: Abel

2010-09-16T11:37:00.001+01:00

We have started our series looking at the heroes of Hebrews 11 with the story of Cain and Abel. You can read the Bible passages here: Genesis 4:1-16 and Hebrews 11:1-4.

We went on to look at how Abel offered the better sacrifice, and what that meant. The answers included giving our best to God, and that our motivation and attitude are right.

Many of the things we don't like about worship are actually more to do with us than God. But isn't worship supposed to be for him? It's hard when we come back from an big summer event like Soul Survivor to our little church in Biggleswade. I showed a video of Martyn Layzell talking about what happened a while ago at the Soul Survivor church in Watford. This is a different video which covers the same story...

Martyn Layzell's comment was that worship is only as good as the worshippers. We all have a responsibility to bring something to it, to be passionate for God, and to worship from the heart. If we can crack that, then whilst our worship in Biggleswade will be different to what we experience at Soul Survivor, it will still be just as epic!

Sexuality, porn and masturbation!

2010-07-22T17:39:00.001+01:00

Last week at X:Cell we were talking about sexuality. This might be a good follow on (especially for the guys). You might want to think carefully about playing this in front of your parents unless you want an awkward conversation!

The guys who put this together did so to try and make light of a serious topic, in the hope it would encourage people to talk about it. It takes a lot of guts to mention it to someone else, but maybe talking about the video first makes it a bit easier!

In the meantime, this online book is quite good and down to earth about this and other related issues!

http://relit.org/porn_again_christian/

The xxxchurch.com site also has useful resources - why not take a look!

X-alt July 2010

2010-07-12T10:58:00.003+01:00

The Adventure of Following Jesus

Our year of themes picked by you for X-alt ended last night with the theme of adventure. Although it doesn't use the word, the Bible is full of adventure. We looked at Luke 9:1-6 as an example. The disciples were dropped in the deep end to go and preach the good news and heal the sick without even the basics to survive. I'd have found it hard to trust them to go and buy a pint of milk from the corner shop - never mind entrusting them with something so important! And this wasn't just a day or two - they went to all the towns and preached and healed everywhere. It must have been quite an adventure!

Your adventure may be like this, or it may be different. It may involve going to the ends of the earth or living in Biggleswade. Whatever it is, it will be challenging and hard, and sometimes scary. It will also not be understood by some. But it will be exciting and your life and the lives of others will be transformed through it!

In the adventure God has called me on I have had bricks and bottles thrown at me, I have been spat at and threatened, I have had people try and burn my clothes with cigarettes, I have been mocked. Even some members of my own family have suggested that I have been brainwashed. These are not things that I enjoy!!! But what sort of adventure would it be without a few scrapes and close shaves?

We went on to watch this video...

When was the last time you were astonished and afraid of what God was doing? When was the last time that following Jesus meant you were astonished and afraid?

Will you enter in to the adventure of following Jesus? Will you go for it even when you are astonished and afraid? Will you be like Sam and take the step that takes you the furthest away from home you’ve ever been? Will you be like Lucy and go through the wardrobe into Narnia? Will you be like Alice stepping through the looking glass? Will you be like Luke and leave your old life behind? Will you be like Neo and take the red pill?

Following Jesus is a greater adventure than any you watch on the screen, because it’s an adventure for you to live.

X-alt May 2010

2010-05-10T13:13:00.001+01:00

Death and Bereavement

Not the jolliest of subjects this month, but at least we were able to laugh at some of the Darwin Awards stories in our game where we had to guess who ended up dead and who stayed alive:

Wrong Time, Wrong Place
Repairs on the Road
Workin' at the Car Wash
Warm Snakes
Hammer Head
Macho Men

For more visit the Darwin Awards web site!

It may be that you've never experienced someone dying and the grief that goes with it. Grief comes when we lose something or something is taken from us, and so it can be experienced because of other things. For example: divorce, abuse, moving house, friends moving away, or failing exams. This session focused on death, but it might be that there is stuff here to help with other things too!

We watched a clip from the film Bucket List - a story of 2 men with a few months left to live who make a list of things to do before they kick the bucket. We talked about things we might like to see or do before we die, and about the attitudes to death shown by the characters in the film.

Paul read out the passage - John 11:1-44.

This tells us some important things about Jesus and his approach to death...

1. Even people Jesus cared about died. For reasons that only become clearer later, the best thing was for Lazarus to die! Jesus didn't let his love for people stop him from doing the right thing.

2. Jesus didn't rush to see him. Like the other people in the story, we might not understand why Jesus takes so long about something. Why didn't he act sooner? When someone dies we also might like to ask "why?", but it still may be unclear. Sometimes God's timing in situations is a mystery to us and might not be what we expect.

3. Jesus could have stopped Lazarus from dying. But he didn't because he knew what God the Father was up to! Often we don't have such a clear understanding - sometimes we just don't understand.

4. Jesus experienced grief. Even though he knew he was going to raise Lazarus, he was still emotional. He wept, and also got angry (this isn't very clear in the English translation). He wasn't just upset, he was furious - because Jesus hates death and what it does to people. Death isn't what God wants for people, but even when he offers people life they often still choose death.

In response to death we can experience many different reactions. It isn't a neat package that you go through, but it is important to stop and think how grief may be affecting you and give time and space to work it out. It may be that you need some support from someone else (like Bongo and Nicky) or some more in-depth counselling. Just remember that in working it through this story tells us of how Jesus comes into the situation alongside you and shares in your grief - he is right there with you in it.

5. Jesus has defeated death. Raising Lazarus from the dead was a sign that Jesus is "the resurrection and the life" - and that isn't life at the end of time, but life right now. When Jesus was crucified, he rose again - showing his absolute defeat of the power of death. We can share in his victory by putting our faith in him.

We might not know what will happen to someone when they die. They may have put their trust in Jesus, they may not have. We don't know what might go on with someone in their last moments of life. We need to try and trust God that he will do the right thing, whether that be welcoming people into his presence or sending them away from him to hell. That's not easy, but is also about trusting him.

But we can be sure of where we stand and what will happen to us. Jesus offers us life, and if we accept his offer and put our trust in him we will be saved and receive eternal life.

Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die. And everyone who believes in me will never die. Martha do you believe this?"

What about you? Do you believe it? And if so what do you need to do about it?

X-alt April 2010

2010-04-12T12:59:00.001+01:00

Sacrifice?

Sacrifice isn't really an idea that fits in with our culture. Generally speaking we like comfort and happiness, and sacrifice is so unusual that it is news worthy when it happens! Perhaps that's why it came as a surprise to me when the young people said they wanted to think about the Old Testament sacrificial system as the theme for an X-alt!

In the Old Testament of the Bible sacrifices were offered to God.
They start early in the Bible (Genesis 4)
God included them in the Law
They could be animal or non-animal (e.g. vegetable)
They were burnt whole or in part
They were gifts to God
Sacrifices had a personal cost and choice involved
Animals represented the individual or community
Blood was significant for atonement (at-one-ment)
They were usually for dealing with sin, but did have other uses

The problem is that this became a bit like the clip we watched from Groundhog Day - an endless cycle - because an animal was never considered to be of equal value to the person it was representing and people kept on sinning.

We then read from Hebrews 10.

What this is basically saying is that Jesus' death was a sacrifice that was so perfect that no more is needed. His sacrifice did what no animal sacrifice could do - it made it possible for our sins to be forgiven. Amazingly, this sacrifice costs us nothing, even though we could never pay for it - it is a gift of God's grace.

Our response is surrender to him and to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5). These don't earn us anything, but are a response of love to the one who first loved us. We looked at some references which talk about these spiritual sacrifices...

Romans 12:1 - offer our bodies/ourselves as living sacrifices
2 Corinthians 2:15 - witnessing and evangelism
Philippians 2:17 - laying down your life for the sake of the gospel
Philippians 4:18 - gifts to help ministry (e.g. financial offerings at church)
Hebrews 13:15-16 - sacrifice of praise, doing good, sharing with others
Revelation 5:8, 8:3 - prayer

What do they look like in your life?

Delirious? History Maker - number 4 in the charts!

2010-04-04T20:14:00.001+01:00

X-alt March 2010

2010-03-14T20:10:00.001Z

Stressed!

This month's X-alt was looking at issues of stress and pressure. We began with adding up stress points (based upon the Holmes and Rahe stress scale - in case you want to know!). We discussed how stress can make people ill, and how it might affect us.

We looked at how some people from the Bible responded to stressful situations and what we could learn from them:

We finished off by looking at Philippians 4:4-7 which tells us:

Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy.
Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon
Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (New Century Version)

And then we spent some time in silence - praying. Asking God to help us with the stresses and pressures we face, giving them to him, listening to what he had to say, and receiving God's peace. This peace isn't just about things being quiet and relaxed - it is peace that is about flourishing in every area of our lives. Receive it and enjoy it and share it with others!

X-alt February 2010

2010-02-14T22:02:00.002Z

It Must Be Love!

X-alt was a bit different this month with us trying it out in the main meeting area instead of the back hall. It was also different because we separated the guys and the girls! This was to allow some honest discussion about what the top 10 things that go towards making a "perfect" guy/girl are. There were also some statements to respond to and this is what we found...

According to the girls:
1. Most guys have no clue about how to act in front of girls they like.
67% TRUE           33% FALSE
2. Most guys expect girls to kiss them if they spend money on them or give them a little attention.
73% TRUE           17% FALSE
3. Most guys will stop being interested or drop you if you don’t give them what they want physically.
47% TRUE           53% FALSE
4. Most guys want you to be interested in what they do but don’t care much about girls’ interests.
67% TRUE           33% FALSE
5. Most guys couldn't care less if girls are smart or dumb, as long as they’re good looking.
67% TRUE           33% FALSE
6. Most guys will hang out with friends instead of girls they like (unless the guys are trying to establish
the relationship).
87% TRUE           13% FALSE
7. Most guys are naturally romantic.
27% TRUE           73% FALSE
8. Most guys will brag to other guys about what they do with their girlfriends.
53% TRUE           47% FALSE
9. Most guys try too hard to impress girls.
47% TRUE           53% FALSE
10. Most guys don’t have a clue about how girls think or feel.
73% TRUE           17% FALSE

According to the guys:

1. Most girls aren’t happy unless they have boyfriends.
63% TRUE           37% FALSE
2. Most girls will go out with guys they don’t really like if the guys invite them to places the girls really
want to go.
25% TRUE           75% FALSE
3. When on a date, most girls expect a guy to open doors for them, pull out their chairs for them at the
table, and so on.
63% TRUE           37% FALSE
4. Most girls have no idea how boring it is for guys to go shopping with them.
56% TRUE           44% FALSE
5. Most girls who dress sexy know they’re sending a message to guys about what they’re willing to do
physically.
56% TRUE           44% FALSE
6. Most girls will dump guys if other guys with more money come along.
13% TRUE           87% FALSE
7. Most girls share their secrets with their friends.
94% TRUE           6% FALSE
8. Most girls expect way too much from guys they date in high school.
63% TRUE           37% FALSE
9. Most girls worry too much about their weight and their looks.
88% TRUE           12% FALSE
10. Most girls have no idea how a guy thinks.
88% TRUE           12% FALSE

These interesting results and the top 10s we made reveal something of our expectations. We looked at 1 Corinthians 13 and thought about what this has to say about these things.

There is a danger that we have such high expectations that we can never commit to anyone in case someone better comes along. Another danger is that we expect so much of others, and they of us, that it puts our relationships under too much pressure. When it comes to our deep needs, only God can meet them - we will get into trouble if we try and get someone else to meet them. But if we're secure in God who loves us perfectly, and know that he is at work in us, then we can grow in love.

1 John 4:19 says, "we love because God first loved us". We need God's love if we are going to love.

As an act of response to this message we looked again at 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. We cut out heart shapes and wrote on them one aspect of love where we need God to help us develop. We took these to put them somewhere to remind us to keep on asking God to do this.

Soul Survivor 2010

2010-01-10T21:52:00.001Z

We're off to week A in Stafford again this year. Here's the vid - for more info see Bongo!

X-stream January 2010

2010-01-10T21:32:00.002Z

Unpopular?

Welcome to a new year and new decade! We start it all off with a follow up to last month's X-alt. Then we thought about fame and popularity, tonight we looked at being unpopular.

All of us will be unpopular at some point, for some reason. Being unpopular means to be:

As popular as a skunk at a Sunday School picnic
As popular as a tanning salon in the desert
As popular as a turd in a punchbowl
As popular as a fart in a lift
As popular as a plaster in the swimming pool
As popular as a wet dog at a wedding

Jesus also had strong words about what it means to be unpopular - Luke 6:22-23 and Luke 21:8-19.

Did Jesus really mean "All people will hate you because of me"?

We looked at the some of the things that Josh has drawn to our attention about Christians who are being persecuted in Eritrea. Release have been running a campaign which you can learn more about here. This is the video we watched:

We also watched a clip from the film King Arthur and discussed making a stand for what we wholeheartedly believe in. Jesus reminds us that persecution is something we will face, but it's just a part of history and history will pass - the end will come. We look forward to a heavenly reward, and this should be a source of joy when things are tough. Our faith will save us - we will receive eternal life. We are part of an epic story bigger than time itself!

But it's not just all about the future. The passages we are looking at promise God's blessing when bad things happen to us. God will be with us and will provide us with what we need to stand for him. That's why we don't need to worry about the great Dr. Pepper question - "What's the worst that can happen?"

Having said all that, the epic story of following Jesus may be at great cost to us. It's a serious business - we can't follow him lightly. People may well hate us and persecute us. How will we respond if we are faced with the sort of persecution faced by people in countries like Eritrea?

X-alt December 09

2009-12-16T17:01:00.000Z

Fame and Popularity

December's X-alt was a bit different because of my bad throat! X:Cell did a lot to make the evening work, and we spent a lot more time talking about things at tables.

We looked at celebrity magazines and each table chose a celebrity to focus on. We went on to look at four people the Bible describes as "famous". These were: Joshua, David, Solomon and Uzziah, and we compared their fame to that of the celebrities we identified earlier.

We didn't want to leave it there though, and so we spent a bit of time thinking about why people want to be popular, and how popularity can be used for good.

To finish the evening, we decided to turn our attention away from people and onto God - the ultimate celebrity. We considered how adverts for films, music, etc. will often have one or two word quotes from reviews praising the people involved and the finished product. We stuck pieces of A4 on the cupboards with a few words describing our thoughts on God. These were the responses in no particular order...

Faithful
All knowing
Forgiving
Absolutely thoroughly amazing
Awesomeness
Lovely
You are the best
Good!
Everfaithful, neverfailing
Merciful
Beyond description
Saviour of the World
Precious
Defender
The ultimate story of love
Stunning
Superb
Loving
Awesome
Merciful
King
The Truth
Saviour
Good
Amazing
Lord of lords
Great role model
Always humble
Unchanging
Treats all poeople with respect and kindness
Love
God is popular and famous for his miracles and his sacrifice on the Cross!
True to his Word
You remain the same... King of kings
Caring
Amazing
WonderfulLovely
Special
Legend
Cool
Awesome
Loving
Helpful
Caring
Wonderful
Loving
Special
The best
Amazing

All these things and there weren't very many of us there!!!

Join the Push for the Pool!

2009-11-26T11:43:00.000Z

At the weekend, those of us who were at the Youthwork conference heard about the Stop Aids Campaign's work to get big medicine companies to work together to make treatment available to poor people. To find out more and join the campaign, go to their site here.

You can also watch this video...

Young Hooligan!

2009-11-10T12:12:00.000Z

The disgraceful anti social behaviour of this youngster was recently drawn to my attention.

If you see him, I suggest you perform an immediate citizens arrest!