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Lent

Exploring Faith, Hope & Love

by Rene Lafaut July 30, 2020

written by Rene Lafaut

How do we grow in love? By imitating God’s love. But we can be confused about what God’s love looks like. This happens due to jaded loyalties, private pet theories, blind spots, laziness, self-pity, and angry pressure. In this video, I take a look at love as presented in my book called: Exploring Faith Hope & Love.

This book gives inspiration, direction, and hope when it comes to active love… not just plain words. I am not an expert when it comes to love. But I have been around the block enough times to know I don’t always have it together. So I take Jesus seriously at His words because I’ve tasted of His love for me, His truth that sets me free, and how caring He is towards all humanity.

The Dream

A long time ago I had a dream of a small battleship. It was made of grey metal, cold guns and it lacked perspective, scope, and warmth. It was me. Because I saw the Scriptures as my tools, sword, ammunition, guns, and mechanisms to dissect other people’s world views and somehow help them agree with my version of the Gospel of Jesus’ Christ. Jesus was slowly showing me that this approach does not work.

The Gospel is about love, joy, peace, forbearance, goodness, and faithfulness. It is about warmth, kindness, patience, self-control, and care. My steel ship lacked these and acted more like a wall than a bridge inviting people to taste the goodness of Jesus within me. It was a long path to dismantle this war boat. It was a painful process but well worth it.

The Christian life is not about the ten – second prayer that sets everything right. It is a journey, not a pit stop. We will do well to learn from each other how to repent from sin, how to learn the ways of Jesus, and how to grow in love.

Faith, Hope, & Love The Book

If you are interested in more of this topic, you will find it in my book called Exploring Faith Hope & Love available in paperback or eBook formats in the Amazon Kindle bookstore, or your local book store.

July 30, 2020 0 comments

Faith

40 Day Challenge Day #40 – Rising To The Challenge

by Navigator Jo April 8, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

We have considered what it might look like to authentically follow the person of Jesus Christ and how that differs from adherence to the Christian religion. Jesus is alive and well! Jesus did us the massive favour by returning to His Father in order that Holy Spirit could be released to us. It’s time to start rising to the challenge!

John 14: 16-17 – “I will ask the Father and He will send you another, the Holy Spirit, who will be a friend to you just like Me – and He will never leave you. The world won’t receive Him because they can’t see Him or know Him. But you know Him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you.”

John 16:7 – “Here is the truth: it is to your advantage that I (Jesus) go back to the Father, for if I don’t go away the Divine Encourager will not be released to you. But after I depart He will be sent to you. When he, the revelation giving Spirit comes He will unveil the reality of every truth within you.”

Rising To The Challenge

It is the person of Holy Spirit living inside us that enables us, despite our human imperfections, to be and do as Jesus did when He lived on earth. It’s Him that gives us the option to live out a dynamic life of discipleship. Everything else flows from, and is subject to, this residence of the Divine in our spirit.

This is where intimacy with God is birthed. It’s where identity is discovered. This is where revelation is given. It’s where destiny is found. This is where God shares secrets. It’s the place from which our mind is renewed. This is where love flourishes. It’s where discernment is matured. The results are holiness, reverence and unity. This where peace emanates from. It’s where ego and performance die. And it’s how and where the soul and body are held in ‘check’.

As followers of Jesus, all of this is fully and freely accessible. God knows us. It is His heart’s desire. God places not limit on how much we can have. Any limitation is on our part not His.

The Challenge

The challenge is to push beyond information, theory, head knowledge and certitude into a personal, vibrant, relational, and powerful, spirit led reality.

Forget much of what you have ‘learned’ and engage with the culture of Heaven. Subject the theology you hold dear to the revelation and teaching of Holy Spirit – He’s so trustworthy.

The invitation we have been given is to share the ‘fellowship’ that endlessly flows in the Trinity. Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit have made room for you to be inside that incredible oneness that they share.

The question is, will you accept that invitation without reservation?

– Navigator Jo

April 8, 2020 0 comments

Faith

40 Day Challenge Day #37 – Spiritual Vitality

by Navigator Jo April 7, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honourable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. Fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.” – Philippians‬ ‭4:8

How can we ‘take thoughts captive?’ What do we do to ‘keep our eyes on Jesus?’ How do we ‘overcome?’ How do we go from ‘one degree of glory to another?’ Can we ‘defeat sin and temptation?’ How do we ‘sit with Jesus in heavenly places?‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ These quotes from the Bible are familiar enough and we probably think we understand what they mean and how amazing their truth is. However, the question is, are they in any way real and visible in our everyday life. Are they part of our personal reality?

Jesus Is The Way

They are all attainable because they are part of what Jesus bought on the cross and what He invites us to experience. It’s time to be honest; otherwise we are just kidding ourselves and others.

God is calling us to break through into a new place of ‘knowing’ Him where these things become our daily experience.

Where To Begin

We want to do them all but where do you begin? Whilst there are practical disciplines and habits we can employ to help us, the shift only happens from a place of ‘abiding’, entwinement, stillness and intimacy with God. As we often don’t really perceive the value of this place of abiding, it can be something of a slow process. (Although it does appear that trials, suffering, loss and pain can be accelerators of it!).

The main commodity that needs to be initially invested is time – both quality and quantity. This is given not from any sense of duty or obligation but from a place of hunger and longing.

One key ‘shift’ on this journey to a new reality is to restore the place of our ‘spirit’ and bring our soul (mind, emotions and will) and our body under its authority. A mind that is renewed from the spirit (small‘s’) can perceive and understand in a different way, provided, of course, that Holy Spirit resides in that spirit.

Renewed Thoughts

It’s time to renew your mind with revelation. Be transformed as you embrace the glorious Christ within you and live in complete union with Him! God has re-created you all over again in His perfect righteousness. Now you belong to Him in the realm of true holiness (Ephesians 4:23-24).

– Navigator Jo

40 Day Challenge Day #35 – Living & Written Word

by Navigator Jo April 5, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

God’s Living Word is Jesus and the written Word is the Bible. It’s vital to distinguish between the two and ensure that we follow a person not a book. Having the second without the first is a miserable and self-delusional existence that leads to a dry place.

The Bible

The Bible only makes sense if the author is present when you read or study it. Giving pre-eminence to the Bible instead of God is idolatry!

Information alone is insufficient to be a mature follower of Jesus. If you don’t experience the reality of what you read, then reading it serves very little purpose and can delude you to think you know more than you do!

“You search and keep on searching and studying the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and yet it those very scriptures that testify about Me.” – John 5: 39

“Even when they see what I do, they will not understand, and when they hear what I say, they will learn nothing.” – Mark 4: 12

“We speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words revealed to us by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit- taught words.” – 1 Corinthians 2:13

The Church has placed the book above the author for way too long and it’s time to allow the Living Word to be the head of His body.

The Living Word

Jesus was the fulfillment of the written word and His voice must be heard again.

“Jesus began speaking to them: Today this scripture has been made manifest in your hearing and in your presence.” – Luke 4: 21

Ask yourself these questions: Does my doctrine and Bible knowledge define and limit my relationship with God? Or does my relationship with God shape, rearrange and enhance my understanding of the Bible?

Ask Holy Spirit if he agrees with your answer!

– Navigator Jo

40 Day Challenge Day #34 – Active Peace

by Navigator Jo April 4, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

In times of crisis (when we are under pressure) you discover what is real (or just conceptual), what your actual default posture is (not the one you project for others to see) and to what extend knowing Jesus changes how you perceive and handle that crisis.

Looking To Jesus In Times Of Crisis

As we explore what it means to authentically follow the example of Jesus, we need to look at how he handled and postured himself in times of crisis.

“Suddenly a violent storm developed, with waves so high the boat was about to be swamped. Yet Jesus continued to sleep soundly. The disciples woke him up and said, save us Lord! We’re going to die! Jesus reprimanded them: Why are you so gripped with fear? Where is your faith?” – Matthew 8:24-26

In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus took Peter, James and John aside and said to them, “My heart is overwhelmed and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Then he walked a short distance away, and overcome with grief, He threw himself face down on the ground and said, “My Father, if there is any way you can deliver me from this suffering, please take it from me.” (Matthew 26:37- 46) He prayed that prayer another twice before leaving that place.

This was agony of the soul, the most intense emotions and yet His response came from His spirit – all that ultimately mattered was accomplishing and collaborating with the will of His Father.

How Did Jesus Handle It?

Read the account of Jesus grief and intense emotion at the grave of his friend Lazarus (John 11). Despite the intense emotions that He felt, His response came from His spirit.

It’s beyond dispute that Jesus experienced crisis, trauma, and pain more than most. Yet it’s clear that His default position was residing in and emanating from His spirit.

Overcoming

Does this give us a key to how we too, can avoid being overcome by times of crisis? Is our ‘default’ firmly rooted in our spirit? Do we allow our mind, body or emotions to silence our ‘spirit? The goal here isn’t to minimises or belittle the reality of how we think and feel in a time of crisis. However, it does show the way to be an overcomer.

Peace is not simply the absence of trouble, but the real and active presence of the Shalom that Jesus gave us.
The living and active peace of Jesus changes everything if we allow it to!

Be honest, is this kind of peace a theological concept or a personal reality for you?

– Navigator Jo

April 4, 2020 0 comments

Faith

40 Day Challenge Day #22 – Humility

by Navigator Jo March 21, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

Being humble is not adopting the position of a doormat to be walked all over by other people. If you treat others like that, or others treat you like that, neither are expressions of anything approaching humility. Of course we do need healthy boundaries in our life to prevent this situation occurring, both to and from us.
In many ways, humility is the opposite of pride. Have you ever thought what genuine kingdom humility would like for you?

Where does humility come from?

Humility comes from:
Being secure in who God says you are.
Having Holy Spirit alive and free inside us.
Not having an inflated ego.
Realising that significance and maturity are the result of God’s grace.
Having a tender heart that wants to love on others (even when they are out of order).
Pride and arrogance being eradicated.

Jesus life on Earth was characterised by humility from birth (a cowshed) to burial (a borrowed tomb).
If His obedience to the Father required Him to adopt a posture of humility, how much more does this apply to us his followers!

Jesus set the example

He reduced Himself to the form of a servant and became human. He humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man. (Phil 2: 7-8)

Learn My ways and discover that I am gentle, humble and easy to please. (Matthew 11:29)

Jesus encourages His followers to be humble

Whoever continually humbles themselves like a child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm.
(Matthew 18: 4)

God resists you when you are proud but multiples grace and favour when you are humble. (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

Let humility describe who you are as you love one another. (1 Peter 3: 8)

If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will, in time, exalt you as you leave the timing in His hands.
(1 Peter 5: 6)

Jesus sometimes chose to remain silent as a demonstration of humility. He didn’t feel the need to defend or justify himself against accusation or slander. How would you feel in such a situation? How often do we find the urge to justify ourselves, our actions, our doctrine or our reputation? Is it difficult to leave our vindication and its timing to God?

It takes godly strength and character to adopt humility in our thoughts, deeds and relationships; but in collaboration with Holy Spirit, it is an attainable goal!

– Navigator Jo

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40 Day Challenge Day #20 – It’s A New Era

by Navigator Jo March 19, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

The arrival of Jesus on Earth heralded a new epoch in history. We are, I believe, being called to transition into yet another new era.

Pioneering A New Era

When a new era arrives only a few people are aware of it. They are those who are wired and called to be the early pioneers. It is this small group who start to carve out a new path on previously untouched land. This creates a visible path for others to pick out. It is then this group who, due to their numbers, giftings and skills, create a more obvious route for the next group to walk on.

The combined journey of all these groups creates a roadway that is secure, tested and safe enough for the rest to travel on should they choose to. Often people who are pioneers are unaware that is who they are. They think it’s just them who are walking this weird, puzzling new road. However, they are creating a path for others to follow. Explorers and discoverers, by very definition go into uncharted territory. If you don’t seem to have a path ahead then it may be that you are creating a new one!

Know Your Role

It’s really helpful to know which one of these people groups you are part of. Pioneers are both misunderstood and annoying to settlers. Conversely, settlers are incredibly frustrating to pioneers. It’s so good to honour each other and especially those in other groups.

Under the tutelage of Holy Spirit, adopt a posture and attitude that will allow you to think original thoughts. From a heart that longs to go deeper and swim in the endless ocean of intimacy with Jesus, be secure in yourself and in God to ask previously unasked questions.

Go For It

Be reckless in your trust in God and your love of others. Covenant with God to take great leaps of faith. Be brave and follow the Spirit’s prompting. Boldly and humbly follow our invisible companion and guide when He whispers, “This is the way”, especially when we have not walked this way before.

We are all a novice on this new path in the new era – there are no experts. Remember, new means NEW!

– Navigator Jo

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40 Day Challenge Day #19 – Jesus The Iconoclast

by Navigator Jo March 18, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

According to the original Greek, “Iconoclast” are smashers of icons and idols as well as challengers of societal or religious norms and conventions.

Conventional approaches do not bind Iconoclast. They are not contrary just for the sake of it. Iconolast strategically employ intelligence that is not driven by the powerful force of the so called institutional imperative. They manage to tune out this ‘insidious imperative’.

Jesus was a Iconoclast

Jesus contradicted the law, but displayed the heart of the Father. Those stuck in the grip of the religious spirit were unable to perceive revelation. This is still true today! Jesus was disturbingly anarchic, alternative and heretical to such an extent that He easily qualified as an iconoclast. This is especially evident in the account of Jesus meeting with the woman at the well (John 4: 5-27). He was, in many ways a social and religious ‘outcast’ who mainly ministered to fellow outcasts and who was obsessively hated by those who were skilled and schooled in the law of the Old Testament.

Jesus never directly condemned sinners is disturbing and very thought provoking. Instead He gave them wise and insightful answers and directions. He fiercely and consistently condemned those who were ‘religious’ especially for their hypocrisy and burdening of others with rule keeping. They were outwardly correct but inwardly corrupt. He was ruthless in His criticism of those trapped in religious blindness.

Truth

Matthew 21:12-14 – Jesus drove the religious exploiters from the temple.

Jesus wants your heart and is not really that bothered about your orthodoxy, rule keeping, religious activities or theology. It is vital for the spirit of religion to be out of our lives. The Holy Spirit is very good at helping us with this, if we allow it…

– Navigator Jo

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40 Day Challenge Day #11 – Authenticity

by Navigator Jo March 9, 2020

written by Navigator Jo

Most people are aware that Jesus lived a God – an honouring, consistent and authentic life when He was here on Earth. However, what has eluded many is that this was the example He set for us His followers.

Authentic Jesus

Jesus was never fake, dishonest or unloving – He was the real deal, always authentic, always Himself. We may think this is unattainable for us and without Holy Spirit in us, it is! However, He is our example and therefore what we should aspire to be.

It is possible because Jesus has made it possible for us. No more masks, no pretending, no “Sunday best”, no pretence and no making it up or copying others. No more religious box ticking, no faking it and no more people pleasing. It’s time to be the “you” that God created!

How To Be Authentic

Philippians 4:8 – Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic, real, honourable, admirable, beautiful, respectful, pure, holy, merciful and kind.

John 1:47 – “When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching he said, here comes a true son – an authentic man with no hidden motive.”

We live in a trend driven world where we often latch on to and take on board something initiated by someone else, especially if its ‘gone viral’. However, the heart of Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit is that each individual believer would ‘hear’ ‘see’ and ‘know’ what is personally being revealed to them as an individual.

Three Reasons People Copy

Why do so many adopt someone else’s revelation and then present it as their own? I purpose there are three reasons why people do this:

#1 They don’t realise that there is more to experience and that God wants to personally give them their own revelation of himself.

#2 They want a shortcut to maturity that doesn’t involve any ‘cost’ or sacrifice.

#3 They desire power, status and the adulation of others rather than a deep personal connection with God.

It so breaks God’s heart when He sees this happen. Of course we can be blessed, inspired and helped by what the Lord shows others. However, His yearning is to show you!

Are you listening to His whisper?

– Navigator Jo

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March 9, 2020 0 comments

Faith

Why Lent Is Important And 3 Reasons To Keep Observing It

by J.John February 28, 2020

written by J.John

Lent, the forty days before Easter (not counting Sundays), is a somewhat curious period in the Church’s calendar. Most things in the Church’s year are festivals and we happily talk about celebrating them. Lent is very different: it is a minor-key period that is never “celebrated” but only “kept”. Some churches and Christians treat Lent very seriously, while others ignore it entirely.

How Do We Keep Lent?

Even among those who keep Lent, there is no agreement on how it should be kept. Many Christians try to give up something: for instance, chocolate, social media, or television. It’s even become a period for us to try to break bad habits, almost as if Lent gives us another opportunity to retake those New Year’s resolutions!

Now, what exactly is Lent about? Lent is “preparation” for Easter, more specifically three preparations.

Easter’s message is of Christ destroying sin and death through His death and resurrection. And it is the most exciting moment in the Church’s year. Yet we can undercut this note of victory by being so occupied that, amid the frantic busyness of our lives, we carelessly stumble upon Easter. Lent provides us with forty days’ build-up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The build-up forces us to prayerfully ponder the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As the best way to appreciate a sunrise is to be there in the darkness before dawn, so the only way to appreciate Easter is to have come to it through Lent. We as Christians are, of course, an Easter people living in a Good Friday world.

Existence

Secondly, Lent is a preparation for Existence. A fatal flaw in our culture today is that people do not know how to say “no” to bad things. It is now almost a virtue to give in to every desire that comes upon us. Yet a great element in Christian morality is to be able to say no to wrong desires. Paul, in Titus chapter 2 verses 11 and 12, says this: “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.” Lent gives us the opportunity to practice resisting harmful and hurtful desires that will continue for life. Trivial as it may appear, a battle won over chocolate, coffee, or cake at this time may help us win a battle over lust, lying, or laziness shortly afterward.

Eternity

Finally, Lent is a preparation for Eternity. If you take it seriously, then these forty days can seem to be a long and often wearying season in which we never get our own way. Here, for a time, pleasures are put to one side and joys are postponed. But Lent doesn’t last. The darkness is broken by the joyful light of the glorious triumph of Easter Day.

Here there is a splendid parallel with our lives. For many of us, much of our life seems to take place in what we might call “Lent mode”: things do not go as we hope, we do not get what we want and our joys are absent or at best short-lived. Yet, for the Christian, there is that wonderful and certain hope that however deep and hard the darkness is in our lives, it will ultimately be lifted and replaced by an indestructible joy. For those who love Christ, life’s long Lent will end, one day, in an eternal Easter in which death and sin are destroyed forever.

Whether or not you keep Lent, starting on Wednesday 26th February this year – and in what way you keep it – is your choice. Honoring this time, thoughtfully and prayerfully, is to come into a rich and lasting inheritance. Be blessed this Lent and bless others.

J. John
Revd Canon
www.canonjjohn.com

February 28, 2020 0 comments

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