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Is that "G" upper or lower case?
If you found yourself asking what in the world is going at the moment with all the turmoil in the financial markets then perhaps we need look no further than the dollar bill. Perhaps the reason why the American dream has become a global nightmare is that we've stopped doing what it says on the tin. The blunt truth is that it is that even Christians who believe in God don’t necessarily believe God in times of turbulence.
I can’t help but think that if it really were the case that "In God we trust" then we'd have absolutely nothing to worry about; we’d take a deep breath of faith and declare that “this too will pass.” Sadly, since it is more accurate to say that in god or, self we trust then this could be a good time for us to baton down the hatches.
I am pleased to be blogging at a moment when confidence seems to have made a tentative return to the markets, albeit at the cost of an estimated £1.9 trillion which is equivalent to £288 for every man, woman, and child on earth. The mind simple boggles.
Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to share a word with you that I gave to our church at the end of our meeting on Sunday. What’s on my mind is more of a word of exhortation than prophecy but I think it is a really strategic thought for us at this time.
You don’t need me to tell you that the world is in the grip of fear, but perhaps you do need to be reminded that we are to quote Max Lucado “in the grip of grace.” I think that it is really important that as Christians we don’t allow ourselves to get caught up in the funk and uncertainty. I think that there is a broader commentary for us on the whole question of stewardship and debt (physician heal thyself) but for now I want to confine myself to talking about one of the more intriguing by-products of this current crisis.
A predictable consequence of this crisis of confidence is that the advice being offered from every media outlet is that that we need to tighten our belts. Now of course that could be economic prudence. But I don’t want you to miss what the underlying agenda is. What we are seeing here is “the greed of scarcity” we’re just coming out of a season where we witnessed the greed of abundance. What is being ushered in is a spirit of meanness. In other words we are being transitioned from self-getting-for-self to every man for himself. And that simply isn’t the way of the kingdom. In fact it is the antithesis of kingdom living.
So I want to encourage us as Christians to be to embrace the opposite spirit from that of the world. When the spirit of this world comes against us we must respond in the opposite.
“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
It's just like in the Stock Markets. Right now when all the unsophisticated investors, those who thought that they were playing middle-class bingo or property Monopoly, are bailing out the cash-rich savvy investor is piling in.
Seasoned investors always buy when the strapped for cash are getting out of Dodge. So my encouragement to you is this: instead of succumbing to fear and catching the siege mentality. Instead, knowing that it is “the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth” Deut 8:18 let us embrace a spirit of generosity. Give, lend, and invest in one another. Wouldn’t it be marvellous if we were to initiate a R.A.G. (Radom Acts of Generosity) week as a statement of confidence in God? What better way to show the world that it is indeed "In God we trust."
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There's a new church in London - it's a church with a difference, that difference being the people who are part of it are free to be who they are in Christ. They get better, they live better and most importantly, they make others better.
Orlando Florida USA
I wrote this book in order to put the magic back into the Kingdom for all those who went to the Charismatic Disneyland of Evangelical Christianity only to discover that they would never be spiritually tall enough to go on any of the rides. By Paul Anderson-Walsh
“This book will inspire and encourage you. It will indeed cause you to feel safe and sound. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself experiencing an inward sigh of relief as you read. The three phases of Christian maturity discussed in chapters four and five stimulated my mind. My emotions were stirred by a renewed sense of deep joy as I read the extensive description of agape in chapter seven. The tenth chapter is one of the best apologetics for the security of the believer that I have seen. I wish every new Christian would read that chapter within the first month of their new life in Christ.”
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