All things are become new! A SKIT

Four students stand on the stage with their backs to the audience. A student in a black shirt turns each student to face the audience one at a time. They say their lines, and the black-shirt student turns them back around. After the four say heir lines, a student in a white shirt repeats the act for the identity reclaimed.

(WHITE SHIRT WITH DISABILITY LOGO)
Disability: I can’t do anything. I hate my life. All of my friends are perfect. They can wear whatever they want. I’m fat and nothing looks right on me. I have one leg shorter so I have to wear these stupid shoes. I look like a freak.


(RED SHIRT)
Rage: I could kill her. I would like nothing better than to take her head in my hands and squeeze it until…..Who does she think she is telling everyone what I said about her? Did she think it wouldn’t get back to me? Did she think I’d let it go?

(YELLOW)
Guilt: I don’t know why I even try. I’m always messing up. I try to live right. I want to, but every time I’m on the right track, something pops up and I fall for it: the wrong girl, the wrong friend, the wrong job. If there’s a chance of going wrong, I’m gonna take it. I give up.

(GREEN) Boredom: There is nothing to do in this town. I’m sick of living here. My youth group never does anything fun. All I do is sit at home and do homework, even more boring. MySpace is boring. I mean, how many pictures can I put up when I never do anything?

Disability: My body and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart. He is mine forever (Psalm 73:26).

Rage: A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger (Proverbs 15:1).

Guilt: I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more (John 8:11).

Boredom: I have come that you might have life in all its fullness (John 10:10).

Key Text: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (II Corinthians 5:17).

That's not my five minutes - it someone elses.....but i like it anyway.

That I may know you more!

A man named Dennis Wise was a fan of Elvis Presley. Not long after Presley died in 1977, Wise had a plastic surgeon reshape his face and his hairline so that he looked like Elvis. He went around impersonating the singer, picking up a few dollars here and there on the club circuit.

When he was asked what motivated him to shape his life around that of Elvis Presley, he said that Elvis had been his idol since he was five years old..

Here are Dennis Wise's own words about pursuing being like Elvis, as reported in the Boston Globe:
" I have every record he ever made, twice over and thousands of pictures. I have books, magazines, pillows, even a couple of books in Chinese and Japanese about him. I even have tree leaves from the front of his house. While I never met Elvis personally, I saw him on stage in the movies four times.

Once I stood up on the wall of the Presley mansion and tried to see him. For twelve hours I waited, trying to get a glimpse of him, but he had so many people around him that you would never get close".

In reading this account, it is tragic to realise that Dennis Wise spent his whole life following Elvis, wanting to be like him, wanting to know him – in fact I would say Dennis Wise worshipped Elvis! But, there was just one thing lacking, he never met the object of his worship!

Dennis Wise knew a lot about Elvis, but he didn't know the singer himself.
Knowing all the hit songs, all the movie titles, all the concert appearances, his preferences for food clothes, cars...none of that is the same as knowing the singer himself.

Jeremiah 9:23-24
[23] Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
[24] But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

God says that the source of our joy and sense of importance ought to come not from our own wisdom or abilities or possessions, but from the fact that we know Him.

At what level do I know God? Do I just know a lot about Him?

Jeremiah 29:13-14
[13] And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

WE HAVE TO PURPOSE IN OUR HEARTS – WE HAVE TO KNOW HIM MORE!

That's my five minutes!

Rediscovering the Word

The greatest book ever printed on this earth by all odds, bar none, has been the King James 1611 Authorized Version Holy Bible!

This amazing book of 1611 has gone into over ONE BILLION copies. With about 60,000 books written about it's text; It has been translated into over 800 languages. This book has been printed at a rate of as much as 8 million copies per year.

Before I write anything, I want to establish one important thing. The Bible is the inspired truth without error, even to the very words, and that it is therefore the inspired word of God.

I love the Word! The Bible is a central part of my life. Jesus said that “heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The grass may with and the flower may fade, but the word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8)….God’s word is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). In this “topsy turvy” world we need something stable – the word of God is my stability in this forever changing and unstable world!

I like what Jeremiah said “Thy words were found, and I did eat them” (Jeremiah 15:16). Upon reading this scripture I noticed two things:

1. Jeremiah found the word – He was searching, looking, seeking until he discovered the word. Discovery is more than looking at something, it’s digging deep into it and really looking through, or finding out. It takes time and commitment.


2. Jeremiah ate the word - When we eat food it travels into our stomach and then the acids there melt down the food and it converted into nutrients that benefit our whole body. The same way when we take in God’s word and read, study, memorise. We take it into our minds and then it goes into our hearts; and out of the heart come the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23.

This may all sound a bit “full on” for someone who just reads the Bible every now and then. It may seem a bit “full on” for someone who just ticks the “I read God’s word today” checkbox. However, if you would just take the time to search the scriptures, dig for the nuggets – you will not be disappointed. The word of God is an endless unfolding of the greatness of Jesus Christ! It is an endless gold mine of wealth for life!

Ecclesiastes 8:4 says “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?”

Where the word of a king is, there is power

• Pharoah spoke and Joseph was elevated
• Saul spoke and Ahimelech was slain
• David spoke and Uriah was killed
• Nebuchadnezzar spoke and 3 Hebrews went to the fire
• Belshazzar spoke and Daniel went to the lions.

Our King spoke and there was creation, there was a incarnation, our King spoke and there was salvation! There is power in the word!

If we get the word of the king in our heart, we have power because where the word of a king is there is power!

When those priests settled the ark into its place in Solomons temple, 1 Kings 8 reminds us that the sacred symbol had been pillaged by heathen hands.

1 Kings 8:9-10
[9] There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
[10] And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
[11] So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

Manna gone, Aarons rod gone…only thing left behind was he tables of stone. Seemingly worthless rocks with writing on them. The word was still there!

The word was enough without the manna and the rod. Why don’t you get into the word!

Why wait until we are older?

While I love the King James Version (KJV) I have to say that I think the intent of this scripture is best captured in the Contemporary English Version (CEV) of the Bible. The CEV read as follows:

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7
[1] Keep your Creator in mind while you are young! In years to come, you will be burdened down with troubles and say, "I don't enjoy life anymore."
[2] Someday the light of the sun and the moon and the stars will all seem dim to you. Rain clouds will remain over your head.
[3] Your body will grow feeble, your teeth will decay, and your eyesight fail.
[4] The noisy grinding of grain will be shut out by your deaf ears, but even the song of a bird will keep you awake.
[5] You will be afraid to climb up a hill or walk down a road. Your hair will turn as white as almond blossoms. You will feel lifeless and drag along like an old grasshopper. We each go to our eternal home, and the streets are filled with those who mourn.
[6] The silver cord snaps, the golden bowl breaks; the water pitcher is smashed, and the pulley at the well is shattered.
[7] So our bodies return to the earth, and the life-giving breath returns to God.

If you want to be rich – invent or find a way to stop the ageing process. In fact, if you could somehow find a way to keep people young, I think you would be the richest person in the world.

There is a level of energy and enthusiasm, and ability that presents itself in the “days of our youth” and unfortunately there is no way to regain our youth again.

It is as youth that we need to get busy about impacting the kingdom of God. Why wait until we are older?

In the days of thy youth!

Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth".

What a great portion of scripture, full of such depth and wisdom. What troubles we could save ourselves if we would honour and remember the Creator in the days of our youth.

As youth, we make decisions that will affect our future. It almost seems unfair that we have to make these decisions while we are young and unwise. The key to making good decisions lies in this verse of scripture in Ecclesiastes. We must remember the Creator in the days of our youth.

Another familiar scripture is "thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Notice the use of feet and path. God's word is a lamp unto our foot steps (the decisions we make for the short term) and a light unto our path (the decisions we make for the long term). Remember the Creator in the days of they youth!

Ecclesiastes 12 makes it clear that as young people we must rely on God. It is hard to make wise or good decisions without God, afterall we have had limited life experiences and knowledde. If left up to our own devices we usually find ourselves faltering and making mistakes. I know we dont like to admit it - but hey...it's true.

How often we forget God in the whole decision making process and try and do it on our own. I’ve known many people who have had to carry “baggage” through their whole life as a result of one bad decision when they were young. Regrets, shame, baggage, burdens, guilt etc. We must remember the Creator in the days of our youth!

God is the master craftsman, the potter, the designer, the Creator. He knows us, His plans for us are perfect. It is only when we are walking in the bounds of His will that we can experience life to the fullest – the abundant, fulfilling life that we read about in John 10:10.

Power to Become

It is not unusual for a new generation to be viewed by the previous one with suspicion and unease. They said it about my generation, they say it about this generation, they said it about my parent’s generation and my grand parent’s generation.

I found these words of Socrates written in the 5th century BC.

“Youth today love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, no respect for older people and talk nonsense when they should work. Young people do not stand up any longer when adults enter the room. They contradict their parents, talk too much in company, guzzle their food, lay their legs on the table and tyrannise their elders".

I'm sorry, but not all youth can be written off so easily, for I do see hope resting on the shoulders of the youth of today. I see such potential!

I was thinking about the influence that young people have on society and more importantly the role of youth in initiating change in society. While we don’t really see a powerful youth movement in Australia, all around the world young people are leading revolutions and change. This caused me to do a little research on some of the impacts of young people around the world and I came across the following information. I am in no way supportive of these movements, but they serve to illustrate the potential of youth to influence change.

• Youth and students have played a vital role in revolutionary struggles in the past and continue to today. In Latin America, young people are energetic leaders and participants in the social movements, and in Venezuela, view themselves as being the “foot soldiers of revolution”. In France last year, we saw youth, in particular university students, respond to an attack on the rights of young workers and prompt a general strike of workers that mobilised millions in an expression of the popular dissent against neoliberal policies, and the determined leadership of the youth meant the movement was successful. In the past year we’ve also seen the massive student strike in Chile, the Los Angeles school walkouts for immigrants' rights, and the student strike in Auckland for young workers' rights.


• More recently, in Indonesia in 1998, from March to May, student protest played a key role in turning discontent over the economic collapse and lack of democratic rights into a full-scale political crisis. The universities in Indonesia played a vital role as the point where the middle class grew and consolidated as a group, and this consolidation was severely threatened by the economic crisis. A movement for reform had grown in the 1980s and 90s on the campuses, and during that period many students turned away from the traditional elitism of the old student movement, and came to the conclusion that it was necessary to form an alliance with the workers and peasantry and urban poor to transform society, a political strand that was of course influential in 1998.

These examples along with many others around the world go to show that youth and students can have a social significance much greater than their numbers and are often moved to action faster than other sections of society.

This year the theme of the United Pentecostal Church of Australia National Youth Department is “Power to Become”. The year 2008 will be a year of youth realising their potential and becoming what God intended us to become.

I read in my Bible that Jesus said “and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). Furthermore, Jesus said “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”. (John 15:7)

What is this power that enables us to do these things – it is the power of the Holy Ghost!

My desire as the National Youth President is that the youth of the United Pentecostal Church of Australia would realises that being filled with the Holy Ghost is more than just speaking in tongues and it is more that just getting saved and going into maintenance mode until Jesus returns. But when we are filled with the Holy Ghost we have the power of God inside of us and we can do great things!

John 15:16
[16] Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit (potential), and that your fruit should remain (good potential): that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

That's my five minutes!

Happy Christmas from the Downs Family

When will Jesus be King?

Matthew 2:1-2
[1] Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
[2] Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

A little phrase that was uttered by the wise men, they asked the question: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

All through the life of Jesus we find Him referred to as a king. It is a phrase we find throughout scripture. When Philip had brought Nathaniel to Jesus, Jesus began to tell Nathaniel where he had been and how he knew him. Nathaniel was so impressed by the Christ that he said “thou art the King of Israel” (John 1:49).

Herod couldn’t live with the fact that there was another king being born. He wanted to kill Jesus. But if Herod could have just understood that Jesus didn’t come to set up an earthly kingdom, He came to build a heavenly kingdom.

We see it here at the sea of Galilee when Jesus multiplied the lunch of a lad. When it was all over, they were so impressed by what they saw, that they desired to take Him and make Him their king. But Jesus departed again into the mountain to be by himself (John 6:15).

Jesus was hanging on the cross and the crowd around him were mocking and scoffing and said “He saved others and He cant save himself”. And they said “If you are King come down from the cross and then we will believe”.

But Jesus didn’t come down from the cross, because He was going to become king by staying up on the cross. He didn’t come to be king in this earth, He came to be king in the hearts of men. If Jesus came down from the cross, we couldn’t be washed by His wonderful blood.

I’m so glad He stayed there….because He stayed there He is king!

When does Jesus become King? When we give Him all authority over our life to Him! When we surrender! When we say it is not about me, it is about you Jesus. When we love Him with all our heart, soul and mind.

Is there anyone who wants to make Jesus the king and ask Him to sit on the throne of your life?

That's my five minutes!

My Friend Wayne

Hey! For all you that know Wayne Francis....you'll love this.

Wayne Francis would have to be one of the most inspirational people that i've ever met. Furthermore, one of the greatest preachers I've ever heard. We love him here in Australia. Look out youth of Australia.....Wayne Francis is our speaker for National Youth Camp 2009! DONT MISS OUT!

Me, Wayne and Lachlan!

Can I make a difference?

I ponder today, Can I make a difference? Can you make a difference?

It is a fact, although my passion is for the work of the Lord, it just doesn’t seem like I am making a big difference on a daily basis. I am working a full-time job, have family commitments and am busy about the work of the Lord in my local church. However, while I find myself busy about the things of God, it really doesn’t feel like I am making a very big difference. I am sure many readers have had the same feeling at sometime.
While reading the Word the other day I was reminded of the scripture in Jude verse 22-23 “And of some have compassion, making a difference. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire”. While it may not be physically or financially possible for me to be on the foreign mission field, my compassion can make a difference to the extent of “pulling them out of the fire”.

One of the first questions asked in the Bible can be found in Genesis 4:9 “Am I my brother's keeper?” A question asked by a man that was running from God. Perhaps many people today are still asking this question. What about another question asked in Luke 10, “who is my neighbour?” A question that was asked by a man seeking to justify himself. The fact that we cannot be there physically must not be an excuse for not getting involved. Missions matters!
Many of us may never find ourselves on the missions field. We’ve seen the photos and films from the field and we’ve felt the burden for lost souls and rejoiced as people find Jesus. But far too often we retreat, thinking that there is nothing we can do and leave it up to small number of people to reach the masses. That is a lie from the devil! We can do something.

I looked up the word “compassion” in the dictionary and here is the definition: “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering”.

Compassion isn’t just a feeling, but it is “accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering”. This is why the Bible says that we can make a difference if we have compassion. So don’t just be moved, but let compassion move you to a place of doing something. Our compassion makes a difference and by it many can be pulled from the fire.
There is so much that you can do for the kingdom back here on “home soil”.

Here are just a few things.
1. Giving financially
2. Prayer
3. Writing an encouraging our missionaries

If not you, then who? If not here, then where?If not now, then when? The Kingdom is waiting for you!

Let me make a bold statement - Missions must be part of your program or your program is not of God! Missions matters.

I can make a difference! You can make a difference!
That's my five minutes!

Overseas Missions

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” Henry Martyn

Though the phrase “Overseas Missions” never appears in Scripture, the concept of taking the gospel to every creature and culture in the world is one of the most important themes of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, Overseas Missions is at the heart of God’s purpose on earth.

In reading about God’s judgement at Babel, which ended up in the division of the human race into many nations, culture and languages, we read that God used Abraham and his descendants as His special people. We read in the Word that God told Abraham to leave his country and family and go to a land that the Lord would show him. However, as is consistent with the Word, with every instruction and commandment God makes a promise. The Lord told Abraham that if he would obey the commandment He would make of Him a great nation and bless him (Genesis 12:1-2).

In reading about God’s promise to Abraham I believe that the Lord was making His “Overseas Missions” and multicultural intentions obvious. It was God’s design that through the nation of Israel He might reach a lost and dying world. The spirit-filled church today is the spiritual Israel and our “great commission” remains “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”.

Missions is the heart beat of God, and our responsibility, in fulfilling our purpose on this earth , is to get involved in reaching the lost in our suburbs, cities, countries and the world! Jesus emphasised the Great Commission five times in the New Testament (Matthew. 28:18-20; Mark. 16:15; Luke. 24:44-48; John. 20:21; Acts 1:8).

Every church has a responsibility to fulfilling the “Great Commission”. For all our programs and fellowship, one thing for certain must be part of the churches agenda……MISSIONS! Missions in our homes, communities, towns, cities, country and the world. A church cannot experience what God would have for them if we are not obedient to our call to reach this world.

Remember the promise, “Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

God will bless our churches in direct proportion to our giving.

That's my five minutes!

The Passing of a Special Friend

On 12 September 2007, Melanie and I lost a special friend of ours. Lalduhkimi was a beautiful girl who died suddenly of a cardiac arrest at the Audrene Scism Children's Home in North-East India. We loved her like she was our own and we will really miss her. She is now with Jesus.