It is with some trepidation I write this - going where angels fear to tread, fear of saying the right thing wrongly and / or saying the wrong thing! That phrase about "places angels fear" not in the Bible, shame, but the Bible does have a lot to say about fools, in particular the book of Proverbs - worth looking up!
This is a subject I have touched on before, going right back to 2009, with the following articles (wow!) ...
25 September 2009 End of the World
27 September 2013 We are in Trouble
07 April 2015 Plastering over the Cracks
11 February 2016 Britain and Europe the Referendum
29 June 2016 Britain and Europe
10 July 2016 Leave the Old Ways
12 December 2018 Time of National Crisis
So what has brought me to the point of writing this? - or at least starting to, I can always leave it unpublished ...
I assume you've realised by now what this article is about ...
Conservative Leadership Contest and Brexit!
Its not really about the leadership contest, although the outcome of that will impact the other.
Back in 2010 I wrote the words "I feel that a day is coming, and it may not be far off, when this country will need a leader with the humility, grace and wisdom to handle it". See postscript to above End of the World article. As true today as it was then.
On the UK's relationship with Europe (whether called Common Market, European Union) all my life I have lived in a divided Kingdom. Some wanting to stay out, some wanting to be fully in and others wanting to do both! It has been a perennial argument.
Now is the time for decision, now is the time to put our feet firmly on one path or the other.
The choice is simple either NO BREXIT or NO DEAL.
We need to be either fully in or fully out - anything else will only lead to more indecision, and sow seeds of further trouble.
Where do we want to be?
Or is Europe / Brexit the real issue? Are there more important things we should be tackling? Could moving the UK embassy in Israel to Jerusalem be one of them? With the UK's history of involvement in Israel why has spearheading this been left to the likes of US, Guatemala, Paraguay - the UK is not even on a list of countries considering such a move! In both cases, we need fearless leadership, people who know who they are and where they are going, people who are genuine.
I have found the church (in general) to be deafeningly silent on the matter of Europe / Brexit.
Afraid of giving appearance of an "official" Christian position - if you want the Christian vote ...
But this has resulted in a lack of power, lack of prayer, lack of salt, lack of light.
Need to be on our knees - crying, "we don't care, your Kingdom come".
Matthew 6:33 "... seek first his Kingdom ..." and don't forget the promise which goes with that - its not a gospel of poverty!
However, this cry "your Kingdom come" is really a cry for Jesus to return, not the creation of some man made political utopia in the meantime. So what should the church be doing before Jesus' return? Does the woman of Proverbs 31:10-31 hold a clue?
Jesus taught us to follow the cry of "your Kingdom come" with the prayer "your will be done".
What is God's will? We find that summarised in Luke 4:18-19 - good news, freedom, restoration.
Peter, who had been with Jesus for three years, declared that "Jesus went around doing good, providing healing and deliverance" Acts 10:38.
When messengers were sent to Jesus to ask if He was the Messiah he replied with "Go back and report what you see and hear" Luke 7:22.
Surely the same should be said of His body, the church, filled with His Spirit.
So where are we headed? Could this us give a clue?
Opening Up Wells Of Revival
2nd September 2019
Unbeknown to me on 31st August 2019 many had gathered together at Wembley Arena for a "Day of Prayer for Britain". Today I have been catching up watching these videos of that event.
Day of Prayer for Britain Part 1
Day of Prayer for Britain Part 2
Both challenging to the mind and encouraging to the spirit.
I have no recollection of hearing Proverbs 31:10-31, mentioned above, applied to the church. In one particular item in that gathering someone took Proverbs 31:10-31 from The Passion Translation and applied it as a prophecy to the UK church. Two or three witnesses applies (2 Corinthians 13:1)?