So recently during my Greek Seminar reading we have been encountering the word agapeo meaning to love, implying that it is a higher, everlasting form of love. We also encountered the word Philo which is a verb meaning to love, but also to be familiar with, be used to, or kiss. Often Philo is used to describe familial Love between parents and children or siblings, even friends. As I am continually looking at the bible in its Greek form, I notice that both words are being used.
in John 21:16:

"He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Tend my sheep."

In this sentence Jesus is using the word Agape. but Simon replies with Philo. 

I looked at that and I was like WOW. This just speaks volumes, although Peter did not necesserily answer exactly what Jesus asked, Jesus was still gracious, in accepting his human love that. peter's response, "I love you" could mean: I am familiar with you, I love you like my friend, you are my dear, my own. 

Jesus' answer to Peter's confession: "Tend my sheep", can tell us a lot about ministry and living a missional life. namely that we must first know God, have a relationship with him and be used to him, spending time in his presence, following after him. I hope that was interesting and thought provoking, Be blessed!

So I would like to tell you guys a testimony of what God is doing my life.
Recently as I was thinking how I can serve God, in my busy life schedule, and I was thinking moire about stepping out in praying for homeless people.

Just before last week I had dream of me with someone else (I don’t know who they were) praying for homeless people in 3 separate locations, I don’t know where any of the places were except one, oxford road near the palace theatre. Me and this other person were just praying for the homeless people, the dream was open ended in the fact that I didn’t see the fruit of my prayer. So a few days later, I took the dream as Gods prompting and as I walked past the place on oxford road that I had seen in the dream, I saw a homeless man and went a prayed for him and another man. 

Over the past week since that day I have prayed with about 12 people. One said he felt the pain had gone, everyone one of them have been very thankful and touched by the action. Many opened up their lives to me. I didn’t go preaching the gospel I simply show Gods love to them though prayer and listening, that is all, nothing complex or time consuming. All I wanted to be is to be is an instrument through which God can administer his love to the people.  What I want to encourage you to do then is to think about what can you during your usual activities in order to give Glory to God. You do not have to do what I do but ask God to inspire you.

As usual Be blessed.

Last Sunday I was at church and as I was worshipping God, I sort of recognised this man that comes to church often, siting at the back, not engaging in worship or praying at all. As I was seeing him I remembered that one time we were split into groups to pray, we invited him to join but he flatly refused, saying that he does not know what we are doing (we were just praying, we are not crazy!). I thought that to be fine at the time. But last Sunday compassion for that guy just overtook me and I just started praying for him in my own worship that he may know God. It suddenly hit me that this man will either be saved or will end up hating God even more. I was at peace because I knew that the Holy Spirit knows what he is doing and the fact that this guy comes to the church is saying something already.

Another realisation that I had was that the problem is not really with the militant atheists like Dawkins or Hitchens. Mark Driscoll has said once they get much publicity but little following. So, instead I think that the concern should be with the people that simply do not think about the eternal things or about things that are greater than them. They seize the day (Carpe Diem); remember their mortality (memento mori) etc. Yet, Proverbs says that it is better to go into the house of mourning than to a house of laughter. Should we not laugh? Of course! Heaven is an eternity spent in the joy of God, but in a worldly context there is wisdom in those place of “mourning”, there is fear of God, acknowledgment that our lives are but a vapour.

That’s the problem: the people who are perishing because in the midst of their lives spent in pursuit of consumerism and pleasure they perish into eternity, never laying hold of a security that is only to be found in Jesus Christ.

Plato, in his analogy of the cave described a mission of a good philosopher that is to show the truth to the people who still live in darkness as a duty even if it would put their reputation and life at risk. That is our mission I believe and as the church and Christians we need to think about more of how to prompt, people to think about more spiritual things.  Its not an ideal conversation topic, I know but I’m thinking that it is certainly an interesting way to start witnessing to people, I’m just thinking to myself of whether I will always be up for it, but I think that I can! Soo the rant is over, be blessed!

Recently I have been having great time in God's presence, where God has been just revealing to me his faithfulness and love. The more I thought about God the more I started to call him father, not really dad or daddy, but father. I did not avoid saying this because I thought that it is wrong to address God like that but I have said those words with the spirit of of worship behind it, being glad that he calls me his son.

So the more I thought about the word father, the word Abba sprung to my mind and I began to look this up and there are some interesting theories people have put up on the translation of he word and why it was used. Firstly many people think it means daddy and it was the first sort of word toddlers have learnt, but it turned out to be wrong. Within the middle eastern culture, even elderly men were called father. The word is more respectful but also indicates a close relationship with the person. However, once I have established that, I thought about why Paul and and Mark wanted to used the word father (pater/πατηρ) as well. My theory is that is not just to create emphasis, as Greek and Hebrew often tend to repeat a word or a phrase for extra emphasis (because there were no exclamation marks!). Instead, the word Abba must have had something to it that was not simply good enough to describe God as father. In Greek the word pater, simply denotes a biological figure or someone adopting someone, simply father, the choice for the use of Aramaic was possibly unnecessary because I doubt that there were many Romans who spoke it in Rome or Galatia. 

I think, Paul and mark wanted to separate the fatherhood of God away from what the world perceived it as, because in the context children were not always pending a lot of time with their families, instead they had friends, tutors and nurses to take care of them,  unless they were poor, then they were made to work instead. yet Abba is different because you not only worship him out of respect but also you acknowledge him to be someone with whom you totally shared your life with. So I think these passages show to us that this world and the Greco-Roman world has/had  fatherhood messed up and a new definition was used. 

Then again maybe it was not so bad, after all the word Abba was used only 3 times in NT. Nevertheless, be challenged to believe that our God is not far removed but wants to be close with you and wants you to call him and call out for him, to be vulnerable and totally dependent on him, so no matter the care how big or small just say deeply with joy and worship in your heart: "Father/Abba". These are just my thoughts they could be right or wrong. I have no theology degree so don't quote me as the bible; hopefully this was some food for thought.

I seriously recommend buying it.
It was also fairly cheap, at the price
of just £4.99

I also thought to share with you one of my favourite Christian books  written by a legendary author A.W. Tozer called 'The Pursuit of God' written in 1948. I have to say that I just love this book its one of my Favourite book I have ever read. The book is about following after God and Pursuing him it gives light on some biblical principles in pursuing greater manifestations of God's presence. In this book Tozer gives us assurance that our pursuit of God will always be successful because God continually wants to manifest himself to us.

This book deeply encouraged me i was reading it at a time when my heart was just dull i couldn't be bothered with prayer worship and reading the word but as I was reading this my heart just became warmer and I began to have a greater desire to seek God and pursue him more and give myself to worship to him. I deeply encourage any Christian to read this book it is a great resource and a very practical and encouraging book in Christian Growth. A must read for everyone.
God Bless! 

2 Days ago I went to see the film father of lights by Darren Wilson.  It was amazing or as my flatmate would put it, it was ‘totes emosh’. Anyway the film is a documentary of this guy that goes round the world and just films the work of God in people’s lives, with deliverance from demonic depression, miracles and just generally lifestyles of love.

Funnily enough one of the most challenging bits that I have found was at the end of the film. The ending featured an excerpt of an interview with the evangelist Reinhard Bonnke. And what he said was powerful. I can’t remember the full quote but to paraphrase it: he said that in his evangelism he would people who would spread tables before their gods to worship. However, God of Christianity does the opposite, namely he prepares the table before us to encounter the table and come and drink (Isaiah 55).  God wants intimacy with his children.

Thinking about this I realised that we in the western world can be no different than people in the third world countries. There is no such thing as primitivism. All our nature is the same regardless of our education and financial status. We all tend to create or idols: technology, sex, relationships and work. We all turn to these things and we feel in the comfort zone, being safe. Yet God asks us to go for an adventure to seek him.  To take part of this table and eat, what is that truly matters this world that is like a hotel that is not worth investing in or our heavenly inheritance, where we should invest for our reward. Don’t get me wrong it’s not of performance, but of grace still, we are called to more than to scrape through our lives, living in idolatry and luke-warmness. So let us ask ourselves this, what is the area in our life over which we do not let God take control over?

 Recently as I have been going to church and listening to my music whilst walking to uni I have heard this phrase repeated. The third time when I heard this phrase I thought that this couldn’t be a coincidence. God must be trying to tell me something. So, as I do when I'm bored whilst walking back home, I began meditating on the meaning of that phrase. Firstly, I struggled to understand it, since I'm Polish and this phrase was new too me. After a while I realized that it’s all about allowing you to become vulnerable and putting all your hope and faith into one particular thing. It’s like going 'all in' on a table of roulette just on done number.

Yet when we apply the same principle to our spiritual life the odds are not merely 1 out of a million but simply they are surely 100% true. Since, he has said that no one should be put to shame, when one gives his or her life to God.

The world often tells us that we should not rely on anything or anybody, that we should be independent and self-sufficient that is what maturity boils down to. People move out from their Parents home go to uni or get a job and have bills to pay.

However, what does God say? Too often we let our culture and social majority educate us into their own belief. Let us be diligent and know what God's way is. That is to put all eggs in one basket rely on him not on ourselves.