ThreeColours

Gillespie Memorial Church

Minister: Position Vacant!
Sunday Morning Worship: 11am
Sunday Evening Worship: 7pm

Chapel Street,
Dunfermline,
Scotland

Throughout the bible God speaks! From Genesis to Revelation God chatters away to any who will listen. Isn’t it such a sad picture to see Christians striving hard to do the “good works God has prepared for them” (Eph 2:10) without the power of the Holy Spirit to enable them.

Second, through believing that God is at work with us and that He will make things happen. Basically this is trust: trusting that God is and will be with us in a real sense and not just an abstract notion. Jesus told a lovely little parable about the farmer sowing the seed and overnight the seeds start growing although he doesn’t do anything else. As we sow seed we can expect God to keep working; we can expect things to happen that we have not created or anticipated.

To bring the blue sector into our Christian life and witness we have to live by this belief that God is actively at work even when we don’t realise it.

Third, through prayer. And this is where we need to learn that as we spend more and more time with God in prayer so more and more will happen which is beyond coincidence and is evidence of God continuing to “reconcile Himself to the world.”

What can we expect?

That God will speak. God will speak through promptings; messages in our minds, sudden thoughts. As we start to listen in prayer why should we not expect that God will speak to us? When God speaks it is a good idea to act on it (although first I always ask “God, do you want me to do something with this?” Sometimes a word is just for my greater understanding.) It’s important to share what you think God is saying with other Christians. It is as we share this with others (for confirmation as well as blessing) that we become more confident that God is in our midst.

That God will guide us. Towards one thing and away from another. Whenever we follow the God nudges and promptings of the Holy Spirit we become more confident in trusting God next time.

That situations we are in will assume their proper magnitude. Problems can seem like mountains but when we talk them over with God they shrink in size. That’s because we put them side by side with the infinite plans of God. “When I look at the stars, what is man?” (Ps 8)

All of this comes through listening in prayer rather than speaking. Even our speaking, our requests, should be followed by listening. If we pray for someone who is ill, stop and listen to see if God wants to say something. If we pray about a troubled relationship, again, stop and listen. God might want to speak about it. Even when you sit with your list of people and things to pray for, instead of giving each a short sentence, begin by asking God to direct you to the ones He wants to talk to you about today.

Will this happen? Of course, because God’s Holy Spirit is in you communicating with the Father. This is the “blue” side of our 3-colour relationship with God and it adds so much to our walk with Him and our witness for Him.

I was praying for a pupil in the Chaplaincy room at Queen Anne High School who was showing a lot of interest and asking awkward questions. When I stopped to listen, God said “Tell him he is at a crossroads.” “Good one God”, I replied. “You mean a crossroads between believing and not believing.” I got the chance to tell the boy and he was astonished. His parents had just decided to emigrate to Australia and had told him he could choose between going with them or staying with his grandmother. Now that’s a crossroads! God knew about it and God spoke to me. I spoke to the boy and his whole attitude to God changed! He was impressed that God knew his circumstances and told me about them. Within a few weeks he became a Christian!

I find that bringing the power of the Holy Spirit into situations is so exciting but it took me many years to learn to listen. Why did I waste all that time?

One reason is that for years I didn’t keep a prayer diary. I do now. Now I write down what I think God is saying and if there is nothing over a period I ask myself why I have not been listening. Because God will speak. So now I fully recommend keeping a prayer diary. In fact I think it is essential if you are going to develop a prayer life which brings you closer to God.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit: bring all three into your life and witness and there is no limit to what can do through you.

To summarise then – If you are keen to do good works for God, to feed the poor, help set captives free, all that kind of green stuff, you will find that it is so much more fulfilling if you share the good news of Jesus and expect God to lead you and guide you and speak to you and be totally involved in a tangible way.

What is your situation today? What are you struggling with? Whatever it is bring the 3 aspects of God into it and things will change.

God the Father loves you whatever is happening.

Christ the Son died so that your sin is forgiven, no matter what else is going on.

The Holy Spirit gives you the power to cope with and deal with anything that comes your way – anything!

PS – although these thoughts begin with God the Father (the green zone) it is just as important for those who naturally start with red or blue (Jesus or the Holy Spirit) to discover that all three are essential for a full experience of God in our lives. Work it out for yourself or let me know!

May the blessing of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you all,

Gordon