North New Zealand Conference
North New Zealand Conference
Articles
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God and your email
Oswald Chambers offers this challenging thought: Every detail of our lives is under the scrutiny of God.* Every detail! Jesus said it first: “I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. F -
Have we lost hope for the lost?
rs saved through your church? If so, here’s a scripture worth looking at: -
Missing in prayer
Many in our modern society are people of prayer. What do we pray for? Research shows we pray for our health, for our family members, and for our finances. Also for God’s guidance, and for intimacy with him. All good things to pray for. -
What about prayer meeting?
“What about prayer meeting? Why are so few people interested in getting together for prayer?” It’s a question I often hear from those who lead ministries of prayer. Their frustration is understandable, because they love community praying and have experien -
Will anyone meet for prayer?
Ask people to come to an ice cream social, and the challenge might be having enough ice cream. Ask them to come to a committee meeting, and the responsible ones will appear. But invite people to a prayer meeting, and eyes glaze over and apologies flow. -
Hope for the troubled church
Troubled families are not hard to find. The inner causes of the trouble are sometimes difficult to determine, but the outward signs are easy to spot—disorganisation, turmoil, verbal or other abuse, disrespect, communication breakdown, lack of caring, and -
Prayer for your pastor
The pastor rose that morning in significant need. He was sick—had been for days. His wife was away working. The sky was overcast and featureless. The pastor felt disheartened, lonely. “Lord,” he prayed, “send someone to pray for me today—in person! -
Heaven’s power for change
Is your church changing? The previous article described the need for change driven by prayer, rather than by our own power. The army of Christ must often make strategic changes. There are times when we are called to move in new directions, because old -
Change—God’s way
Is your church sensing a call to change? If so, it must also hear a call to pray. When we move in new directions, our movement should not be a daring dash on our feet, but a committed crawl on our knees. -
Careful how you pray!
“Pray in the Spirit.” Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20. What does this mean? It means more things than we can describe here, but one meaning is this: To pray in the Spirit means to pray along the same track in which God’s Spirit is working. It means to discern -
Will we welcome revival?
In his “Narnia” series of allegorical stories, C. S. Lewis describes a scene in which the children are at last in the beautiful new land. The sky is clear, the trees and flowers delightful. But the children come across a strange thing. Some dwarfs are sit -
Praying in the Spirit
What does it mean to “pray in the Spirit”? For decades, no-one asked me this question. But lately, I’ve been asked it a number of times. Praying in the Spirit is a privilege God wants us to understand. -
Imagine this!
It is one of the most remarkable chapters in the Bible, yet it seldom gets attention. The chapter reveals a gift that goes by the title, “The Wisdom of God in a Mystery” (KJV). -
Bring back the joy!—2
“We ask God to forgive us for our evil thoughts and evil temper, but rarely, if ever, ask Him to forgive us for our sadness.” R. W. Dale. That’s a quote mentioned in part 1 of this article, and it’s worth thinking about again. “Forgive us for our sadne -
Bring back the joy!—1
I remember a visit to an aquarium several years ago. There was a place where we stood in front of a thick glass panel, in the path of a simulated flash flood. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a torrent of water crashed down the canyon toward us. Our -
In college—and in God
We don’t take our parents with us when we go off to college or university—we leave them at home. We’re thankful for their support and prayers, but in most cases we’re eager to be off by ourselves as newly established adults. -
Prayer—good for your health
“Dear friend,” writes John to Gaius, “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 2. -
God of the darkness
I’ll never forget a visit I made years ago to a home in darkness. At midday, blinds were shut. Lights were out. A candle burned. The woman inside was trapped in never-ending grief from the death of her daughter 13 years before. -
Where do dinosaurs fit in with the Bible and Creation?
Big question! 2 things stand out about dinosaurs before looking at where they fit in. -
What Is God’s Name? I Reckon It’s Andy.
Andy is a good guess but it’s not what the Bible calls God. The Bible has many names for God and they are windows through which His character is seen. The names of God tell us many wonderful things about Him. -
How Do I Keep Jesus No 1 In My Life?
The Bible mentions many times that there is a party in Heaven whenever someone makes a commitment to Jesus. It is the best decision we can ever make in life. But Jesus didn’t say make a decision for him and then just do whatever. -
Am I Alone?
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. -
Is Jesus Actually Coming Back Soon?
For 2000 years Christians have been eagerly awaiting the soon return of Jesus to this earth to take his followers back to Heaven. Is he actually going to come back soon? Should we be waiting? -
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
A BIG question deserves a BIG answer -
How Can I Spend Time With God When He's In Heaven?
God loves us and wants to spend time with us. This is difficult since he is in Heaven but there are lots of different ways we can hang out with him and get to know him better. Different things work for different people. Don't be afraid to keep trying diff -
Is Heaven All “Clouds And Harps” Like On TV?
What does the Bible say about Heaven? The Bible gives us some clues but does not go into great detail about Heaven. Heaven will be so great and glorious that our minds cannot grasp the blessings and riches of heaven -
If God Created Everything, Who Created God?
Who created God? It is an age-old question that has plagued all those who like to think about the big questions. -
I’m blessed—so why am I guilty
Believe it or not, there are some people who have few significant trials and who see themselves as so blessed by God that it makes them feel guilty! These people have worked hard and made good decisions; now they enjoy the rewards. They are healthy, th -
The miracle of praise in trial
Several years ago I received a year-end letter from some friends in California, USA. There were details about children, events and so on. Then there was a sentence that jumped out from the page: "God has richly blessed us this year with many trials." I -
Transforming the tight spots
"I'm in a tight spot." It's a familiar phrase, and a familiar plight. Tightness. It denotes confinement and tension. Walls of adversity closing in. Problems pressing. Little space to breathe. Hemmed in. No freedom to run. A prison cell is a tight spot.