If the son sets you free
I saw a picture of a person in a prison cell.
The cell represented sin.
Jesus came to the cell and opened the door with the key.
He opened the door and told the person they were now free
He invited them to leave the cell.
The person was very grateful and thanked Jesus profusely
They even knelt down and worshipped and promised to read his book.
Jesus invited the person to leave the cell.
But the person remained seated with a look of resignation.
“I’m a bad person really. I’m not good enough to be let free from this cell.
When I feel a better person perhaps then I will leave this cell.
But I’m really grateful for you opening the door”.
Jesus said “ the door is open not because of who you are or what you have done but because
I have taken the key off the jailer. The price was my death on the cross.
Please , just walk out of the door.” The person sadly bowed their head.
Another person approached the cell bars. It was the Father.
Father says “my Son has set you free. He came to earth to pay the price for sin. The door is open.
Please take your right of freedom. The person sat in silence.
Another person sat alongside the person in the gaol. He was the Holy Spirit.
He said “I have come to help you live life outside this prison of sin. I have great plans for your life, things that you have never imagined while you sat in this cell but we are limited in what can be accomplished here.
Jesus Christ has opened the door, the Father calls you and I will go with you every step of the way. Come, leave your cell and enter into life with us.”
The person looked up and as I watched I just longed for that person to grab the opportunity of free life.
The question is from which side of the bars are you reading this story.
Suggested reading John 8
Hundreds of thousands worldwide prepare to pray Thy Kingdom Come
Christians of all denominations are soon to take part in the global prayer movement Thy Kingdom Come.
Last year more than 100,000 people joined with the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to pray during the 10 days between Ascension and Pentecost.
This year, even more are expected to participate between May 25 and June 4.
Archbishop Justin Welby said: “Jesus prayed at the Last Supper that we, those who follow him, might ‘be one that the world might believe’. We are invited to make a lasting difference in our nations and in our world, by responding to his call to find a deep unity of purpose in prayer.
“It’s not a Church of England thing, it’s not an Anglican thing, it’s a Christian thing.”
Archbishop John Sentamu said: “It is my prayer that we shall continue growing in confidence to share Christ; that we shall see the Holy Spirit bringing joy, healing, reconciliation, and hope to many, and bringing new life both to Church and community, to the glory of God the Father. Remember, whilst the big events are fantastic, Thy Kingdom Come is really about being part of a movement of prayer – so small is beautiful, for Jesus says ‘where two or three gather together in my name…’ ”
Emma Buchan, project leader for the Archbishop’s Evangelism Taskforce, who heads up Thy Kingdom Come, said: “The global response to the campaign this year has been overwhelming. We’ve heard from churches across the world, including different denominations and traditions, who have all pledged to get involved from South Africa to Canada and from the Brazil to Hong Kong. Each place is organising the time in their own way, for example in Hong Kong they are planning big celebrations in the cathedrals and establishing a network of ‘prayer warriors’. That’s the beauty of Thy Kingdom Come.
“Last year Thy Kingdom Come gave people time and space outside their normal worshipping patterns to come closer to God and we heard many stories of the deep impact it had on people’s lives.
“This year we have developed a wide range of resources for everyone which includes ideas on prayer stations, prayer walks, finding fun and creative ways of praying together as a family. We also have Novena prayer booklets and liturgy for a range of traditions.”
The Revd Canon Chris Russell, Adviser for Evangelism & Witness at Lambeth Palace, said: “Thy Kingdom Come is a wonderful opportunity to join with Christians around the world in praying that most ancient of prayers ‘Come, Holy Spirit’, so we might rediscover our vocation to all be witnesses to Jesus Christ.
“While there are ideas and resources and prayers and activities available for all, it is at the core about God’s people praying for the empowering of the Spirit. And we can all do that.”
Churches across the world have planned activities including prayer walks, candlelit services, street parties, psalm drumming, fireworks and prayer tepees.
There will be a live service on BBC1 at 10am on Pentecost Sunday with Archbishop Justin Welby, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes and Liz Adekunle.
Elsewhere in the UK people will gather for 34 special beacon services in Cathedrals and thousands are preparing to pray in churches.
- 247,000 resources have already been ordered, from family-friendly Kingdom Kits, Thy Kingdom Come gospels, prayer journals and Novenas, model service plans and liturgies. There’s still time to order or download here: https://www.thykingdomcome.global/search/resources?tags=1&theme_id=1
- Pledge to Pray on the website and you’ll receive specially crafted prayers by international leaders, and youth-friendly meditations, emailed each day. For a list of the daily prayer themes, visit: https://www.thykingdomcome.global/posts/45/your-daily-thy-kingdom-come-prayer-email
- Participants will also be encouraged to post their own prayers and images which will be captured from social media and displayed on a prayer wall on the Thy Kingdom Come website.
For more information please visit: https://www.thykingdomcome.global/
Words
Your words can…
Affirm and encourage
Divide a family
Build someone’s self-esteem
Tear down a person’s self-esteem
Work people into a frenzy
Disrupt unity
Bring comfort
Create panic
Express love
Incite violence
Inspire confidence
Spread mistrust
Communicate value
Destroy reputations
Resolve conflict
Wound deeply
Bring healing
“The tongue has the power of life and death…” Proverbs 18:21a (NIV)
Use words to bless and speak life into others.
“Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24 (NLT)
Where can we find truth?
Our culture is convinced that all truth claims are personal and subjective, elevating tolerance as the apex value of our day. Anything you do that doesn’t hurt me is now acceptable morality. Obviously, we cannot find truth in a society that doesn’t believe truth exists. (Denison)
Marriage Pit stop
I always encourage couples who are getting married to make a commitment to take a regular, in-depth look at their relationship. This doesn’t replace the ordinary, everyday talks – or even rows! They are times – perhaps three or four a year – to set aside an evening or weekend simply to talk about us. It’s an opportunity to discuss, listen, and give each other the right to raise any issue. When couples manage to have these ‘pit stops’ regularly, they usually find it’s easier to raise issues without either party feeling threatened.
Those pit stops may hold some surprises. They may show that a fantastic father or mother needs to be a good husband or wife as well. They may reveal that one of the partners is beginning to feel ’part of the furniture’. And a couple may realize that unless they put an end to those sarcastic comments, the hurt caused will result in them drifting further and further apart.
Rob Parsons(Excerpt) Care for family