Time for God

Dear Oaks,

I wonder if, like me, you sometimes look back to days when you were wonderfully aware of God’s presence? He seemed so close and you vowed that it would always be like this. Now you just wonder how you can return to Jesus as your first love. See Revelation 2:4-5.

Today I was reading the testimony of a Christian woman I know a little. She was musing over this very point. She described how in dark personal times last year she clung to the worship songs on her iPod in the middle of the night and devoured the psalms by day, reaching out constantly as a baby for its mother. During those dark times God seemed so near and yet now things were so much better personally and yet He seems more distant.

Of course there may be many reasons for this. Perhaps it is a time of testing; perhaps some sin has distanced her from God’s intimacy; perhaps He chose to be close to her because of her struggles?

But I was struck by the reason she gave. It was she said “because life had taken over”. She had got busy and was no longer craving God’s presence as she had done in the hard times. She concluded that what she needed to do was to carve out that time alone with Him once more. As some one once said “busyness rapes relationships.” Strong language but about a serious issue. We were created for relationship both with the Trinity and with each other.

This weekend 111 of us are off for the Oak Tree bi-annual weekend away. We will really miss those of you that cannot make it. It will not be the same without you and we look forward to sharing our experience with you when next we see you. Whether you are going or not, what can you do to re-connect more deeply with God? His promise in John 15 is that if we abide in Him we will bear much good fruit to the Fathers glory.

I finish with a quote from Bishop Jeremy Taylor in 17th Century.

“There should be in the soul halls of space, avenues of leisure, and high porticos of silence where God walks.”

Every blessing,

Mark

PS I would greatly value your prayers as I speak at a large gathering of
1,250 Scandinavian Christians in Stockholm over the next two days. My slots
are at 3pm GMT on Tuesday and at 0800 GMT on Thursday. The other speaker is
Bill Johnson, so no pressure there then!

No service this Sunday

We are away on our weekend away so there will be no service this sunday.

Summer Alpha

We are starting an Alpha course on Tuesday 12 May, 7:15pm, in Acton. Alpha is an informal, fun and easy way to explore the deeper things in life. We get together in a living room, eat a meal, listen to a talk on one aspect of the Christian faith and then chat about what we’ve heard over coffee in small groups.

The course runs for ten consecutive Tuesday nights from 7:15pm – 9:30pm. Please do feel free to come along to the first one to see what it is like. There is no pressure to commit to all ten weeks at any time during the course.

The course is free and includes a free meal on the first week. (Later weeks we may put out a basket for a non-compulsory £1 contribution).

If you would like to join us – please phone Ruth on 020 8993 2060 to book your place.

Or email me: ruthr at oaktree dot org dot uk

We have a building!!!!

Dear Oaks,

Well many of you will have heard of Easter Sunday’s announcement by now.

Oak Tree is the proud owner of their very own building. The contract on 216 Acton High Street has been both exchanged and completed!

Technically speaking the building belongs to the London Diocesan Fund on our behalf. But most importantly all of those years of praying and seeking God’s will have come to fruition.

Age Concern the present tenants will be in the building until 31 May when they are contracted to leave.

Neville Simpson the Project Manager appointed by the LDF is already working on the plans and it is hoped that the work will go out to tender in the near future. It is hoped that he will attend one of our May meetings to show us some drawings and discuss the plans.

As for now let us praise God for all His wonderful faithfulness. He is indeed very, very good.

Let us continue to pray that we will be a people who are full of God’s Spirit and that we, as well as 216, will be a building in which the Lord loves to dwell.

In His love,

Mark

I won’t be working until Saturday so there will not be a further email this week. But I will be back at my post on Saturday morning for Healing on the Streets (HOTS). Yesterday at HOTS was the busiest we have ever known it and hugely encouraging. The market stall and the children’s activities based around it meant the whole market area seemed to be humming with Christian witness in one way or another.

Today at our Easter Service I was so excited by the great sense of worship and gratitude expressed to God. Yes, for the provision of 216 but even more so because Christ is Risen and sin and death are defeated. The many cardboard testimonies were a great advert for the transforming power of the Living God. From the front I could see that God was deeply and powerfully moving in people’s hearts – it was a real joy!

Finally let me forewarn you that next Sunday we will continue to both celebrate the resurrection and the fact that at long last Oak Tree has a permanent home. And one right in the heart of Acton in a building once known for putting out fires but in future known for celebrating the one who is the All Consuming Fire.

Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Alleluia!

Easter Market this week… 11th April 2009

MarketCHURCH

It’s funny how words like ‘meek’ and ‘mild’ sound alot like ‘soft’ and ‘cuddly’ ! We’ve made Jesus safe sometimes, tamed the one man who was not tamable. Sometime at the Market I think people make the mistake of thinking what we’re doing is ‘nice’ and ‘good’ when actually what we’re doing is ‘brave’ and ‘Spiritual’. Let’s make sure our seemingly simple actions as Christians are deeply loaded with the radical life changing love of God.

The people of the presence

Dear Oaks,

The people of God have always been The people of the presence.

In the Garden of Eden, God was present and walked in the cool of the evening with Adam.

When they came out of Egypt they knew the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night -the presence.

The Ark of the Covenant and The Temple symbolised God with his people.

When Jesus was incarnated he came as Immanuel or Emmanuel -God with us.

After the resurrection and the ascension Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come to be with us.

“On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” -John 14:20

And at the consummation of all things “Now the dwelling of God is with people and he will live them.” -Revelation 21:3

We are indeed the people of the presence. The only way this was ever to be possible after the fall of mankind was if sin the great blockage of God’s presence was removed. In the Old Testament whilst the presence of God was symbolised it was not normally experienced. Now though we live in different times.

On that first Good Friday sin was removed its power rendered as nothing. The cross and the resurrection paved the glorious way of the Spirit to be reunited with human spirits so that the indwelling of God would be known by us all who believe.

Come and celebrate what it means to be a people of the presence.

Good Friday march of witness from 10:15 at Acton Park. United service afterwards at Acton Hill.

Easter Sunday at 4:30 at Twyford.

We shall be having a celebration you will not forget!

Every blessing,

Mark

Good Friday Walk of Witness

Join with other Acton Christians to walk down the High Street in silence to publicly commemorate Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

We meet at Acton Park gates at 10:15am for worship then start to walk at 10:30am. We walk to Acton Hill Church at the top of the High Street and have a short service.

It’s an excellent way to take time out and think about what Jesus went through the day he died.

Prayer Breakfast – Easter Break

We are taking a little break from Prayer Breakfast because of Easter and various other things that mean our core pray-ers are away.

There will be no Prayer Breakfast next week or the following few weeks until we restart on Wednesday 13 May.

Please use the prayer points on the site from past prayer breakfasts to help you when you pray for Oak Tree in your own time. Many of the things on the sheet are on-going things that need prayer. Jo also sends out prayer emails for our market and HOTS outreach – so contact the office if you wish to be added.

‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.’ Ephesians 6:18