Pastor Nigel

UPDATE FROM INDIA.

Folks,

I've just returned from a 10 day mission trip to India where I was able to inspect the Gateway School on the Come Together Compound.

I'm happy to report that all the grants from the Come Together Fund have been used to great effect:

* A new school bus purchased a couple of months ago with money from the Fund has enabled children to travel to and from school from their villages much quicker than had previously been possible.

* The school has recently expanded to 12 classrooms from the original 6 and has increased to 210 children.

* The staff is dedicated and enthusiastic (funded by the original money raised on tour a couple of years ago with World Vision).

I was also able to visit 2 Ignite churches with buildings constructed with funds raised from Third Day concerts in London, June 2009. One had already been open since Christmas, but I took part in the dedication service for both buildings.

You can see pictures and video footage of my trip on my website www.nigeljames.typepad.co.uk

EASTER GREETINGS FROM WALES.

But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s plan will prosper in his hands. 

When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 

I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners. 

Isaiah 53.10-12.

EASTER GREETINGS TO ALL THIRD DAY FAMILY,FRIENDS,FANS!

OPEN THE DOOR.

Continuing our studies on the words of Jesus we looked at these famous words from the Revelation of John:

 Rev. 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 

This verse is most often used in an evangelistic situation but in reality Jesus is speaking to the church in Laodicea and reminding them of their half-heartedness and lukewarm faith. Here Jesus offers an invitation to believers to experience true intimacy with him and uses the image of a fellowship meal together. He declares that He is always waiting for an invitation back into the centre of the believer's life, and that the believer needs to firstly be sensitive enough to hear the call of Jesus and secondly needs to willingly and deliberately invite Jesus into each day of their existence. There may be several things that block out the voice of Christ, and several pre-occupations, habits, or attitudes that prevent us from issuing that daily invitation to Jesus.

GREATER THINGS!

Back out on Winterjam, our devotions tonight centered around these words of Jesus:

 John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 

This is an incredible statement! Just pause and recall all the amazing miracles that the disciples would have seen Jesus carry out- making blind eyes see, feeding 5,000 with a boy's packed lunch, calming a storm, walking on water, casting out demons, and even bringing Lazarus back to life. Yet Jesus says that anyone who has faith in him will not only do what he has been doing but will do even greater things.

It wasn't too long after Jesus spoke these words, that on the day of Pentecost after Peter's speech, thousands gave their lives to Christ- an occurrence that didn't actually happen throughout Jesus' own earthly ministry. And while Jesus never left Palestine, the early church influenced and shaped the whole of the Roman Empire.

When we read further on into chapter 14 of John's gospel, we see two keys to doing 'greater things'-

1. Praying in the name of Jesus- v. 13 and 14

2. The provision and  presence of the Holy Spirit- v.16 and 17

So really it's the Lord doing even greater things through us! We can read these words and move on, or we can really claim them, stand upon them, and take them as an invitation to join in a glorious, miraculous, lifestyle of intimacy, obedience, service, and power.

WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?

Although I haven't posted them all, we have been able to enjoy regular devotional times together on the Winterjam tour. Recently we have been focusing on the spoken words of Jesus, and yesterday we read about an encounter Jesus had with two blind men:

Matt. 20:32  Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 

Our prayer time concentrated on believing that Jesus was asking each of us personally that question, and we took the opportunity to write a very personal response and place it in a sealed envelope. Each of us then prayed for the enveloped request of another guy.

So often in our devotions I'm challenging the guys to look outside of their own world and to discover more ways to serve and grow as disciples. But now and again it's important to remember that the Lord wants to minister to us before he can minister through us.

Recognizing our need and our utter dependance on Jesus is a core part of our Christian journey, and living in the security and comfort of God's provision is the only place that we can truly minister to others from.

Psa. 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

You might want to get on your knees right now and answer this question from Jesus:

what do you want me to do for you?

GATEWAY SCHOOL LATEST.

My wife Gill has recently returned from the Come Together Compound where she has been leading a team of 10 teachers from the UK. They have been teaching at the Gateway School and offering guidance to the staff there. Here is a picture of some of the children at the school:

 

Talking to some Third Day fans recently I re-stated my commitment to organize a fan trip to the Come Together Compound hopefully later in 2010.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN.

The plight of the Invisible Children in Northern Uganda has long been a concern of the band, and yesterday in Oklahoma City on behalf of Third Day I met a bunch of young people camping out all night outside the offices of their state Senator. Their reason was that a bill has been introduced into Congress with well over 200 cosigners. If the bill passes, there is a VERY good chance the war in Uganda will end and the Lord's Republican army which is full of child soldiers will be abolished. Oklahoma's Senator Coburn, is the one man stopping the bill at this point. Please take 2 minutes to watch this film that explains what's happening:

http://vimeo.com/9554019

JUDGING THE GRAMMY AWARD.

I'm back on the WInterJam tour after a week's break back in Wales. I didn't get around to posting one of the devotions I shared with the band in the week after they won their 4th Grammy award.

 2Cor. 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 

In the context of each of us being judged for our service in the body of Christ, we had a discussion about the value and worth of this Grammy award for Live Revelations. I suggested that to fully understand the significance of it, and to neither downplay it or overblow it, we could recognize that the award symbolized:

• Acknowledgment and recognition from the band's peers in the music industry
• Reward for hard work
• A sign of the favor of God upon them
• Representation of effective ministry and a memorial to many lives changed, families pit back together, broken spirits being given hope, on the Live Revelation tour. I can remember almost every night speaking to someone who had a testimony of God ministering to them through the concert or the Revelation album.

But we also realized that in God's economy the recent fundraising for Haiti, the ongoing work of the Come Together fund, interpersonal relationships between band members, and even a short but significant conversation Tai had with a struggling believer in Los Angeles for the Grammy ceremony itself, are probably just as important in Kingdom terms than any awards.

MERGE.

 Creative storytelling is often missing from our Christian communication-and through the Merge event at the end of June 2010, Michael Novelli is aiming to put that right in the lives of High Schoolers. He has a passion to help people re-discover the art of Bible storying and you can see his resources at www.echothestory.com

 

A GRAMMY...AND AN INTERVIEW.

I'm in Mark Lee's guest bedroom (my regular home from home) having just congratulated Mark on the Grammy award for Live Revelation as best Rock Gospel Album. We are back in Atlanta 24 hours earlier than expected because of severe snow forcing the cancellation of today's WinterJam concert.

 On Wednesday evening I'll be doing a live interview about life on the road with the guys. It's being conducted by a website called Obscure Genius and the details are as follows:

LIVE ONLINE WEBINAR INTERVIEW WITH NIGEL JAMES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD, 2010

9:30PM EASTERN

http://bit.ly/pastornigel