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HOW GOD HELPED ME OVERCOME Rachel Jones explains how she went from self-harming to overseas missions trips
NEWS from Elim and the wider church
OUT AND ABOUT WITH THE GS John Glass opens his diary
RADIO SHOW SPREADS GOSPEL A radio broadcast from Chilterns Christian Fellowship was a God-given opportunity
MY LIFE WAS SPARED FROM EBOLA Dr Kent Brantly says prayer saved him
IT IS AN HONOUR TO SERVE Elim GS John Glass voted in as Chair of Council for the Evangelical Alliance
GET THE BALANCE RIGHT advises Danielle Johnston in Aspire this month
A MOST UNLIKELY PREACHER! We remember Gypsy William Lee, one of Elim’s most successful evangelists
CELEBRATING A CENTURY We take a look ahead at the events planned for Elim’s centenary celebrations
STILL SPREADING HOPE How the ministry of Billy Graham is set to be used by churches across the UK
NO MORE ‘DISPOSABLE DADS’ The father/son relationship is God-ordained, argues Mark Lyndon-Jones
MUSIC REVIEWS with Ian Yates
UNPACKING THE LORD’S PRAYER It’s often recited, but Ruth Trbojevic says we should expect fresh revelation
ESSENTIAL WE PRAY FOR OUR MPs Our politicians should be encouraged and prayed for, writes CARE’s Lyndon Bowring
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]FROM SHIPWRECK TO REVIVAL Many believers long for revival, but it is rarely plain sailing, explains Barry Killick
WHY I LOVE LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL Retired striker Bruce Dyer reveals how his life has changed since he quit the game
AN ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC Kojo Wood discusses the importance of integrity for those serving Christ
GEMS IN ‘MISSIONARY GRAVEYARD’ Seeds sown by Elim missionaries are now bearing fruit, reports Pastor Billy Fenning
BOOKSHELF with Richard Dodge
ANSWERS with Rajinder Buxton
AND FINALLY with John Lancaster
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“Remember, remember the fifth of November.”
Well, my memories are all pleasant ones and more than half a century old – the warmth and crackle of the fire, fun with the family, my father hovering near a half-lit fuse wondering if the firework would work or not, holding sparklers until they burnt their way to your fingers and, if you were a Northerner, the wonderful taste of parkin!
But the original call to recollect the date had a far more menacing meaning – one that was a million miles away from a childhood time with family.
It was in 1605 that the Catholic terrorist and bomb maker, Guido Fawkes, was caught in the act of attempting to blow up the Protestant Parliament, and it was after that that the annual ritual of burning his effigy was inaugurated.
Three hundred and seventy-nine years later, the IRA was more successful when on October 12, 1984, the bomb was detonated at the hotel in Brighton at which Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet were staying. Five people died and many more were injured.
However, few people today want to keep hatred alive by ritual burning, and have little desire to fuel a fire that creates beacons of bitterness in our communities. Some bonfires, nevertheless, should be lit and have a spiritual significance.
The most expensive is recorded subsequent to a powerful open-air meeting in Ephesus of which Luke records in Acts 19: “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.”
Every Christian I know wants to see our nation transformed by the power of the gospel, but perhaps not all of us are willing to pay the price.
In our culture bonfire night is a means of getting rid of rubbish that is in the way, and that may have been lying around the garden for months. In Ephesus the rubbish that needed to be discarded amounted to a couple of million pounds in today’s economy – but it was considered a price worth paying. Our bonfires free up space; theirs created a highway for grace.
So what might we put a match to in an attempt to spiritually de-clutter?
Worn-out traditions and failed methodologies, wrong attitudes, bad motives – should they exist – at least would be a place to start.
But what about a cessation of burning the effigies of those who have hurt us in the past?
The devil says, “Remember, remember,” but grace calls us to forgive. If we are the injured party such actions can be costly, but putting a torch to the past can also be incredibly emancipating.
Some fires need lighting and others need to be extinguished. Whichever you choose – enjoy your bonfire!
John Glass
General Superintendent
Elim Pentecostal Church
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